Akir's recent activity
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThe program my university applied to in order to get Microsoft services to its students recently downgraded the entire tier to exclude the desktop applications for Office. Now attempting to use...The program my university applied to in order to get Microsoft services to its students recently downgraded the entire tier to exclude the desktop applications for Office. Now attempting to use the desktop applications will prompt me to use the web versions.
It might be the biggest middle finger a tech company has given me after Google clawing back their free storage after promising an eternally expanding amount.
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
Akir Link ParentIt honestly bewilders me that people don’t realize how bad chrome is. People who are more technically minded are often quick to handwave the insane memory usage. I bought a very early Chromebook...It honestly bewilders me that people don’t realize how bad chrome is. People who are more technically minded are often quick to handwave the insane memory usage.
I bought a very early Chromebook and because I wanted to run Linux apps on it I installed crouton. Even though Firefox had a bad reputation at the time for being slow, and even with running it with the extra weight of another desktop environment running on top of ChromeOS’s, Firefox was still notably faster than Chrome.
Fast forward to today and Chrome has even more bloat than ever before, including a bunch of APIs that probably shouldn’t even be in a web browser.
Our computers are so unbelievably fast and powerful. But we don’t realize that because our software is so bloated.
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Comment on Anthropic announces deal with Google, Broadcom, says revenue has tripled in ~finance
Akir Link ParentYour profile has a “personal preferences” section which is global to all conversations. With Claude Code you can make an installation level or project level preferences file named CLAUDE.md. I...Your profile has a “personal preferences” section which is global to all conversations. With Claude Code you can make an installation level or project level preferences file named CLAUDE.md. I think there’s something simelar for Claude Desktop, but that’s a step too far for me to try long enough to find out.
Edit: also forgot you can use Projects for the phone and web apps, which let you add in context in a similar manner, including using other types of documents like PDFs and images.
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Comment on Anthropic announces deal with Google, Broadcom, says revenue has tripled in ~finance
Akir Link ParentHonest question to anyone who knows these things: is Grok actually meaningfully better at any given metric than any other AI? I feel that it’s only ever mentioned because it’s going amok on X...Honest question to anyone who knows these things: is Grok actually meaningfully better at any given metric than any other AI? I feel that it’s only ever mentioned because it’s going amok on X (which I am amazed is still culturally relevant, itself).
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Comment on Anthropic announces deal with Google, Broadcom, says revenue has tripled in ~finance
Akir Link ParentHey, I wrote that! For the reference I didn't mean that to say that Claude is completely untrustworthy, but just like any AI you should actually check it's reasoning and ask it to find sources for...Hey, I wrote that!
For the reference I didn't mean that to say that Claude is completely untrustworthy, but just like any AI you should actually check it's reasoning and ask it to find sources for its information. Claude is less sycophantic than other mega-sized LLMs that I've used but it's still there. When I tried asking it about local communities and we went back and forth on if a particular group was part of it - it said it was, I thought it wasn't and it agreed with me, then I did more research on it and it turns out that it actually was and Claude agreed with me again. You basically have to use it as a research assistant rather than a full-blown researcher.
As far as I can tell (and Claude backs me up on this), Anthropic doesn't have any business dealings with xAI or any of Musk's companies; it just brings up Grokipedia articles because it was the one that it came up with that seemed to fit the best. Heck, it might be getting picked because the articles are long-winded and have the appearance of authority.
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Comment on Amazon killing purchasing, borrowing and downloading books for older Kindles in ~tech
Akir Link ParentWell clearly that’s because you’re doing something wrong and there are problems with your brain. /s In all seriousness I’m surprised you don’t like the navigation. That was something i found to be...Well clearly that’s because you’re doing something wrong and there are problems with your brain. /s
In all seriousness I’m surprised you don’t like the navigation. That was something i found to be a major improvement. You can also customize it quite a lot. Mine is also an old model - I’m not sure exactly how old, but it’s one of the first paperwhite models. I’d like to know more about why you think that koreader is less easy to use than the Kindle reader given that most of the advanced options are somewhat hidden away.
I can’t tell you much about Libby syncing because I never used that feature but I wouldn’t be surprised if you had problems with it given that it relies on Amazon’s DRM platform.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Akir LinkAnother week goes along and another physiological problem gets found. This week I discovered that when doing shoulder shrugs, the joints in my shoulder pop every time. The good news is that I...Another week goes along and another physiological problem gets found. This week I discovered that when doing shoulder shrugs, the joints in my shoulder pop every time.
The good news is that I managed to get an appointment with a physical therapist, which I will be seeing in about a week or so.
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Comment on Half-baked idea for metered inline image allowances in ~tildes
Akir LinkI’m very much against this, honestly. Inline images would fundamentally change the quality of conversation. I remember when Reddit started doing it and it felt like the entire site dropped down by...- Exemplary
I’m very much against this, honestly. Inline images would fundamentally change the quality of conversation. I remember when Reddit started doing it and it felt like the entire site dropped down by 20 IQ points in a single day.
