2026-10-29T20:12:08Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz Chris Trottier https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/npub1e9xty8eww57a3npv2vfl5cel567cd0k4stqu89aa6l0undk0pr8shxmsz2 https://atomicpoet.org/media/b77b5e96-9c73-4285-aaf3-b2e9e31119ee/me.jpg.jpg https://atomicpoet.org/media/b77b5e96-9c73-4285-aaf3-b2e9e31119ee/me.jpg.jpg https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsd6zvllkrtd233e8tkvzcwjrzrekd394g6sx9mlmjc2g3j5n8kgxszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv75w0wjz So is the AI infrastructure boom economically sustainable?<br/><br/>I think it&#39;s important to ask three questions:<br/><br/>1. **Is demand real?** The evidence strongly suggests yes.<br/>2. **Are companies making money from that demand?** Several clearly are.<br/>3. **Are they making enough money to justify hundreds of billions in new investment?** That&#39;s not yet established.<br/><br/>Now let&#39;s consider where things stand.<br/><br/>**Cloud revenue growth?** It&#39;s bullish. The Big 5 AI companies have seen massive increases in revenue. The demand is there.<br/><br/>**Operating profits?** 4 out of 5 companies are doing well. Meta is the outlier, but that&#39;s because a large litigation charge and margin compression.<br/><br/>**Infrastructure utilization?** Oracle and Microsoft report demand outstripping supply but companies aren&#39;t companies disclosing enough consistent infrastructure utilization data to establish whether their newest investments will remain profitable over their useful lives. So I&#39;d say things are inconclusive for now.<br/><br/>**Free cash flow**? This is the biggest red flag. Alphabet, Meta and Oracle reported negative free cash flow in their latest quarters, while Amazon reported negative trailing-twelve-month free cash flow. However, Microsoft remained positive so maybe this builds a better case for them. Still this aspect is concerning enough to cause the NASDAQ 100 to fall massively.<br/><br/>**Financing**? All these hyperscalers have established cash cow businesses. However, funding requirements are increasing. Oracle&#39;s use of both borrowing and equity issuance shows the financing risks. The results here are mixed.<br/><br/>**Return on invested capital?** Current AI infrastructure has not established full lifetime returns. Looking at current revenue growth does not answer this question. So returns are unproven. <br/><br/>Growth is accelerating. But growth can also be misleading. <br/><br/>So I think we need to look at three more measurements:<br/><br/>1. **Revenue per dollar of infrastructure investment**: is each round of investment contributing more revenue or less?<br/>2. **Customer diversification**: is revenue coming from thousands or millions of businesses, or just really large AI customers?<br/>3. **Recurring consumption:** are customers continuing to pay for compute power after their initial commitments?<br/><br/>ROI is the ultimate test. Suppose $100B was invested into AI infrastructure. Assume it has a 5-year lifespan and no resale value. That would mean that with an 8% YoY ROI, it would need to generate $25B in annual cash flow. And this is after taxes!<br/><br/>You would need $25B to justify a $100B spend on infrastructure.<br/><br/>But as things stand, we cannot establish lifetime returns on today&#39;s quarterly earnings.<blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note1d9hgktagnv0gvejrrptd46m9l0yqv3tcevq2cclrn4ydrxznl2sqjq0qz7" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note1d9h…0qz7</a></span><br/> </div> Now that we're aware of the bear case for AI, let's present the bull case for it---which shouldn't be ignored either:<br/><br/>1. Operating cash flow increased 29% for Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta---despite enormous capital investment<br/>2. The latest quarterly earnings reports demonstrates this investment is already paying off<br/>3. Capital expenditure always happens before returns<br/>4. Borrowing usually *doesn't* present a financial crisis<br/>5. Not investing now could be dangerous---especially if you're Google and Search is threatened<br/><br/>But most important is this reality: Oracle and Google's revenues have dramatically increased. Microsoft and Amazon are likewise impressive too.<br/><br/>Meta's not so much---so if current trends hold, they are likely to be the loser.<br/><br/>Of course, the bull case doesn't cancel out the bear case either...<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/127e18b05896cd9afb2bd14241844eeba9797c55d0442aecc32b106c67b7a65d.png"> <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note1z8yawq7aknnr9swxktm977vr9pjfmjuxxjnuecxvzz55g3qnvkcsuthq6t" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note1z8y…hq6t</a></span><br/> </blockquote> 2026-11-02T20:34:49Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsxjm5t975fk85xvep3s4k6adjlhjqxg4uvkq9vv03e6jx3npfl4gqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv78tzezt Now that we&#39;re aware of the bear case for AI, let&#39;s present the bull case for it---which shouldn&#39;t be ignored either:<br/><br/>1. Operating cash flow increased 29% for Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta---despite enormous capital investment<br/>2. The latest quarterly earnings reports demonstrates this investment is already paying off<br/>3. Capital expenditure always happens before returns<br/>4. Borrowing usually *doesn&#39;t* present a financial crisis<br/>5. Not investing now could be dangerous---especially if you&#39;re Google and Search is threatened<br/><br/>But most important is this reality: Oracle and Google&#39;s revenues have dramatically increased. Microsoft and Amazon are likewise impressive too.<br/><br/>Meta&#39;s not so much---so if current trends hold, they are likely to be the loser.<br/><br/>Of course, the bull case doesn&#39;t cancel out the bear case either...<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/127e18b05896cd9afb2bd14241844eeba9797c55d0442aecc32b106c67b7a65d.png"> <blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note1z8yawq7aknnr9swxktm977vr9pjfmjuxxjnuecxvzz55g3qnvkcsuthq6t" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note1z8y…hq6t</a></span><br/> </div> This is the bear case against AI.