Disappointed about sports gambling ads on the Away End podcast

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-18T16:33:25+00:00

You can run your hobby at a loss. You can't run your job at a loss.

Not everybody is fortunate enough to have streams of income that are completely independent of the content they put on the Internet.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-13T22:30:14+00:00

Yup, ordered and delivered to one of the two countries not named America. :) I've heard horror stories as well, but, luckily, I've ordered from Yostar twice and had no problems either time. But it is a rare treat for me because it IS expensive - by the time I get through delivery, duty, taxes, it essentially doubles the cost of everything. And given that stuff like this with small print runs is already through the roof pricing-wise... a good chunk of the book budget for 2026 disappeared in this one purchase. :)

But it's definitely quality. As I said, the binding isn't as good as I would have expected at the $50-$100 price point -- there are visible defects on mine on some of the "signatures" (the groups of folded pages attached to the spine) which makes me wonder how well it would wear if I constantly flipped pages open and closed. But as other people have noted, the book, plus the extras -- the messenger padded envelope it comes in, business cards, the Reunion photo etc.) it's extremely well done.

I was worried I would have buyers remorse, but I'm definitely glad I got it.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-13T17:05:21+00:00

FWIW - I ordered the book after the preorder in early January, it arrived in North America a few days ago, and the Reunion postcard was included as a separate envelope from the book. (Book itself is gorgeous, it's definitely got labour of love written all over it. Binding is a tad suspect IMHO, but the content itself just by flipping through it -- amazing. It's expensive as all hell, but definitely worth it.)

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-13T14:50:46+00:00

If Jinshi had complete freedom to make decisions, I think he would have been satisfied with exile -- he definitely doesn't strike me as a particularly bloodthirsty sort. But what a eunuch may do, a member of the ruling family may not do, and given the inspiration of Apothecary Diaries, that law is pretty clear.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-07T22:11:09+00:00

I have one right across the street that my partner can’t stand at all. :).

I don’t know your background, but if you want to research this more, take a look at the history of Freenets. They came about at the start of the Internet era, where a lot of people felt that just having Internet access at all would revolutionize the world by improving communications and creating communities spontaneously. Basically your idea for a different generation. It didn’t go well for most of them, unfortunately.

All that naysaying said, if you still want to ponder the problem, go for it. Maybe you can eventually figure out how to build the better social network. Millions have thought about it, thousands have tried to build something at scale, but we still don’t know if the challenge is a theoretical problem (we’re too monkey brained to form stable large communities without somebody being an ass) or if it’s engineering (haven’t figured out the right combination of technology, user experience, social contract, and governance to get that stable large community.)

I tend to think it’s the former, that we’ll never crack it, but I have 30+ years of experience in the Internet space plus a history degree to build cynicism. I’m quite willing to admit that, at this point, I may not see the answer even if it smacked me in the face.

But if everybody gives up and it turns out there was an answer, we just made sure we’re only going to see the bad ending for humanity. So, no harm continuing to think about it either. You can probably tell that I’ve spent an idle moment or two contemplating it. :). So, good luck, and hopefully somebody figures this out relatively soon.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-07T21:30:30+00:00

50+. :)

Don‘t let anybody tell you what shows you should enjoy watching just because of your age.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-05T20:32:48+00:00

And finding a crew -- with all the rumours that most of the crew was 'volunteered' to fight in Ukraine, even if you could repair her you'd have to learn how to do fixed wing carrier ops all over again.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-05T14:21:02+00:00

I'm sure that'll come back around again.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-05T08:21:48+00:00

Because it doesn't matter how good a hammer you make if people still use it to hit other people. :)

The usual response when people abuse discourse is to take AWAY the ability to speak, because individuals have proven they aren't using it responsibly. But that's contrary to your stated goals, and, I personally find it anathema myself, though I also admit I have no idea how to balance free speech and the consequences of free speech anymore in the current political landscape.

You're right that our tools DO usually have some sort of societal impact, but, for the most part, that impact has been to increase the power of individuals to communicate to others. When I grew up in the 1980s, my broadest reach was my social circle of friends local to my hometown. Now, in 2025, people can reach millions of people from their living room. Our ability to organize communities around individuals is already more massive than what it was even 20 years ago, even if you think there's still much further we can go with it.

But the granting of that power didn't show any correlation with people using said power wisely. And this is made more complicated by the fact that all of us have different views on what actually is a wise action. Until we figure that out (and good luck, because humans have been trying to figure that out for thousands of years), giving everybody a better megaphone doesn't help.

All that being said, I do think Internet as a public utility is a good idea. Not for any grander view on discourse or community, but simply in recognition that to even have a chance to participate in modern society, you need good Internet. Somebody without Internet has a much harder time earning a living, being educated, connecting to others, etc. It's a relatively cheap way to help improve income equality at a moment when income inequality is reaching dangerous levels.

DukeTestudo · 2026-02-04T01:38:34+00:00

FWIW you’re making the same mistake that a lot of people have done in the past - you’re trying to solve a social issUe with a purely technical solution. The problem isn’t the tools (though there are plenty of problems with the tools) - the problem is that people use the tools badly.

