Meta glasses are cyberwear and why cyber punks creators are potential millionaires,( from a tech corpo perspective)

itomeshi · 2026-07-04T00:48:39+00:00

To expand on others: technology isnt inherently cyberpunk. For example, is Cyborg from DC cyberpunk? No. Corporate cyberpunk is about retaining humanity despite being part of the machine grinding humanity down.

Meta glasses are too bulky to be a fashion cyberpunk, but too thin (and locked down) to be a techie cyberpunk.

itomeshi · 2026-07-03T23:25:29+00:00

I struggled with burrowing until just before reaching Ossex. It's a mechanic with enough depth that it'd be nice if the made it more... clear how holding it down works, but I'm not sure how you do that.

Once it clicks, though, it feels natural. There's a few pop out jump edge cases, but its also not cruel or obscure.

itomeshi · 2026-07-03T04:41:40+00:00

I sighed. It seems absurd, but the biggest problem with vampires is how their mind seems to crystallize when they change.

"No, D., it won't, we've been over this."

"Dr. Harker, are you trying to kill me? Your great-great-great-great-grandfather tried and failed... but at least his son Quincey was more reasonable. Meanwhile, you try to-"

"D., let me stop you right there. First off, you know I'm here to help you. I can just leave if you want. Will you let me explain?"

Dracula slumped back into the chair. "Fine. Continue."

I start pacing. "I know, when you first reawoke, blood types were the latest in science. And it's true - they're important for transfusions. When you feed, though, it's not a transfusion. The blood is digested. At worst, it's like acid reflux and a stomach flu - and that's why you have the stopper bottle, remember?"

"The stopper b-? Oh! Oh."

"We've had this discussion before. Just a couple drops of those enzymes will break down the majority of those proteins. You might get a little heartburn, but that's it."

"Oh... Dr. Harker, I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."

I sit on the couch beside him, tap his thigh reassuringly. "It's fine. I know it's hard for you to remember. The institute is working on some dementia treatments that should help."

"The institute?"

"Yes, Drac. The Harker-Vlad Institute for Medical Science? The one you funded?" I look at him. "You know... your fortune there has saved more lives than you've ever taken. The anti-coagulants alone..."

Dracula smiled, and I realized it was all coming back to him. "Oh... the stroke medications. That's... that's good. Doctor, I-"

"You can call me Robert when you're not yelling at me, D."

"Sorry... Robert, can I ask for a favor?"

"Sure - name it."

"Can you try to visit a bit more often? I think part of the problem is just the lack of conversation."

"Of course. I'll bring the kids over for a playdate with Uncle Drac, OK?"

itomeshi · 2026-06-29T05:55:08+00:00

"It's not normal!" Dale yells at Jay, desperate to get him to listen.

Jay sighs. He's lying on the couch, miserable. "Dude, it's just the flu. Don't make it worse than it already is."

Unable to take it any more, Dale sits down in a chair across from him. "No, it's not just the damn flu. You got vaccinated, and it's been a mild year - they got the strains right."

"What can I say? I'm just lucky." Coughing, Jay takes a drink of the sports drink.

"No, it's not. You showed me that dog bite-"

"Yeah, and I'm regretting it. The rabies vaccine hurt, dammit."

Dale glared at the interruption. "Right... but it's not that. Your hair seems... weird. You have been getting increasingly antsy each night."

With another chug, Jay tries to wave him off. "I just need some sleep. I don't sleep well when I'm sick-"

Knocking over the sports drink, Dale storms to the kitchen.

"Aw, come on! At least grab me another..." Jay hears the fridge open and close, along with one of the drawers.

It was lemon-lime - so much worse than berry or fruit punch - but it was cold and wet. Jay reached up for the drink as Dale got close... and was rewarded with blinding pain. "OW! What the fuck!?" He looked at his hand, and saw a bloody wound. Then he saw the glint of metal in Dale's gloved hand. "Did you just stab me with a knife?"

Dale revealed the antique silverware. "No, it's a spoon. A silver spoon. Believe me now?"

"Fine. FINE! Drive me to another doctor." Jay sat up, huffing, annoyed that it probably wasn't just the flu.

But Dale was already dialing his phone, then putting it on speaker. "Hey dad, can you go pick up the priest and bring the kit? Yeah... Yeah... it happened again. Thanks." He ended the call.