<br/><br/>As AI infrastructure has grown, free cash flow has fallen.<br/><br/>Big Tech has spent $1.6T on capex over the past three years. <br/><br/>Meanwhile cash flow has cratered to an all-time-record of -$26.4B.<br/><br/>Hence why the stock market has had such a big correction recently.<br/><br/><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/why-investors-are-dumping-tech-stocks-in-one-image-123636288.html">https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/why-investors-are-dumping-tech-stocks-in-one-image-123636288.html</a><br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/aff4fbb3a3dc0e8bcb3c89eb67c8f869c672fe4e4acc02b10627cea0568b8817.png"> <br/> </blockquote> 2026-11-02T20:10:21Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqstscpxjru5qatzv855vcrjp7m6aunewrtu5kpnpenk8h90k7plzsczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7wed2u6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszrd2x4gcmnhmzfan370uncgktt8qetydj59ssmzsd24q3ze5t9ts3347q7'>nevent1q…47q7</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I highly suspect that *most* AI will coalesce around Google, Microsoft, and Amazon simply because they have most cloud infrastructure. <br/><br/>Also, they have the most to lose if their investments fail. 2026-11-02T19:59:46Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsprjwhq0wmfe3jc8rt9ajl0xpjseyaewrrff7vurxpp22ygsfktvgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7et5naj This is the bear case against AI.<br/><br/>As AI infrastructure has grown, free cash flow has fallen.<br/><br/>Big Tech has spent $1.6T on capex over the past three years. <br/><br/>Meanwhile cash flow has cratered to an all-time-record of -$26.4B.<br/><br/>Hence why the stock market has had such a big correction recently.<br/><br/><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/why-investors-are-dumping-tech-stocks-in-one-image-123636288.html">https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/why-investors-are-dumping-tech-stocks-in-one-image-123636288.html</a><br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/aff4fbb3a3dc0e8bcb3c89eb67c8f869c672fe4e4acc02b10627cea0568b8817.png"> <br/> 2026-11-02T19:52:49Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsd22fluc6nhpspsxm3tz6xp3h3jthhzjran798slcx8gftrqp6rxgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv79yvv86 This is the *best* insight I&#39;ve yet read into how Elizabeth Holmes operates. <br/><br/>In the past, I&#39;ve got into trouble for saying Elizabeth Holmes got as far as she has because she is hot, blonde, and young. <br/><br/>But if you watch You Can See Everything, you&#39;ll see *exactly* how she operated. <br/><br/>Basically, she does her best to be all Bambi-eyed, making the men in proximity feel they&#39;re the most important people in the room. She listens intently, is reflective with them, making them feel she has delivered an insight when she&#39;s actually said nothing. <br/><br/>The dirty work she outsources to a romantic partner. At Theranos, it was Sunny Balwani. And in this movie, it&#39;s Billy Evans. The men in her life do all the visibly rotten things while she tries her damnedest to present plausible deniability. <br/><br/>I&#39;m pretty damn sure Elizabeth Holmes has a Cluster B personality because, not once, does she seem to have a sense of self. Instead, just like she outsources the dirty work, she outsources her personality—and value—to the people she&#39;s enmeshed with.<br/><br/>I have no doubt she believes her delusions. But that doesn&#39;t mean she&#39;s not a liar. It means she&#39;s an *effective* liar.<br/><br/>Did she get as far as she did because she&#39;s attractive? No, if that were true, no attractive woman would ever struggle to pay her rent. <br/><br/>Nevertheless, her manipulation works *because* she is charismatic and compelling to men—especially aggressive, controlling men who are willing to protect and fight for her.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/ab8a9e70c149a3d6ec7a8a712e768d757a776226dd9fdcc643500a78f39ed44f.png"> <blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note18lgwlume9ppzt7fkdettumchhqjutgh4lqrklk6e5wqjlg9l9j6sy44vky" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note18lg…4vky</a></span><br/> </div> Just saw the documentary You Can See Everything.<br/><br/>Definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen.<br/><br/>Either Elizabeth Holmes is one of the most easily manipulated people ever, or she's the greatest manipulator of all time. <br/><br/>And I'm not against the possibility that both can be true at once because I've seen similar dynamics play out before with other women. </blockquote> 2026-11-02T17:50:49Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsrl5807dujss39lymxu447dutmsfw95t6lspm0mdv68qf05zljedgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7cujmtl Just saw the documentary You Can See Everything.<br/><br/>Definitely one of the best movies I&#39;ve ever seen.<br/><br/>Either Elizabeth Holmes is one of the most easily manipulated people ever, or she&#39;s the greatest manipulator of all time. <br/><br/>And I&#39;m not against the possibility that both can be true at once because I&#39;ve seen similar dynamics play out before with other women. 2026-11-02T04:29:52Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsdl2ga4g7qmelv0d88r89xv68kxu6ydc3xyndpl6aln6ycvpyrggszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7lz39c3 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsz9sqweu4y59h322kjutrtme3kukarp29lgc00e379vfymhgl39lg73mtd3'>nevent1q…mtd3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Apparently, the CP11 will be the first new mechanism made in decades. 2026-11-02T03:33:39Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsymwh85psgefrz5fev2j50ydejqn9susjz9rgycutsux2exc6yheqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7uda7cn Huh.<br/><br/>I just learned that Ace Young was in the 5th season of American Idol. <br/><br/>I’ve been listening to his song “Addicted” for 17 years and had no idea he was famous. 2026-11-02T03:24:26Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsgx7ahe7jrw0z389e2t2g6c7d0xmjduk9dlf6dnfwtagtst5s6qngzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7u77q49 Maxell has a new cassette player on the market!