I have 100%ed Elden Ring!
I'd say "now what I'm going to do the rest of the winter?!" But we all know the answer to that.
I have 100%ed Elden Ring!
I'd say "now what I'm going to do the rest of the winter?!" But we all know the answer to that.
Steam shows me that I have reached 50% of achievements...
Steam shows me that I have reached 50% of achievements...I have 100%ed Elden Ring!
I'd say "now what I'm going to do the rest of the winter?!" But we all know the answer to that.
fortunately the DLC doesn't add achievements.
I will say I like that Elden Ring doesn't hand out achievements nor does it make you grind for them.
It begins...
We got a reminder that the Cranky Calico was due for some shots. I let the vet know that she'd passed away. They sent a nice sympathetic email and let me know they'd marked her as "deceased".
And as with all automated systems forever, "Deceased" somehow doesn't mean, "Stop sending me reminders."
So now we're supposed to take her in to get all her parasites removed. Nah; I think we're good.
(Amusingly enough I think it was early October that I got the most recent appeal to my father (who never lived at this address and who passed away in 2007) for a donation.)
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It begins...
We got a reminder that the Cranky Calico was due for some shots. I let the vet know that she'd passed away. They sent a nice sympathetic email and let me know they'd marked her as "deceased".
And as with all automated systems forever, "Deceased" somehow doesn't mean, "Stop sending me reminders."
So now we're supposed to take her in to get all her parasites removed. Nah; I think we're good.
Think of what kind of unspeakable monstrous thing would be capable of parasitizing an undead murderkitty...
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It begins...
We got a reminder that the Cranky Calico was due for some shots. I let the vet know that she'd passed away. They sent a nice sympathetic email and let me know they'd marked her as "deceased".
And as with all automated systems forever, "Deceased" somehow doesn't mean, "Stop sending me reminders."
So now we're supposed to take her in to get all her parasites removed. Nah; I think we're good.
(Amusingly enough I think it was early October that I got the most recent appeal to my father (who never lived at this address and who passed away in 2007) for a donation.)
You should go to the vet with a crystal ball and demand a seance. "No, no, your autocaller insisted. We're here to help the Calico rest easy."
fortunately the DLC doesn't add achievements.Steam shows me that I have reached 50% of achievements...I have 100%ed Elden Ring!
I'd say "now what I'm going to do the rest of the winter?!" But we all know the answer to that.
Eh, I won't have enough money on PayPal for the expansion until March, at best. Unless there will be a great sale in February.
OMG. Someone in our corporate discount program messed up, and the results range from the strange to the side-splitting:
Sling TV: 20% off guest check when ordering to go. Established in 1991, we are Bridle Trails original espresso bar and have been serving the community in our eclectic, warm, and friendly environment ever since.
Universal Studios Hollywood: Save up to $7,500 on a mortgage refinance and pay $0 in lender fees ($300k min loan amount).
Saffron Premier Mortgage LLC: The most comfortable dog bed on planet earth!
I have 100%ed Elden Ring!
I'd say "now what I'm going to do the rest of the winter?!" But we all know the answer to that.
Embarrass the college kids by doing 5 times the work in 1/3 of the time?
Or did you switch jobs while I was gone?
No, I still do that but this is vacation week.
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And my latest AI complaint: "Stop trying to do ANYTHING unless I explicitly ask you to!"
I'm prepping Hell's Rebels for the family. I was using Acrobat Reader (or whatever it's called now). All I wanted was to have a simple button to see the table of contents. Instead the AI kept trying to interfere, providing me with a definition of what a table of contents was, general suggestions on how to create one when writing a document, and a host of other useless stuff wasting my bandwidth and my time.
AI, please just go away.
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It's like Clippy all over again. Except it takes 70,000 watts of power and 900 GPUs running in parallel to annoy the f@+$ out of the user...
What's funny is there are some things AI won't touch.
For example, if you ask AI "how do I gouge out a horse's eyeballs" it won't even answer.
It suggests Reddit instead.
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I know it's a forum with reputation for unpleasantness, but how could you use Reddit to gouge out a horse's eyeballs?
Random trivia:
I have never in my life bought a jacket.
I either always got jackets after my brother, got one that was sewn specifically for me by my mother—when she was a tailor, got a few bought by mother (she was buying lots of things in bulk for adjustment and parts for her work), or, in one case five years ago, a completely random gift from my then-boss (he got a fall/spring jacket from somewhere and didn't want it, and all the other guys were far more round than me, so when he asked if I want it, I said sure).
I consider getting a winter jacket, but I am worried that it's not worth spending money, taking into account how short actual winters are these days, and the fall/spring jacket works otherwise fine when temperature is 5 (Celsius) or more. On the other hand my current winter jacket is far over 20. I could use switching to less bulkier modern winter jacket.
