https://apple.slashdot.org/sto...

Some of the old timers are really amazing to engage with. A friend of mine who recently started running a Traveller campaign emailed its creator with a question about a rule detail, and got a very friendly, informative answer. They've since corresponded on other aspects of the game. I had a similar experience with one of the producers of a fantastic stage satire of Star Trek that I saw back in the 90s (which unfortunately was shut down by Paramount's lawyers). I think the important thing is just to be respectful of their time and privacy, and not to come off as a drooling fanboy lol.

The 80s saw the dawn of BBSes, the precursors of the Internet. I wrote my own in the late 80s in Turbo Pascal - Tomb of the Unknown Modem - which I ran for several years in Portland, OR. It had about 200 registered users and 20 or 30 regulars. I only knew a couple of them personally. It was divided into 10 sub-boards, which included a joke board, play-by-post D&D and Robotech campaigns, and an adults-only "hot tub". It also had a choose-your-own-adventure style game I wrote called "Toddler Terror". I put in a separate phone line for it so it could stay up 24/7 on its 1200-baud modem. It all ran on a 2MHz portable PC made by Televideo, with no hard drive, just dual 360k floppies! Good times.

There's no sense blaming people for being dumb enough to vote for politicians who hide the truth from them. I think it's more important to fix our problems. But if you really want the ultimate scapegoat it's individuals who manipulate public perception for their own personal gain. That group ranges from uber-powerful media moguls to people who create misleading memes for reddit points.

A lot of people did the right things, just not powerful enough people. Activists have been raising hell about CO2 and other emissions since at least the 1960s, long before Antarctic research revealed the hole in the ozone layer in 1985. Offset credits for lead started in the 70s, and were expanded to CO2 starting in 1988. Mark Trexler, one of the drivers behind carbon offsets, said they were largely a philanthropic effort at that time, to get that ball rolling until public policy caught up with reality - which still hasn't happened. "No one then thought that we would be doing offsets 35 years later.” Ideas for public good often get shouted down by money interests as "communism".

I'm sick of saying this same thing on reddit and getting douchevoted by people who tell me I don't understand how AI works. Nice to get some validation from AI scientists who clearly do know how AI works.

In a random conversation this morning a Home Depot employee told me he and his friend have figured out a way to do VR without a headset, which they're working on turning into a business. I didn't ask how they were doing it because I knew he wouldn't be able to reveal it, but I'm very tantalized. Looking forward to this new development and hoping it's real. Just so I can point back to this comment if it comes true, the guy's name happens to be the same as a well-known agro company.

Comparing revenue before and after DRM is cracked is a flawed (and self-serving) analysis.

it doesn't count reduced sales to customers who refuse to mess with the risk of DRM fucking up their OS installs

it counts so-called anomalies in sales after the initial launch; game sales are notorious for dropping precipitously after the initial few days for many reasons, including freshness, review feedback, other games or products releasing and competing for attention

it doesn't have any way of measuring customers who didn't buy at the offered price because it was a little too high, vs people who simply routinely pirate everything because they were never a potential customer at all

it doesn't have any way of measuring any increase in sales after customers learn of the game after seeing some hype from pirate players

FedEx is the common link across MANY high-value thefts. Phones, SteamDecks, anything with a recognizable box, or even any box with a Lithium Battery sticker. They disappear all through the custody chain, not just drivers, and are never held accountable.

Doâ(TM)s effing flightless birds

I heard a phrase "foley file" but can't find its origins now. It referred to a diplomat's assistant who would quietly give brief data just before the diplomat would shake hands.

This trope has been used repeatedly in various sci-fi works since then. Star Trek, Robocop, Oath of Fealty, The Expanse, Gattaca, all have characters who have discreet scans to summarize people upon introduction.

It blows my mind how few people read the fucking summary.

I was surprised they still think the acceptable character set "should" include all of printable ASCII instead of demanding it. So many systems which can't take semicolons, quotes or percents, because they still have database injection concerns they should have fixed twenty years ago.

Misremembered. Dice, not Conde Nast.

Nobody technical has been a part of Slashdot since long before CmdrTaco left and Conde Nast has been at the helm. The database schema is ready to vote in their second or third presidential election.