zod000's recent activity
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Comment on A new era of intelligence with Gemini 3 in ~tech
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Comment on Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown in ~music
zod000 Link ParentTotally agreed here, but with the recent Tickermaster/AXS bullshit requiring you use their app, I have sadly decided I am probably never going to be able to go to a concert again unless it is some...Totally agreed here, but with the recent Tickermaster/AXS bullshit requiring you use their app, I have sadly decided I am probably never going to be able to go to a concert again unless it is some local event that doesn't go through that system.
I know not seeing live events seems trivial in the wake of all the more serious and awful things going on right now, but being able to go to a concert once or twice a year was something I have always loved. And now it is gone due to corporate greed.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zod000 Link ParentI agree, the side content in Oblivion was great. The main story was a let down after Morrowind's. Honestly what I remember most of anything was how everything in the game leveled with you and...I agree, the side content in Oblivion was great. The main story was a let down after Morrowind's. Honestly what I remember most of anything was how everything in the game leveled with you and could leave you in a really bad situation if you made a bad character and/or leveled too quickly. There's nothing like running into a bunch of nobody farmers wearing full glass armor while you're still using junk because you made running a primary skill lmao.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zod000 Link ParentThe game is pretty full of side content and stuff to do, especially the first area. I felt like the story of Oblivion was nothing to write home about personally. I thought the story of Morrowind...The game is pretty full of side content and stuff to do, especially the first area. I felt like the story of Oblivion was nothing to write home about personally. I thought the story of Morrowind and Skyrim both had a more compelling plot, but let's face it, story quality was never one of the high points of those games.
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Comment on USB hub with a detachable cable? in ~tech
zod000 LinkI had a very similar need (usb hug attached to the monitor) and my solution may work, but it isn't exactly what you asked for. I found that nearly every one of my monitors actually had a built in...I had a very similar need (usb hug attached to the monitor) and my solution may work, but it isn't exactly what you asked for. I found that nearly every one of my monitors actually had a built in USB hub. Some were only USB 2, but my main monitor was USB 3. So, I attached my little USB 3 hub (with its annoyingly short cable) to the monitor USB port and velcro'd it to the back near the bottom. That let me connect my peripherals like mouse and keyboard and general thumb drives to that instead of the PC itself.
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Comment on A new era of intelligence with Gemini 3 in ~tech
zod000 Link ParentIt was catastrophic to anyone with investments (not me then) or that worked in tech (I had just entered the field professionally). My personal experience was that my company went under as did tons...It was catastrophic to anyone with investments (not me then) or that worked in tech (I had just entered the field professionally). My personal experience was that my company went under as did tons of others. I ended up working a phone tech support job after that. The entire call center was filled to the brim with insanely overqualified people. When an IT position opened up, something like 85% of the help desk applied for it. It probably delayed my career by half a decade, but at least I didn't get my retirement wiped out (that waited until 2008-2009!).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zod000 LinkI just played and finished Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon on PC. It is essentially an Elder Scrolls type of game (feels most like Oblivion), but with better combat and a better story. I haven't...I just played and finished Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon on PC. It is essentially an Elder Scrolls type of game (feels most like Oblivion), but with better combat and a better story. I haven't played a TES game since Skyrim came out roughly a century ago, so it was quite fun. Apparently it was a buggy mess on release (just like a real TES game!), but I didn't hit a single bug in my roughly 50 hour playthrough. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for that type of game. I played on Linux with no issues or tweaks needed.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zod000 Link ParentThis basically verbatim what I was going to say. The first game was basically New Vegas, but in space and not as good. I was hoping the new game would be better.This basically verbatim what I was going to say. The first game was basically New Vegas, but in space and not as good. I was hoping the new game would be better.
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Comment on PSP: The rise and fall of Sony's first portable in ~games
zod000 Link ParentI agree, the PSP was so good. I was quite powerful, had a great screen, and had controls that didn't feel too tiny or hurt my hands like most modern Nintendo handhelds. There were so many good...I agree, the PSP was so good. I was quite powerful, had a great screen, and had controls that didn't feel too tiny or hurt my hands like most modern Nintendo handhelds. There were so many good games for the system that I liked. My only complaints would be related to the storage media and the analog "stick". The UMD discs sucked, they were slow, loud, and not particularly big and Sony's Memory Stick format sucked. Later on you could get decent SD to MS adapters, but at the time memory sticks were way overpriced. The analog control was "meh", but I tended to favor games that used the D-pad anyway.
