Mendanbar's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
Mendanbar Link ParentIf you add a TV lobotomy service you can have my money.If you add a TV lobotomy service you can have my money.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 15 in ~society
Mendanbar Link ParentAnother "loophole" that the administration is using is swiftness of action. Our legal system is so slow that it often can't keep up with what's going on, and by the time it does catch up a lot of...Another "loophole" that the administration is using is swiftness of action. Our legal system is so slow that it often can't keep up with what's going on, and by the time it does catch up a lot of damage is done. I'm not sure how this sort of behavior can be prevented in the future.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
Mendanbar LinkOK, I managed to finish the game late last night in one final push, so I'll add my take on everything. I really enjoyed the game. I tried to make it all the way to the end without guides, but...OK, I managed to finish the game late last night in one final push, so I'll add my take on everything.
I really enjoyed the game. I tried to make it all the way to the end without guides, but unfortunately didn't succeed. Right around the part where you have to capture the beetle I just got too confused and needed to look some things up. I feel like I might have been able to figure it all out given enough time, but I just don't have the hours to dedicate to these things like I once did.
I did end up getting the "good" ending, if you can really call it that. A lot of the characters end up dead in the end, so it feels pretty bittersweet. I did unravel the mystery of Tyler's murder though, which was nice. Overall I found it pretty satisfying.
Like others have said, the controls were a problem. I did find the "original" (GoG) version to be better overall than the Steam version I started with, though. There were just a lot more cursor clues in critical moments.
I found some of the graphics hilarious at times. There were some genuinely funny interactions, with the highlight for me being dancing with drunken Schmidt. Schmidt in general had a lot of funny expressions. There's an interaction early in the game that I unfortunately didn't screen-cap where you can interrupt he and Anna talking during dinner, and he looks up at you with the funniest expression. I kept coming back during that part of the play-through just for laughs. I also found Robert's expression in this frame really funny.
OK, now to a bigger question:
Does Robert Cath have magic powers??
At several points in the game, the "camera" zooms way in on Cath's intense stare and unusually blue eyes. In every case of this, "something" seems to happen, and 9 times out of 10 the outcome is in Robert's favor. Does Robert have some form of telepathic powers?
Some of the evidence:
- When Robert seems to calm the old man when he's freaking out
- The calming of the husky
- Near the end, when Robert seems to be able to "direct" the golden bird, when every other piece of evidence suggests the bird kills indiscriminately
- There's also a moment shortly after that where Robert and Anna are about to jump from the train, and Robert and the bird make eye contact again. It almost seems like the powers wear off, and Robert realizes it and yells "Jump!" just in time to get away from the bird.
There's also a couple of other interactions where Robert is super confident:
- When he takes the gold from Kronos
- Knocking the gun out of Anna's hand
While these could just be Robert being a bad-ass, my headcanon is that he's accustomed to things sort of "going his way", which makes him a little more bold where others might hesitate.
Anyway, did anyone else come to the same conclusion?
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Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Mendanbar Link ParentIt's pretty consistent too. There have been a number of times where I'll find myself really enjoying the music in a film, and then wonder to myself if Mark was involved. Then there his name is in...It's pretty consistent too. There have been a number of times where I'll find myself really enjoying the music in a film, and then wonder to myself if Mark was involved. Then there his name is in the credits. 🙂
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
Mendanbar Link ParentJohn Samsung's nephew worked hard on that jingle, and by God you are going to hear it and enjoy it!John Samsung's nephew worked hard on that jingle, and by God you are going to hear it and enjoy it!
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
Mendanbar Link ParentSometimes the settings are also hidden. We have a nice Samsung washer/dryer set that plays a whole freaking song loudly every time a cycle ends and there is nothing in the settings menu to turn it...Sometimes the settings are also hidden. We have a nice Samsung washer/dryer set that plays a whole freaking song loudly every time a cycle ends and there is nothing in the settings menu to turn it off. But last week I discovered that pressing the settings option for 5 seconds brings up a secret menu where I could turn off all sounds. Now I can enjoy glorious silence again in my house, but why the hell was it buried??
