Peter Drake, he/him, LFHCfS 🔥 @peterdrake@social.cleverlibre.org

Day 10: The Cylinder #MastoArt #drawing

#BirdsOfMastodon

Showed up for the second day to start the trial and ... immediate mistrial. Apparently the defendant stepped outside yesterday, was overcome by the heat, and went to the hospital. They'll be all right, but are in no shape for a trial. They'll find a new jury when they reschedule. #JuryDuty

The winners of this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (which challenges entrants to come up with the worst possible opening sentence for a novel) have been posted:

https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2023

#writing #BulwerLytton #ItWasADarkAndStormyNight

Day 9: The Rose #MastoArt #drawing

#Violet, a dog covered in fur (some of it black), wants to hang out on the 100℉ back porch in the hope that a free-range deep-fried squirrel will drop into her mouth.

#DogsOfMastodon #heat #pdx #portland #HungryLikeTheWolf

Me: All these "wait for a couple of frames" delays we've duct taped to our game can't possibly be the right solution.

Tutorial by a professional: Now we add in a special value "just in case there is a physics hiccup that might make the Projectile appear to not move in the first frames".

#unity #unity3d #GameDev

@LHookham @FeralRobots @njwatt @benni @futurebird To be clear, in a plurality election, voting for a non-viable candidate is not MUCH better than not voting, but it's better.

@LHookham @FeralRobots @njwatt @benni @futurebird If some third party got 20% of the vote, news would report it. Politicians would, to some degree, listen and veer in that direction.

If those people didn't vote, the losing major party would think, "Aha! People like the other party better. We should shift toward their position."

RCV is interesting because, among other things, it reveals this information. Third parties would finally find out if they're losing because voters are too afraid to "waste their votes" or because very few people support the third party's position.

Tidbits from #JuryDuty orientation:

You can use the bathroom even during the orientation. You won't miss anything because there are speakers in there.

You can get a letter verifying your service for your employer or *spouse*. "Jury duty my ass, Harold, you were out with that floozy again!"

Apparently there's a problem with jurors telling the judge (of whom they're afraid), "Yes, I can serve that long," then coming back to the waiting room and stage-whispering to a clerk, "not really".