Though obviously unsupported, the system was also decent to write homebrew games for (though not as easy as the GBA or DS).
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Comment on McDonald’s is losing its low-income customers in ~food
zod000 Link ParentWhat I have been seeing is that for most fast food places (McD, Wendy's, Culvers, Arbys's, etc), the "better" meal combos are as expensive as visiting local actual restaurants with lunch prices....What I have been seeing is that for most fast food places (McD, Wendy's, Culvers, Arbys's, etc), the "better" meal combos are as expensive as visiting local actual restaurants with lunch prices. Sure, you also need to tip at a restaurant, but you're getting vastly more and better food. It used to be a much larger difference in price between fast food places and regular sit down restaurants. If prices went up by 40% at the regular places, they'd be out of business.
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Comment on McDonald’s is losing its low-income customers in ~food
zod000 Link ParentDid you do this online order using their app by any chance? That price you're showing sound highly out of the ordinary. I have noticed the prices at McD have jumped WAY up (the article says 40% in...Did you do this online order using their app by any chance? That price you're showing sound highly out of the ordinary. I have noticed the prices at McD have jumped WAY up (the article says 40% in a five year period and I believe it), but they have noticeably lower prices on specific deals exclusively on their app. If you go through the regular drive through window and order without an app, the prices are definitely in the $12+ range for a meal. I can't use their app to verify (and wouldn't even if I could), but they barrage you with reminders that its cheaper to use their app. They must be making some serious money from the user data.
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Comment on Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules in ~tech
zod000 LinkThis still sounds like garbage TBH. This still reeks of Google trying to both mitigate the impact of the court ruling forcing them to open up app store process and take a swipe at all the...This still sounds like garbage TBH. This still reeks of Google trying to both mitigate the impact of the court ruling forcing them to open up app store process and take a swipe at all the "unauthorized" apps that let me avoid their barrage of ads.
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Comment on The spy who came in from the WiFi: Beware of radio network surveillance! in ~comp
zod000 Link ParentHah, I am going to look so rad in my aluminum foil duster.Hah, I am going to look so rad in my aluminum foil duster.
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Comment on The spy who came in from the WiFi: Beware of radio network surveillance! in ~comp
zod000 Link ParentI wonder if there are materials that can absorb or disrupt signals enough to foil this sort of thing. This is making me want to live inside a Faraday cage.I wonder if there are materials that can absorb or disrupt signals enough to foil this sort of thing. This is making me want to live inside a Faraday cage.
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Comment on Humble Bundle: Modern Sci-Fi Classics (Charles Soule, Joseph Fink, Hugh Howey, and Neal Stephenson) in ~books
zod000 Link ParentThe first season of Silo was pretty close to the book, but I have no idea how they could make season 2 like the book without alienating the fans.The first season of Silo was pretty close to the book, but I have no idea how they could make season 2 like the book without alienating the fans.
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Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech
zod000 Link ParentI ended up getting a cheap, gimmicky, but ultimately fun music player called the Mixxtape for like $60. It functions as a working cassette in a cassette player and plays music off of the sd card....I ended up getting a cheap, gimmicky, but ultimately fun music player called the Mixxtape for like $60. It functions as a working cassette in a cassette player and plays music off of the sd card. It also can just use headphones and bluetooth, which is how any sane person will usually use it. I figured that this would work for a while and if I found I needed a more robust player I could get one later. I mostly use my IEMs while doing inside chores or laying in bed, so this has worked fine. I don't think I'd recommend it to people using it while running/jogging or anything where it might need to be rugged.
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Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech
zod000 LinkPeople have covered most of the options already, but as I recently went through this same search as well I figured I'd share what I found. First, I had one additional feature that was important to...People have covered most of the options already, but as I recently went through this same search as well I figured I'd share what I found.
First, I had one additional feature that was important to me, that being that I could put a de-Googled custom ROM on it, which ended up being the hardest one of all to satisfy in combination with the others. I was not able to find a single phone replacement for my phone that actually did all of it (Pixel 4a). I initially decided I'd have to forgo the custom ROM support because a headphone back was extremely important to me.
