Mendanbar's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentI've sunk quite a few hours in over the past couple of days. I had an old save with almost nothing unlocked from like 2 years ago, so I just started fresh with 1.0. There's a lot more hints and...I've sunk quite a few hours in over the past couple of days. I had an old save with almost nothing unlocked from like 2 years ago, so I just started fresh with 1.0. There's a lot more hints and tutorial than the last time I played, which is nice. I also noticed that the dev team added some more humor since the last build I played. Overall it makes the game feel a bit less sterile. My oldest son is playing shapez2 right now, and there's quite a few shared concepts. So we've been comparing notes to improve our automation. It's been a really good time
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Comment on What happens when you touch a Pickle to an AM radio tower? in ~science
Mendanbar Link ParentI remember doing something similar with an electronics kit my parents got me. It felt like some sort of magic to pick up radio signals with something I built (mostly) by hand. I must have seemed...I remember doing something similar with an electronics kit my parents got me. It felt like some sort of magic to pick up radio signals with something I built (mostly) by hand.
I must have seemed like a magician to my brother as well, because when he was around 7 years old he ripped ALL the components off the mainboard of his fisher price radio and brought them to me convinced I could just put them all back in the right place. :D
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Comment on Boeing workers vote to strike after rejecting pay deal in ~finance
Mendanbar (edited )Link Parent"...but think of the shareholder value!" - Boeing CEO's internal monologue, probably"...but think of the shareholder value!"
- Boeing CEO's internal monologue, probably -
Comment on What happens when you touch a Pickle to an AM radio tower? in ~science
Mendanbar Link ParentMe either. I added it to my mental list of things to be worried about my kids touching. 😬And ALSO I HAD NO IDEA broadcast towers were electrified
Me either. I added it to my mental list of things to be worried about my kids touching. 😬
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Comment on Boeing workers vote to strike after rejecting pay deal in ~finance
Mendanbar LinkI chuckled at this part. Good on them (the union) for sticking to principles and following through with the strike.Newly installed Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg had pleaded with workers not to go on strike – the first since 2008 – ahead of the vote, saying the action would put the company’s “recovery in jeopardy”.
I chuckled at this part. Good on them (the union) for sticking to principles and following through with the strike.
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Comment on Operating on good faith in a bad faith environment—the implications in ~misc
Mendanbar Link ParentI also fell down the rabbit hole, and I have to say those videos contain some of the best explanations of US conservative behavior that I have ever seen. Many "a-ha" moments for me. I'm slowly...I also fell down the rabbit hole, and I have to say those videos contain some of the best explanations of US conservative behavior that I have ever seen. Many "a-ha" moments for me. I'm slowly making my way through the whole playlist.
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Comment on 9/11 attacks in realtime (dashboard) 7:46am-12:00pm in ~humanities.history
Mendanbar Link ParentThis is really interesting to me, as it tracks with my own experience as I watched the video today. I was in college in 2001 (in the midwest), and on 9/11 I watched the news briefly before class...I think if I hadn't been in high school (for example, if I had been a university student, where I didn't have a TV), it wouldn't have been as impactful for me. I think that day affected me a lot more deeply than it affected my parents or most of my other relatives, for example, because they were at work. They didn't watch the second tower get hit or the two towers collapse live like I did. They heard about it first from other people and then watched the news after the fact.
This is really interesting to me, as it tracks with my own experience as I watched the video today. I was in college in 2001 (in the midwest), and on 9/11 I watched the news briefly before class and learned that a plane had hit the twin towers, but then went off to class. College is much more like a job than high school, so no one was sitting around in class watching the news. I only learned the rest of the story once I got back to my room and had a chance to catch up.
Watching this video created a much more intense reaction in me, and I think it might be because I was watching it play out minute by minute. I wanted to be thorough, so I avoided skipping ahead (or reading ahead in the comments). It was overwhelming. I had to pause and step away a few times. The nuance that appears when you are viewing the parts in between the broader strokes of events makes the experience more real than hearing a reporter recap the day.
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Comment on 9/11 attacks in realtime (dashboard) 7:46am-12:00pm in ~humanities.history
Mendanbar (edited )LinkJust chiming in to say I appreciate the share. I was a self absorbed college student at the time of the attacks, so didn't dig in to all the news at the time. Over the years there has been a lot...Just chiming in to say I appreciate the share. I was a self absorbed college student at the time of the attacks, so didn't dig in to all the news at the time. Over the years there has been a lot of misinformation floating around as well. So I appreciate the work put into this. I think I'll watch it exactly once.
Edit: I just finished watching. It was surprisingly emotional, and I had to take a few breaks to collect myself. I was not directly connected to anyone involved, but it was really hard to watch events unfold nonetheless.
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Comment on Introducing Steam Families - now out of beta! in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentHaha, this just smacked me in the face with the reality that my own parents apparently did very little to monitor my computer use when I was younger. I definitely played Leisure Suit Larry in...Haha, this just smacked me in the face with the reality that my own parents apparently did very little to monitor my computer use when I was younger. I definitely played Leisure Suit Larry in middle school on the family PC, and invited friends over to see the naughtier parts. 😂
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Comment on Introducing Steam Families - now out of beta! in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentSort of related to this... I wonder if Family View is going to be phased out as part of the Steam Families rollout.Sort of related to this... I wonder if Family View is going to be phased out as part of the Steam Families rollout.
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Comment on Introducing Steam Families - now out of beta! in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentIn thinking about it, I'm probably realistically more concerned with the awkward time when my kids are transitioning to their own accounts and want to retain their save files for any games they...In thinking about it, I'm probably realistically more concerned with the awkward time when my kids are transitioning to their own accounts and want to retain their save files for any games they aren't yet ready to leave behind. I think in that case it's fine if the original account retains ownership, provided there is some mechanism to transfer saves to my kids' new account. I'm not sure how that would work with cloud saves though. Is it as simple as copying the saves from the steam directory locally and then having the new account upload to the cloud?
