knocklessmonster's recent activity
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Comment on Noemi - Generative digital audio workstation from Tweakbench in ~music
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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.
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Comment on Who else is as excited as I am for the Backrooms movie tomorrow? in ~movies
knocklessmonster LinkI'm not familiar with the stuff Kane did on YouTube but nonetheless stoked for a wild bit of internet lore to be a major motion picture and plan to see it in a week.I'm not familiar with the stuff Kane did on YouTube but nonetheless stoked for a wild bit of internet lore to be a major motion picture and plan to see it in a week.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk
knocklessmonster Link ParentI've done ham, pineapple, jalapeno as a nice mix.I've done ham, pineapple, jalapeno as a nice mix.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
knocklessmonster LinkI'm preparing for a bunch of concerts I have coming up, so have been listening to the following: I was listening to The Beastiary by Castle Rat while driving around a bit over a week ago and it's...I'm preparing for a bunch of concerts I have coming up, so have been listening to the following:
I was listening to The Beastiary by Castle Rat while driving around a bit over a week ago and it's the first album in a while to make me feel randomly euphoric, then again as I grabbed a guitar and started working out some of their riffs. It was also kind of funny to listen to it on the way to the Renaissance faire this weekend, until it basically took three times through the album to actually get into the place. Their first album is pretty good, but this is their second and is so much better, at least in the mix, and really gives me hope for their direction and trajectory.
Powerman 5000: I started with Tonight the stars revolt! (link to playlist) and it's solid, and a little eclectic.
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Comment on Dusk: an unofficial cross-platform release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkThis is pretty sick. So, like Ship of Harkanian for Twilight Princess? I'm definitely in.This is pretty sick. So, like Ship of Harkanian for Twilight Princess? I'm definitely in.
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Comment on Do you play knock-offs of celebrated indie games? in ~games
knocklessmonster LinkNot really? It's a complicated answer. I play a bunch of games that are super similar. Brotato, obvious clone Pickle Pete, 20 Minutes til Dawn on one hand, Vampire Survivors and (blatant 3d clone)...Not really? It's a complicated answer.
I play a bunch of games that are super similar. Brotato, obvious clone Pickle Pete, 20 Minutes til Dawn on one hand, Vampire Survivors and (blatant 3d clone) Megabonk and parallel developed Vampire Hunters. Soulstone Survivors, Halls of Torment, TerraTech Legion. Then there's the "Game repurposed to roguelite:" Balatro, Bingle Bingle, Aotenjo, Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Ballionaire.
You could look at these clusters and trace lineages back to recent games. They're kinda knock-offs, Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers doesn't give you that oooh yeah moment that Balatro can. But I don't think I'm playing knock-offs because despite sharing like 70% of the same DNA, they're different enough in important ways that each is individually fascinating.
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.