psi's recent activity
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to issue executive orders to end birthright citizenship, limit gender identity — incoming official in ~lgbt
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to issue executive orders to end birthright citizenship, limit gender identity — incoming official in ~lgbt
psi Link ParentAnti-LGBT folk don't tend to distinguish between sex and gender, so in their vernacular this is tantamount to saying that there are only two genders (and that trans people don't exist).Anti-LGBT folk don't tend to distinguish between sex and gender, so in their vernacular this is tantamount to saying that there are only two genders (and that trans people don't exist).
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to issue executive orders to end birthright citizenship, limit gender identity — incoming official in ~lgbt
psi (edited )Link ParentIt's a classic example of creating an out-group to unify against. Democrats continue to be vilified for seemingly engaging in elitist culture war issues, but these discussions often overlook the...It's a classic example of creating an out-group to unify against. Democrats continue to be vilified for seemingly engaging in elitist culture war issues, but these discussions often overlook the reality that these schisms were purposefully sowed by conservative activists like Christopher Rufo. Nobody other than academics and some professionals would care about critical race theory if it hadn't been for his (misleading) campaign against it, and he is likewise largely to blame for the current rhetoric against LGBTQ people in America.
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Comment on Donald Trump says he'll 'likely' give TikTok a ninety-day extension to avoid US ban in ~tech
psi Link ParentMore to the point, the law does not have a takesies-backsies clause.More to the point, the law does not have a takesies-backsies clause.
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Comment on An update from Nintendo (Nintendo Switch 2 announcement) in ~games
psi Link ParentBreath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both target 30 fps (and nevertheless occasionally dip to ~20 fps). The performance is perfectly serviceable (and probably pushing the theoretical limits...Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both target 30 fps (and nevertheless occasionally dip to ~20 fps). The performance is perfectly serviceable (and probably pushing the theoretical limits of the hardware), but one could still hope for more.
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Comment on Buying a game from a director that you really have problems with (Kingdom Come) in ~games
psi Link ParentI'd also like to add that, although there can be merit to the idea of separating the art from the artist, one should be careful that they're not just adopting that philosophy out of convenience....I'd also like to add that, although there can be merit to the idea of separating the art from the artist, one should be careful that they're not just adopting that philosophy out of convenience. If an artist has engaged in something you'd consider morally questionable (or worse), you should evaluate (1) how important that piece of artwork is to you, (2) whether their behavior crosses a red line of yours, and (3) to what extent you'd be willing to indirectly support the artist. Certainly you shouldn't just quote a philosophy uncritically, which would be tantamount to giving the artist carte blanche to continue with their unsavory behavior.
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Comment on Horror in impossible places: liminal spaces and the backrooms in ~games
psi (edited )Link ParentWhen I was a grad student, we had a common office for all the first-year graduate students. Our office was located in the basement, but it still had a window, so we were at least graced with a...When I was a grad student, we had a common office for all the first-year graduate students. Our office was located in the basement, but it still had a window, so we were at least graced with a sliver of natural light. However, the physics building had other offices that were relegated even farther underground and could only be accessed by a particular stairwell. I liked to jokingly refer to this area as the "sub-basement".
While wandering around the sub-basement one day (as a bored graduate student was wont to do) I came across a mostly abandoned hallway with some rooms at the end. At the end of one of these rooms was a door, which led to a small corridor, which lead to yet more rooms. In one of these rooms I found a door leading to a downward staircase. Curious, I climbed down the stairs to an unlit space, finding two small rooms with a few tables, some chairs, a couple whiteboards, and some nearly-empty bookshelves holding the occasional physics textbook. Nonplussed, I dubbed this area the "sub-sub-basement" and returned to the other graduate students to report my findings.
The discovery was a bit perplexing. As the space was much smaller than the rest of the floor above it, it must have lain between the foundations of the building, almost as if it had been squeezed into place. Stranger yet was its remoteness: unless one knew where to look, one would be unlikely to find this stairwell by happenstance. Therefore, as an office, it made no logical sense: Why did the architects feel compelled to build it? Why would one put an office in a place no one could find? How could one conduct office hours from here?
Evidently none of the other first-year graduate students had heard of the sub-sub-basement, so after I showed them to it, we decided to consult with our wiser nth-year seniors. "Oh right," one explained, "that place. Apparently that used to be the first-year office."
