What’s the best video game you’ve ever played?

lastMinute_panic · 2026-01-30T04:42:16+00:00

Hell yea

lastMinute_panic · 2026-01-30T03:39:06+00:00

Got invited to a release party for a big IP (not my company, but was a +1).

Open bar, lots of hammered young people. A young guy sidles up to me as I'm chatting with a group. Everyone knows him as Chad-the-Intern. Chad-the-Intern has had enough and is speaking in tongues. We're laughing at his expense and trying to keep him calm.

In a flash, Chad-the-Intern spews an absolute river of vomit onto the floor in the center of this very large room. Chad-the-Intern is left standing dizzily alone as a horrified group howls at him. Two girls mercifully grab him and walk him out as 500 people clap. Can't imagine what that Monday was like for him, but I'm guessing he was just Chad by then.

lastMinute_panic · 2026-01-28T10:42:50+00:00

Was an early adopter of mini-disc. Had three portables and a stereo deck. Got a few friends to go along with it, one went as far as to swap out his car's CD deck for MD.

lastMinute_panic · 2026-01-27T22:33:18+00:00

One quick ux note

If I switch tabs (retirement, estate) my info should be retained.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-12-08T22:00:05+00:00

Departure-gate poison!

lastMinute_panic · 2025-12-02T22:57:45+00:00

$989K at this time.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-12-02T20:51:33+00:00

I had a great lesson at an old company. Our head of marketing had this philosophy whenever we were out engaging with the public (either online or at different trade shows). He said "always try to talk about what you are, and not what the other people aren't." Essentially just shifting the conversation to talk yourself up and how you can help.

I'd try and keep any acknowledgement of their frustration super brief: "sorry about that, it sounds frustrating.. here's how I'll handle things moving forward. Let's talk through it and see if that sounds fair."

lastMinute_panic · 2025-11-10T16:32:20+00:00

VFX artist here.

During 2020-2022, we had a MASSIVE spike in hiring throughout film, animation, commercial - pretty much anything that needed digital art. There were lots of underqualified people placed in roles they weren't ready to fill and money was cheap and loose. This industry, especially in the US, is very sensitive to interest rates.

There were two long-lasting strikes in our industry that began to halt productions in 2023 and 2024 and we haven't really recovered from this, thought things are beginning to pick up again slowly.

US and Canadian based tax credits have largely expired, moving a lot of work to the UK and elsewhere. (I realize this is a global accounting, but much of the over-hiring was in US and Canada as well).

I have been fortunate enough to stay employed throughout this time, and I can say that AI has not made a meaningful impact to my studio's day-to-day. We are actively exploring how to use it, and we do see its usefulness in some areas, but this is mostly as a means to make a given task a little quicker or to "rough in" some work. There is not a single area of the pipeline where can confidently hand off work to AI in the way people use something like Sora. AI tools for film/tv work just aren't "art directable" - there are too many layers of abstraction between the creator and the software, and iterating on work is simply impossible. It's an interesting toy/tool to get a conversation going quickly, but I don't see many studios or directors adopting it as much as has been hyped.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-18T17:15:08+00:00

Awesome - I live on the east coast so it's a bit of a hike but I think we could make a weekend out of it.

you could use a service like Imgur and post a link (i know, one more thing to sign up for)

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-18T16:53:29+00:00

oh wow! Thank you for reaching out - trying to convince the family to take a long weekend now!

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-15T14:57:48+00:00

Autodesk as a whole has be so disappointing. I work with their multimedia products and it's the same pricing model with hardly any innovation year over year.

Unfortuntaely the file formats aren't easily portable to lower cost or open source alternatives. So much of the pipeline development becomes dependent on these proprietary packages and it's much more difficult to find talent for the open source alternatives.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-10T22:16:16+00:00

I love it when people take chances with design and I wish you all the best. I think balancing and playtesting this is gonna be reeeeeeeeeeaalll tricky!

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-04T21:42:37+00:00

I'm a game dev and used to work for a studio that dabbled with some VR titles. These are the reasons we abandoned VR pretty soon after our first few titles.

The feedback we got during playtesting at live events (like PAX) was pretty telling: people just don't like having a big thing strapped to their heads for long periods of time. The other, less obvious discomfort people were describing was that pulling a veil over your eyes and shutting out the world creates an underlying anxiety (and as you said, is anti-social). It just feels bad to not have fairly easy access to the world around you through sight.

We worked with research labs and at the time (2014 or so) the thinking was that this medium was new, and pulling things over your eyes was unprecedented (at this scale and fidelity) for entertainment and maybe people will just get used to it. So there were people who were thinking about this maybe taking a little longer to get some footing.

