kwyjibo's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Israeli military's ex-top lawyer arrested as scandal over video leak deepens in ~society
kwyjibo LinkGuess what word, which describes what happened on camera, is missing from the article. At least they were brave enough to print out the quote from the UN report, which mentions it once, huh?Guess what word, which describes what happened on camera, is missing from the article.
At least they were brave enough to print out the quote from the UN report, which mentions it once, huh?
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Comment on Paid e-mail providers - your experiences, how you use them and how I would use it in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkYour thoughts on its pricing aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend Fastmail. It's very easy to set things up for your custom domain. Some domain registrars even have plug and play type of support...Your thoughts on its pricing aside, I can wholeheartedly recommend Fastmail. It's very easy to set things up for your custom domain. Some domain registrars even have plug and play type of support built in for it. If not, MX records are easy to modify regardless of your registrar. When it comes to important things like email, I think track record is important and they've been around more than Gmail has. Email is just what they do.
I don't mean to bash on other recommendations, I'm sure there are other great email providers out there that can very well be better than Fastmail, but do keep in mind that email is inherently neither secure nor private. It never was, never will be. Stuff like E2EE is loosely used for marketing purposes without giving the full truth and it's important not to fall into that trap, thinking that your email correspondence is secure and private because of it.
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Comment on DeckFilter: A Steam library companion app in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentHadn't heard about Playnite before. Disappointed, but not surprised that it doesn't work without having the separate services installed. (Not a knock on the software itself, I'd assume the...Hadn't heard about Playnite before. Disappointed, but not surprised that it doesn't work without having the separate services installed. (Not a knock on the software itself, I'd assume the platforms make that extremely hard if not impossible.) I'm pretty tied to Steam, but sometimes Epic can have nice discounts.
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Comment on CS2 skin update ‘rug pulls’ collectors as $1 billion wiped from market cap in ~games
kwyjibo LinkCS2 is probably my most-played game (though I play it very differently than most). I've never been too interested in the skin market side of it until now. Over the past couple of days, I've been...- Exemplary
CS2 is probably my most-played game (though I play it very differently than most). I've never been too interested in the skin market side of it until now. Over the past couple of days, I've been following almost nothing but this drama, because it's fascinating to watch how people behave during what they perceive as a crisis.
I only own one skin myself, which I bought for around $600 and is now worth roughly $150. Since I never saw it as an investment, its practical value became $0 the moment I bought it, so I didn't really care about the recent news. But a lot of people clearly do. The forums are full of delusional posts about how it's time to "buy the dip", that the market will recover, trust will return, and it's all just a matter of time.
To me, it's obvious why Valve is doing this. Even if you only play CS2 for the gameplay, you can't help but become somewhat aware of the skins. In the past few months, we've seen absurd price spikes on cheap, irrelevant items. For example, a sticker, which can only be applied once and never removed, went from $0.30 to $250 for no reason whatsoever. The same thing happened with several previously worthless skins. I think Valve took notice. There were clearly some shenanigans going on.
Given Valve's recent steps toward making cases obsolete with the introduction of Terminals1 and increased scrutiny from EU countries like Belgium and France (which has already led to in game changes), regulation seems inevitable. Valve isn't a litigious company, at least as far as I know. They know how to avoid regulation. And with growing media attention on CS-related gambling sites and the monetization model, which adds some value to Valve but not the majority of it, this shift was bound to happen.
Valve's direction seems clear: gradually remove cases from the market, introduce Terminals instead, and make the process more transparent. If you're lucky enough to get five covert (red) items from the Terminals, you're guaranteed a knife or a glove. Previously, your chances of getting either were about 1 in 1,000 and even then, the condition (or wear, which is another level of randomness) you can get them in meant that a "good" one was still unlikely. With the new system, third-party websites become much less relevant, Valve regains control of the market, and overall prices drop so that more people can participate.
An Emerald Butterfly Knife used to sell for $30,000, with Valve earning nothing from that "value". Now, if Valve reclaims control of the market, that same knife might cost $1,000 but Valve would earn their 10% (or whatever the cut is) from each transaction completed under their own Steam Market. It's better for them financially and legally. Buying items based on chance becomes buying items based on choice. A week ago, Valve was in a lose-lose situation, now they're slowly turning it into a win-win. Some people who treated skins as investments will be furious, but maybe that's an expensive lesson they needed to learn.
