Wow, if I was a customer, I’d be dropping them immediately even if I didn’t pirate. That is sketchy as hell.

Tbh, I probably would have started with something a bit less complicated than those games.

Portal 2 would have been a better option, IMO. Something with relatively simple controls and not super enemy-focused.

3D printers were a 21st century invention, I think.

Quadcopters and other multirotor designs resulted in an incredible leap in affordable cinematography, racing applications, rescue, mapping, and warfare.

Hard to quantify, but stuff like PrEP (a drug used to prevent HIV infection) has probably saved a staggering number of lives across the globe, same with the yearly influenza vaccines.

For a more personal one?

I’d say the innovations to bikes, which have been staggering since 2000. Downhill mountain bikes have had staggering changes that make them lighter, faster, stronger, and way more stable, and they look dramatically different to their 90s counterparts. Stuff like dropper posts, modern full suspension, tubeless tires, disc brakes, and massive cassettes make them incredible. You can roll over a cantaloupe-sized rock at 20mph and the bike will just take it without you being ejected over the bars.

Ebikes have totally changed the calculus in hilly cities, even in flat ones to some extent. Being able to effortlessly bike 45 miles and not be totally thrashed the next day is such a gamechanger, it’s actually beyond belief. My car has been largely collecting dust because most trips day to day are under 45 miles. And it takes pennies to recharge vs $90 or so to refill the tank.

Bikes already help take tons of cars off the road worldwide, but ebikes could really help extend people’s ranges, particularly if they would normally drive otherwise.

The only remakes that I really liked were Black Mesa and the MCC. Black Mesa was such an incredible tribute to Half Life.

Some, like The Witcher (1), could absolutely use an overhaul because of bad gameplay issues, time constraints or budget cuts (Xen- Half Life, etc). Most, like Skyrim…eh. they don’t really need it as long as they sent patches for stuff like 144hz and ultrawide support.

There’s one here in the US that doesn’t have any signage at all. Just a lightly pink door. It opens down into one of the coolest restaurants and live performance places in the city. It has become pretty popular.

Any reason in particular? I would have thought that the UK would be all over good rail transit.

I want us to build a massive collider in New Mexico. There’s a bunch of land around Black Mesa that could probably house a massive underground collider. The US needs a big one!

Oooh, I am trying this after work. Thank you!

Holy shit, I didn’t know you could do this. If there was a way to block all F2P games too, my store would be so much cleaner.

I find it really interesting, the juxtaposition between pets and humans, sometimes even at the same events. Awkward huggers will get down there and really be physically affectionate with pets and competent at it, too. It always warms my heart, but also makes me wish society was just a bit more relaxed sometimes. Pets can be the instigators of play in a great way, but it also makes me wonder if people are missing opportunities to form stronger connections to friends and family members.

It was really interesting to watch. I know Tolkien didn’t write the entire series as a reflection of WW1, but while watching longer clips of WW1 british soldiers (particularly in non-combat scenarios), I was struck at just how playful and affectionate they were with each other, even POWs that they were relaxing with or sometimes, playing with. In some sense, I feel like the culture around physical affection was just a bit different back then, and people were less guarded. Feels like some of that seeps into Tolkien’s books :)

Not necessarily. I’ve noticed female friends tend to be much more adept at physical affection on the whole. Men tend to have a much wider range, with some hugging you (male) like a 2x4, whereas others shimmy over to you and rest their head or arm around you on a chairlift.

Mostly, I wanted to hear how male-male friends and family treated each other physically, without the complication of SOs or romantic partners fuzzing the responses (since people tend to already be physically affectionate with romantic partners).

It’s been really interesting to hear, the responses are much more diverse than I was expecting, and it’s really heartwarming to see.

It’s been a much more diverse range of comments than I anticipated. It’s very heartening to see. :)

This thread has been really interesting, and a couple comments seem to really hit the nail on the head in terms of social isolation and the fallout it can cause. I think the pandemic definitely played a part in that.

However, this thread also gives me a lot of hope. The comments and experiences are far more diverse than I thought they’d be :)

Yeah, I can’t help but feel like social media, the loss of third spaces, and a lack of affection (physical or otherwise) between friends and family plays a part in people being so lonely. This post has been really interesting, and has run a far larger gamut of responses than I thought I’d get.

Everybody has physical contact between themselves and their dates/SOs. But I was really interested to hear about people’s physical connections outside of just dating. Male-male platonic affection seems exceedlingly rare, so I was interested in hearing what it’s like in people’s everyday lives. :)

Mmm, yeah, the head in lap thing is very comfy, and I’ve done that with a range of friends :)

All of these responses are super interesting and run a much wider gamut than I was anticipating. Very nice to see, and makes me happy. :)

Oh, I’m quite open and queer, but I know that not everyone is. Different cultures around the globe handle things differently, too. But I even see the difference on the more local scale, where some friends are quite physically affectionate, whereas others hug me like a frozen fence post, haha.

It’s interesting that women generally are fairly physically affectionate with friends, but men kind of run the gamut depending on family and social culture. And yet, even some of the most awkward are super physically affectionate with animals and pets, sometimes even at the same event.

I find stuff like that fascinating. Cultures evolve and change, with some aspects being more seasonal, and others more glacial. :)

I think this is always kinda sweet :)