overbyte's recent activity
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Comment on You should have a website in ~tech
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Comment on What are some common terminal aka CLI workflows? in ~comp
overbyte LinkIf your main text editor is vim or emacs then I'd say you're practically living in the terminal already. I'm pretty much in "mouse-optional" mode unless I have to use a GUI for the task. I find it...If your main text editor is
vimoremacsthen I'd say you're practically living in the terminal already. I'm pretty much in "mouse-optional" mode unless I have to use a GUI for the task. I find it just outright faster and more consistent copy/pasting a single line of text instead of following screenshots to click things.Before I found Todoist I managed a to-do list on a command line. Was nice and simple, but Todoist's features like parsing dates and times is just too convenient to pass up.
And if you code regardless of hobby or work, source code management is practically a CLI workflow with endless attempts to put a GUI on top of it. With GitHub, you can monitor workflow runs and review/approve pull requests completely from the CLI.
Another is mass renaming files and moving around my home directory in general. I have full PDF copies of payslips, receipts and heaps of travel photos that get downloaded with nonsensical filenames, this helps keep everything nice and tidy. Then setup recurring encrypted backups for all of these with
rsyncandborg.Working with that many small files around necessitated learning to move more efficiently around the filesystem with commands like
pushd,popdandcd -. They're a big level up in how it sped up my workflow in return for just a few minutes of effort reading how to use those commands beyond the standardcd.My more occasional CLI uses:
- transcoding batches of video by piping
youtube-dltoffmpeg - compiling that one program a hobbyist put the source code on Github that solves my exact problem at that particular time
curlandjqfor talking in API. If you have a Slack webhook for example, you can get notifications from whatever thing you want that can reach that webhook. Transcoding a big batch of video, your daily backup jobs, you name it.- using
ansibleto get a repeatable install of my Linux machines or as close I can get to. Those little tweaks you do to your computer over time from random searches to fix some specific thing? Yeah put that in a playbook as well. Back when Windows still needed them I had a folder full of registry tweaks to apply on a fresh install which provided the same thing.
- transcoding batches of video by piping
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
overbyte Link ParentArgh I was confusing mod authors. kuertee's mod is KUDA AI tweaks. Has fixes like making capital ships inch forward until they're in optimal range so they don't melee the Xenon K that just popped...Argh I was confusing mod authors. kuertee's mod is KUDA AI tweaks. Has fixes like making capital ships inch forward until they're in optimal range so they don't melee the Xenon K that just popped up at the jump gate with a raiding party, ready to delete my miners while I scramble because I forgot to set all my frigate's flak turrets to "fire at fighters first"
Agree on fronts and I haven't delved deep into stations and full supply lines yet.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
overbyte Link ParentTaking me a few tries and restarts to comprehend X4's impenetrable UI. I've played Microprose classics in my time with utterly dense and information-rich UIs, but man this is something else. But I...Taking me a few tries and restarts to comprehend X4's impenetrable UI. I've played Microprose classics in my time with utterly dense and information-rich UIs, but man this is something else. But I can definitely see there's a game in there.
I think I finally figured out how the trade overlay works as well as setting ship RoE. And don't tell me I have new messages while burying the actual mailbox at least 3 screens deep.
kuertee's whole set of AI mods is an oasis of sanity especially the Sector Explorer one as the default AI is so bad at uncovering the fog of war. Now I can have a proper scout that I don't have to micromanage.
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Comment on How has your industry changed in the past decade? in ~life
overbyte LinkBack then for company infrastructure you'd rent a colo and rack a couple of servers for your business to get a file share, email or install a business app. Your side of the business was...Back then for company infrastructure you'd rent a colo and rack a couple of servers for your business to get a file share, email or install a business app. Your side of the business was essentially scoped to a particular country. Now I can explore public API documentation, get an API key, write some code and get something provisioned in minutes that teams or entire departments in other countries can start using tomorrow or in a few hours.
Want a marketing system, let's see what Hubspot can do. Need monitoring for our SaaS app? Sentry and Elastic looks good over there. Hiring a bit of a mess? Let's try out Greenhouse.
We run the company completely online connecting a bunch of disparate services together with a level of automation that can be done between them thanks to the ubiquity of APIs and excellent open source software. We're in a position where we are not totally beholden to Windows and Office (except maybe the salespeople), so we run a lot of Mac and Linux workstations, Slack/Zoom/Google Workspace for collaboration and a lot of open source software to support the rest of the infrastructure on Google Cloud for cheap. Our production Kubernetes clusters auto-upgrade, which would give fits in a more traditional setup which I'd argue forces us and the dev teams to build resiliency and scaling properly from the start.
Our offices across multiple countries are essentially closets with a few desks and an access point on the rare occasion someone wants to come in.
