runekn's recent activity

  1. Comment on Cherry MX 10.0N mechanical keyboard - A non-enthusiast's thoughts after one month in ~tech

    runekn
    Link Parent
    I looked briefly at more custom keyboards in the very beginning of my search. But it all seemed catered to smaller layout, so didn't stay long. I also easily get choice paralysis :D

    I looked briefly at more custom keyboards in the very beginning of my search. But it all seemed catered to smaller layout, so didn't stay long. I also easily get choice paralysis :D

    3 votes

  2. Cherry MX 10.0N mechanical keyboard - A non-enthusiast's thoughts after one month

    ~tech Text 1130 words
    So bit more than one month ago my very old Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard broke the membrane on the 'A' key, meaning it was effectively kaput. I decided that I wanted to try a mechanical. The...

    So bit more than one month ago my very old Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard broke the membrane on the 'A' key, meaning it was effectively kaput. I decided that I wanted to try a mechanical.

    The Search

    My use-cases are as follows, in the order of importance:

    1. Gaming
    2. Programming
    3. General typing

    These were the first requirements I settled on, based on my limited knowledge of mechanical keyboards:

    • ISO nordic layout
    • Full size: Because I make heavy use of both numpad and the insert-delete-home-end-page island of keys. Whatever it is called. I have zero interest in compromising on the standard layout.
    • Nice to have: Metal body
    • Nice to have: General high-quality
    • Nice to have: Wireless, but only if 2.4Gz.
    • Nice to have: Tactile switches
    • Nice to have: Backlit keys
    • Nice to have: Simple elegant aesthetic. I especially want to avoid typical gamer aesthetic.
    • Budget basically unlimited

    With these requirements I eventually settled on Keychron Q6 Max with Jupiter Brown. But just before ordering one, I started thinking about the height of the keys on a normal old-school mechanical.
    I don't remember when I have last used one, all my recent keyboard had been modern low-profile so I didn't have a reference for what I was buying other than images.
    I started reading about wrist problems from keyboard height and the recommendation of a wrist rest. I looked at the Keychron options and saw that they only had rests that were completely detached from the keyboard.
    Thing is that I move my keyboard around my desk a lot, so I figured that having a wrist-rest that was not attached would become an annoyance.
    After this I decided to just stick to what I am used to and added another requirement:

    • Low-profile

    Unfortunately when you set requirements for 100%, ISO, and low-profile, then the otherwise extensive Keychron catalogue becomes super limited. So I started looking elsewhere.
    At the time there was a new post about a search engine on the /r/MechanicalKeyboards front page.
    Using this I discovered the Cherry MX 10.0N. This seemed like a good deal. High quality all-metal body.
    The only real sticking point was that the switches are linear with very short actuation, but I liked the look of this keyboard so much that I decided I could probably learn to live with it.

    The review

    The keyboard looks great in person. The all-metal body feels very solid and high-quality. It's got good heft and sticks to the table. The entire board is very thin and feels good to rest on.
    The keys also feel high quality with minimal wobbling, and long keys sound and feel the same whether pressed on the edge or in the middle.

    That's all the good stuff. Now on to the less good.

    The foot

    The adjustable foot in the back has no real positions. Meaning that there is no point in adjusting it where it will click in place and stay there, and it is under constant spring pressure to return to the stowed position. This means that the only thing keeping the extended foot in place is the weight of the keyboard. As mentioned I move my keyboard around frequently, and this means that everytime I move it I have to readjust the foot.
    Additionally, it's highest position is sort of a balancing point, meaning that it you are a bit off, or accidentally push the keyboard a bit in this position, then the foot will suddenly collapse.
    It's a minor annoyance, but one that is unique to this keyboard since I don't see this kind of foot design anywhere else. Otherwise the full-length metal foot is really nice, if only they had added proper click positions in its travel.

    The switches

    As mentioned, these are linear with very short actuation. CHERRY MX LOW PROFILE RGB SPEED switches to be specific. My first thought when trying to type with these was "Oh my god I hate this, how can some prefer this?!".
    Constant mistyping was the name of the game. I was so used to being able to slightly miss a key, but still only actuate the intended. But that doesn't fly with this keyboard. If you depress any key even the slightest, it WILL actuate.
    For gaming I first didn't understand why I sometimes kept jumping. I eventually figured out its because the mere weight of my thumb resting on the spacebar can be enough to actuate it sometimes.

