Brian Swetland
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swetland.frotz.net
Brian Swetland
@swetland.frotz.net
Writes the codes. Recovering OS Engineer (BeOS, HiptopOS, Android, LK, Fuchsia). Embedded systems hacker. Hobbyist Digital Designer. Player of video games, tabletop games, D&D, etc.

fediverse: @[email protected]
Deliberately watering down writing is a crime against humanity.
there is almost no feedback I will reflexively ignore as a game developer but “you shouldn’t name something X because people don’t know that word” is one of them. oh no! You might learn a new word! God forbid you take away a piece of knowledge from a game that’s not a brand of gun or some shit lol
November 25, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
Stocking stuffer ideas for your retro collector:

-Amtech flux
-Solder braid
-Sharp tweezers
-Flush cutter
-Machined dip sockets 8 up to 40pin
-Ceramic capacitor assortment up to 10uF
-Eye loupes
-Magic erasers
-kynar wire
-DeoxIT with needle dispenser
-Polypropylene safety cap assortment up to 1uf
November 23, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Wrote a SCSI controller driver for an obscure 90s desktop OS when I couldn't install the newly-released x86 version on my PC that lacked an IDE HDD. Found a kernel bug. Got asked "Want a job?" which lead to interviews, a job offer, and moving from IL to CA two weeks later. All downhill from there.
What’s the lore behind choosing your career path ?
November 23, 2025 at 4:30 AM
The alternate-universe-90s setting in Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake has some fantastic computers.
#TV #FionnaAndCake
November 21, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
This is what programming is actually like for me
November 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I dunno, it was pretty life-changingly magical for young me.
November 18, 2025 at 12:49 AM
I am probably old fashioned, but running into an open source commandline tool written in C that "requires" meson and ninja to build, in order to accomplish the equivalent of...

$ gcc -o tool main.c -lone -ltwo

...seems like maybe just a bit of overkill to me.

#OldManYellingAtCloud
November 17, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
Hey who up kai-ing their zen?
November 17, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Having not experienced any Metroid property since Super Metroid, I am apparently out of the loop on this week's Metroid Discourse.

Though apparently Samus was Raised by Birds? (Not something new, just a Metroid thing I only learned of today).
November 14, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
this isn't a joke. in my 25 years of experience with online gaming/MMOs, this is precisely how it works. again. and again.

"i'm going to go make my OWN community! with blackjack! and hookers!"

*3 days later*

"banned banned banned every single one of you are banned none of you are without sin"
Decades of experience have proven that posters can only win by leaving to start new forums where they’re the mods and inevitably lose the next war to posters who leave to create their own forum etc.
a man is holding a can of soda in front of his mouth and says `` time is a flat circle '' .
Alt: a man is holding a can of soda in front of his mouth and says `` time is a flat circle ''
media.tenor.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Timberborn is very satisfying. The Great Works go well.

#Gaming #Timberborn
November 13, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
New excuse from my kanji learning app just dropped.
October 25, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Wanted: some kind of corporate vehicle (maybe some sort of co-op thing?) that enables me to get functional health insurance, maybe share other resources like a bit of office/work space, etc, but without signing up to do any work other than my own personal projects. Surely doable somehow, no?
November 11, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Trying out Whiskerwood (in Early Access), which is very much a Colony Builder, emphasis on Colony, down to colonists and supplies being dropped off by ship and regular ships to collect oppressive taxes on everything...
November 6, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
Did the New York Times ruin journalism?
November 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
City of Sickos
November 5, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This was a good speech and Mamdani is an excellent speaker. Nice to hear something both coherent and positive.
Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."
November 5, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Today's been pretty encouraging. Hoping we'll see some good results on prop 50 to wrap it up nicely.
November 5, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Congratulations.
November 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
Sketches from Tokyo and Osaka
November 3, 2025 at 6:13 PM
With the new season of Fionna and Cake airing, I've found myself watching some old Adventure Time episodes, first to refresh myself on Huntress Wizard lore, then just to revisit some old favorites. Wow, "I Remember You" (S04E25) still hits so hard. What a show. #AdventureTime #FionnaAndCake #TV
November 2, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
My book comes out today! And it's reasonably priced! Whoooooooooooo! It's about linguistics! It's about extreme metal! It's about the Asia Pacific and flows of global subcultures! I'm really proud of it and I hope you all enjoy.
November 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
Here's a handy guide to some electronic components.
October 30, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Just watched One Cut of the Dead for, I think, the 5th time. This is such a fantastic film. Tis the season!
Last October I was introduced to One Cut of the Dead, a 2017 indie zombie comedy from Japan. Highly recommend going in as cold as possible and just trusting the film. You will not regret it.
October 28, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Brian Swetland
in the 90s I used to be like "the idea of digital drugs is kind of a dumb sci-fi conceit" and now in the 2020s I'm like "everyones high on GPT and its giving tehm severe brain damage"
October 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM