Messages

1

Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: Today at 12:50:18 PM »

Good god, man. I think that goes a few steps beyond getting fucked.

One of the things I appreciate about the greater mechanical keyboard community is that they're fully aware that switch preference is 100% subjective and is dependent more on how you use the keyboard than what you're using it for. As I've mentioned previously, the way that I tend to even play games makes linear switches woefully unsuitable for me (worse than rubber domes, actually, since those usually have a notable break point or, at the very least, a lower actuation point. Hell, for some typing styles, linear vs. tactile would make literally no difference. If you tend to rest your hands lightly on the keys while idle and bottom out while typing, a linear switch wouldn't feel much different than a tactile one.

Switch weight makes a pretty profound difference as well. My former favorite switches were MX Browns (45g actuation force, 60g bottom out force), but those tended to be too light with a really weak bump. My current set of Purple Zealios V2 switches feature slightly heavier actuation force (50g), albeit with a more pronounced bump, but the 67g has helped with fatigue quite a bit, simply because I'm far less prone to hard bottoming out like I was with the Browns. Kinda wish that non-mainstream switches weren't so expensive, because I want them all (and I'd love to evaluate more of ZealPC's offerings).

2

Gaming / Re: wut specturr'z playing

« on: Today at 12:33:34 PM »

My monitors technically support being "overclocked" to 165hz (is it really overspeccing when it's supported by the manufacturer? *thinking emoji*). Haven't tried pushing them to that point yet.

And yeah, it would be a lot easier if my PC were just a gaming machine, but it does so much more than that. In some ways I kinda wish it were one or the other, considering the GPU situation (AMD's Windows drivers suck, NVIDIA's Linux drivers suck, and Intel just isn't powerful enough for gaming). I've been sort of tempted to just stick with using some sort of laptop as my productivity machine (now that I have a desk and a decent Thunderbolt dock) and keep my PC relegated to gaming duty. We'll see.

3

Gaming / Re: wut specturr'z playing

« on: July 02, 2020, 05:08:24 PM »

When I was running my old StepMania/CF setup I was driving my CRT at 85hz (would have aimed for 120-200, but SM5 is just too heavy to do it on my old dance rig), but 144 just blows that completely out of the water.

Kinda wish I would have jumped on the bandwagon sooner.

4

Random Chat / Re: Why FedEx is the Worst Delivery Service

« on: July 02, 2020, 05:05:47 PM »

So, Fuck 2020, and Fuck FedEx.

Sigged!

5

Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: July 02, 2020, 05:04:15 PM »

That would be nice! Unfortunately, it seems like many of the retail outlets are under the misapprehension that mechanical keyboard == gaming keyboard, so you either end up with a selection of rubber domes with a bunch of expensive mechs of rather dubious quality (funny how Corsair, one of the cheaper gaming brands, tend to be the best choice when it comes to mainstream mechs).

I think the main reason that stores like that avoid brands like Das Keyboard, Ducky, etc, is because they're kind of hard to market to the mainstream market. Gaming mechs are already enough of a hard sell to people who are used to rubber domes ("why would I ever pay $100 for a keyboard?"), and the higher quality typing keyboards tend to reach $150-200, easy. By the time I finished building it, my GMMK TKL cost around $250 ($60 for the base unit, $90 for the switches, and $100 for the caps). While I wouldn't trade this typing experience for anything (until I build a better keyboard, that is…) most people would pass out at the very thought of spending that much on "just a keyboard," even if it's something they use for 8-12 hours, 5-7 days a week.

Unfortunately, I think that's going to too big of a hurdle for most places to want to jump through. That said, it would be nice to see more tech-friendly stores like Micro-Center and Fry's offer a better selection. While they do seem to have a better selection than most places, they still tend to have the same gaming mechs that everyone else offers.

6

Random Chat / Re: Why FedEx is the Worst Delivery Service

« on: July 02, 2020, 04:39:33 PM »

Didn't think I'd get to add to this thread to quickly, but today a FedEx driver cut me off so badly that my car's collision mitigation system kicked in.

How the driver managed to completely miss a bright red car is beyond me.

7

Gaming / Re: wut specturr'z playing

« on: July 02, 2020, 10:55:35 AM »

Thanks to having a relatively lag-free display, I started playing Doom Eternal again. Goddamn, that game feels good to play.