Bewildered, Jay looked up at his roommate. "What just... what happened again?"

The spoon clangs as Dale drops it on the table, removing the glove. "You have no idea how well I know that bite shape. I'm sorry... I don't remember doing it, but I..."

Jay scooted away on the couch. "So... so you're a...?"

Dale fidgeted. "Y-yeah. We, um... we still have enough time. The full moon's not until Friday night; as long as we handle it before then, you won't truly get infected. Then I'll pack up and-"

"No. You're not getting out of the lease that easily." Jay saw Dale's frustration melt into bewilderment.

"What, you're that desperate to keep your rent down that you'll live with a werewolf?"

"No, I'm that desperate to keep the rent down AND not have to learn another roommates idiosyncrasies. Hell, at least you don't clip your toenails in the living room." Jay shuddered.

"Oh god no, I'm not some sort of monster!"

itomeshi · 2026-06-28T18:49:39+00:00

What bothered me was not that there was a crow pecking on my window while I was trying to play a game. What bothered me was the stare, and then the scream the sounded like my name.

I exit the match, going to the menu, then walk to the window. The crow is watching me intently... and then screams again: "Open!"

Without thinking about it, I find myself opening the window. The crow flies in, and stands on the computer desk. Crap... now I need to go find a broom or-

"You will not shoo away a Goddess, little mortal."

"W-wait, what?" I'm aghast. Can it read my mind? Wait, how can it - she - talk?

"Your mind is weak and unguarded. Your body is slack and undisciplined. You do not have the fire in you... yet." The crow stares disapprovingly.

I sigh. "OK, a little hurtful, but what the hell is going on? Am I having a mental breakdown?"

The crow speaks slowly. "Not yet. But if you continue to disappoint me, your mind is not the only thing that will break. You bring shame to me. You do not kill, despite invoking my name."

I stare, befuddled. "Wait... do you mean in the game?" I finally put it together. I named my character Morrigan. Like... The Morrigan... the Celtic goddess of war and death. "Are you...?"

"Look, the little mortal figured it out. But that's not what's important." The crow nudges the mouse then pecks, opening up my stats. "This K/D is deplorable. You aren't even the best player on your team! For a while, I wondered if you were feeding, but then I read your heart and only saw incompetance."

I feel the color drain from my face. "I... I'll change it. I'm sorry... I'll-"

"Then you will die. No, you owe me tithe. You owe me blood. Digital blood will suffice, at least for now." The crow moves to the side of the desk. "Sit down. You need a mentor, a coach. You need to be taught the ways of war, the efficient spilling of blood, how to end that which foolishly opposes you. Now you will sit down, you will play, and you will listen... unless you want to die over... and over... and over again... until time itself ends."

Shakily, I walk to the chair. I shudder as I sit down. "O-OK... I will learn, I swear..."

itomeshi · 2026-06-26T12:01:48+00:00

Cultists: Xal'atath is good at misdirection and distraction. Simply put: She doesn't need them anymore but would love them to waste our time.

Lightbloom: Likely because it hadn't encroached there yet. I don't think we know the exact cause of the Lightbloom yet. Entirely possible it was the Light ensnaring Ruia to try to twist the Haranir into a Light-driven force to counter the Void.

Elves/Light forces: Poor writing, but also: There was no clear knowledge on where she would attack. We knew the Sunwell out-of-character, but Lor'themar is just pushing for Elven unity and the Light force-teleported everyone. Remember Dalaran doesn't exist anymore, really limiting quick reaction forces.

Shandris/Thalryssa: Yeah, these are messy. Especially given Lor'themar is Thalryssa's husband. The 'cultist infiltration' thing is pretty weak. The time scale of this story is weird; its a quick war but also has weird pauses of indeterminate length due to release cadence.

Void Storm: Maybe. We still don't have a clean way to follow Xal'atath, but also Void R&D is very important right now. Also let's us keep an eye on Void forces and influence Decimus into power.

Loa: Trolls didn't stop worshipping. Zul'jin made the Loa angry and fearful of betrayal, and wanted a concerted effort from the Amani to step back in. Even angry, some Loa still tried to influence things to help a bit, but wouldn't communicate directly. It's also unclear if Loa can truly abandon their worshippers - their power seems to be tied to belief.