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Comment on What were your favorite games that you played this year, and why? in ~games
psi (edited )Link Parent@Protected summarized the gist well. Ultimately all the puzzles are just variations on the maze puzzle that you're introduced to in the tutorial area, but there is certainly a greater variety of...@Protected summarized the gist well. Ultimately all the puzzles are just variations on the maze puzzle that you're introduced to in the tutorial area, but there is certainly a greater variety of puzzles in The Witness than a book of Sudokus. Portal is similarly "just" variations on portal puzzles, but I'm not sure that limitation detracts from Portal.
So let me give some examples taken from someone else's playthrough (note that althrough their playthrough is only 4 hours long, most players spend more than 20 hours on the game). Puzzle spoilers below.
As already mentioned, the game starts with maze puzzles, which form more or less the core mechanic of the game. Variations like "mirror puzzles" are gradually introduced, requiring one to simultaneously solve the board twice with the input mirrored across an axis. Other boards ask you to partition dots of different colors. Still others yet challenge you to solve the board while forming tetris shapes.
Most puzzles exist independently of the environment, a fact that some might find a bit bewildering given how strongly the game leans into its aesthetic. However, exceptions abound: occasionally a board's solution will only be revealed when viewed from the right angle.
Note that I have explained some of the gimmicks, but part of the puzzle is simply figuring out what the gimmick is. The game never explicitly reveals the rules for different puzzle types, instead asking the player to infer the rules from simple boards. In this sense, The Witness is a masterclass in game design: rather than risk over-explaining with tutorials, the game only assumes that one has the most rudimentary of video game knowledge, i.e. the ability to navigate a virtual world with a controller/keyboard/mouse. Everything else is learned through play.
There is also a mind-bending realization that virtually every player will eventually come to, but I'd rather not spoil it.
A small hint
It has to do with the obelisks.Personally I really enjoyed playing The Witness with a group, so if you decide to give it another go, I'd encourage you to try it with a friend or two. As it's not a particularly video-gamey video game, it also lends itself to being a good game to play with a partner who otherwise might not play video games.
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Comment on Square root of 0<x<2 in ~science
psi (edited )Link ParentYes, exactly. That's essentially what is being claimed when stating "x^2 < 2x for 0 < x < 2". If you fix the constant A=2 but reduce x, then of course the right hand side will remain larger. As an...Yes, exactly. That's essentially what is being claimed when stating "
x^2 < 2xfor0 < x < 2". If you fix the constantA=2but reducex, then of course the right hand side will remain larger.As an analogy, given two algorithms that run in
O(t)andO(t^2), there is no guarantee that the former algorithm will always run faster, only asymptotically. The actual performance will depend on multiplicative constants. -
Comment on Square root of 0<x<2 in ~science
psi (edited )Link ParentMore generally, for a given value of x>0, you can satisfy the inequality x^2 < Ax by choosing A = x + ε for any ε>0. Consequently, for all x such that M > x > 0, the inequality x^2 < Ax will be...More generally, for a given value of
x>0, you can satisfy the inequalityx^2 < Axby choosingA = x + εfor anyε>0.Consequently, for all
xsuch thatM > x > 0, the inequalityx^2 < Axwill be satisfied by pickingε = M - x(which is necessarily positive sincex<M). -
Comment on The Scoville levels on the Hot Ones sauces are misleading in ~food
psi Link ParentFor what it's worth, the bottles themselves don't appear to have the Scoville units. When I saw the bottles in the store today, I only noticed a 1-to-10 spiciness scale.For what it's worth, the bottles themselves don't appear to have the Scoville units. When I saw the bottles in the store today, I only noticed a 1-to-10 spiciness scale.
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Comment on What were your favorite games that you played this year, and why? in ~games
psi LinkThe contenders Atelier Ryza - Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Catherine Full Body CrossCode Death's Door Helldivers 2 Hylics 2 Islets Monster Prom Noita Rabbit & Steel Rabi-Ribi Souldiers Star...- Exemplary
The contenders
- Atelier Ryza - Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
- Catherine Full Body
- CrossCode
- Death's Door
- Helldivers 2
- Hylics 2
- Islets
- Monster Prom
- Noita
- Rabbit & Steel
- Rabi-Ribi
- Souldiers
- Star Ocean the Second Story R
- Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin
- The Witness
- Tinykin
- Tunic
- UFO 50
- Wandersong
- Withering Rooms
For context, I prefer highly-stylized RPGs and single player experiences, so expect this list to be biased in that direction. (E.g., I played Helldivers 2 with a buddy, but I bounced off it pretty hard).