    After 1 month of regular usage, I can confidently say that my thoughts are now "Oh my god I hate this, how can some prefer this?!". Okay, I improved my typing somewhat to maybe half my mistyping. Gaming is still a pain, and I've had to regularly rest my thumb on the table instead to stop the sudden jumping.
    Unfortunately this keyboard does not have hot-swappable switches, so there is no fixing it unless I want to buy a soldering iron and replace every single key, which I am not willing to.

    Key spacing

    So while the keyboard is technically 100%, Cherry has still designed it to be as compact as possible. One area where they have shaved off the length is the spacing between the main keys and the arrows keys and those above. Aswell as on the other side with the numpad.
    I didn't know this prior to puchasing this keyboard, but apparently this spacing is essential for my muscle memory to be able to find those keys. The lack of spacing has meant that maybe 25% of the time I use them, I press the wrong key.

    Overall

    Now the issue with the switches and spacing is really an issue of preference. These aren’t quality issues. They were designed this way because some people like it (somehow). So if this keyboard looks interesting to you, and these preference design choices don't bother you, then I can only recommend the Cherry MX 10.0N. It really is a very high quality keyboard.

    For me though, I just can't overlook these choices, so I have started looking for another keyboard again. I'm currently split between the Cherry KW X ULP and Logitech G915 X Lightspeed. None of them are full-metal body unfortunately. The cherry one seems to be the higher quality, but the the key caps remind me of laptops keys, which I really hate the feel of. Maybe I'm overreacting to it. The Logitech one is lower quality, but has all the the features that I would want. If you know of something better then please do leave a comment. I might reconsider my low-profile requirement. I'll give it at least another month before I become serious about switching again.

    21 votes

  3. Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news

    runekn
    Link Parent
    Though is the use of resources directly because of the murder victim? Or just because of the large media attention pressuring the police to perform?

    Though is the use of resources directly because of the murder victim? Or just because of the large media attention pressuring the police to perform?

    16 votes

  4. Comment on Romanian court annuls first round of presidential election in ~society

    runekn
    Link Parent
    Absolutely. But the internet isn't going away within the next decade. Really any shorter term solution, restriction and regulation, is usually rejected as authoritarian by many, whether right or...

    Absolutely. But the internet isn't going away within the next decade. Really any shorter term solution, restriction and regulation, is usually rejected as authoritarian by many, whether right or wrong. Regardless of short term solutions, democracies need to plant their own seeds for the long term future. Now, if not yesterday.

    11 votes

  5. Comment on Romanian court annuls first round of presidential election in ~society

    runekn
    Link
    I have a romanian work colleague who was absolutely shocked when the tally came around of the election. He had never heard of this guy. And supporters that he talked with give the usual modern...

    I have a romanian work colleague who was absolutely shocked when the tally came around of the election. He had never heard of this guy. And supporters that he talked with give the usual modern russian religious/propaganda talk. "The west take all our money", "The west will make the gays invade us"(?!??), "He was chosen by god", "The west will conscript us and send us to die in Ukraine", etc.

    Even if Georgescu does not does not become president this time, the seed is sown and will be hard to get rid of. I really hope all democratic governments at the very least push for proper and deep education on source criticism and reflection on how we absorb information.

    16 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    runekn
    (edited )
    Link
    Finished Star Wars Outlaws yesterday. 53 hours of play time from start to finish. Was waiting for the Steam release, and after checking that most negative reviews were just rants about Ubisoft...

    Finished Star Wars Outlaws yesterday. 53 hours of play time from start to finish. Was waiting for the Steam release, and after checking that most negative reviews were just rants about Ubisoft rather than anything about the actual game, I decided that it was good enough to buy. The shooting feels good pulling off satisfying consecutive headshots with quick mouse movements. Picked up weapons are as punchy as they should be, given that they are always temporary. Should be noted that I set player health difficulty to hard, while enemy health difficulty stayed at normal. This was to prevent the worst of potential bullet sponges without making combat too easy.
    I like how the quests are primarily sniffed out by listening to conversations rather than the usual quest givers. Unfortunately there is not a whole lot of variety in the actual gameplay during these small side quests. The most memorable quest was actually the DLC, which complemented the ingame card game beautifully.
    As for the open world, it is split between 2 'proper' open worlds planets, 1 semi open world planet (a lot of corridors linking places, rather than fully open map), and one planet where only a settlement is accessible. All of these worlds are truly beautifully crafted and appropriately sized for the amount of content. Also plenty of rewards for exploration.
    The story is ok. Just ok. I get the feeling that it was trying to be a bit emotional, but that didn't really hit me.
    As for bugs, I didn't get any crashes so that's good. There is particularly one bug that I got 4-5 times which was annoying, and that is when multiple cutscenes or dialogues play on top of each other. For dialogue it is just annoying. For cutscenes it made me ALT+F4 and replay to avoid triggering both cutscenes at the same time. I think there were a few other bugs that made me exclaim how buggy the game was, but I can't remember what those bugs were so they couldn't have been too bad.