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Comment on What's worse than ads and AI? Ads in your AI, so Google is testing it. in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentThis is the same Google that gave us life stories in recipe blogs and the stereotypical Youtuber video format. I'd hate to see what their version of this for AI will be. Based on what their SEO...This is the same Google that gave us life stories in recipe blogs and the stereotypical Youtuber video format. I'd hate to see what their version of this for AI will be.
Based on what their SEO favors now I can only a guess a goal where they want to maximize your engagement to Gemini as long as possible so you don't bounce. Dole out the actual results so you're forced to enter more prompts to find the specific information you're looking for. Then sprinkle links to sponsored prompts that return a fast canned answer crafted and vetted by the sponsor.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
overbyte Link ParentAs I get older I'm starting to appreciate the streamlining of ARPG mechanics in D3. I don't have to restart a run because I misclicked adding a skill, fumbled a socket, can quickly rearrange my...As I get older I'm starting to appreciate the streamlining of ARPG mechanics in D3. I don't have to restart a run because I misclicked adding a skill, fumbled a socket, can quickly rearrange my skills to try out a new legendary that dropped, and the Paragon levels help in jump starting new characters. Also barely finishing a Greater Rift in time with your skills pushed to the limit is an amazing experience.
Except for rune grinding, I still personally find D2 a bit better on the itemization front as you don't need to lean hard on very specific items to center a build around. A lot of builds in D2 are practically stacking +skill items so the power increase feels more natural and constant compared to hitting a wall then getting massive power jumps in D3 when say, your pet build finally gets a Tasker and Theo (one of the rarest legendaries in the game)
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Comment on Undersea telecom cable between Lithuania and Sweden damaged in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentWorking in an adjacent space to this (company funds and helps run a few submarine cables and their landing points), it's fulfilling to be in that side of tech where you can see the tangible impact...Working in an adjacent space to this (company funds and helps run a few submarine cables and their landing points), it's fulfilling to be in that side of tech where you can see the tangible impact your miniscule contributions are impacting when it sometimes feels like you're just staring at code and logs all day. It helps put things in perspective.
Also the pressure that if our networking guys mess up a change it could cut off internet traffic to entire countries, I think I'll prefer messing up a production database for a single app as my greatest "achievement".
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Comment on Maybe Bluesky has "won" in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentI'd add a factor of cities with high migration rates (both interstate and overseas) that tilts the local housing market to a higher ratio of renters to owners. That's a lot of highly mobile people...I'd add a factor of cities with high migration rates (both interstate and overseas) that tilts the local housing market to a higher ratio of renters to owners. That's a lot of highly mobile people and families never really putting down roots in a particular community. My neighbors change every few months and the sound of moving trucks are a constant in the area.
I personally join events and still try to go but there's that feeling in the back of my head that I'm not quite committed to this community, because one more rent hike and I'll likely have to move somewhere else and start my connections from zero again, even worse if it's interstate.
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Comment on United States Department of Justice will push Google to sell Chrome to break search monopoly in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentI work with Google Cloud day-in day-out and knee deep in their enterprise ecosystem most days. Maybe 70% of the services and in-house apps we have are hooked through Google Workspace single...I work with Google Cloud day-in day-out and knee deep in their enterprise ecosystem most days. Maybe 70% of the services and in-house apps we have are hooked through Google Workspace single sign-on. Our teams majority run Firefox on Fedora and don't have an account tied to the browser.
I'm curious what integrations don't work aside from synced bookmarks and enterprise policies.
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Comment on United States Department of Justice will push Google to sell Chrome to break search monopoly in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentSmall add to the third point: uBlock Origin works best on Firefox An ad company with a browser has a perverse incentive to make the latter in service of the former.Small add to the third point: uBlock Origin works best on Firefox
An ad company with a browser has a perverse incentive to make the latter in service of the former.
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Comment on Breaking down my dislike of strategy games | Semi-Ramblomatic in ~games
overbyte Link ParentFor even more normal-sounding Yahtzee, he has an incredible series of dev diaries back at the Escapist where he forces himself to make 12 games in 12 months. Parts of what he learned from those...For even more normal-sounding Yahtzee, he has an incredible series of dev diaries back at the Escapist where he forces himself to make 12 games in 12 months. Parts of what he learned from those were folded into Starstruck Vagabond. Each episode averages around 8 minutes without stereotypical Youtuber filler.
Equally entertaining and an insightful peek into how he thinks with regards to game design and made me appreciate his ramblings even more. Even as a hobbyist dev I've picked up a thing or two from his series with regards to nailing down core game loops at least.
