turmacar's recent activity
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Comment on How are Framework Laptops? in ~tech
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
turmacar Link ParentInterested in the Virtual Boy thingy but very cautious/curious about price. It's nice that there will be the cardboard version at least.Interested in the Virtual Boy thingy but very cautious/curious about price. It's nice that there will be the cardboard version at least.
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Comment on Reddit announces new limits on moderating large subreddits and for moderators to remove content sitewide in ~tech
turmacar Link ParentUnfortunately I think we've somehow passed Eternal and ended up at a September Ouroboros.Unfortunately I think we've somehow passed Eternal and ended up at a September Ouroboros.
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Comment on Has anyone else run up against higher costs due to the US tariffs? in ~society
turmacar Link ParentAmazon requires (or at least used to, my knowledge is from talking to a business owner over a decade ago) products listed on their site to be stored in their warehouses. So presumably they've...Amazon requires (or at least used to, my knowledge is from talking to a business owner over a decade ago) products listed on their site to be stored in their warehouses. So presumably they've already imported the thing and paid the tariff for the MSRP, and now that markup gets folded into the list price.
It's why a lot of the time if you look at an item on Amazon and on the manufacturer's site, the Amazon price tends to be the price on the manufacturer's site plus shipping.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
turmacar Link ParentFor The Division 2 IIRC it was another case of a long patching cycle post release, so a lot of early impressions probably don't matter anymore. I do remember going from 1 to 2 and they basically...For The Division 2 IIRC it was another case of a long patching cycle post release, so a lot of early impressions probably don't matter anymore. I do remember going from 1 to 2 and they basically made the harder endgame guys from 1 the 'standard' enemies in 2 at launch. Hence the dislike.
Similar to something like Destiny 2 or WoW where there has been so much commentary about different phases/versions of the game at this point you basically need a rubric with what version each is talking about for them to be relevant.
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Comment on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | Official trailer in ~movies
turmacar Link ParentThat's fine, and I picked up on the similarity to the toy at the beginning and the colors/shot choices at the end. But "the end" doesn't last long enough for any of that to develop. It just gets...That's fine, and I picked up on the similarity to the toy at the beginning and the colors/shot choices at the end. But "the end" doesn't last long enough for any of that to develop. It just gets dropped at the end of a very atmospheric movie, especially for a 28 Later sequel. It feels like The Green Knight ending with Harley Quinn popping up and cracking jokes while beating up some knights with a baseball bat.
If they had advertised the movie as the first of a new trilogy from the start it might not have been as jarring, but killing the tone of your film as people are about to walk out the door solely to maybe follow through with the sequel is a very risky decision. Maybe the whole trilogy will work well together and watching them all in a row it'll be great, but that's still a hell of a move.
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Comment on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | Official trailer in ~movies
turmacar LinkLooks interesting, but holy hell did the last one have some tonal whiplash in the last ~2 minutes. Can't help but feel it would've been a better movie without the 'stinger' of the tracksuit gang....Looks interesting, but holy hell did the last one have some tonal whiplash in the last ~2 minutes. Can't help but feel it would've been a better movie without the 'stinger' of the tracksuit gang. I don't understand what was gained by not just having him meet them / be in the gang at the start of the sequel.
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Comment on Karen Gillan joins the new ‘Highlander’ and has the best reaction to the news in ~movies
turmacar Link ParentIt's pretty quality / generation dependent too. I doubt many people think of the original Ocean's 11 or Django these days instead of the remakes. Highlander is an interesting one because the...It's pretty quality / generation dependent too. I doubt many people think of the original Ocean's 11 or Django these days instead of the remakes.
Highlander is an interesting one because the original movie, and probably show, are pretty fondly remembered but while the sequel movies have their fans they're definitely more niche.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite Nintendo Switch games? in ~games
turmacar LinkMetroid Dread is an excellent... really struggling to find a term other than "Metroidvania", but... that's what it is. Donkey Kong Bananza has been a lot of fun. Definitely leans toward older...Metroid Dread is an excellent... really struggling to find a term other than "Metroidvania", but... that's what it is.
Donkey Kong Bananza has been a lot of fun. Definitely leans toward older collect-a-thon platformers like DK64 or Banjo-Kazooie.
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Comment on I spent months living with smart glasses. People talk to me differently now. in ~tech
turmacar Link ParentThey were decently hard to get. Even if you could afford the price tag there wasn't a way to just buy them in a store, you had to apply for them. As a CS student at the time that was excited about...They were decently hard to get. Even if you could afford the price tag there wasn't a way to just buy them in a store, you had to apply for them. As a CS student at the time that was excited about wearables I tried to get some through/for the department and never got any.