The situation in China is more complicated. The Chinese market represents the largest share of CS2 skins, but there, skins can act as a kind of tangible currency2. Because of arbitrary limits on how much foreign currency Chinese citizens can hold, this system apparently became a way around those laws. There's currently a huge disparity between skin prices in China and the rest of the world because of it. Speculation is rampant about what happens once the new items hit the global market but honestly, it might not matter. Valve's intention to kill this system is clear, even if delusional people still think it's time to "buy the dip" and make money again once things settle.
My only personal and selfish worry out of all of this is how this will affect the esports scene, which I enjoy following. Most of the scene is fueled by these third-party skin websites and if Valve forces them to downsize or ran them out of business with their current and future decisions, I'm not sure what will take their place.
1: You need a $2.50 key to open cases. If you don't already have many, cases themselves cost a dollar or two. With a Terminal, which you can pay for or occasionally get for free, you open it without a key. It gives you five random skins in varying qualities, and you choose whether to buy them or not.
2: You can technically convert skins to fiat money, but not directly. -
Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentI was hoping the freezing issue could be chalked up to AMD's graphics driver not catching up to the game, but given that you have an NVIDIA card, it makes me think the freezes are either server or...I was hoping the freezing issue could be chalked up to AMD's graphics driver not catching up to the game, but given that you have an NVIDIA card, it makes me think the freezes are either server or CPU related. I'm glad it runs well for you though. It's a fun game!
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Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentI don't think I saw those flashes you mentioned, but maybe I didn't notice them. My FPS was about the same with the same settings (at 2K). Another problem I noticed is that when I'm in the Traders...I don't think I saw those flashes you mentioned, but maybe I didn't notice them. My FPS was about the same with the same settings (at 2K).
Another problem I noticed is that when I'm in the Traders menu, moving my mouse around (just that, no clicking or anything else) briefly freezes the people walking in the background. When my mouse movement comes to a stop, they move fine but the moment I move it, they freeze for about a second.
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Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
kwyjibo LinkI liked the game during the playtest but its performance was awful. I have a beefy PC (9800X3D, 9070 XT, 64 GB RAM, Gen 5 NVMe etc.) but I got quite a bit of stutter, sometimes outright freezing,...I liked the game during the playtest but its performance was awful. I have a beefy PC (9800X3D, 9070 XT, 64 GB RAM, Gen 5 NVMe etc.) but I got quite a bit of stutter, sometimes outright freezing, during basic actions like turning on the flashlight. Combat was largely fine, at least I didn't get freezes but it kind of ruined the game for me. I'll check back in in a month or so after its release to see if they've improved stability. I hope they do.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kwyjibo LinkHaving a lot of fun playing Megabonk and Doom (2016). Before Megabonk I was consumed by Vampire Survivors so Megabonk provided a nice change without being too different. As for Doom, it's the...Having a lot of fun playing Megabonk and Doom (2016). Before Megabonk I was consumed by Vampire Survivors so Megabonk provided a nice change without being too different. As for Doom, it's the first Doom (2016) I've ever played apart from the original one and I don't know what I was thinking. It's a blast to kill monsters by tearing them apart into two. It also lacks complicated systems and more or so a straightforward shooter which I like in games in general.
Legion Remix is launching tomorrow so I'm excited about that. I did not play the Pandaria Remix so it will be nice to experience the game in a new way. I already have every class at max level, so the leveling part will be redundant and there aren't a ton of rewards I'm after so I'll just take my time and soak in the experience.
Speaking of WoW, given the upcoming housing feature, does anyone have any plans on what to do? I know we have some WoW players here, and it might be nice to have a Tildes neighborhood in the game.
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Comment on Photo digitizing in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI've been doing this all by myself for the past few weeks. I have about a thousand of photos and I'm scanning every single one of them without any exceptions. I bought a Canon LIDE 400 flatbed...I've been doing this all by myself for the past few weeks. I have about a thousand of photos and I'm scanning every single one of them without any exceptions.
