vakieh's recent activity
-
Comment on The death of simple racing games in ~games
-
Comment on We finally know why ancient Roman concrete was so durable in ~engineering
vakieh LinkWe've known for a long, long time why. Because we only see the things that lasted. Make thousands of buildings in hundreds of cities over Europe and the Near East and sure, a statistically...We've known for a long, long time why. Because we only see the things that lasted. Make thousands of buildings in hundreds of cities over Europe and the Near East and sure, a statistically insignificant number of them will still be standing today.
Modern concrete is much, much better than Roman concrete for the criteria that we have for concrete. Lasting 1000 years is not one of those criteria - being cheap, workable, safe, reliable, and sustainable are all far more useful things for concrete to be.
Not to say the research isn't good - just the clickbait science communication. Learning from statistical survivors is a great way to improve things generally.
-
Comment on The death of simple racing games in ~games
vakieh LinkRacing sims is a genre that is strongly influenced by legacy games never going stale. In almost every single other genre, you get through content and the replayability needs refreshing with a new...Racing sims is a genre that is strongly influenced by legacy games never going stale. In almost every single other genre, you get through content and the replayability needs refreshing with a new game. With racing sims though, the old reasons to get the new game - graphics plus control interface - no longer noticeably improve. Racing is racing is racing, at the core of it.
The controller interface has been stable for years, steering wheel and pedal combos are largely game-agnostic, and the latest godraycompressionbuzzword tracing doesn't really do all that much. The libraries of cars and tracks are similarly so chock full of legacy content that it would take a herculean effort to move the needle at all. I think I would pinpoint the moment of peak 'ok we're done' as Forza 3. Not Horizon 3, 2009 Forza 3. And not because that game was some genrechanging masterpiece, but because that is about the moment when new games really didn't have anything left to add to the conversation. The difference between Forza 3 (2009) and Gran Turismo 2 (1999) is just not that wide of a gap even at that point. Games made after that point were very, very good, but it would be hard to point at any of them with no sequel number attached to them and place them in release order by looking at them.
So the only thing left to compete on is gimmicks, hence whacky races Hanna-Barbera style becomes the norm. There WAS another way they could have gone, and to some extent they did and still do, and that is the sport genre solution, which is perhaps the only other genre with the same legacy impact. There's essentially no tangible difference anymore between FIFA n and FIFA n+1, or n+5. But by baking in a 12 month yearly cycle and forcing the online community onto the new release through event and server support and whatever else, they artificially blow out the sales.
That was a longwinded way of saying that simple racing games CAN'T 'die', because they have absolutely no need for new releases to 'live'. They are functionally immortal.
-
Comment on Butter vs. margarine: One of America’s most bizarre food battles in ~food
vakieh Link ParentCorn is far more insidious than milk. Dairy is (in moderation as in all things) beneficial for anyone not lactose intolerant. The subsidised proliferation of corn and the ensuing use as...Corn is far more insidious than milk. Dairy is (in moderation as in all things) beneficial for anyone not lactose intolerant. The subsidised proliferation of corn and the ensuing use as high-fructose-corn-syrup could only be beaten in terms of government decision causing death by nuclear war.
Anyone not used to US food can usually tell when processed food is from the US instantly by that distinctive HFCS taste.
-
Comment on Australia beat England to take the Ashes series to 2-0 in ~sports
vakieh Link ParentYeah, that Long Room stuff is going to be the bit that haunts England longer-term, I think. On the back of the report that's just come in about English cricket, the aura of what is going on across...Yeah, that Long Room stuff is going to be the bit that haunts England longer-term, I think. On the back of the report that's just come in about English cricket, the aura of what is going on across the channel, and the fact the people in the Long Room are the oldest, most posh old-money English cricket wankers.......and they pick Khawaja to try dishing it out to?
A few people a few too many drinks in are going to find themselves scapegoats for sure.
-
Comment on Australia beat England to take the Ashes series to 2-0 in ~sports
vakieh LinkAnd ooh boy do we have a spicy bit of sportsmanship/gamesmanship to chew on. Full disclosure, I'm Aussie, so I get to both feel chuffed that we're well on our way to an Ashes whitewash, but also...And ooh boy do we have a spicy bit of sportsmanship/gamesmanship to chew on. Full disclosure, I'm Aussie, so I get to both feel chuffed that we're well on our way to an Ashes whitewash, but also that Bairstow can be dumped on for having his head in the clouds as keeper AND now batter.
