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a1studmuffin

Software engineer (video games). Likes dogs, DJing + EDM, running, electronics and loud bangs in Reservoir.

Posts 20
Comments 267
Kim Dotcom Suffers "Serious Stroke" and "Cannot Communicate Effectively"
  • Yeah that absolutely would have played a big factor, but stress increases stroke risk as well, so it's likely a combination of issues. I don't think it should come as a surprise that this happened to him right after he lost his decade-long battle to avoid extradition to the US.

  • Kim Dotcom Suffers "Serious Stroke" and "Cannot Communicate Effectively"
  • Regardless of what you think of him or his actions, it's pretty horrible that Hollywood can induce so much prolonged stress on the accused before charges are even faced in court that it results in this.

  • Upgrade to Freedom! The Switch from Windows 10
  • Or maybe do it via external USB drive or network location. But agree, it would complicate things. Though for light users that might only have a few GB of documents on their computer and mostly do everything in the browser, it might be crazy enough to just work...

  • It's time to admit it: Unreal Engine 5 has been kind of rubbish in most games so far, and I'm worried about bigger upcoming projects
  • It's the responsibility of the game developer to ensure their game performs well, regardless of engine choice. If they release a UE5 game that suffers from poor performance, that just means they needed to spend more time profiling and optimising their game. UE5 provides a mountain of tooling for this, and developers are free to make engine-side changes as it's all open source.

    Of course Epic should be doing what they can to ensure their engine is performant out of the box, but they also need to keep pushing technology forward, which means things may run slower on older hardware. They don't define a game's minspec hardware, the developer does.

  • Woolworths and Coles are emphasising the threat of Aldi — is it really a competitive force to be reckoned with?
  • Wow, they even acknowledged that customers will go to ALDI then go to Colesworth afterwards because ALDI didn't have everything they needed. Sounds like real serious competition to me! About as threatening as a local market or butcher.

  • Humble Tech Book Bundle: Math for Programmers 2024 by Manning
  • Never say never! I worked on the original Dead Space (2008). There's a minigame in chapter 4 where you have to defend the ship's hull from incoming asteroids by shooting them with a cannon. On completion of the challenge, there's some explanation as to why the cannon's auto-targetting system is back online and you can leave the minigame and the cannon automatically continues shooting asteroids as you wander off. While I was rummaging around the code for this, I stumbled across a quadratic formula implementation. On closer inspection I discovered that some smart cookie had actually implemented the cannon's auto-targetting system for real! It actually tracked each asteroid's velocity and speed and aimed ahead of the target to hit it with its slow-moving projectiles. I just assumed the whole thing would be playing a canned animation faking the cannon shooting at the asteroids. My hat goes off to the programmer that decided to solve that problem - it's one of the very few times I've ever seen the quadratic formula used in gamedev!

  • Upgrade to Freedom! The Switch from Windows 10
  • I'd love to see a Linux distro attempt to implement a migration wizard for Windows users. Do all the heavy lifting for them, including walking them through what personal data and accounts they want to migrate across, creating a bootable USB installer, then running said installer and copying across their data for them. Maybe even detect and install any apps they're using, or suggest FOSS alternatives. In practice I imagine this would be a nightmare to try and implement effectively, but it'd be pretty cool to see.

  • Trump to nominate professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be education secretary
  • Wait, are you saying Elon Musk isn't the smartest man alive? /s

  • Disgruntled X users make the switch to Bluesky
  • The "complicated" Fediverse signup process is actually the perfect filter. If someone isn't willing to learn such a trivial process to gain access to an open decentralized discussion platform, then they really only have themselves to blame when they keep ending up in enshittified algorithmically-manipulated echo chambers.

  • Recommend me a Python book for absolute beginners
  • The official Python tutorial is very well written and is suitable for total beginners:

    https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/

  • Australia to ban social media for children under 16
  • I think it's a step in the right direction, though it will be interesting to see where the boundaries are drawn. Does YouTube count? What about gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite?

    Edit: On further reading about this, I'm changing my mind. I can't see how this would be implemented effectively without some kind of age verification. Unless it's a meaningless Steam-style "What's your birthday?" question, that makes it far more troublesome for everyone's privacy. I can't see how it would get off the ground after so many Australians have had their data stolen already.

