vili's recent activity
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Comment on Blue Prince | Release trailer in ~games
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Comment on Blue Prince | Release trailer in ~games
vili LinkI played about 4 hours yesterday and fully intend to spend more time with it this weekend. It's a good puzzle game. It may actually be a great puzzle game, but that depends on how it progresses....I played about 4 hours yesterday and fully intend to spend more time with it this weekend. It's a good puzzle game. It may actually be a great puzzle game, but that depends on how it progresses.
People say that a playthrough is about 20 hours and that there is something after that as well. So, I'm still very much in the early stages. So far, it has basically been a narrative puzzle game that is based on a roguelike game loop. I love the atmosphere, the visuals, the core game mechanic. It's very relaxing. It also doesn't trigger my motion sickness, which is lovely.
My biggest issue has been the randomness. While it gives you that "one more try!" incentive, it does feel that the game often wastes my time as I get poor draws and cannot do much before having to reset and start another attempt. On some level, the puzzle of course is how to work around that. It's just disappointing how the randomness often blocks me from progressing or exploring.
So far, my overall experience has been reminiscent of Cyan's games (the Myst series, Obduction, Firmanent), Outer Wilds and other games of that kind. You exist in a world that you can manipulate and the mechanics of which you slowly figure out, there is a story to uncover, and the game puts very little pressure on you. But unlike in those games, the world here is more focused and restricted and Blue Prince borrows a lot from board games for its game rhythm and resource management.
If you like puzzle games and don't mind some randomness, I would definitely recommend giving it a go.
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Comment on New hard / mil SciFi read recommendations requested - just finished a marathon series in ~books
vili Link ParentForever Peace is really good. I don't think I liked Forever Free so much. Haldeman's Camouflage is also worth reading, or at least it left a strong impression on me. I think if it's military scifi...Forever Peace is really good. I don't think I liked Forever Free so much.
Haldeman's Camouflage is also worth reading, or at least it left a strong impression on me. I think if it's military scifi that you are after, from all the classic authors, he is the one with the most interesting things to say.
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Comment on New hard / mil SciFi read recommendations requested - just finished a marathon series in ~books
vili LinkMy holy trinity is probably Haldeman's The Forever War, Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and Pohl's Gateway. They all probe our place in the universe. Heinlein's Stranger in A Strange Land and...My holy trinity is probably Haldeman's The Forever War, Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and Pohl's Gateway. They all probe our place in the universe.
Heinlein's Stranger in A Strange Land and Starship Troopers are a great couplet, two very different works written at the same time. That said, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is probably my favourite of his.
Lem's The Invincible and Solaris are brilliant, but don't overlook His Masters Voice, which is up there with Rendezvous with Rama when it comes to contact stories.
Philip K. Dick doesn't perhaps fit into the hard or military scifi genres, but The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Ubik and VALIS get my instant recommendations, and there is of course much more in his catalogue to enjoy, if you like his thought experiments.
These are all classics, so you are probably already familiar with them. Somehow newer scifi rarely excites me. Andy Weir is an exception though: The Martian and Project Hail Mary are both brilliant hard scifi reads. And if you have more patience than me, Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past series is also interesting. But these are probably also very familiar names for you?
I would also have given you a tentative recommendation for Children of Time, but you have already read it. Let me mention though that like you, I find only half of the book interesting, but for me it was the other half: I had absolutely no interest in the spiders, but the human story I found intriguing. So with that in mind, maybe you actually want to take my above recommendations as suggestions to avoid?
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Comment on A summary of my bot defence systems in ~tech
vili Link ParentThanks! That indeed seems to be the case. I now see that I can access the website through a VPN.Thanks! That indeed seems to be the case. I now see that I can access the website through a VPN.
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Comment on A summary of my bot defence systems in ~tech
vili LinkJust out of curiosity, does the page load for anyone? I'm just wondering, based on the title, if this person's bot defence systems have identified me as a bot since the page fails to load for me....Just out of curiosity, does the page load for anyone? I'm just wondering, based on the title, if this person's bot defence systems have identified me as a bot since the page fails to load for me.