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Comment on What do you do while walking your dog? in ~life.pets
turmacar Link ParentThey're bone conduction, the instant they're off your head they sound like a speaker left on low in the next room. They just have a flat surface that rests against... whatever the bone just in...They're bone conduction, the instant they're off your head they sound like a speaker left on low in the next room. They just have a flat surface that rests against... whatever the bone just in front of your ear is.
Their sound quality is fine, have converted a few friends to them. They're not as good as over the ear headphones but at least on par with most earbuds. If you turn them all the way up they can get a little buzzy depending on what you're listening to, but other than that no problems. They're basically unusable in a plane for example, but that's because they're meant for you to hear your surroundings easily by not blocking anything. But for walking/hiking they're fantastic.
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Comment on What do you do while walking your dog? in ~life.pets
turmacar LinkWeirdly I also have a cemetery nearby that's a good spot for quick neighborhood walks. It's just one of the few areas nearby without traffic, cars or otherwise. We get out to nearby hiking trails...Weirdly I also have a cemetery nearby that's a good spot for quick neighborhood walks. It's just one of the few areas nearby without traffic, cars or otherwise. We get out to nearby hiking trails or parks when we can.
I really like the Shokz headphones because they leave my ears open. Tend to listen to podcasts or call people and just talk for a bit.
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Comment on The history of SPAM in ~food
turmacar Link ParentOther than the texture that seems like a decent tuna salad recipe, just with jello instead of mayo/mustard. Adding some lime juice wouldn't even be that outlandish. But the concept a quarter of...Other than the texture that seems like a decent tuna salad recipe, just with jello instead of mayo/mustard. Adding some lime juice wouldn't even be that outlandish. But the concept a quarter of that as an entree is just so off-putting.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
turmacar LinkBeen playing with adding small controllers to home assistant to use LEDs to display status of things. Mostly because I have a few pi picos that have been on the "find a project" bench for awhile...Been playing with adding small controllers to home assistant to use LEDs to display status of things.
Mostly because I have a few pi picos that have been on the "find a project" bench for awhile now so was trying to make use of parts on hand instead of ordering exactly what a tutorial/blog laid out. Got one wired to an airlift wifi module but it was enough of a pain trying to get them to actually connect to the wifi I switched over to a pico w, which was incredibly straightforward to get connected all the way to home assistant. Went to get the LED strip I'd seen in the pile and it was already wired up to a Zooz z-wave module that I'd apparently set up and couldn't decide what to do with it.
So now there's a nice little light strip above the washer/dryer that goes red if they're turned on during peak electrical pricing and can otherwise just add directed light to the room when the main light comes on or be a nightlight or whatever. Which is neat.
But now I'm back to square one on "what can I use these picos for". Could maybe light a bookcase I suppose but that seems like a waste of an addressable LED strip and the capability of the little controllers. Maybe somehow get it setup so each shelf can be lit up individually? That actually sounds neat.
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Comment on The cure for scurvy, forgotten in ~humanities.history
turmacar Link ParentI'll push back on that a bit. The 'cure' to scurvy was 'lost' because we didn't yet understand the underlying mechanism. It was understood that "citrus works" and that was good enough for awhile,...I'll push back on that a bit. The 'cure' to scurvy was 'lost' because we didn't yet understand the underlying mechanism. It was understood that "citrus works" and that was good enough for awhile, but due to advances in ship speed it wasn't noticed that other new technologies invalidated that simplistic understanding or that different foods had different levels of effectiveness. With further investigation deficiency of ascorbic acid / Vitamin C was isolated and understood as the root cause.
Anti-vax and anti-flouride movements are purely reactionary ideological movements that have been weaponized as a way to mobilize voters. We have very solid understandings of the underlying mechanisms and use cases.
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Comment on Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes in ~tech
turmacar Link ParentThey've been working on it since ~2010. "The current prototype idea being pursued is a perimeter based implementation known as the Photonic Fence. However, a device that can kill mosquitoes at a...They've been working on it since ~2010. "The current prototype idea being pursued is a perimeter based implementation known as the Photonic Fence. However, a device that can kill mosquitoes at a long enough range to make it practical has never been implemented."
Bzigo and the github/hackaday project use low powered laser pointers so you can swat the mosquito. The github specifically points out using a higher powered laser is a bad idea™.
A high powered laser reflecting off a window, or a watch, or glasses, or a phone, or anything, and partially blinding someone is a ridiculously complex problem to solve. They say they use presence detection to simply not fire if a human/pet is in the area, but that's not going to be foolproof either. It would be very easy to be around a corner and catch a stray shot to the eye from a reflection.
