Matthew Varley
@varbles.bsky.social
He\Them. Reader, tabletop game enthusiast, video game player, and miniature painter. Principal software engineer making telephones ring in my day job. Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@varbles
Snagged this one in a white elephant book exchange.
December 25, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Snagged this one in a white elephant book exchange.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
I’m sure other people will post it but hey
December 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I’m sure other people will post it but hey
Oh, so it's even worse.
Bye Larian.
Bye Larian.
If I had known the two paragraphs about genAI in my article today would be so controversial, I would have expanded them a bit! Here's a rough transcript of the relevant portion of my interview with Swen Vincke, so everyone has all the context. (Full article here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...)
December 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Oh, so it's even worse.
Bye Larian.
Bye Larian.
Larian is using generative AI? Well, damn, I didn't expect them to join the slopenning.
RIP Larian, you had a good run.
Also, incredible for them to torch all the good will they had built-up in a single sentence.
RIP Larian, you had a good run.
Also, incredible for them to torch all the good will they had built-up in a single sentence.
December 16, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Larian is using generative AI? Well, damn, I didn't expect them to join the slopenning.
RIP Larian, you had a good run.
Also, incredible for them to torch all the good will they had built-up in a single sentence.
RIP Larian, you had a good run.
Also, incredible for them to torch all the good will they had built-up in a single sentence.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
i stand by this statement every year
December 12, 2025 at 1:27 AM
i stand by this statement every year
Reposted by Matthew Varley
I can't prove it, but I suspect Cloudflare outages have a much wider impact now because the GenAI scrappers, especially the ones that ignore robots.txt, have forced far more sites to use Cloudflare in the past couple years.
November 19, 2025 at 8:52 PM
I can't prove it, but I suspect Cloudflare outages have a much wider impact now because the GenAI scrappers, especially the ones that ignore robots.txt, have forced far more sites to use Cloudflare in the past couple years.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
Again, to every videogame writer who wrote funny emails to read in an immersive sim/etc. where I rolled my eyes and said out loud, "lol like anyone would ever email something this on the nose", again, sorry, I was wrong, life sucks, you nailed it
November 12, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Again, to every videogame writer who wrote funny emails to read in an immersive sim/etc. where I rolled my eyes and said out loud, "lol like anyone would ever email something this on the nose", again, sorry, I was wrong, life sucks, you nailed it
Reposted by Matthew Varley
10 years old and maybe never more relevant than in contemporary software development
www.commitstrip.com/en/2016/08/2...
www.commitstrip.com/en/2016/08/2...
November 10, 2025 at 9:11 PM
10 years old and maybe never more relevant than in contemporary software development
www.commitstrip.com/en/2016/08/2...
www.commitstrip.com/en/2016/08/2...
Reposted by Matthew Varley
I would like it if Microsoft had a commerical that explained how to turn their new AI off. Stop bothering me.
November 11, 2025 at 1:45 AM
I would like it if Microsoft had a commerical that explained how to turn their new AI off. Stop bothering me.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
Check your ballot. It’s possible that it’s been challenged due to leaving the ballot envelope unsigned or a signature mismatch. You can cure that with King County Elections so your ballot is counted! kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elec...
November 8, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Check your ballot. It’s possible that it’s been challenged due to leaving the ballot envelope unsigned or a signature mismatch. You can cure that with King County Elections so your ballot is counted! kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elec...
Reposted by Matthew Varley
“He doesn’t have a mandate” are you fucking kidding? Dick Cheney died the day Zohran is elected he has the mandate of HEAVEN
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
“He doesn’t have a mandate” are you fucking kidding? Dick Cheney died the day Zohran is elected he has the mandate of HEAVEN
Reposted by Matthew Varley
It’s basically Deep Space Nine.
Hello welcome to bluesky. We have every kind of anti-government radical left of center, and also, baseball
November 2, 2025 at 3:54 AM
It’s basically Deep Space Nine.
Hey, if you skip that $5 treat you get once a week, you could afford the 20% downpayment on a $800k starter home in *does math* 615 years!
“At the same time, more than half of Gen Z members say they are struggling to make ends meet, yet a majority buy themselves a small treat, such as a pastry, coffee, or sweet, at least once a week. That can lead to overspending…”
archive.ph/2TI8J
archive.ph/2TI8J
October 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Hey, if you skip that $5 treat you get once a week, you could afford the 20% downpayment on a $800k starter home in *does math* 615 years!
Reposted by Matthew Varley
The whole "oh, but lootboxes ARE okay?" rejoinder to literally any criticism of gacha mechanics falls flat for me because, well, no, I don't play games with lootboxes either. Or daily limits, premium currencies, season passes, blindbox cosmetics, pay-to-win bullshit, or in-app purchases of any kind.
