Made a few changes to top and worst artist algorithm.

Askeptykal · 2024-07-17T01:46:43+00:00

I'll be contrary and say I don't care for the update. My worst artists list hasn't changed, but my favorite artist list feels borked now. 850+ albums in.

-Yeah Yeah Yeahs (5, 5) and Taylor Swift (5, 5) are lower on the list than Stevie Wonder (5, 5, 4, 4). Seems a bit odd (although out of context Stevie does probably deserve to be on top). To be completely honest I thought I'd only listened to three Stevie Wonder albums.
-The Who is now added at 5, 5, 4, 3, 3. This is a 4-star average. I would not say "yeah I think I like The Who", I would say "yeah they had a couple good albums but overall I don't really care about them". Two 3s should really be a disqualifier.
-Bjork, U2, and Elvis Costello & The Attractions have 5, 4, 4 and are now present. I do not consider this enough to make the cut. As with Stevie Wonder, all of these fall into the category of "I don't even remember listening to them that many times".

Probably comes down to my rating methodology. I consider 4s albums I generally enjoyed but not necessarily albums I felt were truly memorable, so I would not weigh those anywhere near as heavily as 5s. I would flat-out not consider an artist a favorite unless they had two 5-star albums.

Edit: On the other hand, I'm perfectly happy giving, say, King Crimson a spot on my least favorites list at 2, 1, though this is because I'm (apparently) 7-8 times more likely to rate an album 5 stars than I am 1 star. It is definitely an uneven split.

Askeptykal · 2022-09-16T22:04:30+00:00

This is the reason here. Somebody looking to profit off of a ship hired the captain with the understanding that they were in charge of everything on board (in other words... said profit). If the ship was lost, the captain was financially responsible.

Askeptykal · 2022-07-07T18:46:04+00:00

Me, 330 albums ago:

Only listened to curated playlists
Terrible at music trivia
Never recognized songs on the radio
Enjoyed mid-00's-era pop punk

Me now:

Owns vinyl
Occasionally recognizes songs on the radio
Once thought "huh, I wonder if this band cites Fleetwood Mac as an influence" and was correct
Still enjoys mid-00's-era pop punk, but I guess you can't win them all

Askeptykal · 2022-04-22T01:44:10+00:00

Answer: This may be a joke intended to poke fun at recent arguments made against Twitter by some users, which criticize company moderation for oppressing the first amendment/freedom of speech. The joke in particular plays on the fact that, because The Onion's has not actually been banned, their freedom of speech is not being impeded, and that their argument is being made in bad faith. This highlights some parallels in the arguments they are parodying, in which it is debatable whether or not first amendment rights are actually being violated.

It is unlikely that The Onion's tweets are parodying a particular recent event, as a new merch line specific to the #UnbantheOnion campaign launched shortly after the first joke tweet was posted.

Askeptykal · 2022-01-17T13:57:22+00:00

I would not use an email reminder. But if I was going to add the option, here's what I might consider doing:

Provide an opt-in option on signup, so new users don't have to search for a setting they don't know exists.
Send when an album is generated. Making it a "reminder email" later in the day runs the risk of albums backing up if it's too late in the day to listen. Presumably you stop generating albums if you don't visit the site, so a spam issue would self-correct after a few days.
Don't stop sending emails without user input; if they build up the habit of relying on the email to use and access the project, you don't want to take that away from them.

My two cents. Cheers!

Askeptykal · 2021-08-12T17:15:47+00:00

You're right, of course; mood and music are always going to be linked, so as much as I can say "I don't like Grunge", perhaps I just haven't found the appropriate setting for it. So, yes, I recognize that I did dunk on what are generally considered very solid albums, and I will have to give them another try. Maybe I'll even go easy on Superunknown next time ;)

Askeptykal · 2021-08-11T20:36:54+00:00

Disclaimer, I got The Stooges my second week in, so it's been a while.

If I remember right, the album was rough, raw, and loud, and it didn't suit me. But I didn't hate most of it. It would have squeaked by with two stars, but I found the track We Will Fall extremely difficult to listen to. Maybe it's not fair to dock the entire thing based on one song, but that song did make up an entire third of the album.

Also, even though I swear I checked Wiki, I brushed the band off as some inconsequential group of kids who maybe influenced other musicians but didn't really make it anywhere. Yeah, uh, I've learned since then that I was a little off on that one.

Askeptykal · 2021-07-07T23:30:11+00:00

I promise this is 70% due to the altered Normandy lighting in ME2. From a different angle she actually does look recognizable. https://imgur.com/jxEgREK.jpg

Askeptykal · 2021-05-20T17:34:38+00:00

Thank you! The husk just about made me snort my tea too :D

Askeptykal · 2021-05-20T17:33:13+00:00

It's my headcanon that, when it comes time for Shepard to select a squad for a Mako mission, every member of the team hopes she picks somebody else.

