Banazir's recent activity
-
Comment on New ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie From Stephen Colbert and his son in development at Warner Bros in ~movies
-
Comment on Thinking of getting Proton and using it as my day-to-day email, but I have concerns in ~tech
Banazir LinkI joined Proton back in 2017 using their free tier, but didn't switch to using it as my primary until around 2020. As others have mentioned, it's mainly about getting out of the hands of companies...I joined Proton back in 2017 using their free tier, but didn't switch to using it as my primary until around 2020. As others have mentioned, it's mainly about getting out of the hands of companies like Google and Microsoft, and having my email encrypted (even at rest) means I know that Proton isn't scraping my emails for data. I've started paying because the increased benefits are nice, plus it helps keep the free tier available for new users (and I'm grandfathered in on a lower price).
I think your threat model is oddly skewed. It seems that you're concerned about governments and "data brokers" hunting you down specifically, which isn't really what they do. They connect the dots between visible identities, but unless you've made yourself a target they're generally not hunting down individuals' data to fill in gaps. If you're actively getting hunted down, then Proton or other publicly-available mail services are not your best option.
Individually, switching to Proton (or any other private mail provider) will only close some gaps. However, it's a step, and an easy one that most people can take. It's a single layer of privacy for an average individual, not an end-all solution for all problems. As the saying goes: if someone want to Mossad you, you’re gonna get Mossaded.
-
Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI agree that their messaging could be better, as emails outside of Proton-Proton or a recipient using PGP aren't e2ee, but that ends up cluttering marketing with details that will deter casual...I agree that their messaging could be better, as emails outside of Proton-Proton or a recipient using PGP aren't e2ee, but that ends up cluttering marketing with details that will deter casual users. Maybe they should remove e2ee from the marketing and just mention "encryption at rest", then bring up e2ee in the details later on.
Regardless, that's a whole other topic, and bringing it up (especially 10 days later) feels like a nitpick that's just trying to find a point to score against Proton.
-
Comment on Tom Scott: England — Official teaser for Nebula in ~travel
Banazir LinkRather than create a new topic, I figured I'll continue this one. Tom released a longer format video on Youtube that talks a bit more about the upcoming series and his other ongoing projects:...Rather than create a new topic, I figured I'll continue this one.
Tom released a longer format video on Youtube that talks a bit more about the upcoming series and his other ongoing projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3lSKgz4q8
-
Comment on Commonly misspelled words quiz in ~humanities.languages
Banazir Link Parent... That was totally intentional. Yep. Not just another "far" finger typo.... That was totally intentional. Yep. Not just another "far" finger typo.
-
Comment on Commonly misspelled words quiz in ~humanities.languages
Banazir Link18/20 correct, 5820/8000 score I far-fingered "relevant" and clicked the option next to it, but I'm too lazy to re-do the test to see what my proper score would be, and the french appetizer word...18/20 correct, 5820/8000 score
I far-fingered "relevant" and clicked the option next to it, but I'm too lazy to re-do the test to see what my proper score would be, and the french appetizer word tripped me up with the extra e.
-
Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
Banazir LinkI've been getting into folk and bluegrass, both of which I had listened to a bit before. There's a few songs and bands I keep coming back to, here's my current go-to pieces: Poor Man's Poison -...I've been getting into folk and bluegrass, both of which I had listened to a bit before. There's a few songs and bands I keep coming back to, here's my current go-to pieces:
Poor Man's Poison - Give & Take: Poor Man's Poison got some traction with Hell's Coming With Me and Feed The Machine, both of which I've seen used in shorts in the last 5 years. The band's track list feels like a bluegrass take on the same themes as Rise Against and similar punk rock bands, and Give & Take is just the one that's caught my ear for now. Feed The Machine is still an earworm, but all of their songs are good.
The Dead South - Broken Cowboy: This one pulls at my heartstrings, I've always enjoyed acoustic songs that tell a story. Many of The Dead South's songs are irreverent or satirical (see Banjo Odyssey, for example), but Broken Cowboy stands out in their repertoire to me. The first time I really paid attention to it was at the end of 2019 when I had failed to graduate college (I finished the next semester) and my long-term girlfriend was leaving me. Listening to this song no longer drops me into the same pit of depression I was feeling, but it still evokes a melancholy that contrasts Dead South's more upbeat songs nicely.
The Oh Hellos - Dear Wormwood: It's been a while since I read Dear Wormwood by C.S. Lewis, but I remember enough that this song definitely fits its namesake. The entire album has Christian themes without being explicit, and Dear Wormwood ends triumphantly enough to shake the melancholy of Broken Cowboy.
If anyone has similar albums or artists in these veins, please feel free to share!
-
Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentYou are confusing privacy with anonymity. Privacy means nobody knows what's in your mailbox. Anonymity means nobody knows whose inbox that is. Proton advertises privacy, which they do well. You...You are confusing privacy with anonymity.
