Wes's recent activity
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Comment on November 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on A lukewarm defense of LLMs in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI use middots all the time in web design. I've always loved them as separator characters over pipes or hyphens. They feel much cleaner — almost elegant. I've never seen an LLM use one before,...I use middots all the time in web design. I've always loved them as separator characters over pipes or hyphens. They feel much cleaner — almost elegant.
I've never seen an LLM use one before, though, and I don't even know how you'd use them in conversational text. I consider the middot a typographic tool, not a grammatical one.
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Comment on Pure HTML just works and beats AI slop in ~tech
Wes Link ParentVery cool. This website has personality and flair, which is clearly what you were going for. There's a lot of little details to explore. I like this better than every example of "good design" as...Very cool. This website has personality and flair, which is clearly what you were going for. There's a lot of little details to explore.
I like this better than every example of "good design" as suggested by the linked video. Not because I necessarily love skeuomorphism, but because it's a reflection of your personality and that shows through. Websites use different design styles to accomplish different goals.
I actually think the video misses this point completely, because it's comparing marketing pages with personal blogs and link collections. These sites clearly have different goals, and thus different layouts.
A product page obviously isn't going to be a simple collection of links, because potential users want to know what the product looks like, how it works, and what problems it solves. It needs to be more visual, and convey more complex information.
There's also a question of practical vs creative design. With your site, @delphi, you've gone for an unusual layout that requires a some testing to understand, such as which elements are interactable, draggable, etc. That's completely fine, because encouraging the user to experiment is likely part of the intended experience.
A more "practical" layout would be one where the user instinctively understands how to use the site within the first half-second. Top navigation with links, card view for features list, tabbed layout for secondary information, etc. There's nothing wrong with this either. Using existing conventions isn't because the author lacks imagination, but because standard UX conventions help users navigate.
The internet is a big enough place to have room for both approaches. Let the design serve the goal.
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Comment on November 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentAnother VVVVVV fan here, and I didn't know that it was inspired by another title. That's really cool. If you've not listened to it, Souleye (who did the VVVVVV soundtrack, PPPPPP), also released a...Another VVVVVV fan here, and I didn't know that it was inspired by another title. That's really cool.
If you've not listened to it, Souleye (who did the VVVVVV soundtrack, PPPPPP), also released a sort of remix of the original OST, called PPPPPPowerup. This isn't new by any means, but I keep both albums in my library for frequent playing.
If anyone is aware of any others that fit this admittedly niche genre breakdown, I would LOVE to know about them.
Oh, I've played so dang many of these. They were really popular around 20 years ago in the Game Maker community.
An Untitled Story remains a favourite of mine. It's a platformer metroidvania with a focus on exploration, and occasionally requires outside of the box thinking. Somebody released an Archipelago randomizer for it which is super cool too.
There are of course the three Knytt games: Classic (which was just remastered for free), Stories (now hard to find), and Underground.
Then there's La-Mulana... you wuss.
These ones don't technically meet the requirements because they have some camera panning, but there's also Iji and Seiklus, two indie pioneers.
Treasure Adventure Game was a free title on GOG for years, which is where I first played it. I later picked up its commercial remaster, Treasure Adventure World, which unfortunately didn't do very well. In hopes of righting this wrong, I shill for it whenever the opportunity presents.
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2026: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
Wes Link ParentOh cool! Have fun, and make sure to give J-Chip a high five when you two cross paths at the airport. When you return, I look forward to seeing all your best detective picks for the month.Oh cool! Have fun, and make sure to give J-Chip a high five when you two cross paths at the airport.
When you return, I look forward to seeing all your best detective picks for the month.
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Comment on rex: a media server for the Plex apps that owns no files in ~tech
Wes LinkIt seems like an interesting idea, as one of Plex's strengths is having dedicated apps across so many smart TVs and streaming devices. The readme doesn't mention anything about transcoding, which...It seems like an interesting idea, as one of Plex's strengths is having dedicated apps across so many smart TVs and streaming devices. The readme doesn't mention anything about transcoding, which I feel might be needed for some input sources, but most Plex owners I know prefer to disable that feature anyway.
Is this your project? That's fine if so, but I ask because it's your first post here, and there's a general expectation of people being active community members before they begin showing off works. I'd encourage you to spend a little more time engaging in the community before sharing any further updates/promotion, to keep that balance in check. Cheers!
