It's interesting to me

[674136b086dcefox]

The bad news is that I'm not sure what could properly replace Google search.

[674136b086f8fVegoraptor]

Up until a few months ago, I would have suggested DuckDuckGo, but that has been continuously getting worse as well. Oftentimes when I am looking for images, they don't load properly anymore, and DDG also started pushing their own privacy plugin (which may or may not have merit to it, but I detest stuff like that being unconsensually shoved in my face).

[674136b0870f2voodoo47]

who needs a search anyway, I've got all I need right here.

[674136b087401fox]

Up until a few months ago, I would have suggested DuckDuckGo, but that has been continuously getting worse as well. Oftentimes when I am looking for images, they don't load properly anymore, and DDG also started pushing their own privacy plugin (which may or may not have merit to it, but I detest stuff like that being unconsensually shoved in my face).

I thought about giving DDG a spin too. Didn't convince me some 15 years ago but I guess that means nothing at all so I will give it another chance.

[674136b087553Gawain]

Isn't DDG just a frontend for Microsoft Bing?

[674136b0876c1Nameless Voice]

I keep saying it, but what's interesting to me is how truly awful the internet is without ad blocking, and yet somehow there's still people who don't use one.

[674136b08780eicemann]

Youtube is the worst offender there. All I ever see is gambling commercials when I watch anything on my TV. Thankfully on Laptop + gaming PC got ad blocker.

[674136b08791cfox]

RPS: "Thief developer Randy Smith says "immersion is totally incompatible with ego"

[674136b087ae0ZylonBane]

He doesn't even say that in the interview.

For Smith, the magic of games like the ones Looking Glass made comes partly from immersion. “And I think immersion only happens when you’re careful to take all the contrivances and conceits out of your game,” he says. “It’s just totally incompatible with ego. If somebody is trying to put themselves in the game, then necessarily they’re creating a contrivance.”

Which, to be fair, is equally as incomprehensible. He seems to have some personal definition of "ego" that he doesn't bother sharing anywhere in the interview.

[674136b087eb2fox]

ZylonBane

I think that headline is meant to summarize these paragraphs:

Yet Looking Glass games weren’t driven by a singular 90s auteur. In fact, the very absence of ego in the studio’s culture meant its many “bright stars” were happy to adhere to a shared vision.

“There were various individual superheroes,” Smith says. “Terry Brosius, Dan Thron, Doug Church, Mark LeBlanc. But somehow, the goal wasn’t to be like, ‘I’m Mark LeBlanc who made this system in the game, and everybody knows me’. You were measured against the game we all created together. The game’s as good as its weakest link. Ego wasn’t the focus.”

[674136b088078fox]

Suzanne Ciani Creates The Soundtrack For A Pinball Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r28i-k3mL3o

[674136b08831aicemann]

fox
Very cool. Very 80's style video. Sexy unique voice that Suzanne.

She was on the David Letterman show here, where she went into demonstrating voice alteration. Quite fascinating in the technical details and demonstration of how it works.

[674136b08843avoodoo47]

..so youtube has now upgraded the video suggestions from infected hooves to infected human feet. nice attempt I guess? but still not clicking.

facebook is trying to get me into Rihanna for a change, even though I barely am aware someone like that exists (US celebrity of some kind? not even going to bother to google).

[674136b088784RocketMan]

You haven't heard her music?  Some of it is quite good.  Try Shut Up and Drive.

[674136b088879voodoo47]

naah, I think I'll stick with AC/DC. I'm kinda oldschool, as you may have noticed.

[674136b08896bRocketMan]

So am I.  Give it 10 seconds.  You might just like it.

[674136b088a4aicemann]

That's what she said.

[674136b088b8dfox]

She has a relatively distinct voice, she can sing and she has performed some hugely successful radio hits. Her songs were written for her with the intention of becoming hits. Some I like hearing when they are on and not played to death anymore. She has the superstar looks and attitude too, which helps. But her franchise really is just fast-food entertainment for a mostly younger audience, a well presented industrial product designed to make money. Seemed to have called it quits a few years ago to invest that money into her other businesses now. I think that about covers it.

[674136b088c67voodoo47]

AC/DC it is then!

[674136b088e92krumpet]

RocketManpop music just reminds me of being at work and serving customers.

[674136b089087RocketMan]

Music, like most art forms is very personal so it's more about sharing perspective than making arguments, although I'm not disputing anything that Fox said... that's just facts and stuff.  I don't try to justify why music makes me feel a certain way, I just accept that it does.  I have listened to a lot of shitty pop music over the years and some of Rihanna's songs just don't do it for me but she's got a couple of good ones IMO.  Someone else may have written them (surprise surprise, seems like few artists are actually responsible for their own work these days) but they did a good job regardless and she can still sing it well enough.  I like rock and metal too but not to the exclusion of other very different genres so there are quite a few pop singles I'm fond of.

The exception to everything I just said is Dance Mix 95.  That's simply the best music ever and nobody can argue that!  It wins by default!

[674136b089170fox]

As an Elvis-fan and a general music lover, I can relate.

[674136b0893f6sarge945]

There's some pop music I like. Michael Jackson comes to mind.

I think there's a difference between "corporate produced product" pop music and "I wanna make people bop and feel good" pop music. It's unfortunate that such an industry has grown up around pop music (probably because of it's general appeal) and as a result pop music as a whole is generally thrown under the bus when people hear overproduced hit followed by overproduced hit.

I'm still more of a Rock/Metal guy myself. I'm also one of the 3 people on the planet that likes the new Tool album.

[674136b0895abfox]

So, speaking of well-made products of the pop industry... This is basically a trilogy, at this point.

Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMWLX0KXwF4
Tove Lo - Borderline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oZCzDVx_so
Tove Lo - Awkward Tove Lo Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqmbJ6uZpcs