<br/><br/>It&#39;s the Maxell MXCP-P100, and the reviews are quite interesting. <br/><br/>And @vwestlife@mastodon.social already did a review. His tests are encouraging, and he seems to like it.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhIccwc6MXI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhIccwc6MXI</a><br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/ee64ba4bbc93a49e676aa26245df350203b163dc7c791cfcf645809085d3886a.png"> <br/> 2026-11-01T21:02:28Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsqwtc8jmt6s7mqm965vwuc25nquwc7cf0tsjrp8s5q53lajh66l6gzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7ah4gea Home recording needs to be normalized again.<br/><br/>Because it&#39;s ridiculous when albums that are no longer *in print* get sold for $1,000.<br/><br/>And the artists don&#39;t benefit. Only the reseller. <br/><br/>In fact, artists make *more* money when you record from streaming services because at least then they get paid! 2026-11-01T20:26:29Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsptgma9g37cy2myv7l9d7v0pk5l93nvs4q5ut3py6k7gpqp88463gzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7z50c8w Well, I just found the *best* album of 2026!<br/><br/>A vinyl edition is available, but that will cost me $75 to get it shipped to Canada. Even worse, the vinyl edition has two songs *missing*!<br/><br/>Here&#39;s a better idea: record the *complete* album to a C60 cassette using Dolby S.<br/><br/><a href="https://a-pconnection.bandcamp.com/album/keep-this-star-burning">https://a-pconnection.bandcamp.com/album/keep-this-star-burning</a> 2026-11-01T20:07:23Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsg46ayx8zw9ggxgdn5prgwynk8z48f2nlcvvd4ve68qwxxuavs8wczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7daxgtx Vinyl collectors get so angry when I show off my home recordings.<br/><br/>They accuse me of grifting.<br/><br/>No, a grift is when money exchanges hands for a fraudulent product. <br/><br/>No money is being exchanged. And no product is being bought. Ergo, there&#39;s no grift. 2026-11-01T19:50:19Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsd84fqum0l0eqcdsz4wfsnfzccm80yp69eykqtkqx24qy4dfzrhqszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7vzfm4g One of the saddest songs I&#39;ve ever heard. <br/><br/>It&#39;s about a victim of domestic violence who&#39;s absolutely convinced her lover is devoted to her, and that the anger and the rage and the beatings are actually a sign of love.<br/><br/>Some day, I&#39;m going to talk about Antony &amp; The Johnsons in more detail.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxon4OX8HSA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxon4OX8HSA</a> 2026-11-01T19:43:38Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsgav9tnqzlet67azfscq26ktmfvrpmuup9nkttpw7yx0ec2k7zd7czyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7kqwjhn Qimen is the ultimate breakfast tea. <br/><br/>Which is why it’s the traditional basis for English Breakfast. <br/><br/>But it’s better unblended, loose, and uncut.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/2ca86d882de659a93c34d668c85bb9f40f3b82c9f96ba9a3d4c5fd5dfa3306f7.webp"> <br/> 2026-11-01T17:50:15Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsp0lshna2uvwx3k7875qtp50csuyc3z64wvnkuqv68ueswal4jrnqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv74eaj45 My 2nd attempt at custom-designed MiniDisc labels—and it didn’t go as planned. <br/><br/>The label on the shell was fine. <br/><br/>But the tricky thing was getting the notches in the case just right. Which I failed at. So I taped the label to the case, screwed that up, and some of the paper came off. <br/><br/>Still, let me look at the positives. Only the inner label is affected. It still displays the entire track list. And it now has an accidental aesthetic. <br/><br/>But the most important thing is that this music was on the verge of lost media. I rescued it and give it a physical edition. And it is a singular, one-of-a-kind MiniDisc. <br/><br/>Which means something. At least to me.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/c5c313fb71c2feea3717c0a21ac4a8e8d4e82a7a779fc50436b42f0bf6080316.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/8da48a63a0915b75ba1d1956ffc8f761dbe061fb10f580214eefae133437eb9f.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/e0f6daf8967a52f5a8334deade5e4913e3dba8079dd00377a3faf1e9e3795230.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/81a1eaf3207104d56536414f8d9ceb1fd3cf82303020cdb46f838d1bebf87574.jpeg"> <br/> 2026-11-01T05:02:09Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqst048sjrv07zc6l2jrnfx3xzpvecmc9cvtu540n54nkjcstpuupnczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7rxt7tc In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsr9yp5dwnhv30ymgaaxwmz3hqenukmantaa950a35hsrk8qq968dgxpzz4c'>nevent1q…zz4c</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Well spotted.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/d2c0331db8bf8f8870f38dbaa8365980cac75a1e2e19d1d422f6aefefa796313.png"> <br/> 2026-11-01T02:02:31Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsftypnvldsan92x229etwx9jz6rxyp5uffx6xhcdllq3e6a7raneqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7784x5x In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsfvxfywk8plqqxw89uxe0q5cf47phdvwyw5tcvxhqugrp7s7jmlzgcvl2zt'>nevent1q…l2zt</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Yeah, digital (not analog) lens flare. It was a rainy night. <br/><br/>The reason I ask is because someone told me that lots of dots are a sign of AI. But in reality, this is actually due to pushing the ISO absurdly far. 2026-10-31T23:10:58Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs9cwzdzzjv47ud9gz2dn5vqfh935lqs3de5xmxya84wxrzke7935gzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7m4gxk4 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs0cxrc708s32rz9x5laejxyp4vda68xxsntgg55hgefdzk9298xrqujrln5'>nevent1q…rln5</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I’m impressed.