Acorn_CK's recent activity
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Comment on Just wanna talk about drinking less in ~talk
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Comment on This Miami luxury condo is burying crystals in its building foundation to create good ‘vibes’ in ~design
Acorn_CK Link ParentI agree. I genuinely think that certain "opinions" -- namely those that contradict known scientific facts -- should be conversationally destroyed with prejudice by anyone who is educated. Make...I agree. I genuinely think that certain "opinions" -- namely those that contradict known scientific facts -- should be conversationally destroyed with prejudice by anyone who is educated. Make them at least admit they just believe in magic for no reason.
I don't personally let shit like this slide when anyone says similar to me. I'm sure I come off as a dick sometimes, but I refuse to participate in the implicit acceptance of garbage like this (and climate change denial, had a big thing with my mother-in-law over that).
The tough thing to accept is that a huge portion of the general population has virtually no scientific knowledge at all, to the point that being highly educated is something to be derided in some social circles. I wish kids were raised with skepticism and scientific rationality being the 3rd 'core', next to English / Mathematics (in the USA at least, maybe other countries are better... but with the growing far-right garbage everywhere, I doubt that is the case often).
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Comment on Pride Month at Tildes: #3 - What positive changes have you seen in your lifetime? in ~lgbt
Acorn_CK (edited )LinkTo open, I generally identify as a cis-male, although that isn't a terribly hard line internally, my best guess is that I would probably be in the 1-1.5 range on the Kinsey scale if I'm being...To open, I generally identify as a cis-male, although that isn't a terribly hard line internally, my best guess is that I would probably be in the 1-1.5 range on the Kinsey scale if I'm being completely honest. I've never had a homosexual encounter, but I'm not really averse to the idea like I was 10-15 years ago (I've been in a monogamous cis-relationship for 14 years) -- and to be clear, I thought I was a little averse to the act itself, but the more I've reflected the more I've come to appreciate that it was almost entirely coming from the potential prejudice it might've created. It was 'easier' to just be cis, as far as I know.
One of the biggest changes I've noticed, as someone that hasn't ever personally experienced any real prejudice or bigotry (I'm a WASP male): I don't feel any shame/guilt/whatever when I have the occasional thought of homosexual acts. When I was growing up, it was very common to use the term 'gay' derogatorily, as if it were something to be ashamed of. This is just from the cultural shift, I think, although I do generally associate with very liberal circles (I have multiple postgraduate degrees), which helps. I do know that there are still plenty of insane bigots in the world -- but I've also seen that there are bastions of complete acceptance, which is an ideal I've always espoused since my teenage years. And I love seeing that part of the world with respect to my children. I have 3 boys, and I know that regardless of their ultimate sexual/gender identities they will be loved, and be able to be whoever they end up being with virtually no sense of gender imposition or expectations, and with (maybe overly-optimistically) little-to-no experiences of prejudice if they don't end up cis. I don't give a fuck how they identify, as long as it makes them happy.
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Comment on I am sick of "providing feedback" in ~life
Acorn_CK LinkNo joke, any time they ask for feedback now, I go out of my way to give a 1* review, and within the app, leave them feedback that they need to stop harassing me about reviews. The responses are...No joke, any time they ask for feedback now, I go out of my way to give a 1* review, and within the app, leave them feedback that they need to stop harassing me about reviews.
The responses are pretty funny, basically just poorly worded phrases that say they'll let the team know, when in reality they're just going to ignore it.
But I subscribe to the idea that I should act like I wish everyone would, and maybe someday there'll be enough pushback to stop this insanity. I know that isn't likely, but a man can dream.
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Comment on Will Microsoft want to introduce a subscription fee to their Windows OS in the future? in ~tech
Acorn_CK Link ParentI agree with everything you said, and wanted to note that Linux is even easier nowadays with the current AI landscape -- it is not hard whatsoever to ask ChatGPT how to do what you want to do on...I agree with everything you said, and wanted to note that Linux is even easier nowadays with the current AI landscape -- it is not hard whatsoever to ask ChatGPT how to do what you want to do on Linux and have it work pretty quickly. Usually if I get an error, I pass it the error and it self-corrects. It is only fairly complicated code where it can become somewhat overwhelmed and incapable of self-correction.
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Comment on Just wanna talk about drinking less in ~talk
Acorn_CK (edited )LinkI am in active treatment for Alcoholism and Addiction, to give this context. I want you to be aware that the general scientific consensus is that alcoholism is considered to be a 'progressive...I am in active treatment for Alcoholism and Addiction, to give this context.
I want you to be aware that the general scientific consensus is that alcoholism is considered to be a 'progressive disease.' Meaning it will only worsen over time if you do not address it properly. I would also hazard a guess that the large majority of individuals who admit they 'might be an alcoholic' very much are, but are in the earlier stages of the disease. I went through that phase myself. Nobody wants to admit there is something "wrong" with them, especially when alcoholism and addiction are so fucking villainized and stigmatized in our culture.
