Alan Au
@alanau.bsky.social
Trickster disciple. 🦊 Game developer. 🎲️✂ Emeritus data generalist. 📊 Delightfully imperfect. ☁️ Not that kind of doctor. 🎓 [E] Itsatrap 🎮 He/Him
Pinned
Alan Au
@alanau.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Days since uttering "what the actual fuck?": 0
Reposted by Alan Au
Want to know a cool trick? You can rapidly improve your drawing technique if you get good at drawing stick figures. Once you get past the fixation on form, you can focus on depicting activity.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
February 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Want to know a cool trick? You can rapidly improve your drawing technique if you get good at drawing stick figures. Once you get past the fixation on form, you can focus on depicting activity.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
Reposted by Alan Au
February 10, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Alan Au
how do you make amazing creative stuff?
the answer might surprise you: relationships
the answer might surprise you: relationships
February 10, 2026 at 2:53 AM
how do you make amazing creative stuff?
the answer might surprise you: relationships
the answer might surprise you: relationships
February 10, 2026 at 12:52 AM
I'm feeling slightly out of sorts after eating lots of junk food yesterday. Maybe eating something healthy like a salad will make me feel better.
*proceeds to drench salad in dressing*
*proceeds to drench salad in dressing*
February 10, 2026 at 12:26 AM
I'm feeling slightly out of sorts after eating lots of junk food yesterday. Maybe eating something healthy like a salad will make me feel better.
*proceeds to drench salad in dressing*
*proceeds to drench salad in dressing*
Reposted by Alan Au
It would be nice if a good thing could happen
February 9, 2026 at 11:57 PM
It would be nice if a good thing could happen
Reposted by Alan Au
A deep dive into board game publishing contracts: what to look for, what to avoid, specific percentages, negotiating terms, and more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLJ... See also our reports as mentioned in the show: cardboardedison.com/reports
Board Game Contracts (Fun Problems #81)
YouTube video by Blue Beard Entertainment
www.youtube.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:10 PM
A deep dive into board game publishing contracts: what to look for, what to avoid, specific percentages, negotiating terms, and more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLJ... See also our reports as mentioned in the show: cardboardedison.com/reports
Remember folks, don't commit to prod on Friday afternoon. Or to be safe, any time on Friday. And if your service relies on always-on connectivity, avoid committing to prod any time during the week. 😎
February 9, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Remember folks, don't commit to prod on Friday afternoon. Or to be safe, any time on Friday. And if your service relies on always-on connectivity, avoid committing to prod any time during the week. 😎
I don't yet know what I want to do with it, but I've started tinkering with Godot. I figure that if I start now, I won't have to start from scratch when I decide what I want to work on. That is, I'm trying to make things easier for future-me.
February 9, 2026 at 10:27 PM
I don't yet know what I want to do with it, but I've started tinkering with Godot. I figure that if I start now, I won't have to start from scratch when I decide what I want to work on. That is, I'm trying to make things easier for future-me.
Want to know a cool trick? You can rapidly improve your drawing technique if you get good at drawing stick figures. Once you get past the fixation on form, you can focus on depicting activity.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
February 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Want to know a cool trick? You can rapidly improve your drawing technique if you get good at drawing stick figures. Once you get past the fixation on form, you can focus on depicting activity.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
There are probably diminishing returns past a certain point, but it's a great way to get started.
Reposted by Alan Au
Age verification back in my day
February 9, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Age verification back in my day
Reposted by Alan Au
Why are there three Kirbys, The Wall Street Journal
February 9, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Why are there three Kirbys, The Wall Street Journal
Reposted by Alan Au
shoutout to @amazingthew.bsky.social for the actual answer to discord adult verification
February 9, 2026 at 6:15 PM
shoutout to @amazingthew.bsky.social for the actual answer to discord adult verification
Reposted by Alan Au
If you've been thinking about submitting a talk for posit::conf(2026), but you're a little nervous about the process, I have the ~15 min video for you! youtu.be/aKN8qlLjld4
@rachaeldempsey.bsky.social & I stayed late on the #DSHangout to answer some Qs, & two veteran conf-talkers shared their exp
@rachaeldempsey.bsky.social & I stayed late on the #DSHangout to answer some Qs, & two veteran conf-talkers shared their exp
What is it like submitting an abstract for posit::conf()?
YouTube video by Posit PBC
youtu.be
February 9, 2026 at 5:28 PM
If you've been thinking about submitting a talk for posit::conf(2026), but you're a little nervous about the process, I have the ~15 min video for you! youtu.be/aKN8qlLjld4
@rachaeldempsey.bsky.social & I stayed late on the #DSHangout to answer some Qs, & two veteran conf-talkers shared their exp
@rachaeldempsey.bsky.social & I stayed late on the #DSHangout to answer some Qs, & two veteran conf-talkers shared their exp
Reposted by Alan Au
Flood Discord's support infrastructure with your feelings about their privacy overreach (requiring facial / ID scans from every user) right here:
support.discord.com/hc/en-us/req...
support.discord.com/hc/en-us/req...
