Wes's recent activity
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Comment on Matt Mullenweg says “the wheels have fallen off” in wide-ranging WordPress critique in ~tech
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - How are you progressing on The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See? in ~books
Wes LinkI foolishly started a Stormlight Archives book earlier this month, and at 1250 pages, it's taking up a good portion of my reading time. That is to say, I expect to be late to this month's discussion.I foolishly started a Stormlight Archives book earlier this month, and at 1250 pages, it's taking up a good portion of my reading time. That is to say, I expect to be late to this month's discussion.
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Comment on Finishing the toy that Nintendo abandoned -- breathing new life into Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit in ~games
Wes LinkOh those are beautiful. Great job to you and your wife! There's something about the idea of hospitals working together to maintain semi-obscure Mario racing toys that leaves me rather chuffed....Oh those are beautiful. Great job to you and your wife!
There's something about the idea of hospitals working together to maintain semi-obscure Mario racing toys that leaves me rather chuffed. Fun, feel good read.
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Comment on You can absolutely have an RSS dependent website in 2026 in ~tech
Wes Link ParentMost readers allow you to import and export your subscription list as an .opml file, which makes it easy to switch readers. So there's really no harm in trying one out and seeing how it suits you....Most readers allow you to import and export your subscription list as an .opml file, which makes it easy to switch readers. So there's really no harm in trying one out and seeing how it suits you. I personally use Inoreader, but have previously tried other cloud-hosted and self-hosted alternatives.
As for content:
- Many RSS readers have a "Discover" page to help you find new content.
- Almost every blog you read will have an RSS feed. If you enjoy someone's writing, you can subscribe for more.
- Every YouTube channel has a feed baked in. I use it to follow channels I like rather than using the built-in subscription manager.
- Most news site offer granular feeds for different categories (eg. local, world news).
- Podcasts are another great option, if you don't mind longer-form content. Though my suggestion is to not be afraid to "mark items as read" if you find them building up. Don't let it turn into a second job.
RSS is still a great, platform-agnostic way for following content, and it basically just works on all but the most siloed websites (eg. Discord).
If you're stuck on the chicken or egg problem, I would encourage you to spend 25 minutes and give it a try. Adding new feeds to your reader is as simple as pointing it at a site's URL -- it'll automatically find the feed for you. After that, it's just a matter of adjusting your habits.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Wes Link ParentYou probably already know this, but we read Stories of your Life and Others for the Tildes Book Club last year. I really enjoyed this one -- especially the titular story. I started Exhilation as...You probably already know this, but we read Stories of your Life and Others for the Tildes Book Club last year. I really enjoyed this one -- especially the titular story.
I started Exhilation as well. I'm midway through it, and am reading the stories as palette cleansers between larger books. The last story was The Lifecycle of Software Objects, which I enjoyed, though found it left me slightly disconcerted. That seems to be the goal of many of his stories!
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Comment on Google releases Gemma 4 in ~comp
Wes Link Parentllama.cpp is great, but note it can take a couple days or sometimes weeks to get all the initial issues worked out with a brand new model. eg. This tokenizer issue which was fixed yesterday, and...llama.cpp is great, but note it can take a couple days or sometimes weeks to get all the initial issues worked out with a brand new model. eg. This tokenizer issue which was fixed yesterday, and more pending. Especially when they introduce new modalities, like audio in Gemma's case. From there it then rolls into the frontends (ollama, LM Studio, etc).
Qwen 3.5 also has a number of third-party quants that exceed the official ones, such as those by Unsloth. You might have better luck running them on your hardware. You can enter your specs into Hugging Face and it'll give you an estimate of what'll perform for you (though I'm not sure how accurate it is for MoE models).