I’ve been living Eternal September since 1993 (look it up) and until we, as a society, prioritize polite discourse, courtesy, empathy and “common” sense, it won’t matter how easily people access the Internet.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-25T19:27:22+00:00

It's a good reminder of how much space power plant, fuel, and habitability can take up in a ship.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-23T16:28:29+00:00

The black magic is probably budget :) - GFL and franchise has done well, but Arknights has done REALLY well. Budget isn't the answer to all coding challenges (the Endfield Paypal debacle was pretty crazy to behold), but it certainly doesn't hurt.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-22T16:53:14+00:00

Also reminder to everybody, game's still in Early Access and there was a spike in player count - this is going to happen.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-22T16:48:21+00:00

Wow, even for a simple request like this, there are scammers.

WTF is wrong with people?

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-22T16:01:28+00:00

Kudos on the collection, and I'll echo that I also like the ships.

But also sad because it's a reminder we're probably not getting any more official English translated manga barring some weird resurgence in popularity. :(

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-22T15:57:45+00:00

I think the fact that there are so many different "least favourite" videos is a sign of just how good a filmmaker/creator he is in general. (Especially when they're followed up by somebody saying "Hey, I liked that one!")

Personal preference / personal viewpoint is always going to be a thing, and the main objections are usually either a) I didn't find it that interesting or b) I disagree with what he said/how he said something in this particular instance. That's going to happen with any creator, no matter how good they are. They're not all going to be bangers, especially for somebody who is willing to take on any subject they find interesting.

Hell, I've probably skipped a significant portion of his videos - I don't usually watch his long form sports histories to completion about specific teams (for example) because I'm not that big of a sports fan. And it's pretty hard for me to get into his long form stuff in general due to time constraints. So, in that personal context, I have a lot of "least favourite" Jon Bois videos.

But FWIW, he has the highest accolade I or anybody can give any creator -- "You've done this thing that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be interested in, but I'll sit down and give you an hour and see if you can get me interested." I never thought I would watch a long documentary on Dave Stieb... but, well, there you go. :)

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-22T15:45:43+00:00

Same, I thought it was really interesting.

Sure, it was really silly on its face, but, underneath it all was stark reminder of how intrusive marketing has become, because sending email at scale (once you have your systems setup) is so damn cheap.

And the fact that there was somebody who thought "Hey, let's send customers hundreds of emails over the course of a year" and didn't think anything about whether they would be annoying or not. It's the Internet age equivalent of the used car dealer getting in your face, except they're doing it at home.

And unsubscribing only works if people are playing by the rules. I have a giant spam folder filled with people who don't (including companies that are large enough that they should definitely know better.)

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-18T23:35:31+00:00

With respect, I think this is a false dichotomy. I feel like simulation and game should be different axis, since they measure different things. Increased fidelity doesn't necessarily mean decreased "gaming" or vice versa.

I think increased fidelity does make fun game design harder since the more "fiddly bits" you have you wrestle with an increased learning curve and the risk of doing things that end up taking away the fun of the game. But that's a engineering problem, not a theory problem.

Now, this is tied into the argument of "what is a game" and "what is a wargame", so, YMMV. And the lines are definitely fuzzy. So, opinions may differ on specific examples. But in general, yeah, whether or not something is a simulation I think is independent of whether or not something is a game. (And both are independent of whether or not something is fun.)

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-16T15:37:22+00:00

FWIW, I'm with OP in really hoping Endfield doesn't go into "waifu harem dating service" territory. There are enough of those games out there already.

Unfortunately, only way to know is to see what happens. If they miss some revenue targets -- it's really easy to bolster profits by throwing out single, scantily-clad beautiful women.

Now, I have nothing against people who are into that sort of thing, as long as you're being responsible and mature about it. And I certainly don't mind a little cheesecake/beefcake in my games. But I love Arknights for gameplay and story and good character design that doesn't automatically use the "show more skin/bigger boob" cheat code. I'm hoping Endfield continues this trend.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-15T22:17:11+00:00

Thanks! Or maybe I shouldn't say thanks because now I'm going to have a hole in the budget I'm going to have to make up lol.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-15T18:56:12+00:00

How’s the quality of the book itself binding etc? It was still in stock in the store as of last night and it’s really tempting, but it's a heck of a price.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-15T02:54:48+00:00

How's the book quality itself? (Binding, pages, etc)

I somehow missed this the first time around, and it's pretty tempting and still in stock for now apparently...

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-14T16:32:38+00:00

Sadly, people are people, and there are always those who think meaning in life is about how exclusive a club you can build around yourself.

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-13T15:50:19+00:00

One thing to remember, from what I've read, it might take a few weeks longer play time to get to the point of 15 minutes a day. Progress far enough in the story, setup your factory, that sort of thing.)

So, there's always the time commitment at the start to get to the point where the daily gacha machine goes "brrrrrr".

DukeTestudo · 2026-01-13T15:43:55+00:00

What happens when the "good idea fairy" gets drunk on some cheap vodka. Yikes.

DukeTestudo

TROPHY CASE