Your decent options (in the US) with headphone jacks and decent storage are these:
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Sony Xperia line: Good to decent phones (depending on which level you go for), but expensive. I first tried to go this route. These phones were larger than I wanted, but not gigantic like some. The phone hardware was nice, but every single "unlocked" phone I purchased online ended up actually being locked to AT&T and had to be returned. After the third phone purchase from a different vendor, I decided Sony was out.
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Moto G line. These were very affordable compared to the Sony, but obviously made compromises. They are slower, and larger, but they seems to be good "bang for the buck". I was able to try these out because my kids also wanted phones and needed wired headphones. The main issues with these were with connectivity and general low level bugginess. The kids would not be able to maintain bluetooth connections or video calls over wi-fi. The connections would just randomly drop. This happened on two different, but similar models, so it could be a hardware issue with those SoCs or some Moto software.
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Samsung phones: Samsung actually kept headphone jacks on most of their midrange phones for a while, but now I think it is only the Xcover rugged line that has one. You can also get an older (probably used) A line phone with one as well. I haven't had a good experience with a Samsung phone in a looong time (like since the first 5 Galaxy phones), so I didn't actually consider Samsung.
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Smaller brands: Asus, TCL, and a few others have some phones with headphone jacks. They are usually great on paper, but I only tried an Asus Zenphone and I hated it, sold it for a loss. It was big, had rough software (Asus is NOT good at this stuff IMO), and was rarely updated.
In the end I decided that if I couldn't get a decent phone with a headphone jack, I'd just get a portable music player instead and get a phone that could do ROMs the best. I ended up with a Pixel "a" phone and put GrapheneOS on it. It really sucks that this is what it came to.
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Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech
zod000 Link ParentThe Fairphone 6 also doesn't have a headphone jack. That made it a deal breaker for me when i was considering it.Fairphone 6 ticks all your boxes
The Fairphone 6 also doesn't have a headphone jack. That made it a deal breaker for me when i was considering it.
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Comment on Humble Bundle: Modern Sci-Fi Classics (Charles Soule, Joseph Fink, Hugh Howey, and Neal Stephenson) in ~books
zod000 Link ParentI have read all of these so I can give some takes with no spoilers. Seveneves: As many have mentioned, the first 2/3 of the book is more or less modern times hard sci-fi and very good. Last third...I have read all of these so I can give some takes with no spoilers.
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Seveneves: As many have mentioned, the first 2/3 of the book is more or less modern times hard sci-fi and very good. Last third is like a wacky fever dream that will be, let's just say polarizing. I didn't hate it, but I think if the book had ended at the 2/3 mark it would be better regarded.
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Anathem: This book seems to be many people's favorite. I bounced off of it the first two times I tried to read it because for seemingly hundreds of pages, almost nothing happens. I feels like the most boring book in the world. It really all does pay off in the end and I can see why people like it so much, but man, that beginning is rough and at least worth warning you about.
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Cryptonomicon: Good book, has different story thread not synced in time/setting, but comes together well in end IMO.
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Reamde: I hate to use the cliche marketing terms, but it is spot on a "techno thriller". Decent book, not so much my cup of tea.
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Fall (of Dodge in Hell): This is a sequel to Reamde and holy shit is it wacky. I suspect this was Stephenson trying not to make the same mistake he made with Seveneves. Only one story per book, leave the crazy after story to a sequel. The book itself will be very polarizing, but it has some amazing and kinda prophetic world building and I still think about constantly.
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Comment on Advice on poor Linux performance vs Windows in ~tech
zod000 LinkMy Linux system is faster across the board than on Windows with one exception, like you, disk I/O. It took me a while to figure it out, and it was that I have my drive encrypted with LUKS. When I...My Linux system is faster across the board than on Windows with one exception, like you, disk I/O. It took me a while to figure it out, and it was that I have my drive encrypted with LUKS. When I upgraded my SSD to a newer/larger one, I decided to try installing without LUKS to see if it fixed the performance issue (it did). I ended up going back to using encryption after testing, but this could be your issue.
Your experience really drives home the point that just because you aren't doing work directly related to the bubble in question doesn't mean you don't feel the full brunt of it popping.