2026-01-17T17:02:04.273Z BlogFlock Protesilaos Stavrou: News and Announcements, Justin Barclay, The Emacs Cat, Arialdo Martini, BuzzMachine, GamingOnLinux Latest Articles, Xah Lee, Emacs@ Dyerdwelling, Sacha Chua, Jeff Kreeftmeijer, Karthinks, MacAdie Web Blog, Philip KALUDERCIC, Bowmansarrow, Irreal, Take on Rules, manuel uberti, Wilfred Hughes::Blog, Bicycle For Your Mind, LWN.net, McSweeney’s, Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed https://irreal.org/blog/?p=13549 2026-01-17T15:40:52.000Z

<p> Álvaro Ramírez has a new <a href="https://xenodium.com/bending-emacs-episode-10-agent-shell">Bending Emacs video</a> up. This time it&rsquo;s about his <a href="https://github.com/xenodium/agent-shell">agent-shell</a> app that serves as uniform Emacs interface to LLM agents supporting the <a href="https://agentclientprotocol.com/overview/introduction">Agent Client Protocol (ACP)</a>. </p> <p> I&rsquo;m not interested in LLM technology so you almost never see an Irreal post about it. I don&rsquo;t know—and therefore have no opinion on—if it&rsquo;s something real or just another venture capitalist fever dream. Still, if you <i>are</i> interested in LLMs, it&rsquo;s nice to have an app like agent-shell that provides a uniform interface to most (all?) of them. </p> <p> There&rsquo;s a huge number of options and details to negotiate so an app like agent-shell is a real boon. Almost none of those options involve picking which shell you want to use. You simply choose one from a list of supported shells and work within that shell for the rest of your session. </p> <p> There are <i>way</i> too many details for me to cover here. The video itself is 36 minutes, 34 seconds so there&rsquo;s a lot of content to cover. If you are interested in LLMs, and especially if you use more than one, you should definitely watch this video and download agent-shell. It&rsquo;s available on Melpa so installation is easy. Like all of Ramírez&rsquo;s work, agent-shell seems like a well engineered app and it&rsquo;s free so you have nothing to lose by trying it.</p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/valve-tweak-steam-ai-disclosure-form-for-developers-to-clarify-its-for-content-consumed-by-players/ 2026-01-17T14:40:39.000Z

Back in early 2024, Valve put up new rules for game developers on Steam to pull in some information about generative AI, and they now seem to have tweaked it.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/tagline_gallery/steam_plain_2025.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/valve-tweak-steam-ai-disclosure-form-for-developers-to-clarify-its-for-content-consumed-by-players/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/proton-experimental-brings-updates-for-monogame-rockstar-launcher-and-more/ 2026-01-17T14:22:14.000Z

Valve launched a new update for Proton Experimental for January 16th to improve various games and launchers working on SteamOS / Linux.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/734317010id28334gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/proton-experimental-brings-updates-for-monogame-rockstar-launcher-and-more/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-game-developers-worldwide-are-reliving-y2k-japan-from-jet-set-radio-to-dance-dance-revolution 2026-01-17T10:00:00.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/Hyperyuki01.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p> Many of today's game designers have, like me, grown up with Japanese Y2K style - the style of the late 90s and early 2000s that gave us not only fear of the end of the world due to a calendar change, but also the WipEout series, futuristic PlayStation 2 ads, and fashion that incorporated everything from glitter to holographic fabrics and cute crop tops. </p> <p> In a media landscape that seldom shies away from homages and sequels, I&rsquo;ve waited a long time for the influence of childhood favourites such as Dance Dance Revolution and Space Channel 5 to pop back up. After all, plenty of Western developers have taken inspiration from Japanese role-playing games, giving us <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/sea-of-stars">Sea of Stars</a>, <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/undertale">Undertale</a> and <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/clair-obscur-expedition-33">Clair Obscur: Expedition 33</a>, to name a few. Recently, I found some really cool games by Western developers that are living the Y2K dream with me, so it was time to dive into their inspirations and compare some childhood anime with some nerds. </p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-game-developers-worldwide-are-reliving-y2k-japan-from-jet-set-radio-to-dance-dance-revolution">Read more</a></p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/what-are-we-all-playing-this-weekend-365 2026-01-17T08:00:00.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/saturday-moving.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p>Saturdays are for&hellip; drat, look at the time! I shouldn't be writing an article. I should be loading boxes into vans. Frantically disassembling furniture. And stopping the friends who are 'helping' me move house from pausing to sip cups of tea. It's like they don't know how long I spent on the phone to the council booking parking permits. No, I couldn't possibly tell you. Well, twist my arm. 45 minutes.</p> <p>So, if you're curled up in bed having a relaxing morning, I envy you. But know that I'm in that blessed window where I can 'accidentally' lose all the personalised mugs and t-shirts I've been given as presents over the years. You know, the ones the gift giver is always asking after or expecting to be on display. This is a window that only opens once every few years, and with both hands I'm throwing 'Boyz on tour mugs' out of it.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/what-are-we-all-playing-this-weekend-365">Read more</a></p> https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/these-deep-sea-creatures-liked-you-on-hinge 2026-01-16T18:00:00.000Z

