xk3's recent activity
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
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Comment on Leap seconds have helped keep clocks synchronized with Earth’s rotation, but their time may be over – here’s why in ~science
xk3 (edited )LinkI feel like we've put so much effort into getting leap seconds working that we shouldn't just abandon them. Feels like a few steps backwards. Doesn't sound high-precision to me then lol... sounds...I feel like we've put so much effort into getting leap seconds working that we shouldn't just abandon them. Feels like a few steps backwards.
high-precision computer systems ... assume that a day is 86,400 seconds long
Doesn't sound high-precision to me then lol... sounds poorly modeled. Seems like some person just didn't want to update some COBOL system somewhere so their organization is paying a lot of money to figure out how to keep everyone from being more precise.
Of course... Earth and her orbit are not a clock--so we don't need to force it and pretend it is a more precise system then it actually is. It's not unreasonable to think that we may eventually need negative leap seconds in the future--I know the article says we need one now but I mean need it to a larger extent than we currently need the positive leap second.
The 2012 Reddit hrtimer livelock crash (fixed shortly after in Linux 3.4)... it seems a bit telling if that is one of the only examples that they can find. Programmers are managing with the concept well enough.
But maybe CGPM / BIPM are right... maybe it doesn't really matter and we can just re-align things by leap-hour every 1,000-6,000 years
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Comment on Advice on TV and media storage in ~tech
xk3 (edited )LinkIf you want to splurge a little it's definitely worth it to get MicroLED, RGB MiniLED, or QD MiniLED but the marketing jargon is often confusing where it's not 100% clear what you're getting...If you want to splurge a little it's definitely worth it to get MicroLED, RGB MiniLED, or QD MiniLED but the marketing jargon is often confusing where it's not 100% clear what you're getting compared to words like CRT and OLED. So it can help to compare different models carefully. Subscribing to rtings for a month can definitely be worth it.
Almost every modern smart TV operating system incorporates ads and sponsored/targeted content into the home menu. It's really hard to get away from that--nay impossible--without just keeping the smart TV offline.
Some brands are more aggressive at this than others... for their software I'd avoid Amazon Fire TVs, Insignia, Samsung, LG, Vizio.
There's also the privacy issue: LG Isn't the Only TV Company Spying on You
Sony, TCL, and Hisense are competent brands and their software usually isn't too terrible... but the overall experience can vary a lot by model.
My Hisense TV is probably spying on me but I just keep it offline and in apps-only mode so the interface is very simple
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 🕹️🏚️ 🦇👻 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
xk3 (edited )Link ParentWhichever is easiest to get running! I'm not sure there's a big difference for platforms which can run both edit after a bit more research: if you are on Windows without a 4K or ultra-wide...original game or ScummVM
Whichever is easiest to get running! I'm not sure there's a big difference for platforms which can run both
edit after a bit more research: if you are on Windows without a 4K or ultra-wide display, run the original AGS exe, otherwise run via ScummVM
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Comment on The new Firefox is so snappy, even with uBlock Origin enabled! in ~comp
xk3 Link ParentYou can set sidebar.revamp to false in about:config to get rid of the latest changes to sidebarYou can set
sidebar.revamptofalseinabout:configto get rid of the latest changes to sidebar -
Comment on CGA-2026-10 🕹️🏚️ 🦇👻 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
xk3 (edited )Link Parenthuh? lol I just realized the deluxe version is a fan remake. It seems so solid that I thought it was an official release. Much more legit than something like Meteor Mess 3D...Maniac Mansion Deluxe fan-remake
huh? lol I just realized the deluxe version is a fan remake. It seems so solid that I thought it was an official release. Much more legit than something like Meteor Mess 3D...
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 🕹️🏚️ 🦇👻 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
xk3 (edited )LinkThere are a couple different versions of Maniac Mansion... I haven't played the original but I've played Maniac Mansion Deluxe and can recommend playing it that way. It appears to be the same game...There are a couple different versions of Maniac Mansion... I haven't played the original but I've played Maniac Mansion Deluxe and can recommend playing it that way. It appears to be the same game but with updated graphics.
But if you're going for the full 8-bit nostalgia factor--all official releases of Day of the Tentacle contain the complete, fully playable original Maniac Mansion as a built-in secret "mini-game"!
5 Days a Stranger is the first game in the Chzo Mythos series. If you enjoy it definitely play 7 Days a Skeptic, Trilby's Notes, 6 Days a Sacrifice, and Trilby: Art of Theft.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
xk3 Link ParentI feel like classless CSS as much as possible might make a lot of sense heredocument the CSS format
I feel like classless CSS as much as possible might make a lot of sense here
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 voting topic in ~games
xk3 LinkSpooky Mansion Adventures (5) Back in a Flash (2) Crystalis (3) Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (3) Mother 3 (3) Donkey Kong 64 (1) Sonic the 3D Hedgehog (1) Ratchet & Clank (1) Ys Origin (1)Spooky Mansion Adventures (5)
Back in a Flash (2)Crystalis (3)
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (3)
Mother 3 (3)Donkey Kong 64 (1)
Sonic the 3D Hedgehog (1)
Ratchet & Clank (1)
Ys Origin (1) -
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
xk3 Link ParentAlso not to be missed are the reviews he made of his own games... well not much critique going on but you can hear him cringing at his past self: The Ego ReviewBen "Yahtzee" Croshaw, better known for his web series of video game reviews
Also not to be missed are the reviews he made of his own games... well not much critique going on but you can hear him cringing at his past self: The Ego Review
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
xk3 LinkA lot of really interesting options, as always! Maybe this round we'll finally get to Freddy Pharkas? Beneath a Steel Sky and Another World are both classics which I hope people play at least...A lot of really interesting options, as always! Maybe this round we'll finally get to Freddy Pharkas?
