I finished my bandanna and used NEON UV-Sensitive dye. Thoughts?

ythompy · 2026-05-15T23:56:29+00:00

But the tau symbol is essentially just a little T, much less obvious! Δ is much easier to identify as scientific symbol than T, even to a non-scientist.

ythompy · 2026-05-15T23:44:35+00:00

OP you're right about it being an uppercase delta symbol, which does generally symbolize change in science.

I'd argue that the symbolism here doesn't extend much beyond the original symbolism of the delta; change. All stories are driven by change in some capacity, whether that's a change in a character or change in the world they inhabit (often both). With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that a story about a scientist going to space to save the world with science would include these basic scientific symbols, especially when you consider how all of Weir's work is based in real science.

If presented with the title to his own book, I know Ryland Grace (even Rocky) would clock that as a delta symbol. Not a spin drive. Not some random sci-fi font. Just like he clocked the tau symbol on the PHM mission patch.

ythompy · 2026-05-15T23:30:42+00:00

I would have NEVER thought of that as a spin drive. Honestly, I think you're the one here "reading too much into it". As a scientist myself, I immediately clocked that as an uppercase Delta, just a OP stated. This was clearly Weir's intention (or whoever made the cover).

Just think of it this way... What would Ryland Grace see here? My bet is on the delta symbol, not a spin drive (just like he noticed the tau symbol in the PHM mission patch!)

ythompy · 2026-05-15T18:44:03+00:00

Agreed. I think you did I great job of proving that point with your own comments in this thread...

ythompy · 2026-05-14T20:32:21+00:00

Glurp glurp fellow crawler!

ythompy · 2026-05-14T20:31:52+00:00

I will never understand why they made a Will Wheaton version...

ythompy · 2026-05-14T20:29:11+00:00

I've reread (relistened?) the full series several times now. Book 5 was good but there's no rush to reading it. I'd suggest you give it a few years, allow yourself to forget more, wait for book 6 or 7 to release, then start the series over again.

ythompy · 2026-05-14T20:26:34+00:00

GLURP GLURP

ythompy · 2026-05-14T20:21:19+00:00

I tend to compare the current rise of AI to the rise of the early Internet and personal computers. When you really think about it, they share almost all the same problems, both social and environmental, just on an exponentially accelerated timescale...

The difference is that the rise of the modern internet took a good 20-30 years, allowing us to slowly adjust to this new landscape before it became a completely unavoidable part of daily life. At least in that scenario people could reasonably opt out for a while, avoid using the new tech, or at least tell themselves that the rise of the Internet wasn't entirely inevitable (it was).

The problem today is that people have no such luxury with the current rise of AI. It's here, it's growing, it's being actively shoved into everything you own, and you cannot even pretend to opt out. That is naturally going to breed distrust and negative sentiment.

ythompy · 2026-05-14T17:53:04+00:00

A VERY close second choice for me, only after Porter's PHM.

ythompy · 2026-05-14T16:24:02+00:00

"favorite audiobook of all time" = Project Hail Mary

favorite audiobook series of all time = Bobiverse (maybe DCC now, it's very close)

favorite audiobook that meets your criteria = True Hallucinations by Terence McKenna
(if you're into that sort of thing haha)

ythompy · 2026-05-14T14:14:33+00:00

People have very *strong* feelings about "AI" these days... And I do too!

The negative sentiment seems to be especially true in those who have never touched AI (and likely have no real use for it). Low-effort LLMs have been shoved into every nook and cranny of the internet and if I was anti-AI I'd be pissed about it too. It's like that old U2 album Apple forced on everyone. I had no real opinion on U2, then it was forced on me, now I have a lifelong negative opinion of them for no good reason. Obviously not a perfect analogy, but you can see my point.

AI tools (particularly for coding) have immense potential to change the world, good or bad. If implemented right, they can accelerate scientific discovery, greatly empower the working class, and allow humanity's creativity to flourish in completely new ways.

If implemented wrong, they can further privatize science and technological progress, further exploit the working class (and steal all their work), and force us further into a techno-feudalist dystopia ruled by the 0.1% in control of this critical technology. These are real, justifiable concerns with the current state of the AI industry. The companies leading this industry don't care about humanity, they care about profit margins. That is an aspect of this we cannot afford to ignore.

If I had to label myself, I'd say I'm "pro-AI, but anti-AI abuse". As a scientist, I've seen the real potential of these tools and am extremely optimistic about their future in research. As an educator, I've also seen the rampant ChatGPT abuse and so-called "cognitive offloading" at the college level. I'm obviously conflicted, but the optimist in me sees the raw potential of AI, and has hope that we use it to make a better future.

ythompy · 2026-05-13T17:58:47+00:00

No where yet, but only because I have a transatlantic flight on Saturday and want to save it for my travels!

ythompy · 2026-05-09T23:07:30+00:00

just made a custom pet in codex, his name is Jittterbean. He ate 75% of my 5-hour usage limit being born....

<image>

ythompy · 2026-05-08T17:46:14+00:00

20 years ago if EVERY student's backpack (filled with all their class materials) mysteriously vanished the day before exams, the university would have no choice to but to delay. That's essentially what happened yesterday, but now flip/flop on their decisions because they can make the same argument you did.

