#how things work

[askagamedev]

How true is the saying “there is more permanent then a temporary solution” in the context of game developement?

Once, one of my coworkers printed out "temporary" hacks in our codebase and taped them to his body to be his Halloween costume. I have a t-shirt printed with the "temporary" hacks in the code base. The name "Grey Wardens" from Dragon Age was a temporary name put in place when leadership couldn't decide on a "real" name that eventually became permanent. I can't count the number of "placeholder" text I've written that eventually became permanent. I learned that the only way to make placeholder text actually temporary (and eventually get replaced) is to purposely write text that would either fail cert or look bad on the company and get flagged by QA.

Basically, games have a lot of hacky shit put in "temporarily" that can (and often does) eventually become load-bearing.

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Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[bloodashre]

Sorry to ruin the movie magic for some of you, but it's extremely unlikely that the shots of The Kiss are edited to be longer. Like, a million to one.

How do I know? I'm in school for filmmaking, so I'll share a bit with you.

1. The first reason is the most important. It is very difficult to edit a shot to be longer (and almost never done, especially by professionals) and not have it be obvious. It is painfully obvious, particularly to other filmmakers, when someone does actually do this. I can almost guarantee that if this had happened, other filmmakers in the industry most certainly would have called them out for it. I've personally watched the scene literally thousands of times (I'm not exaggerating) and in my semi-professional opinion (yes, I've already made my own films, though I haven't been paid for any of my work yet), it's not edited to be longer.

2. Nearly as important and launching off the above, it's much more likely - and more easily and actually often done - that it's edited to be shorter.

Additionally, there's no reason to think it would be edited to be longer when it comes to the story. It's unnecessary. The reason it looks so awkward to solve of you is because - newsflash - it IS awkward! It's meant to be awkward!

Aziraphale is caught off guard, during a moment of being about to break down, crying, in the midst of an argument. He was just rejected. He's potentially thought about this moment so many times. It is possible he thought The Metatron was threatening Crowley, which just happened only a few minutes ago! And lastly, there's literally thousands of years of feelings that haven't been spoken aloud - at least not properly, depending which theory you follow.

And there's even more depending which theories you subscribe to that support this even further.

And then, there's the fact that, at least for a moment, he kisses him back. He goes from being surprised, to resistance, to acceptance, to reciprocation, to rejection in a matter of less than 30 freaking seconds - while also portraying all the unspokenness, uncertainty, and fear of 6000 years, as well as a possible threat AND rejection of Crowley refusing to come with him ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

It's so awkward and complicated and terrible - and yet also wonderful - and Michael Sheen is honestly a fucking MASTER for the amount of emotions he's able to portray in such an insanely small amount of time. Please please PLEASE don't reduce his abilities and the beauty of the story to editing some bullshit that any filmmaker with any actual integrity would never do.

[stone-cold-groove]

Say aaaaaah.

[divine-nonchalance]

Some of the most profound and helpful literature I've ever read when it comes to understanding oneself and mankind as a whole:

Messages from Michael by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

If only I'd have read this 20 years ago!

[trixterdark]

PSA for writers doing "period pieces" that take place in the 90s

We did not call them VHS the way we say DVDs we called them VIDEOTAPES

Plz watch a movie from the time period and pay attention to the language you hear characters use. Any cop drama or teen comedy will do.

"Did you get that on tape?"

"We have to review the tapes"

I can kinda understand the confusion. Now when the format was new you would hear "now on VHS" in advertisements but that eventually shifted to "now on video"

We still use 'video' for recorded media. That's what the V stands for. Video Home System.

You put video tapes in a VCR.

Have you ever seen a strip of film? Tapes work the same way. The information is saved to the 'tape'; coiled black film found underneath the hard shell protecting it.

There is no menu. You put a tape in a VCR and press play on the remote or the VCR.

VCRs also allowed you to record whatever you saw on tv, so if you wanted to watch something but couldn't be home at the time, you could program your VCR to start recording at a specific time.

Video tapes also held HOURS of film. A video of a show you buy at the store might have two or three episodes (because they wanted you to buy more of them) but if you taped stuff at home, you could put 6 hours or more of something on there.

