dmir

That’s so weird to heard from someone with Asian hieroglyphs for name.

Shame has been working real well, too well across the world, especially in Asia. The West has seen it work as cancel culture, too, and even if has been less prevalent for a while, it certainly hasn’t been decades.

There are people that don’t care, of course, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be shunning the ones for whom it works.

Got it, thanks!

Do you put a lid on it or just walk away?

That sounds like a perfect lazy meal for me, thanks for the tips.

It sometimes takes an eternity or two to decrypt my messages, making me really want to agree here.

I made it through the Steam Autumn Sale without purchasing a single title this year, thinking wow, way to go me, nice job exercising restraint and saving some money.

Looks like that’ll be going to Amanita whenever this releases!

Yeah, they might be thinking of Samorost. Which, to be fair, has a similar style, but it’s very different visually if that makes sense.

At a point in time when so many are tired of big mergers like these, when big merges like these have led to completely shit results even from the investor-beloved muh metrics, these people not only proceed with the big merger, but hire a man you probably just don’t want from the metrics perspective alone. They surely don’t care about the ethics and morality, but isn’t a person like Kotick that’s so bad for PR is bad for the public image (although already a poor one), leading to less money, so the line doesn’t up and that’s bad?

Not in the current climate I guess.

This is such a weird merger getting weirder still.

Seeing more governments salivating over chat control and banning VPNs, some even actively implementing these, I really dont’t think we’re seeing OPSEC being taught in schools or colleges.

They used to tell us to be careful around the Internet, don’t use real names or give addresses or phone numbers or share any of our personal information online, to be cautios, to beware… now it’s all about “You dont’t have to worry if you don’t have anything to hide” and giving away all of your data voluntarily or being denied service until you do (or at least getting worse or more expensive service) and age verification.

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 a big No Man’s Sky shill, and yeah, the game can be repetitive and shallow, but it can offer some sense of fun casual progression that can last longer if you set big goals (like making tons of money to hunt for the perfect freighter or something).

And it’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t expect much of you, doesn’t want you sink hundreds of hours into a single mechanic or aspect for whatever reason. Instead, you just have a bunch of fun little things to do, some interconnected, but mostly like toys, just some novelties to engage with to whatever degree you’re willing to. If you like building and have the patience and the imagination, you’re going on a spree or massive project that starts with finding the perfect spot (which is easier said than done because there’s plenty to choose from) and likely doesn’t end because there’s always something else to add or brush up. Same for Corvettes (new starship class, think like Starfield ship building).

And now there’s even more stuff to do with space bases, player-ownable space stations, asteroid bases.

I think it’s the perfect “play pretend” game where you imagine yourself as someone living out in a world where space travel is trivial and mundane, just a means to an end, and you choose one or multiple ends, like piracy or fighting piracy or mining or bulk trading, etc., going in for as much as you’d like. Again, like playing with toys as a child and imagining things.

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.

Someone named rabber could be talking about more dire measures than piracy when referring to stealing. Never know.

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!

Battlefield + Counter-Strike.

Battlefield for scale and gameplay, Counter-Strike (like, 1.6) for paying for everything on your loadout, including guns, attachments, grenades, ammunition, other utility, and whatever vehicular stuff goes into this, because of the Battlefield aspect.

I’m finding the progression to be very smart - earlier levels felt more difficult actually because I wasn’t accustomed to the way the developers set things up. I can’t describe it too well, but as you keep solving stuff, you kind of know what to expect and have the idea of the what the solution might look like sooner, and you sort of work backwards from there.

If you want more puzzles, The Witness is also a great title. Although I found it to be downright maddening at times despite being able to beat it. I really like the variety of puzzles there, realy unique in that regard and its design. Hunting for secrets and extra stuff there takes lot, tol, though, but it’s all so beautiful and rewarding.

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.

Is The Talos Principle old enough to end up here? If it is, then I’m recommending it with great ease. Feels like such a great puzzler with little to no action or reflexes required, a lovely magnitudes of secrets to hunt, both apparently tied to progression and just Easter eggs, and a lot of optional reading if you’re into lore-diving.

It’s from Croteam, the people behind Serious Sam, although I can’t say how much of the original crew worked on The Talos Principle. Still, their own engine offers itself very well to puzzle-solving and exploration through walking (or sprinting).

Such a gem.

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.