-
Australia beat England to take the Ashes series to 2-0
10 votes -
Comment on /r/IAmA mods to stop hosting celebrity AMAs, verifying identities, and more in ~tech
vakieh Link ParentIt's the standard flow of comments every time this happens: Spez is a bad person because of x, y, z, and also he was a mod of jailbait No, that was just an existing mod of jailbait making him a...It's the standard flow of comments every time this happens:
- Spez is a bad person because of x, y, z, and also he was a mod of jailbait
- No, that was just an existing mod of jailbait making him a mod, it didn't involve him at all
- Ok, but Spez is still a bad person, right?
There's no coming back from comment 2 to resurrect the first one, because all credibility is already lost. Write it off and do better later, otherwise you're just polishing a turd.
-
Comment on /r/IAmA mods to stop hosting celebrity AMAs, verifying identities, and more in ~tech
vakieh Link ParentThe 2 things are entirely separate, and you can't bring the one valid claim up in defence of the other invalid claim. The very fact of the invalid claim being invalid weakens the valid claim by...The 2 things are entirely separate, and you can't bring the one valid claim up in defence of the other invalid claim. The very fact of the invalid claim being invalid weakens the valid claim by association - because if the person making the claims is happy to include 1 thing that is utterly, undeniably wrong, most people will quite rightly dismiss the entire thing.
-
Comment on Twelve hour flight next week, what are some of your go to playlists or podcasts during long flights? in ~music
vakieh LinkI like movie and tv scores/OSTs for long themed music. John Williams, Hans Zimmer, LOTR, Kevin Penkin. Works well for combining with reading a book too.I like movie and tv scores/OSTs for long themed music. John Williams, Hans Zimmer, LOTR, Kevin Penkin. Works well for combining with reading a book too.
-
Comment on /r/IAmA mods to stop hosting celebrity AMAs, verifying identities, and more in ~tech
vakieh Link ParentPeople bring up the spez jailbait mod thing as a gotcha a lot, but there was no acceptance process for being made a mod at that time - if you were a mod of any subreddit, you could make anyone...People bring up the spez jailbait mod thing as a gotcha a lot, but there was no acceptance process for being made a mod at that time - if you were a mod of any subreddit, you could make anyone else a mod without their approval. It only stopped when people started using that 'feature' for harrassment.
-
Comment on Introducing the pervert’s dilemma: A contribution to the critique of deepfake pornography in ~humanities
vakieh Link ParentWhy does the ability to make it unethical? Surely that would be unethical if you made the choice to exercise that ability? (note this obviously doesn't apply to the release of tool with which to...Why does the ability to make it unethical? Surely that would be unethical if you made the choice to exercise that ability?
(note this obviously doesn't apply to the release of tool with which to do it, just an individual privately using already existing tools)
-
Comment on Reddit hires its first chief financial officer as it prepares for an IPO in ~tech
vakieh Link ParentMy Reddit exit trigger is when they start closing old doors. Right now my personal Reddit experience (community notwithstanding) is precisely the same as it was nearly a decade ago. I use...My Reddit exit trigger is when they start closing old doors. Right now my personal Reddit experience (community notwithstanding) is precisely the same as it was nearly a decade ago. I use old.reddit. I have custom CSS disabled. I use an adblocker to remove every new feature they have pushed on people - chat, the new 'presence indicator', inline preview loading, infinite scroll. I have link hijacking disabled. I use legacy modmail. I use baconreader rather than the official app.
So long as that continues I will likely continue to use Reddit. The day it stops working is the day Reddit is dead to me.
-
Comment on If you could rewrite 1 element of modern computing, what would it be and why? in ~comp
vakieh Link ParentIt's even been tried in the devspace with microservices. Bottom line: it's usually a pain in the arse and not worth it in the slightest, except when scale makes it worth it. For the bottom line...It's even been tried in the devspace with microservices. Bottom line: it's usually a pain in the arse and not worth it in the slightest, except when scale makes it worth it.
For the bottom line for consumers, the people paying the development bills don't want you to have that UI control, even if it was effortless to provide it.
