MimicSquid's recent activity
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Comment on The carrion-eaters in ~life
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Comment on Anthropic says revenue jumped 45% to $16.8 billion in third quarter in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentMy belief is that they're building hype. If their more complete accounting has more realistic performance numbers, but their previous hype got people excited, the realistic numbers won't be an...My belief is that they're building hype. If their more complete accounting has more realistic performance numbers, but their previous hype got people excited, the realistic numbers won't be an invalidation, just... a different set of adjustments. And aren't you so excited for the opportunity to buy in advance so you can make money off the retail investors?
I don't think it's entirely bullshit, just... adjustments.
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Comment on Anthropic says revenue jumped 45% to $16.8 billion in third quarter in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentIf pointing out that they're not getting these numbers using GAAP ages poorly, I will be very impressed. Maybe they're doing just as well as they would like people to think they're doing. But if...If pointing out that they're not getting these numbers using GAAP ages poorly, I will be very impressed. Maybe they're doing just as well as they would like people to think they're doing. But if they were, would they need to be adjusting their numbers?
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Comment on Security certificate in Playdate console to expire tonight, update ota ASAP or you'll have to use a firmware restore tool in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentIt's not bad. It's just... I had a Game Boy. I loved it. But my hands are bigger and my eyes are worse. Playing things on a little screen with little buttons is a fun idea that didn't turn into...It's not bad. It's just... I had a Game Boy. I loved it. But my hands are bigger and my eyes are worse. Playing things on a little screen with little buttons is a fun idea that didn't turn into actual joy.
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Comment on Security certificate in Playdate console to expire tonight, update ota ASAP or you'll have to use a firmware restore tool in ~games
MimicSquid LinkSo the thing I haven't touched in years will be harder to use in the future? Shame, that.So the thing I haven't touched in years will be harder to use in the future? Shame, that.
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Comment on Anthropic says revenue jumped 45% to $16.8 billion in third quarter in ~tech
MimicSquid LinkGood news! Having reviewed and updated my household finances, I'm now personally making 16.8 billion a quarter after certain adjustments. Free money, please.The company also said it was profitable after making certain adjustments,
...
And it said its gross margin, or revenue minus direct costs associated with generating that revenue, was 85 percent after making certain adjustments.Good news! Having reviewed and updated my household finances, I'm now personally making 16.8 billion a quarter after certain adjustments. Free money, please.
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Comment on Mass shooting at US Hindu temple prevented by jammed gun in ~news
MimicSquid Link ParentAmerican "White" keeps growing as a category to maintain an in-group large enough to maintain political relevance. It used to be that only white anglo-saxon protestants (WASP) were "white", and...American "White" keeps growing as a category to maintain an in-group large enough to maintain political relevance. It used to be that only white anglo-saxon protestants (WASP) were "white", and they'll keep expanding it to try and maintain relevance.
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Comment on Those viral claims about plummeting Russian ‘bot’ activity have no basis in fact in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentI was playing a game that had just been released. I was stumped on a lock that asked for a four character code using the four card suits, and so I asked Gemini what the code was. They provided a...I was playing a game that had just been released. I was stumped on a lock that asked for a four character code using the four card suits, and so I asked Gemini what the code was. They provided a numerical code and entirely incorrect surrounding details, despite me saying it wasn't numerical.
I reiterated that it had to be four suits, and asked for sources for their answer. It gave a different numerical code and different hallucinated details, and linked to a page it said had the details. It did not.
I said that I needed it to stop making things up, give me a single sentence answer, and that if it didn't know, it should say so. It then provided me the correct answer in a single sentence.
This was a straightforward "what is this code" question, and it took multiple revisions.
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Comment on I deliberately bet like a problem gambler. DraftKings made me a VIP. in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentCasinos have feted losers and banned winners for decades and "the public" has never wised up sufficiently.Casinos have feted losers and banned winners for decades and "the public" has never wised up sufficiently.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid LinkFresh of the metroidvania Silver Pines, I picked up two more: Echo Weaver and Well Dweller. Each of them is good, though in very different ways, and the ways they are bad are very similar. Echo...Fresh of the metroidvania Silver Pines, I picked up two more: Echo Weaver and Well Dweller. Each of them is good, though in very different ways, and the ways they are bad are very similar.
