kru's recent activity

  1. Comment on Donald Trump whisked off stage in Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd in ~news

    kru
    Link Parent
    Is there anyone in the world that you would trust to put a bullet through your earlobe at 50+ yards?

    Is there anyone in the world that you would trust to put a bullet through your earlobe at 50+ yards?

    8 votes

  2. Comment on The Free World's Choice in ~creative

    kru
    Link
    Are we talking about the Denethor of the films or the Denethor of the books? Pretty different characterizations. And the denethor of the books was a pretty competent leader. Biden isn't being...

    Are we talking about the Denethor of the films or the Denethor of the books? Pretty different characterizations. And the denethor of the books was a pretty competent leader. Biden isn't being driven to madness or despair by a palantir - not that I'm aware of anyway.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on What my adult autism diagnosis finally explained in ~health.mental

    kru
    Link Parent
    It's definitely this. Our concept of normal is influenced so much by culture, the people in our social circles, media, history, etc. The concept of a "normal person" is an illusion - it's like...

    It's definitely this. Our concept of normal is influenced so much by culture, the people in our social circles, media, history, etc. The concept of a "normal person" is an illusion - it's like combining multiple images of people to create an averaged, yet attractive, face that doesn't actually exist in reality. We're all comparing our weirdly-functioning brains to this averaged perfection personified by society.

    14 votes

  4. Comment on What's your recommended survival crafting game to play solo? in ~games

    kru
    Link Parent
    Oh, wow. Blast from the past. I second NEO scavenger. It's got a great loop.

    Oh, wow. Blast from the past. I second NEO scavenger. It's got a great loop.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What's your recommended survival crafting game to play solo? in ~games

    kru
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    I put 80 hours into Valheim, before pausing to let them add more content (which they have since done, and I am considering a return soon). This is a pretty classic survive, craft, base build,...

    I put 80 hours into Valheim, before pausing to let them add more content (which they have since done, and I am considering a return soon). This is a pretty classic survive, craft, base build, bossfight third person action game. Highly recommended.

    CDDA as mentioned elsewhere is pretty deep. But it has a similar complexity to Zomboid and so it might not suit your wants.

    I recommend The Riftbreaker for a different emphasis on the various survival, crafting and basebuilding elements. It leans less on the supply chain logistics than Factorio, and more on the defensive base building and large-scale entity fighting. It's sort of a Factorio-lite with more action. It's a good singleplayer game. Most of the negative reviews are sad because the devs aren't going to be able to fulfill their promise of coop. But, since that doesn't matter to you, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

    9 votes

  6. Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2024: Hidden gems in ~games

    kru
    Link
    I picked up News Tower which is in EA and only has about 1k reviews. At first glance I thought it was a sim tower wannabe. It is very much not. It has elements of sim tower in that you're building...

    I picked up News Tower which is in EA and only has about 1k reviews. At first glance I thought it was a sim tower wannabe. It is very much not. It has elements of sim tower in that you're building office spaces upwards and managing the habitats of the workers. But the meat of the game is choosing which reporters to send out to the stories and how to position those stories on the newspapers that you send out to the public. You do this with a clever symbol matching mechanic (which is a personal favorite mechanic of mine). On top of that there is a city map where you slowly expand outward by growing your subscriber base who wants you to cover stories with ever increasing symbol complexity. Meanwhile you're also optimizing the distance your reporters and production chain staff have to walk to create and prepare a story for print, and designing their layouts to minimize noise, heat and other distractions while providing enough space for inspiring posters and desk ornaments that provide stat bonuses.

    Honestly, it might be a tad bit too crunchy. However, I've thoroughly enjoyed the ~4-5 hours I've put into it.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on "Radical, in a different vein": The "Abundants" and supply-side progressives in ~misc

    kru
    Link
    Who doesn't want these things? I'm asking a serious question. Is there a class of people that would disagree with any or all of the above? Because the article seems to advocate for the creation of...

    What do we want to be Abundant in society?

    We want abundant housing, such that fewer people are rent-burdened and more people can afford to move to areas with economic opportunity.

