Arduinna

Posted by swr

https://www.metafilter.com/210172/State-of-the-art-in-1992

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person 3D computer game released in 1992. (short retrospective (2:53), thorough retrospective (2:24:22), interview with Paul Neurath (59:52)) Despite its groundbreaking technical achievements, as a role-playing game from a time when first-person shooters were taking off, it is often overlooked...

Released by Blue Sky Studios in March 1992 for MS-DOS, Ultima Underworld predates Wolfenstein 3D (May 1992). In addition to the texture-mapped floors and non-90 degree walls that most of us wouldn't see until the release of Doom (December 1993), it also has sloped floors, 3D modelled objects such as shrines and benches, bridges over areas, the ability to look up and down, jumping, and a physics engine. Being an RPG rather than an FPS, it also has a rich set of RPG mechanics: Player stats, inventory, equipment, combat, spellcasting, XP gain and level-up, main and side quests, exploration, NPC dialogue, bartering, puzzles, crafting, fishing... Though overshadowed in the public eye by shooters from iD Software and others, numerous game developers have cited Ultima Underworld as an imporant influence. The Wikipedia page's "Legacy" section covers this extensively, with references, so I won't repeat it here. Thanks to archive.org you can read all about Ultima Underworld in the computer magazines of the time. Here's a full-page ad in Compute! magazine emphasising the smooth 3D nature of the game. Later ads focused more on reviewer's comments. And here are some reviews: ACE, CGW (Allen Greenberg), CGW (Scorpia), PC Review. If you want to play Ultima Underworld today, it is available from GOG, bundled with its larger but less well-received sequel. As was common with RPGs of the time, the manual contains important information that is not available in-game, and should not be considered optional. The game is playable, but the controls will take some practice if you're used to modern games. The game is also unforgiving. Some stats, such as strength, cannot be changed after character creation, meaning you may be stuck with poor carrying capacity. (I recommend rolling a Druid with high strength and no major deficiencies.) It's also possible for quest-essential NPCs to be killed, rendering the game unwinnable. Stagger your saves, and consider following a guide.

https://www.metafilter.com/210172/State-of-the-art-in-1992

Posted by mephron

https://www.metafilter.com/210170/The-LGBTQIA-News-Post-August-31-2025-No-Banana-Peel-Please

Welcome to the LGBTQIA+ News Post for August 31. For all the transphobes and homophobes and general bigots out there, you need to calm down.

huge thanks to @kristi for passing some stuff to me. The Bad News US government orders states to destroy trans education materials

The US government is reportedly demanding that almost every state in the US remove sex education materials referencing trans and non-binary people. A call made by the Trump administration on Tuesday (26 August) threatens to rescind federal funding for educational institutions in at least 46 states and US territories if they do not comply with the order. Overall, the measure could see over $81.3 million wiped from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), a federal education funding initiative. One of the letters handed to education officials in Alabama, seen by PinkNews, orders the removal of modules, books, and other materials by 27 October or face federal funding cuts. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) argued in the letter that teaching so-called "gender ideology" is not mentioned under PREP's funding criteria and, therefore, is not "allowable, reasonable, or allocable." "[Trans education materials are] both irrelevant to teaching abstinence and contraception and unrelated to any of the adult preparation subjects described in [PREP's criteria]," they wrote. "The statute neither requires, supports, nor authorises teaching students that gender identity is distinct from biological sex or that boys can identify as girls and vice versa; thus, gender ideology is outside the scope of the authorising statute."

