scarecrw'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 What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
scarecrw LinkWent through one of the last zachtronics games I hadn't yet played: Infinifactory. I enjoyed it, but it's probably pretty low on my list in comparison to other zachtronics games. The 3d controls...Went through one of the last zachtronics games I hadn't yet played: Infinifactory.
I enjoyed it, but it's probably pretty low on my list in comparison to other zachtronics games. The 3d controls are good, and the concept and execution of the puzzles is great, but everything else felt pretty lackluster. The voice acting was pretty terrible, and the plot wasn't anything interesting. It feels a little silly to say that about a puzzle game, but I thought games like TIS-100 and Shenzhen-IO did so much to develop their setting with comparatively so little.
Lastly, and this is personal taste, but Infinifactory also just seemed very easy compared to the other games; it didn't really test the boundaries of its own rules. Would have loved to see some clever approaches required near the end-game, but it was mostly just "do the same thing, but now 5 times".
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Comment on If you are asking for human attention, demonstrate human effort in ~comp
scarecrw Link ParentI've never really thought about it but I definitely use "new chat message" as a way to communicate a sense of pacing to conversation. It's like a line/stanza break in poetry.I've never really thought about it but I definitely use "new chat message" as a way to communicate a sense of pacing to conversation. It's like a line/stanza break in poetry.
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Comment on If you are asking for human attention, demonstrate human effort in ~comp
scarecrw Link ParentI think too many people have forgotten why we use grammar and punctuation. It's so associated with formality and attempts to align with social pressures that many make terrible decisions about...I think too many people have forgotten why we use grammar and punctuation. It's so associated with formality and attempts to align with social pressures that many make terrible decisions about what to include and when.
There's a reason this perception has taken hold: plenty of our writing "rules" are arbitrary and exist mostly as a way to signal your education/familiarity with writing rules. Capitalizing proper nouns or correctly punctuating before a quote doesn't really help me communicate when I'm just messaging a friend or colleague.
However, I think many have thrown the baby out with the bathwater here and decided that "casual" means "no punctuation". I very much want anyone reading something I've written (formal or otherwise) to interpret it the same way I imagined it when writing, and punctuation is a fantastic way to aid that attempt.
noise: as always writing about grammar on the internet, I am sufficiently paranoid that I made some silly errors here... but hey, if you understood, then it worked!
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Comment on Friday Facts #442 - Flip, flow, and fresh paint in ~games
scarecrw LinkI don't know if I have it in me right now to jump back into factorio, but I still love reading these posts. Just the purest of care for the project they work on, and an astonishing attention to...I don't know if I have it in me right now to jump back into factorio, but I still love reading these posts. Just the purest of care for the project they work on, and an astonishing attention to detail.
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Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games
scarecrw LinkI've been holding off, but will definitely want to check it out once it's finished. I'm crossing my fingers they kept the one item I absolutely loved from the first game: the jukebox! For anyone...I've been holding off, but will definitely want to check it out once it's finished.
I'm crossing my fingers they kept the one item I absolutely loved from the first game: the jukebox! For anyone who didn't try it, you can copy local music files into a folder and then play them through the jukebox in your base/vehicle. Turning your playlist into a diegetic experience is such a clever little trick that makes your base feel so much more real. I haven't seen any other games pull this trick, and it's probably a bit niche (especially with how few people keep local music libraries), but it was super cool.
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Comment on What do folks carry in their hiking/backpacking/camping first aid kits these days? in ~hobbies
scarecrw LinkI became pretty disillusioned with most hiking first-aid equipment, though maybe I'm being dumb and have just gotten lucky. In my mind, there are really two types of first-aid situations: Things...I became pretty disillusioned with most hiking first-aid equipment, though maybe I'm being dumb and have just gotten lucky.
In my mind, there are really two types of first-aid situations:
- Things are fine, but could be made more comfortable
- Things are not fine, and you might not make it out or have permanent injuries
I carry a few things for the first category: ibuprofen, moleskin, tape, etc. I haven't found many things that fit in the second category that pass the expected value to size ratio.