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Comment on best option for a bare-bones message board/forum? in ~comp
overbyte LinkFlarum and NodeBB are the closest to stripped down forums that's still actively developed. Flarum is the successor of esoTalk and FluxBB (which the Arch Linux forums currently use). Both lean into...Flarum and NodeBB are the closest to stripped down forums that's still actively developed. Flarum is the successor of esoTalk and FluxBB (which the Arch Linux forums currently use).
Both lean into the Discourse-style layout (flat layout, scrubber, infinite scroll) than old-school phpBB/vBulletin forums, so that's something to keep in mind if nested replies are a dealbreaker.
Running forum channels on Discord is another option and extremely easy, but running a community on Discord comes with its own tradeoffs (like out of the box search engine visibility).
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Comment on Squadron 42 | CitizenCon 2954 live gameplay reveal in ~games
overbyte LinkContinuous gameplay sections at 24:16 (turret section) and 50:21 (FPS section). Zero in-cockpit ship combat. Guess part of the early story is you earning your wings, or pay up for Star Citizen to...Continuous gameplay sections at 24:16 (turret section) and 50:21 (FPS section). Zero in-cockpit ship combat. Guess part of the early story is you earning your wings, or pay up for Star Citizen to get a taste of that instead.
They really cranked up the post processing on this one. My eyes was starting to hurt trying to maintain focus because so many scenes were uniformly blurry like someone replaced the lens with frosted glass for a few seconds. An example is when they showed the Vanduul at 22:00 or whenever there's any scene with a ship moving. The ridiculously thick motion blur kicks in and just smears entire chunks of the frame.
More nitpicks and random thoughts with comparisons to Call of Duty campaigns, given the similarities in the cinematic corridorness of the demo:
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Military science fiction in space are right up my alley since the Halo games and Infinite Warfare. While I like Andor and Dune, they're more ground-based and I've been looking for something with a little bit more war than recent Star Wars output, if this game ever comes out. A coworker recommended the Star Carrier series by Ian Douglas, might start reading that.
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Trope of ships with capital-class weaponry in close proximity and not blowing each other up with friendly fire and the planet behind the fight left surprisingly intact, similar to the Earth cutscene in Mass Effect 3. I'm not expecting Newtonian physics in my Wing Commander successor, but some of the camera angles make it look like the ships are trading paint.
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I haven't seen the live demo if they were talking in certain sections, but some of the cinematic corridor sections before the tutorial drag on with the player staring a bit too long to showcase the "background chatter while you walk by" feature. Which would be novel for anyone who still hasn't experienced a Call of Duty campaign.
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Trope of holding fire until the enemy is at point blank range (while we already have modern combat beyond visual range). A chunk of the Vanduul fleet would've been cut down before they got real close unless this navy has zero long-range weapons and sensors, and you wouldn't get a cinematic turret section out of it. Complete opposite of my X4 playthrough helping Argon and Antigone hold back the Xenon, where Terran ships and tech are so powerful (especially the Asgard's main gun) that they can delete a Xenon fleet the moment they pop out of a jump gate.
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33:33 - One thing Call of Duty campaigns do really well to sell this kind of setpiece is screaming or panicked lines over the comms before something happens. Here a capital ship casually blows up in front of you while comms are silent where it should've felt like a bigger deal. Like the kind of dialog that plays at 37:06.
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This turret section is dragging on for waaay too long.
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51:35 - More staring at "look at this scripted section we did". Another thing Call of Duty campaigns do well is it would either script this section while you're walking around (like when he crawls through the vents at 56:00), or keeping these sections really short and immediately returning control back to you.
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57:40 - Good to see hot lead is still effective in 2945.
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57:58 - I'm a sucker for animation detail like this in games, a quick button press when opening doors. Not Doom Eternal fast, but excused since you're not Doomguy.
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Like the light puzzle elements of the zero G section. Also more staring at cinematic moments. "Get to safety" can wait.
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1:05:22 - It ain't a space game if artificial gravity isn't intrinsically tied to oxygen systems.
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That bridge fight looks rough. Also like hearing the no-nonsense Aegis Dynamics ship voice.
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Comment on Freeze drying ramen noodle add ins in ~food
overbyte LinkI'd also add raw thinly sliced pork, mushrooms and corn. Rehydrate the pork, pat dry and drop into a searing hot pan before adding to ramen. Electricity aside, if I had a freeze dryer at home I'd...I'd also add raw thinly sliced pork, mushrooms and corn. Rehydrate the pork, pat dry and drop into a searing hot pan before adding to ramen.
