spctrvl's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway Thread: June/July 2022 in ~games
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Comment on Former federal judge warns of danger to American democracy in ~news
spctrvl While it's definitely respectable, I think that's significantly underselling Costa Rica economically, tourism is only 5% of their GDP, they also have a lot of high value-add manufacturing of...Also, Costa Rica has famously built a national economy almost entirely on well-curated eco-tourism, aggressively working to preserve and maintain their natural spaces, and make money off of them in a very eco-friendly manner. I respect that.
While it's definitely respectable, I think that's significantly underselling Costa Rica economically, tourism is only 5% of their GDP, they also have a lot of high value-add manufacturing of things like microprocessors, fiber optics and medical equipment. My last computer's processor (i7-2600k) was actually made in Costa Rica.
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Comment on Former federal judge warns of danger to American democracy in ~news
spctrvl Dunno why in particular they listed it but Costa Rica is a pretty well run country. Stable democracy, highly educated, diversified economy and no military.Dunno why in particular they listed it but Costa Rica is a pretty well run country. Stable democracy, highly educated, diversified economy and no military.
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Comment on Suggestions for wholesome alternatives to doomscrolling? in ~talk
spctrvl Ironically xkcd has the answer.Ironically xkcd has the answer.
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Comment on Judge blocks Texas investigating families of trans youth in ~lgbt
spctrvl If you don't mind my asking and it wouldn't be personally identifying, why aren't you permitted to enter China?If you don't mind my asking and it wouldn't be personally identifying, why aren't you permitted to enter China?
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Comment on Judge blocks Texas investigating families of trans youth in ~lgbt
spctrvl Yeah I relate to that pretty hard. While I'm not going international any time soon, I am myself in the process of abandoning Georgia for California or Washington (depending on how things shake out...Yeah I relate to that pretty hard. While I'm not going international any time soon, I am myself in the process of abandoning Georgia for California or Washington (depending on how things shake out with work, I'll know which by August). There's good work being done in Georgia, and I'm glad I got to cast one of the few thousand votes that helped flip the state in 2020, but at the end of the day I don't want to waste the best years of my life in a state that's intersectionally hostile to like fifty different aspects of my existence. Personally I don't begrudge anybody fleeing, it just sucks that there aren't a lot of places for most people to run to.
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Comment on Judge blocks Texas investigating families of trans youth in ~lgbt
spctrvl Something to consider is that emigration is both way harder than most people think, and by far the hardest for the people it would benefit the most. Even leaving aside the cost of moving thousands...Something to consider is that emigration is both way harder than most people think, and by far the hardest for the people it would benefit the most. Even leaving aside the cost of moving thousands of miles, without helpful personal circumstances like a spouse from your target country or an inherited bloodline citizenship, emigration to a country of similar or better standard of living than the US is almost only on the table for people already wealthy enough to insulate themselves from the effects of our ongoing social collapse.
Also for trans people specifically, to my knowledge there is at time of writing almost nowhere on Earth better to live in (pertaining to trans issues) than US blue states. Informed consent with near-zero wait times, legal protections, and I'm pretty sure even people on Medicare can access trans healthcare services without gatekeeping, which is not the case in even most of the progressive European countries. So most of the movement you see is to those parts of the country rather than abroad; anecdotally every trans person I knew growing up has left or is in the process of leaving my shitty home state for bluer pastures, and Georgia isn't even one of the worst red states.
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Comment on What are some games that you recommend emulating today? in ~games
spctrvl Hmm, for something a little more recent, I think I'd recommend Persona 5 and Persona 3 Portable on the PS3 and PSP respectively. Persona 4 golden got a steam release so it's available natively....Hmm, for something a little more recent, I think I'd recommend Persona 5 and Persona 3 Portable on the PS3 and PSP respectively. Persona 4 golden got a steam release so it's available natively. Some of the best JRPGs I've played, and I'm not usually a super fan of the genre. Persona 3 Portable is notable for putting a ton of effort into making gender selection more than just an aesthetic difference and rewriting good chunks of the story for the female version of the protagonist. Makes me sad that was a bit of a one off for Atlus.
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Comment on Olympia: Attack on four anti-abortion churches in ~news
spctrvl Attack seems like a pretty strong word for vaguely threatening graffiti.Attack seems like a pretty strong word for vaguely threatening graffiti.