Beneath a Steel Sky and Another World are both classics which I hope people play at least once. BASS has a bit more replayability IMHO but, on the other hand, Another World has achieved global cultural significance (perhaps in no small part due to its lack of dialogue).
If you've played and like Beneath a Steel Sky (1994) definitely check out its modern sequel Beyond a Steel Sky (2020): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1146310/Beyond_a_Steel_Sky/
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 nominations topic in ~games
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Beth Gibbons - Mysteries (2002)
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Comment on What's a show you love that's from before your time? in ~tv
xk3 Link ParentIt's campy and muscle more than brains but I've been on a McCloud binge recently. I'll have to check out Columbo!It's campy and muscle more than brains but I've been on a McCloud binge recently. I'll have to check out Columbo!
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
xk3 (edited )Link Parentecho $0 is a POSIX standard but it doesn't work in all shells. Fish shell might have supported it in v3 but in the v4 rust rewrite it doesn't print anything. However, I've done echo $SHELL before...echo $0is a POSIX standard but it doesn't work in all shells. Fish shell might have supported it in v3 but in the v4 rust rewrite it doesn't print anything. However, I've doneecho $SHELLbefore and that seems pretty robust. I haven't seen a shell that doesn't supportecho $SHELLbut I'm sure there are a few...
In fish shell I like that you can partially type any argument (not just command-name or last CLI argument of the last command) and press
alt+.and it will complete with argument which match what you've already typed--I use that a lot but it didn't click with me until I accidentally discovered it a few times.
One thing that I've learned from using
opencode/agyetc via tmux (where shift+enter isn't supported and just acts like regular enter):Ctrl+jto do a line break.But actually looking into this more while writing this comment... maybe I learned the wrong lesson. Maybe I just need to update my tmux config to something like this?
set -gu terminal-features set -as terminal-features ',xterm-kitty:extkeys:RGB' set -g extended-keys on set -g extended-keys-format csi-uhttps://github.com/chapmanjacobd/computer/commit/49bf759c52877046d245513681a3955fd486868f
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Comment on Lego Skylines | Announcement trailer in ~games
xk3 Link ParentI hope there will be a wide variety of older sets and hopefully even a reference or two to Lego Loco and Lego Island. If they don't include at least one buildable Classic Castle 6075 Yellow Castle...I hope there will be a wide variety of older sets and hopefully even a reference or two to Lego Loco and Lego Island.
If they don't include at least one buildable Classic Castle 6075 Yellow Castle I would say something is indeed... Something is perhaps rotten in the state of Denmark!
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Comment on Lego Skylines | Announcement trailer in ~games
xk3 LinkHopefully more wimmelbilder potential than Cities: Skylines? It will be interesting to see if we can capture and live inside of that late '90s Lego Magazine aesthetic.Hopefully more wimmelbilder potential than Cities: Skylines? It will be interesting to see if we can capture and live inside of that late '90s Lego Magazine aesthetic.
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Comment on What workplace absurdity are you forced to live with? in ~life
xk3 Link ParentOne time I was accidentally bumped up to premium plus on a 16 hour flight. I think it was one of those 'your first hit is free' things. But it didn't work on me! Honestly it didn't feel much...One time I was accidentally bumped up to premium plus on a 16 hour flight. I think it was one of those 'your first hit is free' things. But it didn't work on me! Honestly it didn't feel much different. Sixteen hours in a seat in a tin can is sixteen hours in a seat in a in a tin can.
However, if they bumped me up to first every so often I might just refuse to fly economy...
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Comment on Automating immersive reading in ~comp
xk3 Link ParentDid you know that Max Fleischer invented the "follow the bouncing ball" technique in 1924 for this animated short films? 'Follow the bouncing ball' is not quite technical sounding but it does have...Did you know that Max Fleischer invented the "follow the bouncing ball" technique in 1924 for this animated short films? 'Follow the bouncing ball' is not quite technical sounding but it does have an intuitive and well-defined meaning.
You might find this article interesting: https://www.nydailynews.com/2005/04/12/point-man-max-fleischer-and-the-bouncing-ball/
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Comment on Songs about doing chores / daily routines? in ~music
xk3 LinkI guess it's not everyday you get to bake a cake for a prince but I feel like this fits: Donkey Skin (1970) - Cake Baking SongI guess it's not everyday you get to bake a cake for a prince but I feel like this fits:
I don't normally follow celebrity gossip but I read last night that Christian Bale still drives around his 2003 Tacoma