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/d2c0331db8bf8f8870f38dbaa8365980cac75a1e2e19d1d422f6aefefa796313.png"> <br/> 2026-10-31T22:57:28Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsqfk5xha0uz44nlr0gdk456vqnl3nunjazx3ueh3uxt9z8mkqf73szyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7vey3z0 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsyuhx06kz5cfdaj54jt3qd37z8de6e0a6nxavqdx30z33j3ewxklg3fgw3w'>nevent1q…gw3w</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>No one else is voting so I will tell you. <br/><br/>It was shot by me on November 19, 2017 using an iPhone 6S and then processed through CameraBag.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/d2c0331db8bf8f8870f38dbaa8365980cac75a1e2e19d1d422f6aefefa796313.png"> <br/> 2026-10-31T22:56:06Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsvu9cyc4lvg3uh2daajrjw7tqn74mpc7l8efj25a0le0d5hadwxwqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7q9wyc9 Is this image human-created or AI-generated?<br/><br/>Tell me the reason for your opinion.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/2367e9e30cffabab69bc3c19e1b73a96b73d1128a080bd3c23aeb153483c9ff9.jpeg"> <br/> 2026-10-31T22:39:07Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsqml24dyvk7jne6we6t4l989ed47gw0hz64d63vtcyczs8fpplzqqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7xn6vf8 I&#39;m someone who would rather be correct and disliked than agreeable and wrong. 2026-10-31T18:51:08Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsdefhtyfr46wyjf8h7kvlwmda9vrr5w3fss8ket0shv33frmetg3qzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7hvdx6x In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8zk3wd7r3nluneg97n36ktjpxxjyzw2yna0jmaz4phvskg2yjwnqrjnkm9'>nevent1q…nkm9</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>This is my proudest achievement because it’s actual reel-to-reel tape which I only reserve for artists who really deserve it. <br/><br/>This is Darryl Jenifer’s solo jazz album. <br/><br/>He is the bassist for Bad Brains, who also invented hardcore punk. But the band started as a fusion jazz band. And you can hear the jazz influence by the rhythm section. <br/><br/>So it’s cool as hell to see Darryl returning to his jazz roots. And rumour has it, he might be nominated for an Emmy this year. <br/><br/>And well, I had to create an artifact that honours him.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/82477237154e44d4ddd143ab08d0e83190cad4c53bd1edcb1e433860625771e4.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/61b98c8f8f188efdb78fac57c335cc3162611869ab2b892e15c98b936724710d.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/50991e4011a0038583ef2f6a9657d49f8f7a54934a0a13da12570b0062a5fd11.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/a96a1c7c492870ba542ac6f101cf61de6f5eff7326a8cd2140209d9bbecfc6cc.jpeg"> <br/> 2026-10-31T07:22:24Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs8zk3wd7r3nluneg97n36ktjpxxjyzw2yna0jmaz4phvskg2yjwnqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7lz6rtu @ErickaSimone@mastodon.social By the way, I’ve been designing my own home recordings, which includes making the artwork and labels. Here’s a few works you might enjoy.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/b6c2848e223da589429733bdc49836cbbd0fd32bdf7083ed9af0e096c2eb4330.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/9107ba3dee8d6efcfabd485d41568e2978450b129c1fda676a6b6765a872661e.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/d8dbe2b35da3dfa85112df5fb8f6c07c4f28b36c34a6bdf78d8c5bb20c24f7e4.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/ed2572306777397235d1aa9b0325f39abd93df2e93ac4a6ce10511aea6c35bf1.jpeg"> <br/> 2026-10-31T07:15:14Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsqx3c0crxrk529lf6cwk0t00va8awhmg2humwdvhxs7gr5zlzfkjqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7gcyv3j HYPOTHESIS: The longer text is on social media, the more likely people will believe it’s AI. <br/><br/>Has anyone tested this idea out? 2026-10-31T03:13:36Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs86aql703n5qhchw8g7dg65y77wpfyfq4s6v4lchm5kelsrc8apkszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7qe4s0m In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsy9fdkd762y5vumv52qlda82e6e8fpehj4jdee8w0rvwfpzmy9hzq33nt74'>nevent1q…nt74</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I’m surprised this hasn’t yet taken off. 2026-10-31T02:00:55Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqspu78k959luhgnxmtww7rkz2jq2gzz5j88s0tk84kgcv7v8yx5wcczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7vpuzlu My custom-designed label on a Sony HF Type I C60 audiocassette. <br/><br/>I mostly like this. <br/><br/>This is a high quality Type I cassette. It sounds great. And it deserves a better label than the strips this blank shipped with. <br/><br/>I could quibble over the fact that “HF” branding can be seen. However, this is better Type I than most blanks manufactured today—so I can live with that.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/f257c3d4559e6fce165cf7de81e1ab49b29a266551b7f978aec550d56473c494.jpeg"> <br/> 2026-10-30T21:50:05Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs9esjjrzeedglg4gn0ujvg5w56clg4l5jadqkrazzehhx37yqjyzqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7kt55yv In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsde9jlqamnysgf6xurhu0maluytcpz4r7n2xjueagsy33rawfc6tca5htac'>nevent1q…htac</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I can&#39;t tell if you&#39;re being sarcastic. Please confirm if you are or not. 2026-10-30T20:44:49Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsvfem5gqjnesxu4jx7rkeqy5x304mckhle4vdmzuj6edkj4xwv6dczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7yh4arm In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsfq095a4tl246jrcl50fs852e30fdtwfq8j5zwgd6wr5qzc9zhp4qxr050j'>nevent1q…050j</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Hysteria is probably the wrong term because it&#39;s needlessly gendered. <br/><br/>&#34;Panic&#34; and &#34;paranoia&#34; are probably better terms because what we often have here are accusations based on no evidence.<br/><br/>What we *don&#39;t* have is consideration that a human might *possibly* be at the other end of the screen. 