Wes's recent activity
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Comment on Mozilla is adding vertical tabs, profile management, and local AI to Firefox in ~tech
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentWow, I think that's the first golf win we've seen! Great job! Especially well done on choosing your games to cover as many categories as possible, especially with some rather tricky ones. I was a...Wow, I think that's the first golf win we've seen! Great job! Especially well done on choosing your games to cover as many categories as possible, especially with some rather tricky ones.
I was a little worried about the "balancing" of the game modes, but I'm glad to see that golf was not only doable, but the first completed bingo for this event.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentDominion was the first "deck builder" I've played, which was in person and with physical cards. It was a fun memory, so I'll always have a soft spot for the game, even if I'm not very good at it....Dominion was the first "deck builder" I've played, which was in person and with physical cards. It was a fun memory, so I'll always have a soft spot for the game, even if I'm not very good at it.
The aggravating thing is that the digital license expires every 5 years or so. At that point the developer of the game/app can no longer sell it, and the license is then transferred to another company that builds a new app. As a result players need to learn a completely new interface each time, and usually some features are changed or lost. Worse, they often change how expansion pack ownership works, so it's very easy to lose access to content you've bought.
Though they do at least offer the base game for free on most platforms, and that's still a lot of fun even without the expansions. And though it keeps getting copyright struck on Tabletop Simulator, there's often a new version uploaded that can be played there with friends.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentAww, I really appreciate the kind words! I'm glad I was able to add some value to a Tildes event like this. Thank you so much for helping me test the app and for providing feedback and ideas along...Aww, I really appreciate the kind words! I'm glad I was able to add some value to a Tildes event like this. Thank you so much for helping me test the app and for providing feedback and ideas along the way.
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Comment on Microsoft confirms Windows 11 Recall AI hardware requirements in ~tech
Wes Link ParentYes and no. They do have personalized advertising, as I mentioned above, but it doesn't mean that every single bit of telemetry feeds into those profiles. Most of the time these features are to...Yes and no. They do have personalized advertising, as I mentioned above, but it doesn't mean that every single bit of telemetry feeds into those profiles. Most of the time these features are to allow a deeper understand of how software their used, the hardware it runs on, and what went wrong when it crashes. Realistically, knowing that you use X feature of an application offers very little value in targeting more accurate ads to you. Instead, it helps them build and debug their software.
I care about privacy, but I am not an absolutist by any means. I won't argue that any amount of telemetry is over the line. I'm also a developer so I understand the value that these features can provide. Knowing that your app is consistently crashing from "audiolib-sdk6" specifically on Windows 8 is way easier to debug than collecting hundreds of bug reports over years.
With that said, privacy is a part of the contract when using services or software, and it's our job as consumers to understand what we're comfortable sharing. More often than not, the privacy policy of a program tells you exactly what data is being collected and how it's used. I try to give them a skim before agreeing to anything, making note of what data is collected and which partners it is shared with.
Microsoft is an odd case because marketers have been making a mess of Windows for years with hostile ads and upsells. However they still have a very talented engineering team making solid improvements in other areas like WSL2 and PowerShell. I expect Recall is going to fall into that latter category to enhance the experience and not be a tool for marketers, but until it's released I can only speculate.
Both Google and Microsoft offer different licensing for business users that offer much stricter privacy and security controls. They're good options if you're somebody that takes privacy very seriously. But of course, other alternatives also exist in all spaces. I'm always happy to see people using ProtonMail for email, LibreOffice for a desktop suite, or Linux for their OS. I've used and enjoy all three. But I also use a 1-user Google Workspace account on Windows for my day-to-day tasks because those offer me a lot of value.
I think it's important to know what you're comfortable sharing, and to understand that our interactions with companies are not so simple as "they scoop up all data to sell/advertise with". If you remain flexible and evaluate the tradeoffs, you'll have the best time of it.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentNext I played Cook-Out, which is a VR title. Cook-out is a game all about time management, thus I've put it in the "Has a time limit" category. The gameplay is fairly simple: customers will...Next I played Cook-Out, which is a VR title. Cook-out is a game all about time management, thus I've put it in the "Has a time limit" category. The gameplay is fairly simple: customers will continually submit sandwich orders, and your job is to fill them by matching the ingredients in the right amounts and order to satisfy the customer.
Supposedly this is like the game Overcooked, though I've not played that so I can't compare. It does remind me though of Ore no Ryomi, or its spiritual successor Cook, Serve, Delicious!.
Because it's a VR game, controls play a big part of it. Instead of just clicking on a pepper shaker, you are physically shaking it over the plate. You need to squeeze down the mustard with your controller grips, and toss items around in a physical space.
