Bo Thompson
@gaudipern.bsky.social
Retired Educator / Learning Scientist
Solo Game Developer
Pixel Artist
Worked on a bunch of JRPGs back in the day
Male presenting NB
Pronouns: Nobody/Nothing/None - any if you must
Avatar alt: Pixel art of a male presenting Black person in glasses.
Solo Game Developer
Pixel Artist
Worked on a bunch of JRPGs back in the day
Male presenting NB
Pronouns: Nobody/Nothing/None - any if you must
Avatar alt: Pixel art of a male presenting Black person in glasses.
Pinned
Bo Thompson
@gaudipern.bsky.social
· Feb 5
For those who don't know me: I exist in a liminal space of wanting to engage and talk to people about interesting things but abhor being observed. It makes my skin crawl. As a result, I guard how people interact with and about me fairly tightly.
If you're not sure and you want to be careful, ask.
If you're not sure and you want to be careful, ask.
Ebooks are the modern printer drivers of the software world - The formats are woefully underdeveloped because Big Business sets standards and is too lazy to support any significant feature advancements.
December 2, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Ebooks are the modern printer drivers of the software world - The formats are woefully underdeveloped because Big Business sets standards and is too lazy to support any significant feature advancements.
A tricky aspect of discussing how White passability impacts people is how it exists on a spectrum. One person might be White passing even among their own culture, another White passing only to White people, another White passing only when White people don't have others from their culture to compare.
December 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
A tricky aspect of discussing how White passability impacts people is how it exists on a spectrum. One person might be White passing even among their own culture, another White passing only to White people, another White passing only when White people don't have others from their culture to compare.
What kind of weirdo am I? The kind of weirdo who goes to a politician's contact page to ask them to have their social media manager for BlueSky start alt-texting.🤷🏿♂️
December 2, 2025 at 2:08 AM
What kind of weirdo am I? The kind of weirdo who goes to a politician's contact page to ask them to have their social media manager for BlueSky start alt-texting.🤷🏿♂️
I hate when beginners ask about the "best software" for whatever. You don't need the best. It's probably too much for you and the search is wasting your energy. I wish more of them learned to just pick some promising looking software and ask "is there any reason a beginner shouldn't use this?"
December 2, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I hate when beginners ask about the "best software" for whatever. You don't need the best. It's probably too much for you and the search is wasting your energy. I wish more of them learned to just pick some promising looking software and ask "is there any reason a beginner shouldn't use this?"
Yes, but also almost every component of the intro of his video is a symbol or talking point for some specific niche of right-wing weirdo. The dog whistles are forming chords at this point.
i feel like we underestimate the cumulative radicalization of the American Right the same way people ignored Yoon cooking his brain on Korean YouTube
December 2, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Yes, but also almost every component of the intro of his video is a symbol or talking point for some specific niche of right-wing weirdo. The dog whistles are forming chords at this point.
I am immediately leery of any FOSS project fork that has no feature basis and appears to be about bad blood. While there are certainly good ethical and interpersonal reasons to do so, if you keep reaching back to maintain feature parity with the source, it becomes hard not to see that as parasitism.
December 2, 2025 at 1:46 AM
I am immediately leery of any FOSS project fork that has no feature basis and appears to be about bad blood. While there are certainly good ethical and interpersonal reasons to do so, if you keep reaching back to maintain feature parity with the source, it becomes hard not to see that as parasitism.
Alluding to outside works (the Bible) without citing them as part of your developing thesis is plagiarism. I shouldn't have to explain what grade you get for that.
When you read the essay, it isn’t obvious to me that it isn’t responsive to the prompt. The design of the question invited a very diverse set of responses. I suspect it could’ve integrated the assigned reading more, but 0/25 and a comment about being “offensive” screams viewpoint discrimination.
December 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Alluding to outside works (the Bible) without citing them as part of your developing thesis is plagiarism. I shouldn't have to explain what grade you get for that.
Temperature control is this weird modern conceit that I see has infiltrated the unconscious of many fantasy authors. It's so rare that any of them discuss indoor temperatures despite how often it shows up in classical literature as a metaphorical device before we built the technology to regulate it.
December 1, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Temperature control is this weird modern conceit that I see has infiltrated the unconscious of many fantasy authors. It's so rare that any of them discuss indoor temperatures despite how often it shows up in classical literature as a metaphorical device before we built the technology to regulate it.
