meatrocket's recent activity
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Comment on Dolphin on Steam indefinitely postponed in ~games
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Comment on Your successes in 2022 in ~talk
meatrocket LinkI got my bachelor's degree, got a salaried job, got my own apartment, got a wonderful cat, made some good friends and deepened my connections with old ones. I'm still struggling with my mental...I got my bachelor's degree, got a salaried job, got my own apartment, got a wonderful cat, made some good friends and deepened my connections with old ones. I'm still struggling with my mental health, but now that I've successfully gotten out of school I at least don't feel the sword of Damocles resting on my throat at the same time.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
meatrocket LinkResident Evil 4. I can't say anything to add to the discourse about this game, but I am really enjoying it. This is my first Resident Evil game and I've been coping with the horror elements a lot...Resident Evil 4. I can't say anything to add to the discourse about this game, but I am really enjoying it. This is my first Resident Evil game and I've been coping with the horror elements a lot better than I expected - horror games tend to seriously freak me out, but I think the fact that I have a little power to fight back makes it much more manageable.
I do strongly recommend the Resident Evil 4 HD Project. (Project Site, Video) It's excellent... even if it did take over 4 days to torrent the whole thing.
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Comment on What have you learned from working in tech? in ~talk
meatrocket Link ParentAs a recently-hired software dev: I needed to get a degree for this? I want to throw my phone and all of my electronics in the oceanAs a recently-hired software dev: I needed to get a degree for this? I want to throw my phone and all of my electronics in the ocean
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
meatrocket LinkIn the past few weeks, I’ve blasted through The Ultimate Doom (minus Thy Flesh Consumed because it’s too unfair for me), Doom II twice (once vanilla and again with some GZDoom enhancements), Doom...In the past few weeks, I’ve blasted through The Ultimate Doom (minus Thy Flesh Consumed because it’s too unfair for me), Doom II twice (once vanilla and again with some GZDoom enhancements), Doom 64, Doom 2016, and I’m now about halfway through Doom Eternal. (I’ll get to Doom 3 at some point, but it’s so different that I don’t feel an urge to make it a priority.)
I honestly don’t know what compelled me to just go through the series like this, but I’ve been having a great time. I hadn’t played the original, Doom II, or 64 to any real extent, and I’m stunned by how well they all still hold up. I have a better appreciation for what Doom stands for now: high-octane action gameplay that keeps you thinking on your feet, cheesy heavy metal, horror/sci-fi, moddability, and gratuitous violence and gore purely for the sake of spectacle and fun, in direct defiance to the brown cover-based modern warfare trend that FPS games were stuck in for so long. It’s been a lot of fun to see how each of these games does this in different ways and emphasizes these aspects differently.
The surprise standout for me is Doom 64. It’s the same essential formula as the first two games, but tweaked a bit with slower movement and a much heavier emphasis on macabre horror. Its modified version of the engine allows for some things like moody colored lighting and some 3D stuff with bridges that I’m still not sure how they pulled off in iD Tech 1.
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Comment on The Ethereum Merge is done, opening a new era for the second-biggest blockchain in ~finance
meatrocket Link ParentI’ve started to hear some rumblings of Ergo being the next GPU-mining focus. I don’t have data to back that up at the moment, but I think it’s a stretch to think that every miner is just going to...I’ve started to hear some rumblings of Ergo being the next GPU-mining focus. I don’t have data to back that up at the moment, but I think it’s a stretch to think that every miner is just going to give up (as much as I might like them to).
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Comment on All About Berlin in ~life
meatrocket LinkAppreciate this. I’ve only traveled to Berlin once but it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. To move to Berlin is my biggest pie-in-the-sky, unplanned, unrealistic life goal; I’d like to...Appreciate this. I’ve only traveled to Berlin once but it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. To move to Berlin is my biggest pie-in-the-sky, unplanned, unrealistic life goal; I’d like to thank you for sharing something that makes it slightly more possible, but realistically I’m going to just wistfully peruse this site every once in a while as a “wouldn’t it be nice.”
