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Cake day: June 22nd, 2023

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  • A big issue is that we’re still quite limited when it comes to analytical methods for quantifying and classifying microplastics. I’ve seen a method from ASTM from like 2020 referenced once or twice, but the most telling one is that EPA doesn’t have one for drinking water yet. I know PFAS for example seems like a recent hot topic, but Method 537 dates back to to 2009 and UCMR3 (even if Method 533 is much more recent). Until we get a consensus on what exactly microplastic is and isn’t and a consistent way to put a number on it, we’re not really generating high quality data.


  • I think it’s fair to say that basic science in general is underfunded and adding to that academic overhead is absurd.

    That said, it’s useful to clarify some definitions in there. Basic science is anything but basic, it’s “pure research”, or projects that aim to better understand some principle and/or phenomenon (a relevant example would be the mechanisms behind superconductors).

    That and the academic overhead I’m referencing is the cut that a university takes of grant awards. Most of the departments I’ve been around take 50% of the grant award, so if you need $100,000 to complete a project, you have to ask for 200 grand (or more if you want to be paid the whole year rather than just 9 months). Now a lot of this is driven by an outrageous number of administrators with insulting salaries for what they provide (does the vice president of insert some nebulous term here really provide 300 grand worth of contributions to a university, especially so when they set the salary of teaching faculty down around 40~50K and expect applicants with PhDs and years of experience).

    So what ends up happening is that researchers tag buzzwords and trendy bells and whistles onto research projects that really don’t need them just to have a single digit percent chance at getting the finding to make them happen. Oh and if they don’t beat the odds, they are shown the door in 5 years. Academia really needs a shakeup.










  • Those threads were user driven. Honestly, the easiest way would be to reach out to TurboStrider and see if he had any interest in posting over here. He was always very cordial with the “old guard” (long time members that underwent a mass exodus over the last 6 months, myself included) on the mod team and has bristled a bit with the remaining team, at least at the time of my departure. It’s a lot more work than it appears and that’s why the mod team stayed far, far away from it (and the impossible to avoid optics of biases based on where various publications fell in order).

    I think the best option right now would be to post a framework thread on launch day, have a pinned post if possible or just upvote the snot out of a placeholder and have users reply to said top post with reviews as they trickle in with a copy and paste format provided at the bottom of the framework thread. Sorry if my terminology and/or lack of knowledge on what tools we have available here comes off the wrong way, I just was deeply involved in r/games for several years and old habits die hard.


  • I seriously doubt Nintendo would get into a situation where they are less than a year away from a new console without even soft announcing it’s coming in an investor meeting or anything. They announced Switch (as the upcoming NX) in April 2016 for a March 2017 launch. WiiU was announced April 2011, for a November~Dec 2012 launch. The Wii was hyped 2 years in a row in 2004 and 2005 before releasing in 2006, and the Gamecube was announced August 2000 before a Sept~Nov 2001 release. Nintendo may very well be launching new hardware early next year, but history points more to a Switch Pro unless they announce VERY soon and the release window is more late summer~fall 2024.





  • I think perspective is key here. Setting aside the low barrier of entry that can’t possible keep the truly dreadful garbage out, on mobile you’re super limited on your input method (touch screen and not so great motion controls). This tends leads to devs gravitating towards the sort of genres that were historically plagued with low quality shovel-ware on platforms like the Wii. As others have said, true gems exist, although I’d argue that the best of the best do tend to ports from more capable platforms. Titles like Dicey Dungeons, Slay the Spire, and others along those lines have rich play mechanics underneath of the simple touch interface. It really all depends on how how far you want to dig, and how deep of an experience you want (there are hundreds of good enough match 3 games if that’s your jam).