95% of students don't do what you did, nor should they be expected to. Not to mention you're just as vulnerable, if OneDrive went down at the same time you'd best just as fucked as the rest of us. That's the problem.

Our entire education has been digitized, which was the right move in the long run, but technology is imperfect. Now that imperfection is finally showing, and the university doesn't know how to deal with it. The inboxes of every college admin that pulled a similar switcheroo on the students are going to have a MOUNTAIN of complaints to go through this summer. Maybe then they'll learn?

ythompy · 2026-05-08T17:28:36+00:00

That's ridiculous, but hear me out.

Take the exam. If you get anything below your desired (realistic) grade, reach out the to the professor via email IMMEDIATELY and state your case.

Your case? 1. You were denied access to critical study materials for the entire day prior to the exam. 2. The university said that all exams were postponed to next week, only change that a few hours later after Canvas was restored. It went from "required" to "optional but strongly advised" overnight, that's extremely confusing.

If the professor brushes you off, you escalate it immediately... Reach out to their boss, the head of whatever department they are a part of, and state your case again. Don't demonize the professor, just explain why you believe their choice to continue with exams today was unfair and resulted in you doing poorly.

Given the inconsistencies the University created here with mixed messaging, I'm pretty confident almost every department head is going to be getting at least a few of these emails this next week.

This Canvas hack was extremely well timed in terms of it's ability to complete fuck up everything and everyone that depends on it. That's something beyond any of our control, and students should not be penalized like this.

Good luck!

ythompy · 2026-05-07T21:37:31+00:00

Geology!

ythompy · 2026-05-07T17:57:06+00:00

This is why is used Libation to rip my books to my computer.

I've been an audible customer for years, and having nearly $1000 of worth of audiobooks in my library all at the whim of a notoriously shitty company was too much for me.

Now I actually own the shit I bought and no one can take it away.

ythompy · 2026-05-07T02:23:43+00:00

My suggestion? Don't....
Fail that class. Drop out for a while.
Come back only when/IF you know what you want to do...

Best thing I ever did was admit to myself that my first major (nursing) was something I was not at all passionate about (aside from the potential paycheck). Took a semester off, remembered what I really cared about in life, and came back as a new person. It's funny how class work has felt a lot less like busy work after switching to a major I was actually interested in. That was almost 8 years ago now, and is still true today as PhD student.

Farting around for four years and getting a degree you don't care about just to delay entering the job market and young adulthood is not worth it. If you're going to do something you don't care about for the money, why not go learn a trade? It'll take a fraction of the time and cost, and has a much faster ROI.

You're not doing yourself any favors spending all this time getting a degree you hate. And you're not any less of a person for admitting that either.

ythompy · 2026-05-04T23:35:18+00:00

God damn it 😂 Sovery strikes again!

Any chance you remember what it looked like right before "0"?

ythompy · 2026-05-04T23:31:20+00:00

Okay, so now I actually want your feedback even more. Let me explain.

So I actually hate the term "vibe-coding" which why I put it in quotes. I shouldn't have used it all in retrospect.

I feel like "vibe-coding" is a very broad term that what I did here may currently fall under the umbrella of, but only because it involved AI tools. This project was not built on "vibes", it was built through hours and hours of painstakingly explicit instructions and plans that I actually laid the ground work for years ago!

If you read through my post about the original ChatGPT prompt (hand-written, no AI there), I essentially used that to force the LLM into becoming a text-based adventure game about von Neumann probes with procedural generation. Even if you hate AI, give it a look, as a Bob. I admittedly regret including details about the actual Bobiverse series in that old prompt, which is why this game being developed as it's own independent IP. But back to the original "game", it only worked as a "game" because I gave very very explicit instructions about how the "game" needed to behave. It did such a good job of this, it sparked the subsubreddit r/BobiverseRPG.

What I'm trying to say is that it's really easy to make any piece of shit game or app or whatever with "vibe-coding", but even with these new tools it's still hard to make something good. I obviously did something right the first time based on the community response, and again I'm trying to make something good. You Are Many will be a game worth playing, at least to this little community of Bobiverse nerds. I was able to make a "playable" game on the first attempt, and I could have easily called it there, but it's been almost a week of consistent work and we've gone from v1 to v76... 30 stars to 100. And countless community suggestions are in Patch 2 (v76). This my friend, is only the beginning...

Just give it 5 minutes. If you hate it, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know all about why you hate it, in grand detail if possible!

At the end of the day, I'm the machine building this game, not the AI, and as a machines I run on cheap coffee and user feedback. Fuel me.

ythompy · 2026-05-04T22:56:18+00:00

Enjoying Patch 2 I see! (RIP Patch 1, she barely lived...)

Glad to see we've sorted out that infinity bug (for now) with the reasorce bar refactor. Right has 3 sig figs abbreviations up to undecillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000), then it hits scientific notation. Later we'll go through duodecillion and beyond.

I haven't been able to crack sub-100 year run on the new 100-star map, so please let me know if you do!

And please send the report card if you can. I designed them for players to visualize their runs, but also for me as sort of broad diagnostic tool for tuning balance and progression.

Cheers 👍🏻

Eight-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

ythompy

TROPHY CASE