Submit a request – Discord
support.discord.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Flood Discord's support infrastructure with your feelings about their privacy overreach (requiring facial / ID scans from every user) right here:
support.discord.com/hc/en-us/req...
support.discord.com/hc/en-us/req...
Congratulations @discord.com; you have convinced *all* of my friend groups to start looking for alternatives to your service because of your shitty ID requirement rollout. Well, nothing lasts forever. 🙃
February 9, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Congratulations @discord.com; you have convinced *all* of my friend groups to start looking for alternatives to your service because of your shitty ID requirement rollout. Well, nothing lasts forever. 🙃
Reposted by Alan Au
Ultimately right now in video games I feel surrounded by people who are worried, all the time, about long-term unemployment and ensuing social (or actual) death and so if you seem very invested in coming up with fun uses for LLMs in games I find you despicable.
February 9, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Ultimately right now in video games I feel surrounded by people who are worried, all the time, about long-term unemployment and ensuing social (or actual) death and so if you seem very invested in coming up with fun uses for LLMs in games I find you despicable.
So here's the thing about that Bluesky cluster map: assigning cluster labels is hard, because nobody's identity is all one thing. Even deciding something is a "cluster" can be subjective. It's one of the challenges with clustering algorithms in general. (You can maybe infer from starter pack names?)
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Bluesky Map
Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.
bluesky-map.theo.io
February 9, 2026 at 2:28 PM
So here's the thing about that Bluesky cluster map: assigning cluster labels is hard, because nobody's identity is all one thing. Even deciding something is a "cluster" can be subjective. It's one of the challenges with clustering algorithms in general. (You can maybe infer from starter pack names?)
Reposted by Alan Au
I will be hearing jokes like this for the rest of my life and I am very very okay with that.
I accidentally installed both Avowed and Unavowed on my computer and now both games are gone.
February 9, 2026 at 12:58 PM
I will be hearing jokes like this for the rest of my life and I am very very okay with that.
Wait, the wedding during the Bad Bunny half time show was a real wedding? 😍
I'm not normally into American football, but I appreciate the Super Bowl as a cultural event.
And right now, it's also the fantasy of having rules that are enforced. 😎
And right now, it's also the fantasy of having rules that are enforced. 😎
February 9, 2026 at 6:29 AM
Wait, the wedding during the Bad Bunny half time show was a real wedding? 😍
And now the local fireworks. 😎
I'm not normally into American football, but I appreciate the Super Bowl as a cultural event.
And right now, it's also the fantasy of having rules that are enforced. 😎
And right now, it's also the fantasy of having rules that are enforced. 😎
February 9, 2026 at 3:29 AM
And now the local fireworks. 😎
I hope that "Horizon Hunters Gathering" succeeds, but I also feel like it isn't for me, which sucks because I like the other Horizon games.
Specifically, Hunters Gathering appears to borrow heavily from hero-shooter action games, but in doing so it dilutes the parts that make the franchise unique.
Specifically, Hunters Gathering appears to borrow heavily from hero-shooter action games, but in doing so it dilutes the parts that make the franchise unique.
Horizon Hunters Gathering looks like it could be a good time if one had friends.
But it's wild to see Destiny, Battle Royale and Overwatch smushed together into a Fortnite look with robot dinosaurs in 2026.
But it's wild to see Destiny, Battle Royale and Overwatch smushed together into a Fortnite look with robot dinosaurs in 2026.
February 8, 2026 at 9:41 PM
I hope that "Horizon Hunters Gathering" succeeds, but I also feel like it isn't for me, which sucks because I like the other Horizon games.
Specifically, Hunters Gathering appears to borrow heavily from hero-shooter action games, but in doing so it dilutes the parts that make the franchise unique.
Specifically, Hunters Gathering appears to borrow heavily from hero-shooter action games, but in doing so it dilutes the parts that make the franchise unique.
Reposted by Alan Au
As per usual I started late but I’m here!! Hourlies!!!!
February 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
As per usual I started late but I’m here!! Hourlies!!!!
Reposted by Alan Au
Do I know any composers/audio folk going to GDC who are open to helping a first-time GDC goer in their discipline find all the cool stuff? Asking for a friend!
February 8, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Do I know any composers/audio folk going to GDC who are open to helping a first-time GDC goer in their discipline find all the cool stuff? Asking for a friend!