+1 for A Memory Called Empire. Great book.

Only thing I've really finished this year is the expanse series. I really enjoyed the show but the books are also really great. Definitely recommended.

Halo for the FPS genre? As I understand, they basically invented the modern control scheme (dual stick, left for movement, right for pov, LT aim down sights, RT fire, etc). I may be wrong about them being first but they definitely popularized it and now nobody would dream of doing it differently.

I'll always assume ignorance before malice, but if somebody is on here reading OP's post, I assume they know what's up, and if they still choose to support JK, I don't think it's unreasonable to think less of them.

What about the seekers table didn't work for you? I'm still a couple EPs behind but it hasn't been appreciably worse than the Soldiers IMO.

I never really walked downtown much, just took transit usually, but when Pokemon Go came out I started walking more I suddenly realized how all the places I knew were actually like two blocks from each other. I support this theory.

The Shelved by Genre podcast by @rangedtouch.bsky.social are just starting a year-long season on Rings, just finished The Hobbit and a few chapters in to Fellowship, if you're interested.

You could just end up watching the first half of Spaceballs on a loop forever

"I never thought the nexus would torment MY friends and family" sobs employee of Torment Nexus Inc.

Have you played Exapunks? That's my favourite version of the Zachtronics formula. The code feels restrictive in a way more intentional way.

Another anti-pluribus point I'm stuck on is the death of art. Zosia *seemed* very excited to learn Carol was writing again. They don't seem capable of creating art in a way that gives them pleasure. I don't think it's random that our protagonist is an artist.

You're telling me that a guy with probably millions of flight hours logged in an open cockpit hasn't been struck by lightning a few times?

We received an AI generated Christmas card from our MP today. 🤢

This bit had me in tears and I can't explain why

I know the lyrics to this mashup better than any of the component songs. It messes me up when one of them comes on.

Like most things with tech these days, it'd be cool to ponder these questions just as soon as we solve, ya know, capitalism. Until then, it just gets blocked by assholes using it as an excuse to not pay people.

Live Laugh Love-ass font choice

I will fight to defend Montreal style bagels (not rosemary rock salt though)

I'm surprised to hear it's not working then, as Alec was saying, a single pod is already designed to be overkill for most applications, so needing more than one implies something else is wrong.

If they're throwing the whole pod into the basin, it's definitely not going to clean well. It'll get dissolved and flushed in the pre-wash and the main wash won't have any detergent.

I'm definitely hear for the Ea-Nasir meets Mistborn memes

I've also seen a blackboard metaphor, where you have a set of variables that are globally accessible to the graph and referenced by name. That may be too broad for the use case you have here though.

GOAT

The synth reminded me a lot of something on the Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack, but I couldn't put my finger on which track.

To belabour the metaphor though, it seems like games as a medium do a bad job of producing new "young adult" equivalents. In order to get into the genre you need to go play very old games, which are often unappealing to new/young players.

There's a meme in programming circles called a rubber duck review. You explain your coding problem out loud to a rubber duck or other inanimate object, and the act of speaking it aloud helps you realize your mistake. I'm convinced that the placebo effect is a good chunk of people's success with AI.

Can confirm, I don't give the slightest shit about football, but I get excited when I hear there's a new Scorigami.

I like some of the Gaga songs, what the fuck do she know about pet food.

FWIW, you get a different (non diagonal) d-air a few hours in and it makes the pogoing much easier. I think they just start you with the diagonal to feel different from Hollow Knight.

You're a cruel cruel man Shaun

That's okay, I'm still gonna buy it, just wondered if there was a way to cut out a middle man. Feels silly when everyone involved lives within walking distance. Thanks for the info!