abyrd - Network

TIL about LLVM XRay. It sticks no-ops at the beginning and end of each function and has a runtime tool that can patch the binary while...

TIL about LLVM XRay. It sticks no-ops at the beginning and end of each function and has a runtime tool that can patch the binary while it's running to swap the no-ops with tracing instructions.
https://llvm.org/docs/XRay.html

The idea of "dynamic instrumented profiling" where you can on-the-fly toggle profiling in specific functions is pretty cool.

The level design is what really blows my mind the most. I will forever aspire to make games that feel this dynamic. This is what the medium...

The level design is what really blows my mind the most. I will forever aspire to make games that feel this dynamic. This is what the medium was built for.

I know I'm gushing here, but god damn it's so good. Maybe the story is mediocre, I don't know, I've been too busy cranking it up and smashing things.

Boss fights are just nuts. Not overly hard, but weird and original and creepy and delightful.I completely forgot I originally bought the...

Boss fights are just nuts. Not overly hard, but weird and original and creepy and delightful.

I completely forgot I originally bought the game because the Combichrist did the soundtrack. I jumped into the very first fight and got kicked in the face with nostalgia. It's not often you get heavy music in games and the aggressive industrial metal / electronic fits the vibe perfectly.

The hack 'n' slash mechanics are some of the most fun I can recall. You get a new weapon every other level. Different enemies force...

The hack 'n' slash mechanics are some of the most fun I can recall. You get a new weapon every other level. Different enemies force you to you to use specific weapons and combos and there are constantly new variations. Bonus levels push you to master specific nuances of combat. Scoring rewards you for mixing up your attacks instead of finding one or two overpowered combos. There are enough combos that I can't keep them all in my head and rotate through them in a formulaic way.

Devil May Cry (2013) is way better than it has any right to be. I went in just looking to blow off steam with some button-mashing,...

Devil May Cry (2013) is way better than it has any right to be. I went in just looking to blow off steam with some button-mashing, face-rolling, tongue-in-cheek, silly fun. And while I got all of that, it's so much more than that.

The levels themselves are so...alive. Walls are shifting, floors are exploding, entire sections of levels are casually ripped apart and reorganized. And without interrupting the pacing of the game. It's awesome. There are details and world building hidden throughout.

I generally find that the limiting factor in games is the quality of the tools, not necessarily the features they provide. Tools should melt...

I generally find that the limiting factor in games is the quality of the tools, not necessarily the features they provide. Tools should melt into the background of the creative process.

Every time you think about a tool is a failure of that tool.

Interesting to think about the different paths people see for games. I find that I still think of games like novels and movies - discrete...

Interesting to think about the different paths people see for games. I find that I still think of games like novels and movies - discrete pieces of art to be experienced and consumed. Temporary things. Some folk skew heavily toward ideas of scale - "lifestyle" games and creative platforms for amateurs.

I'm far more excited by the idea of making the best damn text editor you've ever seen than I am the idea of "revolutionizing" the way you write novels.

Ok, Rings of Power might be mediocre, but this song from the end of S2E7...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOfhZJax3NI

Ok, Rings of Power might be mediocre, but this song from the end of S2E7...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOfhZJax3NI

I'm looking to hire someone for visual design improvements to a simple blog. Basics like colors, spacing, fonts, etc. I'm basically...

I'm looking to hire someone for visual design improvements to a simple blog. Basics like colors, spacing, fonts, etc. I'm basically looking for someone to spruce the place up a bit and make it look a little less like programmer art.

What's the best name to use for this? Web design consultant? UI design?

Also, anyone looking for a small side gig?

Every once in a while physics comes in handy. I slapped a metal ring on my phone case to use it with magnetic mounts. But when wirelessly...

Every once in a while physics comes in handy. I slapped a metal ring on my phone case to use it with magnetic mounts. But when wirelessly charging it got dangerously hot. Figured the induction was turning the ring into a little racetrack for elections and cut a sliver out of the ring with some side cutters. No more heat! 4 years well spent.

The rest of Phoenix Labs is finally getting laid off. I figured it was always one under-performing quarter from gone. RIP to my favorite...

The rest of Phoenix Labs is finally getting laid off. I figured it was always one under-performing quarter from gone. RIP to my favorite place I've ever worked.

Fuck crypto and fuck blockchain.

Lol, you can't search for "C++" on Google in Firefox desktop at the moment. The pluses get removed and it just searches for C.

Lol, you can't search for "C++" on Google in Firefox desktop at the moment. The pluses get removed and it just searches for C.

```if constexpr (false){ static_assert(false);}```The fact that this doesn't compile makes me sad.

```
if constexpr (false)
{
static_assert(false);
}
```

The fact that this doesn't compile makes me sad.

Had to do a bit of cellphone surgery tonight. The screen started coming unglued in one of the corners. I figured new adhesive is only a few...

Had to do a bit of cellphone surgery tonight. The screen started coming unglued in one of the corners. I figured new adhesive is only a few bucks and the hot rework station made short work of the remaining adhesive.

Buuut it needs a battery. It's swelling, which was pushing the screen loose.

Collectibles ruin the pacing of video games. Net negative imo.

Collectibles ruin the pacing of video games. Net negative imo.

Much happier with Vercel than Digital Ocean for hosting a serverless function. DO is quite bad by comparison.

Much happier with Vercel than Digital Ocean for hosting a serverless function. DO is quite bad by comparison.

Using Process from Powershell and asynchronously handling each stream is distinctly un-fun. Won't be making that mistake again.

Using Process from Powershell and asynchronously handling each stream is distinctly un-fun. Won't be making that mistake again.

Today's rabbit hole: learning OAuth

Today's rabbit hole: learning OAuth

@demofox Ah, found it.https://martin.ankerl.com/2009/12/09/how-to-create-random-colors-programmatically/I originally found it through a link...

@demofox Ah, found it.

https://martin.ankerl.com/2009/12/09/how-to-create-random-colors-programmatically/

I originally found it through a link in one of your posts which is why I thought you might have written it.

https://blog.demofox.org/2017/05/29/when-random-numbers-are-too-random-low-discrepancy-sequences/

@demofox I vaguely recall a blog post about using the golden ratio to select from a set of values in a way that was maximally spread out....

@demofox I vaguely recall a blog post about using the golden ratio to select from a set of values in a way that was maximally spread out. The particular use case I'm remembering was selecting colors programmatically. Was that you? I can't find it now.