#blaugust2024 — Public Fediverse posts

I started #100DaysToOffload on June 1st and finished exactly 100 days later on September 9th. During the challenge I also completed #Junited2024 and #Blaugust2024 You can see the posts at https://louplummer.lol/living-out-loud-100-days-to-offload/

I started #100DaysToOffload on June 1st and finished exactly 100 days later on September 9th. During the challenge I also completed #Junited2024 and #Blaugust2024 You can see the posts at https://louplummer.lol/living-out-loud-100-days-to-offload/

Blaugust 2024 is in the bag!

It's always a struggle to make it to the finish line, but I also always have fun.

https://chasingdings.com/2024/09/02/blaugust-2024-is-in-the-bag/

#Blaugust #Blaugust2024

I spent the morning counting blog posts, and while my eyes are deeply crossing at this point... I created the traditional #Blaugust in Review post.

Where I outline the event, give some statistics, and hand out the rewards.

Blaugust 2024 In Review
https://aggronaut.com/2024/09/02/blaugust-2024-in-review/

#Blogging #Blaugust2024

I spent the morning counting blog posts, and while my eyes are deeply crossing at this point... I created the traditional #Blaugust in Review post.

Where I outline the event, give some statistics, and hand out the rewards.

Blaugust 2024 In Review
https://aggronaut.com/2024/09/02/blaugust-2024-in-review/

#Blogging #Blaugust2024

Attempting to do the #Blaugust2024 tabulations this morning and I have to share massive love for anyone who is using a blog theme that self-tabulates by month.

Yall are rockstars.

Attempting to do the #Blaugust2024 tabulations this morning and I have to share massive love for anyone who is using a blog theme that self-tabulates by month.

Yall are rockstars.

I enjoyed taking part in #Blaugust2024 and it definitely helped me to maintain my writing momentum. Onwards!

https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/01/blaugust-2024-lessons-learned-wrap-up/

I enjoyed taking part in #Blaugust2024 and it definitely helped me to maintain my writing momentum. Onwards!

https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/01/blaugust-2024-lessons-learned-wrap-up/

I joined Blaugust 2024 in part because I discovered that it was a thing around the same time as I set out to take part in #100DaysToOffload and thought it would keep me moving along, and also because well, I am a gamer, I co-host a weekly podcast that is at least partly about gaming, and I wanted to meet and follow some new people.

I was able to keep up a decent cadence of posts, but it was more difficult than I expected to watch what everyone else was talking about – I’m still making a feed reader part of my daily habit again, and trying to curate the feeds that I’m following.

It was fun to see a range of different people joining in the conversations, and also, a couple of my posts got some attention both via the tag and elsewhere so they led to some nice interactions on Discord.

This has been a good way for me to re-engage with blogging and also to grow my network and perspectives, so definitely a win!

Posts summary

In total I managed more than 31 posts tagged over the course of the month. Of these, traffic varied but was relatively steady – the anomaly being the review of the Pocket Reform, which hit number 2 on Hacker News and clocked up thousands of views within a 24 hour period! That accounts for the sudden spike of excitement over the month as much as participation in #Blaugust2024…

Other standout posts from a traffic and interest perspective were my thoughts on fediverse instances for governments, and my posts about creativity and humans on the web. Here’s the full list from the 31 days of August, in case you want to dig back on anything: a classic mixture of culture (music/movies), tech, gaming, art, and broader ponderings.

1. Deadpool & Wolverine, or, the cunning end to a Marvel-ous Fox
2. What’s up with LinkedIn?
3. Messing with a messy NVMe
4. A re-introduction to my blog
5. AI-ngels and Demons
6. MNT Pocket Reform: first impressions
7. Recovering my Shuttlecraft
8. Pi Pico 2
9. Maintaining a rhythm
10. Henry Found the Time
11. Fixing digital holes
12. Synology issues
13. Techgrumps – with added duckweed
14. The Trunk Line
15. Midweek miscellany
16. I love the Web
17. Fediverse for Freedom
18. A list switcheroo…
19. Many micro:bits
20. the birth, life & death of stars
21. Mastodon – on your wrist
22. Return of the Ogg(Camp)
23. A fresh coat of paint
24. The Collage Atlas
25. On Symbols & Symbolism
26. Tweaking templates
27. Today’s notes
28. Somewhere in the (M5)Stack
29. MNT Pocket Reform: a (literal) field test
30. Learning about the ATmosphere
31. Some fun small games
32. The Web, made by Humans
33. Keypad hacking
34. Weekend gaming

My Blaugchievements 🏅

The most important part…?