The thing is, it slowly does alter your brain over time if you are predisposed to the disease, and there are no two ways about it. I had mostly kept my issues under wraps for 2 or 3 years after recognizing it had become a problem, but when I had some real trouble in my personal life and COVID hit, the proper relapse was much, much worse than before. Generally, every relapse is going to be worse than the previous one.
Nobody can make you seek help but you, or a judge. I will note that 7/10 individuals in my IOP group (Intensive Outpatient Treatment) are court-ordered. And they were in residential treatment for 6-12 months prior to this program, whereas I sought help myself and have never had any legal issues, so I got to move that part of the process forward a little faster than most.
Everyone wants to believe they can control it through willpower alone, but straight up the science says that is not how it works. It may work that way in the beginning when you are just starting to have alcohol, but at a certain point the disease takes over and starts influencing your decisions. And this is a slow, somewhat insidious process. Things you think to be conscious thoughts are really rationalizations to explain away any problems you notice, and justify the continued drinking, driven by the disease.
If you think you might be on that path, consider if chancing it is really what you want to do -- or would you rather cut it off at the pass?
If you are genuinely entertaining the idea of treatment -- which in your case, would probably be much less painful than most given you would be on the earlier ends of the disease -- I am happy to answer any questions about the process. I've only been in active treatment for a month now, and I already feel much better about myself than I have in 5 years.
Edit: If you have moved to drinking daily over a period of time, you are an alcoholic, straight up. You can look at the most commonly used assessment questionnaires, they'll be fast and might give you a little more appreciation for where you really are.
10 Questions, a little more discerning
4 Questions, 2 yes answers is 91% sensitivity for alcoholism
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Comment on Thoughts on the current state of discoverability and search in ~tech
Acorn_CK LinkI actually got so fed up with search engines (I pay for Kagi but it isn't perfect), I ask my custom GPT to do the search for me sometimes. I specify it must source links I desire, with a target...I actually got so fed up with search engines (I pay for Kagi but it isn't perfect), I ask my custom GPT to do the search for me sometimes. I specify it must source links I desire, with a target number of options and a brief description of each, as appropriate. Surpringly useful. I assume it'll be even moreso when I recreate it with a GPT-4o backbone.
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Comment on Google Cloud accidentally deletes UniSuper’s online account due to ‘unprecedented misconfiguration’ in ~tech
Acorn_CK Link ParentNot OP, but personally: because fuck the walled garden business strategy. Also the Apple name surcharge, although that isn't as bad nowadays (I think?).Not OP, but personally: because fuck the walled garden business strategy. Also the Apple name surcharge, although that isn't as bad nowadays (I think?).
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Comment on OpenAI considers allowing users to create AI-generated pornography in ~tech
Acorn_CK Link ParentThanks! Yeah, that is something I thought I recalled seeing at some point, but I didn't feel like vetting a proper source. Makes a lot of sense to me.Thanks! Yeah, that is something I thought I recalled seeing at some point, but I didn't feel like vetting a proper source. Makes a lot of sense to me.
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Comment on Most people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence isn't clear on that in ~games.tabletop
Acorn_CK Link ParentYeah, that's similar to what I was going to say - my dad taught me at an early age. And part of it was just learning how to think, not just how to play chess. It was very formative to me personally.Yeah, that's similar to what I was going to say - my dad taught me at an early age. And part of it was just learning how to think, not just how to play chess. It was very formative to me personally.
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Comment on OpenAI considers allowing users to create AI-generated pornography in ~tech
Acorn_CK LinkHow could they not consider it? Think about how good Sora is right now, and that it'll only get better. Custom pornography, exactly what the person desires - can you imagine the amount of...How could they not consider it? Think about how good Sora is right now, and that it'll only get better. Custom pornography, exactly what the person desires - can you imagine the amount of potential money? Absolutely insane. Celebrities and hot people could even license their likeness to the company and split the profits. A porn star of the future might only need to do a few scenes, and then AI can take over from there.
Frankly, I'm not opposed whatsoever. I would hazard a guess that it would even lower the amount of exploitative pornography being made IRL, as I gather that remains a prevalent problem in the industry today. Hell, it might even prevent a few instances of sexual violence here and there - maybe some would have less need to act on the impulse if you can just pay for a great video of the harmful urge.
I will openly admit this is just me speculating, who knows, it could also make things worse. But the thing is - that genie is out of the bottle already. Deepnude can be run on a home computer with very little effort already. The video generation will follow. They're just trying to stay ahead of the curve, and cash in as much as possible on their position in the AI market.
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Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro
Acorn_CK Link ParentThat was also part of my internal 'justification' if you will. I'm fortunate enough to have more priveldge than most, and obviously that'll carry down to my kids as well. I would have been a lot...That was also part of my internal 'justification' if you will. I'm fortunate enough to have more priveldge than most, and obviously that'll carry down to my kids as well. I would have been a lot less likely to decide to have kids if I didn't know I had my financially sound parents as a backstop if shit ever really hit the fan.
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Comment on How do I fix my (stupid) use of excessive punctuation? in ~humanities.languages
Acorn_CK Link ParentAgree with what he said. I realized at some point that the way I tend to write is overly and/or oddly punctuated - but generally, it's to convey the information in the way I would speak it. I use...Agree with what he said. I realized at some point that the way I tend to write is overly and/or oddly punctuated - but generally, it's to convey the information in the way I would speak it. I use too many commas, I love a semicolon, etc, and that's just how I think and communicate. So fuck it eh.