Privacy means nobody knows what's in your mailbox. Anonymity means nobody knows whose inbox that is. Proton advertises privacy, which they do well. You are complaining that they are not absolutely anonymous without taking specific precautions, something that they do not claim to be.
-
Comment on What are people using instead of VS Code? in ~comp
Banazir Link ParentI tried out kickstart.nvim and stuck with it for a long time with no customizations. The first time you run nvim after switching your init.lua, it will take a few minutes to set up libraries and...settle on some configuration of Neovim
I tried out kickstart.nvim and stuck with it for a long time with no customizations. The first time you run nvim after switching your init.lua, it will take a few minutes to set up libraries and language servers, but after that it feels just as quick as normal nvim without the effort of setting everything up yourself.
Nowadays with the amount of server work I do, I just use regular vim and netrw commands.
-
Comment on Dox with Grok in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI tried your prompt for my own Reddit account, which has an extremely similar name as my Twitter handle (very different from my username here). It was unsuccessful at finding my identity, but it...I tried your prompt for my own Reddit account, which has an extremely similar name as my Twitter handle (very different from my username here). It was unsuccessful at finding my identity, but it the writing style breakdown was interesting to see. I'm definitely relieved that doxxing me is a bit harder than an AI query, I've tried pretty hard to keep accounts separate.
Note that this is my first (and maybe only?) time using Grok, and second time intentionally using an AI - I don't count the summaries that search engines automatically provide. If it wasn't a potential privacy risk I wouldn't have done it at all, but sometimes you just gotta know.
-
Comment on Once we were ALL spacemen in ~tv
Banazir Link ParentIt should be noted that the Once We Were Spacemen instagram account has been sharing videos from Nathan Fillion going around to the old Firefly cast members. They're strongly hinting that the show...It should be noted that the Once We Were Spacemen instagram account has been sharing videos from Nathan Fillion going around to the old Firefly cast members. They're strongly hinting that the show is coming back in some form. I expect that this podcast episode will tie into that, but I haven't listened/watched yet.
-
Comment on How far back in time can you understand English? in ~humanities.languages
Banazir Link ParentVocabulary was definitely the issue in the 1200's. I'm familiar with some of the old symbols used previously, particularly the thorn and long S, but I couldn't do much when the words lost...Vocabulary was definitely the issue in the 1200's. I'm familiar with some of the old symbols used previously, particularly the thorn and long S, but I couldn't do much when the words lost similarly to what I already know.
-
Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
Banazir Link ParentI'm aware you can buy firearms up there, but I also remember handgun bans being put into effect as well as a few other categories. Since so many murders in the US are carried out using handguns...I'm aware you can buy firearms up there, but I also remember handgun bans being put into effect as well as a few other categories. Since so many murders in the US are carried out using handguns and ARs, I wasn't sure if the shooter got their hands on one of those.
-
Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
Banazir Link ParentThanks for the additional context for comparison. I don't know the stats on mass shootings (Canada or the US), so it makes this even more heartbreaking with more facts.Thanks for the additional context for comparison. I don't know the stats on mass shootings (Canada or the US), so it makes this even more heartbreaking with more facts.
-
Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
Banazir LinkI can't think of a way to say this that doesn't come across as flippant, but I thought this kind of thing only happened here in the States. It seems that this event has shocked the nation a lot...I can't think of a way to say this that doesn't come across as flippant, but I thought this kind of thing only happened here in the States. It seems that this event has shocked the nation a lot more than it shocks us when it happens, so it's definitely not common.
I admit that I was initially frustrated that there wasn't much info on the shooter. It took a second for me to realize that this is exactly what I've been asking for - don't publicize them. Honestly no names should be shared at all out of respect for the families of the victims as well, which is what was done here. I would still like to know more about the event itself and the leadup to it - was this school specifically targeted, why was it done, did the shooter use a banned firearm, etc, but it's too early to ask for that info and this article did all the rest right.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Banazir LinkI picked up Fallout: New Vegas during the Steam Winter Sale and almost immediately dove in. Despite its age (15 years old now!) the gameplay is excellent. The core RPG mechanic of gaining levels...I picked up Fallout: New Vegas during the Steam Winter Sale and almost immediately dove in. Despite its age (15 years old now!) the gameplay is excellent. The core RPG mechanic of gaining levels and applying points to skills and perks feels much better than later Bethesda games imo. My main early complaint was that shots that were clearly on-target kept missing, but I discovered that was a product of my Guns skill being low, which adds a multiplier to the bullet spread. I've been doing a sneak/guns build for combat (cue Skyrim stealth archer jokes) and it's been feeling pretty good. I'm finally at the point where a sneak crit with the AMR on a Deathclaw can one-shot it, so I'm a lot more confident roaming around now. For social gameplay, I've really enjoyed the faction reputation system and wish it came back in future Bethesda games. It's mildly frustrating to have a questline cut off because you don't want to piss off your preferred faction, but it makes decisions feel a bit more impactful.
