Here to talk about fighting games, self hosting web apps, and easy weeknight recipes.

My mastodon account: @tuckerm
My blog: https://tuckerm.us

  • 9 Posts
  • 243 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 14th, 2023

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  • Congratulations for going on this adventure! IMO, living for a few days now and then away from human development is almost like a spiritual experience. Occasionally reminding ourselves that there is existence outside of the systems we are familiar with really changes the way we see things. I’ve only been dispersion camping for four days at a time before – this week+ trip you’re on sounds like it will be great.

    Alright, I never mention this in real life because it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but… the first time I dug a hole to shit in it, I felt like a different person. I was like, damn, I can do that. I just did that. Anyway, have a good shit. I mean trip.



  • They keep using the term “motion sensor,” probably to avoid saying “this device that you will place next to your kid’s bed has a camera and an internet connection.”

    (related community if that makes you nearly have an aneurysm: [email protected])

    edit: OK, it probably doesn’t actually have a camera, see comment below. I assumed it had to, since it mentioned detecting “hand gestures.” However, that could mean that it just roughly detects you waving in front of it, which wouldn’t require a camera. I still hate it.




  • Spelling out all the potential consequences of an unknown party accessing your DNA is impossible, because scientists’ understanding of the genome is still evolving.

    Honestly, this is something that I hadn’t actually considered before. I’m almost embarrassed, since I like to think of myself as someone who is always thinking about how my data can be misused, haha.

    It’s not just about data that can currently be used unethically; there’s also the fact that someone may figure out a way in the future to use today’s data unethically. This is definitely true with something like your DNA, which is so complex that there are infinite things to learn from it. But it can be true of more simple things, too. There’s no way to predict what someone will be able to extrapolate from seemingly harmless information today.



  • This same question you’re asking is what made me realize that I just don’t really like linears, so I’m not sure if my insight will help your decision.

    I’ve never used Kailh Reds or Red Pros, but I did have some 40g linear switches and found them to be too light. Even if I wasn’t getting misfires, I would notice the keys sagging a little bit under my fingers, which was irritating. And the only way to not have that happen was to get really stiff springs, which was also not pleasant. That’s what made me realize that the tactile bump in tactile switches really has a functional purpose, so I just always go with tactile switches now.


  • I don’t think it’s so clear what some of the money is going to. From the article:

    the package includes $3.5 billion for “essential wartime procurement” […] and a $5.2 billion grant for air defenses. The ministry said the $5.2 billion for air defenses “will significantly strengthen critical systems such as Iron Dome…"

    With Hezbollah launching rockets towards civilians, I am in favor of strengthening the Iron Dome. But it sounds like that $3.5 billion could be to resupply Israel for their attacks on Gaza, thereby enabling new ones.



  • The Juicero was seriously a major point in my personal ideological journey. Around 2013, I was still very convinced that Silicon Valley (and VC-backed startups in general) were a source of innovation that could do a lot of good in the world. I was starting to question that a little bit because I had noticed that every new startup was described as “like Uber for <other thing>,” but I still largely believed that most SV startups were innovative and improving people’s lives, or at least had the potential to do so.

    And then the freaking Juicero came along, and I was like, “What the fuck? Do these people actually have no idea what they’re doing? Oh my god, they don’t.”

    Look, I’m not saying that if the Juicero didn’t exist, that I would be some Elon Musk fanboy right now. Something else probably would have woken me up instead.

    But in this timeline, in this current universe we are in, the Juicero made me see things differently. No one wants to believe that they were changed by the Juicero… but I was. And I… I… I don’t know how I feel about that…




  • That was a great explanation.

    I remember hearing an interview with John Boehner on NPR (former Republican Speaker of the House) a few years ago. He was talking about the government shutdown that happened shortly after far right wing was elected in 2010. Apparently, a few of them barged into his office after the shutdown and demanded to know why the government had actually shut down.

    And Boehner was like, “Um…you said you wanted it to?”

    And the right wingers said, “Well we didn’t think it would work!”

    These are irresponsible people who think they should just get to play games in life.



  • I’ve been loving RFF the last few months, it might be my favorite new thing I’ve found since I switched from Twitter to Mastodon. It also always shows you the artists’ fediverse usernames so you can follow them, and they usually have a Bandcamp link if you want to buy an album.

    They recently said that they could use some volunteer help. I haven’t been able to check out what they need yet, but their matrix channel is #radioFreeFedi:matrix.org, I think that’s where they organize things.




  • GRID: I absolutely loved the original Grid (I think it was called Racedriver: Grid in Europe) when it came out.

    Project CARS 2 and Assetto Corsa Competizione: A while ago I tried using a PS5 controller on PC and using the gyroscope to steer left and right by tilting the controller. It works well enough when you get used to it. It gives you more granular control than an analog stick. You really can’t tilt an analog stick 15 degrees consistently, but you can tilt the controller like that consistently. I’m not saying its as good as a racing wheel, but if you don’t have one, it’ll at least let you play games that might otherwise need a wheel. I played a decent amount of Project CARS 2 and Assetto Corsa Competizione that way.

    Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a fun kart racing game. If you don’t have a Switch and you want something like Mario Kart, you should pick it up. It isn’t just a Mario Kart knockoff with Sega characters. Wait no… that’s exactly what it is, but it’s a good one.

    Meta: [email protected] is a community here.


  • Two reasons:

    1. I live in Utah, where the Mormons are, and they get very offended by swearing. Although there are some ways in which I will definitely not accommodate their religious beliefs, I also think it’s healthy to meet other people at their comfort level (if it’s reasonable to do so). On the one hand, I understand the idea that we shouldn’t have to change who we are in order to make other people comfortable. On the other hand, I do think that if you take that idea too far, it can be a kind of antisocial behavior. When in Rome, as they say.
    2. It has more impact if you don’t do it often. Think about a Quentin Tarantino movie. By the time Samuel L. Jackson has said “fuck” for the 157th time, you’re just used to it. The word doesn’t even stand out anymore. But now consider the end of The Princess Bride, which has one swear word in the entire movie: “I want my father back you son of a bitch.” WHA-BAM! Hits like a freight train every time!

    For the follow-up questions, kind of the same answer to both of them. I feel like not swearing – or, swearing less – requires me to be more precise when I’m criticizing something. Instead of just saying that something was “like shit”, I have to give a more specific criticism. So that’s the change that it has made, and no, it hasn’t stopped me from expressing something.