For trans people, it's May 5, 1933 again. South Carolina rushes emergency petition to U.S. Supreme Court over trans student's bathroom use: The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a new law in South Carolina, put in as part of the budget, requiring students to use the bathroom based on "biological sex", which is interpreted as the one of the birth certificate. South Carolina, therefore, are begging John Roberts and the rest of the Gang of Six to let them be as bigoted as they wanna be. Texas, in its redistricting push, is going to gerrymander the only LGBTQ+ member of Congress from the South, Rep. Julie Johnson, out of her seat by breaking her district up into eight parts. Republican commentator Joey "I'm Afraid Of The 20th Century" Mannarino has called for all trans people to be "locked away and studied" after the shooting in Minneapolis, also for them to violate HIPAA, and for anyone assisting in transition to be immediately expelled from the medical profession, finishing up with saying that transgender people need to be treated like terrorists. He has more tweets that get worse. Please note that 98% of school shootings are committed by white men like Joey, but no one talks about locking them up en masse. In sad entertainment news, Gloria Gaynor, singer of such iconic tunes as "I Will Survive", has been shown to have donated to many Republican lawmakers since 2016, including Ted Cruz, Mike Johnson, Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, and Josh Hawley. She has not responded to requests for comment. Over in the UK, the shit humans in the Crown Prosecution Service have managed to convict a trans woman for sexual assault for not telling a man she was dating that she was transgender. The Crown Persecution Service argued that the man was unable to make "informed consent", after he claimed he wouldn't have had sexual contact with Watkin had he known she was trans. This conviction comes in the wake of a recent update to the CPS's "deception as to sex", previously "deception as to gender", guidance. The Good News Illinois Governor J. B. Prizker announced a new LGBTQ+ helpline on August 25.

"Illinois Pride Connect will provide resources on health care and education, on immigration, social services, family protections and beyond. It will answer frequently asked questions and inform individuals of their rights and provide advocacy tools. "Together, we are fighting ignorance with information, and cruelty with compassion."

The Texas Democrats are still being followed by state troopers to make sure they show up for the redistricting votes.Rep. Venton Jones, one of the few out members of the House and the Democratic House Whip, led his to the Rose Room, a gay bar in Dallas' gayborhood for a meeting with the public. Also present were Rep. Terry Meza and US House Rep. Julie Johnson (mentioned above). Also in Texas, Constable Stacy Suits, who has overseen Travis Country Precinct 3 for almost 10 years, testified before the House committee on State Affairs that House Bill 52, Texas Women's Privacy Act, had no real reason to exist. The bill, which matches Senate Bill 8, would require that people in government buildings, including schools, courthouses, and universities, use multi-user bathrooms, locker rooms, and shelters according to the sex on their original birth certificate.

"In those nine years, we have not had an incident like [what] has been described as what's been happening," Suits said. "We're not interested in being the potty police." Suits then revealed a more personal stake. "During the pandemic, my child, who identified as they, moved to Portland, Oregon. They are now transitioning and identify as a he. So I worry about their safety and the effects of this," he said. Veteran Democrat Rep. Senfronia Thompson seized on Suits' testimony to underline the bill's shaky premise. "And you have not encountered any incident?" she asked. "Not in the last nine years," Suits replied. "And Travis County is in Texas? United States of America?" Thompson pressed, to laughter in the room. "Yes, ma'am," Suits said. Her final question cut to the core of the hearing: "Have you been able to determine a trans person going into the restroom?" "I really don't want to go there because we don't want to be the potty police," Suits answered. "We have enough trouble right now distinguishing in law enforcement between hemp and marijuana." "I've been trying to pick up what are the characteristics of a trans person so that I can be able to identify one," Thompson responded. "I have not picked that up."

Thompson and the bill's sponsor, Rep. Angelia Orr, then sparred about what actually is supposed to happen with the bill, and Thompson pointed out that the bill as written is very badly set up as it relies merely on opinion, not scientific or legal data. Michigan Attorney General has called the University of Michigan Health Center "cowardly" for ceasing to provide gender-affirming health care for persons under 19, and has stated she will be investigating if this violates Michigan law. Six women sued the University of Wyoming chapter of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma for inducting a transgender woman. They lost:

The complaint itself was full of invective for their transgender sister, including her height and weight, accusing her of having an "angry glare," and misgendering her with he/him pronouns throughout. It only took [U.S. District Court Judge Alan B.] Johnson a couple of months to throw out their lawsuit, scolding the plaintiffs for including so many personal insults towards the trans woman that they barely had any room left for "their legal claims against Defendants."

They filed it all over again this year, claiming that the Regime rules on trans people and the Department of Edjumication's new interpretive dance on Title IX was proof it was bad. They lost again:

But the judge rejected their arguments again, noting that Kappa Kappa Gamma's bylaws don't define the words "woman" or "women" to be exclusively referring to cisgender women. He even noted that the sorority "published and distributed multiple texts" showing that its interpretation of those words is trans-inclusive, so the plaintiffs can't claim that their contract with the sorority was understood to mean that trans women would be excluded.

