Alex Lawson
@metadept.bsky.social
game dev, opinions questionable, liker of kind and earnest things, current: ???, past: designer at Bungie, Starbound, future: something much weirder I hope
all posts or interactions are my own and do not represent the positions of my employer
all posts or interactions are my own and do not represent the positions of my employer
Reposted by Alex Lawson
'A NSFW ban won't negatively affect me, I don't draw or post porn!'
You sure? Here's how it went down when tumblr did it:
You sure? Here's how it went down when tumblr did it:
August 22, 2025 at 11:36 PM
'A NSFW ban won't negatively affect me, I don't draw or post porn!'
You sure? Here's how it went down when tumblr did it:
You sure? Here's how it went down when tumblr did it:
Reposted by Alex Lawson
Someone should invent an Actual Future for us to all live in. Everybody who wants to be dead instead can go be in the cemetery and stop performing tantrums at the rest of us. We'll forgive you, but you have to go lie down now.
August 22, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Someone should invent an Actual Future for us to all live in. Everybody who wants to be dead instead can go be in the cemetery and stop performing tantrums at the rest of us. We'll forgive you, but you have to go lie down now.
Reposted by Alex Lawson
Cute Newt is happy to have finally announced our game, Wildekin! It was shown at Gamescom earlier today.
Wishlist Steam: bit.ly/WildekinSteam
Wishlist Xbox: bit.ly/WildekinXbox
#Wildekin WildekinGame.com
Explore, build, survive & thrive! Play with 4 friends online in this wild adventure.
Wishlist Steam: bit.ly/WildekinSteam
Wishlist Xbox: bit.ly/WildekinXbox
#Wildekin WildekinGame.com
Explore, build, survive & thrive! Play with 4 friends online in this wild adventure.
Wildekin on Steam
You've fallen out of the sky with nothing but your wits, fists, and an overwhelming urge to redecorate. Explore and survive in a perilous wilderness, construct your town, and befriend lost Wildekin in...
bit.ly
August 21, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Cute Newt is happy to have finally announced our game, Wildekin! It was shown at Gamescom earlier today.
Wishlist Steam: bit.ly/WildekinSteam
Wishlist Xbox: bit.ly/WildekinXbox
#Wildekin WildekinGame.com
Explore, build, survive & thrive! Play with 4 friends online in this wild adventure.
Wishlist Steam: bit.ly/WildekinSteam
Wishlist Xbox: bit.ly/WildekinXbox
#Wildekin WildekinGame.com
Explore, build, survive & thrive! Play with 4 friends online in this wild adventure.
Reposted by Alex Lawson
It's my pleasure to announce that Cartomantic is going to be a part of the Seattle Indies Expo!
If you're in the area for PAX, come say hi! Morgan, Riley, and I will be there. Play our early-in-development demo and check out other awesome indie games while you're at it.
Info: six.seattleindies.org
If you're in the area for PAX, come say hi! Morgan, Riley, and I will be there. Play our early-in-development demo and check out other awesome indie games while you're at it.
Info: six.seattleindies.org
August 20, 2025 at 1:24 AM
It's my pleasure to announce that Cartomantic is going to be a part of the Seattle Indies Expo!
If you're in the area for PAX, come say hi! Morgan, Riley, and I will be there. Play our early-in-development demo and check out other awesome indie games while you're at it.
Info: six.seattleindies.org
If you're in the area for PAX, come say hi! Morgan, Riley, and I will be there. Play our early-in-development demo and check out other awesome indie games while you're at it.
Info: six.seattleindies.org
Reposted by Alex Lawson
we just posted a role for a Sr. AI Engineer- come work with me, and check out our other jobs too!!
I have to specify this is like "make horses play with beach balls"* AI, not like chatGPT AI.
*there are no horses playing with beach balls in this game. yet
job-boards.greenhouse.io/sonyinteract...
