knocklessmonster's recent activity
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Comment on How are you different than you were last week? in ~life
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Comment on Obsidian Entertainment reportedly lays off a quarter of staff, cancels multiple projects, and begins work on new Fallout game in ~games
knocklessmonster (edited )Link ParentMicrosoft pushed for an organization-wide Xbox cull so Obsidian and Bethesda (and iD and others) got rocked hard. Even Sawyer didn't want to lead another game after FNV was dragged through the...Microsoft pushed for an organization-wide Xbox cull so Obsidian and Bethesda (and iD and others) got rocked hard.
Even Sawyer didn't want to lead another game after FNV was dragged through the mud, so he might have had a change of heart/some healing after that
MS has basically said to Bethesda "Wtf do you mean you aren't developing your biggest IPs?" and decided to rectify that situation it seems.
I hate the layoffs, especially the vets, but think at least having Obsidian do another Fallout will be a good thing. A silver lining on a shit cloud.
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Comment on Dbrand has cancelled their "Companion Cube" Steam Machine case, because they didn't ask Valve for permission in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI think it was just good-natured excitement nobody tempered, given the response. Dbrand also totally handled it well by ceasing and desisting when prompted.I think it was just good-natured excitement nobody tempered, given the response. Dbrand also totally handled it well by ceasing and desisting when prompted.
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Comment on Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops in ~humanities
knocklessmonster Link ParentThe only point in which this will matter is the relevance of the Catholic church in, say, 500-1000 years. That said, given the historical record back to Roman emperor Constantine, it might be...The only point in which this will matter is the relevance of the Catholic church in, say, 500-1000 years. That said, given the historical record back to Roman emperor Constantine, it might be surprisingly relevant.
I think the sticky wicket here is the specific undermining of mainstream Catholic authority, by not allowing/requiring the Pope to specifically ordain these new bishops.
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Comment on Midweek-ish Movie Free Talk in ~movies
knocklessmonster LinkI just saw The Death of Robin Hood. If you appreciated the Wolverine movie, you could probably appreciate the post-mythological-consequence driven plot of the movie, except for Hugh Jackman's...I just saw The Death of Robin Hood.
If you appreciated the Wolverine movie, you could probably appreciate the post-mythological-consequence driven plot of the movie, except for Hugh Jackman's inability to keep a consistent accent between northern English and southern American. A note that is a minor plot point, but major concern with the film that undid the rest of my interest:
A particular scene in *The Death of Robin Hood
There is a scene that depicts the Pryoress masturbating in a cave that is quite obviously used for religious rituals both pagan and Christian in which she masturbates. This scene does not drive the plot in a meaningful way, and ultimately served to suspend my interest in underlying plots due to potential sexual undertones related to the story that ultimately never came to fruition. It was like Chekov's smoking gun in a sexual context with no related context that just made things weird for no reason.Forgiving the above scene which only matters for how out-of-context it was, it was an interesting examination in the life of an outlaw that definitely had external effects, and how one could navigate such a world that one had created or oneself.
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Comment on Noemi - Generative digital audio workstation from Tweakbench in ~music
knocklessmonster LinkI was checking in on one of my favorite VST developers, Tweakbench, who have had a huge return to form over the last year with new great plugins shoutout to Saffron, an amazing DX7 clone. They've...I was checking in on one of my favorite VST developers, Tweakbench, who have had a huge return to form over the last year with new great plugins shoutout to Saffron, an amazing DX7 clone.
They've recently come out with this interesting generative audio workstation that works with most virtual instrument formats across Mac, Windows and Linux.
It's a little rough, slow, janky, and has weird crashes occasionally but so far shows a ton of promise.
I haven't gotten super deep with it, but it allows for varoius methods of generation from euclidian rhythm generators, Tidalcycles-derived mini-notation, generative modules, and then ties everything together modularly via connections on a grid. I figure it might be of interest since we've seen stuff like Bespoke Synth plugged here.