But it’s not entirely about “image dumb”; it’s really the ancillary changes inline images would bring. Having people talk and describe concepts reveals things about what they believe and why. If they can just post a diagram or infographic it puts another barrier in between the reader and writer. I believe that this happens even with hyperlinked images, even if it’s not to the exact same extent, so images in general should be discouraged, not encouraged.
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Comment on Keychron Hardware Design — hardware design files for Keychron keyboards and mice in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI think you may have missed where I was asking about their mice. 😅 I actually do have a Keychron keyboard - a K10 Pro if I recall correctly. I like it because it is a big brick of a keyboard that...I think you may have missed where I was asking about their mice. 😅
I actually do have a Keychron keyboard - a K10 Pro if I recall correctly. I like it because it is a big brick of a keyboard that stays in one place and has a 10Key. Shortly after buying it I swapped out their red switches for another style - I think it were Kailh box jades. I kept the reds on the modefier keys though; something about keeping those smooth seemed appropriate.
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Comment on Keychron Hardware Design — hardware design files for Keychron keyboards and mice in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI have the MX Master 2S as well but I tend to keep it in my bag for the few classes I teach where laptop trackpads don’t quite work. A comparable ergo mouse at that price is really compelling so I...I have the MX Master 2S as well but I tend to keep it in my bag for the few classes I teach where laptop trackpads don’t quite work. A comparable ergo mouse at that price is really compelling so I may splurge on a second one just to keep at home.
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Comment on Amazon killing purchasing, borrowing and downloading books for older Kindles in ~tech
Akir Link ParentKindle's software is actually pretty shockingly poor in quality. With my jailbroken kindle, I run koreader with the "no framework" option which completely shuts down the Kindle framework and even...Kindle's software is actually pretty shockingly poor in quality. With my jailbroken kindle, I run koreader with the "no framework" option which completely shuts down the Kindle framework and even with koreader's network and SSH servers on, battery life is notably better. Koreader also has drammatically more options and features, better controls, and is extensible on top of that. Jailbreaking a Kindle offers massive improvements over stock. Anyone who owns one should give it a try; it's not terribly difficult and you get a million improvements.
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Comment on Keychron Hardware Design — hardware design files for Keychron keyboards and mice in ~tech
Akir Link ParentKeychron is a pretty great company IMHO. Also TIL they have mice now. Does anyone who owns one like to tell us how they like it?Keychron is a pretty great company IMHO.
Also TIL they have mice now. Does anyone who owns one like to tell us how they like it?
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI would strongly disagree with your assertion that Microsoft stopped caring about UX with Windows 8. If anything they were trying to push the UX into a brave new paradigm. Frankly, I think that...I would strongly disagree with your assertion that Microsoft stopped caring about UX with Windows 8. If anything they were trying to push the UX into a brave new paradigm. Frankly, I think that Windows 10 was a major step backward by throwing out Metro instead of leaving it as an option. It essentially marked an abandonment of touch screen computing using Windows.
Yes, Windows 8 was rough, but with 8.1 Microsoft had it nailed down quite nicely.
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Comment on The greatest documentary you've never heard of - Tie Xi Qu (铁西区) by Wang Bing in ~movies
Akir LinkAs someone who regularly watches hours-long documentaries for fun, this might actually be the one that has finally become too long for me to watch. I do appreciate Chinese cinema being brought up...As someone who regularly watches hours-long documentaries for fun, this might actually be the one that has finally become too long for me to watch.
I do appreciate Chinese cinema being brought up here in Tildes. Any East Asian cinema, really; there's a lot of really great things being made that we in the west just don't hear about. If you don't know names like Zhang Yimou and Steven Chow, there's a whole world you have yet to explore.
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
Akir Link ParentIIRC it's something like Entra Identity Services. I know this because I decided on a whim to study to take the AZ-900 exam and they were too lazy to fix their educational videos on it to reflect...IIRC it's something like Entra Identity Services.
I know this because I decided on a whim to study to take the AZ-900 exam and they were too lazy to fix their educational videos on it to reflect the change of name, and I'm amazed that I even remembered the Entra name because it's just that incredibly stupid.
But no, the stupidest name change Microsoft has made, in my opinion, is making their private social network product from Yammer to Viva Engage, a move which has single-handedly encouraged me to never actually engage with it.
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Comment on When $1.4 billion isn’t enough: ‘Avatar’ sequels under the microscope as Disney weighs franchise’s future in ~movies
Akir LinkFrankly I find Avatar emblematic of the issues I have with Hollywood in general. Avatar was a pretty good movie, but not because it was a good movie, if you get my drift. It was pretty...Frankly I find Avatar emblematic of the issues I have with Hollywood in general.
Avatar was a pretty good movie, but not because it was a good movie, if you get my drift. It was pretty cookie-cutter in a lot of ways, but it got away with it because Cameron is the king of execution; he made a movie that was forgettable to its core and made it fresh and interesting.