Best Puzzle Game
Awarded to my favorite puzzle game I played this year
Winner: The Witness
I don't think I've experienced such emotional whiplash in a video game, which says a great deal for a game that arguably has no characters. One moment I'm cursing the game, its creator, and his progeny; the next, I'm coolly boasting my genius.
The Witness puts gameplay front and center, subverting modern video game trends which tend to put high-fidelity graphics and movie-like presentation over everything else. Indeed, despite the game's colorful setting, the majority of the The Witness's puzzle boards would have been equally functional in print, potentially catering to people in the same way that books of sudoku or crosswords do.
Consequently,. The Witness is a game that is exceptionally easy to cheat. If every puzzle is predetermined, then every puzzle can be found online. But in a game which puts the gameplay first, the only person you're cheating is yourself.
Minor post-game spoilers
Which brings me to the genius of The Challenge: a post-game "dungeon" meant to test your meddle by pitting you against randomized, timed puzzle boards. If you relied heavily on a guide, these puzzles will be effectively impossible. Completing The Challenge was one of the greatest video game accomplishments of my life.
Runner-up: CrossCode
Best Backseat-Gamer Game
Awarded to a single-played game that benefits from a couch-full of spectators
Winner: The WitnessFor the same reason that The Witness is a wonderful puzzle game, it is also a wonderful backseat-gamer game: sometimes you just need someone else's perspective.
My brother installed The Witness when he was visiting my wife and I in Germany. After watching him play for about ten minutes, I had him restart the game so we could play it together from the beginning. The Witness became our background game, giving us something to do in the morning as we waited for each other to get ready, and something to do in the evening as we wound down for the day. When we got stuck, we would pass the controller, allowing someone else to prove their cleverness. And when we prevailed, we'd complement each other for being "master puzzlers".
Runner-up: Tinykin
Hidden Gem
Awarded to a game I bought on a whim.
Winner: Withering Rooms
I've checked the past few months of the weekly recurring threads, and not a single soul has mentioned this absolute gem of a game.
Withering Rooms is technically a side-scroller horror roguelite, but I think roguelite might be a misleading description. Roguelites tend to be grindy affairs that relegate the story to the background. In Withering Rooms, however, the story is the hook: you are trapped in a dream, set in the grounds of a Victorian manor. The dream is based on the real world, yet magic and monsters run amok -- why? In atmosphere, characters, and quests the game drips aesthetic.
Beyond the first five or so hours, the game isn't that difficult, which is why I again resist labeling Withering Rooms a roguelite despite it technically being one. Instead, it quickly evolves into a sort of power fantasy, allowing you to equip spells and guns that will make short work of most enemies and bosses. Moreover, most items tend to be unique rather than mere stat upgrades (in the spirit of Dark Souls), which makes exploration feel meaninful. And there is a great deal to explore, with new areas of the manor grounds revealing themselves in each new chapter.
Unfortunately first impressions are probably the worse, as you start rather squishy and have to hide from most enemies, making the game feel much slower and grinder than it ends up being. But on the flip side, this means that once you've cleared the first chapter, the game only gets better.
Runner-up: Hylics 2
Best Multiplayer Game
Awarded to a game best played with friends.
Winner: Rabbit & Steel
I discovered this game during AGDQ 2024. As I mentioned at the offset, I'm drawn to stylized games. The artwork reminds me of something you might find on deviantart, the sort of art that isn't necessarily the most technically impressive but is nevertheless quite charming and cute.
But style can only get you so far. I've heard this game described as a non-MMO raiding game, or alternatively, as a cooperative, roguelite, bullet hell boss rush. The objective is to defeat a series of bosses, each of which have their own unique patterns, unlocking upgrades along the way. I enjoyed playing it with friends for the ~10 or so hours I played it, but mastery would likely require as least ten times as much commitment. I found my short stint with it to be a few hours well spent.
Runner-up: Monster Prom
Best Quirky Game
Awarded to my favorite game that left me wondering what the heck was happening
Winner: Hylics 2
@BeardyHat mentioned Felvidek as a JRPG-styled game set in 15th century Slovakia (fascinating!). Hylics 2 is a game of similar character, except rather than be set in any particular place or time on earth, the game is set in a fully alien enviornment.
Most JRPGs involving aliens do not lean very heavily into the alien aspect. The aliens, despite some visual differences, still act very much human. Not so in Hylics 2. Everything in this world is otherworldly, from the environments to the vaporwave color pallet to the music. Even the way they speak is strangely verbose, almost as if their conversations were translated literally from a universal language translator. Consider this little jingle you can find characters singing to themselves:
🎵 When hylethems are frondose
The harvest time's upon us. 🎵A hyleyhem is an in-universe object (basically a stalagmite) while frondose means "resembling a large leaf". (This particular character is mining.)