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Noemi - Generative digital audio workstation from Tweakbench
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Comment on The Amazing Digital Circus - Ep 9: Remember in ~tv
knocklessmonster Link ParentI'm not going to openly discuss this so it'll be in a tag for people who haven't seen it Click to view the hidden text I never picked up that Jax was trans. I've seen some discussions about things...I'm not going to openly discuss this so it'll be in a tag for people who haven't seen it
Click to view the hidden text
I never picked up that Jax was trans. I've seen some discussions about things that were allegedly clear giveaways, but part of the problem is they were coded heavily enough that if you didn't know the signs, you wouldn't catch them. I'm not resistant to it *at all*, and the evidence people cite seems to be pretty clear-cut, but symbolism requires one requires one to recognize the symbols to work.Hell, I missed that Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet were becoming a thing at the end of the first season of "This Flag Means Death."
I'm offering this perspective as somebody who related quite heavily to Jax, as well. Not in an edgy "I'm an asshole" way, but in a "I understand him too much" way I describe in my own comment.
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Comment on The Amazing Digital Circus - Ep 9: Remember in ~tv
knocklessmonster LinkI actually had a ticket to see this opening night but had to ditch my ticket from having a cold and saw it the following Wednesday. First some thoughts that weren't spoilers: Seeing Zach Hadel...I actually had a ticket to see this opening night but had to ditch my ticket from having a cold and saw it the following Wednesday.
First some thoughts that weren't spoilers:
Seeing Zach Hadel (psychicpebbles, the fish in the beach episode and who warns us not to spoil it) and Arin Hanson (egoraptor, voice of Kaufmo) on a theater screen was wild. As a fan of both for their animation/VA work, it was a treat.
EP 9 left a huge dent on me for a couple days, and I'll explain why. It's stuff I didn't really see discussed, or I see discussed in actively hostile ways that seem to miss some of the point that the show had, and I did accidentally end up on a couple subreddits dedicated to the show who focused heavily on certain angles, but not others I'll go into in my spoiler.
Thoughts/experience around EP9
The show is, by and large, and more overtly, a psychological horror through its exploration of human consciousness an an effectively immortal, immutable system. It does pivot into the effects of the individuals' unique psychological profiles and how they map to the world, of course.Something about the deep exploration on Jax, who acted as sort of a conflict driving lynchpin through the series, and an exploration of the Circus's effect on a specific person's mind became ultimately unsettling. I actually almost had to leave the theater when it was playing through Jax's memories, history, and Jax's experience of pushing other members of the circus away to the point of abstraction. I don't have experience that maps 1:1 with that, none of my is gender/identity related (and it doesn't have to be), but there were portions of my life where I exhibited certain behaviors for nearly identical reasons: Emotional vulnerability being used against me in comparatively small ways, not feeling like I had any safe attachments, and it ultimately led to a period of similar bitterness and isolation. I had experiences that mirrored Jax's, even if they weren't the same in severity or consistency, that still left marks on me.
I muscled through the episode, loved every second around that scene because it was so uncomfortable and somehow nailed the feelings, then had to try not to cry through the mall as I walked back to my car and, ultimately, fell apart, let myself cry it out, and sort of processed through the whole thing.
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Comment on The Amazing Digital Circus - Ep 9: Remember in ~tv
knocklessmonster (edited )Link ParentThere's a lot of stuff where you're gonna be fine ignoring the fandom. 99% of them are just people who like the show, and I've wound up in a few subreddits by chance where, frankly nothing...There's a lot of stuff where you're gonna be fine ignoring the fandom. 99% of them are just people who like the show, and I've wound up in a few subreddits by chance where, frankly nothing bad/weird happened. I also saw the theatrical release of ep 8/9 and it was just normal people, nbd. I see a lot of the stuff I see in internet fandoms, and I just generally avoid dedicated fan communities because I'm never that invested in anything I watch to want to talk about it to a large degree. That said, the community around this show isn't particularly toxic that I've seen.
The content is sort of a comedy/psychological horror reminiscent to themes akin to Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, in that you have human psychological entities beholden to an AI entity in a system he controls, with a risk of "abstraction" (incidental, system-induced cognitive/identity dissolution) should they resist the program too intensively (not really a spoiler there, it's a concept that's revealed early on and is a basic premise of the show). It deals largely with the tensions of human consciousness against an artificial overlord, and the existential stresses of realizing one might exist as this immutable yet conscious entity in an artificial system.
I'm making it sound deeper than it is but I was consistently entertained and intrigued by it. I'd say just jump in on the pilot for free on youtube if you have a passing curiosity, give it til maybe episode 3 (of 9), and see how you feel. It's all on Glitch's Youtube channel anyway.