Also: DJMAX at 144hz. Words can't describe how buttery smooth it is.

8

Random Chat / Re: Holy fuck, 2020 sucks.

« on: July 02, 2020, 10:53:53 AM »

It's good that he's at least aware of what's going on. Still, that's crazy. Best wishes to you and your family. <3

There are few things more subjective and polarizing than coffee preferences, I've found. When the Tim Horton's that used to be down the street from where I work opened up, I would ask three people for their thoughts and receive three radically different answers.

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Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: July 01, 2020, 09:10:57 PM »

If you still have issues with typos but like the linear switches you might like MX Black switches. Those have a similar feel to reds but aren't quite so touchy.

You can also rapidly actuate silent tactile keys with a little bit of practice. You just have to ride the bump. Clicky tactile keys generally have a noticeably higher reset point due to how the key works (essentially two pieces, with the bottom part snapping down to make the "click" sound, with the upstroke bringing it back into place for another actuation) but tactile switches are pretty much just solid bodied switches with a little bump on them.

It is worth looking into the non-Cherry switches as well. Kailh Box Browns are basically snappier MX Browns, for instance.

If you have some cash to burn and want to try 72 different switches, KBDFan has a nice looking tester here: https://kbdfans.com/collections/switches-tester/products/kbdfans-72-switches-tester-all-in-one. I'm kind of on the fence about picking it up, considering I already have a set of Holy Pandas and Everglide Dark Jades on order.

I'll definitely review the Holy Pandas on here after I get them. Spec-wise, they look to be somewhat similar to the Zealios, but we'll see.

Edit: I'm also desperately trying to stop myself from jumping on these: https://drop.com/buy/drop-matt3o-mt3-susuwatari-custom-keycap-set. The /dev/tty caps I'm using on my main keyboard made me fall in love with scooped keys and hi-profile sculpting, and those ones look awesome.

10

Computing / Re: Your Lair

« on: July 01, 2020, 08:53:32 PM »

It's a little less clean now that I set up the laptop dock and Rift S, but it's not too terrible.

The next thing I need to do is move my headphone setup in here so that I have an option that doesn't rattle half of the house. Currently using a Focal Elex with a JDS Element II amp. Not sure exactly where to put it yet%u2026might have to rearrange things slightly to make it work.

Edit: Oh, one of the other things that I added to my workspace is a large gaming mouse pad. I ended up getting one that's around 0.8m x 0.3m and it's pretty much ideal. It gives me a huge amount of space for my mouse and it's actually done a lot to dampen the amount of noise that my keyboard makes as well. Not bad for, like, $16, and as an added bonus it doesn't have any gaudy logos on it!

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Random Chat / Re: Holy fuck, 2020 sucks.

« on: July 01, 2020, 08:38:51 PM »

Yeah, as soon as I realized it was gonna take some time to get through this I started talking to people and doing everything so I could actually take the time off and get the help I need to deal with the anxiety and such.

Yeah, good call, especially with everything else that's been going on.

How's he doing, by the way?

Yeah, back then I didn't have a phone, but it was just somewhere that I could get out of the house, get a coffee, and listen to the radio. I spent a log of time listening to the various overnight programs CBC runs. These days instead I'll steal wifi and watch youtube or anime. Shame to hear they closed, but on the other hand, Tims coffee isn't even all that great. I'm just so used to it that it doesn't bother me.

Considering the only two other options near my workplace are Dunkin Donuts and a McDonald's whose machines are constantly broken, Timmy's was pretty great. I don't think I ever had their coffee black (I usually only take it like that at home) but their Iced Capps were pretty tasty.

As for Roblox, I've got no interest. It looks like a predatory system riddled with microtransactions and shitty ripoff games that probably aren't worth playing in the first place.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I've heard.

Funny to think that when I was around that age I was playing QuakeWorld and Quake II. Oh, how times change.

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Random Chat / Re: Weight Loss

« on: July 01, 2020, 08:38:39 AM »

Congrats on your progress so far, and best of luck moving forward!

It's kind of amazing how much the human body adapts to new diets and such. Last time I tried the whole dieting thing I thought it was amazing how sensitive I became to overly sweet/salty foods. After a little while your cravings will definitely start to change, and you'll find it easier to eat Arby's and gummy snakes (and yeah, Haribo gummies are like fucking crack) in moderation.

