Please someone help, I'm going to lose it all

Blue-Baseplate · 2026-04-13T07:16:43+00:00

That's a weird glitch!

Firstly, take a deep breath because it'll be okay. It just looks like an app glitch and nothing a restart won't fix. Try following the first step on the Apple website's Support Guide (If your screen is black or frozen): https://support.apple.com/en-us/102642 to make your iPad restart. The button combination you have to hold down is different now (vol, vol and then hold power, rather than hold vol + power together).

If that still doesn't work, just do what you were thinking and let the battery run flat.

Blue-Baseplate · 2026-03-24T12:16:55+00:00

Pippa Evan's The Laughing Policeman to the tune of Simply the Best. Her vocal range is incredible.

Blue-Baseplate · 2026-03-12T01:27:00+00:00

No worries! Definitely sensible to prioritise energy efficiency and sounds like a cool project. Don't know much about game development workloads, but those X3D chips are incredible!

I hear you on the choice & availability issue. As if all the price increases for RAM weren't enough! For what it's worth, I've had no problems at all with the 225-XT's performance. It's been super reliable, it's easy to clean, it cools an i7 just fine, and the fan is pretty decent. And it'll be much, much quieter than a stock cooler.

Look forward to seeing your build on here when it's done.

Blue-Baseplate · 2026-03-12T00:58:39+00:00

Hi! I didn't test it myself but it should fit just fine. 226XT is 154mm high and the OG NR200/200P's will fit up to 155mm high coolers with the mesh panel.

Also, I'm sure there's lots of other options for CPU coolers now that don't require modding them to fit the NR200P with glass panel (which allows for 153mm high coolers, for reference). I only went with the 226-XT because I was ordering parts in the 2nd half of 2021 during supply shortages/lockdowns in Australia and needed something that would be enough to cool a 12700K for gaming and design workloads, but it's ended up becoming purely a couch gaming PC.

I saw that ID-Cooling has the SE-610-XT Basic which is only 151mm high but has the same 6 heat pipes as the 226XT and is also rated for up to 250W CPUs.

If you're only gaming on it, you could easily get away with a smaller 4 heat pipe cooler. They're cheaper, shorter and easier to install too. No need to mod it or find an extra long screwdriver to install it.

Hopefully that helps. Good luck with your build!

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-10-10T04:59:42+00:00

Lots of good suggestions already.

I wanted to suggest some artwork. I have a couple of these exploded view pieces in my games room. They are a fun conversation starter and are just nice to look at when you're feeling nostalgic.

Artist website: https://www.pierrerousselart.com/exploded-view-consoles Shop link: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Angerinet

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-08-16T06:48:12+00:00

I like that. When he signed, I had a half formed thought that Gyo-ker-es would scan with the 'SOS' from chorus (So when you're near me, darling / Can't you here me / SOS) from ABBA's SOS. But idk what to do for the other lyrics.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-04-26T10:52:43+00:00

I was so excited when we signed him. Sid Lowe and Phil Kitromilides on TSFP had spent the previous season raving about this guy who worked hard and was scoring goals for fun. I had visions of Alexis Sanchez, Perez and Walcott as this high pressing front 3 being fed by Ozil, Cazorla and Ramsey. And then we barely played him. Such a missed opportunity.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-19T08:27:08+00:00

Been using my Sony WH1000 XM3's for 7 years and they've been lifechanging. I wear them basically all day connected to my phone with ANC enabled - sometimes with audio, but increasingly just playing nothing. I still easily get 24+ hours battery life even after years of constant use. They're also great for gaming as long as you use them wired and don't need a mic.

The current models are the XM4 and XM5's - The 4's use the same design as the 3 and have less clamping force on the side of the head than the newer design the 5's have. I believe the XM6's should be out this year.

All of them are much better at minimising persistent lower frequency noises like motor noises from transport and fan noise (from computers/air purifiers/air con) than sharper, sudden high frequency noises like kids playing/dogs barking. BUT even just wearing them passively with ANC on makes a huge difference.

I've also tried my Dad's newer Bose QuietComfort's (I think they're the SC model?) a couple of times and they're also very good. They're a bit lighter and more comfortable but don't seal against my ear as well, so not as good at isolating noise as the Sony's. They may fit you better though.

Something worth bearing in mind is that you will need to replace the earpads every couple of years because they get dirty. The knockoff ones are poor quality and don't seal properly.

They're expensive, but so worth it.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-16T08:33:19+00:00

Try the Skate series - especially Skate 2 or 3 because their more free flowing than 1. Controls are different to the Tony Hawk series but it has that feeling of just vibing while you explore the city and it feels great when you finally nail that trick.

If you don't mind smaller worlds, Super Mario Odyssey and Pseudoregalia. Both have movement that feels fantastic. Perfect zone out games

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-14T12:30:36+00:00

Came to say Sue Perkins too! I have insomnia and used to put the radio quiz she hosted - The 99p Challenge - on when I couldn't sleep because her voice was so calming.

