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posted by martyb on Monday September 17 2018, @05:04PM   Printer-friendly
from the out-of-this-world! dept.

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a remarkably rich, open-ended physics-based space program simulator. The types of spacecraft and missions you can design and simulate, particularly with a very active modding community is practically endless. Do you want to fly the Enterprise? Which one? Perhaps see if you can survive out of Andy Weir's The Martian?

PCGamer has an article on a person who has logged more than 4000 hours on KSP. The user, known as ShadowZone in the Steam community, spends many hours designing and implementing complex spacecraft as well as calculating flight plans. It is an interesting read for anyone who has given this game a try, and if you're not careful you may learn something before it's done.

When I first spied the 39-year-old father of two discussing his playtime on Twitter, I wanted him to answer one simple question: What do you even do in Kerbal Space Program for that length of time? Well if you're Daniel, you spend it building staggeringly complex machines to then launch on missions so daring it'd make Arthur C. Clarke sweat—all while rediscovering that childish sense of wonder that makes space so captivating to begin with.


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  • (Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:13PM (21 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:13PM (#736067)

    I suggest that you instead spend 4000 hours building something in this world.

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday September 17 2018, @05:49PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday September 17 2018, @05:49PM (#736081) Journal

    What do you mean? Won't the Air Force let me go through the Stargate if I play Kerbal all day, every day?

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday September 17 2018, @05:50PM (12 children)

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday September 17 2018, @05:50PM (#736082)

    Written by a bitter person who's idea of fun is work.
    Just fuck the hell off. I would say someone who works all of their life away has lost far more than this person.
    I enjoy my life, and I'm sure the subject of this article enjoys his.
    I seriously doubt you enjoy yours.
     

    --
    Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:59PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:59PM (#736091)

      My job used to be to play ksp. Except all I had was C. It paid well.

    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:10PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:10PM (#736097)

      Different AC here. Who said anything about a job, besides you? Also some people enjoy their work.

      And fuck you, hostile wanker!

    • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @09:40PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @09:40PM (#736214)

      Or, maybe I should call them Soyboys.

      • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @10:24PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @10:24PM (#736253)

        Get that suit and tie back on and get your ass back in the office where you belong. Fucking workaholic square.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by realDonaldTrump on Monday September 17 2018, @11:30PM (7 children)

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday September 17 2018, @11:30PM (#736279) Homepage Journal

      The greatest builder is me, and I'm building the greatest wall you have ever seen in your entire life. I don't do it for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it. Building is my art form.

      "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." -- Confusious

      • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday September 18 2018, @06:03PM (6 children)

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday September 18 2018, @06:03PM (#736625) Journal

        If you love doing anything for eight hours straight then you're probably not a very bright person.

        • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday September 18 2018, @08:39PM (5 children)

          by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Tuesday September 18 2018, @08:39PM (#736717) Homepage Journal

          But here you learn the rewards of hard work and perseverance, never, ever give up. Never quit. Persevere. Never, ever quit. You learn the satisfaction of building a molecule, flying around the Moon or earning a cyber badge after mastering a certain skill. There’s no better feeling than an achievement that you’ve earned with your own sweat, tears, resolve, hard work. There’s nothing like it. Do you agree with that?

          In life, in order to be successful -- and you people are well on the road to success -- you have to find out what makes you excited, what makes you want to get up each morning and go to work. You have to find it. If you love what you do and dedicate yourself to your work, then you will gain MOMENTUM. And look, you have to. You need the word “momentum.” You will gain that momentum. And each success will create another success. The word “momentum.”

          And remember this, you’re not working. Because when you’re doing something that you love, like I do -- of course I love my business, but this is a little bit different. Who thought this was going to happen? McKay from Buzzfeed, of Buzzfeed, kept saying, "oh, Donald J. Trump is a Fake Candidate, he'll never run!" He went on MSNBC, he bet one year of salary that I would never make it to the Iowa ballot. He got it all wrong, but I won't hold it against him. Nor does he have to pay the one year salary to me that he guaranteed if I ran -- I let him off the hook. And remember not only did I run in the primaries, I won. And in the general, I won again -- overwhelmingly. In spite of MASSIVE Voter Fraud. I was inaugurated -- beautiful Inauguration, biggest crowd ever. And in less than two years we've eliminated more regulations than any administration has ever eliminated. Meaning, in 4 years, 8 years or in one instance 16 years. We’re, you know, having a good time. We’re doing a good job.

          Doing a good job. But when you do something that you love, remember this, it’s not work. So you’ll work 24-7. You’re going to work all the time. And at the end of the year you’re not really working. You don’t think of it as work. When you’re not doing something that you like or when you’re forced into do something that you really don’t like, that’s called work, and it’s hard work, and tedious work.

          So as much as you can, do something that you love. Work hard and never ever give up, and you’re going to be tremendously successful. Tremendously successful!!!

          • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday September 18 2018, @09:46PM

            by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Tuesday September 18 2018, @09:46PM (#736753) Homepage Journal

            (cont) BuzzFeed, they were the ones that said under no circumstances will I run for President, and were they wrong!!!!

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 05 2018, @02:06AM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 05 2018, @02:06AM (#744458)
            " I was inaugurated -- beautiful Inauguration, biggest crowd ever."