There's a new cafe that opened nearby and they're advertising themselves on TikTok as a "gothic cafe" but from what I can see what they mean is a "goth cafe." Now I'm worried that there are people with the money start a new cafe in this economy who don't know the difference between gothic and goth.
December 1, 2025 at 5:27 PM
There's a new cafe that opened nearby and they're advertising themselves on TikTok as a "gothic cafe" but from what I can see what they mean is a "goth cafe." Now I'm worried that there are people with the money start a new cafe in this economy who don't know the difference between gothic and goth.
It occurs to me as I read a book that the author doesn't know that there's an antonym for euphemism. The term is a dysphemism. It is when someone substitutes an intentionally offensive or rude term in place of a more neutral or positive descriptor. Example: Calling science "nerd stuff"
December 1, 2025 at 3:56 PM
It occurs to me as I read a book that the author doesn't know that there's an antonym for euphemism. The term is a dysphemism. It is when someone substitutes an intentionally offensive or rude term in place of a more neutral or positive descriptor. Example: Calling science "nerd stuff"
One day I want to write out the full metaphor I used to teach students in 3D programming to get them to internalize the entire GPU pipeline. It was a full on fable, where every character and place was a direct analogy for something happening during graphics processing. 🤣
December 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM
One day I want to write out the full metaphor I used to teach students in 3D programming to get them to internalize the entire GPU pipeline. It was a full on fable, where every character and place was a direct analogy for something happening during graphics processing. 🤣
As a committed sicko who only plays the sickest choices in any fighting game, aight. 🤣
Parrying is the worst thing in video games: aftermath.site/parrying-bad
December 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM
As a committed sicko who only plays the sickest choices in any fighting game, aight. 🤣
Humanity is wild because I can spend 60 minutes dazzling someone as I explain an incredibly technical topic to them, only to casually mention my partner and have them ask "YOU have a partner?"
Yes, person. Beneath this rotting pile of flesh someone once saw something worthy of lifelong desire. 🙄
Yes, person. Beneath this rotting pile of flesh someone once saw something worthy of lifelong desire. 🙄
December 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Humanity is wild because I can spend 60 minutes dazzling someone as I explain an incredibly technical topic to them, only to casually mention my partner and have them ask "YOU have a partner?"
Yes, person. Beneath this rotting pile of flesh someone once saw something worthy of lifelong desire. 🙄
Yes, person. Beneath this rotting pile of flesh someone once saw something worthy of lifelong desire. 🙄
Whenever I see men posting pics and videos from their homes with picture frames on the ground propped against the wall, I feel an intense urge to ask if I can just come over and hang them. Despite how oddly specific this sounds, I experience this multiple times a day on this site.
December 1, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Whenever I see men posting pics and videos from their homes with picture frames on the ground propped against the wall, I feel an intense urge to ask if I can just come over and hang them. Despite how oddly specific this sounds, I experience this multiple times a day on this site.
The Indiana redistricting situation is so weird because all I've read suggests that despite the GOP pushing for it to give them a potential advantage in the midterms, they've likely gerrymandered so optimally that any change is unlikely to aid them and might actually hurt them. What is this?
December 1, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The Indiana redistricting situation is so weird because all I've read suggests that despite the GOP pushing for it to give them a potential advantage in the midterms, they've likely gerrymandered so optimally that any change is unlikely to aid them and might actually hurt them. What is this?
This post, oddly enough, brought to you by parasociality. Despite my pinned tweet, I occasionally get folks who really, really, want to engage with me more personally than anyone should feel entitled to, and get very frustrated when they can't dictate the responses they expect from me.
Psst: People aren't organizational systems. We don't have to use rubrics and frameworks to evaluate our actions and responses if we don't want to. We can weigh ethical decisions in a direct, subjective manner as they come. Systems can't do this because they lack our singular vision and values.
December 1, 2025 at 12:19 PM
This post, oddly enough, brought to you by parasociality. Despite my pinned tweet, I occasionally get folks who really, really, want to engage with me more personally than anyone should feel entitled to, and get very frustrated when they can't dictate the responses they expect from me.
Psst: People aren't organizational systems. We don't have to use rubrics and frameworks to evaluate our actions and responses if we don't want to. We can weigh ethical decisions in a direct, subjective manner as they come. Systems can't do this because they lack our singular vision and values.
December 1, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Psst: People aren't organizational systems. We don't have to use rubrics and frameworks to evaluate our actions and responses if we don't want to. We can weigh ethical decisions in a direct, subjective manner as they come. Systems can't do this because they lack our singular vision and values.