  • Who was our worst Prime Minister and why? Any notable state leaders we need to add?
  • I agree his economic policies were garbage, but Howard deserves some pretty serious street cred for gun law reform in Australia after the Port Arthur massacre. It was a pivotal moment for the nation, and looking at the USA, I'm very grateful for his influence.

  • SEGA Classics Delisting December 6th on Steam
  • Piracy is a service problem.

  • Life Is Strange Dev's Workers Are Going On Strike Over Impending Layoffs
  • Late-stage capitalism (specifically public companies) are rather incompatible with singleplayer or "one-off" games that don't have a long revenue tail of a live season or multiple DLCs/expansions. That really sucks for the whole games industry, players and developers alike.

  • How do I quit smoking?
  • The way I implemented this strategy was to make sure I had a single cigarette and lighter on me at all times. I named the cigarette, which psychologically helped prevent me from smoking it. I stuck that out for a few months until a friend smoked it in desperation. At that point I felt confident I'd quit because I wanted to, not because of random circumstance.

  • Ryan Reynolds Writing Non-Marvel Project to Reunite With Hugh Jackman and Director Shawn Levy After ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
  • I enjoyed his character in The Voices. Admittedly still a comedy, but a good performance from him that was something a little different.

  • New Zemeckis film used AI to de-age Tom Hanks and Robin Wright
  • It'll be interesting to see how this looks. The same technology was used in Alien: Romulus to revive a younger Ian Holm's likeness for Rook, and while it was a cool tech demo, it still felt quite uncanny valley and distracting to watch. Casting another actor might have been a better choice. At least for this project the tech sounds more relevant, in that they're deaging and aging characters within the same film.

  • Windows 11 gains momentum with over 35% market share as Microsoft pushes for upgrades — Windows 10 still has the stronghold on the PC market
  • I've already installed Arch on a spare laptop to assess the difficulty of switching over. So far I'm very impressed!

    arch-install made the setup pretty easy, and KDE Plasma feels very natural for someone migrating from Windows. Flatpaks make installing/updating apps a breeze, and there's way more apps available than I expected, including commercial ones like Spotify.

    Most of the "muscle memory" habits translate across too, for example pressing Meta and typing "notepad" shows KWrite in the start menu. That was a nice surprise.

    I can already tell it's going to be viable for 90% of my needs, and the fact that there's good free software to do everything from video editing to office tasks is really amazing. Linux desktop has come a LONG way.

  • Financial abuse: The 'hidden' problem banks are moving to tackle

    www.sbs.com.au The 'hidden' problem banks are moving to tackle

    Two major Australian banks have moved to strengthen their ability to act against financial abusers.

    The 'hidden' problem banks are moving to tackle
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    www.theguardian.com RBA should pause rate rises as ‘deflationary shock’ sweeps global economy, former board member says

    Warwick McKibbin says Australia’s central bank has been slow to react as supply pressures from Covid and war in Ukraine abate

    RBA should pause rate rises as ‘deflationary shock’ sweeps global economy, former board member says
    1
    www.abc.net.au Prime minister spruiks large budget surplus as Australian households battle cost-of-living crisis

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes Australians will welcome the news of a larger than expected budget surplus even as their own budgets continue to take a battering.

    Prime minister spruiks large budget surplus as Australian households battle cost-of-living crisis
    9

    Australia needs China's economy to bounce back, but youth unemployment and low consumer confidence suggest it'll take time

    www.abc.net.au China's post-COVID economic recovery appears to be sputtering. Here's why

    Australia is relying on its largest trading partner to bounce back, but China's youth unemployment figures and low consumer confidence are slowing down much-needed growth, suggesting a full recovery will take some time.

    China's post-COVID economic recovery appears to be sputtering. Here's why

    Ouch, 20% unemployment in China is rough. How tied to China's economic outlook do you think we're going to be in Oz?

    2
    www.smh.com.au PwC Australia appoints new CEO, offloads government business

    PwC has appointed one of its most senior global executives to take control of its Australian firm and has confirmed the sale of its government business to private equity group Allegro Funds for $1.

    PwC Australia appoints new CEO, offloads government business

    PWC: Government business division for sale - $2 Allegro Funds: Tell 'em they're dreaming

    1

    Insolvency data hides the true picture of business closures amid the cost-of-living crisis

    www.abc.net.au Jessica worked for years to make her business a success. With interest rates rising, she's going out 'on a low'

    Australia may not be hearing the full story about the impact of rising interest rates on small businesses, as a "perfect storm" of pressures contributes to a gloomy outlook.

