Ash
@ashlxck.bsky.social
Reposted by Ash
I legit fear for the overall game literacy of new junior designers in the coming years for various reasons and a big part of that is just, a lack of idiosyncratic games in many diets that aren't, like, tied to insidious monetization loops.
Let people play games that are weird in honest ways, dude.
Let people play games that are weird in honest ways, dude.
"Go back and play Morrowind and tell me that’s the game you want to play again," said Bruce Nesmith, who worked for Bethesda for over 17 years, adding that playing The Elder Scrolls 3 "would not stand the test of time." https://bit.ly/4q4GoKh
February 1, 2026 at 12:37 AM
I legit fear for the overall game literacy of new junior designers in the coming years for various reasons and a big part of that is just, a lack of idiosyncratic games in many diets that aren't, like, tied to insidious monetization loops.
Let people play games that are weird in honest ways, dude.
Let people play games that are weird in honest ways, dude.
Reposted by Ash
per the story, the “Abolish ICE is bad” dude is also a “former Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection official”
The author of a controversial memo from centrist think tank Searchlight telling Democrats to abandon the slogan “Abolish ICE” is a senior advisor for WestExec, a D.C. shadow lobbyist for corporations in the defense, surveillance, and immigration enforcement industries.
prospect.org/2026/01/19/a...
prospect.org/2026/01/19/a...
Author of ‘Don’t Say Abolish ICE’ Memo Is a Corporate Consultant - The American Prospect
Blas Nuñez-Neto is a senior adviser to WestExec, a shadow lobbyist for defense and tech firms.
prospect.org
January 19, 2026 at 2:58 PM
per the story, the “Abolish ICE is bad” dude is also a “former Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection official”
Reposted by Ash
the threat of deportation creates an underclass that can't access the justice system or public services. these people are then exploited. that's the entire point. ICE and DHS (and their European counterparts, etc) are not "failing to address" this, they exists *to* create this underclass!
January 15, 2026 at 4:18 AM
the threat of deportation creates an underclass that can't access the justice system or public services. these people are then exploited. that's the entire point. ICE and DHS (and their European counterparts, etc) are not "failing to address" this, they exists *to* create this underclass!
Reposted by Ash
Biden repeatedly bragged about how he had deported more people, faster, than trump. And then when he dropped out, Kamala's messaging was that she would be tougher on immigration and the border than trump.
Senate Democrats are CURRENTLY negotiating a plan to INCREASE ICE funding by another 10%
SCOOP: Senate Negotiators Eye Another ICE Funding Increase
GOP pushes for even more "operational capacity" while Schumer and Jeffries balk at drawing red lines, fearing "Defund" optics.
migrantinsider.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Biden repeatedly bragged about how he had deported more people, faster, than trump. And then when he dropped out, Kamala's messaging was that she would be tougher on immigration and the border than trump.
Reposted by Ash
Those of you who still insist on drawing a distinction between ICE and police should be aware that the police are not drawing that distinction.
Thank you for telling us you neither serve nor protect. Thank you for saying the quiet part out loud. That was state murder in broad daylight, captured from multiple angles by multiple witnesses, and the people of Minneapolis have eyes.
You support murder.
You support murder.
January 10, 2026 at 3:54 AM
Those of you who still insist on drawing a distinction between ICE and police should be aware that the police are not drawing that distinction.
Reposted by Ash
This is simply not technically possible. You cannot generate enough writing in-house to train an LLM. You cannot generate enough art in-house to train a GAN. People who think they have a model "trained on our own material" are using a base model of mass-scraped data, unknowingly or disingenuously.
Larian CEO says Divinity could have gen AI assets in it but only if the tools are trained on the studio's own data.