This is also how we did bootlegs. People would go to the theater and record the movie at a decent angle, go home and make copies of the tape, and then sell them at a fraction of the official release price. But the sound quality sucked most of the time..

People used to set their VCRs and record hours of their fav show every week. All you had to do was fast forward towards the end of the previous recording, press stop and press record for the new stuff.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[tail-feathers]

Are you intrigued by how things work?

[grouchydrafter]

General Rules of Magic in Fiction

All magic is comprised of three components:

An energy source

A medium through which to channel the energy

A guide with which to direct the energy

① Source

The energy used to perform magic can come from a variety of sources, but they can be categorized into internal energy and external energy.

Externally Sourced Magic Externally sourced magic draws from energies outside the user. With study and training, anyone can learn to draw from external energies to perform magic. One's proficiency level comes from a combination of knowledge, training, and natural aptitude. There are times when ones natural aptitude or limitations restrict the use of external sourced magics. Examples of the use of externally sourced magic includes: - Witchcraft (Supernatural) - Sorcery/Eldritch Magic (Marvel) - Alchemy (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Internally Sourced Magic Internally sourced magic draws from the energies of the user. Internal energies are either inborn or come to be through artificial means and are either regenerative or finite. While the existence of these energies often comes with some instinctual understanding of its use, the proficiency of its use come from study and training in combination with natural aptitude and limitations. Examples of internally sourced magic includes: - Grace-sourced Enochian Magic (Supernatural) - Asgardian Magic (Marvel) - Ninjutsu (Naruto)

Combination Sourced Magic For those who practice internally sourced magic, externally sourced magic can be a great way to increase one's arsenal or strengthen existing skills. Techniques powered by multiple sources come with many advantages when performed properly. However, combination magic requires a lot of skill in order to avoid backfiring, as it often presents more risks than techniques drawing from only one energy source. Examples of combination sourced magic include: - Senjutsu (Naruto) - Pagan Magic (Supernatural) - Human transmutation (Fullmetal Alchemist) - The Eternal Flame (Marvel)

② Casting Medium

In order to use the provided energies to perform magic, the user must have some medium with which to channel the energy into the technique. Some techniques require only one casting medium, while other require multiple. It depends on the energy source and the intended technique. However, it is important to note that the user themselves is often at least one of the casting mediums used.

Mediums can be categorized by their purpose, either to source energy or direct energy. The mediums and mechanisms to source and direct energy both depend on the type of energy and the technique in which it will be used. For example, in Harry Potter, spell magic usually requires a wand as a casting medium whereas potion magic uses the ingredients of the potion as the casting medium.

③ Direction

Like energy sources, direction can also be categorized by internal and external direction.

Internal Direction Internal direction comes from the will, intent, knowledge, and/or memory of the wielder. With these components, a magic wielder using internal direction shapes and instructs the energy within the casting medium to complete the specified task. Examples of internally guided magic: - Water and tree walking (Naruto) - Sharingan and Byakugan (Naruto) - Alchemy without Transmutation Circles (Fullmetal Alchemist) - Wandless Casting (Harry Potter) - Asgardian Illusions (Marvel) - Enochian Magic (Supernatural)

External Direction External direction comes from some matrix that directs energy through guiding patterns. Often internal and external directions work in tandem to work a technique, especially for novice magic users who may need the aid of external matrices to learn how to guide magic before they can replicate it with solely internal methods. Examples of externally guided magic: - Hand seals (Naruto) - Fuuinjutsu (Naruto) - Transmutation Circles (Fullmetal Alchemist) - Wand movements and verbal casting (Harry Potter) - Spell mandalas (Marvel) - Rituals (Supernatural)

The multiverse creates many ways in which magic is used, but these elements remain consistent and are part of the Natural Order, which guides all universes.

[iheartvelma]

an excellent video about how holography works, from beginner to expert explanations!

[thoughtportal]

How Things Work: If the coop model can succeed in Minneapolis, that would significantly undermine the power of Uber and Lyft's threats to pull out of other cities in the future. Do you interact directly with those companies at all? Do they view you as a threat? Do they try to actively hold you back, or do they mostly leave you alone? What's your message to regular people about why they should use you, rather than those ubiquitous apps? 