Then they decided to make a sequel, and that was fine. I didn’t see it, personally but it had potential. The problem was that they decided to turn it into a five-film franchise then and there. It’s obvious that it’s going to get stale by the time they make that fifth film, and likely far before then.
But honestly the thing I hate the most about this situation is the headline issue; even a billion dollars isn’t enough for them. What kind of behemoth of a company can’t be happy with having an extra billion dollars? It’s emblematic of the reason I dislike most Hollywood blockbusters. The films they produce are not meant to be artistic endeavors, they are products for people to consume, and more cynically they are advertisements for either IP branded merch or any number of paid product placements. Movies are produced to have interchangeable writers and directors because the producers want to have control enough to maximize their metrics. Often times these films having artistic merit is “accidental”. Let’s not forget that the company who paid to produce the Barbie movie is the same one who made “gems” like Ouija, Battleship, and the infamous Jem and the Holograms.
It’s ironic that when these companies do decide to risk on artistic vision, they often don’t market them at all. A while back Disney tagged a director I like, Justin Simien, to make a Haunted Mansion movie, and it ended up being my favorite film of a year still tainted by the long shadow of the COVID pandemic’s movie plague. It ended up bombing because it came out at about the same time as Barbenheimer, so naturally Disney will forever be pointing to it as an example of why they will not be making those kinds of risks anymore.
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Comment on Why Microsoft’s war on Windows’ Control Panel is taking so long in ~tech
Akir Link ParentTheir engineers are too busy integrating AI features nobody wants, Ads nobody wants, and features that will force people to buy new computers arbitrarily to finish this decade+ long endeavor. A...Their engineers are too busy integrating AI features nobody wants, Ads nobody wants, and features that will force people to buy new computers arbitrarily to finish this decade+ long endeavor.
A month or two ago I bought a new MacBook, which is the second Mac I have ever purchased new. One thing that surprised me about the transition is how surprisingly durable the user profile is: copying over my profile with the migration tool was almost pain free and when it was done the new computer was effectively the same computer as my old one! I’m sure some settings may have been changed for the difference in hardware but I couldn’t tell you what.
Contrast this with my experiences with windows, where I have had to start from scratch every time. Granted I haven’t bothered with windows on real hardware for quite a while now, but each time I have tried to migrate computers I have had to deal with the locations of the settings changing with each version of Windows, so it’s like navigating a labyrinth.
While I don’t agree with a lot of changes in MacOS, the differences between the two operating systems frankly makes me wonder if Microsoft actually cares about serving the end user instead of trying to exploit them. While Apple does also exploit their users with their services, they feel a lot less intrusive than the ads Microsoft inserts all over their OS by default. All of the tiny adware-like bits that Microsoft incudes by default - backgrounds that tell you to look up the details on Bing, a ticker on the bottom, a giant slide-out pane if you accidentally mouse over the corner of the screen, the literal ads in the start menu and search, etc. literally give me a tiny burst of anxiety whenever I need to help my students with their personal computers.
There is a reason why Microsoft doesnt bother to get rid of the well-documented hole letting people activate Windows for free. Microsoft simply doesn’t see end users as their customers when it comes to Windows. It’s their big expensive ad platform.
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Comment on From $250 million megadeal to empty offices: the unraveling of Bad Robot in ~movies
Akir Link ParentYes, but with the power of bitterness and hate I can blame both of them!Yes, but with the power of bitterness and hate I can blame both of them!
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Comment on From $250 million megadeal to empty offices: the unraveling of Bad Robot in ~movies
Akir LinkAs someone who really dislikes JJ Abrams’s projects, I am experiencing a great deal of schadenfreude from the title. This is the man who, from my personal perspective, single-handedly ruined both...As someone who really dislikes JJ Abrams’s projects, I am experiencing a great deal of schadenfreude from the title. This is the man who, from my personal perspective, single-handedly ruined both Star Trek and Star Wars. While I have never truly loved Star Wars, his handling of the beginning and ending of the sequel trilogy has moved me to hate it. Please don’t tell me that any other post-Abrams show will change my mind. I promise I will watch past the first episode of Andor eventually.
Right now I am waiting for an archive link to show up so I can read the details.
It really was not. It was hot garbage when it launched. Because it had higher base specs it introduced the “experience index” benchmark to illustrate how well your computer could run with Vista, and famously it would get so slow over time it would actually downgrade you.
Even basic operations were slower for seemingly no reason. If you copied a file with Explorer it would be noticeably slower than using the copy command from the CLI.
On top of that Microsoft really fucked gamers over by forcing DirectX 10 to be a vista exclusive, so a great number of hugely important new rendering techniques were locked behind a system that would reduce performance for those games just from the vista tax. Microsoft also famously lied about the visual improvements in very blatant ways, offering poorly doctored screenshots to demonstrate the difference in rendering. Seriously, I remember they showed a DX9 comparison shot that they just cut the contrast and brightness.
Vista did have some good ideas behind it and eventually they got it to be good, but that point is when Vista turned from Windows 6.0 to Windows 6.1 - which Microsoft branded Windows 7.