The game seems to be designed for multiplayer, but in singleplayer mode they introduce a robot companion that takes on the role of a second player. Instead of having access to all ingredients yourself, the robot has their own set of ingredients that you need for your orders, and they need access to your ingredients for orders they've started. You need to watch to make sure you don't get tunnel vision on your own orders while leaving customers waiting and turning unhappy.
Cook-Out is probably best-served in multiplayer, but I thought their solution with the robot was fairly clever and still gives you a good idea of what to expect with friends.
The game does feature some RPG mechanics which I felt didn't quite fit with the rest of it. You can apply a potion before a round to make certain tasks easier, and collect coins for upgrades. I didn't think the game really needed this kind of meta-progression outside of the levels, but I suppose it does add replayability for those who want to unlock everything.
The developer, Resolution Games, makes a lot of the better VR games. If I have one complaint though, it's that they always force you to accept their terms of service and privacy policy at the beginning of the game, right after you've slapped on your headset, with no way to review their contents. The links are unclickable, which means you need to manually type in the URLs just to understand what kind of tracking they use. It's very frustrating if you're one of the few people that reads these things. But that's my one complaint.
Overall I enjoyed the game, and plan to go back and play a few more rounds. My play time is still low, but something about VR games makes 30 minutes feel like an hour, so I'm willing to submit this one a little earlier than I otherwise might.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentI played Trailmakers for about three hours last night. It's similar to a game I played during last year's event, Main Assembly, but with a greater focus on unlocking parts and navigating an open...I played Trailmakers for about three hours last night. It's similar to a game I played during last year's event, Main Assembly, but with a greater focus on unlocking parts and navigating an open world (versus closed-off missions).
I'm going to cheekily put this in the "You can create your own character" category, because building vehicles (that you control) is the main point of the game.
I quite liked what I played. It starts off a little slow because you don't have any parts yet, but once you start collecting a few power cores and the tractor beam, you're able to get around a lot more rapidly and begin scaling up.
At this point I've created specialized land and sea vehicles, but haven't collected enough to start building airplanes yet. It's really interesting to come up with unique solutions to collect difficult parts - such as building a long arm on one side of your vehicle to prod the part off a pillar, and then adding weight to your other side to balance things out.
I think this is a longer-term game that I'll dip into when feeling creative rather than one to power through in an evening, so I'll have more to say in the future. So far I'm really enjoying it though!
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentScourgeBringer is an interesting one. It's a roguelike with a mix of modern and retro mechanics. The gameplay is precise, and I suspect it has a high skill ceiling, yet it's also heavy on...ScourgeBringer is an interesting one. It's a roguelike with a mix of modern and retro mechanics. The gameplay is precise, and I suspect it has a high skill ceiling, yet it's also heavy on button-mashing. The game is frenetic through and through.
Essentially you are exploring a grid of rooms to clear out any baddies that spawn. And they do spawn quite a lot. Typically you need to clear each room twice before the doors will open, and then you move to the next room and repeat the process. Getting around is a bit slow at the start (or maybe I'm just slow).
The levels are procedural, so I've slotted this into the Procedural Generation category. Unfortunately, the gameplay has not really hooked me. I prefer more methodical action roguelikes such as Dead Cells or Rogue Legacy. It's entirely possible that I'm just playing it wrong, but the button clicks per minute just seem way too high on this one for me.
The game is also available on Android if you're partial to that form factor. I wanted to try it on desktop first, but I don't think it's the kind of game I could handle on mobile, so I'll give it a miss there.
One thing I do like is that the upgrades seem pretty meaningful, which makes it feel nice when you unlock something for your next run. Those big hits in meta-progression are always one of my favourite parts about these games.
Still, the general gameplay is a bit too button-mashy for me, so I'm going to put it down here. I'm sure it does appeal to others though.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes LinkI skipped last week because I have been fang-deep into V-Rising since v1.0 released, but I'm starting to come up for air now. I plan to get a bunch of entries in this last week, if possible, and...I skipped last week because I have been fang-deep into V-Rising since v1.0 released, but I'm starting to come up for air now. I plan to get a bunch of entries in this last week, if possible, and already have a few to report on.
I'm close to a bingo in one column, though I'll likely continue to meander a bit until right before game day. But I'll definitely make sure to get at least one bingo in somewhere.