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Comment on Do you cook with cast iron? Is it the hassle everyone says it is? in ~food
knocklessmonster LinkI don't cook with cast iron, but have, have grown up around it, and have followed quite a bit of modern discourse. I'll offer a blind opinion without reading other comments to try to offer what I...- Exemplary
I don't cook with cast iron, but have, have grown up around it, and have followed quite a bit of modern discourse. I'll offer a blind opinion without reading other comments to try to offer what I understand and know from experience:
Seasoning. How bad is it really? Did you purchase a pre-seasoned pan and just cook with it? Do you re-season occasionally? How often? What oil do you use? What is your process?
Unless you find one that's dull silver, all new cast iron (naked cast iron, not ceramic) is seasoned. This is by necessity, as it will rust from ambient moisture in storage. Seasoning does two things:
- Provides a vapor barrier to prevent rust
- Increases the non-stickiness of the molecularly rough material (for less rough materials see stainless, aluminum, silver (yeah, silver) or titanium-coated non-stick)
Cleaning. How do you clean your skillet? Soap and water? How do you know when you are done cleaning? What materials do you use?
Every cook I will clean and season it. I grew up in the "Don't use soap" but the biggest thing is to finish cooking, take a warm pan and scrape it clean/dry, submerge and scrape if needed to really get stuff off it. Soaking can, and will, damage the seasoning. The best case scenario is your seasoning takes on dishwater flavor. The worst case scenario is you remove it and your food tastes like metal. I've experienced both.
Near the end of my dedicated tenure I would hand-wash with dish detergent. The big concern, and recent discourse, is that back in the days of lye soap you had unclear concentrations of lye, and lye-forward soaps which would damage the season and corrode the metal. Most dish detergents do not carry this risk, so are completely safe to use. If you make/buy a soap today that is large-scale, it'll also likely be superfatted to a point (more fat than can be reacted with), so if you're particularly hippy dippy you should be fine there, as well. But do what you want as long as that pan is completely clean and food-material-free when you go to dry/season.
My cast iron process is usually:
- Cook
- Serve
- Debride physically as gently as I can (you can remove the season, so don't scrape with a metal implement. it'll be fine if you do, it's replenishable)
- Wash, either with water or a bit of detergent.
- Rinse completely clean, make sure no debris remains.
- Dab dry with a cloth or paper towel (don't rub, it will abrade your drying implement, possibly depositing fibers)
- Heat to ensure completely dry
- While hot, put a bit of oil in, wipe around with a paper towel gently, minding the decay of the paper towel against the rough material.
- Wipe excess oil up. Extra oil = more rancid oil = more chance of bad flavors next cook.
Unknowns. What did you not know until you started cooking with cast iron? Any surprise benefits/costs?
Cooking is a skill. Cast iron, stainless, carbon, and even raw aluminum pans are subsets of this skillset. The practices are more or less the same. Something I recommend is getting a cheap laser thermometer. I typically start cooking most meats once the pan hits 350, regardless of material. From there, on cast iron, you want to use more oil than you think you should, and ensure the proteins are fully set before you try to flip the meat. You'll know you're here because the meat will release.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentLike with the Decks, Valve will likely lower the price if they ever can, I'm quite sure. Not to stan the billion dollar company but it legitimately feels like they just need to try to keep the...Like with the Decks, Valve will likely lower the price if they ever can, I'm quite sure. Not to stan the billion dollar company but it legitimately feels like they just need to try to keep the margin up over screwy hardware prices.
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Comment on Brave Origin, a paid, premium version of Brave is now available in ~tech
knocklessmonster Link ParentBrave's crypto stuff also gives me the ick so I avoid using it. I use Vivaldi since it at least doesn't seem to try to mine my data, and is available as a flatpak. I'm less concerned with open...Brave's crypto stuff also gives me the ick so I avoid using it. I use Vivaldi since it at least doesn't seem to try to mine my data, and is available as a flatpak.
I'm less concerned with open source than leadership ethics, especially since any features I like in Brave can be done via extensions.