Forman: We're somewhere between the "first they ignore you" and "then they laugh at you" phases. People should use us because on average, we're a little cheaper than Uber, and drivers make 10% above the minimum wage. And it's worker-owned. We're building lasting power in this industry in a democratic, worker-controlled organization.

How Things Work: For people who can see the logic of a driver's cooperative, what's the best way to help—in Minneapolis, and also in cities that don't have such a thing yet? 

Forman: For people who want to help—please download the app and share it with friends. We just created a new feature where you can see how many drivers and riders have been recruited in your area, and you can easily share the app with a QR code and other tools. Also, we certainly need funds to get this done. If you can, donate a bit to the effort to build a co-op in Minneapolis.

[ionfusionpunk]

Ok ok. I've been getting into more goblin/witchcore stuff recently. The aesthetic for sure, but I also just love plants and things. But I'm really an intellectual, and it's. SO hard to figure out what to read to like, understand the nuances, I guess. Bc it's not just an aesthetic, nothing really is, it's a lifestyle, and I'm curious.

What's the music? Is there music?

I'm especially interested in the herbology, lore thereof, and, where applicable, how magic ties into that. How'd you find out which herb does what and in what combination?

Also tarot. I'm very lost.

Also also, although this is more an irritation to me, how prevalent is astrology? Why does astrology only use 12 of the 13 zodiac constellations (which imo would match up better with the 13 month lunar year, but maybe I'm tripping).

Please I need sources, I wanna read myself into a coma on this

[fubkakky]

To be clear, posting an AI-generated image on social media is not part of the process.

[tokyoterri2]

‘still trying to understand Tumblr’ question: why do so many of the folks I follow click the follow off in seconds? so I end up trying again and the same thing happens?

is it something automatic?😤

are my posts somehow distasteful enough to be an instantaneous, repeated ‘no’😳

have I angered the Tumblr fae in some other way?😕

honestly, I just wanna keep up with the amazing Good Omens, Black culture, writing, fantasy, art and Japan people/things. plus also getting conservatives out of power everywhere.

…

I mean, I’m 66 and hardy so I’ll survive no matter the answer, but dang🥺

[stone-cold-groove]

Frequency.

[divine-nonchalance]

∞

St. Germain, Channeled by Daniel Scranton

“I am St. Germain, keeper of the violet flame.

You who have the physical lifetime to live need to realize that much more of you is nonphysical and coexists in this moment with this lifetime. You are meant to anchor in more of that which you truly are, and you do that every time you find something in your physical reality to love. When you give your attention to that which inspires love within you, that’s when you know yourself more fully as you truly are. And the trick is to not then become dependent on the object of your affection staying in that lovable state.

The trick is to recognize that the love you feel was always inside of you, just waiting to get activated and waiting patiently to be expressed by you. How you express the love that you are makes you a unique aspect of Source. It’s the same love. It’s the same stuff, but it’s being presented in a variety of different ways because it is so multidimensional, so multifaceted, so expansive, so universal, and so infinite that it requires all the different forms of expression that you and others can give it. That’s why you need not compare what you are doing to what anyone else is doing.

Everyone has their unique expression of the love that they are to offer to humanity, to the galaxy and to the universe. You don’t have to do anything that anyone else does, and how you express is supposed to be different. It is supposed to be uniquely yours. And therefore, when you get inspired and you go within, when you find the spark of Divinity within you and then you express it, you can rest assured that others will respond to it. And maybe it won’t be everyone, but that’s okay. The ones who are meant to receive it will. The ones who are meant to experience your book, your movie, your work of art, your music, will find it and it will find them.

And you will inspire others to then love something that is outside of them, or appears to be anyway, so that they can then access the love they truly are and express it in their own unique ways. This is the ripple effect. This is how we are all connected, and this is the tapestry of life on Earth and throughout the universe that we are all weaving ourselves into moment by moment, inspiration by inspiration and creation by creation. 

Don’t worry about what you are supposed to do or what you are supposed to create, but instead continue to look for that which inspires love within you, and then don’t get attached to it. But instead, relish the feeling that you have inside of you that represents the Source of all of us and that wants to continuously be expressed by you and through you. And that is how you live a life in service to Source. 