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Comment on Introducing EmDash — the spiritual successor to WordPress that solves plugin security in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI think it's a fairly natural progression. The core feature of a blog is to publish content. Over time, however, you might find that you wish your content were a little more dynamic. Maybe so...I think it's a fairly natural progression. The core feature of a blog is to publish content. Over time, however, you might find that you wish your content were a little more dynamic. Maybe so readers can interact with it: like a post, write a comment, share with their friends. And wouldn't it be great if you could pull in photos from Instagram feed, or maybe embed a map of your itinerary for your upcoming vacation?
Now your friend wants to write a post too, so you need to support multiple users. And since you want lots of people to read your posts, you grab this "Yoast" thing for SEO. Pretty soon you've got a lot of code running and things are slowing down, so you find a performance plugin too.
Things are going well. Now you're an influencer with a readerbase of almost 1,300 people! Some of them want to buy t-shirts, so you decide to install this eCommerce plugin and add a few items. Eek, payment processing is complicated! But that's okay, because the Stripe plugin takes care of the hard stuff.
At a certain point, your humble blog has transformed into a "web application". You still blog there on occasion, but somehow, you've lost the joy in it.
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Comment on Linux kernel czar says AI bug reports aren't slop anymore in ~comp
Wes Link ParentThe uncomfortable reality is that much of the software we use has security holes, and we're simply hoping that bad actors don't discover them first. However, I'm still optimistic. While smaller...The uncomfortable reality is that much of the software we use has security holes, and we're simply hoping that bad actors don't discover them first.
However, I'm still optimistic. While smaller software companies might not invest in AI-based auditing, I expect large companies to, just as they have with traditional fuzzing and testing techniques. They often have more resources than all but the most determined attackers (eg. state actors).
I expect that standards will emerge over time to ensure that all code is AI-reviewed for any bugs or security concerns. "Vibe coding" trends aside, it seems like a boon to professional development.
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Comment on Wyldheart | Official reveal trailer in ~games
Wes LinkLooks fun. Co-op ARPGs seem like a really good genre for my gaming group, so I'm always interested in seeing more. I'm not sure on the name, though... Between WILD HEARTS and Sayonara Wild Hearts,...Looks fun. Co-op ARPGs seem like a really good genre for my gaming group, so I'm always interested in seeing more.
I'm not sure on the name, though... Between WILD HEARTS and Sayonara Wild Hearts, I think this name may be overdone already.
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Wes Link ParentI'm glad you mentioned the closing line, because I was confused by that too. The translated quote in English was: It was seemingly played as a joke, but I definitely whooshed on it. I like your...I'm glad you mentioned the closing line, because I was confused by that too. The translated quote in English was:
"Sir Polnareff, I have a question...
Tiramisu was in disguise as Mandola, so she's the opposite of her in every way, right?"
"Hahaha...
Prince Frog, what you're thinking of will be the - SAME! - no matter what form she's in!"It was seemingly played as a joke, but I definitely whooshed on it. I like your interpretation.
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Wes LinkWell that was a cute little adventure. It was different than I was expecting. I knew The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls was a shorter title, but I think I was expecting a more traditional RPG....Well that was a cute little adventure.
It was different than I was expecting. I knew The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls was a shorter title, but I think I was expecting a more traditional RPG. Instead, it was a quirky, almost deconstructive game, where it felt like the developers were largely just having fun with it. I'm fine with that! The levity really shined through in all aspects of the design, and made for a light-hearted adventure.
Mostly, I really enjoyed the dialogue. I'd obviously have been completely lost if it wasn't translated, but the writing was hilarious and kept defying my expectations. That's actually pretty impressive for a Game Boy game from 1992.
One of the biggest departures from other RPGS of the era is the combat system. It was largely deterministic, and entirely stat-based. This put most of the game's progression on exploration and discovery rather than player skill. Definitely a unique system, and I enjoyed hunting for and opening chests. If I couldn't beat a boss, I knew immediately I was missing something. It never felt unfair, like having a hidden chest three towns back that would prevent your progress.
I really enjoyed the final boss sequence. My favourite moment was when Richard employed the "Zapp Brannigan" strategy of sending all of his frogs at the enemy, one by one, to be eaten. That kind of forward-thinking strategy is why he's the commander.
