It’s not.

Yeah, I figured that’s almost assuredly the case on a forum like Lemmy (or Reddit prior to the Exodus) but I don’t know whether it can be extrapolated to the public at large. I’m practically a Luddite compared to many folks around here, but I’m possibly the most advanced computer user among my peers simply because I know a couple Win key shortcuts and I’ve used powershell before (with no comprehension of what I was doing, to be clear).

It seems like most folks are willing to put up with bad UX, whether due to ignorance or apathy.

Could be I’m the minority here, but touchscreens stopped feeling like a value add years ago. Somehow I’ve wrapped back around to a good button or knob being the marker of quality. One of the reasons I chose my current vehicle was because they let the most common controls (climate, radio, etc) stay tactile.

Brb, updating my grindr profile…

Sorry man, I’m not knowledgeable enough about computers to provide a summary, but I’ll mention this fun tidbit: apparently, the shipped version of task manager contained thus guy’s home phone number in the code by accident. He commented it out, but left the phone number in there, which means he can find instances of the source code being hosted online by reverse searching his home phone. Which is still a number he maintains, and he asks people not to call. Which is a bold thing to leave in the video imo

Ah I see, I misunderstood how you were applying the terms. My bad. I suppose I don’t typically talk about consoles or games independently of the experience that they offer, so whether it’s a new product with a vintage inspiration, or something vintage all the way through, I’d think of both products as retro, because, to me, they are both offering an experience reminiscent of an earlier era. I understand that’s an incredibly subjective experience though, and your take is probably more factually correct.

Rad! I love the docs that Danny and the rest of the team do, and I just watched a bit of the preview they did of the tavern keeper game. Glad they’re having success enough to expand a little.

I don’t know much about Mick Foley or wrestling, but the little I do know leads me to believe the man never gave anything less than 100% of himself in any endeavor he took on. I’m happy to hear that he’s been given back some measure of his quality of life, and I hope things continue to improve for him.

Tyl what til means!

Okay, I’ll bite.

My brother and I routinely dig out our old N64 when we go home for the holidays and enjoy an afternoon of retro gaming. In your opinion, I am using this incorrectly, because I’m actually vintage gaming, since I am using original hardware and software to do it (if I understand your assertion correctly).

But, our specific purpose in using that original hardware is to, as you say, “[relate] to the past, past times, or the way things were”. We engage in this ritual as an homage to when we were kids and getting a new game for Christmas was one of the highlights of the first quarter of the year. So, I argue our use case meets your definition of retro as well vintage, and that you’ve invented a false binary where none actually exists.

The Frankish knight, who knows that tutoring his infidel friend’s kin is the chivalric thing to do, but who really just wants to crash out on the setee after his long work trip, maybe catch up on any illuminated manuscripts he missed while he was away, breathes a heavy sigh of relief after his friend departs.

In broad terms, sure, but we’re talking about the business of theatrical exhibition here, which over the past several years has had a real rough go of it. In some ways, this is because the industry is addicted to shooting itself in the kneecaps at ever opportunity, and in some ways because COVID accelerated the trend of people waiting for VOD rather than seeing something in the theater. So, a movie smashing box office records in today’s environment is still newsworthy.

I think you might reconsider what qualifies as “best case scenario” if you end that statement with “when this thing goes, it’s taking the industry with it”. Like, best out of a bad bunch, for sure, but the best possible outcome?

Ah, the old adage holds true: everytime Morrowind is mentioned, someone starts a fresh install.

No I hear you. I just think you’re letting your negative perception of that element of the game’s community weigh in a little too heavily on your analysis of the game. People being annoying by talking about the game like beating it is a badge of honor (spoiler alert guys, you’re meant to beat the game) and your assessment of the Souls-like gameplay loop are, at best, tangentially related.

No shade to you, by the way. How the culture receives and talks about media is as big a part of its legacy as any constituent element of the text, and it’s a worthy subject for criticism. It’s just that, in my opinion, criticism is sharpened when the author is very clear about when they cease to review the game/book/movie and when they start to review the phenomena around that media.

Fwiw, this subject has been on my mind since reading a review of the movie Eddington in which the author talked about the temptation to stop talking about the movie and start talking about the subjects the movie was touching upon. I have been making a concentrated effort to improve my critical writing this year, and that line resonated with me. So, this diatribe has been fermenting in my head for awhile now, and your post was my excuse to get it out. By no means do I mean to lecture you on how you should feel about Dark Souls or it’s fandom.

Man, if they aren’t putting “It’s David Cronenberg’s Kenshi, more or less” on the metaphorical box, they’re making a mistake.

Depends on how reductive you’re being. To me, your initial assertion that Dark Souls isn’t difficult (or is not as difficult as an online game) because it’s ultimately just a test of your pattern recognition / memorization and reflexes is ignoring the forest for the trees. If I applied that same mindset to playing an instrument, I could argue that, mechanically, they’re the same. You learn a boss’ pattern (I.e. learn the sheet music) and then it’s just a matter of moving your fingers to hit the requisite inputs.

Of course, I think most people would balk at describing making music as nothing more than playing the right notes at the right time, and rightly so. We tend to attach a certain amount of ineffable poetry to that act. I’m not saying that they’re 1:1 equivalent, mind you, but I’ve heard enough folks discuss a Souls boss fight in musical terms (tempo, rhythm, crescendos, etc.) to see the parallel.

Not relevant to the Tom Joad specifically, but I want to share a couple more Woody Guthrie tracks that I discovered over the past week. I’m sure many people are aware he is much more than just “This Land is Your Land”, but I wasn’t.

Tear the Fascists Down

All You Fascists Bound to Lose

And a bonus cover in a modern bluegrass style: The Bootstrap Boys - All You Fascists

And finally: The Almanac Singers - Which Side Are You On? - this is like a supergroup of leftist folk artists, including Guthrie, who recorded a whole album of labor songs in 1941.

Sorry for the tangent.

Fwiw, not that you’re under any obligation to care as a non-citizen of NYC, his name is Zohran Mamdani. Not Zohani.

I figure the man is about to have every two-bit piece of shit out there fucking his name up, whether intentionally or not, because it “ain’t American”. Least we can do is get it right.

Silver lining tho, most Russian warships get stuck underneath the Black Sea.