    We want abundant clean energy, so we can avert climate change while increasing quality of life—everything from reduced electricity bills to enabling desalination, which could get us to abundant water.

    We want abundant good education, such that opportunity exists for every kid, regardless of birth zip code.

    We want abundant good jobs, such that people are able to provide for their families and feel dignity and security.

    Fundamentally we want to make it easier for regular people to build good lives for themselves and their children, and we think we can do it by making the things above, and many other things in society, Abundant.

    Who doesn't want these things?

    I'm asking a serious question. Is there a class of people that would disagree with any or all of the above? Because the article seems to advocate for the creation of sub-factions within the political parties that emphasize these things over anything else. But, I have a hard time believing that these desires are not already at the forefront of pretty much everybody.

    4 votes

  8. Comment on The US Supreme Court weakens federal regulators, overturning decades-old Chevron decision in ~misc

    kru
    Link
    Here's a preview of the future for you:

    Here's a preview of the future for you:

    SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

    STATE OF TEXAS, ET AL., PETITIONERS V.
    ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, RESPONDENT

    ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

    June 30, 2025

    Chief Justice ROBERTS delivered the opinion of the Court.

    This case presents the question of whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reasonably interpreted the term "clean air" in promulgating a rule governing air quality standards under the Clean Air Act. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that the EPA's interpretation was not entitled to deference under the principles set forth in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), as recently limited by this Court in Loper v. Raimondo, 69 U.S. 420 (2024). We granted certiorari to determine whether the Fifth Circuit erred in its analysis.

    We hold that it did not. The Fifth Circuit correctly concluded that the term "clean air" is susceptible to multiple plausible interpretations. Under the circumstances of this case, where Congress has not spoken to the precise question at issue, we see no basis for giving the EPA's interpretation controlling weight.

    The EPA argues that its interpretation is the most reasonable one, given the context and purpose of the Clean Air Act. However, the Fifth Circuit persuasively countered that a more limited construction, permitting air that does not cause death prior to 48 hours of exposure, is also a permissible reading of the statute. Congressional delegations of power are not a blank check for unelected agencies to run amok in the absence of an unambiguous statutory directive. Rather, it falls to this court, as the guardians of the Constitution, to ensure that the Clean Air Act is construed in accordance with the People's true intent.

    The EPA alternatively contends that its interpretation is warranted by the canon of avoidance, as an excessively narrow definition of "clean air" would raise constitutional concerns under the nondelegation doctrine. We disagree. As we explained in Loper, courts must interpret statutes as written and cannot rewrite them based on extratextual considerations. It is for Congress, not this Court, to revise the Clean Air Act if it determines that the delegation of authority is too expansive or lacking in sufficient nuance.

    In light of the foregoing, we affirm the judgment of the Fifth Circuit. The EPA's rule is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

    It is so ordered.

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Why so many bitcoin mining companies are pivoting to AI in ~tech

    kru
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    Spoiler: The halving made bitcoin rewards much less profitable for large datacenter mining operations. So they're looking to get stable income by becoming GPU hosts for AI.

    Spoiler: The halving made bitcoin rewards much less profitable for large datacenter mining operations. So they're looking to get stable income by becoming GPU hosts for AI.

    19 votes

  10. Comment on The Steam Summer Sale 2024 is live (runs June 27 - July 11) in ~games

    kru
    Link Parent
    To the Moon (4 hours) - Pretty great story. Mostly a linear VN, but it's universally acclaimed. The Case of the Golden Idol (6 hours) - A logic-based madlibs that tells a story. This game is a...

    To the Moon (4 hours) - Pretty great story. Mostly a linear VN, but it's universally acclaimed.

    The Case of the Golden Idol (6 hours) - A logic-based madlibs that tells a story. This game is a gem.

    The Duck Detective (2 hours) - Same type of gameplay as golden idol, but shorter and more light-hearted.

    Stacklands (5 hours) - A neat little resource management game in the vein of cultist simulator.

    80 days (3 hours) - A choose-your-own-adventure type game. Very narrative-heavy. It has pretty good replayability, so the time to see all of the various paths and storylines is much longer than 3 hours (probably around 30 is my guess).