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
meatrocket LinkI've been weightlifting the past couple of months, usually four days a week. It's been much more enjoyable than I expected it to be, especially now that I've been doing it long enough to see...I've been weightlifting the past couple of months, usually four days a week. It's been much more enjoyable than I expected it to be, especially now that I've been doing it long enough to see changes in my ability and in my physical appearance, even if those changes aren't very big just yet. Especially as someone who was very used to being low-energy and lethargic (and overweight), having a couple of people I know see me and ask "Have you been working out?" feels nice.
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Comment on Have a Nice Life - Earthmover (2008) in ~music
meatrocket LinkSlowly fallen in love with this record after I first heard about it about a year ago via another Flenser band (that band being Bosse-de-Nage). The soundplay, mood, and dynamics across the whole...Slowly fallen in love with this record after I first heard about it about a year ago via another Flenser band (that band being Bosse-de-Nage). The soundplay, mood, and dynamics across the whole thing are something else, and I think this song is brilliant as a microcosm of the whole album.
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Have a Nice Life - Earthmover (2008)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
meatrocket LinkS.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly. Having so much fun with it, both from enjoying the atmosphere and from exploring a modernized S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. I've had both the gameplay and the economy set to their...S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly. Having so much fun with it, both from enjoying the atmosphere and from exploring a modernized S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. I've had both the gameplay and the economy set to their easiest difficulties, but the world still feels much more threatening than in the vanilla games; I really like planning out my routes, preparing supplies, maintaining weapons, then heading out into the Zone.
I'm not far into it, I've only gotten as far north as the Army Warehouses (I have the option of needing to pay for hidden routes enabled), but it's great.
It's a completely free standalone game, if it sounds interesting.
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Comment on What are your failed hobbies? in ~hobbies
meatrocket Link ParentThat's actually really encouraging, thank you.That's actually really encouraging, thank you.
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Comment on What are your failed hobbies? in ~hobbies
meatrocket LinkProbably reading. I’ve got a decently sized collection of books, I’ve read about half of them and the rest I meant to get to when I bought them, but life gets in the way, I forget what was going...Probably reading. I’ve got a decently sized collection of books, I’ve read about half of them and the rest I meant to get to when I bought them, but life gets in the way, I forget what was going on and feel like I need to restart, reading isn’t a natural go-to for me so even when I have time it usually doesn’t happen, et cetera. My bookmark has been sitting on the same page of The End of the Affair for weeks. Meh.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (February 2022) in ~talk
meatrocket LinkI'm nearing the end of my second month on fluoxetine (initially 20mg, recently upped to 30), and the difference in my mood and outlook has been substantial. I feel more assured of having innate...I'm nearing the end of my second month on fluoxetine (initially 20mg, recently upped to 30), and the difference in my mood and outlook has been substantial. I feel more assured of having innate worth; I'm reengaging with things I had lost interest in for a long time; I've been able to be more physically active and present with my friends and family.
I'm not cured, however. My psychiatrist warned that it wouldn't be a magic bullet, but rather I would find myself having more good days than bad. I still have bouts of intense depression (interestingly, my anxiety seems to be what's mostly been diminished), but they are growing less frequent and slightly more manageable when they come. This is all happening at a good time, as I'm in my last undergraduate semester and every little thing to make that last push easier is helpful, and - to be candid - I had largely given up hope of things getting any better, and I might not still be here if I hadn't found an effective medication.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
meatrocket LinkAfter I fell off of reading it late last year, I'm fully reinvested in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Kundera's writing is lovely and philosophical, but there's a vague melancholy underpinning...After I fell off of reading it late last year, I'm fully reinvested in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Kundera's writing is lovely and philosophical, but there's a vague melancholy underpinning it as well. I'm about halfway through it but I have an urge to reread it as soon as I finish.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
meatrocket LinkOver the past month or so, I finished 2 games. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger had been sitting on my wishlist for a while, so I gave it a shot when it was given away on Steam a few weeks ago. It has...Over the past month or so, I finished 2 games.
