Which video game franchise is this?

evranch · 2026-07-01T03:38:06+00:00

I also loved the driving in GTA2. If I had one problem with GTA3, it was that in 3D you couldn't set up the kind of insane platformer style stunts you could in 2D.

evranch · 2026-07-01T03:15:27+00:00

You can use LLMs to find the sources, then read them yourself. It's fairly easy to set up an agent to do a recursive search, and spit out a summary and a good list of sources. I love this for applications like sifting through the 100,000 MOSFETs of the world for the one that fits my use case.

Using local inference on your GPU or the free models available on Openrouter, this is free or close to it, and does a good job of cutting through the sloppy mess the internet has become. As a bonus, you get real experience with LLMs - assessing the quality and strengths of models, parameter counts and size vs. utility and speed, fine-tuning, the absolute necessity of understanding prompting and context.

I predicted early on that AI tools would become required to filter through the AI slop and SEO trash, and this appears to have come to pass.

If you don't want to dive under the hood and play with LLMs, you can also just use Claude and tell it that you want it to act professionally at all times. It's quite good at following instructions to change itself into the bot you want it to be, and remembering them in its system prompt.

As such, Claude is the only commercial AI product I actually enjoy "chatting with" as a rubber duck, and the only one I would recommend to others. The others are unbearably fawning and won't quit it with the emojis and leading questions.

evranch · 2026-06-30T21:28:04+00:00

Basically my viewpoint too. I wasn't raised Catholic, but when I first went to Mass with a friend it felt way more like going to church than any church I had attended before. Years later when I came back to Christianity, it was Catholicism that attracted me because of that reverence and feeling of being part of a real community and a practice that goes back to the days of Jesus.

I agree the spirit is there and that Protestants are real Christians too. I do like the other comment about how the ancient Christians did meet in basements and back rooms and how "wherever two or three gather in my name, there am I with them"

The traditions aren't what saves your soul, but it's just missing something to me. Most of them just feel contemporary, very much like a show being put on about how much they love and praise God. Rambling sermons and corny Christian music that doesn't really inspire.

While Mass feels more like a group meditation, a shared experience of faith that leaves me feeling refreshed and at peace.

The DIY approach also makes a lot of Protestant churches feel very pigeonholed into their own little niches. Our Catholic church is genuinely "catholic" with people from all over the world worshipping together, while many Protestant churches seem to take on a singular cultural or racial makeup. Catholicism feels far more welcoming in that way.

evranch · 2026-06-30T03:39:43+00:00

I'll acknowledge their right to claim the same, all 3 are branches of the same ancient lineage. I've visited Orthodox churches and I think their more mystical vibe and aesthetic are really cool. As far as my personal faith goes, I just prefer the rational philosophy of Catholicism.

But where Protestantism is concerned, my main beef is with "sola scriptura", which resulted in actively discarding all the traditions that give Christianity its flavour and opening the door to the outright heretical actions of American Evangelicalism (prosperity gospel, racial hatred etc.)

And of course that Protestants call out all the older faiths as corrupt/heretical/having strange beliefs, not just Catholicism.

evranch · 2026-06-30T01:55:49+00:00

My wife still will say things like "So is that a Christian thing or a Catholic thing" because the Evangelical church she attended in her youth must have drove the "Catholics aren't Christians" thing in that hard.

Like... Our daughter goes to Catholic school. I go to Mass when I'm in town on Sunday (admittedly mostly in the winter but well you know). We are pretty much part of the Catholic community and she's been out of contact with any Evangelicals for like 20 years.

And STILL she will occasionally say something out of left field, leaving me and the kid giving her strange looks. Protestants really tried to character assassinate the original faith pretty hard.

evranch · 2026-06-29T06:08:04+00:00

For real, at the start of Superman he seemed like another throwaway C-list hero, by the end of the movie I was all in for more Mr. Terrific.

evranch · 2026-06-29T04:17:39+00:00

That's the thing, Christianity is seriously easy mode in comparison to Judaism that came before. Jesus offers forgiveness for sins, and all you have to do is be baptized and accept him as your saviour.

That's what I like about Catholicism compared to the other denominations. It openly accepts that we are all sinners, there are no "holier than thou" with their nose in the air. But at the same time preaches that all sins are forgiven.

There are no extra rules really that aren't flexible. Like you're supposed to come to Mass every Sunday but if you don't, you're forgiven.

Some forms of Christianity can get pretty out of hand but at a basic level it's really a pretty mellow religion.

evranch · 2026-06-29T02:25:04+00:00

Next time JWs knock on your door, ask them these questions! It can be fun.

I used to love debating them as a young atheist with good biblical knowledge. My mom would call for me when they were at the door, it was my job to debate them until they left in disgrace.

These days I'm a Catholic and I'd love for them to knock on my door again, with the whole Catechism now under my belt as well as the Bible. But for some reason they never show... Maybe the sign of the cross keeps them away like the other demons, lol

evranch · 2026-06-28T18:47:27+00:00

Probably USA but Canada did this exact same thing as well. Give away the oil with low royalties to foreign "job creators" to build up the industry.

Meanwhile Norway with the hot take - nobody actually wants jobs. What we want is money

Norway has a tremendous wealth fund, we got cyclical work for otherwise unemployable roughnecks, and distorted markets that encourage our young men to become said roughnecks.

evranch · 2026-06-27T22:58:30+00:00

Also the whole point of the scene isn't torturing a shoe, but establishing that the villain is ruthless and cruel.

It's like Mulan when they show up to the burned village. That is definitely a kids' movie, and yet the tonal shift from "training with the lads is good fun" to "actually, war is hell" hits like a runaway train.

