Although I have very little experience with British humor, I find it interesting to compare British fiction I read as a child/teenager that became popular hits in the US (Harry Potter, Alex Rider). From this article's perspective, those protagonists are the epitome of American heroes (autonomy, mastery, purpose). No wonder they garnered such acclaim in the US. Curious if these stories are the exception rather than the rule in British YA fiction? Is the comparison unfair, since these stories were not written with the comedic genre in mind?
Readit NewsRNanoware commented on Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes" shreevatsa.net/post/dougl... · Posted by u/speckx
RNanoware commented on Ercot nearly at capacity for Texas power grid ercot.com/content/cdr/htm... · Posted by u/tomrod
Uh, were at 1210 mw right now
1.21 gigawatts? Do you have any idea how much energy that is? The only power source capable triggering that kind of energy is a bolt of lightning. It would have to be a real wall-shaker, big enough to stop a clock!
(I mean this as purely a bit of comic relief. Texas is in dire straits right now, and I wish the people and infrastructure all the best in this time.)
RNanoware commented on Show HN: A semi-perma death minecraft server thequietcraft.com... · Posted by u/reddytowns
Fascinating concept!
Although the "scoped" chat feature is only an ancillary addition to the larger idea, it is something I've felt is much-needed in the experience of not just Minecraft, but multiplayer games in general. Imagine how much more intense a capture-the-flag style strategy game would be if you could only hear your teammates' voices when your in-game character was within in-game shouting distance. Going further, one could explore the capabilities of surround-sound headsets that could "project" your teammates' voices into your ears from the direction they are standing relative to you in-game.
We are all so excited about the recent progress in visual virtual reality, but the untapped potential in our auditory VR experience (especially in a social sense) is worth reckoning.
But I remember the early days of MySpace and Facebook with a certain nostalgia, and I'm pained to see the current state of all these tools. Such a thorough report as this gives me a little hope that perhaps an acceptable middle ground can be found for Internet communities at large scales.
I don't think I'll be hopping back in any time soon, but perhaps the research and positive advancements in social media aren't over yet.