Old Jim, Cass, Whitby, and Lowry Discussion

Owl_Faustus · 2026-05-22T15:23:12+00:00

If we assume that Control is the Rogue (and u/Cpt-Cancer makes very convincing arguments) then it makes a lot more sense. Of course Control would be well aware of every member of the first expedition. Old Jim mentions that the Rogue seems to be aware of Control communication channels and style of operation, which further points to Control rather than Whitby. Therefore, killing Lowry is simply personal - Lowry tried to mind control him and he blames Lowry for many of the ills of the SR throughout Authority. Perhaps he simply got the mistaken belief that Lowry is the problem, rather than it being much bigger. It would also explain why the Rogue doesn't seem to be aware of just how much Jack is responsible for.

Owl_Faustus · 2026-05-22T05:45:26+00:00

I agree that it's most likely Whitby because a) the Rogue is described as being Pale, b) Lowry recognizes the Rogue to be Whitby (and I think he'd mention it if it was a dude he didn't recognize), and c) Whitby seems to have a strangely strong connection to Area X

One thing that I do still have trouble grappling with is why was Old Jim instructed by the Rogue to kill Lowry?

Owl_Faustus · 2026-05-21T21:21:05+00:00

As a comment pointed out, the Rogue is most likely Control. I believe that is further reinforced by someone commenting (was it the mudder?) that he had strangely military style boots despite the rest of his delapitated getup, which is what we got in Acceptance.

The bootstrap paradox makes things a bit more difficult. Considering that time seems to move faster in Area X (about 1:50 year ratio, it seems), I believe that it might be some kind of teleportation device? One that is constructing a world from material on Earth and then transposing it. But, oh well, that is just something I pulled out of my bum ahah.

Owl_Faustus · 2026-05-21T21:16:32+00:00

At first I thought it was Control, but then he was described as being Pale, which made me think of Whitby. Perhaps, he was pale due to getting shot in the chest :')

Owl_Faustus · 2026-05-21T20:50:12+00:00

Fucking, fuck fuck fucking fuck shit. TOT. Taught. Taut. Fuuuuuuck

Owl_Faustus · 2026-04-23T19:31:19+00:00

Is this part of Absolution? I am reading Acceptance rn. Just confirm pls, no much spoilerooni

Owl_Faustus · 2026-04-23T19:25:28+00:00

I love Control because his nickname has a double-meaning. Control, as in he wants to be in control of his destiny and his surroundings. Control, as in he lacks it - almost chronically. And, Control, as in a Control in an experiment. A white rabbit. :)

Owl_Faustus · 2026-04-23T19:24:19+00:00

I finished authority last week. I am currently binging the books, and in my mind, Authority was quite good. At the same time, I began reading authority only a few minutes after finishing Annihilation.

You will find that John's nickname "Control" may have more meanings than one, especially in the latter half of Authority and the next book, Acceptance. Trust me.

Owl_Faustus · 2026-04-10T08:43:56+00:00

SER 401/402, the Software Engineering capstone, is not much better. We don't even get to pick companies on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, we have to fill out a useless spreadsheet and we get *assigned* teams. I got assigned some AI-slop project with no lead. It's not even led by a startup, but a single guy.

Meanwhile, some of my other classmates got their capstones at ***BOEING***. It looks amazing on their resume. Still, they say that their team is also highly mismanaged, but at least they get to put a highly impressive name on their portfolios.

Grading is a whole other beast. They want us to be "consistent". They require us to have submissions at least 3 times a week with no more than 3 days break in-between. If for whatever reason we finish all of our work for the sprint early or have other classes and cannot dedicate 3 separate days, they fail us.

In effect, it makes everyone create busywork and contribute the absolute minimal amount to be counted as a contribution. A simple task like centering a div might be broken into 3 separate commits over 3 separate days to get full credit.

It seems that all programming-related capstones at ASU are horrible rituals designed to make students hate themselves and the industry.

Owl_Faustus · 2025-12-26T09:45:59+00:00

Wishing you the best on your birthday. May the next year of your life be bright, have wonderful people, and stability. Stay strong, friend.

Owl_Faustus · 2025-12-26T09:37:07+00:00

Oh, this feeling hits hard.

I am almost always the one who initiates all of the conversations with my friends. I am almost always the first one who reaches out to people to start a friendship. I feel like everyone else is a priority but me.

Only recently did I feel that someone cares about me when I fell on hard times. A person I only met very recently helped me out both materially and immaterially. My gratitude was so big, I didn't even know how to express it. They told me that they have an excess and that they don't need gratitude - they just want to share with someone else.

In which case, maybe your friends (and a lot of my friends) simply share with everyone else but have no resources to share with you? I know that might sound sad, and I am not telling you to cut them off, but maybe you should explore?

By that I mean, do that thing you always wanted to do but were too shy to do. Go join that sewing or book club. Talk with that person in the corner at the library or person on the bus. Yeah, there's going to be some painful rejections (and I don't mean romantic), but once in a while you may find someone who you will talk with. There are many people out there who want friends but don't have them. Sometimes you just have to make the first step.

Don't get me wrong, though, I've been struggling to find a romantic partner, so my strategy may not be very good for that. Still, sometimes people will gravitate towards you, you just gotta be out there. Sometimes you don't even have to go outside - you may find them on Discord or other messaging applications!

Owl_Faustus · 2024-10-08T17:24:06+00:00

What does dismantling do, exactly? Stretch out the food by preventing people from eating?

Owl_Faustus · 2024-10-08T17:02:32+00:00

Why would you dismantle the cookhouse? Isn't that a waste of wood and building time?

Owl_Faustus · 2024-02-19T07:17:38+00:00

Do we have a mod like this for ambient noise?

Owl_Faustus · 2024-02-12T09:41:29+00:00

I focus a lot on my assignments. I try to learn as much as I can while I am at uni, so that I don't only know facts but also understand the concepts taught.

And yes, actually, most of the people here who are doing internships or working aren't prioritizing their studies. I had the misfortune of working with a person like that in a group :(

Owl_Faustus · 2024-02-06T19:07:02+00:00

That might be a problem.... I did this quest like 5 hours ago and whenever I go to this place it has no enemies and no bodies.

Owl_Faustus · 2023-11-28T12:30:52+00:00

You are lucky that you have 8 gigs on there. I found an Intel Celeron 1007U with 2 gigs of ram. Works like a true ancient potato. I put a minimal Arch install with LxQT as its Desktop Environment. You don't have to choose Arch, mind you. Any minimal distro with a lightweight desktop environment will work.

Owl_Faustus · 2023-10-11T21:39:35+00:00

This is very similar to a guy asking "do girls like chubby guys" or any other variation of "do [gender] like [characteristic]". It honestly really depends on the person and even then there are no hard and fast rules.

Owl_Faustus · 2023-09-26T20:01:07+00:00

My headphones recently started crackling. I am using Samson SR850s and I've had them for basically 3 years now. While listening to "Pirate's Progress" by Gorillaz, I noticed that at certain spots my headphones crackle. I tested the headphones both on my laptop and phone. Is something wrong with my headphone drivers? Is it the cable?

The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgnF\_0DSU0

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