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Comment on Malleable software in ~tech
turmacar LinkI feel like I appreciate what they're trying to do and they showcase some interesting applications. But also this seems like another project in a long history of application developers attempting...I feel like I appreciate what they're trying to do and they showcase some interesting applications. But also this seems like another project in a long history of application developers attempting to recreate an OS from first principles, or at least Web 2.0.
The base problem, as much as I dislike the term it is useful, is that that most people are not Creators. Or at the very least, most people don't want to be Creators most of the time. Even Colin Furze kinda just wants to get in a comfortable working vehicle to travel to work. Most things don't need that much malleability, they just need to work okay for the task you're doing while you're using them.
Not to say I don't agree with them. I just think Open Source and related movements are already moving in this direction and have been for a while.
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Comment on Looking for books about history or biographies or memoirs that you enjoyed reading or were happy to have read in ~books
turmacar LinkFate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann Memoir by a pilot who worked in various roles / companies in the 1930s-1950s as aviation was maturing as a profession. Very well known and loved in flying...Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann
Memoir by a pilot who worked in various roles / companies in the 1930s-1950s as aviation was maturing as a profession. Very well known and loved in flying circles.
Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
Memoir by the third astronaut on Apollo 11. Covers from being a Air Force Pilot in the 1950s/60s through the Moon mission and a bit after. Incredible behind the scenes look at the whole program.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
turmacar Link ParentPossibly but in a very "Survivorship Bias" kind of way, a lot of the flaws aren't necessarily the problem. (Don't look for the holes, look for the planes that didn't survive to have holes to fix.)...Possibly but in a very "Survivorship Bias" kind of way, a lot of the flaws aren't necessarily the problem. (Don't look for the holes, look for the planes that didn't survive to have holes to fix.)
Sure it might be a flaw that newly appointed directors of agencies that share a political bent with the Chief Executive might just put Executive Orders into immediate action and work fast so the inevitable legal challenges and injunctions happen there is already a fait accompli.
But the problem there is the entire political movement that spawned that mindset with the fervor to relentlessly pursue those goals. Which is significantly harder to design against.
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Comment on 'The Wheel of Time' cancelled after three seasons in ~tv
turmacar Link ParentWrapping up? They got 3 books into a 14 book series. They were doing a decent job of bringing stuff forward/spreading things around a bit. Presumably so there wouldn't be the 'slump' around book...Wrapping up? They got 3 books into a 14 book series.
They were doing a decent job of bringing stuff forward/spreading things around a bit. Presumably so there wouldn't be the 'slump' around book 8/9. I read them long after they were published so it wasn't that bad personally but would have been absolutely brutal as a show. Plot up to a point, next book covers different PoV characters up to that point, next book covers different characters up to that point, then the plot continues. Frankly the characters are so dispersed at that point and there's enough going on and it's pivotal enough that it's a bit justified, but a more modern author would definitely spread it out more evenly.
Would be really nice for someone else continue the but don't know if there are any other billionaires looking for a pet TV project. Especially such a potentially long one.
I bought a Framework 13 last year and overall very happy with it. (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series)
The case is pretty nice. I'm sure there are better but it's metal, inflexible/light enough to carry one handed by the corner, and I've never had any hot spots or anything.
The keyboard is fairly nice. Not as good as my daily driver mechanical. Not as bad as a mushy cheap netbook keyboard.
I bought an SSD and RAM separately because their markup is excessive IMO. It's not that out of line with industry standards and there's some overhead I'll tolerate for them having to have it in inventory, etc. But they ship the laptop partially disassembled anyway as part of their schtick to make it less threatening to open yourself. I just think it's rough that the same model hardware was ~1/2 price on Amazon/Newegg at the time.
It's had a few flavors of Linux on it. Settled on Garuda for now but that's more personal taste that anything. Haven't really had any issues though I vaguely remember people had some initial trouble getting the fingerprint reader working for unlocking.
Massive fan of the modular ports. If for no other reason than I don't remember ever having had/seen another laptop where you can charge it from either side. Have a few modules in my laptop case and swap them out as needed. The storage ones are pretty useless personally but I guess its nice to have the option.
Camera's serviceable, apparently the v2 is better but haven't bothered to upgrade it.
Pleased with how it comes apart, though I haven't had reason to since putting it together the first time. Nice to have a device not depending on glue to hold it together.
At some point going to upgrade the mainboard and get an enclosure for the old one to do something with but it's still too new for that. Very happy to have the option.
Like you said, I bought it in large part because of the principle of the thing. Had a trip coming up and needed a laptop and they seemed as good as anything if a bit pricier. Would buy again.