• Reading the Manual – Read the introductory blog post with the rules of the event.
  • Completed.
• Joining the Cause – Sign-Up for Blaugust.
  • Completed.
• Recruit a Friend – Convince another blogger to participate in Blaugust.
  • Completed – I think both Neville and Ben jumped in as a result of seeing my posts.
• Spreading the Madness – Promote Blaugust on your blog or through your social media of choice.
  • Completed.
• Friend of Wumpus – Join the Blaugust Discord.
  • Completed.
• Sharing is Caring – Post your content in the “Share Your Content” Channel.
  • Completed.
• Forum of Friends – Take part in a discussion on the “Post Discussion” Channel.
  • Completed.
• The Pet Tax – Post a picture of an animal friend on the “Stuff and Things” Channel or create a blog post about them.
  • Not done.
• Friend Like Me – Answer a question posted on the Blagust Discord or help out a new blogger.
  • Not done.
• Shared Thoughts – Comment on a blog post from another Blaugust participant.
  • Completed.
• Federation of Bloggers – Sign up for a Fediverse account and follow the official Blaugust account.
  • Completed.
• Getting Inspired – Write a blog post inspired by a post from another Blaugust participant.
  • Not done.
• Pickup Group – Play a game or take part in an activity with one or more Blaugust participants.
  • Not done.
• Hot Topics – Write a blog post based on the Blaugust Prompt List.
  • Not done.
• Welcome Wagon – Write a blog post based on the first week’s theme of Welcoming Folks to Blaugust.
  • Not done.
• Introduce Yourself – Write a blog post based on the second week’s theme of Introducing Yourself.
  • Completed.
• Creative Appreciation – Write a blog post based on the third week’s theme Appreciating the works of some Creative or Company.
  • Not done.
• Staying Motivated – Write a blog post based on the fourth week’s theme of how you have managed to Stay Motivated.
  • Not done.
• Lessons Learned – Write a blog post based on the fifth week’s theme explaining some of the Lessons you have Learned through Blaugust.
  • Completed – typing it now!
• Going Platinum – Complete All of the Blaugchievements for Blaugust 2024. 
  • Not done.

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/01/blaugust-2024-lessons-learned-wrap-up/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #2024 #achievements #august #Blogging #gamification #reflections #statistics #wordpress #writing

I joined Blaugust 2024 in part because I discovered that it was a thing around the same time as I set out to take part in #100DaysToOffload and thought it would keep me moving along, and also because well, I am a gamer, I co-host a weekly podcast that is at least partly about gaming, and I wanted to meet and follow some new people.

I was able to keep up a decent cadence of posts, but it was more difficult than I expected to watch what everyone else was talking about – I’m still making a feed reader part of my daily habit again, and trying to curate the feeds that I’m following.

It was fun to see a range of different people joining in the conversations, and also, a couple of my posts got some attention both via the tag and elsewhere so they led to some nice interactions on Discord.

This has been a good way for me to re-engage with blogging and also to grow my network and perspectives, so definitely a win!

Posts summary

In total I managed more than 31 posts tagged over the course of the month. Of these, traffic varied but was relatively steady – the anomaly being the review of the Pocket Reform, which hit number 2 on Hacker News and clocked up thousands of views within a 24 hour period! That accounts for the sudden spike of excitement over the month as much as participation in #Blaugust2024…

Other standout posts from a traffic and interest perspective were my thoughts on fediverse instances for governments, and my posts about creativity and humans on the web. Here’s the full list from the 31 days of August, in case you want to dig back on anything: a classic mixture of culture (music/movies), tech, gaming, art, and broader ponderings.