Bingo Card (8/25)
Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 8/25 Has driving
✔ Open RoadsHas a lives system Is open-source Has/uses cards
✔ Vault of the VoidHas time manipulation Music/rhythm-focused
✔ Metal: HellsingerSet in a historical world Your friend loves it Uses a unique control scheme Has a time limit
✔ Cook-OutYou can complete it in only a few hours
✔ The CorridorHas more than 50 achievements ★ Wildcard You have to tinker to get it running
✔ Dark Souls 3: Archthrones ModIs considered “abandonware” You heard about it in our weekly gaming topics Has a skill tree Known for its art style Popular game you never got around to playing You own it on physical media Uses procedural generation
✔ ScourgeBringerNominated for a Steam award A solo-dev project You can create your own character
✔ TrailmakersHas gravity manipulation -
Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentCuphead would 100% be on my backlog if I owned it. I don't know if I can keep up with the bullet hell, but the aesthetics are so beautifully drawn and consistent that I appreciate the game for its...Cuphead would 100% be on my backlog if I owned it. I don't know if I can keep up with the bullet hell, but the aesthetics are so beautifully drawn and consistent that I appreciate the game for its visuals alone.
I don't even know what to say to Super Robot Wars except that it is beyond wacky and I love that you love it. Thanks for sharing your write-up, and great job in really committing to these titles!
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentIf you're still struggling on "Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner", I did play Okami for last year's event. There's no hard and fast rules, so it's up to you if you want to allow...If you're still struggling on "Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner", I did play Okami for last year's event. There's no hard and fast rules, so it's up to you if you want to allow that or not!
I found the beginning a little too slow as well. It's a game that I think I might enjoy just as much by watching a Let's Play as actually playing myself.
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Comment on Microsoft confirms Windows 11 Recall AI hardware requirements in ~tech
Wes (edited )Link ParentWell, it's not as if Microsoft doesn't have an ad network of their own. They use the same auction system that Google does, and they only recently began allowing you to opt-out of personalization....Microsoft makes money by selling software subscriptions, unlike Google who mostly makes money commercializing your data.
Well, it's not as if Microsoft doesn't have an ad network of their own. They use the same auction system that Google does, and they only recently began allowing you to opt-out of personalization. Microsoft makes money in exactly the same way Google does: enterprise, cloud, hardware, and ads.
Besides, Windows is full of telemetry, as are the software applications included or packaged separately (like VS Code). It's not a good sign of them being a privacy-respecting organization. And if you've never used their web tracking solution, Microsoft Clarity, let me say: I have never felt as creeped out working with analytics as I did when watching a recording of somebody's mouse movements browsing a website, all without their knowledge.
These companies have hundreds of different divisions, each with different goals and motivations. Most of those divisions have nothing to do with ads or tracking at all. Some do, and that's where you need to be mindful of your consent and privacy. In general though it does not make sense to distil a company down to "an ad company" or "a software company", because these giants are so big they do it all.
Regarding the Recall feature in particular, I see good reason to believe it will be truly local. It would have insane bandwidth and latency costs if done over a network, and there'd be little reason to require a specialized NPU to run inference otherwise. I don't know if I care for the specific implementation of using screenshots, but the feature definitely has merit and could be useful if properly implemented.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Wes Link ParentI've been playing it since the 1.0 release as well. I'm doing most content solo, though playing on a private server with a few friends. We're playing in Brutal mode which is definitely a step up...I've been playing it since the 1.0 release as well. I'm doing most content solo, though playing on a private server with a few friends. We're playing in Brutal mode which is definitely a step up in difficulty since the last time I played.
I'm somewhere around the mid-point of Act 3 right now. I could definitely be focusing more on progression, but I'm enjoying taking my time with this time, and building up some foundation and my castle between bosses.
Most of the 1.0 changes have been solid improvements. New content, some definite quality-of-life features. I was hoping they'd redo the fishing system, but at least more fish types are effective for reducing misery in prisoners, now.
It's definitely a fun game, and scratches that Terraria progression itch that few other games have managed for me.
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Comment on Why do the arrow functions won't return "this" object in a jquery event handler? in ~comp
Wes (edited )LinkArrow functions are not identical to the function() syntax (function expressions). As you found, arrow functions do not rebind this. Sometimes you want that behaviour, but most of the time you...Arrow functions are not identical to the
function()syntax (function expressions). As you found, arrow functions do not rebindthis. Sometimes you want that behaviour, but most of the time you don't. Personally, I try to avoid usingthiswhenever possible. Too many gotchas.Generally speaking, I think most people find the arrow function syntax to be much cleaner and more consistent. Though looking at the jQuery documentation, they do use the full
function()syntax, so I'd guess that's the recommended best practice there. They're likely doing some rebinding behind the scenes.You might need to move away from jQuery to fully embrace arrow functions. There's no need if it's working for you, but I will say that between
fetchanddocument.querySelector, vanilla JavaScript basically has you covered now. -
Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin in ~books
Wes Link ParentIt made me wonder more about her other books in this series! Certainly The Dispossessed reads well as a standalone novel, but considering it's listed as "Hainish Cycle #6" on Goodreads, that tells...It made me wonder more about her other books in this series! Certainly The Dispossessed reads well as a standalone novel, but considering it's listed as "Hainish Cycle #6" on Goodreads, that tells me that there's more to learn about these peoples in her other works. These Terrans sound pretty interesting, if I do say so myself!
