Jesticulated

StillIRise1963, 7 days ago to random

Joe Piscopo is at Trump’s trial. Okay, you fucking loser.

DrALJONES, 16 days ago (edited 16 days ago) to random

Interview with Norman Finkelstein

"The sickness of capitalism, Israel's war in Gaza & German complicity"

"Trotsky was a great literary critic. Even in the middle of the Civil War in Russia, as he was going in his famous iron car from front to front, he was writing literary criticism.

"So I think I did make a mistake in pursuing my work beyond the point where the returns made it a wise thing to do".

Main interview begins 2 min in:
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=G__W0B_8ZoA

#NormanFinkelstein #Capitalism ..

Viss, 21 days ago to sandiego

#sandiego

video/mp4

the_etrain, 28 days ago to random

Given my middle-ageness, I will only be using this account to complain about the sodium content of food from here on out.

setiinstitute, 1 month ago to Podcast

The permafrost is thawing, luring bacteria that will feast on these carbon-rich layers and produce two greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane. How serious is this potential accelerator of climate change? It’s “De-Permafrosting” on Big Picture Science.

Listen here: https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/de-permafrosting

#podcast #science #permafrost #climatechange #scicomm

MLE_online, 1 month ago to random

I attempted to help my brother with a confounding problem with his car this afternoon, and after a few hours of work, we were no closer to an answer than when we started.

Recently, his battery has been draining down overnight. He thought maybe he had a bad battery, so he got a new one. Same problem.

I went over there today and found that the car is drawing 1.6 amps from the battery even when turned off.

We started troubleshooting by pulling fuses. The car kept drawing 1.6 amps through all of them.

I pulled the main fuse, and the car still drew 1.6 amps.

For a while, we thought it was maybe the alternator rectifier, but that wasn't it.

We unwrapped the sheath from the main bundle of wires coming off the battery and found no shorts.

We disconnected the wiring to the starter and that wasn't it.

The car still draws 1.6 amps! We can't figure out what's doing it!

Jesticulated, 1 month ago to random

@etherdiver Hello! We finished lunch here in old town Temecula. On our way north, about 25 minutes

RickiTarr, 4 months ago to random

What are your true opinions and thoughts on marriage?

Just for fun, this is a photo from my wedding day (ignore the reflection of my phone lol) I was all of 21.

atomicpoet, 5 months ago to random

At a Korean grocery store, and for the first time in my life, I saw a transparent pop can.

atomicpoet, 5 months ago to random

Released in 1986, Uninvited is an adventure horror game. Because it uses the same graphical adventure interface as Shadowgate, Deja Vu, and Deja Vu II, all those games are collectively known as the MacVenture series. This particular version of Uninvited came with both the Macintosh and Apple IIgs versions of the game.

I remember going to a friend’s house to play this game. His family had a Macintosh Classic II, and we spent hours in a dark room trying to figure out the end. We were never successful but were frightened quite often.

At the time of release, Uninvited was considered quite innovative. Not only was it a mouse-driven adventure game made during a time most adventure games were keyboard-driven, it made ample use of the Mac GUI, particularly its drag-and-drop capabilities. Because the Apple IIgs had a similar GUI, it mostly works identically to the Mac version.

Uninvited actually has a decent story. While driving with your brother late at night, you see a strange figure. In order to avoid it, you swerve and hit a tree. You lose consciousness, and when you wake up, your brother is missing. In order to find him, you come across a mansion that seems to be abandoned.

I’m not sure Uninvited will be all that appealing to modern gamers because so much of its gameplay is based on rote memorization. You have to do things in a specific order, and clues are few and far between. Sometimes I feel there’s an over-reliance on moonshot reasoning – but this was also par for the course with adventure games during the 80s. Once you figure things out, however, you can actually beat the game within 10 minutes.

Much of this game is about finding and collecting objects, figuring out what each of those objects do, and then using those objects to progress.

The graphics were pretty great for a Mac game circa 1986. One thing to remember about early Macs is that they did not have colour graphics, and most rendering was done through basic black-and-white gradients. For this reason, the Apple IIgs version is actually better since it displays in colour. However, the Apple IIgs’ pixels were chunkier, as you can see in these screenshots.

In terms of sound, there isn’t any. Effects are far and few between. There is no soundtrack. You’re almost playing in complete silence. Almost all PC versions of the game are like this. The only benefit of the NES version is that it had sound.

Virtually any PC can run this game. You just need 2MB of RAM. While my version of Uninvited was made natively for Windows and Mac, it runs well on Linux via Proton. I was able to run it great on my Steam Deck.

Uninvited has been ported to multple platforms: DOS, C64, Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Windows 3.x, and Windows Mobile.

Briefly, I need to talk about the NES version of Uninvited. It annoys me to no end that this is the lone version where the brother is gender-swapped for a sister. The Windows 3.x port, which came out later, had a brother – not a sister. I can only speculate that the fine folks at Nintendo demanded that the gender swap happen.

There’s no microtransactions, nor is there any DLC.

ICOM Simulations (a.k.a., Rabid Entertainment) made Uninvited. They also developed other games in the MacVenture series. Addtionally, they’re known for the Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective series as well as various licensed games for the TurboGrafx 16.

On Steam, Uninvited has an 84% positive rating based on 52 reviews. Most people say it is a classic adventure game for the early Mac. Others say that the puzzles are overly difficult, depend too much on trial-and-error, and requires a walkthrough.

Generally speaking, Mac gaming isn’t as celebrated as gaming on other computer platforms. However, Macs have given us some real bangers. Myst, Marathon, Escape Velocity are certainly favourites of mine. Uninvited, as well as other MacVenture games, are certainly one of the best Mac games of all time.