-
Comment on If the Louvre was on fire, should we rescue the art first or the people? in ~arts
vakieh Link ParentIt's not about a set point in time, so much as it is value over time. An average human life has a very brief span of time where it is greatly valued by a small group. An artwork has a much longer...It's not about a set point in time, so much as it is value over time. An average human life has a very brief span of time where it is greatly valued by a small group. An artwork has a much longer span where it is moderately valued by a large group.
I'm not saying it is wrong to land on the side of the human (I don't land there, but that's me) - I'm saying it is wrong to claim that anyone who doesn't has fallen for some flaw in logic or is a 'moral monster'.
-
Comment on If the Louvre was on fire, should we rescue the art first or the people? in ~arts
vakieh LinkTaking 'life has [inherent] value' as an axiom blocks off entire schools of philosophy without evidence. There's also makes a bunch of claims presented as some sort of ground truth that are also...Taking 'life has [inherent] value' as an axiom blocks off entire schools of philosophy without evidence. There's also makes a bunch of claims presented as some sort of ground truth that are also without evidence. Yes, given the choice to save a Rembrandt painting from a fire and a child I did not know, yeah, I'm saving the painting (personal value over collective for me, so a child I did know would be a different story). No, that does not make me a moral monster (in my eyes).
Consider the world 300 years from now. Does anybody at all give a flying fuck about the person who died in the Louvre fire of 2021? What about the fact that the only version of the Mona Lisa that exists is digital? To answer that, tell me how many people would care about the 30 people who died in the Whitehall Palace fire of 1698, vs how many might care more to know Michelangelo's Cupid burned. Given the choice to recover the Library of Alexandria or grant 60 years more life to each of the people who died protecting it, who on earth is picking the 60 years?
People are cheap. This is not a case of global value, this is simply a function of their utter replaceability. It's not necessarily a nice thing to think about for the average person - that's that whole personal value vs collective value. But it's true that more people give a shit about the Mona Lisa than they care about you, and that doesn't make them amoral.
-
Comment on As a teacher, what can I do to protect myself and my students should schools reopen in the fall? in ~health
vakieh (edited )LinkMaximise? There's only 1 possible call when you're somewhere as rampantly infected as the US - don't be in the room. Do whatever you need to do to not be in the room. See a doctor about whatever...Maximise? There's only 1 possible call when you're somewhere as rampantly infected as the US - don't be in the room. Do whatever you need to do to not be in the room.
See a doctor about whatever reason (whether legitimate or bullshit) that puts you in a higher risk category, and don't go in to the office. Refuse to teach in person under any circumstances.
It doesn't matter how many precautions you want to employ (and kids are simply not capable of following hygiene rules or social distancing rules, and parents will send them to school
I'llill as I am sure you already know) - if you go in to work you are gambling by definition. Teachers have died, more will die. -
Comment on Favorite political/protest/in-light-of-recent-events songs? in ~music
vakieh LinkThis has been my favourite political statement 'song' since the year it was released and counting. Why is marijuana not legal? Why is marijuana not legal? It's a natural plant that grows in the...This has been my favourite political statement 'song' since the year it was released and counting.
Why is marijuana not legal? Why is marijuana not legal?
It's a natural plant that grows in the dirt.
Do you know what's not natural?
80 year old dudes with hard-ons. That's not natural.
But we got pills for that.
We're dedicating all our medical resources to keeping the old guys erect,
But we're putting people in jail for something that grows in the dirt?You know we have more prescription drugs now.
Every commercial that comes on TV is a prescription drug ad.
I can't watch TV for four minutes without thinking I have five serious diseases.
Like: "Do you ever wake up tired in the morning?"
Oh my god I have this, write this down. Whatever it is, I have it.
Half the time I don't even know what the commercial is…
People running in fields or flying kites or swimming in the ocean.
I'm like that is the greatest disease ever. How do you get that?
That disease comes with a hot chick and a puppy.The schools now… It is all about self-esteem in the schools now.
Build the kids' self-esteem, make them feel good about themselves.
If everybody grows up with high self-esteem, who is going to dance in our strip clubs?
What's going to happen to our porno industry?
These women don't just grown on trees.
It takes lots of drunk dads missing dance recitals before you decide to blow a goat on the internet for fifty bucks.
And if that disappears, where does that leave me on a Friday night with my new high speed connection?Masterminds are another word that comes up all the time.
You keep hearing about these terrorists masterminds that get killed in the middle east.
Terrorists masterminds.
Mastermind is sort of a lofty way to describe what these guys do, don't you think?
They're not masterminds.