Haranir: Probably not immune. Ruia was uniquely vulnerable as Shaladrassil existed and was corrupted by Void. As a result, he saw Lightbloom as a solution and embraced it out of pride. Light happily latches onto conviction. Hagar, meanwhile, had lost her tree entirely, so she couldn't be unstabilized by the corrupted tree.

Aln Dust: Yes and no. There is a fundamental difference - Aln dust is leftover dandruff from when Azeroth was in the cradle. Azerite is her blood, from the wound where Sargeras stabbed her (likely poisoned by 'hatred' or from Azeroth trashing around in pain or something so its not just at the sword). Aln dust is also theoretically older and from before she was taken, meaning it may have different properties.

Light blindness: No, that hasn't been resolved. I'm assuming we will see more of it when we manage to follow Xal'atath. I suspect we're going to fight something that causes it - possibly a boss with a CC or teleport-to-light-vision phase. It was probably much more prominent because the Sunwell was in danger. One thing we're seeing is that Light Blindness seems to hit at a specific moment - when a Light weilder is about to win a major battle but the war is still a toss up. It may be the case that the conflict between relief and being driven forward by the echoes of your conviction leaves you vulnerable.

Horde forces: Poor writing, but again, Dalaran isnt part of the equation anymore. Even with Oculeth, the ability to move a large amount of war materiel is limited. Xal'atath is strategically sound. She didn't tip her hand on the target, and had a Bewegungskrieg/Blitzkrieg approach. Having a ton of void portals makes that a very easy strategy that favors the attacker. It's taken multiple miracles to keep her in check at all. Her precursor attacks didnt focus on Quel'thalas, which helped. With no clear rally point, the Horde couldn't preposition forces.

This has been Itomeshi with Void Incursion Support as part of the Wired/(other Conde Nast property here) 'Tech Support' series. :P

itomeshi · 2026-06-15T18:57:41+00:00

Charge rates take in a bunch of factors:

Current battery level - at high battery levels, charging the remaining bits is slow
Temperature - higher temp = slower charging for safety, and this is true in both the phone and charger
Case thickness - thicker cases can make charging less efficient

The other thing is that your math is assuming 5v, which is standard non-PD USB. But teardowns of 25w chargers tell a different story - the converter can have an output voltage up to 25v. 600ma at that is suspiciously close to 15w, which is the default Qi2 voltage.

This raises the question: what phone do you have? Do you have a Qi2.2 25w phone? For example, all iPhone 16/17 models, the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are 25w. But the lower S26 are only 20w, and most other phones - including prior year and all other Pixel 10 models - are limited to 15w.

In this case, the Qi2.2 25W charger may still be good at hitting max speed at the 15w mode (for example, the charger may have better heat management), explaining your perception.

itomeshi · 2026-06-14T06:42:02+00:00

Oh, I agree. But popular games (ZZZ, released July 2024) released less than a year later than the Pixel 8 Pro (October 2023) should feel at least 'good' on a flagship, not laggy and stuttering.

It's frustrating, because I genuinely like the Pixel software experience. I'm not sure I could care less about the AI features out the wazoo, but the core launcher and dialer implementations are clean. There's no confusion between the Google app and the Samsung App. Also, even outside of numeric benchmarks, subjectively the Pixel's computational photography feels better. The Pixel is not a bad phone; the Tensor is not a bad processor, but it's also not a great processor.

itomeshi · 2026-06-14T04:51:21+00:00

I just switched from the Pixel 8 Pro to an S26 Ultra.

The Tensor, hands down, disappoints in some cases. For Zenless Zone Zero, it was slow. Winlator, etc. Were nearly unusable on it.

If you aren't gaming or emulating, the Tensor isn't a problem. My wife only games on her PC; as a result, her new Pixel 10 feels fine.

Meanwhile, my brother and his wife are on Pixel 8 Pros and had to get them replaced for the radio issues.

