Protected's recent activity
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Comment on Big balk: On Big Walk, Independent Games Festival, and the present unpleasantness in ~games
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Comment on Big balk: On Big Walk, Independent Games Festival, and the present unpleasantness in ~games
Protected LinkNot long ago I was looking into an interesting job offer for a well-known company. I quickly found out that their job application process mandated a LinkedIn profile. I closed the tab and moved...Not long ago I was looking into an interesting job offer for a well-known company. I quickly found out that their job application process mandated a LinkedIn profile. I closed the tab and moved on, because I've deleted my LinkedIn profile some time ago and have no intention of creating another one.
Those of you who have read some of the things I wrote in the past know I'm a believer in acting ethically. I boycott corporations on a regular basis (sometimes for many years) and make choices that are inconvenient to me for the sake of doing my part to make the world an infinitesimally better place (maybe). I also argue for others to do the same. It profoundly irritates me that, for so many people - including unfortunately some here on Tildes - their carefully constructed belief systems and long-winded arguments somehow work out to them never having to do anything inconvenient. Must Be Nice.
Plus, while I use it on occasion, I don't very much like "AI," the bundle of technologies being marketed by certain technology companies. I've argued against uses of it right here on Tildes. I don't think people should be feeding generative AI output to other people, and I find it insane that it should replace anyone's job. I certainly don't think AI is better at my job than I am; people who believe their ability to do their job depends strictly on the availability of AI tools are probably not the best at their job to begin with. If I'm forced to use it, I'll be unhappy about it.
Which is why I hate that this article puts me in a position of having to defend the technology. I understand that the author is connected to an industry where this technology has had a negative impact on a lot of people's livelihoods, which I sympathize with, and in their ability to fund certain kinds of projects, but this uncompromising stance reads extremely condescending and reeks of luddism.
Technology in itself has no intent. It doesn't think or will - not even "AI." The work that led to the current bleeding edge of language prediction or image diffusion or whatever did not materialize out of the blue. Like all technology, it's built on an unbroken chain of prior advancements and discoveries that humankind has happily over the years, decades and centuries made use of to empower our ability to accomplish. It wasn't airdropped by evil aliens intent on our destruction, though evil people may attempt to make use of it as a tool for nefarious purposes.
Much in the same way, a knife can be used to hurt someone or a lighter can set a building on fire, yet that doesn't make me feel the need to take a radical, fanatical, uncompromising ethical stance against such unthinking tools. There is no word of God here, no forbidden fruit of good and evil, no magical boundary drawn in glorious mystical light. Instead, I humbly posit that we should, indeed, use our heads, consider each situation, and be reasonable about it. The writer is a judge for the IGF awards, but what good is a judge when conclusions are predetermined from dogma?
I'm not defending House House here specifically, so don't bother accusing me of whatever the author is accusing others of. Not do I argue that the IGF Awards have to judge by standards other than their own. I take issue more with the tone of the argument than the specifics of this situation. Some of you may recall that my brother is a senior developer in the videogame industry. I know from his grumbling that Engines Suck (exactly as the author admits), way more than the majority of gamers are aware of. At one time, perhaps it might have been possible to research and resolve the never-ending issues developers encounter without this "technology that did not exist two years ago," but now? The Internet is drowning in AI-generated garbage. The cat is out of the bag. Fire has been discovered, and knives have been forged. We live in a world of knives; we can't go back to using clubs, unless we're arguing that videogame developers should cloister themselves in monasteries and live in purity and isolation from the rest of the world.