I have to specify this is like "make horses play with beach balls"* AI, not like chatGPT AI.
*there are no horses playing with beach balls in this game. yet
job-boards.greenhouse.io/sonyinteract...
August 18, 2025 at 9:01 PM
we just posted a role for a Sr. AI Engineer- come work with me, and check out our other jobs too!!
I have to specify this is like "make horses play with beach balls"* AI, not like chatGPT AI.
*there are no horses playing with beach balls in this game. yet
job-boards.greenhouse.io/sonyinteract...
I have to specify this is like "make horses play with beach balls"* AI, not like chatGPT AI.
*there are no horses playing with beach balls in this game. yet
job-boards.greenhouse.io/sonyinteract...
Reposted by Alex Lawson
i wrote a novella
it's about longtermist vampires, doing too many drugs, and socialism
it's available right now merrittk.itch.io/vampirocene
thanks to @slimyswampghost.bsky.social for the killer cover art
it's about longtermist vampires, doing too many drugs, and socialism
it's available right now merrittk.itch.io/vampirocene
thanks to @slimyswampghost.bsky.social for the killer cover art
August 6, 2025 at 5:36 PM
i wrote a novella
it's about longtermist vampires, doing too many drugs, and socialism
it's available right now merrittk.itch.io/vampirocene
thanks to @slimyswampghost.bsky.social for the killer cover art
it's about longtermist vampires, doing too many drugs, and socialism
it's available right now merrittk.itch.io/vampirocene
thanks to @slimyswampghost.bsky.social for the killer cover art
Reposted by Alex Lawson
I think a lot of people have forgotten or were never taught in the first place that these kinds of actions need to be an endurance strategy.
If they know you'll give up in 2 days they'll just try to wait you out.
You have to make them understand that this is their life now if they don't fix things
If they know you'll give up in 2 days they'll just try to wait you out.
You have to make them understand that this is their life now if they don't fix things
It’s important to remember that this is not going to be fixed in 24 hours. We might have to do activist work on this for a hot minute. But, if we all stay focused and support each other, we can keep this going for a really long time. Longer than any of these companies have the patience for.
we are going to need to keep up this 'yelling at payment processors' energy for more than just today
Ideally, we will need to keep up this pressure over a span of a few weeks
As many people as possible, each making 2-4 calls a day, for a few weeks, is going to make the biggest impact
Ideally, we will need to keep up this pressure over a span of a few weeks
As many people as possible, each making 2-4 calls a day, for a few weeks, is going to make the biggest impact
July 26, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I think a lot of people have forgotten or were never taught in the first place that these kinds of actions need to be an endurance strategy.
If they know you'll give up in 2 days they'll just try to wait you out.
You have to make them understand that this is their life now if they don't fix things
If they know you'll give up in 2 days they'll just try to wait you out.
You have to make them understand that this is their life now if they don't fix things
Reposted by Alex Lawson
RFK Jr. backs down all the time when he gets push back, so if anyone wants to call, here's the HHS number 1-877-696-6775.
I'd also call your senators/reps as well.
I'd also call your senators/reps as well.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces he will cancel $500 million in vaccine development projects.
August 5, 2025 at 11:00 PM
RFK Jr. backs down all the time when he gets push back, so if anyone wants to call, here's the HHS number 1-877-696-6775.
I'd also call your senators/reps as well.
I'd also call your senators/reps as well.
Reposted by Alex Lawson
Hey, it would mean so much to me if y'all kept up the pressure with phone calls to payment processors to show to them how much people care and that they can't just ignore it—my livelihood depends on adult games not being censored!
You can find info and phone scripts here: stop-paypros.neocities.org
You can find info and phone scripts here: stop-paypros.neocities.org
Stop payment processors from censoring games!
stop-paypros.neocities.org
August 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Hey, it would mean so much to me if y'all kept up the pressure with phone calls to payment processors to show to them how much people care and that they can't just ignore it—my livelihood depends on adult games not being censored!