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Comment on Introducing Steam Families - now out of beta! in ~games
Mendanbar (edited )LinkI'm curious to hear if anyone here has tried it. I have held off because I have a massive shared library with my family, and we have managed up until now with a single account owning all the...I plan to watch the video a little later today, but to kick off the discussionI'm curious to hear if anyone here has tried it.I have held off because I have a massive shared library with my family, and we have managed up until now with a single account owning all the games. This has gotten harder as the kids have grown up, with saves sometimes coming into conflict across devices. It's still better than the library sharing that existed previously though, as I understand that the old system locked your entire library each time someone was sharing a game.
IIRC, The new system sounded a lot more granular, which I like. But I still have the problem of not being able to transfer ownership of my kids' games to them when they eventually get their accounts. I'm wondering if that's a sore spot for anyone that has made the switch. Has Valve made any statements about potential ownership transfer? or even savefile transfer? Is it even a thing other families are going through? Maybe I'm in the minority having a single account to share with my kids.
EDIT: The video was short, so I just watched it anyway. :D
Another question that pops up is how well this system transitions children to adults. Seems like that might be a sticking point.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentYeah, speaking from experience, dynmap can very quickly overtake storage with tile data for the various high resolution maps.Yeah, speaking from experience, dynmap can very quickly overtake storage with tile data for the various high resolution maps.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Mendanbar (edited )Link ParentThere are many mechanics of NMS that are like this. Many features get added to support the story of a given expedition, but taken in the main game feel "unfinished". I think this is where the...There are many mechanics of NMS that are like this. Many features get added to support the story of a given expedition, but taken in the main game feel "unfinished". I think this is where the "Make your own fun" aspect comes in. A lot of the same things have been said about settlements, exocraft, cooking, underwater exploration, etc. I've sort of become accustomed to new features only very loosely fitting in with the rest of the game.
As for purpose... I think mostly fishing serves as a distraction. Another thing to do in a vast universe full of distractions. But there are some little tidbits.
- Fish can be cooked into dishes that (temporarily) improve various stats when consumed. I don't know if there is anything that we haven't seen from other cooking recipes though.
- There is also the fact that releasing fish into water awards nanites, which can be a nice way to purchase upgrades at various terminals.
- Thirdly, there's the collection aspect. Some people like to fill out their discovery catalog by catching/cooking all the things.
I generally like to play the game for the overall experience of being an explorer in a vast universe. There's always something new to see and experience.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Mendanbar LinkRoad 96. I received this game as a gift from @kfwyre in last year's Holiday Game Giveaway, and just this week got a chance to play it. I finished my first run through the story with my 13 year old...Road 96. I received this game as a gift from @kfwyre in last year's Holiday Game Giveaway, and just this week got a chance to play it. I finished my first run through the story with my 13 year old as copilot, and we both enjoyed the experience very much. The game is very rough around the edges, but the story and game mechanics drew us in and really made it fun.
I also finished the Aquarius Expedition in the latest update for No Man's Sky. It's a minor update that introduced fishing mechanics to the game. I have to admit I was a bit "meh" going in. I love fishing in Minecraft, but most other games fail to capture me with their fishing mechanics. I think it becomes too tedious or anxiety inducing in other games. But I'm pleased to report that NMS has captured what I like about Minecraft fishing. The previous update added a technology upgrade to allow spaceships to "land" on water, so it's super fun now to just find an ocean in the middle of nowhere, land, and cast my line while standing on the wing.
Next up, I think I'll finally give Satisfactory a try. I've owned it forever, but have been waiting until 1.0 to give it a full playthrough. I have a feeling it's going to suck me in, so I thought it best to wait for the full experience.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentA version of freecam is built into the tweakaroo mod, and I've been using it without issue.A version of freecam is built into the tweakaroo mod, and I've been using it without issue.
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Comment on I could do that in a weekend! in ~tech
Mendanbar Link ParentThis really resonates with me. I tend to look for open source versions of things precisely for this reason.Open source your platform code, and I will fix that bug that’s been pissing us all off this whole time.
This really resonates with me. I tend to look for open source versions of things precisely for this reason.
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Comment on James Earl Jones, authoritative actor and voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93 in ~movies
Mendanbar Link ParentI was hoping it would be the Vader sessions when I clicked. The part where Vader appears to be just bothering Tarkin with wildly inappropriate ramblings in his office will always get a laugh out...I was hoping it would be the Vader sessions when I clicked. The part where Vader appears to be just bothering Tarkin with wildly inappropriate ramblings in his office will always get a laugh out of me.
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Comment on Star Trek Day 2024 offering free pilot episodes for almost all Star Trek series in ~tv
Mendanbar Link ParentFor sure. I had a ritual of reading a book and then watching Voyager every night when I was in high school. I also watched a lot of TNG, but Voyager holds a special place for me. There is one...For sure. I had a ritual of reading a book and then watching Voyager every night when I was in high school. I also watched a lot of TNG, but Voyager holds a special place for me.
There is one episode called Virtuoso (s06e13) that I've been thinking a lot about lately as it relates to AI creations of art and music. Even though the episodes can be a bit cheesy, I think the topics are still very much relevant and worth watching.
That "Darkness" one looks wicked. The sun almost looks like a glowing pyramid.
Thanks again for posting these. I have been thoroughly sucked in to the 1.0 update of Satisfactory and expect I'll be doing that for a while, so I imagine I'll not be on the server as much. It's great to check the thread and see the happenings while I'm off building a mess of conveyor belts on an alien planet. :)