“Here is a very urgent thing. We can’t stress enough how urgent this is. Also would you like to do a load of pointless shit for these random people that have no bearing on anything?”

Lol every RPG ever. Though some pull it off better than others by somehow connecting more pieces back to the main quest.

I think CDPR have has this issue since the Witcher 3 tbh. They know how to make amazing story based games, with nice enough writing and characters, and some lovely grey area decisions where there’s no real right and wrong, and then mar it with boring open world design.

Yes absolutely, although I don’t recall this being quite so egregious in the Witcher. But that was a long time ago, I may not remember it well.

Yeah early on at least it seems like one is encouraged to do side missions to get eddies. That seems to be the main motivation to me at the stage I’m in.

Also surprised it’s still buggy after all this time. Nothing too serious, but still. Treating it as a flawed but pretty action adventure game with neon lights is the only way.

Maybe CDPR underestimated the effort to create a convincing modern metropolis open world. It’s a whole different ball game to the small villages and towns of the Witcher. Maybe they’ll get it right in the sequel, if they make one.

CP2077. Love the looks. Gameplay is fine. City is mostly backdrop yes, most of the focus seems to have been at crafting a bombastic main quest line. So far so good, just wish there were more depth to the city and its systems.

Such an excellent visual! Conveys so much, like the very gradual growth of the EU, the abrupt dissolution of the Soviet Union, the long history of both… of course the circular axis makes it look like the Soviet Union is as much present today as the EU… which is kinda misleading, but actually interesting as one could argue that it has left its mark on Europe and its legacy continues to influence geopolitics in the region.

I agree in principle, and personally challenge antisemitic thinking where I recognize it, but I don’t think it’s possible to completely inoculate a protest movement (let alone an armed struggle on site) against the criminal actions of what is a de jure Jewish state from negative sentiment towards Jews. It is asking the impossible. Oppressed people and their allies will hate their oppressors and that hate will spill over to cover an entire ethnic or religious group. Until some form of justice and peace can be restored. In every case we should be against the targeting of civilians.

FWIW the person appearing on the thumbnail is Bassel Khartabil Safadi, a Palestinian Syrian who for all intents and purposes was just an ordinary guy who wished for democracy in his country. A husband, open source advocate, and a friend. And someone who found himself in the extraordinary situation of being kidnapped by Assad’s security apparatus during the uprising of 2011, imprisoned, and eventually executed by the regime. Just because he advocated for freedom and democracy. As we think of the plight of the Palestinian people today and the unequal fight fought by everyone who dares speak out against the autocratic regimes of the Middle East, let’s take a moment to remember him and all those who the powers that be are keen to label terrorists and a threat to national security, many of whom are people like you and me who had the misfortune to live under regimes with virtually no respect for human rights. May he rest in peace and may the people of the Middle East, be it Muslims, Jews, atheists, or Christians, rise up and demand a life of freedom, solidarity, human rights, and dignity.

Yeah I was thinking the same though it might be hard to find the right collection for you.

Finally some good ones, so far down the list, relayed by Fender Rinpoche no less. The best of these parables should be a bit of a brain teaser imo, have an element of surprise at least. Open up new ways of thinking about the world, and leave some room for contemplation.

I am not surprised that Orban would push such a thing. But I am surprised that they would go as far as to amend the constitution for this, with seemingly a very comfortable majority. Is this really a reflection of Hungarian society nowadays? Have so many jumped on the conservative moral panic bandwagon over LGBTQ?

Sure, I mean, if this works for you. I used to own that very album :)

I guess this is iconic, but not what I would consider great album art by any means

Absolutely amazing that you could capture that with “amateur” equipment, although it is clear from your post that a lot went into this. Bravo!

Never heard of them but now I want to see them live.

Such a shame that Coppola’s movie was bad. He was onto something there.

I remember liking GTA4 but getting burned out on its archaic in my view mission design.

Zuck puts out this weird “pick me” or “me too” energy lately, trying to fashion himself as one compatible with Trump’s world. His interest in Rome may precede Trump’s ascension to power, but his coming out is not a coincidence in my view. And yes, a fascination with Rome started as so many other things as an “innocent” meme and became a fascist dog-whistle.

Thanks for the correction, it’s Augustus Cesar. Still, what an odd connection. Good article btw.

Whether they are returned or not, truth is it will make no difference to any of my life concerns as a Greek. It will make the Acropolis museum a little more spectacular. And it may then bring a little more money than before. That’s it. So yeah, I support the return of all stolen treasures in principle, but the truth is that if they were ever returned it would be more cause for a brief swell of national pride and milked for what it’s worth by whichever government happens to be in place than anything of actual consequence.

Also, by having the artifacts stay at the British Museum, they bear testament to the massive scale extractive exploits of colonialism and how the fates of entire peoples have depended on the favor or disfavor of great powers. I kind of find it more embarrassing for the UK that they are keeping them and every time they refuse to return them it reminds me how rotten and racist the underbelly of western powers is, hidden not-so-well beneath a cultured and democratic veneer.

Yes, but Trump does represent a qualitative change. At least there was some consensus in Washington before him, both on domestic and international affairs. That made the US rather predictable. You knew where your values and interest met theirs and where they did not. That is no more. The US is now home to both some of the most forward thinking people and institutions and some of the most influential regressive beliefs. And all helmed by a fan of the latter and whose tempers change by the minute. The US is right now in some regards a bigger source of uncertainty than either Russia or China, erratic and extremely polarized as it has become. And it’s not only markets that hate prolonged uncertainty. Foreign governments and the people do too.