I realize that some people might consider writing like this to be exhausting, but it really does work. The game remains intelligible even if you don't want to look up some the stranger utterances, but doing so will give the game that much more flavor.
The game is short enough to not outstay its welcome (under 10 hours). Battles occur when encountering enemies in the over world (i.e. not random), and once an an enemy has been slain, it stays dead for good.
Best Release of 2024
Awarded to my favorite game that released in 2024.
Winner: Withering Rooms
I picked this game up from Fanatical's Halloween bundle, as I (an American living in Germany) was pining for something Halloween-themed to do on Halloween. My first pick was Monster Prom, while Withering Rooms was just another game I needed for the bundle discount.
But it was a well reviewed game, despite me having never heard of it, and it definitely had the spooky Halloween vibes I so craved. So I started it up, and I could not put it down. I finished the game over a couple days, including the new game plus playthrough for the true ending.
The gameplay loop is fairly simple -- basically just clear rooms and loot -- but the world building kept me engaged the whole time.
I look forward to playing the game again next Halloween!
Game of the Year
Awarded to my favorite game I played in 2024.
Winner: CrossCode
You might be tempted to think CrossCode a (gorgeous) pixel art action JRPG. And you would be correct until you get to the first dungeon and realize it's actually a puzzle game. Since most people are initially drawn by the snappy combat and colorful environments, the puzzles themselves can be somewhat divisive, with many complaining that they're too hard. But I think the puzzles are what takes this game from great to GOAT. It is not uncommon for video games to diversify gameplay through puzzles. However, few games actually do this well, often incorporating mind-numblingly simple "puzzles" amounting to the video game equivalent of passing a square through a square-shape hole.
In CrossCode, the developers clearly put as much effort into the puzzles as they did everything else. As an example, take this puzzle involving the fire element. The goal is to light both touches in the raised platform. By bursting the water orbs with the fire element, you can create a gust of wind, which will temporarily power the "windmills". That puzzle is comparatively simple, but the complexity gradually increases over time as more elements and mechanics are introduced. Compare that puzzle with this one from the final (dlc) dungeon, which incorporates almost every element.
So with excellent gameplay and gorgeous visuals, does the game also have the story to match? Yet again, CrossCode excels: set in a VR MMO, a problem with your voice synchronization prevents you from communicating with other players. It's a spin on the silent protagonist trope with major consequences later on. Suffice it to say that the story is original, gut-wrenching and uplifting when it needs to be, and paced well throughout.
I've played over 120 hours (across two playthroughs) on a game that regularly goes on sale for $10 with the dlc. That's a steal for a game that is, in my opinion, one of the best indie game of all time.
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Comment on Most adults will gain half a kilo this year – and every year. Here’s how to stop ‘weight creep’. in ~health
psi LinkI'm going to nitpick some, but the headline ("most adults will gain half a kilo this year - and every year") is misleading, if not outright incorrect. The article references a literature review...- Exemplary
I'm going to nitpick some, but the headline ("most adults will gain half a kilo this year - and every year") is misleading, if not outright incorrect. The article references a literature review [1] which states that "the average weight gain is 0.5 to 1 kg per year" (note that this claim is already different from the headline), which is a summary of this study from 1993 [2].
I'm not here to squabble about whether a study from 1993 -- which itself is based on data collected in the '70s and '80s -- is still a good barometer for 2025; let's just assume it is. (The literature review also references a study from 2014 comparing BMI [3], which shows similar-ish results but is tabulated in a less useful way to compare trends; see table 5.) Williamson's study concerns itself with the percentage of weight gain by age, sex, and ethnicity over a ten year period; I've reproduced the table for age and sex below.
Age Avg weight gain (%) Weight gain std dev (%) 25 to 44 (M) 3.4(3) 11.9 25 to 44 (F) 5.4(3) 14.1 45 to 64 (M) 0.0(3) 10.4 45 to 64 (F) 0.3(3) 11.4 65 to 74 (M) -4.1(4) 9.9 65 to 74 (F) -6.3(4) 13.7 Average weight gain by age and sex. The parentheses in the second column denote the 1-sigma uncertainty of the last digit. The third column shows the standard deviation of the weight gain for the subjects included in the study.