The game is somewhat held back by the limitations of the game engine. Dialog trees are fairly limited, although knowing what level you need in a skill to achieve success is really nice in the times you can leave and come back later. Having the physics tied to framerate means I had to lock my monitor to 60 Hz because I couldn't find any other way to cap FPS, but otherwise I couldn't hit anything on the move. There's been a few other nitpicks along the way, mainly physics engine issues and lack of weapon mod interchangeability (why can't I move scopes around?), but nothing that truly ruins the experience.
I've also been playing Hades II on my Switch so my wife can watch. She's a disaster with a controller and can't get past the first boss after dozens of tries, but she still wants to experience the story and characters, so this is our "together" game. She makes decisions about who to gift items to and who to curry favor with, and I make decisions about boon choices and how to play each run. The system worked well for us with the first game, and it continues to do so now.
I like the mix of new and returning characters, I'm very glad to see that they didn't get rid of the entire cast of the first game. Some gods have had their personalities shift a bit, but in a way that fleshes them out more rather than just tossing the old version. I've gotten to the point that I can reliably read and beat both boss options (not saying who either option is, but the ability to choose between routes is presented early on) if I make it to them with reasonable resources at my disposal. The gameplay feels very similar to the first one, just with a little "more" to it, and each of the weapon choices feels unique without having a clear best one to take every time.
If you enjoyed Hades, I definitely recommend picking up Hades II. If you haven't played the first one, I recommend playing that first - it's excellent, and there's definitely spoilers for the first game here.
-
Comment on I'm back in ~talk
Banazir Link ParentThere's a reason I spent a year reading and lurking before requesting an account, and I'm glad I did. Most of the time I have nothing meaningful to add to conversations (even this could just be...There's a reason I spent a year reading and lurking before requesting an account, and I'm glad I did. Most of the time I have nothing meaningful to add to conversations (even this could just be noise), and I feel like too many redditors just feel the need to be heard no matter what.
-
Comment on Why should anyone care about low-level programming? in ~comp
Banazir Link ParentAnother Randy fan here! It looks like his whole video archive is back (some of the older ones were inaccessible for a while), I'm glad that the entire journey is visible again. I found him through...Another Randy fan here! It looks like his whole video archive is back (some of the older ones were inaccessible for a while), I'm glad that the entire journey is visible again. I found him through his pixel art video 6 years ago and I'm glad I did. Hopefully we'll get a version of Arcane (or whatever the name is at that point) eventually!
-
Comment on Ian's Shoelace Site is still the best site for tying your shoes in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI've been using it for about half the time you have and recently found out that one of my friends also uses the Ian knot. Another friend wanted to learn so we tried to teach her and she just...I've been using it for about half the time you have and recently found out that one of my friends also uses the Ian knot. Another friend wanted to learn so we tried to teach her and she just couldn't wrap her mind around it for some reason.
Similarly, my mom saw me tie my shoes and asked how I did it so quickly. I did take an opportunity to troll her by slowly showing her "first you put one lace forward, and the other backwards..." before I finished the knot quickly with "...and then you just tie them!" My dad thought it was hilarious, and I did go through it slowly as a proper demonstration later, but my mom was definitely flabbergasted by the original demonstration.
-
Comment on Postal arbitrage in ~finance
Banazir Link ParentAdditionally, sending a card/letter gives me an opportunity to be personal. None of the random junk items will have any actual meaning to the people I care about, and most will probably prefer not...Additionally, sending a card/letter gives me an opportunity to be personal. None of the random junk items will have any actual meaning to the people I care about, and most will probably prefer not to get those items instead. Hand-writing a letter or card actually takes time and effort from me, which is worth more than the cost of the stamp imo.
This bit makes me cautiously optimistic. The first half of FotR cuts out a lot, and these particular chapters have a lot that I missed. Fog on the Barrow-Downs really is such an important chapter because there's a strong argument that it's the closest Frodo gets to failing before he actually does fail in Mt. Doom. The other chapters also add to the story, we could maybe get the Thinking Fox as well as Bombadil and maybe a more faithful portrayal of Farmer Maggot.
Some of those chapters absolutely need a narrator though, and I think that's where the style can make a difference. If it's the older hobbits telling Elanor the story of the journey, I could easily see Sean Astin acting as narrator as well, giving insight into characters' thoughts as their actions are shown. Adapting it directly into the films wouldn't work as well, since the LotR movies really are more action-oriented than the books were. A second retelling with a different style could work out.
Note that I'm generally very critical of LotR media - I disliked the Hobbit movies, haven't touched the Amazon show because it didn't look appealing, and haven't enjoyed most of the LotR games I've played. Having something to be even mildly optimistic about feels odd, but I think this is the best shot I've seen in a while.