1. Deadpool & Wolverine, or, the cunning end to a Marvel-ous Fox
2. What’s up with LinkedIn?
3. Messing with a messy NVMe
4. A re-introduction to my blog
5. AI-ngels and Demons
6. MNT Pocket Reform: first impressions
7. Recovering my Shuttlecraft
8. Pi Pico 2
9. Maintaining a rhythm
10. Henry Found the Time
11. Fixing digital holes
12. Synology issues
13. Techgrumps – with added duckweed
14. The Trunk Line
15. Midweek miscellany
16. I love the Web
17. Fediverse for Freedom
18. A list switcheroo…
19. Many micro:bits
20. the birth, life & death of stars
21. Mastodon – on your wrist
22. Return of the Ogg(Camp)
23. A fresh coat of paint
24. The Collage Atlas
25. On Symbols & Symbolism
26. Tweaking templates
27. Today’s notes
28. Somewhere in the (M5)Stack
29. MNT Pocket Reform: a (literal) field test
30. Learning about the ATmosphere
31. Some fun small games
32. The Web, made by Humans
33. Keypad hacking
34. Weekend gaming

My Blaugchievements 🏅

The most important part…?

• Reading the Manual – Read the introductory blog post with the rules of the event.
  • Completed.
• Joining the Cause – Sign-Up for Blaugust.
  • Completed.
• Recruit a Friend – Convince another blogger to participate in Blaugust.
  • Completed – I think both Neville and Ben jumped in as a result of seeing my posts.
• Spreading the Madness – Promote Blaugust on your blog or through your social media of choice.
  • Completed.
• Friend of Wumpus – Join the Blaugust Discord.
  • Completed.
• Sharing is Caring – Post your content in the “Share Your Content” Channel.
  • Completed.
• Forum of Friends – Take part in a discussion on the “Post Discussion” Channel.
  • Completed.
• The Pet Tax – Post a picture of an animal friend on the “Stuff and Things” Channel or create a blog post about them.
  • Not done.
• Friend Like Me – Answer a question posted on the Blagust Discord or help out a new blogger.
  • Not done.
• Shared Thoughts – Comment on a blog post from another Blaugust participant.
  • Completed.
• Federation of Bloggers – Sign up for a Fediverse account and follow the official Blaugust account.
  • Completed.
• Getting Inspired – Write a blog post inspired by a post from another Blaugust participant.
  • Not done.
• Pickup Group – Play a game or take part in an activity with one or more Blaugust participants.
  • Not done.
• Hot Topics – Write a blog post based on the Blaugust Prompt List.
  • Not done.
• Welcome Wagon – Write a blog post based on the first week’s theme of Welcoming Folks to Blaugust.
  • Not done.
• Introduce Yourself – Write a blog post based on the second week’s theme of Introducing Yourself.
  • Completed.
• Creative Appreciation – Write a blog post based on the third week’s theme Appreciating the works of some Creative or Company.
  • Not done.
• Staying Motivated – Write a blog post based on the fourth week’s theme of how you have managed to Stay Motivated.
  • Not done.
• Lessons Learned – Write a blog post based on the fifth week’s theme explaining some of the Lessons you have Learned through Blaugust.
  • Completed – typing it now!
• Going Platinum – Complete All of the Blaugchievements for Blaugust 2024. 
  • Not done.

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/01/blaugust-2024-lessons-learned-wrap-up/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #2024 #achievements #august #Blogging #gamification #reflections #statistics #wordpress #writing

Wrapping up #blaugust2024 and looking forward to #September and everything it will bring! Happy #Sunday everyone!
#blog #videogames #writing #blaugust

https://swordofseiros.wordpress.com/2024/09/01/blaugust-ended-and-hello-september/

Today, I was mostly playing games on #SteamDeck #100DaysToOffload #Blaugust2024

https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/31/weekend-gaming/

Today, I was mostly playing games on #SteamDeck #100DaysToOffload #Blaugust2024

https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/31/weekend-gaming/

Today I grabbed the Steam Deck and thought I’d dive into a game from my Steam backlog, as well as something new.

