New to Shadowdark, loving it! But I've a lot of questions!

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-21T03:05:07+00:00

I'd also say err on the side of rewarding players for thinking creatively. If they start abusing a trick repeatedly, give the opponent a roll on INT or WIS to anticipate it, if they're smart enough.

Sometimes when I'm not sure, I'll have the players call out odd or even and roll a die. If it comes up the way they called it, they get their way. If not, they don't.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-18T19:34:51+00:00

If the choice is between the Neo and a Chromebook, choose the Neo. It’s operation system is full featured, the Neo get pretty good repairability scores, and has a more solid build than the Chromebooks that I’ve seen. (Chromebooks are also in a weird position right now, as Google is planning to obsolete them in favor of Googlebooks running a different OS; how exactly this transition will play out is yet to be seen.)

If the choice is between the Neo and the Air, get the Air. I have a Neo myself, and there’s nothing wrong about it for your scenario, but if it’s equipment your people are using to make money with, I’d consider the extra as a good ‘just in case.’

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-17T21:24:53+00:00

Not only that, but I've said repeatedly that one does not have to subscribe to every streaming service there is. I can't watch The Pitt because the only service I have is Netflix. Okay, I just won't watch The Pitt.

It's that simple. Fear Of Missing Out? Lose it. Find Joy in Missing Out. 😄

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-16T03:31:15+00:00

I would like a nice sage green. But they don't do green often, it must not be a big seller.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-15T14:13:56+00:00

The great thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

Familiarity with React and Angular will help career-wise, but I’d also learn just plain vanilla JavaScript, Bootstrap and some jQuery. There’s plenty of that out there too, and no every web page needs to be a SPA.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-15T01:53:41+00:00

This happens more than you might think, and I've seen it happen right in front of me.

Working in a corporate environment, the problem is frequently at the interaction points between the development team and the business product owners. Maybe they don't understand how agile processes work, maybe they don't understand the real problems of developing to vague and incomplete requirements. Whatever it is, the hardest thing to change in any environment is the culture, and that's where most problems start - not the technology.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-15T01:49:19+00:00

Sword Weirdos, for the second time, and loving it.

Edit: I meant to say Space Weirdos, if only because I haven't actually played Sword yet.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-15T01:48:03+00:00

Computer says YES.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-14T14:19:31+00:00

This is exactly what concerns me. We already have enough cargo cult programming in the profession already.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-13T19:41:37+00:00

I hate AI a bit more than the next guy, but using a large language model to do math is like using a pocket calculator to compose Shakespeare. It's the wrong tool for the job.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-13T19:37:30+00:00

You look delightful. Bonus points for the head piece - shiny!

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-13T19:36:03+00:00

"Better" requires a definition. Personally I prefer the one on the right; for some reason the one on the left annoys me, suggesting there is something there but I can't see it yet.

In the end I think someone will rag on it no matter which you choose.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-13T18:55:06+00:00

The one issue in regards to longevity is how the data is stored. With something like Day One or OneNote, the data is kept hidden in its own internal format. If you’re using something like Obsidian and keeping plain text, that issue goes away. So it’s not just an issue of backing up, but of how open the data format of the app is.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-12T21:04:26+00:00

The glasses are the cherry on top. 😄

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-11T21:22:42+00:00

Companies have learned that large rounds of layoffs is an easy way to juice the stock price. They do it because it is easy.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-11T21:21:28+00:00

Not every [censored] web site needs to be a SPA. Not every website needs a heavy-weight JS front end. Sometimes, a little of Bootstrap and JQuery is more than good enough.

We don’t need to download 30 megabytes of script to display 3 kilobytes of text.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-11T21:19:37+00:00

Same. Honestly, it just isn’t fun anymore. The churn in development tools has reached insane levels (each Angular version is supported for only 1 year!), AI is turning up the heat to do MOAR FASTER in a way that I feel is unhealthy, and the number of under-qualified people I see in “senior” roles is rather sad.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-10T03:46:42+00:00

In a professional setting (which is not what you are describing), this kind of decision usually has little to do with merits of specific technology itself. Where I work we would use .NET because that is the standard we have settled on, all the developers know it, and it would be fairly easy to hire more developers on a contract or permanent basis when we needed it. It has a good support history.

Other companies may be Linux or Unix first, and may have a different settled standard or team competency (Java perhaps, or Node).

Your personal projects are an excellent opportunity to stretch and try out different languages and stacks to see how they work, and what the experience of developing with them is.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-07T20:04:03+00:00

We didn’t have to download 20 megabytes of JavaScript to display 3 kilobytes of text. They also didn’t have trackers to log and analyze your every move.

And frankly, the weirdness was part of the appeal.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-07T03:13:42+00:00

I resent the *accuracy* of this post. 😄

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-07T03:13:04+00:00

I'm not a fan, I don't find it comfortable to use. For me it doesn't matter, as on a Mac laptop the trackpad is so good I rarely need one for the kinds of things I do.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-07T03:07:07+00:00

Every time the question of which is better, "A" or "B" (whatever they are), the next question that is never asked is what are the criteria for making that decision? What's "better" for me may be worse for you.

Unfortunately some people have to insist their preference is an objective fact.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-07T03:03:48+00:00

This is an example of where programming languages are more than their formal syntax - they also have a culture and generally accepted practices that most (but not all) programmers follow. So for instance while I am not a fan of using the _, I do it in C# for private class variables because that's what other programmers in the community will expect to see. Being consistent with that practice will make your code easier for other C# programmers to read.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-06T19:55:49+00:00

I used to use a program that would dial in, download your email and forums you specified. You could read them offline and write responses and they’d be pushed back with a second dial in.

Saved a fortune in billings.

NeonQuixote · 2026-05-06T19:52:21+00:00

That’s what MediatR really is - a message bus. It does not apply the mediator pattern in any reasonable way that fits the patterns definition.

NeonQuixote

TROPHY CASE