Tangentially related, but I feel obligated to remind anyone who's interested in hiking/backpacking and concerned about safety: water and a map+compass are about 100x more likely to save your life than anything in a first-aid kit.
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Comment on Help me test my chess bot in ~games
scarecrw Link ParentThanks! I think you're right. Looking through some of the human games, it does seem to collapse a bit too obviously after 10-20 moves. There's an artificial improvement in the early game (as early...Thanks! I think you're right. Looking through some of the human games, it does seem to collapse a bit too obviously after 10-20 moves.
There's an artificial improvement in the early game (as early mistakes felt too obvious as a player), but the shift can feel abrupt when it happens. It's programmed to be a slow transition, but needs some fine tuning.
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Comment on Help me test my chess bot in ~games
scarecrw Link ParentAh, I thought the link just set the default, but it was actually setting a requirement. I changed it and it should work now.Ah, I thought the link just set the default, but it was actually setting a requirement. I changed it and it should work now.
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Comment on Help me test my chess bot in ~games
scarecrw Link ParentOh no! Thanks for letting me know, I'll have to see how that's supposed to work. I'm guessing it times out after a certain point? I just manually ended it for now. It should accept pretty much any...Oh no! Thanks for letting me know, I'll have to see how that's supposed to work. I'm guessing it times out after a certain point? I just manually ended it for now.
It should accept pretty much any game timing, so feel free to play whichever.
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Help me test my chess bot
The last couple of weeks I've been fooling around with different ideas for how to build a chess bot that's fun for beginners to play against. I don't have much real experience with chess, so I've...
The last couple of weeks I've been fooling around with different ideas for how to build a chess bot that's fun for beginners to play against. I don't have much real experience with chess, so I've mostly just been testing it against myself.
After looking into the different techniques that are used to force engines to play at a certain level, I put together my own (somewhat silly) approach and have had some fun playing against it. The problem is, as I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to the actual game, I can't be a particularly good judge of how others will feel playing with it.
Regardless of your own skill level, I'd be super appreciative if anyone would give it a try and let me know what they think.
I'm working on a full write up of how it works, but here's the short version:
Click to view the hidden text
The inspiration came from this paper which describes a "Tutoring Search" wherein the engine attempts to find the worst move available that it predicts the opponent will not recognize as an error.
My implementation doesn't follow this exactly, but it does have the same aim. Two engines are used: one (Stockfish) as an oracle treated as a true measure of any state's quality, another (Maia) as a substitute for the opponent model. On each move the bot consults both of these to identify a move which:
- Would plausibly be played by a skilled human, judged by its probability of being played by Maia.
- Provides an advantage to the opponent, judged by Stockfish.
The idea is that, if a human would be likely to play the move, they also would be unlikely to identify it as an error. The ultimate goal is a bot which gives the player plenty of opportunities to win, but only if the mistakes are likely to go unnoticed.
There are a few other supplements to the implementation like adapting to opponent choices and some tweaks to early and end-game play, but the above is the core idea.
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Comment on Linux privilege escalation (CVE-2026-31431) in ~comp
scarecrw Link ParentNot a call-out, but just to share information if anyone doesn't know: - hyphen: shortest, the one on most keyboards, used to hyphenate words or to replace en or em dashes – en dash: shorter (width...Not a call-out, but just to share information if anyone doesn't know:
-hyphen: shortest, the one on most keyboards, used to hyphenate words or to replace en or em dashes
–en dash: shorter (width of the 'N' character), used to show ranges between numbers or dates
—em dash: longer (width of the 'M' character), used in lots of ways but mostly like a colon or as parentheses around a phraseLLMs use both en and em dashes more than most people, especially on the internet where it's commonplace to just use a hyphen instead.
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Comment on MKBHD - Glass is glass || Or how the wording "scratch resistant" and "shatter resistant" misleads customers in ~tech
scarecrw Link ParentI've felt similarly about phone bodies: so much metal and glass that's heavy, slippery, and prone to cracking. I eventually gave it up and switched, but my old Pixel 3a was the best feeling phone...I've felt similarly about phone bodies: so much metal and glass that's heavy, slippery, and prone to cracking. I eventually gave it up and switched, but my old Pixel 3a was the best feeling phone in the hand that I've ever used, and I didn't have to worry about it getting cracked or dented.