The backlog game was Full Void. It’s a puzzle platformer with a pixel art style and some elements that strongly remind me of Limbo. I liked it, but at the same time, got frustrated – it’s also very much like the original Prince of Persia – gorgeous detail in the animation, but unexpected sudden peril – I died / fell / slipped / drowned a lot. I think I got about a third of the way through on the first run through.

The new release is something I’ve had in the back of my head since I saw the initial footage online (back in August 2022, when we mentioned it on our podcast) – the very silly, Squirrel With A Gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRiRyopVm6Q

This one is great, and I had a lot of fun running around… squirrelling and causing mishief. There are definitely a few areas where the controls got frustrating. Also, I took far too long trying to get through one of the setpiece boss sections, and I think the Deck struggled to manage the number of enemies that were spawned as a result, so I saw some bad slowdown there. Definitely going to be getting back to this, though! Also, I need to look and check if there’s a soundtrack, the music for the boss battle was great!

For completeness, I also had a quick play of Cloud Gardens, from my itch catalogue. This is also available on Steam, but I already own it on itch; I’ve used NonSteamLaunchers to get games from my other storefronts on the Deck. Cloud Gardens is a lovely, relaxing game, also in a pixel art style, about growing plants around abandoned buildings and street furniture. I’m sure I’ll be checking this out more in future.

Tomorrow is another Makeroni meetup, and I also need to work on the blog post to go with this week’s episode of Games at Work dot Biz that we recorded yesterday and will publish on Monday.

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/31/weekend-gaming/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #games #gaming #itchio #steam #steamDeck #videoGames #weekend

Today I grabbed the Steam Deck and thought I’d dive into a game from my Steam backlog, as well as something new.

The backlog game was Full Void. It’s a puzzle platformer with a pixel art style and some elements that strongly remind me of Limbo. I liked it, but at the same time, got frustrated – it’s also very much like the original Prince of Persia – gorgeous detail in the animation, but unexpected sudden peril – I died / fell / slipped / drowned a lot. I think I got about a third of the way through on the first run through.

The new release is something I’ve had in the back of my head since I saw the initial footage online (back in August 2022, when we mentioned it on our podcast) – the very silly, Squirrel With A Gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRiRyopVm6Q

This one is great, and I had a lot of fun running around… squirrelling and causing mishief. There are definitely a few areas where the controls got frustrating. Also, I took far too long trying to get through one of the setpiece boss sections, and I think the Deck struggled to manage the number of enemies that were spawned as a result, so I saw some bad slowdown there. Definitely going to be getting back to this, though! Also, I need to look and check if there’s a soundtrack, the music for the boss battle was great!

For completeness, I also had a quick play of Cloud Gardens, from my itch catalogue. This is also available on Steam, but I already own it on itch; I’ve used NonSteamLaunchers to get games from my other storefronts on the Deck. Cloud Gardens is a lovely, relaxing game, also in a pixel art style, about growing plants around abandoned buildings and street furniture. I’m sure I’ll be checking this out more in future.

Tomorrow is another Makeroni meetup, and I also need to work on the blog post to go with this week’s episode of Games at Work dot Biz that we recorded yesterday and will publish on Monday.

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/31/weekend-gaming/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #games #gaming #itchio #steam #steamDeck #videoGames #weekend

Blaugust farewell: https://samjc.me/2024/08/31/blaugust-farewell.html #blaugust2024

Thoughts on Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2024. I rediscovered my motivation to write. Did you?
https://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2024/8/31/thoughts-on-blaugust-2024 #blaugust2024 #blogging

Thoughts on Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2024. I rediscovered my motivation to write. Did you?
https://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2024/8/31/thoughts-on-blaugust-2024 #blaugust2024 #blogging

Always On - Freelancers and Notifications

For full-time, permanent workers, setting boundaries outside of work is achievable. For those freelancers in creative work, it's a whole different ballgame

#Blaugust2024

https://noof.omg.lol/2024/08/always-on-freelancers-and-notifications

@stefan Ooh what a perfect day for #Blaugust2024 to wrap up! :D

@stefan Ooh what a perfect day for #Blaugust2024 to wrap up! :D

For my final post of #Blaugust2024, I write about the challenge the event presented me this year (much of it due to IRL stuff), and being happy that I still managed to finish up 31 posts!