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2026: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
Wes Link ParentOh my god, this idea is incredible. You've got enough platforms to rival even the mighty J-Chip. I'm big time excited for the Light Gun and Virtual Boy submissions. I think you mean Dreamcast...Oh my god, this idea is incredible. You've got enough platforms to rival even the mighty J-Chip. I'm big time excited for the Light Gun and Virtual Boy submissions.
Dreamcast
I think you mean
Dreamcast (non-derogatory). -
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: October 2026 - April 2027 schedule in ~games
Wes LinkResident Evil (HD Remaster) is once again available in a Fanatical bundle. It requires the purchase of two or more games. It's roughly the same price as the last one, currency fluctuations aside....Resident Evil (HD Remaster) is once again available in a Fanatical bundle. It requires the purchase of two or more games. It's roughly the same price as the last one, currency fluctuations aside.
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2026: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
Wes Link ParentI would love to visit Japan. To sample the architecture, the culture, and the food. It's ranks among my top destinations. Although we'll miss you for the latter three weeks, I think you owe it to...I would love to visit Japan. To sample the architecture, the culture, and the food. It's ranks among my top destinations.
Although we'll miss you for the latter three weeks, I think you owe it to yourself to soak it all in. The 3x3 with initial impressions is a good plan. If you run out of time while packing, etc, so be it! You can always add more later if you find yourself with downtime and are looking to decompress.
Enjoy the trip!
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2026: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
Wes Link ParentSounds like you've already dug into your backlog! Welcome aboard, soldier. If you care to share thoughts on what you're already playing, we'd gladly hear them!I'm going to try and participate, but I have stuff in my library I'm already playing, which was neglected!
Sounds like you've already dug into your backlog! Welcome aboard, soldier. If you care to share thoughts on what you're already playing, we'd gladly hear them!
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - October 2026 - Dr. No by Ian Flemming in ~books
Wes LinkI'm finally out of the Stormlight Archive mines, having dedicated most of 2026 to that series. I'm glad that I finished in time for our final book pick, at least for our most recent selection....I'm finally out of the Stormlight Archive mines, having dedicated most of 2026 to that series. I'm glad that I finished in time for our final book pick, at least for our most recent selection.
I've only read Casino Royale previously, which is the first in the book series. So we're jumping ahead slightly in the timeline here.
I enjoyed the book. It was well-paced, neatly written, and offered exactly the spy thriller I was hoping for.
As compared to the movies, I found Bond a much more compelling character when we have insights into his thoughts. He's still suave as ever, but we can also see his uncertainties and fears. He weighs odds and takes chances, knowing they won't always work out. It feels much more plausible and realistic than the on-screen depictions that turn him into a smooth talking superhero.
Ethically, he's a lighter shade of grey than I was expecting. He can still be gruff, stuffy, and sexist, but he also cares about people and wants to treat them well. He's willing to kill, but needs a good reason for it. We even see remorse and self-reflection, as with his worry over getting Honey into trouble, or his snide remark to M in the conclusion. He's far from the antihero I imagine.
Dr. No also made for a great villain. He very much fits the archetype of what we now call a "Bond villain": brilliant, ruthless, and capable. I'm glad he was given backstory that explained his wealth and isolationism, and a grand plan that actually made sense. It's interesting to think about how differently this plot might have been read in the 1950s, when missiles were at the forefront of military strategy.
The book strikes a nice balance between tension and relief. There would often be a cool down scene after an action sequence, giving the impact of those moments time to breathe.
One chapter that managed to be both tense and calm was the dinner invitation in front of the underwater glass window. I loved the dialogue as they were eating congenially together, both knowly plotting to kill the other as they talked.
I found the meal choices interesting, too. With all the fatty foods like grilled kidney and pork sausage, plus ungodly amounts of alcohol and smoking, it's a wonder Bond is able to pull off his feats.
The final obstacle course was rather gruesome. I liked how in those torturous moments, Bond was written to disconnect from his body and to see the world in a mechanical way. Judging distances, energy reserves, and expected animal behaviours as a scientist might. While physical fitness and skill were required to succeed, mind over matter also played a major role in his escape.
Then there's the matter of The Girl. Initially, I found Honey Rider's character to be overly sexualized and infantilized. Coming across a beautiful naked girl on the beach, then being forced to rub bodies together to dig holes in the sand? It's pure fantasy writing, right?
I dismissed it as dated and just a sign of the times, as with some other language use in the book. On this matter though, I was wrong. Bond was wrong too, as it turns out. Honey was an extremely capable character, and while naive in some matters, she proved herself to be as capable as anyone else. She was as carnal as he, and as driven. I came to really appreciate her character in the end.
