Pistos's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos (edited )Link ParentIt's about 3 or 4, depending on how you count it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771300/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance_II/ I got the package (Royal Edition) with the recent discount (about 30-40%),...It's about 3 or 4, depending on how you count it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771300/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance_II/ I got the package (Royal Edition) with the recent discount (about 30-40%), which was less than just the base game, so that price is worth it to me just for the base game alone. So I think I got a good deal. And, yes, I'd recommend doing KCD1 first, because the story line is a direct continuation. Plus, it's a great game in and of itself.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos LinkKingdom Come: Deliverance II Sequel to my favourite game of all time, KCD1. I'm about 30+ hours in, so just getting settled in. Got the Royal Edition, which is the base game plus all DLC. So, it...Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Sequel to my favourite game of all time, KCD1. I'm about 30+ hours in, so just getting settled in. Got the Royal Edition, which is the base game plus all DLC.
So, it feels just like a continuation of KCD1 (in a good way), and not just the story. Controls and mechanics are mostly the same, but there are a few changes and QoL improvements. There were one or two cases where I still can't tell when a given negative event or fight outcome is unavoidable, or if I'm really that rusty.
KCD1 spoiler
KCD1 seemed to have a similar event where you are fated to lose a certain fight, no matter how well you do as a human player with your combat controls.It looks and feels like more or less the same game engine, but with a whole new game map (i.e. geographical region) where the game takes place. Same level of exquisite, beautiful graphics and textures. Inventory and player stat screens have been beautified. There's a new crafting system (smithing, specifically), and you can now cook food and smoke edibles. The speech stat system has been augmented a bit, too, with now five different ways to persuade, intimidate, etc. in conversations.
Plenty of cut scenes of varying length, with good cinematography. The script and storylines are as good as expected, with one or two surprising things, and one plot event that was downright shocking to me. Quite unexpected.
A few bugs here and there, but nothing showstopping.
Real-time hours seem to flow by without me noticing. I'm really enjoying the game so far.
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Comment on How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers in ~science
Pistos Link ParentI get your point, but, to be a bit pedantic: Although Korean script (Hangeul) was intended and designed to be very phonetic, in practice in modern Korean, there are a few pronunciation rules that...I get your point, but, to be a bit pedantic: Although Korean script (Hangeul) was intended and designed to be very phonetic, in practice in modern Korean, there are a few pronunciation rules that need to be memorized. These rules alter the pronunciation of a given character when it's in certain contexts. e.g. ㄱ would be a "k" sound in word-initial position, but a "g" sound intervocalically.
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Comment on I think nobody wants AI in Firefox, Mozilla in ~tech
Pistos (edited )Link ParentI skimmed some comments (here), and I think the common sentiment is that those people (commenting) are upset that Firefox is spending time, energy, money on AI-related anything, when they could be...I skimmed some comments (here), and I think the common sentiment is that those people (commenting) are upset that Firefox is spending time, energy, money on AI-related anything, when they could be working on other issues or features that are more important to them. Also: the assumption among them is that most Firefox users don't want AI, and so, in adding AI-related stuff, they might be repelling and squandering what little browser market share they have.
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Comment on Matching mouse dpi and acceleration across Mac and Linux? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentHm. Sounds like you might be in a tough spot, then. Even if you get a mouse that has its own internal configuration (so it goes with you as you change computers), AFAIK, the OS/DE will also have...Hm. Sounds like you might be in a tough spot, then. Even if you get a mouse that has its own internal configuration (so it goes with you as you change computers), AFAIK, the OS/DE will also have its own settings that compound with the mouse's sensitivity, so you're going to have to set them at some point, I would expect. But, are you sure it's not fine-grained enough? My current KDE pointer speed value is "0.12", and it goes up and down in 0.01 increments. The difference between 0.11 and 0.14 was noticeable, but just barely.
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Comment on Matching mouse dpi and acceleration across Mac and Linux? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI see a slider for pointer speed here in KDE mouse settings. In my experience, it provides fine-grained control. Can't speak to Gnome, though.I see a slider for pointer speed here in KDE mouse settings. In my experience, it provides fine-grained control. Can't speak to Gnome, though.
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Comment on Matching mouse dpi and acceleration across Mac and Linux? in ~tech
Pistos LinkThere should be desktop-environment-level settings for this? Like, in KDE and Gnome. Also: some mice (pricier ones, of course) have an on-mouse DPI-changing button which can be configured. e.g....There should be desktop-environment-level settings for this? Like, in KDE and Gnome. Also: some mice (pricier ones, of course) have an on-mouse DPI-changing button which can be configured.
e.g. KDE docs
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Comment on Pennies are being canceled and the US Mint won't make any more. What does that mean? in ~finance
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 9 in ~games
Pistos LinkKingdom Come: Deliverance II Royal Edition (bundle) was just released. About 40% off regular price for base game and all DLC. Also released was a so-called Saga Bundle, which includes both KCD1...Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Royal Edition (bundle) was just released. About 40% off regular price for base game and all DLC.
Also released was a so-called Saga Bundle, which includes both KCD1 and KCD2, and all DLC for both.