October 25, 2025 at 5:11 AM
The whole "oh, but lootboxes ARE okay?" rejoinder to literally any criticism of gacha mechanics falls flat for me because, well, no, I don't play games with lootboxes either. Or daily limits, premium currencies, season passes, blindbox cosmetics, pay-to-win bullshit, or in-app purchases of any kind.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
Banned Books - Gator Days
October 6, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Banned Books - Gator Days
Reposted by Matthew Varley
20 years ago, normal people avoided technology and techies would jump on the newest gadgets as soon as they could
now, normal people buy smart toasters & coffee mugs while every techie I know is on the verge of retreating to the forest
now, normal people buy smart toasters & coffee mugs while every techie I know is on the verge of retreating to the forest
September 26, 2025 at 6:43 PM
20 years ago, normal people avoided technology and techies would jump on the newest gadgets as soon as they could
now, normal people buy smart toasters & coffee mugs while every techie I know is on the verge of retreating to the forest
now, normal people buy smart toasters & coffee mugs while every techie I know is on the verge of retreating to the forest
Reposted by Matthew Varley
WE'RE IN OVERTIME!
As long as the Backertrain is chugging along, Cypher is STILL LIVE! Join over 5,000 people to bring Cypher to life!
How long will overtime last?? That's entirely up to you! It's been HOURS on our last campaigns! Choo choo 🚂🚂🚂
mymcg.info/cypher
As long as the Backertrain is chugging along, Cypher is STILL LIVE! Join over 5,000 people to bring Cypher to life!
How long will overtime last?? That's entirely up to you! It's been HOURS on our last campaigns! Choo choo 🚂🚂🚂
mymcg.info/cypher
September 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM
WE'RE IN OVERTIME!
As long as the Backertrain is chugging along, Cypher is STILL LIVE! Join over 5,000 people to bring Cypher to life!
How long will overtime last?? That's entirely up to you! It's been HOURS on our last campaigns! Choo choo 🚂🚂🚂
mymcg.info/cypher
As long as the Backertrain is chugging along, Cypher is STILL LIVE! Join over 5,000 people to bring Cypher to life!
How long will overtime last?? That's entirely up to you! It's been HOURS on our last campaigns! Choo choo 🚂🚂🚂
mymcg.info/cypher
Reposted by Matthew Varley
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
If Tylenol caused autism, we'd have a LOT more trains.
September 23, 2025 at 6:37 AM
If Tylenol caused autism, we'd have a LOT more trains.
Remap Radio
Revolutions by Mike Duncan
Shelved by Genre
Friends at the Table
Revolutions by Mike Duncan
Shelved by Genre
Friends at the Table
dating apps should just make men list their top 5 podcasts
September 17, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Remap Radio
Revolutions by Mike Duncan
Shelved by Genre
Friends at the Table
Revolutions by Mike Duncan
Shelved by Genre
Friends at the Table
New Fire Emblem! And I love all the characters already.
September 13, 2025 at 2:07 AM
New Fire Emblem! And I love all the characters already.
Reposted by Matthew Varley
Ten Years Later, LIGO is a Black-Hole Hunting Machine
LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA celebrate anniversary, announce verification of Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/t... 🧪🔭 @ligo.org @caltech.edu
LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA celebrate anniversary, announce verification of Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/t... 🧪🔭 @ligo.org @caltech.edu
September 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Ten Years Later, LIGO is a Black-Hole Hunting Machine
LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA celebrate anniversary, announce verification of Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/t... 🧪🔭 @ligo.org @caltech.edu
LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA celebrate anniversary, announce verification of Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/t... 🧪🔭 @ligo.org @caltech.edu
Alright, Steelers impressions
1) Nice to have an offense. I forgot points could get into the 30's.
2) Defense needs to show up. They're being paid way too much to allow over 30 points and almost 200 rushing yards.
3) Broderick Jones was bad enough that he might need to get benched immediately.
1) Nice to have an offense. I forgot points could get into the 30's.
2) Defense needs to show up. They're being paid way too much to allow over 30 points and almost 200 rushing yards.
3) Broderick Jones was bad enough that he might need to get benched immediately.
September 7, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Alright, Steelers impressions
1) Nice to have an offense. I forgot points could get into the 30's.
2) Defense needs to show up. They're being paid way too much to allow over 30 points and almost 200 rushing yards.
3) Broderick Jones was bad enough that he might need to get benched immediately.
1) Nice to have an offense. I forgot points could get into the 30's.
2) Defense needs to show up. They're being paid way too much to allow over 30 points and almost 200 rushing yards.
3) Broderick Jones was bad enough that he might need to get benched immediately.