2026-10-30T20:42:25Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs8apdfl2svhsdt983ls7fa2tkx85xtnhw20h79jau4ftfkkqjj9wszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7nc77p4 THE STOCK MARKET IS WILD!<br/><br/>Today, NASDAQ 100, S&amp;P 500, and Dow Jones all dipped below their 125 day moving averages. Here&#39;s a comparison:<br/><br/>**NASDAQ 100**<br/>- Oct. 30 level: 28,226.68<br/>- 125-day SMA: 29,531.91<br/>- Difference: **−4.42%**<br/><br/>**S&amp;P 500**<br/>- Oct. 30 level: 7,548.73<br/>- 125-day SMA: 7,579.71<br/>- Difference: **−0.41%**<br/><br/>**Dow Jones**<br/>- Oct. 30 level: 51,663.48<br/>- 125-day SMA: 51,927.23<br/>- Difference: **−0.51%**<br/><br/>There&#39;s not much of a difference between S&amp;P 500 and Dow Jones. But the NASDAQ? -4.42% difference is *huge*!<br/><br/>And this just shows how today&#39;s sell-off has drastically affected the tech sector. <br/><br/>This *doesn&#39;t* measure whether we&#39;re entering a recession or that a crash is inevitable or that stocks are overvalued---or even about the actual health of companies. <br/><br/>But it does tell you that the medium-term upward trend has vastly weakened. And this is particularly true for Big Tech.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/d1be918f936579dd24aa8098f74f673b98daff8c62b001be3542082f76f04e11.png"> <br/> 2026-10-30T20:26:52Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsya4qzd89pyqhtt5jr6rttwm8q5xphxtnazltszn4hgxhgk5hea4czyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7dfm20q In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsf52v8uy27thdgrwc7u0lmwhlsd5dcrgftvxr5m5humqwq2sumg2sq8ajys'>nevent1q…ajys</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I&#39;ve put my text through even more AI detectors.<br/><br/>Quillbot says 0% of text is likely AI.<br/><br/>Scribbr says 0% of text is likely AI.<br/><br/>ZeroGPT says 5.2% of text is likely AI.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/f7b2d3723f48ce9acb4ba900d66b89ce7e7e98fa17b556ddb50aed46cfb2e54e.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/54a688d208406876c64aca86f49684bd164a34bc6b740f70c197759067d9fba4.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/fba11a8b2076d170a0e1cbd18dca99c80627e3184962de85d2841ac185beba6d.png"> <br/> 2026-10-30T20:04:47Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsfc48mjywea8njqsqvpxedfg6z8ph09a00a45suufnw20vpps3u8gzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7y46xcj If someone *were* actively witch-hunting for AI, maybe this post *could* sound like it was generated by an LLM.<br/><br/>However, this whole post is meant to be analysis of the stock market. <br/><br/>It is therefore going to sound machine-like to anyone with no interest in financial markets because I&#39;m explicitly *not* spontaneous, informal, or emotionally intuitive.<br/><br/>My purpose is to use *math* and *historical precedence* to explain a hypothesis.<blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note14lus2dudqmdyjwlv2tlfrkxs2h7ldyecrly8la2uv2cajxn2awsqwx07mt" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note14lu…07mt</a></span><br/> </div> With rapt attention, I'm watching the stock market today!<br/><br/>Because, so far, the NASDAQ 100 ($QQQ) has declined 3.20%—and keeps falling! <br/><br/>But it's not a stock market drop that fascinates me because, all things considered, the NASDAQ 100 is still up 11.29% YoY. <br/><br/>No—what interests me is that forward P/E is now **20.0×* and falling!<br/><br/>Translation: investors are now paying approximately $20 for every $1 of earnings companies are expected to generate over the next 12 months for the world's *largest* tech companies!<br/><br/>In other words, buying tech companies is getting cheaper and cheaper. Investors are paying *less* relative to the earnings growth they're *expecting*.<br/><br/>"But Chris, isn't that what you should expect in a speculative bubble?"<br/><br/>Nope! Typically in a speculative bubble, if there are earnings, the forward P/E is *much* higher—sometimes at a forward P/E of 20.0×. That is, *if* they have any earnings at all!<br/><br/>However, now we're in a moment where speculation is out the window. There's no debate that these tech companies can deliver earnings. The bigger question is whether capital expenditure required to support can generate sufficient profits.<br/><br/>And it's the word "sufficient" that's doing the heavy lifting here because "sufficient" isn't an objective measurement. It is entirely about sentiment. Because how much profit is sufficient *enough*?<br/><br/>What we're seeing now is that *growth* companies are now being viewed as *value* companies. Historically, investors attracted to *value* target companies with a P/E ratio of 5-20×. That's considered the sweet spot. <br/><br/>Which means that investors are now being offered *two* things at once: relatively inexpensive valuations associated with value stocks *as well as* substantial earnings-growth expectations associated with growth stocks.<br/><br/>**We can see this with today's current PEG of 0.89.**<br/><br/>PEG ratio compares a company's price-to-earnings multiple with its expected earnings-growth rate.<br/><br/>A PEG of 1.0 means the numerical P/E multiple equals the expected annual earnings-growth percentage. A PEG below 1.0 means investors are paying a comparatively low earnings multiple relative to projected growth.<br/><br/>For the NASDAQ-100, today's figures illustrate this:<br/>- Trailing P/E: 26.77×<br/>- Projected annual earnings growth: 29.98%<br/>- PEG: 26.77 ÷ 29.98 = 0.89<br/><br/>This means investors are paying approximately 26.77 times current annual earnings for companies collectively expected to grow earnings at nearly 30% annually.<br/><br/>Put another way, a traditional value stock might trade at 10× earnings but only grow earnings by 5% annually, producing a PEG of 2.0. The NASDAQ-100, by comparison, has a PEG below 1.0 because its anticipated earnings growth is unusually high relative to its current earnings multiple.<br/><br/>"But how likely is expected earnings growth to be wrong?"