Echo Weaver is a time loop game, where you have 13 minutes to save the world. Much like Tunic or Animal Well, all powers and abilities are available to you from the start, you just need to know the right actions to take to make them happen. There are a few small unlocks to expand your teleportation network, but I imagine that the speedruns are going to be insane. The movement tech feels good to use, and has a high skill ceiling. Much of the game is exploring out from the location where you start every loop, finding echos of the past that can teach you about the powers you didn't know you had, and running into people and events that change throughout the time you have.
And that's the major weakness of the game for me. Needing to be standing in a particular area 8 minutes into the run to discover that there's someone there who needs a boost onto a ledge is fine, if there was strong signposting that told you exactly where/when you need to be there. But when someone just mutters about being in a given zone, it gives you a lot of area to cover in that minute. Sure, the time loops are endless, but my time isn't. Someone who wanted to move slower and explore in more detail (or use a walkthrough) might have more fun with it.
*Well Dweller" is in some ways a simpler game, and it's designed to offer handholding if you want it. Fairly early in the game you unlock the ability to pay to get the next destination marked on your map. This seems too easy, but the map is so big and sprawling it is legitimately possible to just entirely lose track of which ledge your latest movement tech means you can now traverse. I'm confident in my map traversal, and I've still paid to find the next goal. The fact that there's no narrative or logical route through the map is a bit of a bummer; one of the things Silksong did so well was having a coherent world, and this is not that. Movement feels good, and combat is fine, though even on hard mode the combat is fairly easy. There's no touch damage, so fighting the bosses is mostly about standing in their hitbox and attacking continuously while dodging the attacks. Fighting smaller enemies is mostly dodgerolling through them to avoid the attacks. It's functional.
It feels really good to play, though. Instead of a double jump you get the ability to shoot your weapon into walls to use as a secondary platform/springboard, and so theres more technical complexity to where and when it can be used, and then you get the ability to climb walls a little bit to extend it further, and so on. They found ways to make things feel different than the standard movement tech in ways that feel good. I'm enjoying it more than Echo Weaver, though your mileage may vary.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid LinkJust absolutely blazed through Silver Pines. It's truly excellent. It's got the best bits of classic horror survival like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with a modern UI and excellent gameplay....Just absolutely blazed through Silver Pines. It's truly excellent. It's got the best bits of classic horror survival like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with a modern UI and excellent gameplay. You really feel the growth in the character's abilities as the game goes along, and it stays remarkably grounded, with pivotal tools to unlock new areas being mundane things like a lever for getting manhole covers up or a crowbar to deal with boards. Just a very solid game through and through. It took 15-ish hours to beat on the second-hardest difficulty, and I'm very happy with it. I don't think that being longer would have been good for it. It told the story it should, and then stopped. Game design and balance were top notch. Even as I grew in power I never felt like I was invincible, and it was far too easy to get comfortable, start using ammo on smaller fry, and then be struggling to be well supplied for the boss fights. A+, absolutely loved it.
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Comment on Jet Lag Season 19: Japanorama | Trailer in ~hobbies
MimicSquid Link ParentIs choosing which challenges to face, selecting the cards from the choices they had, and making the best of their hand not strategy? Sam and Ben entirely bailing on the house of cards challenge to...Is choosing which challenges to face, selecting the cards from the choices they had, and making the best of their hand not strategy? Sam and Ben entirely bailing on the house of cards challenge to try something else had nothing to do with the carss and still had big effects. Tom and Adam trying three different times to complete the same challenge was a strategy.
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Comment on What foods are better after a day or two? in ~food
MimicSquid Link ParentI like your baking tip for larger batches, but for a longer drip feed of fresh cookies, once they've rested in the fridge for a day, freeze them. We bake them two at a time in the toaster oven so...I like your baking tip for larger batches, but for a longer drip feed of fresh cookies, once they've rested in the fridge for a day, freeze them. We bake them two at a time in the toaster oven so that we have a singular perfectly fresh cookie apiece. Baking from frozen you need to add another minute or two. but it works quite well.