There are some fairly noteworthy conclusions one can draw from this table:
- Although at the population level the "average adult" (whatever that means) gains weight, from the table it's clear that the distribution is biased by younger adults . Most adults will not gain weight "every year" as claimed since older adults are more likely to either maintain or lose weight. Indeed, the study makes this point explicitly:
On average, both men and women younger than 55 years tended to gain weight, whereas those 55 years or older tended to lose weight. The magnitude of weight gain for both sexes decreased with increasing age, whereas the magnitude of weight loss increased with increasing age.
- Regardless of the group averages, I find the usefulness of this information dubious at an individual level. For example, if you're a 44.5 year old woman, does it make more sense to compare yourself with category "25 to 44 (F)", average weight gain 5.4(3)%, or category "45 to 64 (F)", average weight gain 0.3(3)%?
- Similarly, there is considerable variance among individuals. Even among the group most likely to experience weight gain ("45 to 64 (F)"), about 35% did not. Knowledge of the category averages only provides a weak prior on whether an individual is likely to gain weight over a 10 year span. Individual circumstances are a much better indicator.
Finally, the recommendations in the posted article are not supported by the lit review it draws from. To quote from the executive summary (emphasis added) [1],
We did not find strong evidence that any strategy prevents weight gain. This conclusion is similar to a previous systematic review on prevention of weight gain.
Interventions that were potentially effective included a clinic-based program to teach heart rate monitoring, a lifestyle intervention targeted at mothers of young children, workplace interventions with individual and environmental components, small group sessions to educate college women about healthy lifestyles, exercise for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and exercise performed at home among women with cancer. Potentially effective approaches, identified from observational studies, included eating meals prepared at home among college graduates and less television viewing among individuals with colorectal cancer.
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Comment on Making America healthy again - Bernie Sanders in ~society
psi Link ParentBut there's no foreseeable path in which that would work, either? Bernie is one of the most progressive members of Congress, so he's at his most effective when he's making noise and shifting the...So what can Bernie do outside of authoring bills [...]? He could use his position to call for a constitutional convention, for one.
But there's no foreseeable path in which that would work, either?
Bernie is one of the most progressive members of Congress, so he's at his most effective when he's making noise and shifting the Overton window leftward. I'm sure he realizes that his vision won't be reached in his lifetime.
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Comment on How much growth is required to achieve good lives for all? Insights from needs-based analysis. in ~finance
psi Link ParentNew devices also reduce the demand for old devices, driving the price down and thereby allowing older devices to be delivered into the hands of people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford...New devices also reduce the demand for old devices, driving the price down and thereby allowing older devices to be delivered into the hands of people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them. I can buy an iPhone 6 on ebay for about $50 -- I'm not sure that you could mass produce an iPhone 6 at that price. And even if you could, I'm not sure that you would want to if your goal is to reduce ewaste. People are not going to be as mindful about a $50 gadget as they are about a $500 gadget.
Perhaps you could solve all of these problems by subsidizing a non-profit NGO to produce such devices at a loss while simultaneously implementing a quota on individuals sales. But frankly, I don't see how you could realistically implement such a policy.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
psi Link ParentThanks for participating, too! Key sent -- have fun!Thanks for participating, too! Key sent -- have fun!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
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Comment on "Shower thoughts" and other things to ponder in ~talk
psi Link ParentMoo-less chocolate tofu pie! We recently made this for some Finnish, omnivore friends and they absolutely loved it (as do we)! (Though we substituted the coffee liqueur for cold brew coffee...Moo-less chocolate tofu pie! We recently made this for some Finnish, omnivore friends and they absolutely loved it (as do we)! (Though we substituted the coffee liqueur for cold brew coffee concentrate).
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
psi (edited )LinkI found more games! Here are the rules: First come, first served. Two requests per person. Include a link to your last game review in the recurring weekly thread. No worries if you haven't...I found more games! Here are the rules:
- First come, first served.
- Two requests per person.
- Include a link to your last game review in the recurring weekly thread.
No worries if you haven't participated in the weekly thread before! I'm not trying to gatekeep access but gently encourage some participation. If you haven't yet participated in the weekly thread, first stake your claim to a key, then go write something in the weekly thread. Once you've done that, ping me and I'll send you your key.
Anyway, here's what I have to offer:
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
Sure, but the erasure of language is also the point. The phrasing might be clumsy and inaccurate, but it's nevertheless in service of a larger project. Trump's speech was rhetoric, not law; it didn't need to be legally sound.