<br/><br/>Well, since we're talking about *expectations*, there's no certainty. It is entirely possible to overestimate long-term earnings growth. <br/><br/>However, the NASDAQ-100's *recent* actual earnings performance has been exceptionally strong. In Q1 2026, NASDAQ-100 earnings per share grew 45.6% year-over-year. <br/><br/>And as of October 23, 2026, 95% of the 20 NASDAQ-100 companies reporting had beaten earnings expectations.<br/><br/>Of course, one has to take recency bias into account too. <br/><br/>So out of an abundance of caution, let's assume that the forward P/E ratio of the NASDAQ 100 should be 5× instead of 20×. This would be unprecedented, but let's consider it anyway. <br/><br/>In that scenario, the NASDAQ would lose 75% of its current valuation. That would be terrible—but not catastrophic because a fall in share price does *not* equate to a fall in earnings. <br/><br/>But a P/E ratio of 5× has *never* happened. Not once, even in our worst financial crises. Consider the historical record of the NASDAQ 100:<br/><br/>* 2002 dot-com aftermath (September) – 11.9×<br/>* 2008 financial crisis (December) – 13.3×<br/>* August 2011 historical low – 11.23×<br/><br/>Today's forward P/E is actually *lower* than the bear market of December 22, which was 20.1×.<br/><br/>This is why today's sell-off fascinates me. The market is behaving as though the NASDAQ-100's growth prospects are deteriorating, yet the actual earnings data tells a very different story. <br/><br/>Could earnings expectations prove wrong? Absolutely. Could prices fall further? Of course.<br/><br/>But the more the market falls without a corresponding deterioration in earnings, the stronger the investment case becomes.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/453fb196eae19726a970e202f4551a097fba7b025a526e6db29b412d585d05ce.png"> <br/> </blockquote> 2026-10-30T18:28:07Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs2p748nfs4hmrlzvk5vkmlfwdy4fwm46qyk34z0hunwv7hnap2n4qzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv72eff85 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv40lauuyxs8l873wwnfr6893vtxcwyk83nvrwyekffe8frevdvccm8wrrn'>nevent1q…wrrn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>There was no LLM usage. In fact, I&#39;ve given you evidence there was no LLM usage. You have *not* countered with evidence that there was LLM usage. <br/><br/>This is poor behaviour, and you should be named and shamed for it. 2026-10-30T18:07:52Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs9z8yxhzsfsnj4enh8x3z0zj0za9hgx60lfra4qx9j78zat73hmtszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv78wgqrx In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs0sg7fkevzqsamxk9sen6s8tmpjfk9w725u9erwfvfuepu7q4sp5q9j4ywn'>nevent1q…4ywn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>But are you actually sorry? 2026-10-30T17:59:24Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs9djqaxvaqcjpc7w323a2jdvaa0vh9zykeye9392x35xsflucj22qzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7sku7v7 &#34;Chris, how are anti-AI witch hunts a form of neurotypical supremacy?&#34;<br/><br/>Well, here&#39;s one in a reply to one of my posts.<br/><br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/npub1c60cc628p2pq7uxfmpjmcdnumh2fkuzjmu727a60dqaw2g48qnzq963dm4" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>occult</span> (<span class="italic">npub1c60…3dm4</span>)</a></span> decides I sound AI. He has no evidence, just a general feeling it&#39;s AI. I simply *just* don&#39;t conform to how he thinks a human should sound.<br/><br/>Now it&#39;s usually on accusers to offer the burden of proof. He obviously has none. <br/><br/>I ran my text through Grammarly&#39;s AI detector. 87% showed no AI text patterns.<br/><br/>When confronted with evidence that I&#39;m human, what does he do? Doubles down. <br/><br/>And that, my friends, is an example of neurotypical supremacy.<br/><br/>Because he&#39;s clearly treating *his* expectations of neurotypical communication as the standard for what constitutes human communication. <br/><br/>For if, even when challenged, this guys insists *his* subjective impression is *more* authoritative than evidence I offer, and counters with no evidence of his own—that&#39;s treating his *own* prejudices as more credible than anything I can plausibly say in my defence.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/9ad18b0d32f4f520662a18604645dd7b83bfd42ca4b49b42497f452d813d570b.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/0c5852f9ec17f957ec16be8f7f3ac18a72eacf92474a49642028c8cdd38a50ab.png"> <blockquote class="border-l-05rem border-l-strongpink border-solid"><div class="-ml-4 bg-gradient-to-r from-gray-100 dark:from-zinc-800 to-transparent mr-0 mt-0 mb-4 pl-4 pr-2 py-2">quoting <br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Article"><a itemprop="url" href="/note14r923jns6wmjuvsyqyrq73zm073rr4yghtpegpkjq36cvpegj0rqcz60tf" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1">note14r9…60tf</a></span><br/> </div> Or how about you actually check if someone is using AI.<br/><br/>Because you certainly didn't check if an LLM was used. You went by a bias towards a neurotypical writing style based on how you think a "human" should talk. <br/><br/>But I just did the verification for you, and here's the results.<br/><br/>And you know what these results mean? You're an asshole.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/0f12ee8f5f46af79f1697ea445cb8db8445db61ff44346be3f85ae324344bbf4.png"> <br/> </blockquote> 2026-10-30T17:58:45Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsdlp6cp0ejpkple62dwh5wp9e58apr9a6mt4xtxpehzsgasnh56uqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7yf0sn9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsdfw23997sg9fd7x3n3rvvxkrgsdfxuqnzatm57jr5wkx2xrck8sg2juz5z'>nevent1q…uz5z</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>You don&#39;t *know* what&#39;s AI or not because you fail to identify it. <br/><br/>And I know this because I spent an hour writing that post by hand, and you still can&#39;t tell. <br/><br/>I&#39;ve run my text through an AI detector, and despite saying &#34;human&#34;, you double down.