    Jessica worked for years to make her business a success. With interest rates rising, she's going out 'on a low'
    0
    www.abc.net.au Ford set to axe 400 jobs, with Geelong workers facing biggest cuts

    Ford's planned job cuts will amount to about 22 per cent of its workforce in Australia, with the majority impacting Geelong workers in product development and design roles.

    Ford set to axe 400 jobs, with Geelong workers facing biggest cuts
    3
    www.theguardian.com PwC tax scandal: firm engaged in a ‘calculated’ breach of trust, Senate committee finds

    Consulting firm used confidential government information to help private clients avoid tax, interim report tabled in parliament finds

    PwC tax scandal: firm engaged in a ‘calculated’ breach of trust, Senate committee finds
    4
    www.abc.net.au The Reserve Bank has pointed directly to the elephant in the room

    The stock market is a few percentage points away from an all-time high because some of Australia's biggest corporations are making record profits. But Australian households are under pressure, writes David Taylor.

    The Reserve Bank has pointed directly to the elephant in the room

    Oh good, I'm sure now the government will do something...

    6

    Bizarre items Aussies try to claim in tax return as ATO deduction rules revealed

    Sorry for the Murdoch rag, but I thought we could do with a trashy article to lighten things up a bit. Anyone else claimed depreciation on a boob job or the family pet?

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    www.theguardian.com Shrinkflation: don’t want to upset customers with price rises? Just make your product smaller

    A growing list of companies are increasing profits and passing on costs by shrinking their products, meaning customers pay the same amount for less

    Shrinkflation: don’t want to upset customers with price rises? Just make your product smaller

    Would be nice if there was legislation that prevented companies from doing this, so price increases couldn't be concealed so easily.

    8

    How do mentions work?

    This might be a Lemmy question more than a Jerboa question, but no matter what I try I can't seem to mention myself in a comment and have it show up in my inbox. Is there a trick to mentioning someone? Or is this part of the app not working? Or do I need to wait for the federation to do some funky syncing between instances?

    3
    www.abc.net.au Almost 2 million rental households struggling to make ends meet, new report finds

    Financial pressure on households has never been higher, and more of us are spending beyond our means than ever before, according to a long-running survey.

    Almost 2 million rental households struggling to make ends meet, new report finds
    0

    A video where I talk about the Hurstbridge line for 40 minutes!

    Not my video, but saw this on YouTube and somehow ended up watching it from start to end.

    7
    www.sbs.com.au Could a Universal Basic Income be the answer to cost of living woes?

    Is a Universal Basic Income merely a utopian concept, or can it be a viable solution that can effectively work in Australia? Experts weigh in.

    Could a Universal Basic Income be the answer to cost of living woes?
    4

    How are you coping with inflation and cost-of-living increases?

    Curious to hear how the current situation in Australia has impacted your daily habits, if at all.

    I'm definitely ordering takeout and dining out less - not because I can't afford it, but because it just doesn't feel like good value any more.

    19
    www.theguardian.com Calls for ‘comprehensive ban’ on sports gambling ads in Australia as inquiry’s report looms

    Tim Costello hopeful of bipartisanship on issue to ‘break the grip’ of saturation advertising

    Calls for ‘comprehensive ban’ on sports gambling ads in Australia as inquiry’s report looms
    8

    Inflation is high but is the Reserve Bank raising interest rates into a recession?

    www.abc.net.au The economy is in a race to the bottom and nobody wants to win

    A lack of data on how consumers are responding to monetary policy could lead the Reserve Bank to raise rates into a recession. And what if that's difficult to escape? It's a critical economic question right now, writes David Taylor.

    The economy is in a race to the bottom and nobody wants to win
    5

    AusFinance community?

    Would anyone be interested in an AusFinance community here? I enjoyed the content on Reddit, and haven't seen an equivalent pop up yet elsewhere.

    12

    Accessing communities here from other instances

    I have another account on lemmy.ml and can't see any of the aussie.zone communities when I search for them, even if I provide a proper URL as outlined here.

    Maybe this is a problem on their side or just a bug, but I thought I'd mention it here in case there's an instance config issue here that can be fixed.

    IMHO it would be nice if the communities here showed up on the biggest Lemmy instance to help aussies find their way here.

    Edit: Looks like this took care of itself, likely just server congestion on the lemmy.ml side as others suggested. Thanks all!

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