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Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Mendanbar Link ParentI bought this album when they became popular on the radio, and played the whole thing on repeat constantly. It's a really good all around album. Another favorite track (that is criminally short!)..."Welcome Interstate Managers" is the album that stands out to me (and probably most people). It has the previously mentioned single, but is absolutely full of great songs. Mexican Wine is catchy and fun and Valley Winter Song is my headspace song whenever I want to "go home to New England" where I grew up. It's a perfect winter vibe.
I bought this album when they became popular on the radio, and played the whole thing on repeat constantly. It's a really good all around album. Another favorite track (that is criminally short!) is Yours and Mine. I still hum the tune to Mexican Wine probably once a week. Really catchy.
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Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Mendanbar LinkRobyn gained popularity in the 90's with Show Me Love, but that was one of my least favorite songs of the era. She has since gone on to make a bunch of other songs that I like quite a bit. I'm...Robyn gained popularity in the 90's with Show Me Love, but that was one of my least favorite songs of the era. She has since gone on to make a bunch of other songs that I like quite a bit. I'm especially partial to the slow burn of With Every Heartbeat.
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Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Mendanbar (edited )Link ParentNot to mention that their lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh has done a bunch of stuff on his own. There's too much to list here (seriously, read the wikipedia page!), but he's been involved in tons of...I’d also nominate my other favorite band, Devo. They just rule. I’m on their wavelength and I love all the weird stuff they do. Most people just know them for “Whip It” (I won’t link it to save you having it stuck in your head all day).
Not to mention that their lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh has done a bunch of stuff on his own. There's too much to list here (seriously, read the wikipedia page!), but he's been involved in tons of popular shows, movies, and video games. I had no idea until I saw him on Yo Gabba Gabba! and looked him up.
Edit: Spelling!
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Comment on It’s the little things that make me not fully jump to linux in ~comp
Mendanbar (edited )Link ParentI'm typing this reply from my main gaming PC. I got it a few months ago prebuilt (with win11), and decided to just try setting it up to dual boot with Mint for fun. In the last couple of months, I...I'm typing this reply from my main gaming PC. I got it a few months ago prebuilt (with win11), and decided to just try setting it up to dual boot with Mint for fun. In the last couple of months, I have had to boot into Windows about 3-4 times. Only 2 of those times were gaming related:
- Once to check if a performance issue in Scrap Mechanic was due to Linux (it wasn't!)
- Once to recover from a proton related error in the latest update of No Man's Sky. The game was actually running worse when I got into Windows, but it got me past the error. 🤷♂️ (I popped back into Linux again after I got past the bugged state, and have been playing fine since)
I'm not totally disagreeing with you though, for a few of reasons:
- None of the games I play really push my hardware to the limits
- The only non-Steam games I play run natively (mostly Minecraft)
- My hardware setup is super simple... no multiple monitors or complex switches or anything. I do have an audio interface that I'm happy to report "just works" with Linux though.
I guess my point is that the situation is nuanced. For the games I play, it's worth it to have a clean open source OS, and I have ample hardware to guarantee that I don't run into any performance bottlenecks. I would also argue that Windows is not without its own problems. That one time I loaded up NMS in Windows it was a choppy mess at the same settings. That won't be everyone's experience for sure, though.
I'd 100% recommend a dual boot setup for those able to swing it though. 99% of my Linux gaming has been great, and I have the peace of mind knowing Windows is always there if I run into any problems.
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Comment on What are some “sore thumb” lyrics for you? in ~music
Mendanbar LinkOK, this one is super stupid, so brace yourselves. My kids listen to Parry Gripp, which is mostly annoying earworm pop music. But the songs and lyrics are whimsical enough that it normally doesn't...OK, this one is super stupid, so brace yourselves.
My kids listen to Parry Gripp, which is mostly annoying earworm pop music. But the songs and lyrics are whimsical enough that it normally doesn't bother me too much.