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Comment on What foods are better after a day or two? in ~food
MimicSquid LinkPretty much anything that has sauce and spices, as the extra time and hydration lets it get all mixed together and mellow. Curries, chili, stews... heck, even cookie dough is better if you give it...Pretty much anything that has sauce and spices, as the extra time and hydration lets it get all mixed together and mellow. Curries, chili, stews... heck, even cookie dough is better if you give it a day in the fridge before you bake it.
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Comment on Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed to curb Western military support for the country in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentWhile i agree with the last line generally, different countries can develop a reputation with regards to what they choose to report, and how, and when. They don't all have the same reputation. Is...While i agree with the last line generally, different countries can develop a reputation with regards to what they choose to report, and how, and when. They don't all have the same reputation. Is Denmark in the "pics or it didn't happen" club for you? If so, why?
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Comment on Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed to curb Western military support for the country in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentThey could share the details they know about how the people were discovered, the damage they did at which locations, and the impact the sabotage had on production, etc. And then Russia would know...They could share the details they know about how the people were discovered, the damage they did at which locations, and the impact the sabotage had on production, etc. And then Russia would know what they know. You're right that it's not an exciting news article. But exciting details and important news don't necessarily go hand in hand.
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Comment on Jet Lag Season 19: Japanorama | Trailer in ~hobbies
MimicSquid Link ParentRandom chance is always a factor There was a 50/50 chance of Ben and Sam losing their Shinkansen card at the end of the prior episode, and if that had gone the other way the results would have...Random chance is always a factor
There was a 50/50 chance of Ben and Sam losing their Shinkansen card at the end of the prior episode, and if that had gone the other way the results would have been entirely different. We just fixate on the piece of luck at the end.
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Comment on Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed to curb Western military support for the country in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentWhat amount of detail would you need to see in order to believe it? It's not like it's an outlandish claim, given that Russia released lists of manufacturing facilities it considered military...What amount of detail would you need to see in order to believe it? It's not like it's an outlandish claim, given that Russia released lists of manufacturing facilities it considered military targets in Denmark.
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Comment on Given everything we know about AI so far, what do you think it can or cannot be good for? in ~tech
MimicSquid LinkFirst off, I'm not a sceptic or a believer, as "AI" is too broad a domain to just have one thought about it unless you're a fanatic one way or the other. I think that for data sorting and...First off, I'm not a sceptic or a believer, as "AI" is too broad a domain to just have one thought about it unless you're a fanatic one way or the other.
I think that for data sorting and discovery it can be great, especially when there's checks and balances to verify the outcome amd it's working with a stable data set that isn't trying to incorporate breaking news. "Review the files of this business that closed 12 years ago and give me the names of the employees and the document you used for that info." turns hours of manually searching through misfiled and poorly named files into a 3 minute task to confirm the findings. But when the data is in flux or it's largely based off of things that confident idiots said online it can spit out hallucinations and wrong information with great confidence. It's not a universally good tool.
For generative tasks, I think it does a decent job at spitting out pablum. Generic pop songs, overly shiny and complicated images, trite stories that don't go anywhere. But that's a trap. It only feeds on what humans make, and if we make it impossible for humans to make a living making art then we'll just have incestuous generations of ai generated content that feeds on itself. Beyond that, I enjoy art because it's saying something to me. It's an expression of another person, conveying something beyond the words, sounds, or images themselves. Generative art is like clip art or emoji. Maybe it's got a single big statement: "be afraid!" "be horny!" "spend money!" "OBEY!" but that's not an interesting level of art to engage with.
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Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentI think the last channel I watch that is in that format is Wendover/Half as Interesting, but I've seen the actual host and writing team in Jet Lag. Of course, their corpus is large and distinctive...I think the last channel I watch that is in that format is Wendover/Half as Interesting, but I've seen the actual host and writing team in Jet Lag. Of course, their corpus is large and distinctive enough it might be hard to tell if they started running an LLM on their own output, but it seems unlikely.
Having entirely missed the original thing that happened, this feels like a prophet covered in sackcloth and ashes ranting at the sky. There's a deep emotional appeal here to engage in self-flagellation and hate everyone involved, but from outside the groups involved this really seems designed to be yet another swing on the same emotional ride rather than actually an attempt to get anyone off the ride.
(Also, customizing the "skip signing up" button to say "I'm a coward" isn't improving my opinion of the guy.)