I wanted to buy a Merino-wool thermal underwear today (there will be a cold spat for a week or so), but I wasn't sure if I should get XL or XXL (I am distrustful of sizing, I had bough XXLs in the past that were too small for me), and while stuck I rechecked and found that those particular piece had a very pronounced seams inside. Nope.
So, we've started watching Mashle, well-described as "One Punch Man goes to Hogwart's", and two things really strike me:
(1) I realize that many east Asian countries are significantly less stringent about copyright laws, but I am astonished that J.K. Rowling's lawyers didn't obliterate this manga, even in Japanese courts. It is a fundamental rip-off of Hogwart's, and calling it "satire" is a poor excuse for lifting virtually every aspect of Hogwart's (Quiddich, the Sorting Hat, the rival dorms, Dumbledore, and much, much more) whole hog into your own show. On the one hand, it costs me personally nothing. On the other, the fundamental lack of creativity on the authors' part is horrifically disappointing. As we're discussing, if I were to ask an AI, "Write Harry Potter but replace Harry with Saitama," it would be a close match. The creativity is missing from the series, and I think a lot of it has to do with their efforts to copy everything from Rowling.
(2) Similarly, we've been introduced to Yet Another Scheming Group Of Bad Apples. A school that allows not just brutal bullying to the point of hospitalization, but out-and-out murder of fellow students simply isn't believable. And, and Impus Major put it, "There are SO many conflicting bad guys that it's unbelievable that they haven't crossed each other and killed each other off yet!"
When you're writing a campaign, you first figure out the major factions that will be involved. Then you figure out how they interact. Otherwise, your players are constantly going to be asking, "But why didn't group A kill off group B?"
We've reached that point in Mashle. What was supposed to be a fun, mindless diversion has become an exercise in suspension of disbelief at all the characters' behavior, and 6 episodes in we may end up giving up on it.
EDIT: The Reddit trolls use the usual "satire" excuse for it, but it doesn't follow the original plot of Harry Potter enough to be a satire of it, meaning that by this broad brush any comedy you wrote could use any material from any source as much as you please because it's all "satire", and I don't believe that writing a comedy is a carte blanche excuse to lift anything you need from any source.
Random trivia:
I have never in my life bought a jacket.
I either always got jackets after my brother, got one that was sewn specifically for me by my mother—when she was a tailor, got a few bought by mother (she was buying lots of things in bulk for adjustment and parts for her work), or, in one case five years ago, a completely random gift from my then-boss (he got a fall/spring jacket from somewhere and didn't want it, and all the other guys were far more round than me, so when he asked if I want it, I said sure).
I consider getting a winter jacket, but I am worried that it's not worth spending money, taking into account how short actual winters are these days, and the fall/spring jacket works otherwise fine when temperature is 5 (Celsius) or more. On the other hand my current winter jacket is far over 20. I could use switching to less bulkier modern winter jacket.
I wanted to buy a Merino-wool thermal underwear today (there will be a cold spat for a week or so), but I wasn't sure if I should get XL or XXL (I am distrustful of sizing, I had bough XXLs in the past that were too small for me), and while stuck I rechecked and found that those particular piece had a very pronounced seams inside. Nope.
My best winter coat is still the Vietnam surplus army jacket I bought in the 1980s. The coat plus the button-in liner is terrifyingly warm.
Warning of ice! Warning of snow! Zubop badeebledooble dozy old doe!
Warning of ice! Warning of snow! Zubop badeebledooble dozy old doe!
Both Shiro and GothBard have to fly into this mess. Notice what's missing from the map? California. We'll be lucky if we get a tenth of an inch (3875 ratterdonnerfnords for you furriners) by the time it blows past us.
Send us your rain! We'll take it!
Except for music. That's objectively worse.
Never enough cowbell, is there?
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I've had my apartment for almost a year and a half and just this morning I realized I can lounge on my loveseat.
This must be what the kids call "relaxing".
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Next stop: lovin' on the lounge seat, which, if it wasn't an Eagles b-side from around 1975, should have been.
In other news, rejoice, rejoice, for a local source has been found for MATZOS (and kosher baked beans, should those ever prove necessary)
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Except for music. That's objectively worse.Never enough cowbell, is there?
Why do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.
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Fantasy NPC: Amber-Eyed Devil-Princess.
Beware of her power word DAD!
Ah, when your love of music butts heads with your hatred of monopolies or love of kittens.
Heart is coming to our area... exclusively at TicketMaster arenas. So, I won't be seeing Heart, and that makes me sad.
Delain is coming to our area... at a non-Ticketmaster arena... the day we're supposed to bring Lenore home from her "parents". (I mislike the term "parents" for "the family whose cats had kittens and let you purchase one from them", but I don't have a better name.) And that makes me sadder.