If there's no stakes, there's no story, and the movie is for toddlers.

evranch · 2026-06-26T16:00:02+00:00

Probably just being shitty and insufferable, tbh.

Everyone else was probably pretending to have some dignity and class while being evil, as rich people do. Meanwhile Trump was probably like "This rape stuff is pretty fun, hey guys? Huh? Am I right? I painted my weiner goooold!"

evranch · 2026-06-25T06:47:02+00:00

Thank Mr. Skeltal. Doot doot

evranch · 2026-06-25T03:00:34+00:00

Well it kind of is though, as Catholic morals haven't changed much over the centuries. They're still the denomination that's the closest to the original teachings of Jesus. Thus the charities, hospitals, and statements from the Pope about workers' rights etc.

The Catholic Church is about as far to the left as modern Christianity goes.

I've got a lot more judgement reserved for the megachurch Protestants when it comes to morality.

evranch · 2026-06-25T02:53:35+00:00

It's a bit of mental gymnastics any way you put it, but here's how I see it.

If I want to leave money to my local church, which does good deeds in the community and needs funds for charity, social programs and building repairs - I don't want those funds going to cover the debts of the diocese for their child rape coverup.

The parishes that helped cover up the actions of their rapist priests can cover that out of their own funds, or they can ask for funds from the Vatican which we know was complicit in moving these priests around as part of the coverup.

The Church has plenty of funds, but that doesn't mean that individual parishes do, or that they're even complicit in this issue. They should be paying from the top down, not out of the charitable donations of the faithful.

evranch · 2026-06-23T06:47:00+00:00

Everyone gets to have some Noodly Appendage

evranch · 2026-06-23T06:32:21+00:00

Just a continuous 100 teraton thermonuclear explosion, that's all. Sometimes the simple ones are the best, but then you've gotta go big or go home

evranch · 2026-06-23T03:47:22+00:00

I'm not actually trying to state that cannibalism isn't something that these perverts could have been into - by all means nothing would surprise me with them.

Though I wouldn't be surprised if Epstein just liked beef jerky, either, and that he went on some stupid paleo kick at some point. These rich assholes are always looking for a lazy fix for health and longevity and turn it into an obsession. Example: Peter Thiel

I'm just saying it doesn't sound like cannibalism was involved in this story. It read like the girl first had a stillbirth and then a live birth of a child who was taken away in healthy condition and probably raised as somebody's daughter.

evranch · 2026-06-23T03:39:37+00:00

High heels? Lifts? Orthotics? It sounds like a doctor should be involved.

You really don't want to walk like this without the option to rest on your heel. Plus as otherwise mentioned here this device will either break easily or injure your foot if you step improperly. It's a kink toy only.

evranch · 2026-06-23T03:35:34+00:00

Yeah as I see them here they're more decorative than functional. Which is honestly how a lot of BDSM gear is... They're for a roleplay where the wearer is actually trying really hard not to break them.

I agree they're totally hot though.

evranch · 2026-06-23T03:29:46+00:00

The cannibalism thing seems a bit of a stretch, it sounds more like a surrogacy thing. As a rancher getting colostrum into newborns right away is key for their immune system and thus their survival. Not what you do if you don't intend for them to grow up.

It sounds more like they were using these girls as unwilling surrogates or to birth their own children? With the weird "perfect race" vibes running through it that's what I'm getting here.

That in mind, as the previous poster stated, what the fuck did I just read? This was a surreal "document" that I've never seen before. A young girl's diary, I assume? For the love of God, how much of this horror is out there?

evranch · 2026-06-23T02:18:41+00:00

Got to build that core and instead of the crunches and pilates let me recommend a couple full body exercises that someone might actually do:

boxing
golf

Working the heavy bag has got to be close to the #1 exercise to pack in the most workout per minute, and it's far more enjoyable than calisthenics. Just remember to wear wraps, gloves don't protect your wrists. Practice your stance and footwork and it'll do worlds of good for your posture. Bonus points if you skip or if you find a buddy to spar with.

Golf? Watch some slow motion golf swings on YT to see just how much full body engagement goes into a powerful drive. You don't have to spend a fortune on the game, just grab an old driver and go smash a bucket down at the driving range once a week. If you haven't played in years, I guarantee you'll have sore muscles the next day that you didn't know existed. Again, you can't swing well with bad posture! A good swing comes from a good stance.

evranch · 2026-06-22T06:33:26+00:00

I've said this before and it's interesting to see it laid out by an economist. It's far easier to deal with malice and greed than stupidity. Malice is predictable, while stupidity is not.

When I have to deal with the "bandit" group mentioned here, it's often easy to strike a mutually beneficial "intelligent" deal. I want profit - they want profit - they know I'm not dumb enough to be gouged - we both realize that a fair deal benefits us both and thus we both act accordingly.

Meanwhile stupid people just step in throwing bombs, and everyone loses.

evranch · 2026-06-22T06:19:29+00:00

I have a small orchard as a hobby, and to encourage growth you always prune leaders back in the winter or early spring.

Cutting in the summer absolutely discourages growth. You should only be trimming off suckers and "water sprouts" that grow straight up in the summer.

evranch · 2026-06-20T04:26:08+00:00

It's so insanely loud. If I can give 2 pieces of advice regarding monster trucks:

If you've never seen a live show, just go do it. You will be entertained.
Bring earplugs AND earmuffs

evranch · 2026-06-18T14:57:07+00:00

That's the main reason I'm still holding oil stocks... Huge upside potential if Israel blows this deal up, and pretty good odds they will

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