<h4>Black seadevil anglerfish<br /> <i>Twenty-five-years-old, monogamous, wants children</i></h4> <p><strong>What I’m looking for:</strong> A confident, independent female roughly twenty times my size with a dangly, glowing orb attached to her forehead.</p> <p><strong>Don’t hate me if I:</strong> Latch on to you and permanently fuse to your body until my head dissolves and our circulatory systems become one</p> <p><strong>This year, I want to:</strong> Delete this app &lt;3</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Giant squid<br /> <i>Fifteen feet long, Catholic, figuring out my dating goals</i></h4> <p><strong>Give me travel tips for:</strong> Two-thousand feet below sea level off the west coast of Norway&#8212;Spring break 2026 gonna be a movie!</p> <p><strong>If loving this is wrong, I don&#8217;t want to be right:</strong> <i>The Office</i></p> <p><strong>My love language is:</strong> Physical, tentacle-y touch</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Hexactinellid sponge<br /> <i>Software engineer, nine thousand years old, <br /> twenty-eight centimeters tall</i></h4> <p><strong>I bet you can’t:</strong> Pronounce my name</p> <p><strong>Unusual skills:</strong> Asexual reproduction, limb regeneration</p> <p><strong>My perfect first date:</strong> You come over to the same spot where I have been rooted, and will be rooted, for my entire life, and we filter feed and chill</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Greenland shark<br /> <i>Four hundred years old, Pisces, open to children</i></h4> <p><strong>I’ll fall for you if you:</strong> Trip me</p> <p><strong>Typical Sunday:</strong> Gym, football, video games</p> <p><strong>My simple pleasures:</strong> Cold, open waters and a dead animal carcass dinner</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Sea lamprey<br /> <i>Four hundred fifty million years old</i></h4> <p><strong>I go crazy for:</strong> Blood</p> <p><strong>Change my mind about:</strong> Blood</p> <p><strong>I want someone who:</strong> Blood</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Bobbit worm<br /> <i>Three years old, five centimeters tall, conservative</i></h4> <p><strong>My greatest strength:</strong> Burrowing my entire scaly, eyeless, brainless body into the sand</p> <p><strong>Let’s debate this topic:</strong> Be honest, do female bobbit worms really deserve the right to vote?</p> <p><strong>All I ask is that you:</strong> Don’t take yourself too seriously</p> <div class='break'>- - -</div><h4>Giant isopod<br /> <i>Freelancer at Freelance, Taurus, drinks occasionally</i></h4> <p><strong>I know the best spot in town for:</strong> Deep-sea detritus</p> <p><strong>I’m weirdly attracted to:</strong> Redheads</p> <p><strong>All I ask is that you:</strong> See me not for my hard, bony exoskeleton, but the empathetic, gooey water bug underneath. &lt;3</p> https://lwn.net/Articles/1053099/ 2026-01-16T17:57:32.000Z

<p> While there are several rootkits that target Linux, they have so far not fully embraced the open-source ethos typical of Linux software. Luckily, Matheus Alves has been working to remedy this lack by creating <a href="https://github.com/MatheuZSecurity/Singularity?tab=readme-ov-file#singularity---poc-of-stealthy-linux-kernel-rootkit"> an open-source rootkit called Singularity</a> for Linux systems. Users who feel their computers are too secure can install the Singularity kernel module in order to allow remote code execution, disable security features, and hide files and processes from normal administrative tools. Despite its many features, Singularity is not currently known to be in use in the wild — instead, it provides security researchers with a testbed to investigate new detection and evasion techniques. </p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/third-person-mech-action-shooter-roguelike-rig-riot-gets-a-demo/ 2026-01-16T17:14:50.000Z