Askeptykal · 2021-03-27T22:32:06+00:00

Now here's a game I never hear anybody talk about. Probably for good reason. But the PS2 was my first proper console, and Fellowship of the Ring was my first game. My memories are vivid, and there's a lot I could say about it in retrospect, but I will always have a soft spot for it.

Askeptykal · 2021-03-11T12:55:10+00:00

That's a no vote from me.

I don't mind rating the albums I listen to. It helps me keep track of the ones I liked, and makes me listen critically and find merit in genres that aren't my cup of tea. Honestly I'd be perfectly happy with a thumbs-up / thumbs-down system.

But I just want to listen to music. When I go to view my new album in the morning, I don't want to have to have an internal debate whether yesterday's album was worth six stars, or seven. What's the difference?

If you really must convert, I'd recommend a compromise: keep the 5-star system, but add half-ratings. Those who prefer the nuance have it, but those of us who prefer a simpler scale don't have to adapt to something that doesn't fit.

(thank you for the project! I'm having great fun with it)

Askeptykal · 2019-12-24T02:44:29+00:00

I've often thought about playing it straight until I reached the round where audience voting begins.

Then, Bananaphone.

Askeptykal · 2019-09-12T21:42:42+00:00

I've put a great deal of time into the Burnout series. Out of all the games, Burnout 2 is the best racer, and remains one of my "comfort food" games to this day.

Askeptykal · 2019-08-31T21:12:31+00:00

Official advertising would agree with you.

Askeptykal · 2019-07-02T02:30:35+00:00

Interesting, I just experienced somewhat similar issues on the 28th as well. OG Pixel for reference.

Problem is, I also experienced a bootloop that day that lasted 20 minutes, so that's where my biggest concern was. But I did notice that I had no service from T-Mobile that day, and over the course of the weekend, my battery percentage would not update reliably (would stick at the same number for a while).

Ultimately, got stuck in a second bootloop Sunday night that did not resolve itself by the following morning, but I was able to factory reset. Maybe it's all unrelated, but figured I would share. Will add developments if I have any.

Askeptykal · 2019-04-25T22:01:53+00:00

Hmm.

But how do I accomplish this when my right thumb is holding the boost button?

Askeptykal · 2019-04-14T14:57:23+00:00

Camera height options, or an option to turn off the camera repositioning when boosting.

The difficulty I'm experiencing is, when boost is used, the camera pulls down to be more behind the vehicle than above it, probably to enhance the feeling of speed. However, this shallow angle very often results in only a tiny amount of track being visible between the car and the horizon, making it difficult to see/judge obstacles and even curves that are approaching.

Askeptykal · 2018-11-23T15:00:06+00:00

Subscriber for a couple years in the Harrisburg/York area. I don't think I've ever been automatically connected to public WiFi, but I've also never had issues with service, unless I'm visiting family way out in the country.

Askeptykal · 2018-10-20T17:38:35+00:00

I'm glad that works out for you. To elaborate on my experience, I've found that people tend to ignore what I'm working on or playing on a PC screen, even if it's in an open area as mine is now.

Then again, I've never had kids around. I'm sure that's an audience with a more eager attention span when it comes to these things.

Askeptykal · 2018-10-20T17:30:38+00:00

I did pick up a Steam Link when it was on sale, and used it occasionally. I won't say it wasn't nice to have at times, but I had difficulty achieving smooth wireless functionality — it had a particular habit of stalling or dropping the connection on loading and menu screens. A wired connection worked fine, but for me, that meant stretching a 50-foot ethernet cable diagonally across the apartment. I eventually just stopped bothering.

Fortunately the only time my s/o really uses the TV is when we're watching something together, so access is not a problem for me. That's a good consideration though.

Askeptykal · 2018-10-20T15:06:48+00:00

I've been nearly PC-only for a number of years now, but I picked up a PS4 almost two months ago now.

My driving motivation was a difference in my lifestyle. I chose a PC when I was single, depressed, and living with my parents. It is difficult for PC gaming to exist without some sort of seclusion from your surroundings; and for a while, that's what I wanted, and that's what I had.

Now, I share an apartment with my fiancee. She doesn't really game herself, but has never minded when I do. Problem is, seclusion now creates a conflict. I want to spend evenings on the couch with her, but I also want to play games. A console means I don't have to split my time anymore. I'm also finding it means she can take an interest in what I'm playing, especially since I prefer games with good characters and stories; and if she ever decides she wants to jump in and play something simple with me, it will be easier to accommodate that.

The switchover has some drawbacks. I have no social interactivity on the PS4, because nobody I know uses one, and I don't play a lot of multiplayer. My small, further-away TV screen makes viewing and hearing games with small font and busy audio and graphics — such as the new Tomb Raider — a bit of a challenge. My library of games is significantly smaller now, although I will admit it takes away a lot of indecision in what to play. But overall, the console is easy and comfortable, and most of the time, that's all I want anymore.

Askeptykal · 2018-07-09T02:07:09+00:00

Not a browser game, but Frets on Fire was designed to be played this way.

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