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Comment on What's an achievable technological, scientific, or computational breakthrough that you're really looking forward in the next fifteen years? in ~tech
spctrvl CRTs burn in? Huh, didn't know that. Did it require more time than plasmas or OLEDs?CRTs burn in? Huh, didn't know that. Did it require more time than plasmas or OLEDs?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
spctrvl Thanks for the channel recommendation! I finally got it on the most recent trial, didn't follow the video 100% but after I saw how doable it was I went for it. Turns out in spite of artifact of...Thanks for the channel recommendation! I finally got it on the most recent trial, didn't follow the video 100% but after I saw how doable it was I went for it. Turns out in spite of artifact of honor, the current configuration is actually really good for the achievement. You get a guillotine, watch, and (I got) a crowbar on the first level, then the second level is rally point delta with the guaranteed preon accumulator in a really convenient spot. The only awful part about it is blazing wisps spawning and setting the air on fire 🙄 which can ding you on the way down from the bossfight.
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Comment on What's an achievable technological, scientific, or computational breakthrough that you're really looking forward in the next fifteen years? in ~tech
spctrvl That's true, I do like that it has all of the other advantages and lacks OLED's burn in issues. I do wonder how the power efficiency compares to OLED and uLED. That said I keep some CRTs around...That's true, I do like that it has all of the other advantages and lacks OLED's burn in issues. I do wonder how the power efficiency compares to OLED and uLED. That said I keep some CRTs around for retro gaming myself for the resolution thing.
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Comment on What's an achievable technological, scientific, or computational breakthrough that you're really looking forward in the next fifteen years? in ~tech
spctrvl I'm super disappointed that everybody working on display tech seems to have just straight up forgotten SED technology. It was a flat panel display tech that showed a lot of promise in the late...- Exemplary
I'm super disappointed that everybody working on display tech seems to have just straight up forgotten SED technology. It was a flat panel display tech that showed a lot of promise in the late 2000's that essentially operated as a grid of tiny CRTs used as pixels, and was better in essentially every way than LCDs, power efficiency, response time, viewing angle, contrast ratio, etc. It's only with the development of micro LED tech that we're beginning to see something that even vaguely competes, but with the extreme difficulty of manufacturing I honestly still think of SEDs as having more potential.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
spctrvl That's entirely fair, I'm pretty worried about them achieving a chrome-like hegemony in the VR space myself.That's entirely fair, I'm pretty worried about them achieving a chrome-like hegemony in the VR space myself.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
spctrvl Yeah I was super frustrated with that actually, I got a quest under the impression that it had already happened since the announcement was months prior, luckily there's a workaround with a...Yeah I was super frustrated with that actually, I got a quest under the impression that it had already happened since the announcement was months prior, luckily there's a workaround with a developer account but it limits you on some features. Fine with virtual desktop though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
spctrvl Yup, that's what I'm going for. Or at least glass without bullshit like honor or soul, which were the last two pairings.Yup, that's what I'm going for. Or at least glass without bullshit like honor or soul, which were the last two pairings.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
spctrvl Fwiw, you can get used windows mixed reality sets cheaper than the quest, and it is possible though hacky to run the quest without a Facebook account; I do.Fwiw, you can get used windows mixed reality sets cheaper than the quest, and it is possible though hacky to run the quest without a Facebook account; I do.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
spctrvl Been playing the crap out of risk of rain 2, going for 100%, all I have left are monsoon wins on captain and mercenary, and mercenary's completing a prismatic trial without falling below 100%...Been playing the crap out of risk of rain 2, going for 100%, all I have left are monsoon wins on captain and mercenary, and mercenary's completing a prismatic trial without falling below 100% health, which is virtually impossible on most prismatic trial configurations.
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Comment on Bill Gates is so over this pandemic in ~health.coronavirus
spctrvl Yeah, one of the worst parts about "Gatespanic" if we're understanding it in the same way is that it blunts and tarnishes (by association) legitimate criticism.Yeah, one of the worst parts about "Gatespanic" if we're understanding it in the same way is that it blunts and tarnishes (by association) legitimate criticism.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
spctrvl The Algebraist is also incredible, I'm terribly sad that we're never getting more than one book in that setting.The Algebraist is also incredible, I'm terribly sad that we're never getting more than one book in that setting.
Oh, could I get 911 operator?