I think there are a lot of sensible choices we can make to engage with this technology ethically. We should certainly not do what the Sam Altmans and Anthropics of the world want; we shouldn't play into their harmful plans, and we shouldn't contribute to their power and wealth. Perhaps it's the millions of people investing in these larger AI companies that should rethink what they do with their money, rather than the smallish development studios that employ real developers and artists. We should also not pass the work of AI off as our own, as indeed House House didn't. We can work toward improving legislation around the technology, both with regard to true ownership, privacy and safety. This is not the kind of argument I see the author making. Rather, the author repeatedly makes absolute claims regarding "LLMs," a technology that, one way or another, isn't going away.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentYeah, I rather like Cloud in the new games but I've known what his deal is for over 25 years. Much like in the original story, the truth/twist only comes much later, except in this case "later"...Yeah, I rather like Cloud in the new games but I've known what his deal is for over 25 years. Much like in the original story, the truth/twist only comes much later, except in this case "later" means "in another game," which can be understandly annoying if people are only trying to enjoy the one game that they already paid for.
Interestingly, while I sometimes see people complain about the busywork/missions in Remake, the fighting system as a whole seems to be a more consistent criticism regarding the new trilogy. It is a bit of a mess (better in Rebirth).
The dreary environment is another thing that has to be seen from the perspective of the whole game. It's a story about ecological catastrophe (and aliens, but I digress...) and the contrast between Midgar and the rest of the world is a fairly powerful part of the point they're trying to make.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected LinkI finally played Mixtape. It's a narrative game by Beethoven & Dinosaur, who previously brought us The Artful Escape. It clearly has the same DNA, featuring vignette-based, character-focused...I finally played Mixtape. It's a narrative game by Beethoven & Dinosaur, who previously brought us The Artful Escape. It clearly has the same DNA, featuring vignette-based, character-focused storytelling that often veers into the magical/wondrous. I believe the game was a little controversial, with some players hating it passionately (and leveling conflicting accusations at it?) but my verdict is that this was mainly due to the game having had some mainstream exposure/praise, which resulted in the betrayal of the expectations of a type of player who prefers very different experiences in their games.
This time around the story focuses on Stacy "Rockford," a teenager who just finished high school in the 90s and is soon moving to her sister's place in New York, where she hopes to break into television as a music director. She's presented as very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about music, and always has a song to go with each moment of her life. During her last day in town, she tags along with her friends Slater, who she's known since childhood and who is an aspiring concept musician, and Cassie, the rebellious daughter of a strict police officer, as they plan a party, and Rockford recalls memories from her youth in the various places they visit.
Mixtape features beautiful 3D visuals - a big upgrade from TAE. People have eyes now! The music is front and center throughout the story, and this time they splurged to license a lot of real songs from various 20th century artists. Essentially, the game is itself a mixtape. I enjoyed the music selection well enough. Everything is voice acted, but the voice acting it a little more hit or miss. The plot is fairly low stakes; you are simply experiencing one day in the life/imagination of this person. The game is played in less than 4 hours, although there is a chapter selection for retrying the extra achievements.
I also played (with friends) Dimhaven, an investigative game by the creators of the fantastic Quern! Dimhaven was unfortunately a failed kickstarter in 2024, but the developers went ahead and turned it into a game anyway. Unlike Quern, it features deliberately pixelated textures that make the game feel more like a classic mystlike, as does the 19th century vibe of the desolate land we are exploring.
In this game you don't get free rein in a mysterious island, but rather progress seamlessly through a series of self-contained locations as you search for your missing uncle who was last seen in a mountaintop mansion full of suitably mechanical puzzles. The puzzles are fairly good, and the characters weren't bad, either. The low res aesthetic wasn't as much of a hindrance as I'd feared back in 2024. If you like puzzle solving, this is definitely a game worth playing.
The main issue I had was with how unfinished the game felt. I read online that if you get out of bounds, there is a location with an unused puzzle (you don't encounter it in a normal playthrough). There are mysterious landmarks that catch the eye, but aren't visited or mentioned. And the game ended after just 10 hours with literally a circle of characters quickly dumping exposition on you - the ending seemed so abrupt it made me laugh. 10 hours is not bad value! But I'm confident in my theory that the lack of funding led the developers to release a shorter game than they'd originally envisioned.
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Comment on Spirit Circle | Teaser trailer (Dec 2026) in ~anime
Protected LinkThey're finally making a Spirit Circle anime! :O I'm excited!They're finally making a Spirit Circle anime! :O
I'm excited!