I totally get it if that's the case, though. I gave up last week and moved my websites out of a self hosted server and into a managed webhosting server. I just don't have the time or the interest to keep fighting bot traffic.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
vili Link ParentTI-people unite!! I too use my TI-85 almost daily for work. Just for simple sums, multiplications and divisions, nothing fancy. I just like it more than starting a calculator program on the...TI-people unite!!
I too use my TI-85 almost daily for work. Just for simple sums, multiplications and divisions, nothing fancy. I just like it more than starting a calculator program on the computer or using my phone. Or, heavens, actually trying to do calculations in my head.
I never really thought about it but yes, it must be one of the oldest pieces of tech that I use constantly. Maybe the oldest. My TI-85 is from the mid-90s, I bought it for high school. Texas Instruments had a confusing numbering system.
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Comment on Long-term experiences with Google search alternatives? in ~tech
vili Link ParentHave you noticed any change in Startpage since it was acquired by the advertising company System1 in 2019? I remember that there was quite a negative reaction to the deal back when it happened,...Have you noticed any change in Startpage since it was acquired by the advertising company System1 in 2019? I remember that there was quite a negative reaction to the deal back when it happened, but haven't heard much since.
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Comment on Sleeping on the floor in ~life.home_improvement
vili LinkI used to sleep on a coconut mattress and can recommend trying one if you are looking for a hard mattress that breathes well and maintains a pleasant temperature.I used to sleep on a coconut mattress and can recommend trying one if you are looking for a hard mattress that breathes well and maintains a pleasant temperature.
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Comment on Looking for a new mouse (maybe) in ~tech
vili Link ParentYes, it's not cheap. The quality of the hardware is great but whether a keyboard is ever worth that asking price is a question that everyone has their own answer to. Especially since a young...Yes, it's not cheap. The quality of the hardware is great but whether a keyboard is ever worth that asking price is a question that everyone has their own answer to. Especially since a young company like them could go down and then you are left without support.
I came from a Logitech ergonomic keyboard which, while not a true split keyboard, had the two halves somewhat separated. It took me about a month to get to a point where typing felt natural with the Defy. A big part of the sometimes slow progress was because of my tinkering with the layout. You can quickly drive yourself insane by moving things like shift, space and enter to new positions in the thumb cluster every couple of days, in an attempt to find the Perfect Layout.
Right now, I can honestly say that it's the best keyboard that I have ever had. It's just so comfortable to type on, my hands don't really need to move to reach any of the keys, and the true split ergonomics have completely done away with any wrist and shoulder pains that I used to have after long days of typing. Worth every penny for me. But might not be for you.
If you do consider the Defy, I would suggest getting the wireless version. Although the battery life is not stellar (a couple of days), the wired mode (which you can use to charge without having to stop working) is a little cluttery. I would also highly recommend getting the tenting, it's quite a good design and allows good ergonomics. The underglow is fun and actually surprisingly good looking, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Then again, I don't generally like rgb in my devices anyway. But since I have it, I do keep it on.
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Comment on Looking for a new mouse (maybe) in ~tech
vili Link ParentIf you are looking into a split keyboard, also check out ZSA Moonlander and MoErgo Glove 80. For me, it was between these two and the Dygma Defy when I bought mine last year. There are many others...If you are looking into a split keyboard, also check out ZSA Moonlander and MoErgo Glove 80. For me, it was between these two and the Dygma Defy when I bought mine last year. There are many others as well, of course. Dygma themselves also released a little more traditionally set up Dygma Raise 2 last year.
I bought the Defy because I liked its thumb clusters, key modularity and tenting/tilting solution, and as a European company there was no import tax hassle for me. I had also read a lot of positive about their support, and I can report that my support experience has also been excellent so far. As has the keyboard, although they still have quite a few quirks with the software side of things to iron out. But nothing that affects my day-to-day use, and they seem to be working to improve things and have been very open about their shortcomings and where they need to improve.
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Comment on Looking for a new mouse (maybe) in ~tech
vili Link ParentOh, I suppose I could do that but it sounds very fancy. I just lift the ball and rub it gently on my shirt as if polishing an apple, then swipe a finger across the sensors to pull out fluff that...Oh, I suppose I could do that but it sounds very fancy. I just lift the ball and rub it gently on my shirt as if polishing an apple, then swipe a finger across the sensors to pull out fluff that has accumulated there.
