Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
@n01h3r3.bsky.social
He/Him. Professional Geek. RPG Designer for @Modiphius.
My opinions are my own - as are my neuroses - and don't represent anyone else.
#IDIC means #BLM and #TransRights.
My opinions are my own - as are my neuroses - and don't represent anyone else.
#IDIC means #BLM and #TransRights.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
The most accurate recreation of DS9 I've seen.
September 26, 2025 at 1:15 PM
The most accurate recreation of DS9 I've seen.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
everything is terrible so here’s the swedish chef doing rapper’s delight
July 11, 2025 at 3:28 AM
everything is terrible so here’s the swedish chef doing rapper’s delight
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
There was a plan in motion to defenestrate our target, but unfortunately we missed the window.
June 27, 2025 at 11:10 AM
There was a plan in motion to defenestrate our target, but unfortunately we missed the window.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
as ever, if you ask people if they think art should exist for their enjoyment they will say yes, and then if you ask them if the people making the art should get paid for it they'll tell you "no that's a fake job"
if you think every voice actor is a millionaire, you are not immune to propaganda and would not survive the winter, sorry.
June 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
as ever, if you ask people if they think art should exist for their enjoyment they will say yes, and then if you ask them if the people making the art should get paid for it they'll tell you "no that's a fake job"
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
"Generative AI" systems do not care about facts and truth, they care about you liking their output, and when the don't know the correct answer they will make shit up.
This is not the right tool for anything regarding naturalistic identification.
This is not the right tool for anything regarding naturalistic identification.
I keep putting stuff about the orders of representative illustration in daston & galison's 'objectivity' in my "gen AI" talks because the processes of truth-to-nature, mechanical objectivity, & trained judgement all require a type of intention to communicate Some truth that these systems don't have.
Over the next 6 months, iNaturalist will be participating in the Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI program to help build tools to improve the identification experience on iNaturalist. Learn more: www.inaturalist.org/blog/113184-...
June 11, 2025 at 4:37 PM
"Generative AI" systems do not care about facts and truth, they care about you liking their output, and when the don't know the correct answer they will make shit up.
This is not the right tool for anything regarding naturalistic identification.
This is not the right tool for anything regarding naturalistic identification.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
In my geeky hands! I did my usual editing/canon review on the Star Trek Adventures Technical Manual. Shout-out to the all the writers: Michael Dismuke, @n01h3r3.bsky.social, @ineti.bsky.social, Aaron M. Pollyea, @gmadmiral.bsky.social, and @daytonward.bsky.social, and the artists too many to list!
June 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
In my geeky hands! I did my usual editing/canon review on the Star Trek Adventures Technical Manual. Shout-out to the all the writers: Michael Dismuke, @n01h3r3.bsky.social, @ineti.bsky.social, Aaron M. Pollyea, @gmadmiral.bsky.social, and @daytonward.bsky.social, and the artists too many to list!
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
dear new TTTRPG designers:
Charge for your games. They are good enough! It's easy to feel like you're an amateur and no one will be interested if you don't make them free, but don't sell yourself short.
Also, you're not just selling YOURSELF short when you do this!
Charge for your games. They are good enough! It's easy to feel like you're an amateur and no one will be interested if you don't make them free, but don't sell yourself short.
Also, you're not just selling YOURSELF short when you do this!
June 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM
dear new TTTRPG designers:
Charge for your games. They are good enough! It's easy to feel like you're an amateur and no one will be interested if you don't make them free, but don't sell yourself short.
Also, you're not just selling YOURSELF short when you do this!
Charge for your games. They are good enough! It's easy to feel like you're an amateur and no one will be interested if you don't make them free, but don't sell yourself short.
Also, you're not just selling YOURSELF short when you do this!
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
On Tuesday we're launching the crowdfunder for Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts.
Today we're offering a preview as a free, direct download.
But don't delay, the download link expires in less than 24 hours:
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Today we're offering a preview as a free, direct download.
But don't delay, the download link expires in less than 24 hours:
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Sneak preview! Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
From Evil Hat - Sneak preview! Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
www.backerkit.com
May 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
On Tuesday we're launching the crowdfunder for Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts.
Today we're offering a preview as a free, direct download.
But don't delay, the download link expires in less than 24 hours:
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Today we're offering a preview as a free, direct download.
But don't delay, the download link expires in less than 24 hours:
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Stop calling A.I. slop “art” and real human-created works “content”
May 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Stop calling A.I. slop “art” and real human-created works “content”
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Fandoms obsession with Canon Policing is a set of concrete boots around the very content they profess to love.
May 14, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Fandoms obsession with Canon Policing is a set of concrete boots around the very content they profess to love.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
A couple of years back companies started using AI voiceover and my voiceover gigs disappeared. And then they realised it wasn't quite working...and started using VO artists again. You can create something that is passably a human voice but you can't create something that's even passably human.
Very weird to see writers cheering for A.I. audiobooks. This is the same horrible machine that they want to replace YOU. Audiobook narrators are your peers.
May 14, 2025 at 7:35 AM
A couple of years back companies started using AI voiceover and my voiceover gigs disappeared. And then they realised it wasn't quite working...and started using VO artists again. You can create something that is passably a human voice but you can't create something that's even passably human.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
We are proud signatories of this letter to the PM.
