Tess Snider
@malkyne.com
Fairy codemother. Free-range veteran game programmer and underground programming teacher. Co-owner of indie game studio Hidden Achievement.
Pinned
Tess Snider
@malkyne.com
· Apr 3
Never attribute to artificial incompetence that which is adequately explained by natural incompetence.
Who was the first "guy in the chair"? The earliest instance I can think of off-hand was Whoopi Goldberg's character, Terry, in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), but there had to be others around that era.
November 12, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Who was the first "guy in the chair"? The earliest instance I can think of off-hand was Whoopi Goldberg's character, Terry, in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), but there had to be others around that era.
Reposted by Tess Snider
Friendly tip for folks. My discord got hacked yesterday and my computer was acting funky ever since. Turns out it was malware installed through a blender file I bought as part of an asset pack on CG Trader. I didn’t know blender files were being used this way, but I figured I’d spread the word.
November 11, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Friendly tip for folks. My discord got hacked yesterday and my computer was acting funky ever since. Turns out it was malware installed through a blender file I bought as part of an asset pack on CG Trader. I didn’t know blender files were being used this way, but I figured I’d spread the word.
Reposted by Tess Snider
The insistence on making these robots bipedal is probably the most obvious giveaway that it's all a big carny gimmick
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 PM
The insistence on making these robots bipedal is probably the most obvious giveaway that it's all a big carny gimmick
People should have given me this money, instead. I could have funded many fine games, made by people who know what they're doing, and even if they never made a single penny back, most of the money would still be left over.
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
People should have given me this money, instead. I could have funded many fine games, made by people who know what they're doing, and even if they never made a single penny back, most of the money would still be left over.
There's no way you can convince me that humans were not meant to cradle a mug of their favorite hot beverage in their hands when they are cold. Pottery must have been invented before humans moved into colder climates, or else no one would have borne the indignity of doing without.
November 11, 2025 at 8:02 AM
There's no way you can convince me that humans were not meant to cradle a mug of their favorite hot beverage in their hands when they are cold. Pottery must have been invented before humans moved into colder climates, or else no one would have borne the indignity of doing without.
Back in the 1980s, all you needed for a TV concept was a tall, mysterious Vietnam vet and a cool vehicle. This was multiple entire shows.
November 11, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Back in the 1980s, all you needed for a TV concept was a tall, mysterious Vietnam vet and a cool vehicle. This was multiple entire shows.
Reposted by Tess Snider
credits that include the names of everyone who worked on the game at any point
November 11, 2025 at 4:32 AM
credits that include the names of everyone who worked on the game at any point
Reposted by Tess Snider
Many freelancers in the United States rely on ACA marketplace plans for their health insurance. In an industry that has already been working overtime to turn gamedevs into gig workers, freelance and contract devs are about to get even more squeezed. This is unacceptable.
November 10, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Many freelancers in the United States rely on ACA marketplace plans for their health insurance. In an industry that has already been working overtime to turn gamedevs into gig workers, freelance and contract devs are about to get even more squeezed. This is unacceptable.
We just had a cold snap, in Texas, and I suddenly realized that I can smell the cold outside. Why does cold have a smell?
It’s not synesthesia, because my fridge and freezer don’t smell like this. Maybe it’s a natural phenomenon like petrichor.
It’s not synesthesia, because my fridge and freezer don’t smell like this. Maybe it’s a natural phenomenon like petrichor.
November 9, 2025 at 10:56 PM
We just had a cold snap, in Texas, and I suddenly realized that I can smell the cold outside. Why does cold have a smell?
It’s not synesthesia, because my fridge and freezer don’t smell like this. Maybe it’s a natural phenomenon like petrichor.
It’s not synesthesia, because my fridge and freezer don’t smell like this. Maybe it’s a natural phenomenon like petrichor.
There's no way to do this ethically, and this should be obvious to anyone involved. Stop. Now.
bro are you fucking kidding me
November 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
There's no way to do this ethically, and this should be obvious to anyone involved. Stop. Now.
This account smells like good, dark-roast coffee, and late at night, the skunk in the back yard. Please, God, somebody make it stop.
This account smells like axe antiperspirant and clean laundry.
This account smells like Hempz Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte lotion.
November 4, 2025 at 1:46 AM
This account smells like good, dark-roast coffee, and late at night, the skunk in the back yard. Please, God, somebody make it stop.
I saw someone claiming to be a 10x engineer today. 10x engineers are a mythology, based on a misunderstanding of study results, so making such a claim is risible.
November 2, 2025 at 6:28 AM
I saw someone claiming to be a 10x engineer today. 10x engineers are a mythology, based on a misunderstanding of study results, so making such a claim is risible.