            [Citation Needed.]

            • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday October 05 2018, @02:20AM (2 children)

              by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Friday October 05 2018, @02:20AM (#744463) Homepage Journal

              "This was the LARGEST audience to EVER witness an inauguration -- PERIOD -- both in person and around the globe." Sean Spicer. whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-sean-spicer [whitehouse.gov]

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 08 2018, @02:38AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 08 2018, @02:38AM (#745777)

                Wikipedia has this to say about Sean Spicer [wikipedia.org]:

                During his tenure as White House press secretary, Spicer made a number of public statements that were controversial and false,[5][6][7] and he developed a contentious relationship with the White House press corps.[8][9][10] The first such instance occurred on January 21, 2017, the day following Trump's inauguration. Spicer repeated the claim that crowds at Trump's inauguration ceremony were the largest ever at such an event and that the press had deliberately under-estimated the number of spectators.[11][12][13] After this statement was widely criticized, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said that Spicer had presented what she called "alternative facts" regarding the inauguration's attendance numbers.[14]

                So you are quoting a claim that was soundly criticized and debunked! SAD!
                Cf: Washington Post [washingtonpost.com] CNN [cnn.com], CBS [cbsnews.com], NYT [nytimes.com], Time [time.com]... and I won't bother to list any more because you've already complained about too many links in a prior comment.

                • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Monday October 08 2018, @06:33AM

                  by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday October 08 2018, @06:33AM (#745834) Homepage Journal

                  You're quoting the WikiPedia. Who said we have concentration camps. They put us in their list of so-called concentration camps. They're not concentration camps, they're detention centers. As everybody knows. Fortunately we got that one fixed. Although, it took a guy from Slovenia. And hopefully we can fix the one about Sean.

                  And the #AmazonWashingtonPost [twitter.com], @CNN [twitter.com] (the absolute worst), @CBS [twitter.com], the crooked failing @nytimes [twitter.com] & Time Magazine. I'll tell you, these are some of the most dishonest human beings on Earth. They don't care about what's good for America. They only care about RATINGS. Because they're dieing. They do a story about me, it's TREMENDOUS ratings for them. Guaranteed. Big ad money. And they stay in business a little longer. They go, "oh, there's a scandal with the President," folks pay attention. True story or Fake story, doesn't matter, they'll do anything for a buck. And this story, very fake. They took pictures at different times. Obama, when his beople were already there. Me, when my people were still coming. They put them next to each other. And they go, "oh, look at all the White!" Well, Obama didn't have the White. The floor covering. We were the first that had that. So of course it looks different. Much whiter. Obama, you don't see the White. Because he didn't have it!!!

                  By the way, Time Magazine. Always always they used to call it the Man of the Year. Even when it was a woman. Until they gave it to me. And they made it, Person of the Year. They used to call it Man of the Year, but they can't do that anymore. They call it Person. They want to be politically correct. That's OK. That could be why the magazine business isn't so great. Anyway, who cares?

  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:50PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:50PM (#736083)

    2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.[a] 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines,[b] the delight of the sons of man.

    9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:26PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:26PM (#736108)

      ... and yet his own heart will last but "a few days". That's what makes it folly; when he dies, his works too will die, because there is no institution to keep them going. Even worse, as his own desires or needs shift within his own life, then so does the value of his past achievements—they die in front of him.

      One must instead build for other people, especially for those people who have not yet been born.

      Build up treasure not for this life, but rather for the "next" life, and then you'll feel your works have had meaning.

      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @07:05PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @07:05PM (#736125)

        build for other people

        They'll die too. But not before cursing you for something or another.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @10:28PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @10:28PM (#736254)

        I agree with the sentiment you expressed.

        But Ecclesiastes is one of those books that presents the picture that there is no "next life" in the sense of a heaven - there is only Sheol [wikipedia.org]. Righteous, not righteous, good, bad, or ugly. *Everything* is vanity and both sides go to darkness at the end despite the universe having a Creator. So enjoy life while you have it and be a good citizen because it helps you enjoy life is kind of the gist.

        And as the grandparent, I am mightily amused that a passage from a book that countered exactly the sentiment of the great-grandparent is modded as "Troll", which is why I AC'd it in the first place. Whether you buy into the Bible or not, once in awhile it delves into practically applied philosophy. And the outlook of Ecclesiastes is that there is *no* doing something more 'practical' in life... or rather that doing so gets you the same end as playing 4,000 hours of KSP. But it was Pearls before Swine going in, and PSIPSO I suppose.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @11:40PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @11:40PM (#736283)

          The other AC was quite clear, even putting the word "next" in quotes:

          Build up treasure not for this life, but rather for the "next" life, and then you'll feel your works have had meaning.

          The AC is saying exactly what you're saying: The "next" life is not heaven, but rather literally somebody else's life that comes after your own—build treasures for them, not for yourself.

          Goddamnit!

          Like a joke, wisdom just ain't as fun when you have to explain it.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:40PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:40PM (#736114)

    Uh everything he's building is in this world. Are you from a different world? Or have you spent 4000 hours building something and got off this world?

    Otherwise what you've just posted is as real and worthless as what he builds, if not even more worthless.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:43PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @06:43PM (#736115)

      You're in the wrong forum.