The game's puzzles were not heavy-handed, and mostly served as minor road bumps. For example, the famous "Lost Woods" trope was there, but with a literal sign post that told you where to go. The jungle also had a maze-based design, though as far as I could tell, was just trial by error.
I did enjoy a number of the transformation-based puzzles, where swapping between the three forms was required to progress through a room. At times though, it could get a little repetitive, with the solution sometimes being obvious but the game still requiring you to go through the motions. This was especially annoying when running through an area for the second or third time.
On that note, some of the instant deaths felt a little unfair. While a lot of the enemy interactions were obvious or explained, like frogs being able to eat bugs, there were times that it was not so obvious. You'd need to learn by doing, then remember next time that if a frog so much as grazes a bat, it's game over for you. That could be particularly rough when deep into a dungeon, and for that reason I started using save states about midway through the game.
I was glad that the transformation items were so cheap. It made it feels less punishing to lose progress. Money was actually a bit silly in this game, and another way that the developers had fun with the player. Those billions of
coinsnuts were easy-come, easy-go. Even during regular gameplay, it seemed like I was only ever notoriously rich or in the poor house, with no in-between.I enjoyed the game! It feels like a cult classic that I didn't know existed. That makes it an excellent CGA pick in my book.
I also didn't realize just how nostalgic I was for the Nantendo Game Boy. The big pixels, limited colour palette, and chirpy sound effects all took me back. The only thing missing was a contrast slider! It made for a cozy experience, and had me wanting to dust off Pokemon Blue or Link's Awakening again.
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Comment on Google’s TurboQuant AI-compression algorithm can reduce LLM memory usage by 6x in ~tech
Wes Link ParentWhile I only follow along as a layman, I've seen some interesting discussion in the mathematics community about LLMs helping to find lemmas. Donald Knuth also recently wrote about Claude helping...While I only follow along as a layman, I've seen some interesting discussion in the mathematics community about LLMs helping to find lemmas. Donald Knuth also recently wrote about Claude helping him solve a problem.
It does seem like there is some genuine value in frontier mathematics.
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Comment on Rigging bingo: Creating seeded randoms in JavaScript in ~comp
Wes (edited )LinkSome among you may be familiar with the Tildes Backlog Burner event that myself and @kfwyre put on twice annually. The goal is to encourage playing backlogged games from our libraries, and chat...Some among you may be familiar with the Tildes Backlog Burner event that myself and @kfwyre put on twice annually. The goal is to encourage playing backlogged games from our libraries, and chat about them while doing so.
One of the optional features of the event is a bingo card system. You can generate a personalized card in your preferred style as a sort of meta-game. Categories are selected at random to help guide your selection of games.
During the last event, we added a new feature to create seeded cards. This lets you and a friend create the same card by sharing a common text string. However, since JavaScript doesn't actually let you seed the random number generator, I needed to dive into custom PRNGs and hashing functions. I finally got around to writing about it now.
Curiously, in a post where I mention hash collisions, I find my own blog has a tag collision with an unrelated site.
edit: It seems the tag collision has been resolved.
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Rigging bingo: Creating seeded randoms in JavaScript
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Comment on Venture underground to discover the new sulfur cube and the sulfur caves in Minecraft in ~games
Wes LinkRed and yellow blocks? Finally, I can build my house in the style of the Windows 95 Hotdog Stand theme. The new mob certainly seems designed for minigames. I'm not sure of a practical use in...Red and yellow blocks? Finally, I can build my house in the style of the Windows 95 Hotdog Stand theme.
The new mob certainly seems designed for minigames. I'm not sure of a practical use in survival gameplay, but that's fine. I expect to see a lot of creativity as people find new uses for them. I'm also curious to see how mods create custom interactions, which might lead to more novel gameplay.
Speaking of modded, a number of mods will need to rework their progression since sulfur and cinnabar are now included in the vanilla game. Hopefully that doesn't impact the ongoing Thaumcraft rewrite!