    Overall a fine star warsy RPG.

  7. Comment on Games with complex-required-supporting-real-e2e logistics? in ~games

    runekn
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Oh wow that's a quite expansive mod. Saw the trailers that looks actual professional. I'm surprised I haven't heard of it, even though I haven't really touched Fallout 4 since release. I've played...

    Oh wow that's a quite expansive mod. Saw the trailers that looks actual professional. I'm surprised I haven't heard of it, even though I haven't really touched Fallout 4 since release.

    I've played Anno 1800 and it does have interesting economics mechanics. But from what I remember it is required of the player to engage with it to progress by amount, like most SP strategy games.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Games with complex-required-supporting-real-e2e logistics? in ~games

    runekn
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the correction. I haven't really played EVE Online and thought that at the base of it it is like most space-sims where high-sec marketplaces always can sell wares, with maybe only the...

    Thanks for the correction. I haven't really played EVE Online and thought that at the base of it it is like most space-sims where high-sec marketplaces always can sell wares, with maybe only the price fluctuating.

    2 votes

  9. Games with complex-required-supporting-real-e2e logistics?

    ~games Ask (recommendations)
    I've long enjoyed Foxhole and X4 and was wondering what other games has similar logistical systems. Both give the same satisfying feeling when you look at the big picture of how the games are a...

    I've long enjoyed Foxhole and X4 and was wondering what other games has similar logistical systems. Both give the same satisfying feeling when you look at the big picture of how the games are a complex interplay between the immediate gameplay, and what is being simulated "behind the scenes" to enable it.

    The descriptor in the title is a bit of a mouthful, so let's break down what I mean.

    Complex
    To exclude typical resource game mechanics, where you "just" mine resources which gives you resource points that you can spend directly.

    Required & Supporting
    In Foxhole the main objective is to push the front and win the war. And players can focus on that and never have to really think about how they get their weapons and ammo. But at the same time the logistics is the entire reason they even can fight.
    In X4 you can fly about and do stuff and acquire ships while relying on the AI empires economies. But there has to be some alive economy for the game to not go to a standstill.
    In short, logistics systems that are required by the game, but not necessarily by the individual player.
    This excludes games where the logistics system is the game, like Factorio, Dyson Sphere Program, Satisfactory, etc.

    Real end-2-end
    To specify that there should as little cheating as possible. Though obviously there is always some cheating in games. Both in X4 and Foxhole, every resource is tracked right from harvest, to refinement, to the end product. And all steps require real moving of goods by AI (X4) or players (Foxhole) between factories, other intermediaries, and end users.

    So what other similar games are there? I was thinking of EVE Online, but I think only the player orgs in null-sec have real economies in that game, and you could still play it if they all suddenly stopped.

    20 votes

  10. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    runekn
    Link
    I first bought No Man's Sky in August of 2019. I played it a tiny bit back then, but it didn't stick and quickly dropped it again. I saw the Worlds part 1 update and figured I should try it again....

    I first bought No Man's Sky in August of 2019. I played it a tiny bit back then, but it didn't stick and quickly dropped it again. I saw the Worlds part 1 update and figured I should try it again. After the end of the tutorial I didn't really see what fun I could get out of the game and searched a bit online on what people actually find fun about it. I am not at all unfamiliarly with 'find your own fun' games, and knew that if I just kept going a bit I would naturally discover goals for myself. I eventually did, and fun I found. But I'm not one to stick with the same games for long, and after accomplishing my personal goals I can feel that this is the end of the run.