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Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Pistos LinkI use AI every day, maybe 1 or 2 hours a day in the aggregate. In my case, I mainly use Claude, with smatterings of ChatGPT usage, but I'm not really married to any service just yet. I never would...I use AI every day, maybe 1 or 2 hours a day in the aggregate. In my case, I mainly use Claude, with smatterings of ChatGPT usage, but I'm not really married to any service just yet. I never would have thought that I'd become this avid a user, but, that's how it's turned out.
My main use case is helping with foreign language self study (Korean, in my case). Secondarily, it's been useful for just learning beginner-level stuff about a variety of topics. It's helped with gardening, and indoor plant care, plumbing, and cooking. I've done several other things with it, though, ranging from finding English synonyms, to researching tech purchases, to getting an overview of some new software engineering domain. I have had mixed results trying to use AI to help ("help") code, so I don't often turn to it for that. My main problem is it takes too much conversation to finally come up with a working solution or conclusion, and it's especially bad when you have to debug what it gives you, and you keep pointing out issues here and there (who should be helping whom in this interaction?).
I'm also impressed with what it can "see" when you upload pictures. It's identified (or guessed at) insects and plants, and judged plant health. It also seems to have very good OCR, so snapping pics of signs, etc. in the world around you is easy for it to read and help you with.
AI is also good at producing text things given some constraints. For example, I have provided my current Korean vocabulary, and it's able to generate graded reading that is at my level (or slightly beyond, if I ask it); or relate new learning material to stuff I already know.
For me, a big thing about these AIs is that you can go back and forth in a conversation to refine your needs vs what it's giving you; or to drill down and improve your understanding of something; or to ask questions for clarification or further education. It's almost like having a teacher or tutor on hand -- though, of course, with the caveat that you need to stay guarded with your trust, and double check things as needed.
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Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI've done a similar workflow by just snapping a regular pic with my phone, and uploading it in the basic Claude or ChatGPT web UI. It's identified (well, taken good guesses at) insects and plants,...I've done a similar workflow by just snapping a regular pic with my phone, and uploading it in the basic Claude or ChatGPT web UI. It's identified (well, taken good guesses at) insects and plants, especially when you give some text context (like how big the spider was in inches, etc.). It's also made judgements on plant health.
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Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentDepending on the topic, you can try to double check stuff out on the Internet, hopefully using reliable, authoritative sources. "Why not just go straight to the Internet?" you might ask. Well, it...Depending on the topic, you can try to double check stuff out on the Internet, hopefully using reliable, authoritative sources. "Why not just go straight to the Internet?" you might ask. Well, it sometimes can point you quickly in the right direction(s), or provide jumping points for your further research. You might be able to do the same, but it might take you longer.
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Large US study finds memory decline surge in young people
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Comment on Paid e-mail providers - your experiences, how you use them and how I would use it in ~tech
Pistos Link Parent+1 for Fastmail. Happy user for over a year now. (Formerly self-hosted.) The price is acceptable to me, but that obviously varies from person to person. Things I like about it: easy masked email;...+1 for Fastmail. Happy user for over a year now. (Formerly self-hosted.) The price is acceptable to me, but that obviously varies from person to person.
Things I like about it: easy masked email; can use mail client (instead of web interface); no (known) issues with rejected mail or spam false positives; zero downtime so far. It does the job, and has no annoying UX issues.
I only need and want them for email. Can't speak to calendar or contacts features.
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Comment on Los Angeles Dodgers beat Toronto Blue Jays to win the World Series in ~sports.baseball
Pistos LinkSidebar: How funny was that comebacker to Wrobleski? I mean, what in the heck are the odds of that happening right after a controversial HBP after 2 close up-and-ins. I was laughing out loud a...Sidebar: How funny was that comebacker to Wrobleski? I mean, what in the heck are the odds of that happening right after a controversial HBP after 2 close up-and-ins. I was laughing out loud a whole minute after that.
Anyway, I guess over a billion dollars in star pitching contracts really can buy you victory. Credit to the Dodgers. Jays made it close, but came just short.
Who knows what the Jays roster will be like next year. This is probably as close as Toronto will get in another long period of time. They were the underdogs, and they overachieved this year, but who knows when all the little parts and lucky things will happen all at once again.
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Comment on Cyclist falls down 130-foot ravine in France, survives three days by drinking wine he had in shopping bag in ~life
Pistos Link ParentWell, 2 days without food usually won't kill anyone (can confirm).Well, 2 days without food usually won't kill anyone (can confirm).
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Comment on People with a very good memory: does that make it harder to forgive? in ~talk
Pistos LinkI see what you're getting at, but think about this, too: Forgiving is something you can do without forgetting.I see what you're getting at, but think about this, too: Forgiving is something you can do without forgetting.
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Comment on What indie competitive games do you play? in ~games
Pistos LinkI don't play them any more, but I had fun with this WWI FPS series: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/BlackmillGames Challenging in their own way, and pretty much no fully automatic guns.I don't play them any more, but I had fun with this WWI FPS series:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/BlackmillGames
Challenging in their own way, and pretty much no fully automatic guns.
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
Yes, the story both continues and closes(ish) nicely. Several DLC (quests and stories) are worth it, too, IMO.