"OK, you take bomb, right? And you put in your backpack. And you get on bus and you blow yourself up. Alright?"
"Why do I have to blow myself up? Why can't I just…"
"Who's the fucking mastermind here? Me or you?"Americans, let's face it: We've been a spoiled country for a long time.
Do you know what the number one health risk in America is?
Obesity. They say we're in the middle of an obesity epidemic.
An epidemic like it is polio. Like we'll be telling our grand kids about it one day.
The Great Obesity Epidemic of 2004.
"How'd you get through it grandpa?"
"Oh, it was horrible Johnny, there was cheesecake and pork chops everywhere."Nobody knows why were getting fatter? Look at our lifestyle.
I'll sit at a drive thru.
I'll sit there behind fifteen other cars instead of getting up to make the eight foot walk to the totally empty counter.
Everything is mega meal, super sized. Want biggie fries, super sized, want to go large.
You want to have thirty burgers for a nickel you fat mother fucker. There's room in the bag. Take it!
Want a 55 gallon drum of Coke with that? It's only three more cents.Sometimes you have to suffer a little bit in your youth to motivate yourself to succeed in later life.
Do you think if Bill Gates got laid in high school, do you think there'd be a Microsoft?
Of course not.
You got to spend a long time in your own locker with your underwear shoved up your ass before you start to think,
"You'll see. I'm going to take on the world of computers! I'll show them."We're in one of the richest countries in the world,
But the minimum wage is lower than it was thirty five years ago.
There are homeless people everywhere.
This homeless guy asked me for money the other day.
I was about to give it to him and then I thought he was going to use it on drugs or alcohol.
And then I thought, that's what I'm going to use it on.
Why am I judging this poor bastard.
People love to judge homeless guys. Like if you give them money they're just going to waste it.
Well, he lives in a box, what do you want him to do? Save it up and buy a wall unit?
Take a little run to the store for a throw rug and a CD rack? He's homeless.
I walked behind this guy the other day.
A homeless guy asked him for money.
He looks right at the homeless guy and says why don't you go get a job you bum.
People always say that to homeless guys like it is so easy.
This homeless guy was wearing his underwear outside his pants.
Outside his pants. I'm guessing his resume isn't all up to date.
I'm predicting some problems during the interview process.
I'm pretty sure even McDonalds has a "underwear goes inside the pants" policy.
Not that they enforce it really strictly, but technically I'm sure it is on the books. -
Comment on Why aren't more leaders encouraging protesters to stay home? in ~talk
vakieh LinkThere is not likely to be a better time for massive, reforming protests globally. It is literally going to kill people to do it, but the usual choke point of 'I have to go to work to eat' has no...There is not likely to be a better time for massive, reforming protests globally. It is literally going to kill people to do it, but the usual choke point of 'I have to go to work to eat' has no power when your workplace is closed due to coronavirus. These protests in the US are going to have steam. It's honestly a crapshoot whether the higher death toll will be from coronavirus or from automatic weapons being sent in to end things (if you think it won't happen, consider your leadership).
-
Comment on US President Donald Trump has accused Twitter of "completely stifling free speech" after the social media company flagged some of his tweets with a fact-check warning in ~tech
vakieh Link ParentHasn't stopped them from using the platform, which means Twitter isn't seeing any reduced revenue - and isn't likely to in the future.Hasn't stopped them from using the platform, which means Twitter isn't seeing any reduced revenue - and isn't likely to in the future.
This is my point - graphics improvements in the context of racing games haven't materially improved in years. We can (and do) simulate to the point of it being near indistinguishable from watching real races on TV. Plants, animals, and especially faces, and the dynamic generation of these are where the effort has been in CGI for a long time, and that's just not that relevant to racing sims. So where in the 80s and 90s you were absolutely correct, that motive for buying the next new racing sim has all but disappeared.
VR is a gimmick (said as someone who personally loves VR, it's not ever going to be the bulk of gameplay or even just the bulk of racing sims), and the servers are often not tied to the games themselves at all - they've spun that out into long-lived services that are decoupled from the games (unless you are EA and need people to buy SportsGame Year+1). Forza 3 that I mentioned (from 16 years ago) looks perfectly fine on a 4k screen, and plays just as well as it used to. The servers for F3 lasted until at least 2021, but the company that owns Forza has been turning the legacy servers back on, so F2 is live even today.