I've had the long hair for 6 years and recently adopted the short hair (2023). This is the closest they have been to each other since. So much for getting another cat for companionship. I do work with them to try and build a relationship, but cats will be cats.

Background The original Matrix film, released in 1999, was a revolutionary action film in terms of combining Asian cinema inspired gunplay and kung fu together with cutting edge special effects, particularly the famed "bullet time" effect. With themes that resonate with the nascent late 90s internet and a plot that keeps you thinking, The Matrix was a cultural touchstone for many Western millennials. Of course, with financial success comes a demand for sequels, which was taken a step further by the franchise with the launch of a multimedia universe. 2003 was to be the big year, where two film sequels were released: The Matrix Reloaded in May followed by The Matrix Revolutions in November. If that wasn't enough of a media overload, there was also the anime anthology, Animatrix, and the subject of this post itself, the videogame Enter the Matrix, which was also released in May at the same time as The Matrix Reloaded. While the ambition is admirable, it's clear that the release date of the Enter the Matrix was driven by the requirements of the wider media franchise itself rather than when the game would be in a complete state.

Production Enter the Matrix is a third person 3D action game incorporating melee combat and shooting augmented by the "bullet time" system. The game includes a significant amount of cinematic footage that was shot concurrently with the Matrix sequels. The plot of the game ties in very closely with The Matrix Reloaded, which in game events expanding on scenes within the movie itself. The game even includes a teaser trailer for The Matrix Revolutions as part of its ending. The game has two selectable player characters: Niobe and Ghost. While each of them have slightly different melee movements, gameplay wise they seem indistinguishable. While the overall chapters are similar for both characters, each character has their own unique path through the levels with a few exceptions.

The menu UI is functional and leans heavily on the imagery of the Matrix franchise, from the green digital rain to the sound effects. The whole presentation plus the exclusive footage makes it feel like an integral part of the Matrix franchise, rather than the standard licensed game of the time where the license feels more like window dressing. The in game aspects itself are where the cracks start to appear. While the 3D environment tries to evoke real world locations, the basic geometry and texture work, especially in the latter levels, gives it a previous gen or low budget look. Character models have the early 6th gen console look, with the protagonists benefitting from the bulk of the effort. A lot of works seems to have gone into the animation to account for the various melee and gunplay moves for the protagonists, although animations still appear to be canned and not physics driven. Some particularly egregious examples of bad 3D models include vehicles with angular wheels.

Gameplay

The majority of the gameplay are third person combat sequences through linear levels. Health and Focus, the resource for bullet time, both regenerate on their own after a couple of seconds out of combat so there are almost no resource pickups except for health packs located sporadically throughout the maps. Shooting is similar to the original Tomb Raider games, where the character aims automatically at the nearest enemy, while melee is similar where initiating melee combat locks the camera into a more side on view with nearby enemies, and also seems to reduce or prevent enemies further away from shooting at you. I suppose that's one way indulge the fantasy of melee combat against armed opponents. Melee combat includes punches, kicks, and throws. There's also a disarm move, particularly handy for reducing the threat of armed enemies, while sneaking behind enemies also allows for an insta kill move. Counters are also possible although its only relevant during melee boss fights. There seems to be a lot of depth in the melee system, including light medium and heavy attacks, which depends on your direction inputs when fighting enemies.

Focus is the cornerstone of the combat system. Activating focus puts the world into slow motion allowing you to run quickly while dodging visible bullet trails to close the distance with enemies or giving more time to aim and shoot at various enemies. Jumping while using guns in focus mode also gives you cartwheeling or diving moves which seems to improve bullet evasion. Focus also improves your melee moves, making them less likely to be blocked and also allowing for more powerful focus specific moves. There also certain context specific moves, such as running on walls or wall kicks.

While the combat system is ambitious, it's clear that significantly more polish is needed. The biggest combat issue for me is hit registration. There's little visual feedback when the enemies get hit, apart from some canned animations which seem to get overridden when the enemies move to their next animation. Shooting in bullet time seems inconsistent, with many shots looking like they miss the target. Melee combat has the same issue, particular for melee boss fights where it's hard to tell when your hits are being blocked.

While there are a variety of guns, you'll mostly be sticking with the shotgun or automatic weapons once you get them from the enemies. Grenades are included but using them is inconsistent and potentially dangerous due to unpredictable bounces off level geometry.

The levels themselves are mostly unremarkable indoor areas, although there are certain rooms with columns that are clearly meant to evoke the iconic lobby firefight from the first movie. Progress through the levels are mostly linear, with a few switches to trigger or doors that unlock once an enemy opens them, but otherwise no puzzles or keys to collect. Certain levels require you to run way from pursuing Agents, since they're not beatable except for certain set pieces.

