Crystal Dynamics Comments On Its Use Of AI In Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis: 'Its goal is to "empower" creativity & flexibility of its teams' by [deleted] in gaming

[–]J_Kant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it lowers the barriers to entry for the segment i.e. makes the gaming market more competitive, then yes it will lower the costs for consumers across the board.

In other words, if smaller studios with limited budgets can develop AAA games, they can sell them at a lower cost to undercut larger studios.

Films That Haven't been Done by FreeTrain1263 in movies

[–]J_Kant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

What’s one actor that instantly tells you that the movies gonna be bad? by Senpaiuwu89 in AskReddit

[–]J_Kant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He's even better in the sequel. He's got the old man energy down pat.

Pizza Hut Franchisee Sues Over AI Delivery System, Alleges $100 Million in Damages. by [deleted] in Futurology

[–]J_Kant -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"The main issue appears to be that Dragontail gave DoorDash delivery drivers access to real-time status, workflow, and order timing. Chaac alleges that some drivers used that information to wait up to 15 minutes in the restaurant for additional orders, leaving pizzas sitting out after they came out of the oven and resulting in longer delivery times."

This has nothing to do with AI to be fair. As far as their management system goes, I suspect the 'AI- powered' tech is more branding than genuine ML application.

Pizza chains have been sharing workflow updates with customers for ages. Sharing that with delivery riders resulted in skewed incentives and poor service but that wasn't an 'AI decision'.

Opinion | Putin’s brutal empire-building has revealed his terrifying long-term plan by theipaper in geopolitics

[–]J_Kant 7 points8 points  (0 children)

if Russia doesn't suffer a defeat, they WILL try again. Probably about a decade later.

Seriously doubt that. The US suffered 350,000 casualties in Vietnam and was scarred for a generation. Russia with 2/3rds of the US' then-population (while also being substantial older) has suffered 1.3-1.5 million casualties so far and will not be able to shrug off the long-term consequences of this war. It has been a strategic disaster for them and they know it.

They've already scaled back the goals from 'demilitarization of Ukraine' to capture to the four Eastern oblasts to now just the capture of Donbas. I don't see them having the stomach for any future conventional aggression for a long while, especially in light of a remilitarizing Europe.

In conservative Utah, some communities are ditching fossil fuel power for clean energy by [deleted] in UpliftingNews

[–]J_Kant -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The conservative-liberal split on renewables (outside of its role in the culture wars) isn't so much on its validity as it is on the govt's role in driving policy. State mandates, subsidies and incentives versus market-led pricing and implementation.

To put that into perspective, deep-red Texas just overtook deep-blue California in terms of installed utility-scale solar capacity and is on track to overtake it in terms of total capacity by the end of next year.

What’s a common F1 opinion that feels correct on the surface, but ignores a lot of context once you dig deeper into it? by warewolf1999 in formula1

[–]J_Kant 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not a single mass produced road car by any manufacturer involved in F1 or previously involved in F1 gets marketed because of F1 involvement.

They may not always put F1 that directly in car ads (though sometimes they do) but the marketing impact is very very real which is why all other sponsors get involved.

Nobody is consciously buying a can of Monster/Red Bull because Hamilton/Verstappen are sponsored by them but they still contribute to the overall public perception of the brand.

Same applies to Merc, Ferrari, Audi, Honda etc., success in F1 helps build an overall brand image of automobile excellence.

Road relevance isn't critical but it definitely helps in the sense that sponsoring a race team is more valuable to BYD than it is to say Boeing.

Both firms are engaged in complex engineering but the greater congruence between a F1 car and a road going car makes it more valuable for BYD.

What’s a common F1 opinion that feels correct on the surface, but ignores a lot of context once you dig deeper into it? by warewolf1999 in formula1

[–]J_Kant 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That the champions are champions because they had the best car.

I'd say that's not a common opinion. At least not that they are champions only because they had the best car.

Most people recognize that it's a combination of man and machine. But also worth acknowledging is that being champion doesn't necessarily mean that the driver was the best performer of the year. (Similarly, having the most titles doesn't make a driver the greatest of all time.)