I'm actually trying to get back onto somewhat of a weight loss "program" as well. I should be able to start shedding some initial pounds pretty easily (currently 270lbs…kinda fell off the wagon a few years ago ), at least. I have a decent space to play some VR, and I'm clearing out an area in the basement for my trusty Cobalt Flux. I've tried to get out for walks whenever I could, but we're in an awkward rainy/super-duper-humid season now, so that's been a mite difficult in recent days.

Kinda thinking of getting one of those under-desk cycles at some point as well. We'll see.

13

Random Chat / Re: Holy fuck, 2020 sucks.

« on: June 30, 2020, 09:39:17 AM »

It seems like I'm relatively ok at keeping calm during situations like that. I'm thankful I was able to be there to do what I could, but I was really fucked up for about 2 days after. I was having flashbacks and shit.

Yeah, keeping calm under pressure and the following mental/emotional trauma are two separate things. The worst part about it is that you never know how well you're going to be able to deal with situations like that until it happens.

Yeah for sure. When things were bad back around 2013-2015 I would often go out for random drives around town, or sit in my car listening to the radio outside a tim hortons or something.

Tim Horton's is a great idea, actually. We used to have some in my area but they both closed down in under a year. There is one in East Liverpool (around 45 minutes away from me). I should head down there one of these days.

Shit man, that's rough. That's yet another reason I avoid social media like the plague. I do use discord a decent amount, but apart from that and several forums I'm pretty much an internet ghost.

We should start actually using the s.net Discord again.

Oh, here's something kinda funny. I recently got an email saying someone tried to reset my hotmail password. So I logged in, changed my password, and noticed that someone had used that email to sign up for instagram. I reset their IG password, removed their account, and then deleted my hotmail account. I effectively hijacked someone's IG because they made the mistake of using my old email.

That happened to me recently with Roblox! Some kid registered a Roblox account with my Gmail account listed as his parents' e-mail address, then tried to access my account. Several accounts of mine with that e-mail address were compromised, so I'm guessing they saw it in a list and tried to use a common password to get in. I ended up basically doing the same thing that you did: reset their Roblox password and took it over.

I somewhat doubt that I'm ever going to play Roblox, but shit like that would prevent me from even trying the game if I wanted to. I have to say, it's kind of alarming that Roblox actually let the kid play the game (I could see their account history after I got into their account) without his "parent's" consent.

14

Computing / Re: The Keeb Thread

« on: June 30, 2020, 09:30:23 AM »

Before Drop listed the PCB/case that I picked up I ended up grabbing a Teensy 2.0 for the custom keyboard project, so I'm one step ahead of you.

15

Computing / Your Lair

« on: June 30, 2020, 09:29:17 AM »

Post pictures of your computing/gaming space here!

After using a recliner/TV setup for a while I decided to switch back to a desk, partially because I was getting sick at tired of my TVs not playing well with my PCs and mostly because I wanted an adjustable desk. So…I ended up with this (click for full size):



The desk is a VertDesk v3 with all sorts of fun little addons (programmable switch, monitor arm, cable management box and drag chain) and the anti-fatigue mat is an Imprint Commercial Couture Strata. I also ordered a pair of Acer Predator XB271HU monitors. I had the sound system for a while, but if you're curious it's a Sony STR-DH740 receiver, a pair of Infinity Primus P163 speakers, and (out of frame) an Infinity PS312 subwoofer.

I also have a CalDigit USB-C laptop dock (not pictured) that I use for both my personal and work laptops, as well as a switchable USB hub that I can use to easily shove my keyboard and mouse from my tower to the laptop dock.

All in all, it's been working quite well. Aside from the added general comfort of this setup, 144hz gaming has been downright incredible so far. I was pleasantly surprised that Doom 2016 was able to run at a locked 144hz on 1440p Ultra on my system, so naturally I'm kind of curious to see how Doom Eternal is going to fare (it was able to run at 4K60, maxed out, so I'm hoping for a consistent ~90-100fps at 1440p).

Edit: Tried it out tonight and it's more like 120-140fps on average, on Ultra Nightmare settings. I'll take it!