You can find info and phone scripts here: stop-paypros.neocities.org
You can find info and phone scripts here: stop-paypros.neocities.org
Reposted by Alex Lawson
It's really weird to demand accountability from a NYC mayoral candidate for a deadly NYC shooting rather than the current NYC mayor, an ex-cop who campaigned on a "tough on crime" platform and promptly got indicted for crimes
July 31, 2025 at 4:53 PM
It's really weird to demand accountability from a NYC mayoral candidate for a deadly NYC shooting rather than the current NYC mayor, an ex-cop who campaigned on a "tough on crime" platform and promptly got indicted for crimes
Reposted by Alex Lawson
In summary:
- This call campaign needs to last at least a month
- As many calls as possible, so bring your friends
- Make sure each call lasts as long as possible
- Each time you make a call, mention it's not the first time you've called about this
- This call campaign needs to last at least a month
- As many calls as possible, so bring your friends
- Make sure each call lasts as long as possible
- Each time you make a call, mention it's not the first time you've called about this
So, WFM guy here, I crunch call center numbers all day and advise management on performance and staffing requirements. Here are some concrete goals to keep in mind with any sort of calling campaign: 🧵
July 26, 2025 at 12:50 PM
In summary:
- This call campaign needs to last at least a month
- As many calls as possible, so bring your friends
- Make sure each call lasts as long as possible
- Each time you make a call, mention it's not the first time you've called about this
- This call campaign needs to last at least a month
- As many calls as possible, so bring your friends
- Make sure each call lasts as long as possible
- Each time you make a call, mention it's not the first time you've called about this
Reposted by Alex Lawson
treehopper morphology may be driven in part by directly sensing electrostatic fields.
Why do treehoppers look so weird?! Our latest paper, out this week in @pnas.org, suggests a perhaps unexpected reason - static electricity ⚡ We show that treehoppers can detect the electrostatic cues of predators and that their crazy shapes may boost their electrosensitivity! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Electroreception in treehoppers: How extreme morphologies can increase electrical sensitivity | PNAS
The link between form and function of an organism’s morphology is usually apparent
or intuitive. However, some clades of organisms show remarkable ...
doi.org
July 25, 2025 at 1:42 AM
treehopper morphology may be driven in part by directly sensing electrostatic fields.
Reposted by Alex Lawson
i find myself regularly reminding people that not one single German was severely punished for simply refusing to contribute to the Holocaust
This is actually extremely noteworthy.
July 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
i find myself regularly reminding people that not one single German was severely punished for simply refusing to contribute to the Holocaust
sometimes the best shitposts can be found outside
July 15, 2025 at 11:01 PM
sometimes the best shitposts can be found outside
Reposted by Alex Lawson
Pretty interesting study! This result is going to get misinterpreted in a bunch of different ways over the next few days, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you now to contextualise some of the stuff in the paper.
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
July 11, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Pretty interesting study! This result is going to get misinterpreted in a bunch of different ways over the next few days, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you now to contextualise some of the stuff in the paper.
Reposted by Alex Lawson
During the 2019 Hong Kong protests, various factions that ranged from clergy to suburban moms, lawyers to anarchists, coalesced on the four-part slogan:
不篤灰 (no snitching)
不割席 (no severing ties)
不分化 (no forming of cliques)
不指責 (no scolding)
Seems like new American anti-fascists are (re)learning!
不篤灰 (no snitching)
不割席 (no severing ties)
不分化 (no forming of cliques)
不指責 (no scolding)
Seems like new American anti-fascists are (re)learning!
keep thinking about two things from a recent panel on anti-fascism:
- people united to fight fascists didn’t need a shared definition of fascism first (they needed each other)
- not everyone in the group wanted to fight the same way, but they agreed not to denounce one another over those differences
- people united to fight fascists didn’t need a shared definition of fascism first (they needed each other)
- not everyone in the group wanted to fight the same way, but they agreed not to denounce one another over those differences
July 9, 2025 at 6:43 PM
During the 2019 Hong Kong protests, various factions that ranged from clergy to suburban moms, lawyers to anarchists, coalesced on the four-part slogan:
不篤灰 (no snitching)
不割席 (no severing ties)
不分化 (no forming of cliques)
不指責 (no scolding)
Seems like new American anti-fascists are (re)learning!