"If we use a GenAI model to create in-game assets, then it'll be trained on data we own."
https://kotaku.com/divinity-gen-ai-larian-bg3-reddit-ama-2000658429
"If we use a GenAI model to create in-game assets, then it'll be trained on data we own."
https://kotaku.com/divinity-gen-ai-larian-bg3-reddit-ama-2000658429
January 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM
This is simply not technically possible. You cannot generate enough writing in-house to train an LLM. You cannot generate enough art in-house to train a GAN. People who think they have a model "trained on our own material" are using a base model of mass-scraped data, unknowingly or disingenuously.
Reposted by Ash
> US blockades Venezuela
> Kills over 100 via strikes on fishing boats
> Illegally seizes tankers going to China
> Increases sanctions on the oil sector
> Threatens anyone that gets in its way
> Bombs the country
> Kidnaps Maduro
The Economist: Why didn't China stop us from doing this?
> Kills over 100 via strikes on fishing boats
> Illegally seizes tankers going to China
> Increases sanctions on the oil sector
> Threatens anyone that gets in its way
> Bombs the country
> Kidnaps Maduro
The Economist: Why didn't China stop us from doing this?
Over the past few months China has regularly condemned America’s military deployment near Venezuela.
But aside from strong words, what did it do for Nicolás Maduro at his time of need?
But aside from strong words, what did it do for Nicolás Maduro at his time of need?
America’s raid on Venezuela reveals the limits of China’s reach
It is not a template for Taiwan but a reality check on China’s global power
econ.st
January 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM
> US blockades Venezuela
> Kills over 100 via strikes on fishing boats
> Illegally seizes tankers going to China
> Increases sanctions on the oil sector
> Threatens anyone that gets in its way
> Bombs the country
> Kidnaps Maduro
The Economist: Why didn't China stop us from doing this?
> Kills over 100 via strikes on fishing boats
> Illegally seizes tankers going to China
> Increases sanctions on the oil sector
> Threatens anyone that gets in its way
> Bombs the country
> Kidnaps Maduro
The Economist: Why didn't China stop us from doing this?
Reposted by Ash
Oil is touted by Trump as a grievance and justification, but it's not the main factor ofc
The overarching reason comes down to the US wanting to expand its economic, geopolitical and ideological influence in Latin America, as it has done over the past centuries within its monroe doctrine framework
The overarching reason comes down to the US wanting to expand its economic, geopolitical and ideological influence in Latin America, as it has done over the past centuries within its monroe doctrine framework
Yeah, if there's one thing I wish I could press into the brains of every leftist commenting on this it's that "the US did this because it needs their oil" is a bad analysis in the structural incentives of the 2020s. Trump personally just thinks "blood for oil" sounds cool.
its incredible to read how the regime has to do a hard sell on the oil companies for this. president grandpas 1989 brain does it again. oil is 50 dollars a barrel and the infrastructure is degraded and the situation completely confused and politically volatile. oil ceos not exactly excited. amazing
January 4, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Oil is touted by Trump as a grievance and justification, but it's not the main factor ofc
The overarching reason comes down to the US wanting to expand its economic, geopolitical and ideological influence in Latin America, as it has done over the past centuries within its monroe doctrine framework
The overarching reason comes down to the US wanting to expand its economic, geopolitical and ideological influence in Latin America, as it has done over the past centuries within its monroe doctrine framework
Reposted by Ash
So many people over decades have been called conspiracy theorists for suggesting that U.S. intervention is driven by capitalist interests, and the interests of the oil industry in particular. Now the president just says it outright in press conferences and interviews.
Q: China, Russia, and Iran have interests in Venezuela. How does this operation affect your relationships with them?
TRUMP: In terms of other countries that want oil, we're in the oil business. We're gonna sell it to them. We'll be selling oil.
TRUMP: In terms of other countries that want oil, we're in the oil business. We're gonna sell it to them. We'll be selling oil.
January 3, 2026 at 5:34 PM
So many people over decades have been called conspiracy theorists for suggesting that U.S. intervention is driven by capitalist interests, and the interests of the oil industry in particular. Now the president just says it outright in press conferences and interviews.
