General Arcade & Retro Chat' Special Championship Edition

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929756#Comment_120929756

Pft, actual science? Gtfo 🤐 Stunning image, literal creation.

The UFO thing is weird, but then, it's largely very USA-centric, and weirdness goes with the turf. This is a nation where taxpayers don't seem to question TRILLIONS of dollars going to black budget operations and contractors, and having zero oversight because nobody is important enough to know what's happening with the money. Trillions of dollars like. The SR71 Blackbird is a 60's-era spy plane that was denied for decades....can you actually imagine what's happening on the bleeding edge of that same front today? That's very likely the answer to this whole thing imo, smoke-screened through agents should Aliens etc.

Retr0gamer

Saw recently that evidence from the James Webb could mean the universe is far older than we first imagined.

It's very frustrating having a scientific background and seeing how much science denial is getting platformed these days. I know a lot of nationalised TV, radio, media has this policy of platforming both sides but when one side is demonstrably and provably wrong they shouldn't be given a platform. 'Here's Berkleys leading climate scientist to talk about climate change and debating them is Exxon Mobil's media director'.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929859#Comment_120929859

Oh these things are 100% the result of man made bleeding edge technology as you said. I can't even imagine what's going on behind the scenes technologically today. Only have to look at the power and capabilities of the phone in your hand that's mass produced for next to nothing to wonder what would be capable with trillions of dollars of backing.

As much a I'd love to it to be aliens (!) the statistical probability of a race of beings capable of inter planetary travel existing close enough to us in space and time in an unfathomably big universe to drop in and say hello is zero.

On the flip side though, I don't think any reasonable person would think we are alone in the universe, given the sheer scale and age of it. But on that same note, it's the size and age which means we'll never meet any of them.

Who knows, maybe an alien race existed within our galaxy with the capability of reaching us, but we just missed the end of their civilization by 5 billion years. That in itself would have been a 'close call' when it comes to the scale of the universe. ... time is as much of an obstacle when it comes to first contact as distance.

I'd say the closest we'll ever get if we're beyond lucky is an ancient radio signal from the depths of space picked up by the likes of SETI.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929892#Comment_120929892

It's absolutely absurd that as a society we now give any time whatsoever to 're-debate' things which have been proven to be false for decades and sometimes even centuries out of some kind of fairness to all sides.

I was hoping by allowing the likes of flat earthers a platform they were just being given a rope and the rest would fall into place - can't believe it's actually caught on with some people. Mind numbing stuff.

dav09

I recently seen a map of reported UFO sightings around the world and you can guess where 90% of them were. It's probably not possible to calculate the odds of life occurring with the correct conditions (planet in the habitable zone, with the right materials for life to occur, and have everything align/fall into place etc.) as the number is likely incredibly tiny. Then to evolve into an intelligent species like Oisin mentioned and the same time in the universe as us and to evolve to be interplanetary. Then to somehow travel faster than the speed of light or to execute some far fetched theoretical physics concept like Worm holes to reach earth or be extreme lucky to occur somewhat near us in the Milky Way at the same time as us, there's so many factors to say if there is life it likely has/will never reach us, unless like mentioned we intercepted a signal, which I think is still tiny odds as I don't know how you'd even decode it, a lot of signals from space just go unexplained and likely could be a bunch of things such as collisions, explosions, etc. It would all have to be beyond our current comprehension of things. Even if there was those circumstances, what benefit would it have for other forms of life to make contact unless it was to intervene in something that could affect them, i.e. Nuclear war or doing something that could massively alter our solar system and galaxy.

I suppose some things warrant debate and some things should be just a closed book. What really bothered me like what you said when completely uninformed people try to spread their message particularly when it can cause a lot of harm, like during COVID we had a lot of people without any type of scientific or medical background debating live and advising people publicly against public scientific advise based on opinion/bias, and you see this in many public debates which leads people to believe silly things due to someone listening to a conspiracy theory online and wanting to spread the message without actually putting any thought into what they are saying (although I can't comprehend why some people believe some things i.e. Flat Earth).

Steve X2

I worked with a flat earther a number of years back. 6 months of listening to his views at lunch was crazy. I mean this was a server admin guy in a large energy company with a high enough level of education that truly 100% believed in a flat earth(and did not believe in gravity!)!

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120930809#Comment_120930809

I remember learning years ago though about radio signals in context, that as we've switched to digital transmissions instead of analogue, the range of our transmissions has dramatically reduced (in the sense that a digital signal degrades MUCH quicker over stellar distances than an analogue one will).

So in a sense, it's highly, highly, highly unlikely that we'll pick up a decodable analogue signal because we'd have to essentially next door neighbours for that signal to make it to us in recognisable form.

As o1s1n said, you'd need be a bitad to think there's no other sentient life in the universe, it's just that the universe is, well, mind bendingly enormous so probability suggests we'll remain essentially alone, even though we're not.

The only glimmer of hope is exotic theoretical stuff like mass reduction tech that'd allow us to bypass energy requirements for ftl travel, but it's so exotic, that it's sci-fi stuff really. That multi trillion dollar black budget though is so out there, we probably can't imagine the tech they've cooked up. Unlikely it's redifned our understanding of physics, but hey, one can hope!

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931048#Comment_120931048

6 months of that? Jesus man...

DaveyDave

The images from JWT are amazing. We're just one little rock and there's so much out there we don't even know about yet there's people out there who think Covid was a government plot...

