ackables's recent activity
-
Comment on GPT-4o in ~tech
-
Comment on EA is looking at putting in-game ads in AAA games — 'We'll be very thoughtful as we move into that,' says CEO in ~games
ackables Link ParentI don't mind a billboard or in game product placement if it fits with the world of the game. Loading screen ads, pop-ups, and banner ads would be unacceptable to me though.I don't mind a billboard or in game product placement if it fits with the world of the game. Loading screen ads, pop-ups, and banner ads would be unacceptable to me though.
-
Comment on Macklemore - Hind's Hall (2024) in ~music
ackables LinkNot to sound cavalier, but does anyone understand that Palestinian genocide is not on the ballot this fall? Abortion access is on the ballot this fall. Climate change mitigation and reversal is on...Not to sound cavalier, but does anyone understand that Palestinian genocide is not on the ballot this fall?
Abortion access is on the ballot this fall. Climate change mitigation and reversal is on the ballot this fall. The fate of Ukraine is on the ballot this fall. Student debt relief is on the ballot this fall.
-
Comment on Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of May 6 in ~news
ackables Link‘If they go into Rafah, I’m not going to be supplying the weapons,’ Biden says.‘If they go into Rafah, I’m not going to be supplying the weapons,’ Biden says.
“If they go into Rafah, I’m not going to be supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday.
In the interview, Mr. Biden also acknowledged in a way that he has rarely done that American bombs have killed innocent Palestinians. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Mr. Biden said.
In the CNN interview, Mr. Biden said that he had warned Mr. Netanyahu against sending the Israeli military into civilian areas of Rafah. “It’s just wrong,” Mr. Biden said. “We’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells. I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet that they’re not going to get our support if in fact they go into these population centers.”
-
Comment on Fear the Mad Catz - The worst video game controllers ever in ~games
ackables LinkI loved their computer mouse. The R.A.T. 3 was an awesome mouse when I had one 10 years ago.I loved their computer mouse. The R.A.T. 3 was an awesome mouse when I had one 10 years ago.
-
Comment on Jack Dorsey quits Bluesky board and urges users to stay on Elon Musk's X in ~tech
ackables Link ParentYes, but then they can't make money off selling you a subscription to an RSS feed.Yes, but then they can't make money off selling you a subscription to an RSS feed.
-
Comment on I'm at a loss on what to do about my backyard grass situation in ~life.home_improvement
ackables Link ParentMy local dog park will fence off part of the park occasionally to give the grass time to recover. Maybe OP can just rotate which part of his lawn is open to his dogs.My local dog park will fence off part of the park occasionally to give the grass time to recover. Maybe OP can just rotate which part of his lawn is open to his dogs.
-
Comment on The FAA investigates after Boeing says workers in South Carolina falsified 787 inspection records in ~transport
ackables Link ParentAlso people don’t just break the rules for no reason. If they were being lazy, then a supervisor should have caught this and it’s management’s fault. If the workers were pressured to send more...Also people don’t just break the rules for no reason. If they were being lazy, then a supervisor should have caught this and it’s management’s fault. If the workers were pressured to send more planes off the line and they cut corners with inspections that’s also management’s fault.
For all those leadership classes that MBA students and managers take, they sure don’t seem to exhibit much of it.
-
Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
ackables Link ParentI understand that sales tax is regressive, so replacing it with a progressive tax would be better. The issue is that politicians have an easier time repealing taxes than they do creating new ones....I understand that sales tax is regressive, so replacing it with a progressive tax would be better. The issue is that politicians have an easier time repealing taxes than they do creating new ones. If sales tax is included in the advertised price and sales taxes are lowered to attract more people to local businesses, it hurts the locals. If you save a few percent off your grocery bill that’s nice today, but people will suffer when the roads deteriorate, the firefighters take too long to arrive, and the library shuts down.
-
Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
ackables Link ParentI responded in another reply to my original comment, but the gist of it is that we have extreme examples of this on cities that are on the border of two states in the US. Even though sales tax is...I responded in another reply to my original comment, but the gist of it is that we have extreme examples of this on cities that are on the border of two states in the US. Even though sales tax is not currently included in final prices, extreme differences in sales tax across state borders are noticeable to consumers. This has caused a $100 million dollar sales tax revenue shortfall for Vancouver, WA because they neighbor Portland, OR where there is no sales tax.
In areas where multiple cities blend into each other and sales tax differences are lower, including sales tax in the advertised price would make it easier for consumers to choose to shop in a place with lower sales tax. This could cause a race to the bottom where cities cut sales tax to try to compete for businesses.
This would not be an issue if there was a national sales tax like many European countries do, but the wide range of sales tax rates across metropolitan areas in the US could cause budgetary problems for some cities.
-
Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
ackables (edited )Link ParentI don’t necessarily cross shop prices at the grocery store, but larger purchases like electronics, appliances, and furniture are cross shopped at multiple stores. If someone could see that they...I don’t necessarily cross shop prices at the grocery store, but larger purchases like electronics, appliances, and furniture are cross shopped at multiple stores. If someone could see that they would get $50 off their new iPhone if they drove to a store 10 miles away, it could actually upend local economies. Stores could have a competitive advantage by having storefronts in lower tax zones and cities could see drops in sales tax revenue.
An extreme example is Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, WA. Vancouver, WA has a 8.4% sales tax and Portland, OR has no sales tax. Vancouver, WA brings in $100 million a year less in sales tax than they would expect for their population. This causes issues for providing the services people expect from their local government.
If sales taxes are included in advertised prices, this could happen in more areas on a smaller scale, or cities could start a race to the bottom for sales taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to move in. Eventually consumers may have lower prices, but they come at the expense of budget shortfalls to run city services.