In scifi it's very common to use alien species as a way of showing ideas from a new perspective. In Star Trek we often see the Vulkans used to show a cold, calculating take on a situation. The Klingons will give a fiery passionate response, focused on war and honour. Both species are different aspects of ourselves, but taken to an extreme we rarely see. They are used not just to provide motivations and storylines, but to hold up a mirror to our own society, and to expand the rigidity of our own thinking.
The Dispossessed does a very clever thing by making us the aliens. It allows these societies to exist in a way that wouldn't be very believable if situated on Earth and our moon, but it also allows for direct commentary from the Terrans on this society. Instead of being the mirror to us, we are the mirror to them. I found that idea very novel.
Of course, Urras is in many ways a direct analogy to Earth. Though capitalism, and certain imbalances such as the treatment of women has been dialed up, it is certainly a familiar place. The ambassador makes such a comment in the closing pages, and boy does it feel relevant today. It is hard not to read her words of Terrans turning Earth into a desert as a direct condemnation of our handling of global warming, despite being from 50 years ago.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin in ~books
Wes Link ParentI think the beginning of the book is intentionally very non-critical of Anarresti society and Odonianism. The characters wake up to hypocrisies and injustice as the book progresses, and it's...I'm not opposed to odonian principles, but so many of the passages are so uncritical as to read like propaganda. For me, it just made for dull storytelling.
I think the beginning of the book is intentionally very non-critical of Anarresti society and Odonianism. The characters wake up to hypocrisies and injustice as the book progresses, and it's through that original framing that their development is allowed to take place.
After all, the subtitle of the book is "An Ambiguous Utopia". I don't think that's because Le Guin felt anarchism is a perfect system.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin in ~books
Wes Link ParentThat's a great point, and a beautifully written one. On the theme of returning, this quote from earlier in the novel stuck out to me: Anarres has been in exile for a long time. It's a prison by...That's a great point, and a beautifully written one.
On the theme of returning, this quote from earlier in the novel stuck out to me:
"The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships to tell his tale is not an explorer, only an adventurer; and his sons are born in exile."
Anarres has been in exile for a long time. It's a prison by any other name.
Prisons, and the walls that construct them, were present all throughout the book. From the physical wall that divides the landing pad at Anarres, to the intellectual wall that Shevek needed to conquer to realize his theories, to the the ideological wall that separates the Anarresti and Urrasti people.
The Anarresti built this wall when they exiled themselves to the moon; when they changed their language so that communication became impossible; when they indoctrinated their children against the propitarians and egoizers of Urras. It became a social crime to even wonder about the unknown, and groupthink was trained to quickly shut down any such ideas. This happened in children as shown in Shev's teenage years, and it happened in adults as shown at the PDC meetings.
By building a wall to keep others out, they also kept themselves in.
"Those who build walls are their own prisoners."
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin in ~books
Wes Link ParentI just wanted to say that this was a great selection of quotes. I found many of the same ones impactful while reading, enough so to go back and re-read them, or to consider their meaning for a...I just wanted to say that this was a great selection of quotes. I found many of the same ones impactful while reading, enough so to go back and re-read them, or to consider their meaning for a time. It's been helpful to review them again now that I've finished the book.
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Comment on May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
Wes Link ParentNice job on completing it. I really like these decompilation projects but hadn't heard of OpenGOAL before your post. I was never in the Playstation ecosystem, so I missed out on some of these...Nice job on completing it. I really like these decompilation projects but hadn't heard of OpenGOAL before your post. I was never in the Playstation ecosystem, so I missed out on some of these seminal titles. Will definitely make note of this if (or when) the retro game urge strikes, because that seems like something that would be right up my alley.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 12 in ~games
Wes Link ParentIt's also worth mentioning that the Android and iOS versions are on sale. I finally picked it up on Android, after kicking myself for missing the 10 cent sale some years back. They're also running...It's also worth mentioning that the Android and iOS versions are on sale. I finally picked it up on Android, after kicking myself for missing the 10 cent sale some years back.
They're also running a promo with daily giveaways in the launcher, as well as integrations with Twitch and TikTok. That's likely just for Bedrock though, and if I'm being honest, I find the FOMO mechanics of "Twitch Drops" to be rather unfortunate.
Many AI services cost money because they use hosted models from OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini. This feature however runs a local model in the browser, completely on your device. It's an accessibility tool, so it seems unlikely to cost money.
They're probably using an adaption of LLaVA, Phi-3-vision, or some other vision model for describing images.
As NPUs become more available, and AI features are further developed and optimized, I expect to see more locally-hosted options becoming available.