It sounds a bit silly but there's times when I'm working at night walking between buildings and I'll just stare up at the moon. It's mad that it's just out there and we get to see it. Seeing the International Space Station pass through the sky is also neat. I definitely don't consume enough media about space.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931433#Comment_120931433

Never occurred to me about digital radio signals having a far shorter reach out into space. So to the rest of the galaxy we've effectively become quieter since the mass digital changeover, that's really quite fascinating. (and a bit sad!)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931662#Comment_120931662

It really is incredibly close to us. To really put it in perspective, they've sent the James Webb telescope out 1.5 million KM - four times the distance the moon is from us! and that's seen as close enough to stay in regular contact with and operate. That really blew my mind.

dav09

There's 8 planets in the solar system, then a couple of billion planets in the milky way, then 100 to 200 billion galaxies, my head hurt first time I read this. 700 quintillion planets at least are in existence going by estimates, that's 18 zeros. And there are still areas that we can't see and probably never will be able to see as I believe that's just the observable universe, so it could be any number. So yeah there are many planets in the habitable zone of a star, so if the chance of life occurring on a planet is greater than 1 in 700 quintillion, and it likely is, then yeah there's almost definitely something out there somewhere.

JWT is a huge game changer, I think it has the potential to make some of the biggest discoveries since the likes of the Higgs Boson was found. It can interpret light in many mediums visible, ultraviolet, infrared, it could make many huge steps ahead for science for sure, I'm very excited. But like you said it's so close, if you think about the distance away from earth, it sounds huge, but it's actually tiny at 1.5 million, one light year is just under 10 trillion kilometers I believe and then the observable universe is estimated to be 94 billion light years, I have an interest but I'm not a huge science guy so many might have gotten something wrong but either way it's all pretty incomprehensible.

That's interesting about radio signals, I know on earth digital vs analog even with basic stuff like radio never seems to yield the same results using similar transmission power, I'm sure in a vacuum/space a different set of principles apply but very interesting.

Jack burton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931662#Comment_120931662

I worked in my shop all through covid, me and 2 pharmacys were the only ones open. I was the only person some people would have seen for a day or two outside their family and I can openly say that I got the absolute brunt of the covid talk. People who dont know how long to cook a chicken fillet for (despite me telling them how long the previous week) giving comments on their "research" about covid would absolutely drive you insane. Its astounding how stupid people are.

Governments are all corrupt, usually boils down to money...lots and lots of money. Of course there are cover ups and a lot of things that never make it to the public, most of the news outlets are pretty spun depending on what country you're in, There's a lot of lies, exaggerations etc. But to think that a global system of "The elite" orchestrated the whole thing, employing 100'000s of people is pretty far fetched. Anyone whos ever had to do a group project in the college would tell you that.

KeRbDoG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931662#Comment_120931662

'The Farthest (2017)' and 'Apollo 11 (2019)' documentary films, ensure they are on your space media watch list :)

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120932823#Comment_120932823

I really wish research scientists were getting the bribes and backhanders we were supposedly all getting to lie about science. I could have retired after my PhD.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120932823#Comment_120932823

So the real burning question, how long does Jack Burton advise one to cook a chicken fillet?

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120933003#Comment_120933003

I've seen Apollo 11, there was soom excellent footage in that. I'm always amazed at the quality of film from 30-40+ years ago being scanned into HD.

I'll have a look at The Farthest!

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120935478#Comment_120935478

The quality is that good because it was all shot on a soundstage in Hollywood...

/s

...runs

Doge

...

CiDeRmAn

At times like this, I like to quote the classics

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemists, but that's just peanuts to space."

Retr0gamer

Latest Tengo project game, a remake of the excellent Shadow of the Ninja:

https://youtu.be/aJ3BNHj5juk

SNK also teased a new Fatal Fury - City of the Wolves.

Retr0gamer

Look at these incredible Zelda toys!

https://twitter.com/MrTalida/status/1689641018369642497?t=Pe8sOsjaSoFEz_lEQT9TeA&s=19

I was just thinking kids these days don't know how good they have it when it comes to videogame merch. I'd have killed for the Nintendo and Sega toys and other merchandise when I was a kid but there was nothing.

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120965972#Comment_120965972

I actually like the look of a few of those, nice crunchy toys/models. Pretty decent scans as well, might print one of the Link models off.

Edit:

I printed a couple(Link and Ganon) . Not super detailed, but I like them. 30mm tall, very gashapon sized 🙂

robfowler78

Hay

looking for a bit of information. I’m thinking of setting up a small arcade machine for the kids and was looking at converting one of the 1up Arcade machines from smyths.

I have a mini PC that runs mame and was looking to see what else would be needed to connect controls etc. Also is it a difficult process? I’m looking for something cheap and cheerful just to give the kids the idea of an arcade like the old days😂😂.

Any help or advice appreciated

cheers

Rob

Retr0gamer

Holy grail fan translation incoming in 2 days:

https://twitter.com/HilltopWorks/status/1691119614846189568?t=Pf-TqLDsxk2C9mtRIN3CAQ&s=19

tonyotonyo

Put a shadow dancer and flying shark boot pcbs in the for sale section if anyone's interested.

Retr0gamer

Requesting a little bit of help here.

I spent a few days downloading a load of mame roms. However due to how the games are named to run on mame it's kind of impossible to figure out what most of these games are when I go to play them in retroarch. Is there a way to have a frontend that makes it much easier to find the game you want?

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985174#Comment_120985174

Launchbox. It imports them as they're named, but displays them with their proper names. I don't use MAME via RetroArch or via MAME's own GUI, LaunchBox is absolutely the way to go. The free version will be fine for you too

Skerries

spotted this on Ahsoka and knew it had to be an old handheld and immediately tried /r/thatsabooklight

Skerries

..

Doge

Here's one for @o1s1n from Low Cost Cosplay!

Inviere

Someone here linked to old AMD GPUs on eBay a while back, ones that were well suited to using crtemudriver I think. Anyone remember that post?