The trans sister, Artemis Langford, graduated earlier this year and is planning on leaving Wyoming, in part because of death threats against her. The Vortex This section is for news that's either alternating good and bad, or just so mixed good and bad it's hard to separate out. And of course, for our first Vortex, we have go to Florida. Specifically, Orlando, where the Florida Department of Transportation has started painting over the Pulse shooting memorial crosswalk after US Transportation Secretary and professional bladder control failure enthusiast Sean Duffy released guidance that rainbow crosswalks and other kinds of art and "political distractions" on roads could lead to traffic dangers. The rainbow sidewalk was specifically authorized by then-Governor and Skeletor impersonator Rick Scott in 2017. FDOT took action on August 22, painting the memorial over without notifying their intent to the city. A couple of days later, in the middle of the night, citizens repainted it in the middle of the night, only for FDOT to come back and cover it up again. When the citizens returned to recolor the sidewalks, there were police guarding it, which seems to many to be serious overkill. Rick DeSantis has, of course, defended the action, and has expanded the covering up for all messages painted on streets, even those he agrees with. The Cinnamon Roll Report Pedro Pascal is replacing Joaquin Phoenix in the Todd Haynes movie De Noche, starring opposite Danny Ramirez in the gay romance set in the 1930s. Be well, friends. If you have news I missed or personal triumphs, bring them here! Let us know your joys. You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate 'Cause shade never made anybody less gay So oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh You need to calm down, you're being too loud And I'm just like oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh (Oh) You need to just stop, like can you just not step on his gown? You need to calm down

https://www.metafilter.com/210170/The-LGBTQIA-News-Post-August-31-2025-No-Banana-Peel-Please

Posted by subdee

https://www.metafilter.com/210168/Crisis-at-the-CDC

Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say. Armstrong, an infectious disease physician at University of Colorado Medicine, recently confronted one such loss in her practice in Colorado. Her patient had signs of what could be a cancer or could be an unusual infection — diagnoses that would require completely different treatment. Ordinarily, she would confirm an infection after sending a sample to the CDC for testing its lab would perform — the only one in the U.S. capable of doing so. The CDC no longer has the capacity to do that, she was told, not disclosing the nature of the test to protect her patient's privacy. "That directly impacted my patient," she said. "It had a real-world, absolutely direct impact on a patient that I was evaluating and has led to a much, much more complicated situation."

Three senior CDC leaders resigned after the White House fired Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Monarez's lawyers said she was removed for refusing to "rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives" from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The resigning officials said the shake-up threatened science with Demetre Daskalakis saying "our science is going to be compromised," while Debra Houry warned vaccine policy was being set "before we had the data," and Daniel Jernigan accused HHS of pressing him to alter settled safety studies. "The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning," Daskalakis wrote in his resignation letter. "My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions' words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues' thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed." Hundreds of CDC staff staged a walkout in Atlanta with signs reading "Science not conspiracy" in support of Monarez and the officials who resigned. BONUS: Former CDC Director William Foege: How public health can fight back in a time of dangerous nonsense.

https://www.metafilter.com/210168/Crisis-at-the-CDC

Posted by maxwelton

https://www.metafilter.com/210166/Rescuing-century-old-tomatoes

Eric, the proprietor of youtube channel "Hand Tool Rescue", normally discovers and restores questionable (and often dangerous) old hand-operated tools. But in his latest video, he reveals he found a sample packet of Norton tomato seeds in a 1926 seed catalog he found in his travels and decides to see if he can get any to germinate. He's up to the task as he also reveals that in his non-youtube life, he has a PhD in plant science. The result is a typical-for-the-channel but off-subject "hand tool rescue video": Can I Grow 100 Year Old Tomato Seeds?

https://www.metafilter.com/210166/Rescuing-century-old-tomatoes

Posted by dances_with_sneetches

https://www.metafilter.com/210164/Touch-of-Evil

An investigation has found probable cause that Buford Pusser, legendary lawman and subject of the Walking Tall movies, killed his wife.