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Comment on Steam Machine and Steam Frame will be shipping this summer in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI'm not too concerned. The price of the 512GB OLED Deck is $780, which is only a little more than I paid new for my slightly lower spec 512GB LCD Deck at launch. I assume they'll have different...I'm not too concerned. The price of the 512GB OLED Deck is $780, which is only a little more than I paid new for my slightly lower spec 512GB LCD Deck at launch. I assume they'll have different price points, and I'll bet there'll be something like a 512 model for under a grand.
At the end of the day you could still get a ROG Ally and a dock if you really had a tight budget.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentI didn't get to game as much as I wanted this week for reasons and sat down to Mina the Hollower. Holy hell is it hard. It's definitely dark-soulsy, rather punishing, and I spent about three hours...I didn't get to game as much as I wanted this week for reasons and sat down to Mina the Hollower. Holy hell is it hard. It's definitely dark-soulsy, rather punishing, and I spent about three hours tonight trying to progress. The game's starting to click, but i'm a little worried as somebody who tends to bounce off Dark Souls. I'll see how it goes when I progress more, as I finally got to the area around the first indicated temple.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkMina the Hollower: I'm not that far in, but holy heck is it good. I expected/hoped for something like Legend of Zelda in world design and gameplay, and got "Shigeru Miyamoto's Dark Souls." Having...Mina the Hollower: I'm not that far in, but holy heck is it good. I expected/hoped for something like Legend of Zelda in world design and gameplay, and got "Shigeru Miyamoto's Dark Souls." Having just finished Shovel Knight, the difficulty is similar, it's irritating and frustrating, but sorta low-stakes. The boss fights cost me all my bones each time, but I'm still having fun.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentUpdate: I beat Shovel of Hope. I'm thinking of doing the other three around Mina the Hollower, but really want to commit to Mina now that I've at least beat the original mode of Shovel of Hope.Update: I beat Shovel of Hope. I'm thinking of doing the other three around Mina the Hollower, but really want to commit to Mina now that I've at least beat the original mode of Shovel of Hope.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster Link ParentAside from the tedium did you find PoE to be particularly different? It was my first traditional CRPG when I started the genre in like 2021, and I remember being disappointed by it not being...Aside from the tedium did you find PoE to be particularly different? It was my first traditional CRPG when I started the genre in like 2021, and I remember being disappointed by it not being turnbased (then later learned a lot of the genre greats weren't turn-based as well).
I don't remember how far I got, I think I still have a save somewhere, but i'm sorta looking for an excuse to dust it off eventually, especially when I saw that update come through.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkShovel Knight. I wanted to finish it back in like 2019. But the problem is I have the Treasure Trove, so... Four games. It's equally hard and easy, because you don't ever die as long as you've got...Shovel Knight.
I wanted to finish it back in like 2019. But the problem is I have the Treasure Trove, so... Four games. It's equally hard and easy, because you don't ever die as long as you've got the time/gumption to go forward. I also feel like I both know the game better coming back, and am better in general, so it's more fun than than before.
I was going to try to crank through it before Mina the Hollower came out, but that isn't happening obviously. I bought and started that, as well, and it's probably going to be just as good as Shovel Knight.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning: I saw this video randomly that was a good pitch for the game (she doesn't like the remaster though), and bought it for $15 with the new DLC on Humble Bundle. I played for 30 minutes, so just most of the opening dungeon bit, and it's really good so far.
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
knocklessmonster Link ParentI almost feel the same with Microsoft's MFA codes but they go probably from 11-99 so that's not a lot of options anyway.I almost feel the same with Microsoft's MFA codes but they go probably from 11-99 so that's not a lot of options anyway.
I finished my first sort of dating cycle ever at 35. We went on a couple dates, coffee and a movie, and we sorta didn't work out. I texted her with normal stuff, she delayed and hit me a couple days later with "Hey, it's been great, but I'm looking for something else."
It hurt a little, but I also went in knowing first time I'm 1) Not going to be my best on my first ever date at 35, and 2) the whole point of dating is finding someone and sussing them out. Dating is a filter and "the one" is the one who gets through. She was great, but it was sorta mutual, no negativity.
I feel confident in a way I didn't before. I was open about who I was, we vibed for abit, nobody died, and the "worst" happened (we didn't go forward), but we're still alive.
I also realized I don't want to date right now, it's a lot of effort, but I tried, it was a success (I'd consider getting a second date a "win" because they wanna know more about you), and I grew from it.