#Blog #Blogging

https://aywren.com/2024/08/31/farewell-to-blaugust-2024

For my final post of #Blaugust2024, I write about the challenge the event presented me this year (much of it due to IRL stuff), and being happy that I still managed to finish up 31 posts!

#Blog #Blogging

https://aywren.com/2024/08/31/farewell-to-blaugust-2024

Wrapping Up Blaugust 2024

https://www.thedragonchronicle.com/wrapping-up-blaugust-2024/

#Blogging #Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #blogging #graphics

Wrapping Up Blaugust 2024

https://www.thedragonchronicle.com/wrapping-up-blaugust-2024/

#Blogging #Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #blogging #graphics

My California

If you live on the Central Coast, you already know.

https://chasingdings.com/2024/08/31/my-california/

#Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #RealLife

Dazed and Confused - The 1993 movie Dazed and Confused is regarded as a classic today for its realistic depiction of the lives of high school students in the 1970s. - https://linkage.lol/dazed-and-confused/ #Blaugust2024

Dazed and Confused - The 1993 movie Dazed and Confused is regarded as a classic today for its realistic depiction of the lives of high school students in the 1970s. - https://linkage.lol/dazed-and-confused/ #Blaugust2024

Today is post #31 for Blaugust 2024. I've been avoiding too much blog-meta, but today is an exception to mark the occasion of victory.

https://godless-internets.org/2024/08/31/blaugust-2024-retrospective

#blaugust2024

People Watching in Austin - A day spent traveling and tooling around one of America's coolest cities provided excellent opportunities to watch people do their thing. - https://louplummer.lol/people-watching/ #Blaugust2024

People Watching in Austin - A day spent traveling and tooling around one of America's coolest cities provided excellent opportunities to watch people do their thing. - https://louplummer.lol/people-watching/ #Blaugust2024

Last day of #Blaugust2024 #MentalHealth #SocialMedia

https://sag.sadesignz.org/last-day-of-blaugust2024/

Blaugust 2024 in the Rear View

When I hit publish on this post -- that'll be it. 31 posts in 31 days. Mission accomplished. But this will also probably be the last year I shoot for that particular goal. I've done it for six consecutive Blaugusts now, and I've noticed that it is no longer as difficult or draining by the end of the month to achieve it.

https://www.timetoloot.com/blog/blaugust-2024-in-the-rear-view/

#Blaugust2024

Today on AppAddict - Widget Wall - For the first time in years, I've started using my Mac's desktop as a place to check for information and interact with my computer. For a long time, I kept the desktop hidden behind windows and full screen apps. I don't save files to my desktop or launch applications from... - https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/widget-wall - #Mac Apps #Blaugust2024

Today on AppAddict - Widget Wall - For the first time in years, I've started using my Mac's desktop as a place to check for information and interact with my computer. For a long time, I kept the desktop hidden behind windows and full screen apps. I don't save files to my desktop or launch applications from... - https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/widget-wall - #Mac Apps #Blaugust2024

As the August reaches its end, so does Blaugust. I reached my goal of 31 posts in 31 days but it wasn't without some tough times and challenges.

With this retrospective, I wrap up this year's Blaugust and return to my regular schedule with blogging.

Thanks for everyone who's been part of this journey and who has commented, discussed, taught me new things and supported my journey.

https://hamatti.org/posts/blaugust-2024-retrospective/

#BatteriesIncluded #Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #Blogging

As the August reaches its end, so does Blaugust. I reached my goal of 31 posts in 31 days but it wasn't without some tough times and challenges.

With this retrospective, I wrap up this year's Blaugust and return to my regular schedule with blogging.