- Call of Juarez: Gunslinger had been sitting on my wishlist for a while, so I gave it a shot when it was given away on Steam a few weeks ago. It has some fluid gameplay (except for those damn duels) and interesting ideas. The story is told retrospectively by a slightly unreliable narrator, so some environmental details will change when he remembers a detail, for instance. This one is pretty short - I was done in about 4 hours - so it was over right when it started getting a little stale. Fun time.
- I had been wanting to do a run through System Shock 2 since greatly enjoying the original a few months ago in [immense] spite of its clunky interface and controls. The sequel leans way more into role-playing aspects than the original, with full-on character builds and a more open-ended design to suit the various solutions that different builds might use; but honestly, the role-playing felt like the weakest pillar of this game. Skill points and upgrades are limited, and I often felt more like I was setting myself up for failure against some new unseen challenge when speccing into something. One would expect it to play into the survival-cyber-horror atmosphere, but I just found it annoying. That atmosphere and environmental design, however, were absolutely gripping. This is the first game I've had a dream about in years, it's that good. There's so much tension on the Von Braun, and so many horrors to find in both its past and its present. That being said, I followed the mod guide in Mandalore's video, so objects and textures looked a hell of a lot more modern than twenty years old, but since the style and artistic intent remain the same, I'm not concerned about missing anything from vanilla. I'm excited about Nightdive's System Shock remake, even if a bit cautiously so because of how much it's been delayed.
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Comment on What were the best movies you watched this year? in ~movies
meatrocket LinkI had the pleasure of taking a German film course at university this past semester, and I saw some excellent films. My two favorites are: The Wall / Die Wand: Based on a 20th century novel of the...I had the pleasure of taking a German film course at university this past semester, and I saw some excellent films. My two favorites are:
The Wall / Die Wand: Based on a 20th century novel of the same name. A woman goes to a hunting lodge in the Swiss Alps for a retreat when, inexplicably, an invisible and impenetrable barrier surrounds the area on her first night there, and so she must come to terms with her solitude and with living in nature. Breathtaking cinematography, drawing inspiration from the traditions of both the Heimatsfilm and the Robinsonade, but twisting those formulas nicely.
The Edge of Heaven / Auf der anderen Seite: Fatih Akin's beautiful-yet-tragic story of German-Turkish transnationalism. The legendary Hanna Schygulla is brilliant in her supporting role, but every performance in this film is excellent.
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Comment on LastPass is going to become an independent company in ~tech
meatrocket Link ParentI moved to Bitwarden several months ago when LastPass messed with their free tier and haven't looked back at all. It's a nice utility.I moved to Bitwarden several months ago when LastPass messed with their free tier and haven't looked back at all. It's a nice utility.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (December 2021) in ~talk
meatrocket LinkIt's been a long few months getting treatment and a long few years dealing with my symptoms, but after jumping through all hypothyroidism and sleep apnea hoops, I have an appointment with a...It's been a long few months getting treatment and a long few years dealing with my symptoms, but after jumping through all hypothyroidism and sleep apnea hoops, I have an appointment with a psychiatrist next week to discuss medication options and get me a antidepressant/anti-anxiety prescription. My therapist even works in the same office, and she's let the psych know some of my background and symptoms ahead of time to streamline that process for me somewhat.
In addition, applying some of the things my therapist has recommended has been helpful. I'm immensely hard on myself constantly over even the tiniest things. She's helped me to recognize when those thoughts are intruding and to give them a "name" so I can mentally distance myself from them while acknowledging that they're part of who I am and I just have to work with that.
Another big weight off my shoulders has been securing a full-time job after graduation. I'll be doing software development with an international company, and the office is in the city I'm already going to university in. The salary isn't huge but it's enough for the area and for me living alone. I've been looking at some nice apartments within walking distance of the office that even give rent discounts for people working with that company. The people seem nice, and even if it sucks, it's my first real job after undergrad, and I can only go up from there.
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Comment on Them Crooked Vultues - No One Loves Me and Neither Do I (2009) in ~music
meatrocket LinkAbsolute beast of a record. Elephants and Warsaw are my favorites. Hope we get a TCV2 someday.Absolute beast of a record. Elephants and Warsaw are my favorites. Hope we get a TCV2 someday.
Does Nintendo have any legitimate fair reason for doing this? I can’t think of one.