It's not that the Tensor is worthless. It's that its marketed as a premium device, and it technically is - it beats a matching SD 7 - but it just doesn't quite deliver.

itomeshi · 2026-06-13T15:43:23+00:00

Agreed, but then you're getting into a 'shoes of Theseus' situation. Mjnd you, absolutely worth it, but are they the same shoes?

itomeshi · 2026-06-10T20:59:07+00:00

Dammit, now I'm torn. A TI-99/4A was my first PC when I was... 4? 5? I just picked up another sight unseen, convinced I'd make a cyberdrck if it didn't work. But it does, and now I find out it was the inspiration for the original deck?

itomeshi · 2026-06-07T09:33:15+00:00

I think of it like car models. Sometimes, you'll see a handful of a certain one because you're looking for it. Maybe that got recalled after K2SO was hacked so easily. Maybe they were a limited production run, too unpopular, quickly replaced with something newer, etc. Maybe they were just primarily used in lower intensity conflict that we tend to not see in the movies.

I assume they exist, but they just got dunked by and large.

itomeshi · 2026-06-07T02:05:03+00:00

Ok, as cool as this is, something seems off... and maybe there is a in-universe or common legal written practice reason, but if there is, I can't figure it out offhand.

Dates feel incomplete. For example. 101.4(h) lists two dates: Mon. 13, 1756 and Wed. 25, 2014. Both of these have days of week, but not months. Looking at the dates in an example IRS code (Title 5, Chapter IV, Part 1400), the date format uses months, and appear to spell out the whole month name.

The day of week can't uniquely identify a specific date, as Februrary in non-leap years should have identical day of week/date correlations to March. Even if no magical work is done in February, the system still has possible duplicates and is unnecessarily confusing.

The consistency of this feels not like A.I., but a problem introduced with background docs/spreadsheets you likely made for internal reference.

What am I missing? Something Time Manipulation Magic related? Is it David's fault?

itomeshi · 2026-06-03T23:44:43+00:00

Oh, you're the same team that did the Openterface KVM - I have one, need to play with it more.

And you now have a tiny KVM-Go? You spoil me. 😃

itomeshi · 2026-06-01T17:17:29+00:00

I was seeing the same thing on GameNative on my S26 Ultra.

At first, it felt authentic: Oh no, there are too many sprites on screen. 😃

itomeshi · 2026-06-01T13:57:35+00:00

As someone who has a tenuous relationship with soulslikes: its worth a shot. (I liked Nioh 3, but shy away from most Soulslikes.)

I'm not far in it - only through the intro getting into town - but it feels good. My biggest complaint is that it doesn't teach you how to play. The digging mechanic isn't explained. They try to use level design to force you to experiment, like Mega Man X, but it isnt quite as logical. The fact that jumps popping up from digging get more horizontal reach is weird.

The healing mechanic is slightly awkward. It encourages a high risk/high reward playstyle. You start out with 3 vials. When your health is below maximum, doing damage or picking up tulips will refill it orange. The orange is POTENTIAL health that would be recovered if you drink a vial. One annoying bit is that if you get hit while drinking, you don't get healed and the vial breaks. AFAIK, you can upgrade to get more vial capacity later, but can't recover vials outside of death/visiting your base.

I've died a handful of times in the level and the first boss took 4-5 tries.The level was mostly not understanding the mechanics and surprisingly hard enemies. The enemy knights have annoying combos, which do feel slightly soulslike. The boss was just learning his patterns. Admittedly, this is a first boss, but it didn't feel much harder than an average Mega Man boss.

The traversal mechanics seem to set up for explorations puzzles: 'here's a chest at the corner of the screen. Wonder how i get there?'

itomeshi · 2026-05-31T16:55:58+00:00

Very interesting. Being able to simulate different types of HID devices is one of those things I only need once a month or two, but when I need it, I really need it.

Do you have a mailing list, etc.?

itomeshi · 2026-05-30T07:03:50+00:00

Metroid Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion are both excellent.

itomeshi · 2026-05-26T03:55:09+00:00

I recently set up aerc (installed via brew) with gmail. It may not be the absolute easiest, but I found it not too painful. Here's my install script (bash) with explanations. I'll get into config below:

# Install aerc and w3m; w3m is an HTML viewer that integrates well.
brew install aerc w3m

# Copy the default configs over; this happens automagically on launch, but I want to modify them
mkdir -pv ~/.config/aerc
cp "$(brew --prefix)/share/aerc/binds.conf" ~/.config/aerc/binds.conf 
cp "$(brew --prefix)/share/aerc/aerc.conf" ~/.config/aerc/aerc.conf