I have the suspicion that the amount that this produces corresponds to how much time the cats that own us have spent in the room, and in particular how much time they have spent monitoring my productivity from my lap.
If the swipe doesn't help, I take a more drastic action and blow in each of the sensor cavities and then repeat the finger swipe. Blowing used to help with Commodore 64 cassette decks and if you ask me if it's good enough for a C64 it's good enough for anything.
If you decide to pick up a trackball, consider a split ergonomic keyboard as well. My Kensington, paired with my Dygma Defy, makes me feel like I'm working in a cool space station somewhere in the distant future of year 2001. The Kensington even looks pretty much like HAL 9000.
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Comment on Looking for a new mouse (maybe) in ~tech
vili LinkI have a Kensington SlimBlade trackball and I'm reasonably happy with it. I would certainly not go back to a traditional mouse, the trackball is just so much more comfortable for me. And when...I have a Kensington SlimBlade trackball and I'm reasonably happy with it. I would certainly not go back to a traditional mouse, the trackball is just so much more comfortable for me. And when comparing the SlimBlade with other similar products, I particularly like how turning the ball functions as a scrollwheel, rather than there being a separate ring or other element.
My main complaint would probably be that the buttons are fairly loud. I hear it's possible to change the switches if I'm ok with soldering (I'm not). Some might find it tedious that I also need to clean the thing every couple of days as fluff gets in and makes the ball less responsive, but it only takes a couple of seconds. And it actually makes me happy: I grew up with computer mouses that had to be cleaned regularly.
If I were to buy something today, I would probably buy the wireless version, but that's just for aesthetics.
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Comment on What fictional world would you live in, if you could pick any one? in ~talk
vili LinkI would like to live on Beta Canum Venaticorum, as described in the role playing game 2300 AD. More specifically, I would look for a house either on the east coast of the French Continent, a...I would like to live on Beta Canum Venaticorum, as described in the role playing game 2300 AD. More specifically, I would look for a house either on the east coast of the French Continent, a little east of Premiere, or perhaps on the west coast of the British New Africa, somewhere near Bayview. Climate in both places is wonderful, the rhythm of life reasonable, and while the system is about a 3 months' travel from the hustle and bustle of the core systems of Earth and Alpha Centauri, it is still a reasonably modern colony world, being the centre of the French Arm of the galaxy as well as its breadbasket.
Most specifically, I would want to live in this universe as it was described in the original, 1980s print of the game. Later editions have tried to modernise the world somewhat, but I much prefer the (now) retro-futuristic vision of the future, where computing is more or less done with 8 and 16 bit computers, the internet is largely BBSs and emails, yet everything is also hydrogen and solar powered and we have some level of cybernetics, as well as means to travel across (a part of) the galaxy. But it is also a hard scifi setting, so there are no such things as artificial gravity or hyperspace jumps, and the universe itself is largely a hostile, cold and empty place.
But Beta Canum itself is just wonderful, I've always loved it. The local flora and fauna are similar to Earth's in principle (although not in form), but since everything native on the planet developed from right-handed amino acids unlike on Earth where everything is left-handed, everything that natively lives and grows on BC is entirely incompatible with us and our biology, offering no nutritional value. While this means that we need to do a lot of work to grow our own imported plants and animals, and in doing so clear out areas for ourselves, it also means that for most parts of the planet we have just left things be as they are.
I also find it exciting that in addition to the French, British and German colonies (so practically all the major powers that matter), Beta Canum is the home to a Pentapod colony. They are some of the weirdest and most alien, well, aliens that I have encountered in any universe. Through a long history of genetic engineering, they have evolved to be something like biological machines, each individual having a specific function in the larger Pentapod society. Some say that they have gone so far in their biohacking that they have lost any sense of self and identity, but based on my limited encounters, I feel differently. They are an utterly fascinating species that I believe could also teach us much about ourselves. If only we knew more about them and where they come from!
Oh yes, and there is of course the space elevator. The only one in the universe outside of Earth's. I would be proud of that fact if I lived on the planet and could call myself a betacanumite.