Give me some of that sweet mech combat action - RIG Riot looks pretty fantastic, and now there's a demo available for you to try.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/1290360367id28333gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/third-person-mech-action-shooter-roguelike-rig-riot-gets-a-demo/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dont-worry-about-the-division-ubisoft-say-as-series-executive-producer-jumps-to-battlefield-amid-layoffs 2026-01-16T16:39:06.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/the-division-series-creative-director-leaves-for-battlefield-01.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p>Julian Gerighty, a long-time key cog at Massive Entertainment, has announced that he's departing the Ubisoft-owned studio after 12 years to go and work on Battlefield at EA. His departure swiftly follows Ubisoft <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/having-asked-division-devs-to-lay-themselves-off-ubisoft-are-now-cutting-55-jobs-at-massive-and-ubisoft-stockholm">revealing earlier this week</a> that they're planning to lay off staff at Massive, with a voluntary redundancy process late last year reportedly having not resulted in enough departures to stave off this bloodletting.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the publishers have opted to take the opportunity of Gerighty's departure to reassure folks that The Division series is just fine.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dont-worry-about-the-division-ubisoft-say-as-series-executive-producer-jumps-to-battlefield-amid-layoffs">Read more</a></p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dlss-45-explained 2026-01-16T16:18:19.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/GeForce-RTX-graphics-cards.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/nvidia-reveals-dlss-45-with-anti-aliasing-upgrades-and-a-dynamic-if-slightly-mad-6x-frame-gen-mode">DLSS 4.5</a> is out now, and while previous new versions of Nvidia&rsquo;s performance-massaging upscaler would have required waiting around for game implementation &ndash; beyond the inevitable <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/cyberpunk-2077">Cyberpunk 2077</a> debut, anyway &ndash; it follows more recent additions in letting you impose it upon existing games from the off. That&rsquo;s done via the <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-new-nvidia-app-is-out-now-justly-banishing-geforce-experience-to-history">Nvidia App</a> and its DLSS Override tools, which following an update on January 14th, is tooled up with what version 4.5 promises to be tangible visual improvements.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve been testing it, both on this public Nvidia App release and on a pre-release beta build, and DLSS 4.5 can indeed deliver on the right settings. But it&rsquo;s also more of a specialised tool than <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/nvidia-dlss-4-explained">DLSS 4</a>, and although backwards compatibility is welcome, it&rsquo;s presented with an opaque naming system that has as much in common with algebra as it does with upscaling.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dlss-45-explained">Read more</a></p> https://irreal.org/blog/?p=13547 2026-01-16T16:15:57.000Z

<p> Emacs has a couple of builtin ways of dealing with separate windows that are looking at the same file. The default method is to simply &ldquo;open&rdquo; the file again in a separate window. In this case you have two views into the same file. The windows may be looking at different parts of the file but any change made in one window appears in the other as well because both windows are using the same buffer. </p> <p> Alternatively, you can open the second window by cloning the first buffer. That creates a second buffer with the same text and properties but they are distinct buffers that can have different point values, different narrowing, different major modes, different markers, different overlays, and different local variables. Nevertheless, any text or text property change made in one buffer is reflected in the other. Take a look at the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Indirect-Buffers.html">Emacs manual for the details</a>. </p> <p> You&rsquo;d think that those two options would cover whatever you needed to do but Sacha Chua <a href="https://sachachua.com/blog/2026/01/emacs-lisp-editing-one-file-twice-at-the-same-time/">has a post that describes a case not covered by either</a>. In this case the user wants to display an SVG file in one window and the XML that generates it in another. The problem here is that the image is displayed with text properties so toggling the display in one window will cause it to affect the other window as well even if the other window is a cloned buffer. </p> <p> Chua shows how to solve this by writing a bit of Elisp. The TL;DR is that she bypassed the code that checks if the target file is already opened in another buffer and simply creates a new buffer unconditionally. Of course, now you have to worry about syncing the text between the two buffers. Chua solves this by turning on <code>global-auto-revert-mode</code> so that when one file is saved, the other gets updated. </p> <p> I&rsquo;m always prattling about how having the Emacs source available from within the executable image coupled with the ability to make on the fly changes is one of Emacs&rsquo; magic powers. Chua&rsquo;s solution is a nice example of this.</p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/skyrim-co-lead-claims-the-elder-scrolls-6s-helm-was-once-promised-to-him-and-he-envisioned-a-plot-mirroring-the-best-star-wars-film 2026-01-16T15:38:00.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/skyrim-co-lead-elder-scrolls-6-story-plan-01.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p>According to long-time Bethesda developer and <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim">Skyrim</a> co-lead designer Kurt Kuhlmann, he was originally told he'd be leading the charge on basting the <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-elder-scrolls-6-is-progressing-really-well-bethesda-shout-from-the-kitchen-as-they-baste-a-gta-shaped-turkey">great turkey</a> that is the <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/the-elder-scrolls-6">The Elder Scrolls 6</a>. That didn't end up coming to pass and, having left Bethesda back in 2023, the developer's now spilled the beans as to the sort of story he envisioned the follow-up to The Elder Scrolls 6 telling.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/skyrim-co-lead-claims-the-elder-scrolls-6s-helm-was-once-promised-to-him-and-he-envisioned-a-plot-mirroring-the-best-star-wars-film">Read more</a></p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/tabulo-is-chess-meets-balatro-and-its-out-now/ 2026-01-16T15:04:42.000Z

