backpackviolet

7 ms·

1.
by backpackviolet 1mo ago
I read Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky recently and I think it takes more-or-less takes direct inspiration from this story (and the poem) with modern aesthetics. I liked it, it’s more dark-humorous than strictly bleak, but still pretty
2.
by backpackviolet 2mo ago
It depends on the game (which is one way in which it isn't ready yet, granted), but I've been amazed at how many games I can play without any issues. Maybe I'm just lucky that my taste aligns with what's playable but I&
3.
by backpackviolet 7mo ago
It’s the Poor Man’s MAD (mutually assured destruction). They want this conflict to be as painful as possible so that pressure is applied to the aggressors to stop. The US can’t defend all of the possible targets, it causes a lot of econom
4.
by backpackviolet 8mo ago
But what the republican party has, is a lot of isolationist voters who cannot be moved by appeals to markets or international trade. They don’t care about that stuff. Sure, the republicans will look hilarious trying to replace Trump for a
5.
by backpackviolet 8mo ago
It's something of an open question whether MAGA will follow him or not. I would bet against it, for the same reason few of them followed Jeb after George. I would bet on some in-fighting between Don Jr, JD and some of the others, and
6.
by backpackviolet 8mo ago
> the Republican Party elites are rich dudes who don't want to screw ourselves back to the stone age. They said that about Trump I. The Republican Party elites have power, but they don't have all power on the conservative side
7.
by backpackviolet 8mo ago
They won't. This is the same line of people that voted for Reagan and Bush II. I used to be one, most of my family still is. Whatever Democrat gets elected (if we have reasonable elections) will get the blame from them and it will b
8.
by backpackviolet 10mo ago
I think it's inversely correlated with power, influence and reach. HN and Reddit don't have guns, can't throw you in prison, and there are lots of social medias to choose from, so a fair bit of censorship can be tolerated.
9.
by backpackviolet 1y ago
I’m still surprised by what AI can do. It’s amazing. … but I still have to double check when it’s important that I get the right answer, I still have to review the code it writes, and I still am not sure there is actually enough business t
10.
by backpackviolet 1y ago
> "AI is getting better rapidly" … is it? I hear people saying that. I see “improvement”: the art generally has the right number of fingers more often, the text looks like text, the code agents don’t write stuff that even the
11.
by backpackviolet 2y ago
No, obviously not. Smartphones are a mixed blessing, I'm not sure we're better off with the little distraction machines, but both them and electric cars were things that could plausibly have developed more slowly, deliberately an
12.
by backpackviolet 2y ago
In addition to the fantastic trains the other commenters mentioned, you could also take a bus for $20 to any major hub or hotel.
13.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
> Right now you probably hold one or the other. No, right now you probably have no opinion on the subject. And depending on context are perfectly willing to entertain either or neither. The world will be a much better place when people
14.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
> Like, people must remember which candidates they voted for in the past, right? I have noticed that in myself, but I have observed in some people it takes the form of “I didn’t shift, the party did”. They aren’t completely wrong either,
15.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
Right, because the real problem with the world is that there aren’t enough humans. /s
16.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
You have to be some kind of madman to make a game in straight C. The controls being what they are is kind of fitting. I mean, it might be a prank, but like QWOP and Getting Over It, I think it's just the product of a certain kind of
17.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
> The quiz thing is mostly exhaustion at the idea of people who don't bother to learn anything having a say. I hear you, I feel that frustration as well. Myself, I've come the long way around to deciding that, those people nee
18.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
> I would add that any law passed must have a relatively short sunset clause. This forces us to reconsider laws periodically to make sure they're still relevant. I like this idea in theory, and I'd love to find a way to impleme
19.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
No, that’s the magic of the bulletproof fabric. Imagine the energy of the bullet is distributed across the entire garment.
20.
by backpackviolet 3y ago
What would it be like for civilization to have evolved on a world with a moon (or other large natural satellite) in geosynchronous orbit. There’s just this … thing, in the sky, hovering over one spot. How sacred would that spot be to thos
21.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
I would guess there is some kind of normal distribution, it’s not like people dies or were fine, there were lots somewhere inbetween that took healthcare to save. The safety measures save people from dying, but also save the people who wou
22.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
It’s for fun. It takes playing pieces most people have available, rules many are familar with, and makes a new game with just a few more rules. For fun.
23.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
No, there is a rule in there that pieces causing Check forfeit further moves.
24.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
Uses the D4 motif that this variant is based on? If anything, why have a coin flip to resolve the tie? Just re-roll the D4 and stay in-universe
25.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
> Like, rolling a 4 on the first move wins the game No, that and your checkmate concerns are almost certainly why they came up with this rule: “The rest of a piece's moves are forfeited if a check is obtained.” So you cannot move an
26.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
Some of us just really like digging through raw Martian Elevation data and turning it into models or textures or whatever. And learning a new language while we’re at it is a nice (intended) side effect. If we could just “learn the language
27.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
Nah, it’s a benefit. You need to store less, less goes to waste because it’s easier to see everything. You can buy fresher things that spoil quickly because you’re going to eat them right away. The trick is that you pick stuff up “on your
28.
by backpackviolet 4y ago
Really hard to win the lottery if you never buy a ticket.