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Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro
Acorn_CK Link ParentYeah, I can empathize with that immensely. Even if it was selfish at the time (which, I don't think it was), you should try and get over the shame and guilt of it, there's no reason to keep...Yeah, I can empathize with that immensely. Even if it was selfish at the time (which, I don't think it was), you should try and get over the shame and guilt of it, there's no reason to keep carrying that burden; you've made your choice, do the best within those constraints. That mindset helped me out of the climate-doom blues when my 3rd was on the way. I don't sugarcoat my view of it, it is going to get bad, and lots of people will die at some point in my life due to it. I'm just working my hardest to give my family the best chance of not being one of those casualties.
Also, there is something to be said for having optimism even in the face of such adversity. If everyone decided to not have kids due to the climate humanity would be done in ~100 years regardless of said climate. We can't all not have kids, that just doesn't work. If you think you can raise children into good adults, there's always promise for later, too. My first is incredibly smart, there's always a tiny tiny fraction of a chance that he'll be on the team that figures out some insane terraforming approach that fixes the climate. Same goes for your kids. There are pros and cons on both sides of the kid-vs-climate argument -- for you though, at this point it's healthier to focus on the pros of having kids for sure!
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Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro
Acorn_CK Link ParentYeah, it was a very difficult decision on my part. But my wife always wanted kids, and so did I. At the end of the day, I decided it was better to be optimistic, which was a bit naive. I do think...Yeah, it was a very difficult decision on my part. But my wife always wanted kids, and so did I. At the end of the day, I decided it was better to be optimistic, which was a bit naive. I do think they'll rather have existed than not at the end of day, and I don't regret having them.
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Comment on Sony backed down from the PSN requirement to play Helldivers 2. How will this change how the community reacts to game changes? in ~games
Acorn_CK Link ParentI will say, as to point (5) -- I fucking loved all the memes on the subreddit (which, man it was weird using Reddit again for a few days, but I couldn't not follow this fucking shitshow). My...I will say, as to point (5) -- I fucking loved all the memes on the subreddit (which, man it was weird using Reddit again for a few days, but I couldn't not follow this fucking shitshow). My particular favorite was that the 3rd enemy type had finally been revealed (Sony/'Snoy').
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Comment on Sony backed down from the PSN requirement to play Helldivers 2. How will this change how the community reacts to game changes? in ~games
Acorn_CK Link ParentHit the nail on the head, as an avid Helldiver myself. This is one of the very few games to come out in the last 10 years that was just done right, and wasn't clearly just a fucking cash grab --...Hit the nail on the head, as an avid Helldiver myself.
This is one of the very few games to come out in the last 10 years that was just done right, and wasn't clearly just a fucking cash grab -- they have the only acceptable microtransation monetization scheme, namely that while you can buy premium currency to get each new 'Warbond' (monthly battle pass lite, basically) for $10, you can also very easily obtain that currency just by playing the game. I bought the passes myself because I like supporting games I play a lot (already at 150hours played), but the rest of the squad I play with all haven't spent a dime past the initial purchase and they still have been able to get most or all of the warbonds, already, depending on playtime.
And then out of nowhere, they tried to force PSN down our throats as a 'requirement', when the game had been out for like 3 months. So everyone just said "no, fuck that!" and it worked, thank god.
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Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro
Acorn_CK LinkHopeless and broken is definitely how I feel, with respect to the climate. Just reading about the consensus of climate scientists over the years, it has been pretty clear for a while now that...Hopeless and broken is definitely how I feel, with respect to the climate. Just reading about the consensus of climate scientists over the years, it has been pretty clear for a while now that humanity as a whole just isn't going to get it together anytime soon, not meaningfully.
So I just decided to go ostrich with it, I don't really have a rational response to knowing my kids are growing up into a world that will have catastrophic climate events on the regular. I'm just going to do the best that I can to optimize within the constraints, which means getting the money I can, and living as well as we can.
Obviously I've voted for whoever has the better record of addressing climate concerns, but it's done effectively fuck all. Not that I won't vote, but I really don't expect it to matter with respect to climate anymore. The rich people won.
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Comment on Heat death of the internet in ~tech
Acorn_CK LinkI'm literally in the process of writing my first short stand-up routine, and it's about this - I call it "The Enshittifcation of Everything."I'm literally in the process of writing my first short stand-up routine, and it's about this - I call it "The Enshittifcation of Everything."
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Comment on Most bingeable book series? in ~books
Acorn_CK Link ParentYes, give it a bit. It didn't take with me until the 3rd time I tried, actually.Yes, give it a bit. It didn't take with me until the 3rd time I tried, actually.
Seems like you're pretty set on this being the way you want to live. I'd advise looking into NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) supplements. If you take them a little while before drinking, they help reduce the impact on your liver. I used them myself for a long time when I knew I was an alcoholic, and I just had my first physical in 5 years and my bloodwork said my liver is perfectly normal.