mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06Dumping ground for random thoughts and things that caught my notice. Frequent lurker, infrequent poster.
Fan of
- other people's well-being
- my well-being
- spider-man
- punk rock
- my kids most of the time
- video games
Pre-ordered #Saros this week, and in doing so, reflected on my expectation 5 years ago that we would have seen a slate of Returnal-likes by now, to the point that AA/A bullet hell roguelikes would be a full-fledged genre in the manner of Soulslikes.
We got #ProjectTower, and #LunaAbyss next month (potentially unfortunate timing), but I really thought Returnal would have been considerably more influential. Certainly I believe it deserved to be.
"In exchange for an ever-increasing budget and the state’s parajudicial control, the Atrocity Machine has agreed to key reforms. These include mandatory training for anyone who operates the Atrocity Machine, promises to live-stream the Machine’s apocalyptic terror for all to see, and a fresh coat of paint. If history teaches us anything, it is that modest reform is the most effective way to tame a rogue, fire-spitting Leviathan."
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/we-can-reform-the-atrocity-machine
It has never grown less shocking each time I learn how psychotically excitable #ICE and #CBP agents get when they get to shoot at someone. I cannot fathom doing this kind of damage to another human being and reacting with anything other than dismay AT LEAST, regardless of circumstances.
“I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” Mr. Exum wrote in a group message with other agents.
Clint Webb for Senate
https://youtube.com/shorts/SU6gCAV-olU?si=3muSBZBokGqDR8L5
An hour of #Saros tonight leaves a strong impression: art style, score, and buttery-smooth action. I remain stubbornly unconvinced at this early stage, however, that it will top Returnal. That game's uniquely effective alignment of all its core elements, most notably an eerie atmosphere of remorse and spiraling madness, is a high pedestal indeed.
"Cultures don't make things; people make things. All cultures do is codify the meaning of the things people make. You can criticize the conclusions people come to in their systems of meaning...what you can't do is dictate what things mean to people.
The fact that I don't like Taiwanese food...does not mean that Taiwanese food is existentially bad. Or good. Taiwanese food is. Any other thought about it is a reflection of subjective values, not the nature of reality itself."
Now playing Heart Machine's #possessors. I'm a sucker for metroidvanias so my opinion is prejudiced, but I'm far enough along to be surprised by the game's relatively low metacritic score. True, it doesn't do much exceptionally (except the art style - the fast travel interstitial on the subway is mesmerizing), but it does most things on par with other games of the genre I've enjoyed the most.
"But now that [ #swalwell has] resigned, we need to face the dire consequences: if we kick one suspected rapist out of Congress, we’ll then have to kick out all the suspected rapists.
It’s naïve to imagine the government can continue to function without the tireless dedication of our best and brightest rapists."
- Talia Argondezzi, #mcsweeneys
I think the only constructive use of the traditional debate format is if both parties only ever are arguing in favor of the side they don't personally agree with.
"Winning" is a poor method to influence and enrich someone else's beliefs, but it is a great incentive to pressure-test your own beliefs and make a best-faith effort to understand an opposing idea.
"The strength of a punch comes from the windup - the horror of battle comes from the rain."
Brennan Lee Mulligan and Matt Mercer talk "Ma" (間)
https://youtube.com/shorts/tDS2olk8Jx0?si=djEvggV-3pTNlPGm
Haven't paid much attention to the #WashingtonPost in quite a few years, so I missed this last year. But I am dumbstruck at how stunningly nonsensical and backward this claim is from the editorial board about the destruction of the East Wing.
"The White House cannot simply be a museum to the past. Like America, it must evolve with the times to maintain its greatness. Strong leaders reject calcification. In that way, Trump’s undertaking is a shot across the bow at NIMBYs everywhere."
Annual company kickoff today. We're in the IT industry - and very excited about #AI. And to prove it, we were subjected to an AI-generated music video of the CEO and ELT (all white) singing an AI-generated rap song with grossly malformed imagery and saltine lyrics about the company's goals.
It was the absolute worst thing I could have imagined for this event, unless we'd hired Greg Bovino as the guest speaker.
