Maybe an outside one here, but when Dragon Age: Origins was still new, I was much younger and hadn’t had a serious girlfriend yet. And in general, I got quite a bit more attached to characters in games, including the romantic interests especially.

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t beaten the game

Now a days I struggle to connect with characters in games. They will never be as real as my friends or my partner, so it’s hard to form such an emotional connection as I did when I was a teenager.

I think the voting ratio pretty well demonstrates one obvious hurdle: people don’t like it.

Even people who are happy with AI seem repulsed by the idea of it replacing human intimacy. So unless you have some real ride or die friend and family, you’ll have to risk judgment from them or keep it a secret

There’s also the fact that right now most AI bots are toadies by nature - meaning they will rarely disagree with you and will generally capitulate to your will. That would be off-putting for some, including myself.

They also (currently) don’t have great memory and will not always recall things that are important to you. No matter hpw any times you tell them.

Obviously, there are larger issues to consider, but if you’re already considering the leap then you may not necessarily be convinced by arguments about humanity and what’s natural.

The hard part is the skill gap - it’s not like the pros are a little better than you and you can maybe eke out win. They absolutely dominate you.

I describe them as gusts of wind because they blow in so fast and aggressively we’re dead before we can react

If Apex could stop that experience from happening I’d honestly still play it

I’m torn - while I’m not a fan of the new look, I’m also viciously anti-lawn-grass so I can’t complain too much.

Charts like these are a reminder that people don’t understand cats as well as I would like

A cat does all the same things a dog does, they just don’t give it away for free. You gotta earn the respect, more like you would a person!

My cats follow me from room to room, love being held, love to play, and all sorts of good stuff

All I can really say is to avoid the floor models, since they put the hot part of the conditioner inside your home, thus have to work a lot harder

See Technology Connections (Piped) for an informational video

We get a meal delivery service each week and they use the giant ice packs. So I’ve taken to just keeping two or three in my freezer and then sleeping with a pack at my feet each night or carrying it in the car while I do errands. And I get fresh ones delivered each week. A nice way to recycle the packs

I’ve always disliked plastic surgery, botox and heavy makeup. But that’s normal enough

My real hot take is I am disgusted by long, fake nails. They make my skin crawl. They’re so cumbersome, I truly don’t understand how people love with them

Edit: Thread is locked; it somewhat spiraled from what I originally envisioned for the discussion. Just wanted to dump by thoughts in this edit.

I created the thread from a perspective more of pointing out things people do to their bodies in the name of “fashion” or “beauty” that are invasive, cumbersome, or unnecessary, when people should be proud of the bodies they have. Some took this in the same light but others didn’t.

I would have liked to have a whole discussion about it, communicate my perspective a little more clearly, but by the time I came back after work to view the monster I’d created, the thread was locked. It’s a shame that we couldn’t have a more mature and nuanced discussion about what it means to follow a beauty trend to everyone, but I suppose it’s better that rhetoric not escalate

This article was pretty funny. I loved the writing style

As for the subject matter, I have never understood these mods. When I was young I gave them a try in Skyrim but I remember it just being distracting. It feels like multitasking: I’m doing two things half as good. I really don’t see the point.

So that being said, I would love it if they had metrics on how long the mod stayed installed and how far into the game the player made it. Impossible, surely, but it would really clear up for me whether people are genuinely playing the game or whether they’re installing for a level and… Ahem… Moving on to another activity

Depends on your charisma stat…

This some 18INT nerd shit

In my mind, charisma is easily the hardest one to improve. The rest you can grind out or get better with age but Charisma is tough

I think mine would be around average in most:

• 7 Strength
• 9 Dexterity
• 8 Constitution
• 12 Intelligence
• 11 Wisdom
• 8 Charisma

I would probably focus on Intelligence and Wisdom, but I think having a higher charisma would be also be very nice

My advice would be to treat investing in unique assets - like shares in one company or Cryptos - as gambling: only put in what you’re willing to lose. Anything you can’t afford to lose should be saved or put into index funds with lower risk and volatility.

You just cannot know what an asset will do in 6 months. You can have a really good guess, but at the end of the day it’s still a guess. And that guessing is even more difficult when it’s a non-productive asset like Bitcoin, because then you’re just gambling on vibes. There isn’t much logic to Bitcoin’s price besides “what if” and FOMO.

So yes, if you can afford to lose the money, you can leave it in. But if that money going to zero overnight would impact your quality of life or ability to absorb unexpected expenditures, then liquidate.

And on a more personal note, you’re probably better off having the drone you want than flipping a (digital) coin and hoping it’s heads

It’s comments like this that almost make me miss reddit gold

NordVPN on the same level as Arch? No way

It will be more expensive, for sure, but that’s not even the main problem.

The primary issue is that these tariffs are unpredictable. We don’t know if the Trump administration is going to add more, reduce them, or remove them completely. The administration seems to change their mind every day. Plus, they’re deeply unpopular, so even if the administration were being consistent and clear, they are almost certainly being repealed in four years when a new administration takes over.

So nobody wants to invest in building factories here, because there’s no guarantee that they won’t soon be competing with cheaper labor again in the future. It’s too risky of an investment even if it was cheaper in general

There are classic ones like the Citadel (Mass Effect) or even Halo for the aesthetic beauty, but honestly I think I think it would be extremely serene to go to the cabin from Spirit City: Lofi Sessions. Each time I play that game I find an incredible desire to be in the cabin; my chest honestly tightens each time I think about being in such a relaxed, no-cares place with the perfect decor and perfect weather.

However, assuming this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I would probably pick somewhere unrivaled in beauty or technology (gotta pick up some useful things if I can…). I don’t think my desire for peace and tranquility can outgun the practical part of my brain

I suspected it was a smaller channel, but didn’t look myself. I haven’t heard of them up until this point so this story could be a particularly big opportunity for them, so it makes sense why they are choosing the delivery method that they are

My guy take it down a notch, damn. I’m not calling for his head on a pike, I have legitimate and valid criticisms. I apologize if the tone came off more critical than I meant it but hot hell you came in spicy.

But, to address your issue:

Why does one wrong make a right? Why does him exposing the issue invalidate any criticisms or expectations of quality or integrity? To me it does not, hence why I criticize. And I even said I was glad the information is coming to light, and I’m grateful for him drawing attention to it, I just wish it could have been done a little more tactfully is all. I would like to have all the information right now, rather than waiting for a “part 2”.

I also just don’t appreciate the stoking of anger, which has clearly worked. Ragebait is toxic and that’s what is being done with this story, from my perspective, so I don’t love it.