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LG

Familiar Diversions

I'm a librarian who loves anime, manga, and reading a wide variety of genres.

Currently reading

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Vol. 1
Dojyomaru, Fuyuyuki, Sean McCann
Progress: 103/374 pages
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Jeff Lindsay
Progress: 424/470 minutes
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story
Mary Downing Hahn
Progress: 184/184 pages
Parental Guidance
Avery Flynn
Progress: 40 %
An Offer From a Gentleman
Julia Quinn
Progress: 102/358 pages
The Twisted Ones
T. Kingfisher
Progress: 385/385 pages
Educated
Tara Westover
Progress: 315/730 minutes
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 2
Satoru Yamaguchi, Nami Hidaka
Progress: 24/171 pages
Graphic Medicine Manifesto
MK Czerwiec, Kimberly R. Myers, Scott T. Smith, Michael J. Green, Susan Merrill Squier, Ian Williams
Progress: 26/172 pages
Ao Oni: Mutation
Kenji Kuroda, Karin Suzuragi, Alexander Keller-Nelson
Progress: 30/152 pages

Life imitating fictional virtual pets

The Lifecycle of Software Objects - Ted Chiang

I read this ages ago, but I recall it touching on owners of virtual pets forming groups to try to keep their pets and the environments they live in going after the company that originally created them all folds. Well, I just came across a real-life example of something similar, although from the sounds of things there won't be a happy ending. Details under a spoiler tag, because it's depressing:

Virtual pets that eat DRM-protected food, and a legal battle means their food supply is about to go poof. I've seen people talk about patching the pets so they don't need food, but it sounds like that might not be possible. :-(

 

ETA: The company did at least release items that could make it so the pets don't need food, although it also sterilized them. Better than falling asleep and never waking up, I guess? There's an article here.

(show spoiler)

 

Another thing to add to the "reasons why DRM sucks" list.