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Comment on 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' to end with Season 2 in ~tv
Wes Link ParentHave you tried Prodigy? The story takes place largely outside of Federation space, and the main crew is composed entirely of alien species. It's animated and aimed at young adults, but it's not...Have you tried Prodigy? The story takes place largely outside of Federation space, and the main crew is composed entirely of alien species. It's animated and aimed at young adults, but it's not half bad.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2026 - The Metamorphosis by Kafka in ~books
Wes Link ParentI thought it was interesting that, although Gregor transformed instantly, his mind seemed to transform more slowly. He was still very much in a human mindset initially, worried about returning to...I thought it was interesting that, although Gregor transformed instantly, his mind seemed to transform more slowly. He was still very much in a human mindset initially, worried about returning to work and explaining away his situation. Over time, his mind adapted to that of the creature. He became afraid of people, preferring to scurry under the couch. His instincts seemed to become more primal. Toward the end, he was able to explore more of his feelings and senses, by forgetting the duties of his old life. In some ways, the metamorphosis helped humanize him.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2026 - The Metamorphosis by Kafka in ~books
Wes Link ParentI first read this one about 15 years ago. I stumbled across a PDF online, and thought, "Why not?". I completed it in one sitting. Knowing my memory would not be up to the task though, I decided to...I first read this one about 15 years ago. I stumbled across a PDF online, and thought, "Why not?". I completed it in one sitting.
Knowing my memory would not be up to the task though, I decided to give this one a re-read for this discussion. This time I listened by audiobook. I normally would go with an established narrator, but I tried a random recording from YouTube and the quality was not half bad.
Being a re-read, I wouldn't say that anything surprised me. Though there are parts that I either missed before, or simply forgot about. For example, the sister undergoes a rapid loss of innocence throughout the story which I wasn't expecting.
She starts naive and optimistic, assigning herself the role of Gregor's keeper. Over time, she is worn down by this burden, receiving little help or appreciation. She then needs to start a real job to help support the family's finances. By the end of the story, her only perceived value is her looks and potential for a husband. Not her musical ambitions or kindness -- those have eroded. Much like Gregor, she is measured only by her usefulness now.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft PVP event in ~games
Wes LinkThat was fun. It was my first time doing any PvP in Minecraft. Thanks all for participating, and @Bront for hosting.That was fun. It was my first time doing any PvP in Minecraft. Thanks all for participating, and @Bront for hosting.
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Comment on LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users at scale with surprising accuracy in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI appreciate that people should maintain ownership over their content, including comments, but I don't like what mass deleting them does to conversations. Reading threads where one or more...I appreciate that people should maintain ownership over their content, including comments, but I don't like what mass deleting them does to conversations. Reading threads where one or more commenters have removed all of their replies feels jarring and unhelpful, as much of the context is lost and it becomes hard to follow. It's even worse when people delete topics, as that can hide dozens of other people's comments without their consent.
Another consideration is that conversations tend to have longer lifespans on Tildes. We sometimes see new comments in the Book Club months after the discussion has concluded, but the new comments spurs new discussion and the thread takes off again. Those conversations end up being very high quality, and I sometimes find myself re-reading them months later.
I feel that even as an opt-in, adding an auto-deletion feature would make Tildes less pleasant to read. However, as a compromise, I think it would be reasonable to add something that anonymizes the username of the commenter while preserving their content. Perhaps by assigning a name that's unique per-thread, to keep the flow of conversation easier to follow.
That seems about right. He's not being nuanced or political in his statements, but he might have a point about bureaucracy harming the process. WordPress has been completely stalled on the 7.0 release, and it seems like energies are not being put into the right areas.
At the same time, A8C has moved fast and broken things in the past. The initial release of the FSE was a mess, lacked necessary accessibility features, and took years to get into shape. Sometimes bureaucracy serves a purpose. Somehow, you have to make sure that the right checks and procedures are in place, and that requires constant review and revision.