Rudism'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 Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech
Rudism LinkI was a long-time Arch user, but switched to Void a few years ago primarily because I was sick of how systemd basically consumed the entire Linux ecosystem. I'm a strong believer in the old school...I was a long-time Arch user, but switched to Void a few years ago primarily because I was sick of how systemd basically consumed the entire Linux ecosystem. I'm a strong believer in the old school "do one thing and do it well" unix philosophy, and I appreciate the ability to pick and choose my system components, as opposed to having one monolithic do-everything subsystem lurking in the background. It's not what I would recommend for a casual user who just wants to dip their toes into a possible replacement for Windows 11, but it's definitely the right choice for me--the only way I'll ever go back to a systemd distro is if there are absolutely no alternatives anymore (let's hope that never happens).
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Comment on The center has a bias in ~tech
Rudism LinkWhat I keep noticing is that a lot of the criticism directed at crystal meth is perfectly legitimate, but it often comes from people without a meaningful amount of direct experience with it. They...What I keep noticing is that a lot of the criticism directed at crystal meth is perfectly legitimate, but it often comes from people without a meaningful amount of direct experience with it. They are not necessarily wrong. In fact, many of them cite studies, polls and all kinds of sources that they themselves spent time investigating and surveying. And quite legitimately they identified real issues: your dental outcomes can be bad, the malnutrition implications are scary, the hallucinations of insects are strange and potentially result in sores from over-scratching, there is a liver and kidney impact, the long-term nervous system consequences are unclear, and the hype is exhausting.
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Rudism LinkMy decision tree is essentially: Is the thing I want to watch something I already know I'll love and want to watch again in the future? Yes - Is a physical release available from a source that is...My decision tree is essentially:
- Is the thing I want to watch something I already know I'll love and want to watch again in the future?
- Yes - Is a physical release available from a source that is unlikely to send me a shitty bootleg?
- Yes - Buy it, rip it, watch it.
- No - Hit the high seas.
- No - Either stream it if it happens to be on whatever service(s) I'm paying for that month, or hit the high seas. If it turns out I loved it, re-run the decision tree next time I want to watch it.
- Yes - Is a physical release available from a source that is unlikely to send me a shitty bootleg?
More and more lately the answer to "is a non-bootleg physical release available" is no. eBay has already been a no-fly zone for physical media for a long time, since my track record there is 100% bootlegs, and now even Walmart has started sending me bootlegs since (I guess) they allow 3rd party merchants to fulfill orders (they even list box sets for shows that never had an official physical release, where there is zero chance the thing is not a bootleg).
- Is the thing I want to watch something I already know I'll love and want to watch again in the future?
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Comment on I’m traveling internationally for the first time and could use tips! in ~travel
Rudism LinkWhen my wife and I went to Europe we found that some hotels will hold on to your bags for you prior to and after your check in/out times (the one we stayed at in Geneva had a ticketing system and...When my wife and I went to Europe we found that some hotels will hold on to your bags for you prior to and after your check in/out times (the one we stayed at in Geneva had a ticketing system and a whole room dedicated to holding on to bags for this purpose). I don't know about hostels since I've never stayed at one. There were also businesses that rent out lockers at pretty affordable hourly or daily rates that you can leave luggage in that might work if you want to explore without lugging around your extra carry on--we used one in Amsterdam that a cab driver recommended since we arrived way ahead of our check-in time and didn't have any problems.
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Comment on Amazon killing purchasing, borrowing and downloading books for older Kindles in ~tech
Rudism Link ParentIt's been a long time since I used my old OG paperwhite, but don't all the Kindle devices require you to connect to wifi and log into an Amazon account before you can do anything at all? Maybe the...It's been a long time since I used my old OG paperwhite, but don't all the Kindle devices require you to connect to wifi and log into an Amazon account before you can do anything at all? Maybe the bricked state is you're permanently stuck staring at a login form that will never work.
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Comment on Backrooms | Official trailer in ~movies
Rudism Link ParentThe aesthetic that really appeals to me (in Kane Pixels' Backrooms related videos and a lot of Backrooms media in general) is the "found footage" nature of it. I'm really hoping that this movie...The aesthetic that really appeals to me (in Kane Pixels' Backrooms related videos and a lot of Backrooms media in general) is the "found footage" nature of it. I'm really hoping that this movie leans into that aspect of it a lot more than the trailer is giving, though I'd also be surprised if it does because I think found footage is a pretty niche sub-genre that turns off even a lot of horror fans.
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Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food
Rudism Link ParentI agree on the instant pot. My impression (which is admittedly not worth much, having never owned one) is it is jack of all trades, master of none. It might make sense if you want a pressure...I agree on the instant pot. My impression (which is admittedly not worth much, having never owned one) is it is jack of all trades, master of none. It might make sense if you want a pressure cooker, crock pot, and rice cooker but don't have room or a budget for all three, but if all you want is good rice then a dedicated rice cooker is probably going to serve you better.