    OneShot (5 hours) - You only get one shot. Don't spoil yourself.

    Citizen Sleeper (6 hours) - A narrative-heavy resource management game. Like 80 days, you might play through multiple times to see all of the available content.

    The Forgotten City (6 hours) - It's a story game, but it's amazing.

    Doki Doki Literature Club (5 hours) - A VN that is very much worth playing. It's free, too!

    4 votes

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kru
    Link Parent
    It's been awhile since I played Callisto Protocol, and I recall not liking it very much, so I might be mis-remembering this but: I don't think it matters which direction your dodge is in, just as...

    It's been awhile since I played Callisto Protocol, and I recall not liking it very much, so I might be mis-remembering this but: I don't think it matters which direction your dodge is in, just as long as your subsequent dodges are in the opposite direction. In other words, you can always start a dodge chain by dodging to the right, for example.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kru
    Link
    Manor Lords is on game pass for PC. It's still early access, and lots of features are missing, so I can't suggest anyone play it. However, it's certainly impressive for where it's at and provided...

    Manor Lords is on game pass for PC. It's still early access, and lots of features are missing, so I can't suggest anyone play it. However, it's certainly impressive for where it's at and provided me a solid weekend of entertainment. Definitely worth keeping an eye on if you like the city-builder. It's got some interesting mechanics for building aesthetically pleasing medieval cities (the road tool can be used to shape the plots of farms, pastures and housing). The presentation is excellent. I read someone describe it as Kingdom Come: City Builder and I think that's pretty apt.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on Paul Mescal can pull off short-shorts, but can ordinary men? in ~life.style

    kru
    Link
    Yes. Wear what is comfortable. Body-shaming can go to hell.

    Yes. Wear what is comfortable. Body-shaming can go to hell.

    33 votes

  14. Comment on Adobe TOS: I'm an artist. I have never used Adobe Cloud software. What happens if someone else uploads my content? in ~tech

    kru
    Link Parent
    This is pretty accurate. The artist would have to seek damages from the person who uploaded the content to Adobe without license. I imagine that Adobe would have to eventually create a mechanism...

    This is pretty accurate. The artist would have to seek damages from the person who uploaded the content to Adobe without license.

    I imagine that Adobe would have to eventually create a mechanism by which artists could petition Adobe to have their falsely uploaded works removed, similar to youtube and its dmca removal requests. It's a bit grey as to what happens to the models trained on unlicensed works - Adobe would have trouble claiming that they have a license to everything they've used to train once they start having to remove works from their DB.

    13 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kru
    Link
    I picked up Empires of the Undergrowth about a week ago. It bill itself as an RTS, but it's not like the traditional RTS games. It's more akin to the Settlers series of games, where the player...

    I picked up Empires of the Undergrowth about a week ago. It bill itself as an RTS, but it's not like the traditional RTS games. It's more akin to the Settlers series of games, where the player acts as a general, issuing vague "go here please" orders and hoping his units will follow them. Manipulating units has a lag associated with it, and micromanagement is very different from a traditional RTS. This is the most positive way I can write about the controls of the game.

    I don't recommend this game, even though its got an overwhelmingly positive review. I'd only recommend it to people who plan to play the first third or half of it, and then let it drop. The first several missions are pretty good. Discovering the general mechanics is fun, and the theme and presentation are great for an indie title. However, the poor pacing and balance issues become apparent in the latter half, when the game expects players to re-play the same missions over and over to memorize the pattern of scripted sequences. Worse of all, the game makes no concessions about this - you'll be playing the same missions, hearing the same dialogue, clicking away the same tooltips, over and over until you beat the level. The only way to avoid hearing the repeat dialogue is to turn off all dialogue and tooltips, but then you risk missing out on the new stuff. It's a terrible design oversight. And you do need to hear the dialogue. Several stages provide key hints on how to handle the scripted sequences by listening to the things said by the scientist. (This is actually a potential accessibility issue, because if you can't hear the words, then you'll have to figure out the unintuitive scripted sequence mechanics via trial and error - which means many, many, many complete level restarts).