So I enjoyed this book. It made for an easy read, and I can imagine somebody tearing through the series to find what happens next on Bond's adventures. I'm interested in watching the film adaption again, to see how closely the details match.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of October 18 in ~games
Wes Link ParentI was really hoping this one would have FlatOut 4 VR, which is high on my wishlist right now. Maybe it's too new, but it would've been perfect for the top tier. Oh well, still grabbed it for...I was really hoping this one would have FlatOut 4 VR, which is high on my wishlist right now. Maybe it's too new, but it would've been perfect for the top tier.
Oh well, still grabbed it for Roboquest VR. I'm nothing if not predictable.
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Comment on Does Tildes welcomes “self-promoting” links to personal blog posts? in ~tildes
Wes LinkLimiting self-promotion to 10% has been Deimos' preferred rule of thumb even from the reddit days. That generally includes both comments and submissions, though you probably shouldn't be...Limiting self-promotion to 10% has been Deimos' preferred rule of thumb even from the reddit days. That generally includes both comments and submissions, though you probably shouldn't be submitting exclusively your own stuff.
You do actively participate elsewhere on the site, and while I don't always agree with your posts, I do think your submissions are within the threshold of acceptability. I don't wish to call out any specific names, but there are other members that are well above 10% self-promo and it hasn't been flagged as an issue yet.
As for leaving an introductory comment, this is something that I've noticed people arguing for in recent years, but I've never considered it a requirement or expectation. The title and tags communicate a lot of context already, and the core function of the site is to aggregate links after all. We shouldn't need to entice people to actually click said links.
I generally only find these introductory comments useful on video submissions, where it can be harder to get a sense of what the topic is. Though I recently discovered YouTube's AI summarizer feature, which offers a similar "at a glance" view.
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Comment on There's a new Elder Scrolls MMO in ~games
Wes Link ParentHonestly, what harm is it causing? Other than experiencing mild annoyance at clickbait titles like this video's, we can simply ignore these projects if we're not interested. For those that are...I can't wait for the 'enormous vibe-coded definitely-clean-room-code decompilation of your favourite game/application' trend to die out.
Honestly, what harm is it causing? Other than experiencing mild annoyance at clickbait titles like this video's, we can simply ignore these projects if we're not interested. For those that are interested though, this seems like a great outcome. How many Daggerfall-lovers have longed for a project like this? Even if it's jank as heck, I'm sure it'll still allow a good time.
I think it's really interesting to see people experimenting with programming in ways they never could before. These new tools have enabled so many neat VR experiments, emulation/translation layers, retro decompilations, cross-game engine modding, and other silly stuff. Ideas that were always technically possible, but would've taken years of work just to determine if they were even viable.
As for the number of releases, it's likely just auto-building whenever a commit is pushed. It's a little unusual for published software, but not uncommon for alpha projects.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of October 11 in ~games
Wes Link ParentDRG Survivor is also in this month's Humble Choice alongside 7 other games, should you be eyeing a deal. I grabbed it for Psychonauts 2 and Prince of Persia, myself.DRG Survivor is also in this month's Humble Choice alongside 7 other games, should you be eyeing a deal. I grabbed it for Psychonauts 2 and Prince of Persia, myself.
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Comment on Approved for altruistic kidney donation in ~health
Wes LinkThis is incredible of you, @RNG. Thank you for being such generous person, and for doing this write-up to help explain the process to others. You're a genuine hero.This is incredible of you, @RNG. Thank you for being such generous person, and for doing this write-up to help explain the process to others. You're a genuine hero.
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Comment on Single-axis scroll has been adopted into the CSS spec and will be supported in Chromium soon in ~comp
Wes (edited )Link ParentIt's a lot of technical keywords, so I can understand it being overwhelming to read. Let me see if I can better explain it. This assumes entry level CSS knowledge. The author is trying to...It's a lot of technical keywords, so I can understand it being overwhelming to read. Let me see if I can better explain it. This assumes entry level CSS knowledge.