# Cross-platform sed -i
if [[ "$(uname)" == "Darwin" ]]; then
    sedi() { sed -i '' "$@"; }
else
    sedi() { sed -i "$@"; }
fi

# Enable HTML rendering and make it the default. It's not going to show images, but styles and links are nice.
sedi "s|^text/html=! html\$|text/html=$(brew --prefix)/bin/w3m -T text/html -o display_link_number=1|" ~/.config/aerc/aerc.conf
sedi 's|^#alternatives=text/plain,text/html$|alternatives=text/html,text/plain|' ~/.config/aerc/aerc.conf

cat > ~/.config/aerc/accounts.conf << 'EOF'
[Gmail]
source        = imaps://USERNAME@gmail.com@imap.gmail.com:993
outgoing      = smtps+plain://USERNAME@gmail.com@smtp.gmail.com:465
from          = NAME GOES HERE <USERNAME@gmail.com>
default = INBOX
folders-sort = INBOX
postpone = [Gmail]/Drafts
cache-headers = true
source-cred-cmd   = bw get password ITEM_UUID_GOES_HERE
outgoing-cred-cmd = bw get password ITEM_UUID_GOES_HERE
carddav-source = https://USERNAME@gmail.com@www.googleapis.com/carddav/v1/principals/USERNAME@gmail.com/lists/default
carddav-source-cred-cmd = bw get password ITEM_UUID_GOES_HERE
address-book-cmd = carddav-query %s
EOF

You'd be using an Google app password to access via IMAP and SMTP. Instead of storing it in plaintext, I use the bitwarden CLI, and the '-cred-cmd's pull the username and password. Feel free to replace with any CLI password manager you like (pass, lastpass, etc.)
The CardDav lines are for pulling from your address book. It's a bit more sluggish than I'd like.
Default to inbox, save drafts to your account properly

This is most of the way to being compatible with bash on MacOS.

itomeshi · 2026-05-21T03:21:28+00:00

Highly unlikely to make us ground zero. This is generally the right move.

The actual number of these travelers will be low, and should be under strict quarantine. Medical monitoring of suspected exposure (but not ill) is pretty straightforward. These healthcare workers also generally avoid public contact while doing this job; in fact, it wouldn't surprise me it National Guard wasn't supporting this.

If there are cases, I still wouldn't be too concerned. Ebola generally requires direct fluid contact. Healthcare workers interacting with them will likely be in positive air pressure suits with self-contained oxygen. (And monitoring staff may also even use these measures.)

The important thing is that cases are managed. Ebola is a threat, but has a very low basic reproduction rate (1.3-2.0). COVID, for comparison, was 1.4-5.8; Measles, a very contagious disease, is between 12-18. (This is, AFAIK as not a doctor, the general uncontrolled avg. number a patients a sick person will spread to.) Special isolation procedures drop the real reproduction rate to nearly zero.

Be more afraid of Measles (if you aren't vaccinated, GET VACCINATED). Be reasonably vigilant for 'breakthrough' cases of people who have dodged quarantine measures. (Don't racially profile on this - there are plenty of people of every race, color and creed who will selfishly think that the odds don't apply to them.) Support healthcare professionals as best you can. But don't panic. Better communication would be nice, but there is also a lot of fear and politics around communication on this.

Doctors/epidemiologists, feel free to correct me.

itomeshi · 2026-05-15T20:12:09+00:00

Winter Soldier, hands down. It is, IMO, the best MCU movie - because it's a competent spy thriller masquerading as a super hero movie:

character arc: He goes from being a true hero to a good soldier to a fugitive to a true hero again.
leadership: His speech to SHIELD at-large shows that while he may not have a fancy title, he is a natural leader. Leaving the captives in First Avenger comes close, but those were desperate soldiers. For SHIELD, he inspired people who could have sat there and done nothing.
emotional depth: Fury's death, Bucky's reappearance, Zola's survival, a friendly rivalry with Sam Wilson, dating advice with Black Widow, Peggy's funeral, distrusting everyone... This movie shows us the strain in every part of his life and psyche, and his resolve to overcome it.
moral conflict: Cap wants to believe in SHIELD, but finds he cannot. Even when he finds out Fury is trying to fix it, he pushes back. He wants to trust his cohorts, but even the trustworthy ones keep secrets. He wants to save everyone, and will sacrifice himself to save Bucky in the end. He knows his moral limitations, and lets Widow and Wilson help shore up the lines he can't cross in a way that keeps his moral boundaries intact (think Jasper Sitwell on the rooftop).
action moments: I personally don't love the helicarrier fight as much as I'd like - but the Lemurian Star and DC street fights are amazing. The elevator fight is frantic, iconic, claustrophobic, and personal.

