Akir's recent activity

  1. Comment on Winamp has announced that it is opening up its source code to enable collaborative development of its legendary player for Windows in ~tech

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Foobar2000 is great. To me it's kind of like what iTunes should be. But if Winamp ever had a successor, it's XMPlay. It's got the skinnability and it even supports Winamp plugins.

    Foobar2000 is great. To me it's kind of like what iTunes should be.

    But if Winamp ever had a successor, it's XMPlay. It's got the skinnability and it even supports Winamp plugins.

  2. Comment on Winamp has announced that it is opening up its source code to enable collaborative development of its legendary player for Windows in ~tech

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Winamp had three features that made it drammatically better than any other media player. It was very fast and lightweight. It could be run reliably in the background while you did other things. It...

    Winamp had three features that made it drammatically better than any other media player.

    • It was very fast and lightweight. It could be run reliably in the background while you did other things.

    • It made it easy to make and save playlists, which was basically the extent of library management at the time

    • It was trivial to customize and extend. Skins gave it a social aspect, while extensions meant that it was often the easiest ways to play music in more exotic formats like Ogg Vorbis or even video game specific files.

    Beyond that, it quickly expanded to meet new and exciting features, like music visualization, video, and internet streaming, while the extensions for it only got more and more ambitious.

    Possibly the best things it had going for it were that it was miles better than Windows Media Player, it was free, and to my recollection it didn't bug you to buy the paid "pro" version except on the download page.

    The little demo jingle that came with it was also iconic in it's own way.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on ChatGPT will show sources for their search now in ~tech

    Akir
    Link
    It's a shame that it doesn't do it for the free version. That would allow a person to check it's results and see if it's hallucinating and how reliable it's opinions are. I recently tried out...

    It's a shame that it doesn't do it for the free version. That would allow a person to check it's results and see if it's hallucinating and how reliable it's opinions are. I recently tried out Microsoft's Copilot and even though I didn't particularly like it overall, it did cite sources and I really appreciated that feature.

  4. Comment on What is your opinion on Dan Brown novels? in ~books

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Yeah. In the end it doesn’t matter if it’s bad if you enjoy it. It’s fantasy, after all.

    Yeah. In the end it doesn’t matter if it’s bad if you enjoy it. It’s fantasy, after all.

  5. Comment on Thoughts on the current state of discoverability and search in ~tech

    Akir
    Link
    A short while back I was reading an internet argument with one person who was saying that some crazy social phenomenon was totally common and as proof he said that one could simply google it and...

    A short while back I was reading an internet argument with one person who was saying that some crazy social phenomenon was totally common and as proof he said that one could simply google it and see the stories of people who documented it.

    And that is when I realized that if you search for just about anything you will find it, regardless of weather or not it is real. That is what the infinite content pipeline has given us, and with AI it’s able to keep up with any demand instantly.

    Of course that is not entirely true, because when society has overwhelmingly decided something it creates ideological “black holes” that will suck away any ability to search for related info or counter-claims. For instance I was trying to search for what effects consuming cholesterol has on the human body, and it just poured a deluge of articles saying that it doesn’t affect your blood cholesterol. That’s nice to know but it wasn’t enough to sate my curiosity.

    Internet search has probably been ruined, and there is probably no going back. I should probably check out DMOZ and see how it holds up today.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on What is your opinion on Dan Brown novels? in ~books

    Akir
    Link
    I never cared for them. They aren’t very well written. On the other hand, he is indirectly responsible for the funniest work of parody I have ever read.

    I never cared for them. They aren’t very well written.

    On the other hand, he is indirectly responsible for the funniest work of parody I have ever read.

    21 votes

  7. Comment on NetBSD bans all commits of AI-generated code in ~comp

    Akir
    Link
    Excuse the tangent, but is this the NetBSD Foundation’s official Mastodon account? I was just a bit surprised to find they’re on SDF’s instance.

    Excuse the tangent, but is this the NetBSD Foundation’s official Mastodon account? I was just a bit surprised to find they’re on SDF’s instance.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What’s your method for archiving bookmarked/liked social media posts? in ~comp

    Akir
    Link
    For the most part I don't. It's extremely rare that social media content will hold it's value over a few years time. Bookmarks are typically short-term for me to look at something when I have more...

    For the most part I don't. It's extremely rare that social media content will hold it's value over a few years time. Bookmarks are typically short-term for me to look at something when I have more time, and the stuff I have still bookmarked are full of bizzare and outdated things; the remaining utility is almost entirely nostalgia.

    That being said, there's a really easy way to archive almost every webpage as long as it's not dynamic: ctrl-s in just about every browser will let you save the webpage along with it's images. last time I checked both Firefox and Chrome have built-in screenshot utilities that will capture the entirety of the page. Unfortunately neither is a universally good option because of the way that some websites are designed.

    8 votes

  9. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Oh man, if that's what french toast is to you, you are missing out. It's supposed to be impregnated with a milk and egg mixture which turns it into a kind of custard. It's a sandwich because it's...

    Oh man, if that's what french toast is to you, you are missing out. It's supposed to be impregnated with a milk and egg mixture which turns it into a kind of custard. It's a sandwich because it's filled bread; just without the cuts!

    Likewise a good bread pudding should be free-standing. Soupy bread pudding is still good, it's just not quite right.

    And now I am desperately craving foods I really should be avoiding.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Donald Trump - Joe Biden US Presidential debates to take place on June 27th and September 10th in ~misc

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I'd like to point towards tradition, but this time around I honestly can't see it as anything other than an extremely public dick measuring contest.

