Protected's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
Protected Link ParentI'll join this giveaway, I don't have Balatro so I'd like to see what all the fuss is about. The answer to your question that feels most right is The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. I'm...I'll join this giveaway, I don't have Balatro so I'd like to see what all the fuss is about.
The answer to your question that feels most right is The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. I'm afraid this might not be a very interesting answer; of course I'd gift it to a kid, as this is still considered by many to be one of the best videogames ever made; it aged really well!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
Protected Link ParentI will definitely not get around to playing it during the holidays, but I have a long proven record of eventually playing everything and providing feedback here on tildes (you can check my comment...I will definitely not get around to playing it during the holidays, but I have a long proven record of eventually playing everything and providing feedback here on tildes (you can check my comment history!) If that's OK with you, then the one game in that list I don't yet have is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I heard good things! Thanks. (If you'd rather keep it for someone else who'll play it sooner, that's also fine, don't worry.)
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
Protected (edited )LinkHi everyone! Due to ongoing financial restrictions (though happily that seems likely to improve soon) I'm going to run this the same way I did last year. At the bottom you will find a list of...Hi everyone! Due to ongoing financial restrictions (though happily that seems likely to improve soon) I'm going to run this the same way I did last year. At the bottom you will find a list of games I enjoyed during 2024. If your account was created before December 2024 and you want to join this giveaway, please reply only once to this comment with:
- One or more games from that list that you don't yet own and would like to receive;
- A list of five words that are, to you, evocative of this season. They can be any five distinct words of your choice. Get as personal or as random as you like.
At least one winning valid reply will be randomly selected. The winner will receive exactly one of the games listed in their reply. Depending on the game, you may have to temporarily add me to your steam friends or to create a GOG account.
Like last year, if more than one winner is drawn, each winner will receive a different game - there will be no repeats. As such, I encourage you to list more than one game.
Available game options
- Blue Fire
- Jusant
- The Entropy Centre
- The Talos Principle 2
- Eastward
- A Highland Song
- Tchia
- American Arcadia
- BIOMORPH
- Starstruck: Hands of Time
- Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
- The Holy Gosh Darn
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
- Windblown
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Comment on How do you know where to start with prolific authors? in ~books
Protected Link ParentAh, right. Do you like science fiction? My informed opinion based on my knowledge of those authors is that most of Sanderson's work isn't quite going to align with your tastes unless you're...Ah, right. Do you like science fiction?
My informed opinion based on my knowledge of those authors is that most of Sanderson's work isn't quite going to align with your tastes unless you're deliberately trying to get out of your comfort zone. That said, you might enjoy some of the character arcs in the Stormlight Archive.
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Comment on You make friends *HERE*?! in ~tildes
Protected Link ParentWhen I posted on reddit more frequently there was a marked difference. I've always endeavored to write long, informative posts on reddit on occasion, but there were a lot more quick fire...When I posted on reddit more frequently there was a marked difference. I've always endeavored to write long, informative posts on reddit on occasion, but there were a lot more quick fire responses, with shared references, links, song lyrics, that sort of thing (not that I made any friends there; even a decade ago it was just too vast and dispersed a group of people).
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Comment on You make friends *HERE*?! in ~tildes
Protected LinkI've made friends online elsewhere, so the being online isn't the problem, but I definitely agree that it seems difficult to get tildists to actually dialogue, as in, exchange a series of...I've made friends online elsewhere, so the being online isn't the problem, but I definitely agree that it seems difficult to get tildists to actually dialogue, as in, exchange a series of comments, when compared to other platforms. There is a deeply entrenched culture of frontloading the whole thing, which results in really good long posts, but there are a lot of things that can benefit from a more dynamic style of conversation. Outing myself here but I'm pretty sure I mentioned this (in far fewer words) in my survey response.
I don't disagree with those who mentioned shared interests but I can't help but think interests like Minecraft are most helpful because they move the conversation to a more dynamic, fast-paced, quick-turnaround platform. There are a lot of subjects on Tildes on whose threads you often meet the same people, but since those discussions can't lead to anything more dynamic than the thread itself, there's nowhere to go from there.
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Comment on How do you know where to start with prolific authors? in ~books
Protected Link ParentSanderson's typical strengths are very easy to digest prose (this is a deliberate choice) and, if you read enough books, worldbuilding at a huge scale, with interesting ideas for spell systems and...Sanderson's typical strengths are very easy to digest prose (this is a deliberate choice) and, if you read enough books, worldbuilding at a huge scale, with interesting ideas for spell systems and other "foundation" principles in his worlds (as a bonus, many books also come with extra notes and illustrations if you're into that sort of thing). From my perspective, Mistborn era 1 is far from his strongest work, especially since he has written many stories since. It usually is considered compelling, though! What kind of fiction do you usually like to read?