    There is no saving during missions, so you'll have to restart if you make too many mistakes or are too slow, or happen to fail at micromanaging (which is very challenging to do) in the later missions.

    There's a lot more I can say about this game, pro and con, but my overall thoughts are to avoid if you're looking for an RTS. If you like the Settlers series, you might enjoy it. But definitely be prepared for the rough edges and repeat missions.

    It's a fun game for a few hours. But it's a flawed game overall.

    3 votes

  16. Comment on Getting over that game making hump? in ~games

    kru
    Link Parent
    I've spent a couple years in incubation teams at several game companies. This is the right advice. Get a complete game loop as soon as possible. Iron out details and scalable data-entry and...

    The going chat I hear is you just need to start small and get something working. A basic, simple prototype of the thinnest slice of the game and go from there.

    I've spent a couple years in incubation teams at several game companies. This is the right advice. Get a complete game loop as soon as possible. Iron out details and scalable data-entry and content generation woes later.

    Maybe 20 years ago I would have said that spending some time getting your ducks in a row before diving into a prototype was a good idea, but Unity, Unreal and other engines have mostly solved that dilemma. Now you should run as fast as you can at a complete loop before anything else. Once you have a fun loop, then and only then should you start to worry about how to make it scalable, shippable, polished, etc.

    It's the complete loop that'll keep you motivated and get over the hump. And it needs to be a complete loop. I've got a half dozen failed roguelikes and RTS projects on my drive that I've forgotten about because 'of course I can make this fun,' so I hyperfocus on optimizing some AI routine or making a clever front end for entering unit stats, or whatever, until life takes my focus away and I forget about the whole project.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Suggestions for games with addicting skill mechanics that you can play while listening to an audiobook or podcast? in ~games

    kru
    Link
    I listened to the Yale lectures on political science and philosopy, as well as a stanford course on the biology of the brain while playing Delta-V: Rings of Saturn. It's a top-down hyper-realistic...

    I listened to the Yale lectures on political science and philosopy, as well as a stanford course on the biology of the brain while playing Delta-V: Rings of Saturn. It's a top-down hyper-realistic physics sim about mining asteroids around saturn. It's got a dead simple, super fun loop that allowed one part of my brain to disengage and handle the flying and mining, while the other half learned stuff from the lecture videos. The only time I had to pause the video was when some bad guys decided to fight (which wasn't very often at all).

    4 votes

  18. Comment on What slow-burn game is worth the time? in ~games

    kru
    Link
    Bitburner It's fantastic. It drained half a year of my life. I recommend it 100% and will say nothing more in support of it.

    Bitburner

    It's fantastic. It drained half a year of my life. I recommend it 100% and will say nothing more in support of it.

    4 votes

  19. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    kru
    Link
    I watched Mars Express the other day. It's a noir cyberpunk detective story. I wasn't expecting much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The immediate comparisons are Blade Runner and Ghost in the...

    I watched Mars Express the other day. It's a noir cyberpunk detective story. I wasn't expecting much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The immediate comparisons are Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell.

    I should point out that I watched this without viewing the trailer. I watched the trailer after having seen the movie, and I feel the trailer spoils a few surprise moments. So, maybe avoid the trailer if you can.

    I watched it in French, so I can't say whether the english dub is any good, but the French voice actors were great.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Lerp smoothing is broken in ~comp

    kru
    Link
    This video is a deep-dive into the lerp function, and how it is often mis-used for smoothing in games. Basically, many developers try to smooth out some movement over time by naively calling the...

    This video is a deep-dive into the lerp function, and how it is often mis-used for smoothing in games.

    Basically, many developers try to smooth out some movement over time by naively calling the lerp function in the form of position = Lerp(start, end, dt) where dt is some small number, or perhaps the deltaTime of the frame. However, this results in framerate-dependant behavior. The actual behavior can vary greatly depending on your user's framerate.

    Freya then steps through the math of why this occurs, and demonstrates a better way to achieve the same type of smoothing using a framerate-independant method.

    It's a cool talk. I've been develping games for decades and I learned something from it.

    12 votes