    I'd like to point towards tradition, but this time around I honestly can't see it as anything other than an extremely public dick measuring contest.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I'd argue that by that definition french toast and bread pudding are also sandwiches. But as I elaborated in my other comment, dictionary definitions are not a complete picture of how language is...
    ... flatbreads...filled with other stuff. That is the definition of a sandwich.

    By that definition, an enchilada is also a sandwich.

    I'd argue that by that definition french toast and bread pudding are also sandwiches.

    But as I elaborated in my other comment, dictionary definitions are not a complete picture of how language is used.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I love tortas. More sandwiches should be made with beans. People who haven't tried them are missing out.

    I love tortas. More sandwiches should be made with beans. People who haven't tried them are missing out.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Students invent quieter leaf blower in ~engineering

    Akir
    Link Parent
    It appears that the thrust of this is that the invention was either licensed or sold to a leaf blower manufacturer. If this was just a nice thing they were going to release for free, the school...

    It appears that the thrust of this is that the invention was either licensed or sold to a leaf blower manufacturer. If this was just a nice thing they were going to release for free, the school probably wouldn't have made such a nice announcement for it.

    I can practically guarantee that it will be integrated with the blower and won't be available separately.

    (paging @SirNut)

    3 votes

  14. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I'm not the one expanding the definition; I'm using one that already exists. The Cube rule also calls poutine nachos and hot dogs tacos, which are things that nobody does without at least a degree...

    I'm not the one expanding the definition; I'm using one that already exists. The Cube rule also calls poutine nachos and hot dogs tacos, which are things that nobody does without at least a degree of jest. But the thing that all of these arguements seem to ignore is that words take on meaning beyond what can be described in a dictionary definition. I'm not just talking about the context, either. Tacos and burritos are sandwiches in the taxonomical sense, but they aren't sandwiches. If someone says they're bringing sandwiches to share at the park, you're going to be disappointed if they bring a bag of Taco John's.

    Alternatively, my definition has been proven in the court of law. So there. :P

    8 votes

  15. Comment on ‘Mitzvah night is cancelled’ Inside the sex strike that has infuriated husbands and shaken the ultra-Orthodox world in ~life.women

    Akir
    Link Parent
    It's a control thing, weather intentional or not. Cults operate by controlling their members as much as possible; the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the people they socialize with and the...

    It's a control thing, weather intentional or not. Cults operate by controlling their members as much as possible; the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the people they socialize with and the rules of socialization. It helps them control the way people think. The preoccupation with sex is often (though sadly not exclusively) less about the act and more about making people stay in line.

    5 votes

  16. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I don't care about what some memepost on the internet says. Tacos, burritos, and wraps are all sandwiches. Tortillas are flatbreads. Tacos and burritos are tortillas filled with other stuff. That...

    I don't care about what some memepost on the internet says. Tacos, burritos, and wraps are all sandwiches. Tortillas are flatbreads. Tacos and burritos are tortillas filled with other stuff. That is the definition of a sandwich.

    I find comical internet musings on semantics to be tiring. The latest thing about vegetables not being real is particularly grating to me. As a general rule of thumb, words will expand to encompass the greatest possible meaning. Like woke, which went from meaning "a person who has become aware of the everyday impact of systemic racism" to "any leftist cause, or proponent of such cause, or the quality of being one".

    15 votes

  17. Comment on I gave up meat and gained so much more | A tale of one person's life, culture, and growing up in ~life

    Akir
    Link Parent
    The dietary requirements for vegan diets are vastly overstated. Basically if you have a varied diet you should be fine. The one thing you will have to worry about is vitamin B12, which doesn't...

    The dietary requirements for vegan diets are vastly overstated. Basically if you have a varied diet you should be fine. The one thing you will have to worry about is vitamin B12, which doesn't tend to work well because we tend to wash it all off.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on Fifth American tourist arrested at Turks and Caicos airport after ammo allegedly found in luggage in ~travel

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Misplacing a bullet may not be that big of a deal here, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't just misplacement. Intentional or not, we are talking about someone smuggling weapons into the...

    Misplacing a bullet may not be that big of a deal here, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't just misplacement. Intentional or not, we are talking about someone smuggling weapons into the country. It's a harsh penalty because it's a pretty big crime.

    That being said, I'm very much against mandatory minimums, and this is the perfect example of the problem they represent.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on What is a value or belief you have that is extremely outside the norm? in ~talk

    Akir
    Link Parent
    There are entire books written about that subject regularly. Much of it is in regards to the complications children bring. There's also a lot of it which is just based on people's feelings, which...

    There are entire books written about that subject regularly. Much of it is in regards to the complications children bring. There's also a lot of it which is just based on people's feelings, which don't have to be logical to be valid. If your wedding partner doesn't care, then you can get away with not understanding it just fine, but if they aren't - or if you're just interested at all - search out one of those books and start reading. Even if you were to go out and ask people why it's important, they wouldn't be able to explain the depths of complexities involved simply for lack of time and patience. So a book is your best bet.

    5 votes

  20. Comment on What is a value or belief you have that is extremely outside the norm? in ~talk

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Ha! Fair enough. But I still think I'm way far out in the weeds as far as where my opinion lays on the spectrum of drug permissiveness. Those SEA countries you speak of may not have money or...

    I think this is the dominant way of thinking in the west in general, which is why I bothered to put my take here.

    Ha! Fair enough. But I still think I'm way far out in the weeds as far as where my opinion lays on the spectrum of drug permissiveness.

    Those SEA countries you speak of may not have money or healthcare, but they have much stronger social structures overall, especially when it comes to family units and familial duties. The social safety net doesn't exclusively apply to governmental programs, after all. Here in the US our social fabric is full of countless holes; it's really more of a social spider web.

    5 votes