The author is trying to implement ideal scrolling behaviour on a very large table. They want the header to stay at the top of the viewport when viewing the table, regardless of how large (or wide) it is. To do this, they rely on
position: sticky.Position is a very important CSS property because it essentially chooses the layout algorithm used by the browser. Some values, like
relativeandstatic, follow the regular document flow. Others, likeabsoluteandfixed, will remove elements from the document flow, anchoring them instead to either a parent or the viewport.stickyis sort of a hybrid between the two. The element will stay anchored to its viewport until you scroll past its container, then it remains in document flow. It's likely best explained with a demo. It's very useful for keeping headers on top of content, which is why it's ideal for long tables.The problem is that this behaviour isn't very reliable when inside of a container with modified scrollbar behaviour. Scrollbars are controlled with the
overflowproperty. In this case, because their tables can grow very long horizontally, they useoverflow-x: autoto say: "If this table pushes right past the browser viewport, only then add horizontal scrollbars". Not being able to combine these features is a long-standing problem.The post goes over various suggested fixes, weighing backwards compatibility against syntax/ease-of-use. The solution that was eventually settled on was simply changing the behaviour if using
overflow-y: clipwithoverflow-x: auto.clipis a newer value which was designed to fix some of the older problems withoverflow: hidden. It can be applied independently to either axis, and doesn't create a (hidden) scroll container which touch users may accidentally swipe across. Since the property is newer, there's far less chance of this creating backwards compatibility issues.The post finally explains how to implement this today using the
@supportsat-rule, which will only apply the CSS in its block if the feature name ("single-axis-scroll-container") is supported in your browser.edit: Typo
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Comment on Interview: Firefox’s chief on why he hopes a redesign will help win users from Chrome in ~tech
Wes Link ParentThanks for the counter points. Particularly on Fx still supporting background pages in MV3, which I wasn't aware of. I think that Google killing RCE was the biggest consequence here, since that...Thanks for the counter points. Particularly on Fx still supporting background pages in MV3, which I wasn't aware of.
Even with these API limitation malicious extensions can still do plenty of harm through a variety of ways.
I think that Google killing RCE was the biggest consequence here, since that was the vector used by so many browser extensions to start silently injecting bad code. It was basically impossible to catch in reviews, so they could only ever be reactive, not proactive.
I do agree that Moz has likely spent more man-hours in code review, which is something that Google is allergic to. They also make efforts to prevent RCE in that process, though it's enforced via policy and not by the browser itself.
Both companies are likely upgrading their automated checks as well by incorporating newer LLM-based tools, which can reason more fully about a codebase. They shouldn't be relied on completely, but as an extra step, could really bolster existing review processes.
As someone who has extensions on both stores, the amount of shady offerings I had for my chrome store entries is insane.
Having used Mod Toolbox for roughly a decade, I appreciate that you never accepted any of their offers. Thanks for all the dev time you spent helping out other mods!
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Comment on Interview: Firefox’s chief on why he hopes a redesign will help win users from Chrome in ~tech
Wes LinkThis seemed like a pretty solid interview, albeit short. Good questions were asked, and I found Varma's answers to be informed and realistic. Mozilla has always been in a tough spot. After...- Exemplary
This seemed like a pretty solid interview, albeit short. Good questions were asked, and I found Varma's answers to be informed and realistic.
Mozilla has always been in a tough spot. After Chrome's meteoric rise, they've only really managed to hold onto a small and rather fickle userbase. These folks will oppose almost all forms of monetization, and react poorly to any change or experimentation. See the Mr. Robot ARG that Mozilla tried in 2017.
Moz persists mostly because of their search deal with Google, but we all know it could disappear at any time. The DOJ nearly killed that particular golden goose in 2024, and the internet largely cheered as it was seen as a slight against Google. So Mozilla clearly needs to diversify. Unfortunately, previous attempts have all failed. Cliqz didn't work, and people hate sponsored shortcuts. Mozilla VPN is perhaps the closest they've come, but even that has turned off a number of users. This makes it very difficult to grow the company to a size that's able to compete with Google and Apple.
It seems like they do recognize this and understand they need to take some risks. AI is one of those risks, and Varma spoke — a bit defensively, I think — about how it can be used to benefit users. The local translations they already offer are one obvious use case, and speech synthesis is another. He hinted at more advanced capabilities though, such as the browser checking prices or product updates for you. Ironically, the kind of "user agent" that might have been originally envisioned before browsers came to dominate that definition.
It seems like they're trying to balance this by making plenty of privacy assurances, and providing an easily discoverable kill switch. Maybe that'll appease their current users enough while they try to bring in a new audience, but the word AI has become corrosive to some, despite its prevalence in software engineering. I would guess that crowd has a wide overlap with their current users. Not an easy position.
They also have another problem in Manifest V2. Not only is Mozilla maintaining an independent rendering engine — something that even Microsoft decided was too much work — but they are now forced to support two different API levels for browser extensions. That takes a lot of dev time for which they're already spread thin.
