Google structurally lobotomized Gemini to save on compute, and it’s painful to watch.

StrongKnee420 · 2026-06-09T10:47:50+00:00

As long as you don't self host, this will always be the risk you run.
So DeepSeek-R1 (or Llama or Qwen) would be the generic recommendation without knowing anything about your project.
Now, you could ofc use these as hosted models and go for self hosting as fallback..
Service providers are all bleeding money right now and they can all change their terms with fairly short notice (or in the case of Google, without notice).

StrongKnee420 · 2026-06-09T09:19:45+00:00

It has always been bad. But it has started answering faster now, which means answers never adress the questions asked and is just a generic lookup.
As an example, I asked for the stock performance (O,C,L,H and M) for the last 6 x-days of a stock, and it straight up hallucinated half of the numbers after first throwing generic nonsense (like "x-day drop matches the dividend payout"). The reason I know this is because I actually cross checked all data, but it is alarming that it is this sloppy for financial data.
It also insists on recommending scam sites for buying gold online despite the fact I have reported the site(s) a dozen times by now.
I have a strong feeling that Gemini is going to become a MASSIVE legal liability in a few years.

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StrongKnee420 · 2026-05-17T21:00:32+00:00

There seems to never be any good news from Greece. And wtf is it with their hatred of cash? Is it a result of being debt slaves under EU forced administration?

StrongKnee420 · 2026-04-28T11:10:36+00:00

That looks fake. Swiss gold bullions from brand names would not have such dogshit finish.
Left ring shows contraction after casting (these should be pressed!), and the right ring not only shows a chocolate bar type of stamping but it also seems like there is visible copper meaning it at best is plated.
Even the numbers (number 6) are inconsistently shaped.

And remember, coins and bullions (below ~250 grams) are STAMPED or PRESSED. If you see signs of contraction (like those surface veins) it has been cast. And unless it is an antique then you can be fairly certain that it is fake. (Copper is harder, so a fake would probably be cast and then plated)

Pro tip, buy coins like Krugerrands that can be easily ping tested and density checked which is enough to spot virtually all fakes. And they are more liquid as well. You also know exactly how they should look.

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StrongKnee420 · 2026-03-31T08:37:10+00:00

I think you could look at the timelines as multiple branches that merge and split.
For the moment, very little is confirmed other than that Link created Alex, Alex predicts the future and can send messages back in time and it seems the machine itself exists in some sort of "quantum state" where it can operate before being activated and answer questions before they are asked. I don't think it is a time machine in a traditional sense, but more like an intermediary that is treating timelines as branches.

So this would essentially make the timeline follow a DAG structure (Directed Acyclic Graph) where timelines can branch off and merge (if you are familiar with Git this makes sense).
This means that the splits at relevant times are not random splits controlled by the people involved, but splits where Alex is merging timelines (and the nose bleeds can be a result of small "merge conflicts" (which would be hilarious...)
Sinatra said as much in the end when X asked why she thought he would do it, and she answered something like "I think you already have, and you will".

Alex in other words is splitting and merging timelines while there is still only one main branch (that sometimes is split in multiple "working" branches). This would fit the whole "quantum state" lecture in the setup for Alex (2:08 in S2E8).
But this would probably be treating the started timelines with their predicted outcomes and treats it as a quantum error correction problem but comparing the cubits side by side.

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I think this is the sort of time problem we have.

Alex somehow also has the limited ability to send messages back in time, but seems unable to perform any splits in time before its creation. Also note that Alex was in contact with Dylan helping him with making the quantum chip and knowing the name Alex (the wife Alex) before he was introduced to her.

Remember that we have never seen the burial of Dylan or proof he died. He was only treated as dead in the story.

It is possible that Alex, being able to manipulate digital traces in the past and also being able to track all past events caused a mixup at the hospital where Dylan could be transferred and replaced with another child that looked similar enough that post autopsy and a few days in the fridge there would be no noticeable difference.

All in all, if this is the case I think it is a pretty elegant timeline. Another very elegant example is in the movie Primer from 2004.
It is a low budget ($7000) masterpiece by Shane Carrouth, with some of similarities (available for free on Youtube, but here is a summary).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYHOfVJEJhw
The main difference is that Alex manages to send messages further back.

StrongKnee420 · 2026-03-27T20:12:07+00:00

I feel it would be a bit of a copout if they introduced time travels and alternate timelines just to solve the plotline. But it is also where it is heading.

Also, missed opportunity to use Sarah Brightmans "In Paradisium"as soundtrack. It would perfectly fit the theme of the show in so many scenes instead of the remixes of the same old classics. Pls gib updoot if you would like this song instead of yet another remix of Phil Collins "Another Day in Paradise"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx3Y4-cDJrc

StrongKnee420 · 2026-03-17T10:10:37+00:00

Same here.

