this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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Post the names of youtubers and other internet microcelebs you love with a burning passion based on more than vibes. Very preferably not large.

A good example is Cathode Ray Dude, who makes long videos on older technology. He doesn't seem to have done anything reactionary, he's got a personality far beyond "the algorithm", and he doesn't associate with any terrible people. And I enjoy his videos.

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[–] keepcarrot@hexbear.net 2 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I sense a theme here (no shade)

[–] AernaLingus@hexbear.net 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Lol, yeah...they all basically check some or all of these boxes for me:

  • Figuring out how things work/solving puzzles
  • Programming
  • Sticking it to the man (e.g. by taking their proprietary code and transforming it into something the people can use freely)
  • Video games

I barely even play games these days, but I did a lot as a kid so I think that's why it's a comfy substrate for me. And since romhacking/game decompilation checks all of those boxes, I can't get enough of it. None of my friends are remotely into this stuff, so to the internet I must go!

[–] keepcarrot@hexbear.net 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I play stormworks and no one I know does. I had a friend play with me for a bit, but tapped out once we started touching LUA and PIDs.

[–] AernaLingus@hexbear.net 1 points 5 hours ago

I'd never even heard of that game before but it looks super interesting! I know a bit about digital logic, but it looks like it goes well beyond the basics, and on top of that you've got the scripting you mentioned plus practically an entire CAD program to build whatever your heart desires and then plop that into the game world.

It's kinda funny, because it's basically the opposite of what I just described. One of the things I like about reverse engineering is that I don't have to actually build or design anything directly, since the program/device is already finished—it's more detective work, and if you do have to make any tools they're usually for a narrowly tailored purpose. And the best part is, there's actually a "correct answer" when it comes to describing or replicating the original functionality. But if you enjoy the freedom and expressive capability found in something like Stormworks, I imagine you could sink thousands of hours into it!

I get very easily overwhelmed with planning and creating things, so I tend to prefer either baby-brained games like platformers and shooters or puzzle games where the end goal is very clear. But I totally empathize with enjoying a multiplayer game that none of your friends are into—for me that game is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, which I don't think I've ever gotten past a single play session with anybody. If I weren't so paranoid about talking to strangers on the internet, I'd try to find a Hexbear to play with. Still thinking about if I can find a solution I'd be comfortable with where I could use a voice changer and a private (non-Discord) voice chat provider. Is finding people to play with online something you've looked into at all?