Reposted by Ash
Chavez in 2009, while being labelled as paranoid, outlines exactly what is happening today.
December 17, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Chavez in 2009, while being labelled as paranoid, outlines exactly what is happening today.
Reposted by Ash
First post of 2026
January 1, 2026 at 5:47 AM
First post of 2026
Reposted by Ash
Reposted by Ash
I played Horses this weekend and I wrote down some messy thoughts not only on the game but especially on the specter of formalism that emerged to haunt us all for a moment.
transgamerthoughts.com/post/8023277...
transgamerthoughts.com/post/8023277...
I Hope You Get To Live Your Entire Life As A Human
I thought this was going to be a review of my time with Santa Ragione's Horses, the controversial art game recently banned from Steam and the Epic Store. To some extent, this will be that but after...
transgamerthoughts.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:06 AM
I played Horses this weekend and I wrote down some messy thoughts not only on the game but especially on the specter of formalism that emerged to haunt us all for a moment.
transgamerthoughts.com/post/8023277...
transgamerthoughts.com/post/8023277...
Reposted by Ash
Existing disability services are deeply underfunded, aggressively audited, means-tested constantly, and can be labyrinthine to even access or maintain without assistance. As someone who spent two decades as a cog in that system, concerns about fraud are overblown compared to the real existing need.
Balancing "no person with a disability should be denied accommodations" with "it's important to discourage non-disabled people from pretending to be disabled to take advantage of these accommodations" is really difficult and I don't have a great answer for what anyone should do about it.
December 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Existing disability services are deeply underfunded, aggressively audited, means-tested constantly, and can be labyrinthine to even access or maintain without assistance. As someone who spent two decades as a cog in that system, concerns about fraud are overblown compared to the real existing need.
Reposted by Ash
Yesterday, the Epic Games Store decided at the last minute not to distribute the game, after having previously approved a release build. HORSES is otherwise now available on GOG, Itch, and Humble for $4.99. www.horses.wtf
December 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Yesterday, the Epic Games Store decided at the last minute not to distribute the game, after having previously approved a release build. HORSES is otherwise now available on GOG, Itch, and Humble for $4.99. www.horses.wtf
Reposted by Ash
Look, if you're not an expert you wouldn't know, but this chart is bullshit. They could not possibly measure this as 1. How can you tell for sure? There's no reliable automated way. 2. You're not counting the many sites that are blocking crawlers now.
But there's an even more important reason...
But there's an even more important reason...
November 28, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Look, if you're not an expert you wouldn't know, but this chart is bullshit. They could not possibly measure this as 1. How can you tell for sure? There's no reliable automated way. 2. You're not counting the many sites that are blocking crawlers now.
But there's an even more important reason...
But there's an even more important reason...
Reposted by Ash
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
SAT + SUN
CALL!
CALL MASTERCARD, VISA, LET THEM KNOW YOU WON’T STAND FOR FURTHER CENSORSHIP
CALL AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, ALL FOUR DAYS!!!
BLACK FRIDAY
SAT + SUN
CALL!
CALL MASTERCARD, VISA, LET THEM KNOW YOU WON’T STAND FOR FURTHER CENSORSHIP
CALL AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, ALL FOUR DAYS!!!
#SaveSpeech
The call campaign is having an effect! The pressure right now is integral, if you are making calls, PLEASE KEEP CALLING. If you havent called yet or took a break, now is a GREAT time to hop on and add to the pressure!
The call campaign is having an effect! The pressure right now is integral, if you are making calls, PLEASE KEEP CALLING. If you havent called yet or took a break, now is a GREAT time to hop on and add to the pressure!
November 27, 2025 at 3:43 PM
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
SAT + SUN
CALL!
CALL MASTERCARD, VISA, LET THEM KNOW YOU WON’T STAND FOR FURTHER CENSORSHIP
CALL AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, ALL FOUR DAYS!!!
BLACK FRIDAY
SAT + SUN
CALL!