I am St. Germain, keeper of the violet flame.”

[cherryblossomshadow]

Capitalism's Washing Machine

Hamilton Nolan

Pete Stavros, the co-head of private equity at the gargantuan firm KKR, which recently bought the publishing house Simon & Schuster. Stavros was bragging about a KKR program that shares a small portion of the eventual profits of a private equity deal with the employees of the company in question. Reporter Megan Greenwell asked him why it wouldn’t be better to just raise the low salaries of Simon & Schuster employees instead.

Stavros replied:

We are managers of other people’s money - [wealthy people's money, yes, but also] teachers’ retirement funds If you’re managing teachers’ pension money and you want to just raise everyone’s salary, that is on the backs of teachers, which is not ethical, and it’s not our money.

.

Consider this typical process:

Oppressed by the unchecked power of capital, workers form a union.

Unionized workers use their united power to negotiate a pension plan for themselves.

That pension plan takes money from the workers and gives it to investment firms like KKR, with the mandate to grow it.

Investment firms take the workers’ money and buy other businesses, full of other workers.

The investment firms economically oppress the workers at the companies they own, in order to maximize profits.

The profits reaped by the exploitation of the new workers fund the retirement plans of the old workers.

This is a simple machine that reflects the incentives of capitalism. As soon as you begin to participate in this system (which anyone who wants to not retire in poverty must do) you find that your own incentives have been arranged in the same bloodless direction.

To hear a private equity executive speak of the idea of raising workers’ salaries as “not ethical” because it would hurt investors—who are hardworking teachers, after all!—is so emblematic of the monstrously clever nature of this system that I almost have to respect it.

(Note that this passion for being a good steward of every last precious dollar for the teachers does not prevent private equity executives from taking a huge slice of the profits for themselves.)

.

According to the excellent labor researcher Chris Bohner, the total combined financial assets (cash, investments, real estate) of American labor unions are a little more than $30 billion. But the total assets of private collectively bargained pension funds are nearly three fucking trillion dollars. And public pension funds have another four and half trillion on top of that. Lay your head back for a moment, close your eyes, and dream of what could be accomplished if organized labor could invest those trillions of dollars in ways that bolstered the power of the working class, rather than undermined it. Mmm. Yeah. That’s nice.

On the other hand, business interests understand quite well how bad such a thing would be for them, and so America has erected an entire edifice of laws reining in what can be done with pension money, and who can make the decisions. (The current Republican crusade against all forms of ESG investing is motivated by this underlying realization that it would be bad for right wing political goals if the largest pools of capital in the country can be wielded in service of non-right wing political goals.)

.

To be clear, this discussion is not about “Let’s take your hard earned pension money and spend it all on COMMUNIST LEAFLETS.” The general idea is that pension funds can create sets of standards that guide what they invest in, to make sure they are not funding the direct oppression of some other union workers (or child labor in their supply chains, or environmental destruction, or whatever), and also that pension funds can create lists of demands that they attach to their money, for any investment firms that want to manage it. To give one obvious example, a union pension fund could say that any private equity firm that wants its money has to agree to neutrality in any union campaign that arises at any of the companies it manages. Stuff like that. If you try to have this discussion in the political arena the other side will go directly to “They want to lose all your retirement money by giving it to freaking Ben and Jerry’s to build union ice cream shops in Palestine!” The quality of the public discussion, I’m afraid, tends to be low.

.

The post you are now reading has only scratched the surface of this topic … Mostly, this is a reminder that we can never do an accurate calculus of how far we’ve come on the road to salvation without reckoning with all of the interconnected pieces of where our own capital flows.

It’s easy to think, “Workers unionized. Workers got a contract. Workers got a pension. Workers are winning.”

But if all that pension got funded by, you know, throwing 30,000 Toys R Us employees out of work with no severance, it’s not really a win for the workers of the world.

We gotta think holistically, people.

Our money is part of our power. We have trillions of fucking dollars. Trillions. Wall Street will do the bidding of the working class for that kind of money. We just have to get it together to ask.