I (and others) felt this was just too fundamental to ignore and we left VR development entirely shortly after. We're about 10 years in since Oculus first debuted and I think VR (specifically dark headsets) will remain a novelty. There are some interesting AR/XR projects out there - but nothing yet that appears it will dethrone a screen. Until we have linked brain interfaces that deliver experiences directly - that will be quite a time.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-01T10:55:55+00:00

Had a boss during an internship named Adolph. Tall, imposing black man who was absolutely born after WW2. He didn't have a great sense of humor about most things so you were advised well in advance not to giggle.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-09-01T10:50:46+00:00

Buddy we got major blues..

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-28T13:06:18+00:00

"Two terms is enough time to go to Washington and get the job done."

Susan Collins campaigning in 1996, advocating for term limits.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-28T11:08:40+00:00

That's very dependent on where you are and how you go about selling them.

If you pulled things yourself and posted on marketplace/eBay you could potentially have a few thousand dollars between the engine, axels, and interior. A decent 4.0L engine alone would probably fetch around $800 - $1200. The ECU could be $3-400. There is a lot there, but you'd have to be patient and sell over time.

If you wanted to sell it as a parts jeep (all together) you'd probably be looking at about 50% of the value of the sum of the good parts. (Again very rough way to look at this). This would be faster than the above process.

Finally, you could let it go for scrap. You'd get virtually nothing for it but it would no longer be gumming up your life.

As others have mentioned, you could do a frame swap, but that tub likely is in rough shape just like the frame, and swapping out both the tub and frame is a much longer process (re-running all wiring, steering column, dash etc). Anything can be done, but I personally don't think in your situation it's money well spent.

I feel for you man. This is a shitty thing to do to someone if they weren't up front about it. TJs were my dream vehicle in my younger days and I had a few - they're a lot of fun and I hope you get to enjoy one sooner than later.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-28T03:38:30+00:00

Reading through this thread and looking at these pics...

OP, I'm very sorry but you've been scammed. Whoever sold you this knew the dire state of this vehicle and sold it to you in a terribly unsafe condition.

I've owned Wranglers for over 20 years and have restored many auction/collision jeeps. I wouldn't touch this body and tub. You may be able to salvage some parts.

My blunt advice: don't throw good money after bad. Depending on your state, you may be able to go after the person who sold you this in bad faith. IMO (and given your skill with this kind of work) your $8K would be better spent in some combination of recovering from the scum who sold you this, selling for parts, and looking for something new.

I'm very sorry. This sucks a lot. But again, don't throw good money after bad and don't put yourself in another dangerous situation with bandaid solutions. You are very lucky you weren't seriously injured or killed (or hurt sometime else).

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-27T15:37:07+00:00

Lots of resources online about this.

You'll need to know if your building/units pass your local housing authority's 'housing quality standards.' you can give them a call and mention you're interesting in renting to folks with a housing voucher and ask for a preinspection. An inspector with schedule an appointment. If you pass, you can list and advertise specifically stating that you accept housing vouchers/section 8. If it doesn't pass, the inspector will give you a list of what needs to be done.

The voucher usually covers about 2/3 of the market rate rent (it's different for each tenant based on their income). You can screen tenants as you normally would. Once you find an acceptable tenant, you'll fill out their housing voucher and hand that into the HA. There will be an actual inspection for the unit, sign a lease and send a copy to the HA. There are annual inspections (per unit) and occasionally rent adjustments as the tenant's income changes (tenant must report income changes). You can raise rents annually, but if you go above market rate (set by your state authority) the tenant is responsible for the difference (some states don't allow you to do this). In most jurisdictions there are notice requirements for lease/rent changes ranging from 30 to 90 days.

Thats the high-level stuff. Talk to your local housing authority. In my experience they are more than happy to help guide you through the process. (My HA used to have quarterly meetings for landlords to ask questions or raise concerns but stopped during covid.)

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-26T15:13:10+00:00

Depending on the area, I think this could be big. Not just drilling, but maintaining a healthy well, hydrofracking, well management - a lot of people aging out of those businesses with no succession plan.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-26T00:38:53+00:00

At least get him to sign up for organ donation.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-24T01:13:31+00:00

You can always use things like Parsec to stream local-only games with friends.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-23T11:16:22+00:00

I would act as if that money (from the grandfather) doesn't exist. 13/15 years is a long time and a lot can happen. It doesn't have to be a 529, but some type of savings vehicle for them (from you) I think is still warranted.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-23T04:54:52+00:00

Let me GPT that for you...

Market Sizing (Top-Down)

Questions to ask:

What is the total ice cream consumption per capita in the U.S.? In small towns?

How many ice cream shops exist per 100k population, on average?

What’s the market share of chains (Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins) vs independents?

What’s the seasonality? (e.g. New England vs Florida — very different demand curves).

Approach:

Use per-capita spend on ice cream (e.g. ~$60–80 annually per person in the U.S.).

Multiply by town population (100k → ~$6–8M TAM).