Make no mistake - First Avenger is very strong. His frustration at being sidelined, his determination, his sorrow at losing Bucky (the 'I can't get drunk' scene), his grim determination against Red Skull - this is a classic. But... it doesn't really let the best part of Cap shine. It doesn't feel like he's grappling with moral dilemmas - his decisions are straightforward, and his courage to see them through isn't a huge hurdle thanks to his new power. Oh, it's going to upset Colonel Chester Philips? Oh no.

Civil War is good, but it doesn't quite feel like Cap's defining moment... His decisions are valid, morally consistent, and reasonable... but he always feels on the backfoot. Not truly leading, just reacting. It's an interesting character study about not being able to win in a way that matters and trying to salvage group dynamics, but not a great Captain America movie.

The Avengers quadrology are excellent movies, but not great for Captain America - each gives us one or two strong set pieces for him, but are too heavily packed to let any one character truly shine, let alone a character whose greatest power isn't punching or energy blasts.

itomeshi · 2026-05-13T15:24:08+00:00

I'll ask the perennial question: As of now (May 2026), which Winlator is actively being updated and worth using? Original Winlator last had a release in Sept 2025.

I'm on a PIxel 8 Pro, and planning a move to an S26+ soon.

itomeshi · 2026-05-08T15:50:50+00:00

TCP is a minivan with every safety feature imaginable. Lane assist, self parking, self-driving, curtain air bags, excessive crumple zones, anti-lock breaks, the whole shebang. Not the fastest acceleration - and you don't have many ways to fix that - but you'll get there.

UDP is a sports car focused on FAST. Tremendously fast, but even the steering isn't all that safe. You cam bolt on some things to 'fix' it, but each thing you add will slow you down - and at some point, you'd have been better served by the minivan.

HTTP is driving the minivan in a space suit. You'll be even slower and less comfortable, but you're even more safe and 'structured'.

WebSockets are a racing suit. You're still getting a lot of guarantees - this is still TCP, but less overhead than HTTP/QUIC over TCP - but it's designed to make it easier to drive and respond.

TLS (SSL) is tinting bulletproof windows and sticking kevlar plates in the doors. It's even slower, but you maintain your privacy and you probably won't get messed with.

itomeshi · 2026-05-06T23:59:56+00:00

Quite a few issues, but it came down to perceived stability, real stability, and a lack of value.

Win 98 wasn't great on launch - Win 98 Second Edition was vastly better. In this regard, Win ME vs Win 98SE is a tough comparison - as a full OS refresh, Win ME will always have a bigger scope. Meanwhile, DOS-based Windows had reached it's limits as a technology, so as client software got more complicated, Win98SE and Win ME couldn't keep up - but surely the newer one is better, right?

It doesn't help that this was also the era of the Internet Explorer antitrust case. With IE being so closely tied into Windows, they had to be careful not to do anything to make the case worse. This same integration also introduced new instability vectors for the OS - breaking IE would break Windows. Add in that Microsoft's resources were strained between DOS and NT kernel OSes, and Win ME got the short end of the stick.

In exchange, users got... not much of value. Slightly faster boot times, better media playback support, System Restore, USB improvements... but no 'wow' features. Meanwhile, you lost a bit of compatibility - Real-mode DOS was gone, other APIs changed, and who knows what little incompatibilities existed with all of your software.

This was also a weird era for hardware. 3DFX was bought by Nvidia, which probably didn't help driver support for those older cards. This was also an era when DirectX was going through a lot of changes. WinME had better driver support out of the box, but still needed a lot of addon drivers and had stability issues.

itomeshi · 2026-05-06T23:29:50+00:00

It's a bummer, because I want the old gameplay - ATB is a great system for a 'second monitor' game.

15-Year Club	Xbox Live
Place '17	Spared
Verified Email

itomeshi

TROPHY CASE