-
Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
ackables Link ParentIt is explicitly mentioned in the article. The bill bans “drip pricing” in California for all businesses. All advertised prices have to reflect the cost to the consumer minus government fees and...It is explicitly mentioned in the article. The bill bans “drip pricing” in California for all businesses. All advertised prices have to reflect the cost to the consumer minus government fees and shipping costs.
This should stop the sticker shock on online ticket sales, but I wouldn’t expect it to change much for delivery. A lot of the charges levied on delivery apps are actually for government fees. The delivery apps also mark up the advertised prices on the menu items already, so it’s worth ordering directly from the restaurant’s website anyways.
-
Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
ackables Link ParentI’m fine with showing prices before tax. In the US, sales tax is set by cities, counties, and states. You can have a different tax rate at the store down the street than at the store 10 miles...I’m fine with showing prices before tax. In the US, sales tax is set by cities, counties, and states. You can have a different tax rate at the store down the street than at the store 10 miles away. It would be confusing to people to have different prices posted on stores in the same area.
In places like the UK where VAT is the same rate across the whole country, including it in the advertised price isn’t a big deal.
-
Comment on Data show that the amount of sexual content in top films has sharply declined since 2000 in ~movies
ackables LinkThis makes a lot of sense. I have noticed that unnecessary sex scenes are less frequent than in the past. I don't particularly want to be turned on when I watch a movie, so sex scenes that don't...As a result, intimacy co-ordinators will often ask film-makers to consider why the moment is important in the narrative. (After all, viewers who want to watch sex without a credible story have easy access to pornography on the internet.) Ms O’Brien says that sometimes those conversations result in changes to the script or the sex scene being deleted.
This makes a lot of sense. I have noticed that unnecessary sex scenes are less frequent than in the past. I don't particularly want to be turned on when I watch a movie, so sex scenes that don't move the plot forward are annoying.
-
Comment on AT&T announces $7 monthly add-on fee for “Turbo” 5G speeds in ~tech
ackables Link ParentI don't use more than 75GB a month, but the kind of person who wants the fastest 5G speeds on their phone probably is. Also having fast 5G will just let you burn through your data cap faster than...I don't use more than 75GB a month, but the kind of person who wants the fastest 5G speeds on their phone probably is. Also having fast 5G will just let you burn through your data cap faster than ever.
-
Comment on AT&T announces $7 monthly add-on fee for “Turbo” 5G speeds in ~tech
ackables LinkI thought this sounded cool until I read that they will still throttle you to 128kbps once you use 75GB of data on your unlimited plan. Seems like you are better off using normal 5G speeds when...I thought this sounded cool until I read that they will still throttle you to 128kbps once you use 75GB of data on your unlimited plan. Seems like you are better off using normal 5G speeds when you need to and Wi-Fi the rest of the time.
It will be interesting to see if the $7 a month customers get extra speed because of new capacity that AT&T has built, or if they will just be prioritized over the normal 5G customers. I don't think charging more for a high speed is bad, but if they make existing service worse to do it, they need to be punished.
-
Comment on An equitable solution to a problem at work regarding sick leave and staffing? in ~life
ackables LinkThis is obviously wrong, but when you aren't unionized, and you live in a place with weak worker's rights laws this is how it goes. When I had a union job, one of the older guys told me, "If...This is obviously wrong, but when you aren't unionized, and you live in a place with weak worker's rights laws this is how it goes.
When I had a union job, one of the older guys told me, "If you're sick stay home. It's management's job to deal with staffing issues, not yours."
I believe if you are in the US, your employer can't tell you to not use sick time if you have the sick time accrued. The only issue is whether they will retaliate against you for using it. You are obviously have valuable skills if you have worked there for 15 years. I would just call out next time and use your sick hours. If they fire you, you have the skills to get hired somewhere else.
-
Comment on How do you take notes while reading? Do you have a “marginalia” process? What has helped you learn better and retain new knowledge? in ~creative
ackables Link ParentObsidian is in essence a text editor for markdown files. Markdown is the same text format that Reddit and Tildes use for comments, so it should be fairly familiar to you. I think the coolest built...Obsidian is in essence a text editor for markdown files. Markdown is the same text format that Reddit and Tildes use for comments, so it should be fairly familiar to you. I think the coolest built in feature is being able to create links to other documents or locations in documents, so you can cite other notes when you are making a new note.
The plugins are what make it more useful than just a word document. They allow you to add features, like the kindle plugin, that can enable specific tasks you want to use obsidian for. If you don't have a plugin you specifically want to use, obsidian isn't anything special.
-
Comment on How are you dealing with inflation regarding everyday enjoyment? in ~life
ackables LinkI haven't been noticing it as much at the grocery store, but I have cut out eating out so I can do what I like with groceries. I don't get too hung up on comparing current prices to prices of 5...I haven't been noticing it as much at the grocery store, but I have cut out eating out so I can do what I like with groceries. I don't get too hung up on comparing current prices to prices of 5 years ago because that is a big part of what makes people feel unhappy about inflation.
Instead of thinking about what you can't do anymore, think about what new things you can enjoy that make better use of your money. This is a good opportunity to be forced out of our comfort zone and think about how we want to spend our time and money. Chances are we were probably not all being as efficient with our finances as we could have in the past.
-
Comment on More than 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested across US campuses in ~news
ackables Link ParentI appreciate how someone can write a comment against your views, but you still want them to be heard.I appreciate how someone can write a comment against your views, but you still want them to be heard.
Does anyone know if the AI is transcribing your speech and inputting the text into the LLM, or if it is directly listening to your speech?