Thanks for everyone who's been part of this journey and who has commented, discussed, taught me new things and supported my journey.

https://hamatti.org/posts/blaugust-2024-retrospective/

#BatteriesIncluded #Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #Blogging

Post Gamescom Coverage

While I'm sure this is happening for a wider spectrum of games as well, there are two in particular that are grabbing my attention at the moment. Perhaps as no great shock -- they're the two that were of interest to me during Gamescom as well. Namely, Monster Hunter Wilds and Crimson Desert. Everything I see about Monster Hunter Wilds continues to excite, but...

https://www.timetoloot.com/game/monster-hunter/post-gamescom-coverage/

#Blaugust2024

More DIY. Man versus Toilet Seat. An epic struggle that ended in a draw.
https://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2024/8/30/more-diy #blaugust2024 #DIY

I’ve had an Adafruit Macropad for a little over 3 years, and while I was working from home at the start of that period it was permanently on, connected to my MacBook Pro on my desktop, with a variety of shortcuts configured for driving different apps that I used day-to-day. My configuration is on GitHub.

More recently, I have not been using it nearly as much.

Last weekend for our Makeroni meetup, I pulled it out of my kit bag and started to tinker some more. I have a variety of additional Qwiic / StemmaQT controls and sensors that I wanted to play with, so I updated to the most recent stable build of CircuitPython and started to have a look at them.

I also noticed that it is a nice size to act as a companion device to the MNT Pocket Reform…

I noticed a problem – there was some burn-in on the OLED display where it had been mostly always-on in the past (lesson learned, to manage the screen output more carefully!) – but fortunately, Adafruit have done a lovely job of making that easy to replace. I also think it might be nice to have that screen wedged up at a slight angle to aid readability.

I have a notion that I can 3D print a case to more-or-less match the look of my Hyper Purple laptop. I don’t have an identical colour of filament, but I do have a range of options. I also ordered a bunch of different knobs for the potentiometer, and some alternate keycaps, so that I can make the look a bit more consistent as well.

I don’t have a final case design yet (and I need to spend some time properly learning FreeCAD and/or Fusion360, really), and I also haven’t finished modifying the macros code to match what I’m using on Debian on the Pocket Reform, but this is just some work-in-progress.

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/30/keypad-hacking/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #3dPrinting #adafruit #circuitpython #hardware #keypad #macropad #maker #mntPocketReform #pocketreform #rp2040 #Technology

For today's #Blaugust2024 post, I talk about the Blaugust posts that were the most "popular" - in terms of conversation around them.

I know there's a lot going on during Blaugust, so thank you for reading and commenting!

#Blog #Blogging

https://aywren.com/2024/08/30/blaugust-2024-most-popular-posts-roundup/

We Are the Stories We Tell - Each of us is a collection of stories, our own and the ones we've collected through the years - https://louplummer.lol/we-are-the-stories-we-tell/ #Blaugust2024

Today on AppAddict - Screen Memory - I recently purchased the single purpose utility, Screen Memory on sale from Bundle Hunt for $6. On the developer's website it goes for $27 and can be used on up to three computers. The app takes screenshots of your entire monitor (or monitors) at a predetermined interval. The default is... - https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/screen-memory - #Mac Apps #Blaugust2024

Batteries included blog series wraps up today with a book recommendation. It's been a fun (and challenging) month to write about Python's standard library.

Tomorrow is time for reflection and retrospection but until then, here are my thoughts on Fluent Python, a great book for all Pythonistas.

https://hamatti.org/posts/book-recommendation-fluent-python/

#Python #BatteriesIncluded #Blaugust #Blaugust2024 #blogging

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2. Initial thoughts. Still visually stunning. The story seems more structured and less leisurely. Outstanding soundtrack by Bear McCreary. Bold non canonical elements.
https://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2024/8/29/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-2 #blaugust2024 #thelordoftherings

During my recent blogging revival I’ve already written about how I love the web1. I’ve also commented a couple of times about uses of AI and Large Language Models and the kinds of confusion that can be caused.

Today, I noticed an exchange between the brilliant Sara Joy and Stefan Bohacek on Mastodon, in which Stefan accidentally reminded me of something interesting that I hadn’t properly explored the first time around.

Rewind

About 20 years ago – actually 24 years ago, according to this Wikipedia article – there was a thing called FOAF, or Friend-of-a-Friend, an early online vocabularly / ontology for describing relationships between people and things online. There was also a related concept called DOAP, Description of a Project, that I was interested in and implemented in a couple of things I worked on back then. I did some digging, but the only references I can find on this blog are some passing mentions in the early 2000s, and I’ve lost my original foaf.rdf file but I might have to go hunting for that for posterity, at some stage.