But one song has a line that moves the needle from tolerable to grating for me. In the song Neon Pegasus at right around the 1:35 mark, we get this line:
And the genetically modified salamander
With a face just like George Clooney"George Clooney" has one too many syllables to fit along with the music, and it drives me nuts. Especially since there is never a callback to this line, so something like "Brad Pitt" would have worked perfectly well. It's reigniting my ire just thinking about it!
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Comment on People with severe diabetes are cured in small trial of new drug in ~health
Mendanbar Link ParentMy youngest kiddo has T1D, and we've been closed looping with DIY artificial pancreas systems for a number of years. They aren't perfect, but it's allowed me to sleep better at night (literally...My youngest kiddo has T1D, and we've been closed looping with DIY artificial pancreas systems for a number of years. They aren't perfect, but it's allowed me to sleep better at night (literally and figuratively).
We started with Loop for iOS, and are now using AAPS for Android. I'm happy to field questions if anyone has any.
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Comment on Has anyone else run up against higher costs due to the US tariffs? in ~society
Mendanbar Link ParentGamers Nexus did an in depth report on the Tariff impact featuring discussions with various computer providers a a few months ago. There was a similar level of transparency that I found really...Gamers Nexus did an in depth report on the Tariff impact featuring discussions with various computer providers a a few months ago. There was a similar level of transparency that I found really interesting.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Mendanbar LinkI managed to get myself softlocked around Vienna, but then rewound and got myself out of it. Spoilery details if anyone else finds themselves in the same spot I got the egg and the briefcase...I managed to get myself softlocked around Vienna, but then rewound and got myself out of it.
Spoilery details if anyone else finds themselves in the same spot
I got the egg and the briefcase before Vienna, but somehow managed to miss Kahina in the hall so she never gave me the message to visit Kronos. Since you can't enter Kronos' car without that cutscene, I ended up hitting Vienna with the briefcase still in my hand. For some reason the Vienna cutscenes play out as though you gave Kronos the briefcase, though. So after Vienna, I was stuck with the briefcase in my hand. But this is not a valid state for the game, because I'm not allowed to stow the briefcase in my room after Vienna, and there is no Kronos car after Vienna. Since holding the briefcase also prevents you from accessing the rest of the inventory, I was basically stuck.I ended up having to rewind to around the concert and do a bunch of the steps over in a slightly more efficient way. This gave me a couple more minutes to encounter Kahina before Vienna, thus allowing me to get rid of the briefcase and move on.
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Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
Mendanbar Link ParentI did a bit of googling and found the original website. Everything still seems to be working, too! This should occupy some of my time today. :)I did a bit of googling and found the original website. Everything still seems to be working, too! This should occupy some of my time today. :)
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
Mendanbar LinkNepal Currently Being Run Via Discord After Gen Z Uprising gg Nepal... ggNepal Currently Being Run Via Discord After Gen Z Uprising
The next time someone tells you the youth aren’t engaged enough in politics, just point them to Nepal. According to multiple reports, the youth of the South Asian nation managed to oust the existing government following an attempted ban of major social media platforms and took to Discord to hold an impromptu convention to elect an interim prime minister.
gg Nepal... gg
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Mendanbar Link ParentAre you speaking metaphorically here, or are you actually playing on a train?which is looking to be either Saturday or Sunday, depending on our stops.
Are you speaking metaphorically here, or are you actually playing on a train?
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Comment on Charlie Kirk shooting: US President Donald Trump says suspect in custody in ~society
Mendanbar Link Parentಠ_ಠEveryone here is incredibly human and not any sort of non-human entity or person.
ಠ_ಠ
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Comment on Charlie Kirk shooting: US President Donald Trump says suspect in custody in ~society
Mendanbar Link ParentSorry, I wasn't trying to imply that the problem actually exists here or that you are not human. I was merely acknowledging my own blind spot in the moment, and simultaneously realizing how tricky...Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that the problem actually exists here or that you are not human.
I was merely acknowledging my own blind spot in the moment, and simultaneously realizing how tricky this problem can be to address in day to day life.
Desktop PC running Linux Mint. I used the original CD files included in the GOG version (and some of the included config) inside of the Lutris DOSbox runner.