I had a student who was recommended to me cancel their first session with no explanation. I now hear that they're still looking for a tutor but have stipulated they really want an "Asian" one. I am the only person I know with the subject matter expertise they need. I will never accept them again.🤷🏾♂️
December 1, 2025 at 11:44 AM
I had a student who was recommended to me cancel their first session with no explanation. I now hear that they're still looking for a tutor but have stipulated they really want an "Asian" one. I am the only person I know with the subject matter expertise they need. I will never accept them again.🤷🏾♂️
(1/3) I think the idea I haven't seen enough games try (because it requires serious work) is psychometry; letting players focus on objects and see ghostly reenactions of the events that might've placed that object in the scene. The challenge is that this exponentially increases the amount that
So what's a UX that feels like being the world's greatest detective?
Maybe... walking into a room, glancing around, and noticing something everyone else missed? To Batman, the clues are so obvious they might as well glow yellow.
Oh. Oh no. Ohhh no no no no n-3/7
Maybe... walking into a room, glancing around, and noticing something everyone else missed? To Batman, the clues are so obvious they might as well glow yellow.
Oh. Oh no. Ohhh no no no no n-3/7
December 1, 2025 at 10:58 AM
(1/3) I think the idea I haven't seen enough games try (because it requires serious work) is psychometry; letting players focus on objects and see ghostly reenactions of the events that might've placed that object in the scene. The challenge is that this exponentially increases the amount that
I truly enjoy heroes under personal trial. There's something healing about characters who know--KNOW--they have the power to write their own rules and right the wrongs in their personal lives through force, but who repeatedly choose to shoulder those burdens because it isn't who they want to be.
December 1, 2025 at 6:40 AM
I truly enjoy heroes under personal trial. There's something healing about characters who know--KNOW--they have the power to write their own rules and right the wrongs in their personal lives through force, but who repeatedly choose to shoulder those burdens because it isn't who they want to be.
I saw someone complaining that Merlin in the British fantasy show Merlin wasn't made to be as kickass as Merlin in The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin. I feel like if you don't grasp why Colin Morgan was perfect in the former, you really don't get anything about Merlin as a character at all.
December 1, 2025 at 6:36 AM
I saw someone complaining that Merlin in the British fantasy show Merlin wasn't made to be as kickass as Merlin in The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin. I feel like if you don't grasp why Colin Morgan was perfect in the former, you really don't get anything about Merlin as a character at all.
It's like how with blood diamonds nobody worries about if they've come in contact with gluten, or with fast fashion folks stress the working conditions of sweat shops but nobody asks if they have central air at home. What I'm saying is why worry about the ethics of production when there's errata...🙄
"Why stop at AI use? We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses" — Epic boss Tim Sweeney says Steam should ditch its AI generated content disclosure. https://bit.ly/4a193vt
December 1, 2025 at 6:10 AM
It's like how with blood diamonds nobody worries about if they've come in contact with gluten, or with fast fashion folks stress the working conditions of sweat shops but nobody asks if they have central air at home. What I'm saying is why worry about the ethics of production when there's errata...🙄
When people use "late" to describe a deceased relative, that odd little phrase makes an uncomfortable giggle bubble up. As if they just haven't arrived yet. As if death has temporarily waylaid them but a place at the table of life is still set for when they arrive. A polite fiction for the bereaved.
December 1, 2025 at 5:49 AM
When people use "late" to describe a deceased relative, that odd little phrase makes an uncomfortable giggle bubble up. As if they just haven't arrived yet. As if death has temporarily waylaid them but a place at the table of life is still set for when they arrive. A polite fiction for the bereaved.
One thing I can say about Stranger Things Season 5 with no spoilers is that it doesn't suffer the Netflix lighting problem; they clearly did think about how lighting and color could be used to build emotional and environmental depth.
November 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM
One thing I can say about Stranger Things Season 5 with no spoilers is that it doesn't suffer the Netflix lighting problem; they clearly did think about how lighting and color could be used to build emotional and environmental depth.
"I don't understand why people feel like they can judge me for using something that makes a task I'm capable of faster and more convenient just because it maybe is bad for the human race. I've rationalized why this is okay, why are they so mean to me when I try and tell them it's okay?"
November 30, 2025 at 11:44 PM
"I don't understand why people feel like they can judge me for using something that makes a task I'm capable of faster and more convenient just because it maybe is bad for the human race. I've rationalized why this is okay, why are they so mean to me when I try and tell them it's okay?"