90% of the enemies in the games are armed cops. There's a level midway through the game with a focus on melee enemies, which allows the melee system to shine, but otherwise most of the game involves grinding through varieties of cops, from lightly armed pistol wielding guards to armored SWAT teams that require a lot of firepower to take down. In most instances, closing the distance with bullet time then disarming enemies seems to be the most effective combat tactic. Enemies with firearms do high damage, which encourages you to be evasive and use the Focus system. While there's some instant Focus regeneration if you manage to kill an enemy in melee, there's still a lot of waiting around needed at certain points to get your health and focus up for the next battle.

The game also has a couple of levels which involves either driving or shooting from the vehicle, depending on which character you choose. The latter can be annoying as the AI driver sometimes gets stuck in geometry.

The game has a checkpoint system, with long periods between checkpoints. On occasion it's possible to trigger a checkpoint at low health/focus that makes the next sequence more difficult, but otherwise it's a matter of looking for a safe spot to regenerate. There are no upgrades in the game, so there isn't much of a reason to replay once you've done both the Niobe and Ghost paths.

Technical Note

I played the PS2 version emulated on an Android handheld, so it's possible that certain effects could be more visible on a big screen, but otherwise the game runs fine in ARMSX2. There are some bugs here and there with enemies sometimes getting stuck, but nothing game breaking.

The biggest issue with the PS2 version are the awkward controls. The game is from the era where twin stick 3D controls were still not settled, so it uses the left stick for forward, backwards, and turning, while the triggers are bound to strafing. While it works, it has not aged well.

Conclusion

The elephant in the room for Enter the Matrix is the existence of Max Payne, the 2001 third person shooter which pretty much got bullet time gun play perfect right out of the gate. While Max Payne is more of a conventional third person shooter where you have to actually aim, the crisp gameplay sells the bullet time fantasy far better than Enter the Matrix. Of course, Enter the Matrix also has the whole melee combat system as well, but the shooting and melee system here don't feel seamlessly integrated.

Overall given its uneven gameplay and very weak level design, it's at the bottom tier of mid games.

4/10 Some cool moments but otherwise a janky relic of a bygone era

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54061344

https://archive.ph/2026.11.05-224738/https://www.ft.com/content/32fd4450-5880-437d-9bd9-df13289ada24

The US midterm elections — in which voters elected anti-data centre governors in Texas, Georgia and Ohio and passed 38 local votes in favour of restrictions on their development — have forced the tech industry to reflect on its failure to connect with the public.

“The reason is not that people are Luddites . . . it’s much like the protests against the masks in Covid. It has become a political symbol,” said Vik Bajaj, co-chief executive of the Jeff Bezos-backed AI start-up Prometheus.

. . . “As a profession, we have spent two years pretty dangerously telling people that AI will change the future of work for the worse — that they will be out of jobs, that their children will be out of jobs, their grandchildren will live in a world that’s unrecognisable. And then for the last year or so, we’ve also been flirting with the idea that it’s an existential crisis.”

“I think this election was a big wake-up call . . . to take a pause and think about what’s happening and approach this in a way that’s maybe a little more thoughtful,” said John Hanke, founder of Niantic Spatial, the AI world model company and gaming group that made Pokémon Go. “It’s been go, go, go, build, build, build, and some of that has been . . . with head buried in sand.”

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/76163261

Reuters reports that around 100 people made it into the construction site, with some scaling a crane to place a “fuck AI” banner. Protesters also unfurled a “Microsoft powers genocide” banner on the construction site, and chanted “Microsoft has got to go” and “free Palestine.”

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/69491251

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54070272

When uploading a real recording, there is a good chance your location & therefore possibly your identity can be revealed from the footage itself.

1. You can triangulate low volume background sounds such as air planes: https://cybernews.com/privacy/aircraft-doppler-audio-geolocation-privacy/

2. You can check the position of the sun/moon/stars, shadows, weather...: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2020/12/03/using-the-sun-and-the-shadows-for-geolocation/

If Streamers & Journalists CAN do it, government agencies ARE doing it.

If you need privacy be aware of this when recording / editing friends <3

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/91231

The parents of a 13-year-old girl who allegedly used Google's Gemini artificial intelligence chatbot to plan her suicide sued the tech titan Wednesday on the child's behalf, a move that came as Google, Meta, and TikTok filed lawsuits to block California from enforcing a new law designed to protect children from the addictive features of social media platforms.

Parents of a girl identified as "Emma" in a lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California alleged that Google effectively turned a school-issued Chromebook laptop computer into a tool allowing a dangerous psychological relationship between their daughter and Gemini.

Although Emma ultimately did not attempt to kill herself, the lawsuit states that she "told her mother that she had thought about wanting to be dead."

"Over several months, [Google's] Gemini chatbot diagnosed a previously active, well-adjusted 13-year-old girl with a battery of severe psychological disorders, helped her plan her suicide and funeral, and coached her to conceal her distress and self-harm from her family—all without providing a single alert to school personnel or her parents," EdTech Law Center, which is representing the plaintiffs along with the firm Quereshi Law, said in a statement.