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Comment on How do you know where to start with prolific authors? in ~books
Protected Link ParentJust to complement this, I'd like to reinforce that while there are continuities in the Discworld almost every book is ultimately stand-alone. You can read them in any order. boxer_dogs_dance's...Just to complement this, I'd like to reinforce that while there are continuities in the Discworld almost every book is ultimately stand-alone. You can read them in any order. boxer_dogs_dance's recs are great books so just pick one that seems interesting to you personally!
Discworld was a massive influence for me and I'm a lifelong fan. I now own and have read every book, but never in any kind of order, due to availability constraints in Portugal back in the day.
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Comment on How do you know where to start with prolific authors? in ~books
Protected LinkEveryone's recommendations are probably valid. They reflect their own knowledge of the corpus and a genuine attempt to help you. That's why I like to bombard people with questions before I make...Everyone's recommendations are probably valid. They reflect their own knowledge of the corpus and a genuine attempt to help you. That's why I like to bombard people with questions before I make recommendations (sadly, few people play along). You can read their explanations and decide if their reasoning resonates with you!
As one of Sanderson's beta/gamma readers - though making absolutely no claim to any sort of authoritarian knowledge or even general wisdom; I'm actually very much a filthy casual - I can recommend based on my taste two possible starting points:
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Start with a Cosmere book (The shared universe in Sanderson's adult books, as @Mountain-View5322 mentioned) but not with the massive series, even though people absolutely love the beginnings of those. Dip your toes in with something smaller and that can be read without any additional knowledge of the universe, such as the multi-award-winning The Emperor's Soul or Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. If you like them, good news! There's a whole lot more where that came from! I wouldn't start with Elantris just because it's his first published novel and I find it less interesting than most (much the same reason why a lot of people recommend not starting Discworld with the earliest books).
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Start with one of the Young Adult books. They're still quite good and easy to read without requiring any massive commitment to a wider universe. There's obviously Skyward (my choice here), or if you like superhero deconstructions Steelheart.
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Comment on Doctor fired after running emergency department warns about effect of for-profit firms on US health care (2022) in ~health
Protected Link ParentIt sure would! It's a massive factor and the platform is reviled by many. There are other factors, though.It sure would! It's a massive factor and the platform is reviled by many. There are other factors, though.
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Comment on Doctor fired after running emergency department warns about effect of for-profit firms on US health care (2022) in ~health
Protected Link ParentI started writing something like this last night and ended up not posting it. There are social housing programmes in Portugal and I like that they exist. That said, for me, the tipping point where...I started writing something like this last night and ended up not posting it.
There are social housing programmes in Portugal and I like that they exist. That said, for me, the tipping point where housing should be for-profit is far, far more lenient than healthcare (for example). In a perfect world healthcare should be almost universally not for profit, housing not so much. If a billionaire wants a 20 bedroom mansion they should be able to, except it should cost (and be taxed) way beyond any kind of universal scale in accordance with market constraints.
I think I mentioned this before and you can also easily look it up online: We have a massive and ever-growing housing problem in the Lisbon region and attempts to "fix" it that deal with demand consistently fail. Unless we enact draconian laws to prevent people who want to move here from moving here (which our governments across the board don't seem to want to do), we need supply, which means more private construction. Honestly, AFAIK government currently holds construction back by being too slow, complicated and generally bureaucratic about it (anything to do with planning, permits, taxes, courts is very slow here).
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Comment on Steam Replay 2024: Discussion topic in ~games
Protected Link40 games played (30 new) 556 achievments unlocked (51 rare) Top games by time spent: Islands of Insight, The Talos Principle 2, Dungeons of Hinterberg (does not include FF7 Rebirth of course)...40 games played (30 new)
556 achievments unlocked (51 rare)
Top games by time spent: Islands of Insight, The Talos Principle 2, Dungeons of Hinterberg (does not include FF7 Rebirth of course)
Spider graph most to least: Puzzle platformer, Metroidvania, VR, Action Roguelike, Tabletop, Robots (?)
Beat Saber was played throughout the year.
54% of my playtime was with a controller, including on Tchia, Biomorph, Eastward, Supraland Six Inches Under (all reviewed here I think).
Regrets: 0!