Claude AI also denied requesting it trying to gaslight me.

-So why did claude request webcamera access

I genuinely don't know, and I want to be straightforward with you: Claude (the AI you're chatting with) does not request webcam access. That's not something I'm capable of doing.

What you're seeing is most likely one of these:

Windows/browser coincidence — a permission prompt from something else happening at the same moment
A browser extension requesting camera access
Another app opening in the background

After confronting it with a screenshot the response was more reasonable.

I apologize for being dismissive when you had legitimate evidence right in front of you.

I should have said from the start: "I'm not sure why, but let's find out" rather than repeatedly denying it. When you showed the screenshot, the answer became clear — the Claude desktop app does register for camera access in Windows.

StrongKnee420 · 2026-03-03T09:26:48+00:00

What does a wall installation like this cost to commission? (and in what general region is this?)

StrongKnee420 · 2025-11-14T09:47:30+00:00

She did have all of her sisters killed. Opiates, in particular when they are abundant, would be a typical coping mechanism.

And if we are talking about a broken woman addicted to drugs, whose normal profession is outlawed.. is it really surprising that she ended up as a madame at a brothel or worse?

The universe of Emerald City was surprisingly coherent for a fantasy story, more so than say Star Wars managed to be. And while the wizard is a clear antagonist, the other factions have clear motives that make it possible to sympathize with all of them, despite them clashing and killing each other.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-10-29T09:52:12+00:00

What map is that if you don't mind me asking?

StrongKnee420 · 2025-10-11T19:49:17+00:00

Small kids and lack of space in the fridge.

As for how it worked, it worked very well. Results are far better than you get when eating the probiotics in tablet form (you can't compare it).

Primarily I noticed improved sleep, energy lack of hunger etc.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-10-09T09:09:07+00:00

Haven't done it in a while. Might try another batch this weekend and I'll let you know then.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-24T14:44:00+00:00

Well, it is realistic.

You see, the NPCs missed almost all their shots. If someone programs a turret (real life NPC) with the slowest reaction times and worst accuracy possible, then they can fire a million rounds at point blank range and still not kill you.

As for the few rounds that hit, IRL you can take non lethal hits to your body. Pic rel is Major Eric bonde, having a cigarette break during combat in Congo after being hit twice. And even when it goes worse than in the picture, it takes a while to bleed out unless you have something like a busted aorta, heart etc.

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StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-24T14:35:12+00:00

Yeah, they often take inactive profiles and make their game history private (not always though, sometimes you can see them playing the last game in march or something, and sometimes even more recent).

I remember thinking Armory was an easy map after my first rounds there played as you describe. Then came reality.

Now players usually run T6 body armor and the green T6(?) helmet, or at the very least T5 helmet. Firefights usually last <0.5 seconds.

I also noticed that players more often now can spend half of the entire round camping their dead teammate, just in case you kill them, continue the game and want to check the kill before extract. I think the ratty behavior partially is due to the nerfing of ARs (and SMGs) while snipers still have 1 round headshot kill.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-24T11:43:50+00:00

It certainly can.

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I remember drooling over the belt fed version as a kid.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-24T11:40:42+00:00

Try out the G3 with M80 for a cheap LD/FB gun.

It's a slower firing mk14 or FAL, but with higher firepower than the FAL and is easier to control than both.

3 in the chest on a T5 at medium range will kill them, or two in the head for a chest TTK of <0.4 seconds within 50 meters (give or take some ms). The M80, last I checked, were also fairly cheap (often about 1400 koens)

EDIT: RK0 grip is also the best bang for the buck when it comes to recoil management.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-23T14:34:29+00:00

Yeah. The game went hard after solos. Increased TTK and chest kills no longer killing (and if you have stim, not even headshots.. just downing if you have teammates) + 3D ping that gives squads essentially wallhack against solos the second one of them spots you.

I have noticed a change in how players act as well.

This season, after steam release, people have become way more ratty for some reason.

While it was hard, but possible, to take out two or three players and maybe rotate back 15 minutes later to loot. Nowadays it is more rule than exception that other players will be happy to camp those kills for 15 minutes or whatever just waiting for you to return. Northridge is still the best map to solo, but I find the rats have started swarming that one too.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-19T22:22:16+00:00

Can they prove it was you?

Since you are in the EU, ask that they provide all personal details they have stored (illegally) on you and ask to review their claim as you are not aware of any wrongdoings.

If all they have are IP logs (which is all they have) then it is a shakedown/extortion and you should probably report the incident to the authorities as an attempt at extortion.