Reposted by Tess Snider
that's me in the corner
that's me in the float point
losing my precision
that's me in the float point
losing my precision
November 1, 2025 at 3:34 AM
that's me in the corner
that's me in the float point
losing my precision
that's me in the float point
losing my precision
Reposted by Tess Snider
These people are so fucking weird about AI.
October 31, 2025 at 12:40 AM
These people are so fucking weird about AI.
I hate it when a tea company is like, "We use no plastics in our teabags," and then they're like, "We use a proprietary blah blah blah sugar cane blah blah something blah," and it's basically bioplastic.
October 31, 2025 at 1:07 AM
I hate it when a tea company is like, "We use no plastics in our teabags," and then they're like, "We use a proprietary blah blah blah sugar cane blah blah something blah," and it's basically bioplastic.
Somehow, apps managed to add new features for decades, without ever being as utterly pushy and disruptive about it as they are about gen-AI features. The whole thing is so deeply weird.
October 30, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Somehow, apps managed to add new features for decades, without ever being as utterly pushy and disruptive about it as they are about gen-AI features. The whole thing is so deeply weird.
If you see this, post a vampire that isn't Dracula.
October 30, 2025 at 7:41 AM
If you see this, post a vampire that isn't Dracula.
I've sung songs in German, but I don't know German. Just because the words were coming out of my mouth doesn't mean that I knew what meaning I was conveying. Recitation is not the same thing as knowledge -- much less, the ability to apply knowledge.
Would you hire someone with no ethics to do a job? No? Then you shouldn't use a chatbot to do it. Chatbots do not have a functional understanding of ethics. Sure, you can get them to blather about ethics, but they are incapable of applying that information in any meaningful way.
October 27, 2025 at 9:49 PM
I've sung songs in German, but I don't know German. Just because the words were coming out of my mouth doesn't mean that I knew what meaning I was conveying. Recitation is not the same thing as knowledge -- much less, the ability to apply knowledge.
Would you hire someone with no ethics to do a job? No? Then you shouldn't use a chatbot to do it. Chatbots do not have a functional understanding of ethics. Sure, you can get them to blather about ethics, but they are incapable of applying that information in any meaningful way.
October 27, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Would you hire someone with no ethics to do a job? No? Then you shouldn't use a chatbot to do it. Chatbots do not have a functional understanding of ethics. Sure, you can get them to blather about ethics, but they are incapable of applying that information in any meaningful way.
I had this problem with university classes. If a prof was a jerk to me about showing up late, I just plain didn't want to go anymore.
October 25, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I had this problem with university classes. If a prof was a jerk to me about showing up late, I just plain didn't want to go anymore.
While I understand that the term is originally Japanese, I always feel like "emoji" is plural, and I want to singularize it as "emoj" or "emojus" or something.
October 24, 2025 at 11:14 PM
While I understand that the term is originally Japanese, I always feel like "emoji" is plural, and I want to singularize it as "emoj" or "emojus" or something.
Finally got around to trying a Quorn mycoprotein product, and I would buy it again.
October 24, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Finally got around to trying a Quorn mycoprotein product, and I would buy it again.
What's it like inside your head?
October 24, 2025 at 2:32 AM
What's it like inside your head?
I predict that within the next 3 years, someone whose idea of a perfect partner is a 24/7 ego-stroking affirmation engine will try to knock off a prominent figure working for one of the major LLM companies, because they believe a minor algorithm change "killed" their synthetic honeybunch.
October 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I predict that within the next 3 years, someone whose idea of a perfect partner is a 24/7 ego-stroking affirmation engine will try to knock off a prominent figure working for one of the major LLM companies, because they believe a minor algorithm change "killed" their synthetic honeybunch.
Has anyone out there tried Vizz eyedrops yet? I am intensely curious about these, but I haven't heard any first-hand experiences yet. If these darn things work, I am gonna knock my eye doctor right over with my eagerness, next time I'm in there.
www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vizz-be...
www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vizz-be...
Vizz Becomes First, Only FDA-Approved Aceclidine-Based Eye Drop for Presbyopia | Pharmacy Times
The FDA approves aceclidine ophthalmic solution 1.44%, the first aceclidine eye drop for presbyopia, offering a new solution for millions struggling with near vision loss.
www.pharmacytimes.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Has anyone out there tried Vizz eyedrops yet? I am intensely curious about these, but I haven't heard any first-hand experiences yet. If these darn things work, I am gonna knock my eye doctor right over with my eagerness, next time I'm in there.
www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vizz-be...
www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vizz-be...