Electricity aside, if I had a freeze dryer at home I'd also make large batches of parboiled rice, store all the fruit (especially berries) and batches of mirepoix/trinity that I can conveniently drop into a soup or stew.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
overbyte Link ParentAside from endurance, I'd also describe it as "tolerance" in the vein of drugs like caffeine. I need more novel experiences and faster feedback loops where grinding out quests or going through a...Aside from endurance, I'd also describe it as "tolerance" in the vein of drugs like caffeine. I need more novel experiences and faster feedback loops where grinding out quests or going through a gameplay-cutscene-gameplay level won't give me a fix anymore. I fall off story-heavy games after 30-40 hours and essentially go on autopilot until I finish it. I could keep plot contexts for a few weeks in my head before they get overwritten by other things I need to do in life, and that's after outsourcing my life and my brain to a to-do list with GTD.
One factor I could think of is repetitive side quest design and open world traversal where essentially nothing is happening and you just push forward to get to the next plot trigger as padding. It's just easy and routine enough that the mind starts to wander instead of remaining fully engaged in the world and story.
And speaking of feedback loops, I've also gravitated back to gameplay-heavy sandboxes with a lot of interacting systems which tend to satisfy this loop faster. I've done a few Bannerlord playthroughs and currently on X4: Foundations (once I make sense of the impenetrable UI, which is where Starsector shines even if it doesn't have the level of galactic simulation that the X series has)
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Comment on Can you help me figure out why my VM is growing? in ~tech
overbyte Link ParentAfter running TRIM, you'll still need to trigger the compact operation from the host side. Shut down the VM and run Reclaim Space on the drive. VMWare has something similar with shrinking/thinning...After running TRIM, you'll still need to trigger the compact operation from the host side. Shut down the VM and run Reclaim Space on the drive. VMWare has something similar with shrinking/thinning disks.
Welcome to the world of thin provisioning, runaway growth and all. Basically you'll want to set a maximum size for the VM drives so they don't grow beyond what you're comfortable with.
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Comment on Books or other good content on software design? in ~comp
overbyte LinkSampling of the popular books we have floating around the office are: The Pragmatic Programmer - you might hear you don't need it today because it explains blatantly obvious concepts that would...Sampling of the popular books we have floating around the office are:
- The Pragmatic Programmer - you might hear you don't need it today because it explains blatantly obvious concepts that would make eyes roll, but when it's a case of "you don't know what you don't know" the book can help shore up any gaps. It's also an easy read, more like a self-help book for programmers than a clinical CS course in software architecture.
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications - I'd consider this a must have read even for ops/sysadmins if you want to know how a system properly scales beyond a few servers. Making more stateless frontends is easy (and even automated with things like Kubernetes), but the data is often the bottleneck and how you handle that data is a huge part of how scalable and reliable the entire system can become.
For quick reads I've learned and referenced a lot of concepts from Martin Fowler's blog.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
overbyte LinkBuilt up a simple data engineering platform with Airflow in kubernetes (GKE), and imported all our ragtag bunch of BigQuery datasets under Terraform. Surprisingly straightforward to setup even if...Built up a simple data engineering platform with Airflow in kubernetes (GKE), and imported all our ragtag bunch of BigQuery datasets under Terraform. Surprisingly straightforward to setup even if you have Airflow set at "planetscale" mode (with celery, KEDA for autoscaling worker pods, on a GKE cluster with autoscaling nodes).
Got it syncing with a git repo and task logs on a bucket so the deployment is essentially stateless. Managed to get Google SSO working with a bit of Python code, then Airflow essentially says "good luck" and makes you write the authorization code if you're not using a provider that has group data in the claim so you can easily map it (like GitHub). Will need to pull some of our more full-time devs to cook up something resembling saner RBAC. We're not in Active Directory land anymore.
We can now migrate an obscenely complex hierarchy of Jenkins jobs triggering more jobs and a hodgepodge of scripts on a crontab spread across VMs nobody has logged to in years that apparently performed some essential business function. One step closer to retiring our crumbling Jenkins instance that became a defacto workload scheduler that reminds me of Autosys.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
overbyte Link ParentAt work we're using cookiecutter to lay out kustomize manifests if someone needs to spin up a new service. It was slightly easier to onboard people to Jinja (ubiquity of Ansible) than Go templates...At work we're using cookiecutter to lay out kustomize manifests if someone needs to spin up a new service. It was slightly easier to onboard people to Jinja (ubiquity of Ansible) than Go templates when they take a crack at our in-house charts for the more complex deployments.
If the point was about control, you're still subject to the terms and conditions of the host running your website, your ISP if you decide to completely self-host it from your own network, and the registrar that holds the DNS records for you. Each of these getting disrupted is enough to take your site offline from the perspective of your readers, not much different than getting your social media account banned.
And the suggestion is a website full of outbound links to walled gardens where the bulk of the value of your online presence is? Even back in the 2000s Google didn't like those kinds of sites one bit and you'll get tanked SEO wise, which is the complete opposite of building up your "reputation" if that site is not discoverable in search results. I don't think people with social media networks are looking specifically to exit the network and bookmark's someone's equivalent of a self-hosted Linktree.