    On the basis that a potential future Worlds part 2 update might break all bases, I decided going in that I would not built anything I didn't want to lose. But once I got going with the base building the decision did not last long. That is not an endorsement of the building system though. I find the snapping system probably one of the worst I have ever tried in a game. It is fine for putting together some of the bigger stuff like the cube modules, but once you start to get creative with the manual pieces, especially the half pieces, it quickly falls apart. Nearly all the time snapping points are just hard to get the game to find, requiring you to look at them from weird angles. Frequently, rotating a piece on a snapping point will completely skip valid angles. Several times I also found combinations of pieces that the game completely refuses to acknowledge that should be able to snap together. But I stuck with it because I liked the end results.

    As for Expeditions, I tried the Aqua one which was running when I started. Though at some point I tried to install a ship upgrade that I had gotten as a milestone reward, but accidentally started building an identical upgrade instead. For some reason the game would not allow me to disassemble it so I could install the correct one. Rage quit that expedition. Tried the Haunted one when it started and saw it through to the end. My opinion is sort of meh. I hate FOMO mechanics for a start, so expeditions already didn't sit right with me. I didn't care for the reward ship and would rather have spend the time progressing my main save. Though I can see it as reasons for older players to keep coming back to the game.

    Overall it's a pretty nice game. Feels like a puddle when you first step in, but if you keep going you discover an ocean of content. A bit let down by very annoying bugs I ran into which apparently has been around for ages. Also it is pretty clear that the game is designed with primarily console on mind, which dampens the PC experience a bit.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on A tool to determine which US city you should live in in ~life

    runekn
    Link
    As a non-american I got Washington DC. My choices were basically for walkability and public transport, and avoid hot climate. My actual city is Copenhagen, so does anyone who has been to both...

    As a non-american I got Washington DC. My choices were basically for walkability and public transport, and avoid hot climate.

    My actual city is Copenhagen, so does anyone who has been to both think this is an apt comparison?

    1 vote

  12. Comment on What do you actually do at work? in ~life

    runekn
    Link
    I'm a programmer of a software platform. Senior developer at a ~50 man software company in Denmark. First job right out of Bsc and Msc in computer science. Daily routine starts with online standup...

    I'm a programmer of a software platform. Senior developer at a ~50 man software company in Denmark. First job right out of Bsc and Msc in computer science.

    Daily routine starts with online standup meeting (usually the only meeting I have). Then rest of day I write on the platform to implement new requirements from my product manager. Sometimes an automated alert goes off, regarding the platform that is always running in the background, and we figure out why and fix it. Sometimes our support department sends us customer issues that they can't figure out themselves. Sometimes another developer wants review of their work and I approve it or give feedback. It's pretty chill overall.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    runekn
    (edited )
    Link
    Every year X4 Foundations gets a new major update and DLC, and I sink another couple hundred hours into it. One of the unique aspects of the game is the near entirely simulated universe. I think...

    Every year X4 Foundations gets a new major update and DLC, and I sink another couple hundred hours into it. One of the unique aspects of the game is the near entirely simulated universe.

    I think in most space games if you destroy some transport ship and steal its cargo, it is likely that that ship was spawned when you entered the area for the sole purpose of being destroyed by you. In X4 that ship would have always existed and ferrying goods around since it was constructed in a shipyard. And to construct it the shipyard used resources that was transported to it by other transport ships. Those transport ships chose the route due to calculated profit. And they got the resources from a factory. That factory created the resource from another resource, that was transported to it by another transport ship. Which got them from a refinery. Which created it from ore mined by actual mining ships blasting asteroids.

    That means that the ship you destroyed will have to be replaced by this entire process, and the loss of a transport ship and resources it carried will directly disrupt the process.

    And you can insert yourself into this economy with no limitations compared to the AI factions. Build your own station with factories or shipyards. Buy or build your own miners and transport ships. Create your own economy or use your assets to strengthen and profit from the AI factions.

    The only thing not simulated is currency. While goods are priced based on supply, and traders choose routes based on those prices, AI factions basically have infinite money.

    5 votes

  14. Comment on Boeing CEO admits company has retaliated against whistleblowers during Senate hearing: ‘I know it happens' in ~transport

    runekn
    Link
    The full quote is Article title twists the quote into being about retaliation against whistleblowers, when it is actually about the disciplining of those that retaliate. This does imply that...

    The full quote is

    Asked about how many Boeing employees had been disciplined for retaliating against whistleblowers, Calhoun responded: “I don't have that number on the tip of my tongue, but I know it. I know it happens.”