More generally, the world of 2300 AD is just so close to my own heart, and exactly where I would like to exist. It sort of takes the turn of the 80s optimism and concerns and puts them into a hard scifi context whose geopolitical realities are largely based on the 18th and 19th century colonial eras. While we can travel faster than light, distances are enormous and travel times from one system to another counted in weeks and months. And as the number of interstellar spacecraft available is also very limited, colonies must be fairly self-sufficient, end up developing their own cultural and colonial identities, and remain fairly small. Beta Canum is actually one of the largest colonies, with a total population of around 50 million, across the three human colonies spanning the planet's three major continents. Just the right size, if you ask me.
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Comment on What long standalone book is worth its page count? in ~books
vili Link ParentThere is something oddly brilliant about King's writing, even if I don't typically read his genre. On the one hand I'm fairly certain that most of his books could be edited down to about 60-70% of...There is something oddly brilliant about King's writing, even if I don't typically read his genre. On the one hand I'm fairly certain that most of his books could be edited down to about 60-70% of their published length without really sacrificing much, yet I don't actually mind the length of his novels. They are almost always pleasant to read, especially his more recent work.
It's been ages since I read The Stand, I think around when the 1990s TV adaptation came out, but I also remember it as a really gripping and easy to read, hard to put down novel. But then again, I also vaguely remember that I was reading it through quickly to impress a girl and to have something to talk to her about, so that may have coloured my memories of the book.
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Comment on What are your Christmas movies? in ~movies
vili LinkNot a classic by any definition of the word, but I just watched Carry-On on Netflix and thought that it was a perfectly adequate riff on the Die Hard type Christmas film. Then again, I'm also down...Not a classic by any definition of the word, but I just watched Carry-On on Netflix and thought that it was a perfectly adequate riff on the Die Hard type Christmas film. Then again, I'm also down with the flu and 39C fever, so that may have contributed to the experience.
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Comment on What long standalone book is worth its page count? in ~books
vili LinkUmberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is a long, at times complex journey through some wonderfully outlandish conspiracy theories, occultism and the Templars, but manages to stay a page turner...Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is a long, at times complex journey through some wonderfully outlandish conspiracy theories, occultism and the Templars, but manages to stay a page turner throughout. It's also one of the funniest, or at least wittiest books that I have read.
I tend to recommend it as a thinking man's Da Vinci Code, no matter how elitist that may sound.
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Comment on Kagi Small Web in ~tech
vili Link ParentIt might be relevant to keep in mind though that there was a fairly major change in the ownership of the company earlier this year. It's now fully Russian owned, and possibly much closer to...It might be relevant to keep in mind though that there was a fairly major change in the ownership of the company earlier this year. It's now fully Russian owned, and possibly much closer to Kremlin than it used to be.
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Comment on What do you use for 2fa? in ~tech
vili LinkI still use Google Authenticator, which I have been wanting to switch away from for ages. I tried switching to Ente Auth but the import was a mess and I didn't have the patience to start double...I still use Google Authenticator, which I have been wanting to switch away from for ages. I tried switching to Ente Auth but the import was a mess and I didn't have the patience to start double checking what it imported from Google and what it perhaps didn't. It did at least duplicate things a lot and lost names in the process, so I didn't know what was what.
I also have Microsoft's authenticator installed because some Azure services seemed to require it and not play ball with Google's authenticator. And of course banking and such have their own apps.
I save all the recovery codes that are given and I manually sync the Google Authenticator with another Google Authenticator app on a backup phone whenever needed.
I don't use desktop apps.
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Comment on Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse Kadokawa in ~games
vili Link ParentWell, to be honest, I just assume this to be true based on the fact that Daiei produced those films and when the company went bankrupt in the early 70s, Kadokawa bought them. I could be wrong of...Well, to be honest, I just assume this to be true based on the fact that Daiei produced those films and when the company went bankrupt in the early 70s, Kadokawa bought them. I could be wrong of course.
I'm also seeing that, in fact to the point where I'm starting to trust that the game is guiding me and the randomness is perhaps not quite as random as it initially seems.
That said, it's still a little frustrating, especially when I would like to test something or when I am trying to carry out a fairly specific task, but the necessary tiles just don't drop. It's that common puzzle game friction of knowing a solution but not being able to implement it which can be annoying.
Still, I'm excited to dig deeper.