For close to 2 decades I used an ancient department store pot-style cook+warm rice cooker (which was a wedding gift, I believe) and was pretty happy with it, until a couple years ago we replaced it with a Cuckoo (the 6-cup red one on Amazon) and let me tell you I friggin' love that thing. Simple to use, perfect rice every time, no sticking, no fuss, barely needs a rinse afterwards to get it clean... Best rice-related purchase I've ever made that isn't rice.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
Rudism Link ParentAt some point in my childhood I had seen the music video for Cloudbusting and it kind of stuck in my subconscious as a thing I had vague memories of but without any context (was it from a movie?...At some point in my childhood I had seen the music video for Cloudbusting and it kind of stuck in my subconscious as a thing I had vague memories of but without any context (was it from a movie? tv show? can't remember).
Recently I came across it again, solving the mystery, and sparking more interest in the rest of Kate Bush's music. The only song of hers that I recognize at all as having heard before is Running Up That Hill, but it's not something I could have named or even told you the artist if you played it for me, so I really was going in pretty blind.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
Rudism LinkI started deep diving into the full discography of Kate Bush, because she's been a blind spot of mine that I've wanted to remedy for a long time now. Conclusion: The hype is real.I started deep diving into the full discography of Kate Bush, because she's been a blind spot of mine that I've wanted to remedy for a long time now.
Conclusion: The hype is real.
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Comment on What’s your preferred work monitor setup? in ~comp
Rudism LinkAfter going through various iterations of dual monitor setups, I realized that I'm most productive/comfortable with a single 1080p monitor (size isn't super important but probably at least 24")....After going through various iterations of dual monitor setups, I realized that I'm most productive/comfortable with a single 1080p monitor (size isn't super important but probably at least 24").
Currently I'm using a 3440x1440 ultra-wide--my thinking was I could split my editor into 3 panes instead of just 2, but in practice I find I only really use 2 at a time anyway (and I just split the 3rd off to something random so that the pane widths stay consistent), and browsing the web at this width looks absurd. I think I'll probably go back to another 1080p if/when this one bites the dust.
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Rudism LinkSince this sounds like a relatively quick play through (and also because I plan on replaying Link's Awakening some time soon and the ties between that and this game sound interesting) I'll be...Since this sounds like a relatively quick play through (and also because I plan on replaying Link's Awakening some time soon and the ties between that and this game sound interesting) I'll be giving the translation a go, probably swapping between a Batocera mini PC plugged into my TV and a TrimUI Brick Hammer that share save states over SyncThing.
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Comment on What's an obscure book/series that you've read that you would like to recommend? in ~books
Rudism LinkIt's been ages since I read them, so I have no idea if they hold up, but the Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy (consisting of the novels Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter, and Foreigner), by Robert J. Sawyer was...It's been ages since I read them, so I have no idea if they hold up, but the Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy (consisting of the novels Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter, and Foreigner), by Robert J. Sawyer was one of my favorite reads when I was a teenager. I think maybe it was a bit more known in Canada since it was written by a Canadian author.
It takes place on an alien planet that was seeded with Earth dinosaurs, where they evolved to become a sentient species, and are about as technologically advanced as humans were during the Renaissance and discovering science (helio-centrism, evolution, and so on). If I'm remembering right, the first book has a bit of an "oh my god" twist moment that the Wikipedia article about the trilogy spoils in the first sentence, so I'd recommend going in blind if this sounds interesting enough to you to give them a shot.
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
Rudism LinkThe 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead was made, in part, because George A. Romero wasn't making any money off the 1968 original due to some kind of copyright screw-up. The OG is undeniably a...The 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead was made, in part, because George A. Romero wasn't making any money off the 1968 original due to some kind of copyright screw-up. The OG is undeniably a genre-defining classic, but the remake is also really good and still holds up today (and would maybe be easier to digest for a more general audience today).
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Comment on Backrooms | Official teaser in ~movies
Rudism Link ParentI'm only tangentially aware of it (mostly through my kids), but I believe the lore has been built in a similar fashion to SCP (if you're familiar), where it's more of a collaborative phenomenon...I'm only tangentially aware of it (mostly through my kids), but I believe the lore has been built in a similar fashion to SCP (if you're familiar), where it's more of a collaborative phenomenon consisting of various wikis (like this one), forums, and creative output (lots of YouTube videos) where anyone can contribute to the lore, and some of it ends up being more popular than others and kind of bubbles up to form a shared "canon."
The director of this movie, Kane Parsons (aka Kane Pixels), has a YouTube channel where he created what are arguably the most widely known and influential Backrooms videos where I think he basically hand-selected various bits of that collective lore and worked them into his videos, as well as creating some of his own lore hinted at in the videos (which themselves then made their way into other videos, forums, wikis, etc.)