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Comment on Reviews are now available for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026) in ~games
Protected Link ParentI was there for the transition to 3D and kinda hated it for the most part (I ended up playing very few new games between circa 2000-2005). 2D has never been a problem. Nowadays, I do enjoy some...I was there for the transition to 3D and kinda hated it for the most part (I ended up playing very few new games between circa 2000-2005). 2D has never been a problem. Nowadays, I do enjoy some indie games that deliberately use simpler 3D on occasion, but they have to sell the aesthetic really well. First gen 3D was born from technical limitations, not from artistic choice; I suspect this OOT is much closer to the original vision for it - the game they wished they could have made back then.
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Comment on Reviews are now available for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026) in ~games
Protected LinkI can confirm that it looks good. Looking forward to playing OOT for the first time, now that I don't have to suffer through the awful primitive 3D graphics (sorry original players!)I can confirm that it looks good. Looking forward to playing OOT for the first time, now that I don't have to suffer through the awful primitive 3D graphics (sorry original players!)
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Comment on JLPT N5, here i come! Ehm... any suggestions for me? in ~humanities.languages
Protected LinkMaybe this will not be of help to you, since I'm not in your situation. But I've been participating in a Genki study group for over a year now (we're doing Genki II now) and I've been finding it...Maybe this will not be of help to you, since I'm not in your situation. But I've been participating in a Genki study group for over a year now (we're doing Genki II now) and I've been finding it harder to understand the listening portions, since they're now spoken too quickly and - I think this is significant - we've learned enough grammar rules that sometimes a base word is conjugated with a string of three or four suffixes and it's very easy to lose a tidbit of meaning that got dilluted inbetween other grammatical rules, which completely derails the whole sentence. I have to listen multiple times.
For me, the solution is to become familiar enough with the language that I will perceive everything that's in the sentence effortlessly. To that effect, my plan is to learn enough grammar that I can transition into reading books, even if I have to start slowly and having to look many things up. Then I'll just read until I sticks.
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Comment on Why are games about chores so popular? in ~games
Protected Link ParentPuzzles are problem solving, I think. It's different from organizing/tidying up (writing as someone who likes the one but not the other). But I do think different humans enjoy these different...Puzzles are problem solving, I think. It's different from organizing/tidying up (writing as someone who likes the one but not the other). But I do think different humans enjoy these different constructive skills.
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Comment on Why are games about chores so popular? in ~games
Protected Link ParentWell? Have you robbed your first bank yet? How much longer will we have to wait? for GTA6Well? Have you robbed your first bank yet? How much longer will we have to wait?
for GTA6
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Comment on Binance suspends withdrawals after crypto hackers steal $6.3 billion in ~tech
Protected Link ParentJust a joke about how the crypto industry sometimes seems like a never ending chain of frauds and failures!Just a joke about how the crypto industry sometimes seems like a never ending chain of frauds and failures!
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Comment on Has anyone here experienced a tv show slump? in ~tv
Protected LinkIn recent years I have been watching far less TV and I think it's because most of it just sucks (to me at least; not judging anyone's taste or anything). I still enjoy Only Murders In The...In recent years I have been watching far less TV and I think it's because most of it just sucks (to me at least; not judging anyone's taste or anything). I still enjoy Only Murders In The Building, I guess.
I did cancel my Netflix subscription this year and I was not the kind of person who cancelled regularly. I was a subscriber for years, and originally they had a lot of stuff, including originals, that I wanted to watch. In fact I'm sure I'm on record praising the amount and variety of their content.
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Comment on Binance suspends withdrawals after crypto hackers steal $6.3 billion in ~tech
Protected Link ParentAnd there has absolutely never been another exchange that played a crucial role in the crypto industry before Binance. Nope. Can't think of any.Binance plays a crucial role in the crypto industry.
And there has absolutely never been another exchange that played a crucial role in the crypto industry before Binance. Nope. Can't think of any.
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Comment on Halloween night! in ~talk
Protected LinkNot a thing around where I live but I'd love it if it was. I'd give out so much candy.Not a thing around where I live but I'd love it if it was. I'd give out so much candy.
