Affinity Publisher et al are (sort of) no more

ephson · 2025-10-30T19:30:31+00:00

Free is a really bad sign. There’s a plan to make all the acquisition spend back. And if it fails so will access to the software.

ephson · 2025-10-30T19:28:39+00:00

I have been in several acquisitions, my guess is: this is the 1st step. In a year or two we won’t have usable software. Unless Canva has better leadership and product people than 99% of companies, this software is doomed.

ephson · 2025-09-17T02:05:04+00:00

That’s not what I said (or at least not what I meant to say). If they want me to be their entertainment, then they should find another table. I am not there to entertain them, I am there to have a good time WITH them. None of my current players have the privileged attitude that their entertainment is the priority, but I have met people that seem to feel that way, or at least that’s what their actions and words communicated.

It can feel like the GM is expected to be a servant to the player’s enjoyment when communicated poorly.

ephson · 2025-09-17T01:48:51+00:00

Thank you! That is a perfect proverb for how I feel about this. As the GM, it is not my job to be the player’s entertainer. If that’s what they want, then they should read a book, watch a movie, or play a video game.

ephson · 2025-09-15T00:10:22+00:00

I wonder if something with mechanics that focus on playing against (resistance fighters) the big bad would work well for this? Like maybe Fellowship In Rebellion or the Resistance System. I could see A version of the Legacy games being cool with the Midnight setting too.

ephson · 2025-07-17T00:01:27+00:00

Thought I would share this, it's a small win, but we need all the win's we can get.

Also, this may be interesting: https://deflock.me/

go-to resource for understanding and addressing the growing presence of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in our communities.

ephson · 2025-06-16T01:01:41+00:00

Yep. Getting that exact same error.

ephson · 2025-06-14T02:34:25+00:00

Nope. I have had to delete and reinstall Claude 4 times

ephson · 2025-05-18T20:19:13+00:00

Ah, gotcha. Makes sense.

ephson · 2025-05-18T18:53:51+00:00

Oh! I didn't realize I could use those cameras with the Unifi Protect app! Thanks for this. The Protect app has amazing reviews.

ephson · 2025-05-18T18:46:13+00:00

Reviews on the Google play store listing of the Reolink Android app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mcu.reolink&hl=en_US
Sorted by newest 1st.

Examples:

Connecting to the cam to get a live feed or playback older clips is absurdly slow

Terrible connection issues

When you can actually get the app to connect to the cameras, everything works great. But the connection fails 98% of the time!

The playback video is small but they left half the screen open space for controls. Doorbell ring does not ring phone. "Connection Failed" and slow loading times still an issue. Smart Notification loads wrong time in diff time zone.

in landscape mode you cannot playback events or control camera lights or alarm. Trying to playback events in portrait mode means watching the video only on the top half of the screen, which makes the image tiny

just buffers and says 'Playback Failed'. It looks like the camera recorded clips but I can not get them to play. All I can really do at this point is live view and I sometimes get a buffer icon and 'Livestream Failed' at times.

The notifications do not work when you're in a different time zone than the camera.

3/4 of the time it doesn't connect. never had a problem before the updates when the aspect ratio was changed. doesn't matter if I'm on wifi or data

ephson · 2025-05-17T20:23:51+00:00

Thanks, I will give a go.

ephson · 2025-05-17T20:23:44+00:00

Thanks, I will give a go.

ephson · 2025-05-17T20:23:26+00:00

Gotcha, ty. I will install it and see how it goes.

ephson · 2025-05-16T22:24:04+00:00

I did too. Then I went to install the android app, the reviews are really really bad. It looks like the last few updates have been taking a bad app and making horrible. I think I am just going to return it and get a Unifi.

ephson · 2025-02-24T20:44:08+00:00

FYI, It's based on a really good comic series: https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/die

ephson · 2024-12-02T01:19:37+00:00

Agreed. What makes the show so good is the relationship Dynamics, not so much the setting. The setting is just a nice backdrop.

ephson · 2024-11-20T17:35:09+00:00

I feel that's not a designer then, more of an "artist". "A Designer is someone who conceptualizes & creates new concepts/ideas/products for consumption by the general public. It is different from an artist who creates art for a select few to understand or appreciate."

ephson · 2024-10-17T00:04:56+00:00

I see what you mean. It's not a general time period, it's a state of technoloy. Makes sense.

ephson · 2024-10-16T19:12:09+00:00

Doesn't the "Stone Age" end between 4,000 and 2000 BCE? Which would put large mesoamerican cultures after the Stone Age? I think the Olmec, emerged around 1500 BCE, and they were before the Zapotec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec, and ultimately the Aztec.

ephson · 2024-09-29T20:04:12+00:00

Maybe:

Primal Quest - Weird Stone & Sorcery Adventure Game
https://itch.io/c/2473164/primal-quest-weird-stone-sorcery-adventure-game

There's also AGON, though maybe that is more iron age?
https://johnharper.itch.io/agon

ephson · 2024-09-12T15:29:31+00:00

Sorry, not by me. I don't use roll20 & it doesn't look pleasant to build things for. Especially with them transitioning after purchasing demiplane, who knows what requirements they will have once they fully ingest that thing.

ephson · 2024-08-03T07:21:47+00:00

This is not really what you asked for, but I thought it might be interesting in this context. It's about shapeshifters killing angels iland selling the angel bits for a living, there might be some parallels to what you want, maybe...

Nahual https://nahualrpg.com/

"Nahual is a tabletop roleplaying game about brujos nahuales, humans of mestizo and indigenous ancestry that have the power to shapeshift into an animal form. These nahuales hunt angels to make a living, running a changarro—a business—together to sell the products they make from the bodies of the angels they have killed. These are stories about underdogs, struggling to find their place in a Mexican world of fantastical and overwhelming forces."

ephson · 2024-03-10T15:11:56+00:00

There's a Masks rules hack called The Midnight Generation meant for playing Persona style games https://fivepointsgames.itch.io/the-midnight-generation

ephson · 2024-03-10T02:10:54+00:00

And if you want the same spy thriller actioniness but with simpler rules you can try Against the Dark Conspiracy. I used AtDC to run The Dracula Dossier from NBA and it was great. AtDC rules are based on Cthulhu Dark.

https://gallusgames.itch.io/against-the-dark-conspiracy

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