<br/><br/>Not once have you shown evidence that you&#39;re any good at detecting AI. <br/><br/>By the way, is this reply AI? 2026-10-30T17:48:03Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs9w929hm7xjmzl98ufq4qpsqpnsd4yc5sa7dqxe38tytplmdeguyszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7yn4ay3 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvv76r00kxzlt6wgl6fwvq4h3c8p0jf27xljsh0svuprekkhtexlctkvxl2'>nevent1q…vxl2</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I&#39;ll do one better. I&#39;ll shame you by putting you on blast for neurotypical supremacy. 2026-10-30T17:41:55Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsvtlvzg56209llfgt24w93k7ctjgktplns4wxyp6uc59xel40zykszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7dy543k In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspwqc5n2ejfe378h7ez89ag2em5jdt9y2jtjtp4rgfmk4anpzec7gvcx6dg'>nevent1q…x6dg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>You may be right. In fact, I think you are extremely likely to be right. <br/><br/>Which is why anti-AI folk have their work cut out for them if they want a world without AI. <br/><br/>Because if you want a world without AI, you have to build a world that doesn&#39;t require it. 2026-10-30T17:22:59Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsg529vtpr5c7gwwu87zmtnwqm9syktzw6uc695eydwug3mtyd5e8qzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv74zek3q In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspecgnjzxsa0jyappupzwhgzrd0vd045yv4c47wy9nvpsr7f99a9cm04awl'>nevent1q…4awl</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I often feel this pain. What’s worse is when it used to be available on streaming but then is removed from streaming. This specifically happened with a Shonen Knife album—and I was pissed!<br/><br/>Which is why I make physical copies of anything that I absolutely love. 2026-10-06T15:12:05Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs8n0haqlvfhwyghqjpcmawl9d33m6yg0xa9w79dty8rtdrtjpl42gzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv752pdu3 I actually do prefer playing *[Empress of the Deep](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/45796/empress-of-the-deep-the-darkest-secret/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/45796/empress-of-the-deep-the-darkest-secret/</a> )* over the majority of AAA games. <br/><br/>Yes, this is a point-and-click hidden object adventure game. A lot of these games do the same thing. You walk into different locations, solve puzzles, find objects, interact with the story.<br/><br/>My enjoyment largely hinges upon the story. As it happens, Empress of the Deep is a fantasy sci-fi story about Anna, a woman with no memory who must find relics to unlock her past. The narrative is delightfully campy too.<br/><br/>The puzzles themselves are easy while working your brain just a little bit. You could probably make it through this game without needing any hints, though you’ll probably spend a few minutes on the occasion brainteaser.<br/><br/>This isn’t a graphically intensive game. Even though this game came out in 2010, it still runs on an 800x600 resolution – which was dated even back then. As a result, there’s quite a bit of pixelation going on, and certain stages look rough.<br/><br/>However, I like the low res charm. It has a certain old-timey goodness that was fairly popular for 2000s era adventure games. There’s an art deco atmosphere going on, and that holds a lot of appeal for me.<br/><br/>In fact, this whole game is unintentionally vapowave. It’s full of turquoise colours, and there’s a lot of Greek and Roman statues littered throughout the game. The title screen even has palm trees!<br/><br/>The sound is what I particularly love. I love the effects. The soundtrack is chill and ambient. The voice acting is distinct, memorable, and often over-the-top. Again, it is almost vaporwave.<br/><br/>Admittedly, stuff like this has no appeal to self-identified “gamers”. This is a genre that many of them quite despise. Hence why I take the “mixed” reviews on Steam with a heaping tablespoon of salt.<br/><br/>Silverback Games made Empress of the Deep. I own another one of their games, [Theatre of the Absurd](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/71371/theatre-of-the-absurd/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/71371/theatre-of-the-absurd/</a> ), and I quite enjoyed it. It’s too bad they’re no longer in business since I enjoyed their work.<br/><br/>On a sheer aesthetic level, Empress of the Deep is quite an attractive game. Yes, this is low res material that operates within a fairly predictable genre. But in terms of story and just the overall look, I like this quite a bit.<br/><br/>If you like adventure games, Empress of the Deep is worth picking up. It’s only C$7.79, and it will give you a few hours of fun. <br/><br/>“Gamers” might not like it, but oh well.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/77c8980933fc24baf05d2d3ce56ed018ca33ce384b03d981cdfaabbfb7832701.jpg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/fec097ff49be35fe8b30e86afb6c0e5194f312d0c08ccfba90874f55d04ac3d3.jpg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/8c281e911326d80e58264979a8287574be9eb876e2da42a2a932d00dcd85e4f9.jpg"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/9d769d5ab977279ed30bcc5f2bb9d1d8884af297e66d634de25d2a0ed16ccd3d.jpg"> <br/> 2024-06-20T23:24:32Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqszj5q6aekmpnusaug0gwcn2ccgl5vd4tgrk9lal2v2sunw8tk44pgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7qruapj I really don’t recommend *[Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/9354/wolfenstein-enemy-territory/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/9354/wolfenstein-enemy-territory/</a> )*.<br/><br/>I picked this up because I am, of course, a Wolfenstein fan. This is supposed to be a multiplayer spin-off of [Return to Castle Wolfenstein](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/5385/return-to-castle-wolfenstein/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/5385/return-to-castle-wolfenstein/</a> ). But this doesn’t feel like Wolfenstein.