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
Protected Link ParentThank you for looking into it further! Smartphones are definitely a gateway for getting people used to a lot of infuriating practices. I currently use GrapheneOS with multiple stores, but it...Thank you for looking into it further!
Smartphones are definitely a gateway for getting people used to a lot of infuriating practices. I currently use GrapheneOS with multiple stores, but it bothers me that the vast majority of people will never bother setting up something like that (not to mention in every modern smartphone you get a scary nag screen when you turn on the phone if you do that).
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Comment on Deciding which version of Minecraft Java to play. (AKA, what's your favourite update?) in ~games
Protected Link ParentSo many incredibly complicated mods never made it past 1.12 . RIP, OpenComputers. I want to reinforce 1.12 as a recommendation for a worthwhile flavor of modded Minecraft. For vanilla I'd just go...So many incredibly complicated mods never made it past 1.12 . RIP, OpenComputers.
I want to reinforce 1.12 as a recommendation for a worthwhile flavor of modded Minecraft.
For vanilla I'd just go with the latest.
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI respect your positive outlook. There are certainly benefits, but personally, I find the tradeoff here is unacceptable. What you're getting for your money here is nothing like what you should be...I think it's a good thing that you can get an incredibly cheap computing device these days, even if there are some tradeoffs.
I respect your positive outlook. There are certainly benefits, but personally, I find the tradeoff here is unacceptable. What you're getting for your money here is nothing like what you should be getting if your aim is to "own a computer" - which you can use productively, for work, or for entertainment and socializing in a way that the author seems to feel was helpful to him in his youth. The experience has been perverted in a way that is very difficult to contextualize for someone without the experience many of us have had, getting into it fifteen or thirty years ago. It's not just that not everyone has the know-how to sanitize their devices - because they lack even the prespective to know that they should, these insidious products gradually, over time, erode the ways in which technology can empower people and improve their lives.
This happens in many other areas beyond the sale of trap laptops and smartphones, and my opinion is consistent across the board. When Facebook began offering free Internet access in India - but only for accessing services whitelisted by Facebook - I was angry, because this blatant violation of net neutrality skews people's idea of what the Internet is and what it can do for them (this service has now been regulated away). When european ISPs were offering plans that gave you unlimited traffic - but only for certain services like Youtube, reinforcing monopolies, cutting people off from the rest of the Internet, allowing ISPs to double-dip, I was angry for the same reason (and guess what, this practice has now been largely outlawed or regulated away). I just am not convinced at this point that these Windows S machines as described are ultimately a good thing.
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI don't disagree with the points you're making, but I don't interpret the paragraphs you first quoted in the same way you did. People reading this text cannot be completely disconnected from...I don't disagree with the points you're making, but I don't interpret the paragraphs you first quoted in the same way you did. People reading this text cannot be completely disconnected from actual technology, since they need, at least, a computerized device, a web browser, an internet connection. It is assumed - implied - that you can't reach the article without some basic technological literacy. As such, it follows that you aren't behind the times just because you refuse to engage with these shitty services and products - you and the author, in my interpretation, are in agreement here (or am I being too kind?)
Harmful products and services may not be in themselves "technology". However, the author seems to be making the point that many people's experience with actual technology is indissociable from these harmful products and services, due to societal pressures (as directly stated in the article), market forces, short-term thinking, profit-oriented thinking and more. That means the technology in people's lives - the same technology that they need and that has the potential to do so much good for everyone - is harming and violating them, not in itself, but as a vehicle for these things that simply require too much of an investment in time and effort to avoid, because they're forced upon you, baked into everything, required for everything.
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Comment on Weird game "Catly" revealed at The Game Awards might be some kind of AI generated grift or scam in ~games
Protected LinkOh my god, it's a Science-Based MMO with Cats!Oh my god, it's a Science-Based MMO with
DragonsCats! -
Comment on How to pass the time when you have nothing to do at work and just your phone? in ~talk
Protected Link ParentYou should be able to access localhost on the web browser, right? I recommend programming games in javascript. I made a complicated version of snake while waiting in a client's conference room for...You should be able to access localhost on the web browser, right?
I recommend programming games in javascript. I made a complicated version of snake while waiting in a client's conference room for two weeks once.
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Comment on Brazilian judge orders Adele song be pulled globally over plagiarism claim in ~music
Protected Link ParentIt doesn't work for me either. This one works!It doesn't work for me either. This one works!
They're the games I played this year that I enjoyed enough to want to give to others, excluding games that were gifted to me in the first place! You can find my comments on them in the weekly games threads (except for Starstruck, which will come in the future; I'll explain why then).