dmir

Just move somewhere they don’t sell and it won’t annoy you!

I think it’s not just possible, but easy, because entertainment cannot grant some true, genuine escape in the first place, so we understand mere distraction by it, of varying degree. Actually escaping the society would mean taking some real action, like packing your stuff (if that) and leaving for the woods or some other remote location where it’s you and the wilderness. Sitting in an building likely surrounded by other buildings, most likely connected to the sprawling electrical grid to power the actually hi-tech devices required to enjoy the entertainment that is very likely streamed to you in real time, produced in an actually hi-tech environment by other members of society, all dressed in some industry-produced PJs or something, enjoying something ultra-processed or even delivered to you after a couple of clicks over virtual buttons on your pocket super-computer that you swap for a new one at most every few years - that is pretty far from escaping society.

But you can take your mind off of it for a while.

For example, if I’m tired of all the AI and wars and right-wing aging people taking power, but play something like No Man’s Sky, flying around in space and digging some stuff and building my ships and as of recently decorating my space stations, I occupy my mind and let it cling to something else, often managing to mute the thoughts filling me with dread, even for a couple dozen minutes.

Something less peaceful surprisingly can serve purpose, too, by similarly hijacking my attention and though process and causing my nervous system to respond to different things: like watching Mad Max: Fury Road, which is pretty far from anything calm or soothing, especially when you take its lore into account, but watching it, I can almost guarantee I’ll be glued to the screen, following the action, feeling all sorts of things for the characters, thinking things of them and their actions, and actually feeling good by the end of it, almost cathartic because I’ve been emotionally shaken and stirred similarly to an amusement ride.

And surprisingly still, anything that is filled with hope and faith in humanity almost always makes me feel worse, because it actually reminds me more of the issues that are being ignored or mismanaged or even exacerbated. I remember reading Project Hail Mary and feeling heartbroken and desperate over some of the events that seemed so unrealistic and far from the reality already seen during the 2020s disasters, because I just knew that the kind of response depicted would be too big of an ask.

I’m happy it’s here and probably will get one down the line. Equally as mad that it’s surely gone up in price thanks to all the AI and other bullshit, not only not costing less than Valve Index (as had been originally rumored, I think), but more.

Super sour about the not included PSU. Hate it about the smartphone market, too.

But as a VR enjoyer, I’m still happy.

It’s always this.

I remember some post from years ago by a person saying that Elon Musk seems like a genius up until he starts talking about something you’re familiar with.

Thanks to the Internet, I think it’s gotten both more difficult to hide your own stupidity unless you’re careful with your tracks (the power-hungry often aren’t) and easier to absolutely flood the discourse so that your inferior cognitive abilities are either lost or overshadowed by something else (like Trump doing everything he, unfortunately somewhat successfully, to keep people busy talking and thinking about so much more other than his ties with Epstein).

And it keeps showing with the political and corporate leaders. The smarter ones from the latter, unfortunately, mostly seem to be psychopaths and/or sociopaths, very keen on leading the former where they need them (currently supporting AI and preparing the bailout, curbing the competition before, probably staring jaw-dropped at the news of “AI going rogue” and how can be the end of humanity and all).

Imma beat the dead horse and say that out of all dystopias, Idiocracy (2006) turned out to be the most accurate.

Oh what a game!

Have you played the DLC they released after the acquisition (after Survivors of the Void, I think)? Any opinions? I personally haven’t, but remember enjoying the first DLC thoroughly.

Also, what’s your device and controller scheme? I haven’t played in years, but played Monsoon on mkb when I did, and I can’t imagine tackling this beast on a controller, even with a gyro.

Yeah, good point, hadn’t thought of that.

I think capacitor sensors might make better dead-man switches here, especially with chords (requiring both being active at the same time), as holding the grip buttons feels kinda tiring quickly and awkward to my hands.

But it’s still so cool.

Can’t believe I’m about to find out what happened to the rest of the world outside Australia in the MAD MAX universe by living through it myself!

Times are tough, but I think a security architect is one of the positions that lets you choose an employer based on morals as well, because it pays well, and if Flock is already considering you, you probably have experience and money to pursue some integrity.

Pretty much this. I’ve been living under authoritarianism my whole life and such things are just clear as day.

Same reason so many social media or tech CEOs don’t really let their kids use the product: they know it sucks and it’s not good for you nor does it respect you or your data, they know how important privacy is - just not for you your privacy and data.

Solid advice, thanks!

Given how trigger-happy THE FINALS is with the ban hammer towards gyro players, I really doubt I’d be taking my chances with flickstick in that game.

But I’ve been thinking about for a while for singleplayer games, yeah. Thinking about the new DOOM trilogy for this.

Steam Deck.

The Talos Principle. It’s actually my first time playing the game despite having learned about it near launch and having seen some footage and just wondering at this mysterious puzzle-solving adventure set in such beautiful locations… And it’s every bit wonderful, much more than I had expected. And there’s so much reading, too! I actually love that part and how it’s executed, because it allows me to choose whether to go lore-learning, puzzle-solving or secrets-hunting. The latter is especially amazing here: I love spending days on trying to get to something only to learn that the solution lies in a different direction and turns out to be much simpler. I wonder if that’s intended or it’s just me.

Half-Life. A while ago I tried playing THE FINALS with gyro only and quickly found out that I gravitate towards the dual-trackpad control scheme, allowing me to achieve more and do less. However, a fast-paced online shooter that is also as demanding wasn’t the perfect choice for every time I grabbed the deck, so I tried finally beating Half-Life on Hard - and got humbled. I had thought I was kinda good with gyro, but apparently not. All the better, as it led to me mixing mouse input on the right trackpad combined with gyro as opposed to committing to gyro entirely, the latter doesn’t being that much comfortable or precise on a Steam Deck, essentially rotating your controller with your screen.

I will probably pick up THE FINALS on the Steam Deck again, too, with S11 introducing bot matches. Could be a great and fun way to practice or warm up before joining someone’s team and contributing a fraction of a fraction of what I can with mouse and keyboard at least semi-predictably.

If you can’t make the decision for yourself, especially such a inconsequential one, probably just rolle the dice or something. It can even be fun when you define multiple criteria and roll of each, ending up doing something that you already might have anyway, because it’s in your pool, but there’s still kind of discovery here, like you stumble upon something from your own collection.

I’d prefer to leave the ambiguity completely out of the equation here!

I was thinking of the pressure difference and a spacesuit that allowed enough dexterity to do combat.

And again, with Xenonite, shooting it even in the right spot is kinda too tricky for the terrans.

There actually might be no war at all, because some things make warfare between these two species that much more difficult.

Behind the spoiler are details from Project Hail Mary, so if you’re planning on reading/watching it yourself, best not to look there.

Gotta be so careful with what your mat says…

Sugar free drinks are taxed at 20c/l

Does that include artificial sweeteners? I have some sort of prejudice against them that I couldn’t substantiate with research, but one thing is certain: none of them felt good to me.

I am much happier with drinking less sweet beverages overall, but made with regular sugar. Actually tend to spend less that way, even if I pay more for less - I just happen to be buying that much less frequently that way.

And him saying switching to Linux is like moving to another country instead of addressing the issues at home lol

That’s after years of talking smack against Valve and Newell, too. Which will not cease, I’m sure, but I bet he’s either real angry now or doing a lot of mental gymnastics to tell his narcissistic ass he’s not being proven wrong.