    Article title twists the quote into being about retaliation against whistleblowers, when it is actually about the disciplining of those that retaliate. This does imply that retaliation happens, but I hate how the title cuts crucial context to pretend the near opposite of what David Calhoun actually says.

    36 votes

  15. Comment on What video games have had you taking real-life notes? in ~games

    runekn
    Link
    Heaven's vault requires you to decipher the writings of a fictional language. There's an ingame mechanism for 'learning' words, but manually writing down sentence structure, symbols, and other...

    Heaven's vault requires you to decipher the writings of a fictional language. There's an ingame mechanism for 'learning' words, but manually writing down sentence structure, symbols, and other patterns you uncover yourself naturally can significantly ease deciphering future puzzles. It's also overall just a great game. Highly recommended.

    12 votes

  16. Comment on Kerbal Space Program 2 development history in ~games

    runekn
    Link Parent
    Not officially no. They are continuing with the secrecy policy, so we don't really have much info. And the video focuses on development up to just after early access release.

    Not officially no. They are continuing with the secrecy policy, so we don't really have much info. And the video focuses on development up to just after early access release.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Kerbal Space Program 2 development history in ~games

    runekn
    (edited )
    Link
    A video by ShadowZone, a long-time Kerbal Space Program (KSP) youtuber, where he summarizes a timeline that he has been able to build of the development of KSP 2, with the claimed help of...

    A video by ShadowZone, a long-time Kerbal Space Program (KSP) youtuber, where he summarizes a timeline that he has been able to build of the development of KSP 2, with the claimed help of anonymous sources that are linked to the development.

    KSP 2 was/is a long awaited sequel to the much beloved spaceship builder and simulation game. Much of its development has been very much hidden from public view. With only the occasional peaks into a game that looked overambitious, long delayed, and with shoddy management. It all cumulated in a very ill received early access that sadly confirmed many players fears. Development seems to have attempted to truck on after that, with some updates over the next year to get rid of the most aggrieves of issues. Though a month or so ago it came out that the publisher Take 2 was laying off big parts of their operations in the regions that the KSP2 team resided in, leading to the speculation that KSP2 had been killed off for good. Whether that is the case is not really known yet.

    When I personally tried the early access, I played around with it for maybe an hour before concluding that there was something very wrong with the fundamentals and promptly refunded. For a game like KSP I imagined that any proper sequel should start with some serious prerequisite prototyping work to solve the engineering challenges that KSP presents, such that main development can be built on very solid foundations. It was this prerequisite work that I did feel was skipped when I tried the early access. But I'm just a systems engineer, not specifically game dev.

    This video goes into details of the changing project vision, constant mismanagement, corporate takeover, and strange decisions that should have been just a straightforward continuation of our cute little green mischiefs.
    Two weeks ago another popular KSP youtuber released another video which was an interview with the original creator of KSP. In this older video the creator tell of the confusion over the fact that he has never been contacted to consult regarding KSP2. This newer video now reveals that there was an overall ban on any contact with KSP1 developers what so ever up on till they were brought into the project very late in development. This is despite the fact that the KSP2 team was ordered to work off of the original KSP1 source code which none of the team members had any experience with.

    17 votes

  19. Comment on Is Nebula worth it? in ~tech

    runekn
    Link
    I am subscribed mostly to support better revenue source for creators, but I don't watch nebula often. Among my biggest issues with it is that it doesn't have the wealth of browser extensions that...

    I am subscribed mostly to support better revenue source for creators, but I don't watch nebula often. Among my biggest issues with it is that it doesn't have the wealth of browser extensions that 'fixes' the experience, like I have for youtube. Like DeArrow which removes clickbait titles and thumbnails.

    5 votes

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    runekn
    Link
    Finished Starfield last week. It was good and well worth the money spent with 200 hours logged. Though experience soured a bit towards the end due to increasingly unstable save and wrapping up a...

    Finished Starfield last week. It was good and well worth the money spent with 200 hours logged. Though experience soured a bit towards the end due to increasingly unstable save and wrapping up a story that I didn't care for.

    Started on Cyberpunk 2.0 with a new save. I never finished the last save 3 years ago, opting to wait until the game was more stable. So far it has been really fun and Cyberpunk continues to amaze me of the world that CDPR was put together. Unfortunately I really don't like bullet sponge shooters, and Cyberpunk is even worse than Starfield, so I am eagerly awaiting the mod HARDCORE22 to be updated which makes combat much more realistic.

    2 votes