I bought a Canon LIDE 400 flatbed scanner just for this purpose and it works surprisingly well. Depending on their size, I can put three photos on its bed and it scans all of them at the same time. It then splits them without me interfering with anything.
I thought about using a service myself but I simply could not trust them not to lose the photos. One thing I did not anticipate before started doing all of this is how rewarding it'd be to just look at these photos again. They brought up so many memories that I had completely forgotten and it continues to be an invaluable experience. It also what takes up most of my time because scanning the photos themselves, assuming you won't be dealing with detailed tagging or organization at the same time, is faster than you'd think.
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Comment on iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air announced in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkAir looks cool but it also feels like an in-between product before they eventually release a foldable phone. One half of a future product, if you will.Air looks cool but it also feels like an in-between product before they eventually release a foldable phone. One half of a future product, if you will.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
kwyjibo LinkAfter seeing @cfabbro topics on it every so often on the front page, I gave Taskmaster a go last week. It so good! I don't think I've ever watched a game show two episodes in a row so I had my...After seeing @cfabbro topics on it every so often on the front page, I gave Taskmaster a go last week. It so good! I don't think I've ever watched a game show two episodes in a row so I had my reservations, but I couldn't find anything else to watch so I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. I'm going to start the 4th season of the show tonight.
Thanks for the implicit recommendation, @cfabbro!
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Comment on Which directors have a flawless filmography? in ~movies
kwyjibo LinkFlawless filmography is a tall task that I don't think any director would ever meet, but if I were to lax your criteria a bit, aside from some of the names mentioned, I'd add Julia Loktev, Maren...Flawless filmography is a tall task that I don't think any director would ever meet, but if I were to lax your criteria a bit, aside from some of the names mentioned, I'd add Julia Loktev, Maren Ade, and Kenneth Lonergan to the list, in that order. I would’ve mentioned Jonathan Glazer as well, but I’m morally opposed to his most recent work, despite it being an immaculate piece of filmmaking. (I'm mentioning it only because I couldn't think of another filmmaker who's one film away from meeting your criteria. I'm not interested in discussing the film.)
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Comment on Does anyone have a digg invite code I can get ? in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI don't have high hopes for the reasons stated before in this topic, but I wouldn't mind having one myself. I'm curious about the design of its mobile app given Christian Selig's role in the company.I don't have high hopes for the reasons stated before in this topic, but I wouldn't mind having one myself. I'm curious about the design of its mobile app given Christian Selig's role in the company.
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Comment on Recommendation Request: New Mouse in ~comp
kwyjibo Link ParentZowie are often referred to as the "grandfather" mouse because they've been around for so long and they don't have the latest tech, which I think is a plus. I care about the shape and the comfort...Zowie are often referred to as the "grandfather" mouse because they've been around for so long and they don't have the latest tech, which I think is a plus. I care about the shape and the comfort when I'm holding it, not whether it has the useless and taxing 8k polling rate or some ungodly number of DPI.
I have a soft spot for Zowie's EC series, which is what I'm using now, because way back in early 2000s, the legendary Microsoft IntelliMouse 3.0 was the most comfortable mouse I had ever used. It was extremely popular among esport players, which I was one then. EC series is sort of a love letter to that mouse, designed by taking inputs from players of that era (namely HeatoN, aka Emil Christensen), so it was like coming home for me.
I don't know much about Steelseries except for their Aerox 9 model, which I briefly used for playing WoW, but the shape was not for me. I also stopped playing Monk since that's what I needed it for. Anyone who plays WoW can back me up on the button bloat problem that class has, hehe. It was otherwise a good mouse.
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Comment on Recommendation Request: New Mouse in ~comp
kwyjibo (edited )LinkI'd steer away from Logitech. I must have used more than a dozen of Logitech mouse (from MX510 to MX Master 3S) and every single one of them, with no exception, had a double click issue. The only...I'd steer away from Logitech. I must have used more than a dozen of Logitech mouse (from MX510 to MX Master 3S) and every single one of them, with no exception, had a double click issue. The only reason I kept buying them was Logitech's support, which has been stellar and replaced my mouses with no question. But there comes a point where it just doesn't worth the hassle anymore. The last one I bought from them was Superlight 2, which is a great mouse and it was working perfectly well but I shelved it as I switched to Zowie (EC1-DW).