Possible spoilers for the movie? I dunno... My birds-eye understanding of the lore is there is an institute called the Async Research Institute (which I think may have been invented by Kane), which is who the guys in yellow hazmat suits work for, if you've ever seen them come up in Backrooms videos. The Backrooms have always existed, and it has been possible to shift out of our reality and become trapped in them for a long time, but Async figured out some way to open stable portals into them, and has been doing experiments in order to test the commercial viability of the Backrooms (for example as a source of essentially unlimited cheap storage space, real estate, stuff like that).My understanding is that there are sort of two divergent and conflicting "lore sets" for the Backrooms--one that mostly paints them as an infinite liminal space devoid of life, basically a distorted echo of reality (along the lines of what's explored in the book Piranesi by Susanne Clarke), and one that includes a variety of "entities" that are native to and inhabit the Backrooms, which is what a lot of the Backrooms-themed games are based on (where you need to know and follow the rules of how to interact with or escape from the entities). I think both lore sets agree there are different "levels" of the Backrooms, of which the yellow wallpapered office type area is just one.
Kane Pixels' videos kind of live in a middle ground I think--the Backrooms are mostly uninhabited, but he's shown (or maybe also invented?) at least one of the entities in some of his videos. I think to date he's only shown the yellow office level, so it's unclear to me if his personal lore includes the different levels aspect or not.
For me, it's very similar to the SCP universe, where the concept is really cool and can be liminal/creepy if you're only tangentially aware of the large body of lore that's been built up, but as soon as you start looking at the specifics there's so much stupid stuff in there it kind of ruins everything. So I haven't really drilled too deep into the Backrooms lore outside of hearing about some of the stuff my kids talk about.
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Comment on Backrooms | Official teaser in ~movies
Rudism LinkAs a casual fan of Backrooms lore and Kane Pixels' YouTube series in general I'm pretty excited for this one. It'll be interesting to see how "dumbed down" for general audiences it ends up being....As a casual fan of Backrooms lore and Kane Pixels' YouTube series in general I'm pretty excited for this one. It'll be interesting to see how "dumbed down" for general audiences it ends up being. As it stands now I trust both Kane Pixels and A24 so I have pretty high expectations.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Rudism Link ParentHave you played a game called Jusant? Your description of this reminds me quite a bit of that, I'd be curious how they compare. The main thing I was mildly disappointed about with Jusant was that...Have you played a game called Jusant? Your description of this reminds me quite a bit of that, I'd be curious how they compare. The main thing I was mildly disappointed about with Jusant was that it was very much on-rails, with just a few missable side areas you could explore to get bits of lore but you're pretty much locked into one path up.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Rudism LinkThe past few weeks I've been spending the time to replace Windows 11 with Batocera linux on a Beelink mini PC that I have hooked up to my good TV, load it up with roms, and scrape metadata and...The past few weeks I've been spending the time to replace Windows 11 with Batocera linux on a Beelink mini PC that I have hooked up to my good TV, load it up with roms, and scrape metadata and images for the whole shebang to make it pretty. The last task was figuring out how to get my Sinden lightgun working (which really just involved figuring out which firmware version I needed to flash it with, after which it was just plug-and-play--I don't know who's responsible for adding that capability to Batocera but they are a true hero).This weekend was the first weekend where I'm completely done with all the tedious setup and could actually enjoy it, but I made the mistake of introducing my kid to Duck Hunt and he basically monopolized it the whole time. Still it was pretty fun watching him have a blast with a game that I grew up with, so it was all worth it. He'll probably be back to suckling from the teat of YouTube next weekend so I'll be able to really get down to business (first things I plan on tackling are the old Zelda games I skipped over as a kid--the Oracle games on GBC and Minish Cap on GBA).
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Comment on Flu shot: US Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, company says in ~health
Rudism Link ParentI grew up in Canada where attitudes toward the US have historically been mixed at best. Then 23 years ago I married an American and moved to the US. At the time she was very much of the...I grew up in Canada where attitudes toward the US have historically been mixed at best.
Then 23 years ago I married an American and moved to the US. At the time she was very much of the America-is-the-greatest-country-in-the-world mindset, so we would often clash when talking about various aspects of American culture and politics.
Witnessing the gradual erosion of her pride and confidence in this country in the time since then sometimes feels like I'm watching an ex-cult-member getting deprogrammed.
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Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun in ~tech
Rudism LinkWhy does this not surprise me?I’ve spent my last few years working with a team to build an A.I. software platform...
Why does this not surprise me?
I'm maybe 10-15 hours into Cairn. Still struggling with the climbing mechanic, at times I feel it can be just as frustrating as the afternoon I spent with Baby Steps, but even worse because AFAIK the game isn't supposed to be an absurdly difficult meme of a game so the failure feels more personal. I eventually turned off all the survival mechanics because managing hunger/thirst/etc. on top of the frustrating climbing was just too much. I'm determined to finish at least one run to the top, but I'm not sure it'll give as much replay value as I was originally hoping for.