For some reason, people only seem to bring up MV3 in regard to ad blocking, but there's a lot more than that. Background pages were completely replaced with service workers, and CSP and RCE were reined in for security reasons. Malicious extensions were a huge attack vector in Chrome, which is why Google began locking them down by limiting the most commonly abused APIs in MV3.
By supporting MV2, Firefox is still vulnerable to these problems. They already went through this once with XUL extensions, and at some point, might have to do it again with MV2. Their current security approach is to restrict extension installs to their store and strictly review everything, but that doesn't scale well and is inherently less open. Even Chrome allows you to install extensions from a local file, whereas Firefox requires a ton of workarounds.
I think now that the MV3 ecosystem has been sufficiently built up, Firefox could likely work towards dropping MV2 while leaving in a few specialized APIs that were only possible under MV2. eg. Encourage
declarativeNetRequest, but allowwebRequestbehind an extra flag or additional review scrutiny. Like the AI issue, they need to find a balance that lets them move forward without upsetting too many of their existing users.I hope they find a way to strike that balance. Mozilla has made missteps, but they continue to spend countless hours building free and open-source software for all of us to use. They offer the strongest defense against a browser monoculture, and frankly receive far too much vitriol online over minor inconveniences.
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Comment on CGA-2026-09 🕹️🙎♂️🛹 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 in ~games
Wes LinkTHPS remains one of my favourite series. Unlike a lot of these older series that I'm nostalgic for though, I still regularly revisit this one. Surprisingly, quite a few of these games have...THPS remains one of my favourite series. Unlike a lot of these older series that I'm nostalgic for though, I still regularly revisit this one.
Surprisingly, quite a few of these games have received PC releases. Back in the day, I played through every game with a PC release in order. That's basically everything from THPS 2 up through American Wasteland. I later played through THPS HD and THPS 3+4 when they came to PC, too. I think I missed THPS 1+2 because it was Epic-exclusive for so long.
Of the lot, THPS 3 has always been my favourite. It was my first Tony Hawk game, so there's surely some bias there, but I still love its iconic levels. Foundry, Canada, and Airport are all fantastic stages. I recently replayed these in THPS 3+4, and it was really neat to see them in HD. They even introduced the COMBO mechanic from THPS 4 — probably the best part of that particular game — which I was very glad to see.
Underground 1 is another favourite. Introducing an edgy story to play through really captured my attention. The levels weren't anywhere near as memorable, and I don't know what they were thinking with that car driving minigame, but the career progression felt so much more meaningful than in other games. Underground 2 was so over-the-top and Jackass-inspired that it didn't carry the same grounding that immersed me in the first game.
But I've still enjoyed basically every Tony Hawk game I've played. At this point, I've seen stages like Hangar and School II so many times that I didn't feel I needed to go back and replay THPS 2 to talk about it for this CGA. Even with the more limited moveset of this classic though, its precision and feel is unmatched. They found the perfect balance in requiring skill and poise, while still allowing ridiculous tricks and arcade action.
I love how these games silently guide you. There's no giant arrows or flashing text, yet the player intuitively starts to spot ramps, rails, and lines in everyday objects. The gap bonuses are like little rewards for finding connections in the stage. It all feels so rewarding to get better at.
Lastly, they really nail the aesthetic of the skater scene. The graffiti, the clothes, and especially the music. So many great picks accompany these games, and I discovered a lot of great punk/underground artists as a result.
I think what really surprises me about these games though is how culturally influential they were. I know multiple people that bought skateboards specifically because of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. As much as Tony Hawk's may have borrowed from skate culture, it also gave back, driving mainstream adoption and influencing a new generation of skaters.
I admire your dream to conquer the Dreamcast, and I hope you get there after enough Backlog Burner sessions. With a back catalog that only a Kefir could love, I can think of no one better to claim the title of having played them all.
Myself, I've only played a small handful of on-rails and light gun games over the years. Nonetheless, I do have positive memories of playing games like Area 51 and Virtua Cop in an arcade setting. I suspect the feeling just wouldn't be the same if clicking with a mouse, so I think it's really cool you have the proper set up to play them as intended.
Sneaking it into this comment, but I loved the backstory of your Whiplash write-up. The mood you were setting got eerily more and more detailed in the lead up to modern day — almost like there was a true story layered in there. Spooky!
I'm glad the game lived up to your once-imagination. The oldest itches scratch the best.