CALL MASTERCARD, VISA, LET THEM KNOW YOU WON’T STAND FOR FURTHER CENSORSHIP
CALL AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, ALL FOUR DAYS!!!
Reposted by Ash
"...as households' perceived probability of attaining homeownership falls, they systematically shift their behavior: they consume more relative to their wealth, reduce work effort, and take on riskier investments."
This new paper seems very pertinent
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
This new paper seems very pertinent
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
"...as households' perceived probability of attaining homeownership falls, they systematically shift their behavior: they consume more relative to their wealth, reduce work effort, and take on riskier investments."
This new paper seems very pertinent
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
This new paper seems very pertinent
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Ash
Execs are trying to muddy the waters around Gen-AI as a ‘push against all AI’ because they hear the unified dissent and they want to crush it via division. Don’t let them. Say it louder. Every time you see a statement like this, push back harder. Let them know you see them exactly for who they are.
"Surely there's a middle ground here?" The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead says people "jump to extreme takes" when debating generative AI, and that there needs to be more nuance in the discussion.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/surely-...
‘Surely there’s a middle ground here?’ Helldivers studio CEO says people ‘jump to extreme takes’ when debating GenAI | VGC
“This is such a trigger point for big parts of the games industry today”…
www.videogameschronicle.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Execs are trying to muddy the waters around Gen-AI as a ‘push against all AI’ because they hear the unified dissent and they want to crush it via division. Don’t let them. Say it louder. Every time you see a statement like this, push back harder. Let them know you see them exactly for who they are.
Reposted by Ash
game awards 2016: we signed a sponsorship deal with schick, here is a bit razor mascot man. he's buff for some reason
game awards 2025: we signed a sponsorship deal with a company that knowingly sells ad time to the government agency that kidnaps immigrants
game awards 2025: we signed a sponsorship deal with a company that knowingly sells ad time to the government agency that kidnaps immigrants
November 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM
game awards 2016: we signed a sponsorship deal with schick, here is a bit razor mascot man. he's buff for some reason
game awards 2025: we signed a sponsorship deal with a company that knowingly sells ad time to the government agency that kidnaps immigrants
game awards 2025: we signed a sponsorship deal with a company that knowingly sells ad time to the government agency that kidnaps immigrants
Reposted by Ash
i spoke to LOADS of people about this very recently, and the only people using it regularly were the dipshits in charge
November 12, 2025 at 3:47 AM
i spoke to LOADS of people about this very recently, and the only people using it regularly were the dipshits in charge
Reposted by Ash
Joining many people applauding this review (and Rick Lane, the reviewer) for arguing a difficult point very well.
For Arc Raiders to ride the wave of human sociability all the way to the bank, while also being so contemptuous of the thing that makes us social animals in its own workflow demonstrates a lack of artistic integrity that I find impossible to ignore.
Our review: https://bit.ly/49bVn01
Our review: https://bit.ly/49bVn01
November 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Joining many people applauding this review (and Rick Lane, the reviewer) for arguing a difficult point very well.
Reposted by Ash
Imani has some scathingly accurate videos on how the Dems caved on healthcare (and will continue to do so) because 1) they'll be using it for midterms and 2) private equity is set to make trillions off of us since Covid mass-disabled this country. It pisses me off, bc I can see it.
By the way, this has been the Democrats party for decades. They’ve skated by for years on this “at least we’re not republicans” bullshit, meanwhile enabling them at every turn.
This is just the time during which you can ill afford their feckless ways.
This is just the time during which you can ill afford their feckless ways.
November 10, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Imani has some scathingly accurate videos on how the Dems caved on healthcare (and will continue to do so) because 1) they'll be using it for midterms and 2) private equity is set to make trillions off of us since Covid mass-disabled this country. It pisses me off, bc I can see it.
Reposted by Ash
Welp not a conspiracy anymore
November 10, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Welp not a conspiracy anymore