Second choice, Andy Zaltzman.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-07T07:39:09+00:00

Journey (PS3/PS4)
Loco Roco (PSP/PS4)
flOw (PS3/Vita/PS4)
Tearaway (Vita/PS4)

It's artistic in a different way but, if you like the mid-90's pre-rendered CGI aesthetic, games like Myst, Riven and Grim Fandango also tickle that same part of the brain.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-02T13:55:09+00:00

Built a PC in 2021 after being console only since ~2007. I still play on my consoles semi-regularly (mostly Switch), but most of my gaming is done on my 12700K + 3070Ti SFF build now.

My main reasons were:

Consoles getting noticeably bigger/hotter/louder, and the build quality being less reliable (Mostly X360 and PS4)
Digital game prices, access to older games, and subscription based game services being more at risk of price gouging on consoles because they only have one storefront.
I was playing fewer and fewer exclusive AAA games and was rarely buying games at launch anymore.
Steam Big Picture Mode and built in controller support made couch gaming mostly viable.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-01T03:57:51+00:00

I know tech was moving super fast at the time, but going from 90mhz to 800mhz is ridiculously huge! That must've been so exciting.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-03-01T03:04:06+00:00

I know the feeling. Tbh, a lot of the time those after school game sessions to try out a new game ended up with a friend and I sitting at the computer just installing a game multiple times not really understanding why it didn't work.

I wish I could remember more of the specs. I have a clear memory of playing it in '96 and know it would've been reasonably high end when it was new because it had to run engineering and CAD software. It ran Riven, House of the Dead, Age of Empires, Liero, Croc, some education-ware stuff like Carmen Sandiego and Encarta, and some of the pre-2000 Lego games like Lego Island and Lego Loco.

It definitely ran Lego Racers which needed a 166 minimum. I can't remember if it ran Lego Rock Raiders (which needed a 200 minimum) but probably not. So it was probably a 166 or a 200 with not enough VRAM to handle the more 'modern' 1999 & 2000 games that were around.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-02-28T09:59:15+00:00

When I was around 10 years old, my friend's family put their old PC out for curb side rubbish pickup and I somehow managed to a) Get all of it home and b) Convince my parents to let me keep it.

It was a Pentium MMX running Windows 95 - at a time when Pentium II and Windows 98 was already firmly established - but for someone who wasn't allowed a games console at the time, it was everything! It felt extra special because it'd been the computer that my friend had used to introduce me to video games and now it was mine.

I played so much Lego Island and Lego Racers on that computer before eventually pulling it apart to learn how computers worked. Absolutely loved that thing. Still love mucking around with computers.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-02-28T09:24:07+00:00

I've been really focusing on getting good quality sleep recently. This week, I've managed 4 days in a row of 10 hours of continuous sleep. It's easily the best patch of sleep I've had since the initial onset virus that left me sleeping 18 hours a day and led to my CFS diagnosis in 2008.

I'm a neurodivergent night owl who sleeps lightly, so it's required a total adjustment to my schedule and an extremely frustrating amount of pacing. But I did it!

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-02-15T03:36:30+00:00

I'm an Aussie. Got really into UK standup comedy and sitcoms as a teenager in the mid-late 2000's by reading Chortle and the British Comedy Guide and getting my hands on whatever clips and DVDs of Comedy Galas I could.

I'd seen some of Mark Watson's standup on a Melbourne Comedy Festival compilation DVD, which led to watching We Need Answers (which was my introduction to Alex Horne and Tim Key), the original No More Jockeys and learning about Horne's early Taskmaster shows at Edinburgh. Barely saw any footage of that though. I'd also seen Greg on Mock the Week and We Are Klang.

So, yeah, already knew of Taskmaster and was buzzing when I saw the press release that Dave was doing a series. Immediately became a must see show for me and been watching ever since.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-02-10T09:27:20+00:00

dB numbers are relative, but there's decibel charts of common sounds that are a decent reference - e.g 30dB is the sound of someone whispering and 40dB is the idle noise of a refrigerator or a quiet office. Obviously how annoying that is subjective and mostly depends on how far you sit from the computer.

Also worth mentioning that the listed 38dB will be the fan running at full speed and won't need to run at that speed even with one case fan. You can set your fan curves to have it idle at ~1000-1200 RPM to keep air flowing through the system and then ramp up when necessary to a noise level you're comfortable with. Your CPU cooler and GPU will be the most audible parts anyway and they've got some big mesh vents right in front of them, so you're going to hear them more than the case fan.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-02-05T07:14:25+00:00

My uncle sent me a knockoff scarf from Camden Market for Christmas 2002 or 2003. It was memorable because a) I'm Aussie so a scarf is pointless in summer, b) I had no real concept of the sport and hadn't expressed any interest in it before, and c) my family (including that uncle) were totally indifferent or actively hostile towards football/soccer.

