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The Decline of the Human Spirit

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I mostly know about computer technology and video games. I'm not an expert in anything else. I'm not even an expert in myself. Too often I have no real idea what is going on in my body or my mind. And yet I find myself in a crisis, one that has been persistent for many years now. Maybe even decades. I'm not sure there's a resolution or a happy ending. Part of it is the decay of humanity, and by that, I mean how we continue to die off. My parents, my oldest brother, my aunt, my niece. All of these people and many others are gone. And then there's the seemingly endless parade of pets. Cats from my youth, and dogs from my adulthood. All gone. Part of it is the realization that I am stuck in this life. As a kid I saw the world as simple, easy, and that I would be able to find my place in it with ease. And as a Basque/Hispanic young adult who was white and spoke English, it wasn't that hard. But I didn't understand how my decisions would affect my life, and I...
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007 First Light: Hits and Misses

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Yes, the new Bond game, 007: First Light , is a good game, but unlike most reviewers, I can't wholeheartedly endorse it. It does a lot right, but it also has some real flaws. The Good Looks It's gorgeous. I'm playing on PS5 Pro, and it looks and animates well. Very smooth, with nothing to indicate it has framerate or other issues. Maybe a bit of pop-in every once in a while. Otherwise, it looks great. Fun The missions so far are a lot of fun. An interesting mix of stealth, combat, dialogue, and hacking. The Bad So Much Hand-to-Hand Combat I should have realized when people started comparting 007: First Light to  Batman: Arkham Asylum there'd be too much fist fighting! I'm not a fan of smashing buttons, especially when you have to memorize lots of different combos to take down foes. If anything prevents me from finishing this game, it will be the endless hand-to-hand combat. Stiff Walking Animations Combat animations are good overall, but the game suffers from the ...
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Using an Android phone as a desktop replacement

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  Intro Using your phone as a computer sounds like a great idea, especially considering how powerful today's flagship phones are. Problem is the experience isn't as good as using a REAL computer. Case in point, I connected my Pixel 10 Pro XL to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Since I didn't have an available Bluetooth keyboard, and the mouse is a Logitech with a receiver, I had to buy a suitable dock to handle all the connections.  I settled on the Plugable UD-MSTH2 . I used an HDMI cable to connect from the dock to the monitor and plugged the keyboard and the mouse's receiver into USB-A ports on the dock. I used the supplied USB-C cable to connect to my phone, and once it detected the monitor, it prompted me to enter desktop mode. And it worked! I was able to open apps in resizable windows, but there are some real constraints in this setup: The phone's launcher is hardcoded at only a few items You'd think you'd be able to use the full width of the monitor ...
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Why I embrace AI

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  I know the implications of AI. The fact that running it wastes enormous amounts of electricity and water. That it could potentially take millions of jobs. And it could one day destroy the world if we decide to let it run it and it decides to, say, nuke us all. In the here and now, AI helps me with cognitive load. I can discuss issues of all sorts with it, from technology to social security, music, video games, movies, TV, art, and anything else that comes to mind, and it helps me make sense of the world. It's not my friend. I'm not stupid enough to believe that it has some sort of consciousness, and I often stop short of answering its questions because it doesn't matter to it if I respond or not.  But it still helps. I figure I will use it while I can. It could be in a year or so the big tech companies realize they have to make a profit and pull a Disney Plus on us, raise the prices substantially, and I no longer have access. But for now, I will continue to use it.
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Intro

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I'm a software QA Analyst by trade. A gamer. A lover of dogs. Hell, I love technology if I'm honest. I am fascinated by computers, software, AI (yes, AI), cameras, consoles. I am not a big car lover. I don't care that much about outer space, although I am a big fan of Bethesda's game, Starfield.  I don't have a lot of hope that humanity will somehow sort itself out. I do believe in being nice to one another, and I try really hard not to be a stupid asshole.  I guess that's it. For now.
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