<br/><br/>This is really just a generic World War II PvP game. And it’s as generic as they come. <br/><br/>There’s a lot of PvP WW2-themed games. Personally, if I had to choose the best one, it would be [Day of Defeat](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/9240/day-of-defeat/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/9240/day-of-defeat/</a> ). So if you’re looking for something in that genre, pick up that one. <br/><br/>If you’re going to do a Wolfenstein game, at least do something that makes this feel like a Wolfenstein game. At least set it in a castle. Or put in dogs. Or, I don’t know, have a few robots?<br/><br/>Perhaps the graphics were impressive for their time. And I guess they should be since they were using id Tech 3 engine. But 20 years later, it’s nothing special. If you *really* want to play something with the id Tech 3 engine, [Quake III](<a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/649/quake-iii-arena/">https://www.mobygames.com/game/649/quake-iii-arena/</a> ) is probably a better choice.<br/><br/>There’s not much in the way of sound. I heard no music, only ambient effects. <br/><br/>But the biggest reason you should skip this game is that it’s almost dead. Hardly anyone plays Enemy Territory anymore. Most of the servers are empty. Those that do exist are slow. And if you try to enter a server, it will take a long, long time to load. <br/><br/>Splash Damage made Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. They’re mostly known for making console ports of PC games, but they haven’t made much in terms of original fare. <br/><br/>The only good thing I can say about this game is that it’s free on [GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ). And I guess if you’re looking to play a free multiplayer game, this exists. But also, there are better free multiplayer games out there – so why bother with something so creaky?<br/><br/>If you’re a big Wolfenstein fan, it’s probably best to stick with the single player campaigns. That’s where the series really shines, and not with multiplayer. <br/><br/>And believe me, there’s a lot of great Wolfenstein elsewhere.<br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/bae5955cc151e25fb3360c031330154ed5b543d1c782c4f0b82a1ac3d2ce9de8.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/de770553e7c13575871280cbd52393f44d5d064f8f82ae53e47806d8a6cb99ed.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/9ed50d3bddb27ec9e8ff2eff2646dcabf0967b12bd37f664dca152bcef6e0ef0.png"> <br/> <img src="https://atomicpoet.org/media/477912708ab31d95bbecfc7a84772cf01ee48d9ae78e838dde7eb83c6e784a46.png"> <br/> 2024-06-20T20:47:53Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsrr0gwgxzqwe7ey9wnlyj233tarr06c36fv6qfk2jg5e80amqrhvgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv783w059 So wait a minute. Adobe is now claiming THEY OWN everything that you make with their products—even though you’re PAYING to use their products?<br/><br/>Shouldn’t they be paying YOU for SELLING stuff YOU create? 2024-06-14T05:19:35Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsw96nnm7wk0x6ucafxermrnk2sxs9pfq78rcqtrg52n8p5qw233zczyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7ne4e0c There’s a lot of people who don’t understand how [GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ) works. So here’s a brief explanation:<br/><br/>If a game gets delisted on [GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ), it is still in your library. <br/><br/>Whether or not [GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ) someday “takes” your games, it does not matter because they provide offline installers. Which, by the way, can be stored on your local hard drive. <br/><br/>Some games on [GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ) include DOSBox for emulation but that’s for modern hardware. If you want to run it on vintage, period accurate hardware, you can run those games without emulation. <br/><br/>[GOG.com](<a href="http://GOG.com">http://GOG.com</a> ) doesn’t have DRM so nobody can “take” those games away from you. 2024-06-08T23:38:52Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsz2ursjh82pefmqjpklr0k5hzfjdjr7h9axak4rdf59pnqusq47ugzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7qkgfu2 There’s certain technology that I earnestly wonder why we abandoned it. For example, digital audio players (DAPs). <br/><br/>These devices provided something smartphones don’t: a distraction-free way of playing music. <br/><br/>And they were way more personal because everything on your DAP was put there by *you*! They were a collection of your genuine taste! 2024-05-31T23:44:37Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqszy0qdadk3zr65ns4w5jn0uesaqv0xl50qxyfpqhpras8vppyggkgzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7njm44p I guess Facebook has become MySpace but with AI. <br/><br/><a href="https://youtu.be/IXDjbqiThuk">https://youtu.be/IXDjbqiThuk</a> 2024-05-29T16:15:41Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqs2wcxvpq2ak23gkf3sxs0vmt3x876pxeyfwl8y0z9u53setpjz46szyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7hnw33d In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszlawu8l3p7s5grumptcmq5hjqk7v7ghvujh573quhc6x8as7zeyqww0lgt'>nevent1q…0lgt</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>That interview was bonkers but confirmed a whole lot of of things I speculated about. 2024-05-10T08:14:34Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqsvgs4yltprdu8trjfcl52wn37k49jqg4f7c6lawc9tq64g00u05cszyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7mlfvt9 But if #BridgyFed becomes more user-friendly, that will be a big step towards interoperability. And we can finally put this silly competition between #ActivityPub and #ATProtocol to rest. <br/><br/>IMO, more interoperability is a good thing. 2024-05-07T03:53:40Z https://njump.cloud.vinney.xyz/nevent1qqst43ngggmpm9my8vu5x63mwg0fqgz2qrnkf7h3xdp7arpze7d7ghqzyry5evsl9e6nmkxv93f387nr87ntmp476kpvrsuhhhtaljdkeuyv7rkrd9s Okay, so something that been living rent-free in my head today: a woman I know is distraught because she’s 37-years-old and doesn’t think she’ll find a man with small toes.<br/><br/>And small toes are a dealbreaker for her. <br/><br/>But for the life of me… aren’t all toes small? I really am empathetic towards her. I just don’t understand how small a small toe is.<br/><br/>EDIT: Oh yeah, this ideal man has to have big feet and small toes. Size 12 and higher. But this big footed man must have small toes. 2024-05-04T04:31:33Z