eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Experimenting with a new format and am really happy about how it is turning out.
xpaper
10 months ago
I like the separation of each section into its own page. In the previous layout it was really easy for things to get cluttered. However I must admit I found the tables of contents being in both the main page and the subpages a bit disorienting (perhaps thats just me).
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Loud and clear. I put it that way to try to ease the navigation because that's the only thing I'm not settled on right now. To me, the pages seem somewhat set up like a maze and it's not clear to me how to have an easy navigation menu that is ideal for all device widths. I am open to suggestions.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Your PDF collection piqued my curiosity and I wonder how many more you have. I too have a collection, but it's mostly math, chemistry, and engineering.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
I haven't taken the Neighbors page down yet, but I have a working list of where I want to put everyone, including some non-mutual accounts.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Carrion and Splatterhouse added. I regret to find out that one of my all-time favorites The Suffering is not available on anything.
letslearntogether
10 months ago
Carrion (feeding off of flesh) and Splatterhouse (sounds like slaughterhouse)...but no Suffering? Interesting contradiction.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
The Suffering was one of a kind. It was like 13 Ghosts in a way, but in a prison setting. It was one of the early games with different endings depending on choices, and it was the first to introduce a matrix for blood splatters as it passed through surfaces. Dr. Killjoy was such a great villain too.
letslearntogether
10 months ago
Woah, thank you for the explanation...evocative...You know, I had once heard of some "near-death experiences" where people described "hell" as people stuck in Matrix-like pods with VR headsets that continuously broadcasted ever more elaborate forms of violence into them. I imagine that we get stuck within whatever we identify with most. "Different endings depending on choices," as you say.
letslearntogether
10 months ago
Makes me think of The Eleusinian Mysteries and the various books about rituals for navigating the "underworld" (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yv_MXNYbAo , or even Revelation 1:18 for that matter). What spirit acts as an "East Wind" that guides one through "The Battle of the Trench"? Much (Agapic) Love.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
I'm not sure if you're meaning to imply something here. Lol. To me, fantasy violence is a fun outlet and distinguishable from real violence. Some like to argue that it's desensitizing, maybe to a psychotic mind that truly can't be helped in the first place. Exposure alone could never turn me into a serial killer just because I do it in video games.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
I've always felt that heaven and hell are states of consciousness, existing within the ether of individuals. To me, Hell is a place where so much is false that navigation towards the truth is unobtainable. If we want to talk about eternal torment, that seems like a really petty concept that one would adapt to in the course of days, not really a punishment, more like transformation.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Matrix in this context is just a moving grid with some points turned on. It's basically the software version of spraying a surface with a water bottle, just specific terminology.
letslearntogether
10 months ago
Indeed, you truly are a gentleman and a scholar my friend! I cannot help but think of East Athenaeum as one of these places: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_higher-learning_institutions
letslearntogether
10 months ago
...I can very much identify with such a humanistic ethic (of "The Gold and Silver Rules" done for their own sake), but even a scientist has to first assume the existence of Truth in order to seek it out. A spark of insight that initiates the quest for knowledge that will lead to Truth?
letslearntogether
10 months ago
I wonder though, does the continual simulation of violence release tension or cause it? And what of when the simulation itself is a "simulacra" (e.g.: an "Ender's Game" like situation, such as remote control drone strikes that murder innocents, done by someone unaware of the impact). It seems like a falsehood can be generated as cause is removed from effect.
wraithglade
10 months ago
Yeah, it's good to do what works right for you (I'm referring to the "2025-02-09 Eventual Change" entry). I've found myself paring down in recent months in terms of how much I try to do and link to as well, since being spread too thin can make both one's time and attention and one's pages' focus spread thin potentially. Trying to be all things to all people can dilute one's outcomes. Anyway, have a great day/night!
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Revisions. Comments from members of groups who hate each other or hate how I have represented them are welcome here. Happy to help.
asterion
10 months ago
A pity that Blizzard never placed Diablo 3 onto Steam. Would you know why that is?
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
There doesn't seem to be an answer, like it was never considered. Kind of strange considering they still actively update it, at least with seasonal campaigns.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
Learned code for double columns depending on device width as well as custom cursor
wraithglade
10 months ago
I didn't realize that there were any new games in the MediEvil franchise. That was a nostalgic game I remember well from my childhood (the original MediEvil) but I'll probably not bother with the reboot (already have so many other interesting things to play or to do). Anyway though, regarding Diablo 3, asterion, the reason is probably something to do with the royalty rates and/or the costs of re-release in AAA dev.
wraithglade
10 months ago
One thing people often doen't realize about AAA games is how huge their advertising costs are. I've looked at Blizzard budget reports before and I know that on at least one game they spent more than half their entire dev budget just on advertising alone. Re-releases of games influence the reputation of a studio or publisher and so if they don't get enough sales their reputation can be harmed.
wraithglade
10 months ago
Therefore, when a AAA company re-releases a game they may feel compelled to invest ad spend in it, but for older games which are also going to be subject to a steep platform royalty rates (such as on Steam, though big companies negotiate custom deals that are much better and not the blanket 30% that small companies get). I used to work in AAA about a decade ago, but only as a programmer not a manager. Just theories.
eastathenaeum
10 months ago
There was a rerelease of MediEvil 2 also, but I couldn't find a trailer. Going to be adding other, older games that are on a list, but I wanted to find newer ones first.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol, and Doom 64 added