Good to see powerful names speaking out to protect the rights of all creators, and continuing to keep this issue in the news.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Good to see powerful names speaking out to protect the rights of all creators, and continuing to keep this issue in the news.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Elton John and Dua Lipa seek protection from AI
They are among 400 artists appealing to Sir Keir Starmer, saying creative industries are threatened.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 12, 2025 at 2:07 PM
We are proud signatories of this letter to the PM.
Good to see powerful names speaking out to protect the rights of all creators, and continuing to keep this issue in the news.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Good to see powerful names speaking out to protect the rights of all creators, and continuing to keep this issue in the news.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
The problems in our society are not caused by migrants or refugees.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
May 12, 2025 at 8:25 AM
The problems in our society are not caused by migrants or refugees.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
#TTRPGQuestion
Something that's been on my mind recently: To what extent has the RPG market been influenced by the popularity of streaming and actual plays, as the most visible format of the hobby?
Something that's been on my mind recently: To what extent has the RPG market been influenced by the popularity of streaming and actual plays, as the most visible format of the hobby?
May 12, 2025 at 12:19 PM
#TTRPGQuestion
Something that's been on my mind recently: To what extent has the RPG market been influenced by the popularity of streaming and actual plays, as the most visible format of the hobby?
Something that's been on my mind recently: To what extent has the RPG market been influenced by the popularity of streaming and actual plays, as the most visible format of the hobby?
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
ICYMI: An amendment backed by creatives that would ensure AI models obey copyright law has been defeated in parliament as the contentious Data Bill proceeds towards its final stages 👇 #BookSky
Data Bill's AI amendment to enforce copyright law on tech companies defeated in parliament
www.thebookseller.com
May 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM
ICYMI: An amendment backed by creatives that would ensure AI models obey copyright law has been defeated in parliament as the contentious Data Bill proceeds towards its final stages 👇 #BookSky
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
So basically just sort of banning people who enjoy a sport for fun really?
May 1, 2025 at 9:21 AM
So basically just sort of banning people who enjoy a sport for fun really?
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
I wish people would understand the difference between analytical "AI" and generative algorithms using LLMs. The former is used for pattern recognition at high rates and precision humans can't replicate and highly useful in medicine and science. The latter is autocomplete with delusions of grandeur.
April 30, 2025 at 6:26 AM
I wish people would understand the difference between analytical "AI" and generative algorithms using LLMs. The former is used for pattern recognition at high rates and precision humans can't replicate and highly useful in medicine and science. The latter is autocomplete with delusions of grandeur.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Increasingly I have come around to the perspective that "hackability" of TRPGs is not actually a positive of the medium and is instead an overall neutral aspect that often dips into the negatives when used to justify Bethesda-esque "it's fine that the game is bad because YOU can fix it!" stances
April 29, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Increasingly I have come around to the perspective that "hackability" of TRPGs is not actually a positive of the medium and is instead an overall neutral aspect that often dips into the negatives when used to justify Bethesda-esque "it's fine that the game is bad because YOU can fix it!" stances
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
it's a bad mentality too, imo, because it...fuckin' ruined generations of gamers so that they now don't know how to engage with mechanics and *use* them - a huge number of people don't even think that mechanics are real, or that you can design them, which is a little fucked up if you think about it
Increasingly I have come around to the perspective that "hackability" of TRPGs is not actually a positive of the medium and is instead an overall neutral aspect that often dips into the negatives when used to justify Bethesda-esque "it's fine that the game is bad because YOU can fix it!" stances
April 29, 2025 at 11:28 PM
it's a bad mentality too, imo, because it...fuckin' ruined generations of gamers so that they now don't know how to engage with mechanics and *use* them - a huge number of people don't even think that mechanics are real, or that you can design them, which is a little fucked up if you think about it
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Absolutely right. If you know how movie financing works you know they were popping champagne corks Monday morning at the studio, and that was *without* this insane second weekend. All this “concerned” coverage is bullshit.
April 27, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Absolutely right. If you know how movie financing works you know they were popping champagne corks Monday morning at the studio, and that was *without* this insane second weekend. All this “concerned” coverage is bullshit.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
By this fall we'll have several hundred peer reviewed studies showing UBI saves money and produces great results and one janky "vaccines cause autism" paper by a non-doctor longtime anti-vaxx grifter and the result will be the US government will immediately ban vaccines. Because we live in hell.
A German experiment has found that people are likely to continue working full-time even if they receive no-strings-attached universal basic income payments.
German experiment gave people a basic monthly income – the effect on their work ethic was surprising | CNN
A German experiment has found that people are likely to continue working full-time even if they receive no-strings-attached universal basic income payments.
www.cnn.com
April 11, 2025 at 9:46 PM
By this fall we'll have several hundred peer reviewed studies showing UBI saves money and produces great results and one janky "vaccines cause autism" paper by a non-doctor longtime anti-vaxx grifter and the result will be the US government will immediately ban vaccines. Because we live in hell.
Reposted by Nathan Dowdell, not cool enough to look away from explosions.
Putting the FFS back into tariffs.
April 10, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Putting the FFS back into tariffs.