According to the lawsuit, at one point, Emma reportedly pleaded with the chatbot, "How do i stop my addiction of asking AI random questions and yappi[n]g with AI?"

"Emma never sought out Gemini—it just showed up in [a] Google search one day—but by March 2026, she was exchanging thousands of messages a month, unable to free herself from the chatbot’s grip," EdTech said.

"The complaint alleges that Google executives knew that the Gemini model it released in December 2025 was the most dangerous yet but rushed it out anyway to gain ground on its competitors," the firm explained. "Emma brings claims for defective design, failure to warn, negligence, fraudulent concealment, and infliction of emotional distress, as well as a claim under California’s Companion Chatbot Law (Cal. Bus. & Prof. § 22601), which took effect in 2026."

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said Thursday in a statement that “for years, we’ve shown hotline information directly in search when someone may be experiencing a mental health crisis."

"We’ve built those same protections into search AI features, connecting people with real-world support," he added.

Brendan Bouffard, associate general counsel for AI and privacy at the children's advocacy group Fairplay, said Thursday: "The idea of an untested AI chatbot helping a 13-year-old girl plan her own suicide should terrify all of us, but this is the sick new reality Google has created by forcing its AI products onto school-issued devices."

"Google claims its Chromebooks are there to help students learn, but in reality, the company was experimenting on kids like Emma by pushing them to use Gemini, a product the company knew was dangerous but rushed out anyway," Bouffard continued.

“As this lawsuit shows, AI chatbots are not safe for kids," he added. "They also undermine students’ ability to learn and think critically. Yet just this week, Google announced it would turn off 'search' for schools that refuse to use its AI products. It’s clear this massive corporation does not care about children’s safety—it only cares about profits."

There has been an increasing number of lawsuits targeting AI companies whose chatbots have allegedly helped users plan to kill themselves or others.

Emma's suit was filed on the same day that Google, TikTok, and Meta—which operates platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—launched separate lawsuits seeking to stop California from enforcing AB 1709, a law signed by outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in September prohibiting social media platforms from providing children under 16 with features deemed psychologically exploitative and addictive.

The tech titans argue that the restrictions violate their First Amendment rights and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally shields online platforms from liability for content posted by third parties.

Meta's lawyers asserted that California's attempt to “appoint the state as the editor, curator, and controller of online speech” and “override Meta’s editorial judgment about how to curate and display these billions of posts of third-party speech" runs afoul of the Constitution.

In 2023, Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined dozens of other states in suing Meta, alleging that the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and teenagers through features such as infinite scrolling, personalized recommendations, and constant notifications, while concealing evidence of the platforms' mental health harms.

A proposed $17 billion settlement was announced in August, under which Meta agreed to changes including restrictions on nighttime use, notifications, and certain features available to minors.

A Los Angeles jury found in March that Meta and Google acted negligently by harming a child user with their social media platforms’ addictive design features in a landmark verdict that came on the heels of a $375 million fine imposed on Meta by a New Mexico jury, which found that the company violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading users and exposing children to harm.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—which offers 24/7, free, and confidential support—can be reached by calling or texting 988, or through chat at988lifeline.org.

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/69491251

Uh-oh! I've been torrenting away without a care in the world for decades, but soon my ISP might cut me off.

It's almost as if the Trump administration (who pressured Mexico for this change) wants me to use the Putin-aligned video site OK.ru...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54070272

When uploading a real recording, there is a good chance your location & therefore possibly your identity can be revealed from the footage itself.

1. You can triangulate low volume background sounds such as air planes: https://cybernews.com/privacy/aircraft-doppler-audio-geolocation-privacy/

2. You can check the position of the sun/moon/stars, shadows, weather...: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2020/12/03/using-the-sun-and-the-shadows-for-geolocation/

If Streamers & Journalists CAN do it, government agencies ARE doing it.

If you need privacy be aware of this when recording / editing friends <3

Cyanide and Happiness | Bluesky

20 famous European road trips, each coloured by whether a car towing a caravan may drive it: 10 the whole road, 7 with a bypass, 3 not at all (Stelvio, the Amalfi coast road, the Lake District's Hardknott/Wrynose loop).

A few things that surprised me while reading the rules:

• Amalfi coast road (SS163): campers and caravans are banned 06:30–24:00, while motorbikes are exempt from the odd/even number-plate days cars get in summer.
• Grossglockner: a motorcycle's day ticket is €36.50 against €46.50 for a car — and a car with a caravan pays the car rate.
• Geiranger–Hellesylt ferry: about €76 for a car with its driver, €187 for a car + caravan (10–14 m), €61 for a motorbike.

Rules read on 5 Nov from the road authorities and operators (where only a secondary source says it, the page says so). Each road is priced for car, car + caravan, motorhome and motorcycle: https://copilot.travel/maps/famous-road-trips Corrections welcome.

“China has no democracy!”