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(2) Similarly, we've been introduced to Yet Another Scheming Group Of Bad Apples. A school that allows not just brutal bullying to the point of hospitalization, but out-and-out murder of fellow students simply isn't believable
We went to very different elementary schools.
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I am getting closer and closer to considering looking for a functional and easy to use Linux version to install on my ten year old laptop to extend its lifespan.
I am getting closer and closer to considering looking for a functional and easy to use Linux version to install on my ten year old laptop to extend its lifespan.
Ubuntu has gotten amazingly good, and its installation on older systems is remarkably reliable. Plus, most Steam games will now run on Linux.
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How bad are housing prices in the Bay Area?
I got a corrected email from our corporate discount provider that included a discount on "live-in au pair child care".
And I was thinking, "Wow! That's a pretty nice gig -- free room and board just for taking care of someone else's kid? I could do that..."
So yeah, getting paid to do it on top of room and board? That sounds like such a sweet deal. And then I realized just how alarming that is...
So, I found the setting gran mentioned and turned off the Acrobat AI ("Disable new Acrobat Reader" is the setting you're looking for).
Of course I got a pop-up asking me why I was turning off the new experience.
Being helpful, I provided a very simple, verifiable answer:
"(1) Get a stopwatch.
(2) Open a 100-page PDF.
(3) Search for the word 'night'.
(4) Time the difference between your new AI-enabled mode and the classic version. You will understand why I turned it off."
It reminds me of Microsoft Aero. "Why aren't you using this beautiful new interface we designed?"
"It's so resource-intensive I'd need a new computer just to run it. So f*** it and the horse it rode in on."
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"It's so resource-intensive I'd need a new computer just to run it. ... "
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Just in time. If you hit the ground, you die.
And what's the difference between a good GM and a bad GM?
As you may recall, Shiro and I had quite the falling out about the rewrite of traps in 5e vs. Pathfinder.
So what happens to start the session this time?
Without naming any names, Shiro went over the rules on finding and disarming traps so we'd understand how 5e changed things (which is rather massive).
grrrraaaaaagggghhh
This is why in Freehold, traps work on a percentage basis to avoid the game ending suddenly due to ill luck.
It's not snowing enough.
And what's the difference between a good GM and a bad GM?
As you may recall, Shiro and I had quite the falling out about the rewrite of traps in 5e vs. Pathfinder.
So what happens to start the session this time?
Without naming any names, Shiro went over the rules on finding and disarming traps so we'd understand how 5e changed things (which is rather massive).
grrrraaaaaagggghhh
This is why in Freehold, traps work on a percentage basis to avoid the game ending suddenly due to ill luck.
Ill luck or, erm, "interesting" players.
As I think I've mentioned, Shiro's run through Tomb of Annihilation has topped 30 PC deaths, whereas ours is only at two. So, what's the difference? Apparently Shiro's group intentionally sets off every trap "to see what it does", plus "goes around 'obvious' traps". They lost 4-6 PCs to a disintegration ray they set off themselves. Two more died trying to wade through lava instead of using the bridge across it. And on, and on, and on. A few died in very unavoidable ways, but the vast majority definitely fall more in the, "I intentionally do something silly/stupid with my PC," bucket.
It's not snowing enough.
*knows nothing*
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I just opened all my windows for the first time in the new year. It broke 60°F by 10:00 am today.
Which is about the *only* good news I've received in 2025 so far. I'd produce a laundry list of tirades, but:
(1) Other people's privacy,
(2) health insurance in the U.S., or
(3) politics, especially involving tech companies.
So I'll just wander off and enjoy my open windows now...
*grumble-grumble*
The year starts with a great Humble Choice selection (Jagged Alliance 3, Blasphemous 2...)
I got the bundle, confirmed selection, and got asked to log in again (that happened for years now)... And now I can't log in getting "too many requests" notification.
Cache/cookies, cleared.
No Script, disabled.
System, restarted.
Different browser, tested.
*sigh*
I managed, after multiple tries, to log in to Humble Bundle with Tor...
Though if the problem was on their side, it might have simply passed by now...
Nope. I still can't log in on Chrome. But at least I have added the games from this month's choice.
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It's kind of fun to watch the open love letter to Costco (capitalism done right) and the brutal excoriation of Honey (capitalism done wrong) on back-to-back days. I highly recommend it.
To paraphrase a Costco exec: "Wall Street wants you to do whatever will make them the most money in the next 3 days. We want to do whatever will keep us going for the next 50 years."
And to me, that really is the difference between "good" and "bad" capitalism.
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It's not snowing enough.
We have a foot on the ground. Tomorrow will be my third day off from excessive snow. My rage grows.
Coincidentally, I am translating an article about a weapon manufacturing company, and it mentions they got an award for "company friendly to employees".
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I got an ad promoting Chrome browser. While watching YouTube using... Chrome browser. Are they getting desperate?