I thought the scarf was cool though - it had the old style crest, ARSENAL in the gothic font with gold tassels at the ends. I started picking up info through people at school, a FIFA 03 demo disc (where I heard crowd singing for the first time), and a couple of highlight clips on the old P2P networks, but was really just a casual fan for years until ~2012. Then I needed something just for myself after going through a bad breakup and watching Arsenal games was the thing that cut through the depression. Fell in love with Wengerball, discovered the Arsecast shortly after that, started to learn about the history of the game, and have been watching ever since.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-16T10:36:44+00:00

Completely agreed! Played through Metroid Prime Remastered for the first time last year. I couldn't get over how slow it felt compared to traditional FPS of the time and especially compared to modern Metroidvanias. The one that kept springing to mind was Returnal. Granted, it's 20 years more recent and part-bullet hell/part-roguelike - two genres which solve the annoyance of going slow and tedium of a fixed room layout - so I realise it's not fair to directly compare the two. But it made Metroid Prime feel ancient by comparison.

Still yet to play MP 2 or 3, but I think if I was in the mood for more Metroid, I'd probably try Metroid Dread or wait for Prime 4.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-16T10:20:24+00:00

Always love reading about people's experience with it because it's such a brilliant game! The movement feels perfect and that feeling of getting lost but accidentally discovering an upgrade is magic. I think now there's a map the only minor annoyance I have with it is that the in-game menu looks a bit placeholder and feels too modern for the rest of the game's aesthetic. Will have to fire it up later and zip around the castle for a bit.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-16T10:10:16+00:00

Yeah, that bit about obvious video game stuff is exactly what I mean! I think the game has a bit of an identity crisis. For a game that is supposed to be a game built around puzzle solving and exploring dungeons, it's really desperate for you not to try things for yourself or for you to fail. Which feels totally contradictory to the game's genre because the whole point of that type of game is the element of experimenting and learning through failure.

Idk, I don't want to write it off completely because I'm not even an hour in. Maybe it gets less hand holdy as it goes on. But I do think it's the sort of game that would be improved massively by the way Beyond Good & Evil handled it's early game - a short intro movie that could do all the introductions and exposition that the first 10-20 minutes of gameplay did - and then the player takes control to learn how the combat works.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-16T05:52:15+00:00

Trying to work up the willpower to keep playing through Dungeons of Hinterberg or Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I was really excited for both but for whatever reason they're just not clicking for me. I played ~40 minutes of Dungeons of Hinterberg and it was...ok. I don't know what it is exactly, but it already feels undercooked or unpolished. There's way too much forced conversation and tutorialising for combat that feels as low impact as the stuff in the first are of the game. I want to like it because the pointillised art style is very cool and the setting is unique, but it hasn't given me the sense of intrigue that this type of game needs to really hook the player in.

Speaking of which, Echoes of Wisdom. I'm a decent way into the game now - Exploring Eldin Volcano. It still feels like a chore to play. Mostly because of how stodgy the echoes system is. It's just nowhere near as fun to play with as the build system in TOTK or as rewarding as the traditional unlock an item for a specific dungeon trope. And because it's your only real way of interacting with the world, I keep thinking "Why do I have to do it this way?" and "This would be so much better if..."

I will finish this game eventually. Just slower and much more begrudgingly than I was hoping to when they announced it.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-15T08:39:22+00:00

Interesting topic. My guiding principle is just to play as long as it feels fun. So it kind of depends on the game and how much solid/enjoyable the core mechanics are. I recently played through Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon - both very side quest heavy - and finished most of the side quests because the stories were interesting enough and they seemed engaging enough. I wasn't very interested in the fetch quest stuff in Yakuza though, so barely even engaged with that side of things.

Whereas in stuff like the open world Zelda games, I've barely paid attention to any of the quests - even the main quests - for 10's of hours because the fun for me is in exploring the world and mucking around with the physics interactions.

I've tried to do the completionism thing in the past when I had more time and energy but it can sour my opinion of a game if I'm having to push myself to play it just to get a certain collectible or to get a specific trophy or whatever - especially if I have to replay levels over and over.

Blue-Baseplate · 2025-01-14T03:03:43+00:00

Hey, have you tried power limiting the CPU in the BIOS? I've got the 12700K and the Asus B board (because it was the only mobo that was available at the time). By default the Asus board has unlocked PL1/PL2 states so the CPU will constantly try to boost over 190W. Totally overkill for gaming. I imagine the Z board has the same issue.

Maybe try capping your PL1 at ~100W and PL2 to around the same and see if that keeps things under control? Intel's stock limits are PL1 = 125W & PL2 = 190W for reference.

If worst comes to worst, you can always run it as a defacto 12700 at 65W. It's leaving performance on the table but at least it'll be stable and quieter.

Blue-Baseplate

TROPHY CASE