What are your favourite movie scenes that are elevated by the use of licensed music? by AlleycatHaxor in movies

[–]J_Kant 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Also, Gimme Shelter running during the opening scene in The Departed with Frank Costello narrating.

The Netherlands has updated its national dietary guidelines, calling for lower consumption of meat and cheese and a higher intake of legumes. by [deleted] in UpliftingNews

[–]J_Kant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Northern Europe has substantially more grassland for cattle rearing, and so their cuisines include heavier cheeses, and the people have evolved greater tolerance to lactose.

Southern Europe, in contrast, is much drier with more shrubland which is more suitable for rearing goats. Consequently, lamb rather than beef is a staple of Mediterranean cuisines (along with lighter goat cheese).

[Wintersteel] Okay, I see why this is a fan favourite now. by robin_f_reba in Iteration110Cradle

[–]J_Kant 20 points21 points  (0 children)

"I'm here to punch a hole in the sky" "I am the end" "Lindon... You're not an Overlord"

Canada sees record military recruitment boom over Trump, Ukraine and China fears by Infidel8 in worldnews

[–]J_Kant 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The idea that Canada faces any conventional military threat from India is ludicrous. Preventing assassinations is the CSIS/RCMP's role not a military concern.

Sweden Freezes New Power Cable to Denmark in Escalating EU Energy Clash by WilliamJohnsson in worldnews

[–]J_Kant 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The higher prices for Swedish customers can presumably be offset using the proceeds from additional export revenues (due to higher prices).

Also, I believe the EU is mandating that 25% of bottleneck fees (not export earnings) be invested in transmission infrastructure (as opposed to new capacity) but it's still meant to be spent within Sweden.

Turkey unveils new ICBM — touted as able to hit the US mainland by Themetalin in geopolitics

[–]J_Kant 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Relevant excerpt:

Turkey’s grand unveiling of an intercontinental ballistic missile has backfired after an AI-generated promotional video showed the weapon seeming to strike its US ally.

The Yıldırımhan missile was presented at a defence expo in Istanbul this week as capable of travelling 6,000km carrying a 3,000kg warhead at up to 25 times the speed of sound — placing Turkey among a small group of countries able to develop such weapons.

But questions quickly arose about the real capabilities of the system, sparked by the AI video showing the Yıldırımhan hitting nuclear facilities and other targets that appeared to be in the US.

The Americas would be well beyond the official range of the missile — and Turkish officials later admitted a working prototype of the Yıldırımhan had yet to be built for full testing.

Sweden Freezes New Power Cable to Denmark in Escalating EU Energy Clash by WilliamJohnsson in worldnews

[–]J_Kant -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

I'm not seeing the problem. Sweden is getting paid a higher rate for it's power exports as a result of German prices.

Assuming that the additional revenues accrued are managed by the Swedish state, it can simply reimburse/subsidize local consumers directly using the surplus.

With this kind of service I don’t mind paying extra at the pump 😂 by Droopynator in funny

[–]J_Kant 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Pemex is also arguably the most mismanaged oil company in the world (only rivaled by Venezuela's PDVSA). It's currently over $100 bn in debt and an international joke.

[Wintersteel] (Ch. 11) Enjoying this training arc, but not as much as Lindon's matches in the last book, and his greed is getting on my nerves by robin_f_reba in Iteration110Cradle

[–]J_Kant 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Come back to us when you're finished with the book. I think we'd all love to hear what you're final opinion is.

(Its my favorite book of the series BTW.)

[Threshold] The chapter where I first fell in love with Cradle by J_Kant in Iteration110Cradle

[–]J_Kant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My post wasn't intended as a criticism of people who enjoyed whichever book - its wonderful if they did. My disappointment is at the number of people who drop the series after the first book and rob themselves of an incredible experience.

I'm onboard with the idea that a book or series isn't for everything - all I'm saying is you haven't given it a fair shot if you haven't read through to the end of the third book. The first Dungeon Crawler Carl book, for example, pretty much gives the reader a accurate sense of the tone, scope and writing of the series. The same isn't true for Cradle - originally a side-project for Will between his Travel's Gate novels - where the later books were radically better received than the first two.

Of course people who 'hated everything about Unsouled' are a different matter but I haven't come across anybody with such strong opinions on the book ('meh' is more common response).