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Comment on Heroic Games Launcher: an open source, cross-platform launcher for GOG and Epic Games Store in ~games
Protected LinkI've been sleeping on this but I just installed the Heroic launcher on Linux after reading this message. It's nice to regain access to my GOG games library.I've been sleeping on this but I just installed the Heroic launcher on Linux after reading this message. It's nice to regain access to my GOG games library.
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Comment on Proton’s CEO cancels AI ‘re-interviews’ in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI sent fastmail some feedback/suggestions about their UI layout and just sent me a very friendly response thanking me and stating they registered everything as feature requests. So far so good....I sent fastmail some feedback/suggestions about their UI layout and just sent me a very friendly response thanking me and stating they registered everything as feature requests. So far so good.
For people considering a migration to a different service as of right now, my process was: Get every account in my keepass database into addresses using domain names I control (except accounts I didn't want to keep), then migrating all alternative addresses away from the old service, and finally keeping an eye on the old service and updating everything/everyone still contacting you through the old service.
I think I've mentioned this before (it was months ago) but surprisingly, it's easier to update your e-mail address on american services (which tend to have well-defined and secure processes for doing so) than in some european services, which are outright violating the GDPR and prone to refusing to let you update at all.
It has been an interesting experience dealing with the byzantine way certain companies use your e-mail address. Here's an e-mail I received yesterday from Microsoft:
The following security info was recently added to the Microsoft account example@fastmail.com
example@fastmail.comIf this was you, then you can safely ignore this email.
That's right, Microsoft requires you to add the same e-mail address to the same account in two distinct ways if you want to use it for logging in...
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Comment on Why are there so many topics about Denmark? in ~tildes
Protected LinkI'd post about Portugal but it would just make me sad.I'd post about Portugal but it would just make me sad.
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Comment on Manifestos, fear, and ‘loser thinking’: inside Proton’s AI reckoning in ~tech
Protected LinkI'm not the kind of person who obsessively keeps track of this sort of thing when I'm not proactively shopping for a service, but enough stuck in my brain from casual reading in recent years that...I'm not the kind of person who obsessively keeps track of this sort of thing when I'm not proactively shopping for a service, but enough stuck in my brain from casual reading in recent years that when I was looking into changing e-mail services earlier this year I knew Proton was a risk because the CEO is an asshole. So when I read stuff like this my thought is "oh, yeah, checks out! I already knew that!" And I will keep on avoiding Proton for anything that matters.
I still think this doesn't fully invalidate Proton as a valid choice for a lot of people, though. Let's compare Proton with Google. Is Google in any way better than Proton? Arguably only if you trust in the perceived stability of having a very large customer base. Google's CEO is also an asshole. It's more privacy-hostile, more predatory, more expensive even (with caveats related to how you are using the service). They love AI and hate encryption. Yet so many of us stuck with them for so many years. I think keep an eye out for alternatives but there's no need to rush to leave Proton.
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Comment on Discoverable servers on Discord will have summaries, public messages will be open for search indexing in ~tech
Protected LinkThis is disabled for europeans by default. I've enabled it for myself. If you'd like to make your data (that is shared in large public servers) discoverable on the open internet, don't neglect to...This is disabled for europeans by default. I've enabled it for myself. If you'd like to make your data (that is shared in large public servers) discoverable on the open internet, don't neglect to enable the setting in your profile. It is already available.
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Comment on myNoise - adjustable soundscapes in ~life
Protected Link ParentI love this website and I've donated multiple times. Top notch!I love this website and I've donated multiple times. Top notch!
You can already run an LLM without these companies. And I don't think the scammers can be convinced to let go of their scam. They are manufacturing the bubble on purpose, and the entire edifice is constructed on the greed of many, at every level. Since I don't think so many people who matter actually have the so-called AI psychosis, I'd argue the belief flows only in the other direction. I don't know how to keep capitalists with too many billions and zero scruples from doing whatever they want, but that's a problem transversal to AI and many other things.