I’m mentioning all of this because it reminds me that I’ve always been interested in the Semantic Web space, and also in the people aspects of the web, beyond just the words and the technology – Who is making What, and How it is all connected.

Humans today

Back to the ~present!

About 10 years ago – actually 12 years ago, according the last updated date in the original humans.txt file – there was the quiet proposal of an idea, for a humans.txt file, that could live in parallel to the robots.txt file on a web server.

The robots.txt file is intended for site owners to provide instructions to web crawlers – “robots”, or automated programs – as to how to behave in relation to the content of the site: this is the agreed-upon standard way in which the web works, and signals to search engines how to index websites, going all the way back to the early days of 1994-7, and later fully documented by Google and others.

The idea for the humans.txt file was that we should have a simple way to credit the people who made a website, in a super easy to create and publish format, regardless of the technology stack used to build the site or the URL formats and layout of the site. It was briefly documented and lightly promoted on humanstxt.org. I remember noticing it at the time, loving the idea, but then not really doing anything with it, and I admit that I didn’t end up using it myself.

However, Stefan is using this on his site (and wrote about it 11 years ago, because of course he’s ahead of me again 😀) and it made me think:

• This is still A Great Idea, and Right Now Could Be Its Time:
  • We’ve seen deliberate misinterpretations / mis-statements (from big AI players) about the value of robots.txt in relation to AI crawlers/scrapers in the past 6-12 months. Let’s re-emphasise the human aspect here.
    • I have a “made by a human” button in my sidebar, made by the excellent human Andy Carolan. You can get one here.
  • humanstxt.org could do with a bit of a refresh / re-upping and updating, maybe, but it’s on all of us to promote and adopt this idea.
  • the IndieWeb is thriving, and I’ve been seeing folks returning from XOXO over the past week enthusing about the greatness of the web.

REMEMBER THE JOY THE INTERNET CAN BRING ❤️

https://donotreply.cards/en/do-post-what-it-felt-like-to-make-your-first-website

— Dan Hon (@danhon) 2024-08-24T17:53:01.066Z

• [… more thoughts …]
• Why don’t I add this to my sites? OK then, I will.
• Hold on, is there a browser extension for this? Oh, there is (although with the rollout of the new Chrome updates / Manifest V3 and lack of maintenance, they may not work in the future)
• OK what about a WordPress plugin, for this here WordPress blog of mine? Oh, there is (although it has not been updated lately, and continues to refer to legacy stuff like some site called Twitter; it works, though)
• We really, really need to give credit where credit is due, in a world where things are increasingly being sucked up, mashed together by algorithms, and regurgitated in ways that diminish their creators for the enrichment of others.

What I’m saying, is this – Thank You, Stefan, and Sara, and Dan Hon2 and everyone else from XOXO and everywhere all over the internet, for reminding me that the web is great, humans are incredible, and hey, why don’t we all give this humans.txt thing one more try? I’m on board with that.

1. In that post, I also mentioned that the Tiny Awards 2024 winners were due to be announced – and as I’m writing now, they have been: One Minute Park, and One Million Checkboxes. ↩︎
2. A new edition of Dan’s excellent newsletter literally was published as I was typing this blog post. You need to subscribe to it. ↩︎

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https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/29/the-web-made-by-humans/

#Blaugust2024 #100DaysToOffload #author #browser #creativity #credit #handmade #human #humanity #humans #making #Technology #web #wordpress

For today's #Blaugust2024 post, I talk about the new survival game we've been trying out - #Soulmask.

#Gaming #VideoGames

https://aywren.com/2024/08/29/trying-out-soulmask-tribal-survival

For today's #Blaugust2024 post, I talk about the new survival game we've been trying out - #Soulmask.