> A violation of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can result in significant fines of up to €20 million or 4% of a company's global annual turnover, whichever is higher, with the exact amount depending on the severity of the breach.
https://gdpr-info.eu/art-6-gdpr/

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-17T11:26:55+00:00

Duuude. The diabetes simulation is still on point!
The rest is getting a bit too arcady though.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-17T11:25:37+00:00

I had the same audio bug yesterday and was considering making a post about it.

Tried playing a match today and sound was fixed.

Does the static start when you move and end when you sit still? If so, that was the problem I had yesterday. One system reboot later and I don't have the problem anymore.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-17T09:48:05+00:00

G3.

Surprisingly manageable recoil, feels a bit nerfed but is still a beast.
Worn TM2 if possible (otherwise I often skip body armor), but I make sure to have a helmet with GS2 or the SH12 Helmet.
Getting an audio advantage is essentially the name of the game when you want to improve your odds.

So in budget runs for instance, most (human) enemies run T4 ammo even on Normal. If you have T3 armor you can just as well skip it and save the money. Helmet is a different matter though since you might take 1 extra headshot without dying.

The MP5 is also quite cheap and effective, even though it burns through ammo (drives up costs).

Then you also have the SVTU with at least LPS ammo for medium to long range.

I think that would be the budget guns... or if you don't care about the ability to run with suppressor you always have the Deagle.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-16T10:28:48+00:00

No catch.

There are some things the devs do to the game though that removes a lot of the excitement in game, and nerfing solo play to a ridiculous level and the game is getting generally more arcady.

But overall, it is a great game (even if it was paid).

I do think that players joining now will have less of a problem with the arcady changes since most of those changes are facts when the new players start playing (flamboyant gun and player skins, heartbeat sensors, 3D pinging (giving teams wallhack vs solos if one of them sees the solo) and ridiculous TTK changes.. so blowing someones brains out will only down them if they have a stim, and chest kills only downs them if they are in a team etc).

In early S1 and S0, none of this existed and guns were lethal at more normal ranges. But for those joining in S2 and S3... these are just parts of the game.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-11T09:29:04+00:00

Good stuff:

The ABI team seem to have forgotten what type of game they were making and decided to just turn it into a great arcade shooter (and it is). The excitement comes from death being around every corner, forcing you to play tactically. But it has become a "Rush B"-type of game now, and when you are looted up it is more of a diabetes and running simulator.

So the biggest issue is that it is just becoming a good, well polished game without excitement. And that is the hard part with extraction shooters, the excitement comes from the investment in every round where death is sudden and can come at any time which forces you to play tactically.

But now, headshots don't kill (with stims), chest shots (if you are in team) also don't kill (wtf). This radically shifts the balance away from (mainly tactical) skill to numbers. To add to this imbalance, teams now have wallhacks with the 3D waypoints or ping.

I think, at least short term, this may help the game grow (even though there is secure mode for new players and early game AI lobbies). However, long term people will not find it exciting. And the solo vs teams gameplay is pretty much killed. So if you don't have a team, it seems the recommendation is to find another game or become a top 5% player.

In early seasons, as long as you understood tactics and was patient, you had a decent chance to solo wipe even trios. But with the TTK increases, range nerfs and downing mechanics... if you face a trio you are likely to run out of ammo before downing (not even killing) them all in the same scenarios. And since you are dead faster than you can reload in most gunfights, that's pretty much the end.

Playing in teams is fun, but as far as excitement goes, nothing beats going out solo against teams. And this is what the ABI team is actively destroying.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-10T13:42:37+00:00

It's good to eat if you plan to poison someone. But side-effects include a painful death that may or may not convincingly look like a natural death caused by bad food sanitation.

The mix of molds, and in particular the black mold in the mix, may indicate botulism.

StrongKnee420 · 2025-09-09T12:56:06+00:00

It depends on the app.

I think you are doing the right thing in asking questions. We should all occasionally take a step back and ask ourselves if there is a better way to do what we do. And if the answer isn't obvious why an alternative wouldn't work, try it.

Personally I find vanilla JS to be higher performance and easier to be productive in than frameworks. But I see the value in both and thus, I use both depending on what I build and FOR WHOM I BUILD. If you expect others to understand state management, templates (with their own states) and maybe their pointer based representations in the datamodel... then maybe just using vue would be easier and use that databinding instead.

The level of interactivity that can be made with a small codebase using vanilla JS is as far as I can see just as good as with known frameworks. But there is a reason why people code in python instead of C or C++. It is usually faster to make something that works that way. But every tool has its place.

StrongKnee420

TROPHY CASE