But I think Uninvited really can only be appreciated in its historical context. If it was made now, it wouldn’t find much of a fanbase due to moonshot reasoning and difficult controls by modern standards. Yet, in 1986, this was the very definition of intuitive gaming.

On Steam, Uninvited sells for C$3.29. Do I recommend it? If you’re a modern gamer, you might find it too tough. However, if you like old adventure games or you just like having a piece of gaming history, then Uninvited definitely justifies its price.

One further thing: if you’re going to get any version of the game, go with a PC version and not the NES version. Uninvited loses something once it no longer has its point-and-click interface.

Uninvited screenshot (Steam Deck)
Uninvited screenshot (Steam Deck)
Uninvited screenshot (Steam Deck)

Jesticulated, 5 months ago to random

@Viss I finally have a moment to thank you for the #NopeSauce I have tried it on several different dishes, and it goes really well with all of them. Surprisingly I found the spiked #NopeSauce to be much tastier in flavor despite the incredible heat. I appreciate your efforts and am looking forward to next year's batch!

VeroniqueB99, 5 months ago to random

RickiTarr, 5 months ago to random

Alright, after all this talk of ketchup/catsup, I need to know:

What are the Top 5 Condiments you have to have in your kitchen?

RickiTarr, 5 months ago to random

Show me the most 80's thing you can think of!

Jesticulated, 6 months ago to random

Forget Fran Dresher, here is the person to listen to for the SAG-AFTRA negotiations

https://www.thewrap.com/justine-bateman-sag-aftra-deal-generative-ai-artificial-intelligence/

atomicpoet, 7 months ago (edited 7 months ago) to random

Released in 2017, AER Memories of Old is an adventure game with puzzle platforming aspects. Flight is a key aspect.

This really is a lovely game with an entrancing story. In this game, you play a shape-shifting girl who morphs into a bird, traversing a dying world where all land has become floating islands suspended in the sky. To go from one island to the other, you must transform into a bird and take flight.

Discovery is a key component of AER. You must discover different temples and caverns to enter. Once inside, you must unlock secrets that will assist you in saving your world.

AER has a beautifully rich mythology, but the story isn’t told linearly. Instead, you must use your lantern to discover key events that happened in the past leading up to the events that are unfolding now.

But what’s really fun about this game is flying. When you’re in bird mode, that’s when the game really gets going. Exploring, finding different land, looking for interesting sights – this is what makes AER special.

As for the puzzles, they’re very simple and won’t really tease your brain that much. What’s core to the game isn’t solving puzzles, it’s discovering new aspects of the story that fill you in on what happened.

I found this game a delight to control. In other games, pressing “A” twice gives you a double jump. However, in this game, pressing A once gives you a jump, but pressing it again takes you into flight. I love it!

The graphics are excellent, and it’s not because they’re particularly demanding. It’s because of the art direction. The soft pastel colour palette is breath-taking. AER has a low polygon look, but it’s not reminiscent of early PlayStation or Nintendo 64. It’s much too clean for that. Instead, this gives the impression that you’re visiting a place that’s otherworldly.

As for the sound, it’s gorgeous. I love the ambience. You hear the wind, animals, and the beautiful sound of your footsteps. The soundtrack is stellar. It has ambient instrumentation that almost verges towards an optimistic post-punk that gives a sense of elation.

If I have one complaint, it’s that I wish this world was bigger and more vast. Even now, I wish there was more to see and explore.

Most modern PCs can run AER quite well. You need a 3Ghz dual core CPU, 4GB of RAM, 1GB of VRAM, and 3GB of space. AER is natively compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is “verified” for Steam Deck.

In addition to PC, AER has been ported to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Blacknut. It has not been ported to mobile platforms.

There are no micro-transactions. However, you can buy the soundtrack as DLC. Since it’s on sale for -90% off, I’m buying it. Right now, it’s only C$0.91.

Forgotten Key developed AER. This is the lone game they have made.

On Steam, AER has an 87% positive rating based on 4,248 reviews. Most people praise the style, mood, and story. Detractors complain about the emptiness.

Personally, I like the emptiness and think this is core to the story. If there was too much to stuff, well, you’re kind of compromising the mythos.

However, I would have loved to have seen more of this world. It has so much potential, especially with a narrative this rich.

Six years after release, this is one of those games that I truly believe deserves a retrospective. And it’s shocking to me that, despite seeing this game on store shelves in Game Stop and Best Buy, few people talk about it.

AER sells for C$17.99 on Steam, but it’s on sale right now for -90% off. Buying this game right now is a no-brainer, but even at regular price, I think it’s worth it. The art, the vibe, the story – it’s beautiful.

atomicpoet, 7 months ago to random

Just found out that the editor of Tiger Beat magazine, Doreen Lioy, married Richard Ramirez, a.k.a., the Night Stalker.

atomicpoet, 7 months ago to random

Those game reviews I write? They’re for my sake, not yours.

I have a library of 6,000+ games. Most of these are PC games. Writing about these games gives me the motivation to play through my library.

atomicpoet, 8 months ago to random

I should start an “en-ghostify” service so that people can ensure they can haunt people and places after they die.

the_Effekt, 10 months ago to random

And this works for all other corporations as well!

atomicpoet, 5 months ago to random

It’s that time of year when video game journalists tabulate their “Top 10 of 2023”. We all know that #1 is either going to be Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Baldur’s Gate 3.

But I’ve been impressed that Jusant, Pizza Tower, and Dave the Diver have been so well-regarded because these are not AAA titles.