不篤灰 (no snitching)
不割席 (no severing ties)
不分化 (no forming of cliques)
不指責 (no scolding)
Seems like new American anti-fascists are (re)learning!
Reposted by Alex Lawson
down with Whatever eev.ee/blog/2025/07...
The rise of Whatever
This was originally titled “I miss when computers were fun”. But in the course of writing it, I discovered that there is a reason computers became less fun, a dark thread woven through a number of eve...
eev.ee
July 4, 2025 at 1:46 AM
down with Whatever eev.ee/blog/2025/07...
Reposted by Alex Lawson
IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THESE DISTRICTS PLEASE MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
July 3, 2025 at 3:45 PM
IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THESE DISTRICTS PLEASE MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
feels like a good day to do some Godot tutorials
July 1, 2025 at 11:34 PM
feels like a good day to do some Godot tutorials
Reposted by Alex Lawson
I have long said that the dream of a huge number of video games is "what if capitalism but it worked"
84% of indie video games are basically like, 'What if you were employed'
July 1, 2025 at 9:01 PM
I have long said that the dream of a huge number of video games is "what if capitalism but it worked"
Reposted by Alex Lawson
New Post: AI Is Here To Stay - www.possibilityspace.org/blog/posts/h...
I wrote a new blog (on new blog software!) about how AI is here to stay. But what exactly does that mean, anyway?
I wrote a new blog (on new blog software!) about how AI is here to stay. But what exactly does that mean, anyway?
June 25, 2025 at 9:10 AM
New Post: AI Is Here To Stay - www.possibilityspace.org/blog/posts/h...
I wrote a new blog (on new blog software!) about how AI is here to stay. But what exactly does that mean, anyway?
I wrote a new blog (on new blog software!) about how AI is here to stay. But what exactly does that mean, anyway?
Reposted by Alex Lawson
when democrats do this, it’s not because they are talking to the electorate - it’s because they are talking to oligarchical donors
they’re trying to signal & convince obscenely rich people that they are better stewards of protecting/growing wealth than the other team
that is the job to dems
they’re trying to signal & convince obscenely rich people that they are better stewards of protecting/growing wealth than the other team
that is the job to dems
That Clyburn thinks Andrew Cuomo is part of the future of the Democratic Party - and points to his character!!! — is the problem with the current Democratic Party leadership in a nutshell.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/n...
June 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
when democrats do this, it’s not because they are talking to the electorate - it’s because they are talking to oligarchical donors
they’re trying to signal & convince obscenely rich people that they are better stewards of protecting/growing wealth than the other team
that is the job to dems
they’re trying to signal & convince obscenely rich people that they are better stewards of protecting/growing wealth than the other team
that is the job to dems
Reposted by Alex Lawson
AOC played ball and did everything Pelosi told her and was rewarded by being passed over for a 75-year-old who died four months later. There have now been four House votes this year where Dems lost by the margin of members who died in office. No one has more right to say this than her
AOC framed the NYC mayor’s race as a referendum on the Democratic Party - against the gerontocracy - at a rally for Zohran Mamdani.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
AOC rallies against Cuomo 'gerontocracy’
The Congress member framed the NYC mayor’s race as a referendum on the Democratic Party at a rally for Zohran Mamdani.
www.politico.com
June 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
AOC played ball and did everything Pelosi told her and was rewarded by being passed over for a 75-year-old who died four months later. There have now been four House votes this year where Dems lost by the margin of members who died in office. No one has more right to say this than her