Walking Tall was an influential "one lawman takes vengeance against punks" film of the Death Wish, Dirty Harry genre of the 1970s. In the film, outlaws killed his wife. Tennessee has a Buford Pusser Museum and festival.

https://www.metafilter.com/210164/Touch-of-Evil

Posted by the sobsister

https://www.metafilter.com/210162/Nursing-a-brioche-dough-back-to-life

Next Friday, September 5, marks the U.S. debut of the 16th season of The Great British Bake Off a/k/a The Great British Baking Show, televised via Netflix. Ruby Tandoh, in The New Yorker, tells the story of the show past and present and of her own participation in it back in 2012. Will it be stodgy or airy?

https://www.metafilter.com/210162/Nursing-a-brioche-dough-back-to-life

Posted by sammyo

https://www.metafilter.com/210160/AI-will-never-ever-replace-Margot-Fonteyn

From QRIO to Optimus, humanoid robots are literally dancing their way into the cultural spotlight. And these aren't just novelty robots anymore modern humanoids are highly advanced platforms with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in R&D. They have fluidity, balance, and precision that sometimes makes us look clumsy.

(Dame Margot)

https://www.metafilter.com/210160/AI-will-never-ever-replace-Margot-Fonteyn

Posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries

https://www.metafilter.com/210158/Groundbreaking-algae-and-sunlight-tech-making-sewage-treatment-sexy

Groundbreaking algae and sunlight tech making sewage treatment sexy. Technology using macroalgae and the sun's rays to purify wastewater saves a council in Queensland's north millions, while providing fertiliser for farmers and reducing nitrogen runoff to the Great Barrier Reef.

https://www.metafilter.com/210158/Groundbreaking-algae-and-sunlight-tech-making-sewage-treatment-sexy

Posted by chavenet

https://www.metafilter.com/210156/Theres-still-no-shaking-the-philosopher

The fourth boom has been shut out of power, and wildly underfunded compared to the money one can make studying Friedrich Hayek at the Mises Institute. Contemporary American socialism is treated as unserious by centrist figureheads, and on the right, the fights for universal healthcare and free college are accused of being secret nihilist movements toward enforced unfreedom. This socialist contingent is explicitly ignored (and resented) by Democrats, but as Hartman notes, "reducing millennial socialism to a generational tantrum ignores the fact that many young Americans have been pushed leftward by deeply entrenched historical pressures." from Marx: The Fourth Boom [LARB; ungated]

https://www.metafilter.com/210156/Theres-still-no-shaking-the-philosopher

Posted by brookeb

https://www.metafilter.com/210155/Hurricane-Katrina-Twenty-Years-Later

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Southeast Louisiana 20 years ago today. The scale of devastation is almost hard to remember (80% of the city underwater and more than 1300 people died). It's even harder to figure out what links to share to capture the full story of the impact and aftermath.

Perhaps listening to Floodlines. Or revisiting the story of Rooty the Pig. Stories of loss and resilience. 65% of the population of the lower ninth ward hasn't returned and less than 40% of the homes have been rebuilt. And other places are still empty twenty years later. Residents honored the victims with a Second Line March. People are still displaced and that carries a mix of emotions. Climate change is putting new safeguards at risk as sea levels rise. Changes to FEMA that happened in the aftermath that were meant to make the agency function better (like having a director who is an expert on emergency management) and helping communities be better prepared are being rolled back by the current admin. These links barely scratch the surface, so I invite others to share.

https://www.metafilter.com/210155/Hurricane-Katrina-Twenty-Years-Later

Posted by Atreides

https://www.metafilter.com/210154/Beneath-The-Eggs-There-Lies-an-Artist

In the small city of Figueres, Spain, a visitor may discover to their delight a building covered in giant eggs and a giant glass sphere. This is the Dalí Theatre and Museum, the resting place of Salvador Dalí, and a gallery of his work, that is itself, Dalí's own creation.

Enjoy a silent walk through of the museum or a travel video visit by Travels with my Friend.

https://www.metafilter.com/210154/Beneath-The-Eggs-There-Lies-an-Artist

Posted by chavenet

https://www.metafilter.com/210152/MAGA-Y

They're overwhelmingly white and tend to have a certain kind of look. Close cropped haircuts. Windowpane suits. Golf shorts. They're not the type to be telling anyone their pronouns or using the word "queer." And they aren't the least bit offended that the leader of their party continues to stoke a moral panic about transgender people.
They're gay. But they're still Republicans. from Donald Trump's Big Gay Government [The New York Times; ungated]

https://www.metafilter.com/210152/MAGA-Y