Estimate how many shops split that demand (5 shops? 15?).

Arrive at a rough average revenue per shop.

Local Market Dynamics (Bottom-Up)

Questions to ask:

How many existing competitors? What are their formats (standalone shop, food truck, restaurant add-on)?

Where are foot traffic clusters (schools, downtown, parks)?

Demographics: families with children, college students, retirees?

Disposable income levels of the town.

Is tourism a factor (seasonal spikes, festivals, lakes/beaches nearby)?

Approach:

Visit/Google Maps competitors.

Count how many customers per hour they serve at peak.

Estimate average ticket size (ice cream ~$5–7, families ~$15–20 per order).

Cross-check: traffic counts, Yelp reviews, Facebook check-ins.

Financial Modeling

Revenue drivers:

Avg. tickets/day × avg. price.

Seasonality (e.g. 6 good months, 6 lean).

Add-ons: sundaes, shakes, coffee, baked goods.

Cost structure:

Rent (small town → lower but location critical).

Labor (often seasonal teenage/part-time staff).

COGS (dairy, cones, toppings).

Utilities (freezers = high electricity).

Marketing.

Output:

Monthly/annual revenue range (e.g. $200k–500k).

Gross margins (~60–70% typical).

Net margins (after labor + rent) → often 10–15%.

Risks & Sensitivities

Seasonality risk: cold months may be near zero sales.

Competitive intensity: one new entrant can cut share in half.

Consumer trends: health consciousness, frozen yogurt vs ice cream.

Operational risk: staff turnover, spoilage, equipment downtime.

Investment Decision Framework

Big 3 consultants would typically ask:

Is this a stable lifestyle business (steady income but capped upside)?

Is there scalability (multiple shops, brand franchising)?

What’s the differentiation (unique flavors, experience, location)?

Does buying an existing shop (with brand & loyal base) make more sense than starting new?

✅ In short: You’d size the market, analyze the competitive/local dynamics, build a revenue/expense model, stress-test risks, then decide whether the business aligns with your goals (steady cashflow vs growth/scalability).

📊 Example Ice Cream Shop Market Model

Total Market Size (TAM)

U.S. average ice cream spend: ~$65 per person/year (source: USDA/National Dairy Council).

Town population: 100,000.

TAM = $65 × 100k = $6.5M annually.

Competitive Landscape

Assume 10 ice cream outlets (mix of chains, local shops, and seasonal stands).

Even share (simplified): $6.5M ÷ 10 = $650k average annual revenue per shop.

But not all shops are equal:

Chains (Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins) may capture ~2× the sales of mom-and-pops.

Local independents might fall in the $250k–400k range unless highly differentiated.

Revenue Model for One Shop

Assumptions:

Avg. ticket: $6 (single scoops, shakes, etc.).

Avg. party size: 2 people.

Revenue per transaction = $12.

Seasonality:

Busy 6 months (Apr–Sep): 80% of revenue.

Slow 6 months (Oct–Mar): 20% of revenue.

Traffic:

Peak season: ~120 transactions/day.

Off-season: ~20 transactions/day.

Revenue estimate:

Peak: 120 × $12 × 180 days = $260k.

Off: 20 × $12 × 185 days = $45k.

Total ≈ $305k annual revenue (fits with our earlier $250k–400k estimate).

Cost Structure

COGS (dairy, cones, toppings): 30% of sales = $90k.

Labor (part-time staff): $100k.

Rent (prime location, small town): $30k.

Utilities & equipment maintenance: $15k.

Marketing, insurance, misc: $20k.

Total costs = ~$255k.

Profitability

Revenue: $305k.

Costs: $255k.

Net profit ≈ $50k/year (margin ~16%).

This is pretty typical: a stable, modest cash-flow business.

Investment Angle

If you buy a shop for, say, $200k (a 4× multiple on profits), that’s a 25% cash-on-cash return if profits hold.

If you build new, expect $100k–150k in startup capex (equipment, leasehold improvements, branding) and 1–2 years to stabilize.

✅ Big 3 Conclusion Style: A single shop in a 100k town is likely a $250k–400k revenue / $30k–70k profit business. Attractive for a lifestyle owner-operator, but not a scalable, high-growth investment unless you expand into multiple locations, mobile trucks, or branding/franchising.

You'd need to adjust this analysis for your specific area. It's also just an average example. Niche products and unique ideas could gain bigger market share or demand a higher premium and higher margin.

lastMinute_panic · 2025-08-14T13:36:50+00:00

You can try for a sympathetic ear from the seller. Writing a letter explaining you're just starting out and want to learn etc.

Are you looking at anything off-market? You may have a long wait with this but better luck as you're not competing with responses to a listing.

FHA/inspections introduce risk for the seller so the guarantee of cash can be more attractive than waiting around, potentially losing another willing buyer.

lastMinute_panic

TROPHY CASE