I'd take a look at Zowie. As esports started booming, lots of PC peripherals companies popped up. Mouse companies are no exception. You can find plenty of mouse with a ton of frills that you will never need. Zowie makes what I'd call no bullshit mouse. There's a shape for every person (they have a picker here), they work great, and they have all the features you might need.
Their wireless mouse are rather expensive, but they still produce wired mouse, so you can take a look at that. @Trobador recommended FK2, which I know to be a very popular and durable mouse. If you're steering away from wireless mouse because you worry that they might not work as well as a wired ones, you can be rest assured that they work exactly the same. For example, you'd be hard pressed to find a competitive CS2 player who still play on a wired mouse.
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Comment on The 100 best movies of the 21st Century - voted by more than 500 influential directors, actors and other notable names in Hollywood and around the world in ~movies
kwyjibo LinkIt's a fine list. There's plenty I don't agree with (naturally, since that's the charm of these lists) but my disagreements mostly come from the order rather than what's been included or excluded....It's a fine list. There's plenty I don't agree with (naturally, since that's the charm of these lists) but my disagreements mostly come from the order rather than what's been included or excluded. That being said, there's only two films my personal list share with this, but realistically speaking, that's not a surprise.
My list
In no particular order, except for the first three:- Afterschool
- What Time Is It There?
- Day Night Day Night
- The Gleaners & I
- The Brown Bunny
- Distant
- Silent Light
- Homo Sapiens
- Code Unknown
- No Country for Old Men
Some of the films that didn't make the cut, but could've just as easily so if I were compiling this at some other time:
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Comment on MiniPC home server recommendations in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI've been running Intel NUC11TNHi3 for the past couple of years and I'm very happy with it, despite my storage situation not being ideal. It was a barebones system so I installed 16GB RAM, 512GB...I've been running Intel NUC11TNHi3 for the past couple of years and I'm very happy with it, despite my storage situation not being ideal. It was a barebones system so I installed 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe drive, and I'm using Unraid as the OS. I'm running qBittorrent, a few apps from the *arr suite, Plex, Tailscale, and some system related containers and plugins. I also ran Home Assistant for a couple of months with no issues. The CPU load hovers around 0-5%, with qBittorrent serving around a thousand torrents being the biggest culprit.
One thing I'd advise you to do is to decide beforehand what you will do with your data. NUC's are great, but the storage solutions that accompany them are not, at least as far as I know. If I knew what I know now, I would've either gotten a powerful enough NAS with proper drive bays, or build a system that can handle as much storage as I can fit into a case. If I'm not mistaken, based on my prior research that can now very well be outdated, your storage solution with NUCs are using external drives (which is what I do for my useless data), using a DAS which are almost as unreliable as the external solution since they also use USB, or using something like m2 to SATA adapter which introduces a whole bunch of problems (assuming they're reliable to begin with).
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Comment on Thomas Keller asked me to leave the French Laundry. It turned into my most extraordinary night as a critic. in ~food
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Thomas Keller asked me to leave the French Laundry. It turned into my most extraordinary night as a critic.
39 votes
Legion Remix is heading into a new tier today so I'll be playing that for the next couple of days, but yesterday, after some arm twisting, I purchased Arc Raiders and it's been a blast. During its playtest, I had some performance issues which put me off from the game despite liking it, but most of the issues have been resolved.
I haven't played solo yet, at least not to the extent to give an opinion on it, so I don't know how that experience fares but with two and three stacks, it's been fun even if you're total dorks. Despite enjoying PvP, I echo @0xSim sentiment that the game eventually needs a PvE mode though, and I think it will be implemented in due course. The devs might be reluctant pushing it since it might take away some players from PvP for the time being, but there are only handful of games that can retain their userbase. Arc is good, but I don't think it's that good. People will eventually move on to other things and that's when they might want to add PvE.
Speaking of performance issues, I'm mentioning this in case it helps someone because it's a rather specific issue. Most of my performance issues were solved with the release of the game, but, I'd still get micro stutters in the menus (and using the in-game dials) when and only when I move my mouse. Turns out, this is due to DisplayFusion, a software that helps you manage multiple monitor setups. You can find the solution on this Reddit post.