#Gaming #VideoGames

https://aywren.com/2024/08/29/trying-out-soulmask-tribal-survival

There was a Nintendo Direct recently that I’ve failed to watch. It’s the second in a row, but I usually get the news the day after. I was on Facebook and saw a post about something-something, Trails in the Sky remake, very short trailer. I couldn’t believe it. I googled it and found an IGN article. Not entirely sure, I went to my source and newfound home, the fediverse, and they confirmed it and sent me the trailer. I’ve been on forums and other groups and it was a constant discussion between Trails fans, about when the game would be ported to consoles, since the license is owned by another company. 

So there really is going to be a remake, not only a port, and as the vibrant colors can attest, it will be gorgeous and most likely easier to navigate on the menus and environment. However, it wasn’t only that. The game will be 3D and I was extremely happy for reasons I wrote about previously. When I asked the Falcom gods for a remake, I wasn’t really thinking about changing the perspective altogether, instead making volumes, patterns, textures and colors a bit easier to read. A better map, camera movements and overall readability of the interface. In my text I wrote that my experience with the game was plagued by nasty physical symptoms. The first time I played the game and panned the camera I got nausea with the only result being a more visceral reaction that didn’t seem to go away. I just wanted to see the story between Estelle and Joshua but I couldn’t bring myself to endure any more of it. With Trails of Cold Steel I experienced the opposite and found the game easier to read overall. Also I could navigate better in 3D. My reaction to Trails in the Sky is something I’m not proud of even though I couldn’t control it.

I asked my wife if she remembered the game that made me sick and showed her the video of the remake. “See? Now we can play from Estelle’s perspective.” I said. I then showed her how the game looked before. She pointed to one of the screenshots from a Google search of the original. “Ah, but that… that is something I’m familiar with! I like that.” I asked if she prefered a 2.5D isometric perspective, if she could navigate well in the environment and she said yes. I instantly recalled Triangle Strategy, one of my favorite strategy games, and how beautiful it looked in that same perspective. I showed her the remake with a third-person view. “How do you think you’d play from this perspective? You can look everywhere and also up.” And her answer was very telling. “Why would I even want to look up when I can look down and see everything?” An answer worthy of a goddess! 

I wonder how people will react to this remake compared to how they recognise the first games in the series. In this department, I consider myself a newcomer, because when I was younger I didn’t have access to JRPGs. I jumped from 2D Nintendo games directly to 3D games and then I spent years in the shadows doing university things. I still have mixed feelings about the perspective change, though. This is not a new discussion in JRPG groups, about which perspective people want to play their games in, if they prefer 3D character models or 2D sprites, if what feels more authentic is one or the other, especially when it comes to an original game where the authenticity is already established.

“Maybe you adapted to Triangle Strategy so well because the game required you to do other things where the perspective wasn’t so important,” my wife added. About this, I don’t know. True, the exploration in Triange Strategy was minimal, but my problem with Sky was the readability of the environment. I couldn’t see and distinguish colors and volumes easily in areas outside the village and interiors – my problem entirely. The top-down perspective is a feature of the original game and a fundamental part of its identity. Why did they decide to change it considering that so many people love games like Octopath Traveller or Star Ocean: The Second Story Remake? My personal preference is always 3D – it’s easier on my eyes for some reason and more immersive. Habit also plays a role. I’m looking forward to seeing more footage of the game and every little upgrade they make. The story is, in fact, the reason I still want to play the game. And Estelle, but that goes without saying.

Yesterday, we decided to spend a nice and cosy afternoon reading books when the world outside seemed to be overcome by yet another storm. September is almost here and with it comes more rain and beautiful brown, yellow and red leaves paving the footpaths. After finishing Soul Hackers 2 I can say that many games have passed by these hands this year. This blog will be one year old in November and since my Fire Emblem Three Houses rush last year – a game I still love so much – I have been playing games non-stop and also writing about them. With this I want to say that I don’t especially look forward to new games nor do I have the energy to look new things up. It’s nice that the release of Trails in the Sky is still some months ahead of us. Maybe even on a new Switch? We never know!

https://swordofseiros.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/a-matter-of-perspective/

#adventureGames #blaugust #blaugust2024 #estelle #falcom #gaming #JRPGs #nintendoDirect #nintendoSwitch #perspective #trailsInTheSky #trailsInTheSkyRemake #triangleStrategy #videogames #writing