I think plastic construction gets a bad rap from its association with cheap products and all the cut corners that often comes with, but high quality plastic is a fantastic choice for electronics.
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Comment on [Release video/how to play the] オタマトーン Q（キュー） / Otamatone Q in ~music
scarecrw LinkI bought one of these for a friend of mine back in high school. Surprising amount of fun to be had making annoying music!I bought one of these for a friend of mine back in high school. Surprising amount of fun to be had making annoying music!
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Comment on Valve uploads Steam Controller unboxing video, launch imminent in ~games
scarecrw LinkI still use my original steam controller, but if this has good reviews I'd consider updating. The selling point for me on the original was the customizability: I don't recall any other...I still use my original steam controller, but if this has good reviews I'd consider updating.
The selling point for me on the original was the customizability: I don't recall any other controller/launcher at the time having such powerful customization tools. The community shared controller schemes were especially useful in quickly getting running on games where controller support wasn't a developer focus.
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Comment on What is your go-to project for learning a new language? in ~comp
scarecrw LinkNot sure how generalizable this is, but I started learning Rust by going through Ray Tracing in One Weekend and translating as I go. It looks like someone's published a version for Rust...Not sure how generalizable this is, but I started learning Rust by going through Ray Tracing in One Weekend and translating as I go. It looks like someone's published a version for Rust specifically, but I actually found a lot of value in having to translate myself.
It's a good blend of not having to worry too much about the project/structure (as it's all planned out for you) but still forcing you to identify the goals and learn what language tools to apply.
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Comment on Which covers did it better than (or put a fresh twist on) the original? in ~music
scarecrw LinkThere's some great ones in these comments, so I'll give one that's a bit more on the silly side (though still great IMO): Chance - Milkshake. The same artist also put out a cover of Prince's When...There's some great ones in these comments, so I'll give one that's a bit more on the silly side (though still great IMO): Chance - Milkshake. The same artist also put out a cover of Prince's When Doves Cry that I love, but I haven't been able to find that on the internet anywhere to share.
I'll also shout out Rick Astley's covers on youtube.
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Comment on US keyboards don't have enough keys, so I switched to Japanese - HyperJIS in ~comp
scarecrw Link ParentI learned dvorak years ago but gave up on it after realizing: Getting okay at it was one thing, but getting to the point where I was faster than I am with qwerty was going to be a lot of work. I'm...I learned dvorak years ago but gave up on it after realizing:
- Getting okay at it was one thing, but getting to the point where I was faster than I am with qwerty was going to be a lot of work.
- I'm not going to be able to escape qwerty anyways (being the default in so many places), so I'd rather not have to deal with switching between the two.
It was certainly fun to learn, though!
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Comment on US keyboards don't have enough keys, so I switched to Japanese - HyperJIS in ~comp
scarecrw LinkI've recently finished a similar swap to a custom layout and have been considering writing up all my thoughts on it. Some of the changes are just mind-blowingly obvious in retrospect (the ctrl/esc...I've recently finished a similar swap to a custom layout and have been considering writing up all my thoughts on it.
Some of the changes are just mind-blowingly obvious in retrospect (the ctrl/esc instead of caps-lock should just be the standard) and I've surprised myself with how much use I've gotten out of having a 'compose' key for accents or special characters.
That said, some habits are hard to break. I tried using a thumb positioned backspace and could not change my muscle memory for that.
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Comment on No one can force me to have a secure website!!! in ~tech
scarecrw LinkI'll grant chrome some credit for swapping the "padlock" icon for the "tune" icon they currently use. They call out specifically that they wanted to avoid implying that a site is "trustworthy"...I'll grant chrome some credit for swapping the "padlock" icon for the "tune" icon they currently use. They call out specifically that they wanted to avoid implying that a site is "trustworthy" just because they support HTTPS.
https://blog.chromium.org/2023/05/an-update-on-lock-icon.html
Oh awesome! I hadn't heard about that.
It's been a while, so I'll probably need to start with some of the intro puzzles to remind myself how it works, but I remember thinking Opus Magnum was super fun.