Is it chess? Is it Balatro? It's both, sort of. Tabulo is a pretty clever mixture of gameplay elements that looks set to hook you in.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/1190443994id28332gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/tabulo-is-chess-meets-balatro-and-its-out-now/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://lwn.net/Articles/1054683/ 2026-01-16T14:14:02.000Z

Security updates have been issued by <b>AlmaLinux</b> (gnupg2), <b>Debian</b> (firefox-esr), <b>Oracle</b> (cups, gnupg2, libpq, net-snmp, postgresql, postgresql:15, postgresql:16, transfig, and vsftpd), <b>Red Hat</b> (firefox), <b>SUSE</b> (apache2, curl, firefox, gpg2, hawk2, libcryptopp-devel, openCryptoki, python310, python311-urllib3, rke2, squid, and tomcat), and <b>Ubuntu</b> (cpp-httplib, git, python-apt, and simgear). https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/endeavouros-linux-gets-an-upgraded-release-with-ganymede-neo/ 2026-01-16T14:14:00.000Z

After a major update released for EndeavourOS late last year, a new refresh is out with Ganymede Neo with a big tweak for NVIDIA GPU owners.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/801970362id28330gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/endeavouros-linux-gets-an-upgraded-release-with-ganymede-neo/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-love-fantasy-rpg-soulframes-cosy-start-screen-even-though-it-could-be-a-creepy-piece-of-habit-forming-design 2026-01-16T13:40:43.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/Soulframe-start-menu.png?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p> I continue to have a soft spot for <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/soulframe">Soulframe</a>, the new, <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/you-can-now-buy-dark-fantasy-action-rpg-soulframe-rather-than-begging-for-a-code-and-it-has-a-steam-page">sort-of-early access</a> fantasy <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/best-rpgs">RPG</a> from <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/warframe">Warframe</a> developers Digital Extremes, despite the fact that the lore writing is often wyrd to the point of giving me a concussion. Especially when it creeps into studio press announcements. For example, here is a snippet from the developer&rsquo;s <a href="https://forums.soulframe.com/topic/8378-farewell-to-2025-looking-ahead-to-2026/">summary of Soulframey doings</a> in the year 2025: &ldquo;Together, we stepped into sap-dreams and freed Bromius from rotting roots. We Bestitched with a certain witch and crept into the crypts of The Circade.&rdquo; ...Right then! I expect you shall be tending to your ravens next. </p> <p> Still, don&rsquo;t let that turn you off. There&rsquo;s a lot of gentle craft beneath the plus-plus-ultra world-building. Soulframe is a game that often comes alive in the quieter moments. Take, for example, the login screen, which I&rsquo;ve just realised could be a hidden creature collection game. </p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-love-fantasy-rpg-soulframes-cosy-start-screen-even-though-it-could-be-a-creepy-piece-of-habit-forming-design">Read more</a></p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/masters-of-albion-from-peter-molyneux-22cans-arrives-in-april/ 2026-01-16T13:30:59.000Z

Peter Molyneux and 22cans return in April with their latest god sim attempt, Masters of Albion.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/1579979021id28329gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/masters-of-albion-from-peter-molyneux-22cans-arrives-in-april/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/grab-some-awesome-modern-platformers-in-the-playful-platformers-2026-humble-bundle/ 2026-01-16T13:03:51.000Z

Got a little time for some adventuring and platforming? The Playful Platformers 2026 Humble Bundle has launched with a great price for some nice games.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/307130244id28328gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/grab-some-awesome-modern-platformers-in-the-playful-platformers-2026-humble-bundle/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/amazon-confirm-new-world-aeternum-will-go-permanently-offline-next-year-and-is-being-delisted/ 2026-01-16T12:44:13.000Z

Back in October 2025, Amazon announced that their MMO game New World would no longer see updates - and now they've confirmed the full shutdown.<p><img src="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/1166937033id28327gol.jpg" alt />.</p><p>Read the full article on <a href="https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/amazon-confirm-new-world-aeternum-will-go-permanently-offline-next-year-and-is-being-delisted/">GamingOnLinux</a>.</p> https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amazons-once-hailed-fantasy-mmo-new-world-will-vanish-from-servers-in-a-years-time 2026-01-16T12:23:37.000Z

<img src="https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/New-World-Medleyfaire-1.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" /> <p>Amazon&rsquo;s colonial fantasy MMO <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games/new-world">New World</a> (latterly rebranded New World: Aeternum) is no longer available for purchase as of yesterday, and will be taken offline for good from 31st July 2027, the publishers have announced. The news follows the release of the game&rsquo;s final major update back in October, amid <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/new-world-wont-be-getting-any-more-new-additions-following-mass-layoffs-at-amazon">mass layoffs at Amazon</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amazons-once-hailed-fantasy-mmo-new-world-will-vanish-from-servers-in-a-years-time">Read more</a></p>