Just started The Lost Queen by Signe Pike. After reading The Bright Sword a few months ago I'm jonesing for more Arthurian-legend-inspired fiction, to use as my own inspiration for a ttrpg setting.

💯 Eating well.

I'm looking forward to this. It's not like there's a shortage of other medical dramas if you're looking for something original / different.

Scrubs had an extremely good 8 season run, and it offered a unique mix of oddball humor and empathetic feels other shows haven't matched. The cast remains great and the producing team has made a run of hits. I'm happy for them to take a shot at a revival.

I wonder how much of that is from people playing games on their laptops though. Budget or mid-range laptops are much less likely to have a dedicated GPU (or in mid-range at least not a powerful one), or much RAM.

For people who buy laptop PCs and can only afford one computer purchase every X years, it won't really matter if the Steam Box has better specs. If it's not a laptop it's not an option for them.

You're not going to find an app that doesn't use analytics. It's unreasonable to expect someone to build / run a service for users with no idea how it's actually functioning for them. To any app using Google Analytics, you are only one of hundreds of thousands of anonymous data points; get over yourself or buy a burner phone if you're that concerned about some upstream data broker knowing that ::gasp, shudder, horror:: you were on a dating app and ::shriek, cower, cry:: maybe targeting a romance-related ad to you.

If you can get past that, I'd suggest https://datefirefly.com/- it's independent and trying to rebuild the old OkCupid kind of experience before Match Group bought OkC and drove it into the ground.

Or if you're in / near a city, try speed dating groups or see if there are matchmaking services with a good reputation.

I love the sound of this. The article itself I found to be a bit of a rambling mess, too full of references and insiderism, but skimming around to get the gist of the game itself it sounds incredible. High-level "God" gaming with grand strategy simulation, that manages to not go totally off the rails because it's so big and detailed you have to work together to keep the system in balance.

And (I think; the article went on a tangent about the game designer's theoretical relationship with their reputation instead of detailing how this actually works) some kind of mechanics that challenges such high power players to reflect on their relationship to that power?

Given the common headaches of finding ~5 people with the schedule compatibility and emotional maturity to make a more standard RPG campaign last, finding a group to play this with feels challenging. But I'd watch the hell out of a well-produced Actual Play of it.

Lovely! I'm excited to keep my fingers crossed for this.

I see some people have anxiety about what if it doesn't live up to the old series, but the way I see it, if Season 9 didn't impact my love for all that came before it, why would this? I'll take the chance it might be great, and will be happy regardless to see some of the gang getting paid to have the chance to make something together again.

Again, this whole idea that you need to make an argument about the tradeoffs of technology in general in order to make an argument against AI is weak and needless. Do you have a smart phone you use the calculator on sometimes, or do you write out all your long-form division? Is everyone who owns a microwave, uses tax preparation software, or switches to an electric toothbrush just a lazy dumb-dumb in your mind?

When the barriers to access are removed, that’s great

but it dilutes the end game product over all.

AI art is rubbish and it gives you exactly what you ask for.

Cool? Maybe,

This is just talking out of both sides of your mouth trying to sound fair and balanced instead of actually making a good argument. "AI art is rubbish" -- yes!!! We don't need vacuous, hypocritical hot takes on using technology to say that.

Pedantry. "Think less, shut up, accept what the algorithm feeds you from this sub without question" was still the basic gist.

🤷‍♂️ I'm drinking tea and having a nice day. Sorry you think I'm getting bent out of shape just because I'm critiquing your poorly thought-out comments. 🙂

you’re getting bent out of shape over such an insignificant piece of shit like me, it’s pathetic.

My guy it honestly sounds like you're the one who needs to take a screen break more than I do. Be well.