DynamoSunshirt's recent activity
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Comment on Introducing Googlebook, designed for Gemini Intelligence in ~tech
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Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt LinkI wish I had something more optimistic to add, other than... same. I used to love the internet because I loved the open exchange of ideas that transcended space and language and border. Text used...I wish I had something more optimistic to add, other than... same. I used to love the internet because I loved the open exchange of ideas that transcended space and language and border. Text used to be a decent barrier; I gravitated towards text-heavy communities like Tildes (and, once upon a time, HN, and parts of Reddit, and even certain Facebook communities back in the day). Everything has become infested with low-quality jokes, memes, and outright spam, leaving me my last bastions of sanity, like Tildes. HN has had problems for a long time, but the bot presence has become utterly unbearable lately.
These grassroots communities are dying, replaced with utterly soulless astroturfing.
I fear we've somehow implemented Dead Internet Theory. In a way it'll be nice to touch grass and use the internet less. But I'll miss the friends, the sense of community, the learning, and most of all the reminder of just how big and varied the world can be. It was amazing to wander onto the internet and find other nerds like yourself, whatever niche you care about most. But I guess most people are fine replacing that with homogeneous undifferentiated slop. It makes me very sad. I wonder where (if?) the next generation finds a way to create those niche communities, because it's clear that those nerd spaces are anathema to the capitalist urges of our techno overlords.
It would be nice to see more third places show up in meatspace, but that's also being ruined by our oligarchs. So I really don't know what to hope for. Maybe a nice solar flare that could knock out 99% of modern computers and leave people OK? Aliens?
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Comment on ‘It’s shameful’: New York’s elite lash out at Zohran Mamdani’s second-home tax in ~finance
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentDoes that mean people who own just one home don't pay property tax in France? I've often wondered why we don't at least exempt the average house price from property tax. If you want something...Does that mean people who own just one home don't pay property tax in France?
I've often wondered why we don't at least exempt the average house price from property tax. If you want something fancy, pay extra. But why penalize people who just want someplace normal to live in?
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Comment on Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller: This merger can, and should, be stopped in ~movies
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentAt the end of the day, fewer people in charge of all media in the country is a terrible idea. We'd be better off breaking CNN into hundreds of pieces than handing it to oligarchs who already have...At the end of the day, fewer people in charge of all media in the country is a terrible idea. We'd be better off breaking CNN into hundreds of pieces than handing it to oligarchs who already have a chokehold on other news companies.
At least right now the oligarchs have to collude. When you let them merge, you even take that barrier away!
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Comment on Reddit reports 69% jump in revenue, topping analyst estimates in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentPersonally I've seen a huge drop in response quality and a massive increase in low-quality meme responses on the site in the last few years. Even on serious subs, somehow image-only top-level...Personally I've seen a huge drop in response quality and a massive increase in low-quality meme responses on the site in the last few years. Even on serious subs, somehow image-only top-level comments routinely get upvoted to the top. That's fine for social subreddits, but pretty cancerous any place where you want answers or a nuanced discussion.
I suppose we'll see how it pans out in the next 5-10 years. I think the fact that we're having this conversation here (and not on reddit) is a telling sign that the best discussions are slowly migrating away from reddit. And not just because of one issue, it's death by a thousand cuts: neutering the API and custom apps, selling user submissions to AI companies for training, mistreating longtime moderators, disguising ads as posts and comments.
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentInteresting that you bring up North Korea. So you acknowledge there is a place for political violence? I do condemn political assassinations. But I also admit there's a fine line; I understand why...Interesting that you bring up North Korea. So you acknowledge there is a place for political violence? I do condemn political assassinations. But I also admit there's a fine line; I understand why Malcolm X tended towards more violent behavior than MLK, for instance. Oppress and mistreat people for long enough, and they become desperate.
Oddly I think I agree with you: assassination in North Korea? Fine enough. Assassination in the USA, even in 2026? Not OK.
Maybe we're stuck on the nuance of where to draw that fine line? But I'm not sure anyone knows precisely where to draw it. Consider Germany in Hitler's time; with the information of the common person, filtered through the propaganda state, in what month of what year of the Nazi takeover would you change from "assassination wrong" to "ok"? I don't think any of us can draw that line. I certainly can't!
So I suppose I'm just saying that I empathize with the desperation of these people. If you think assassination in North Korea is OK, don't you feel the same way?
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Comment on Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentFEED ME A STRAY CATFEED ME A STRAY CAT -
Comment on Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentThanks! I've looked up a lot before but honestly there are so many I've fallen prey to the paradox of choice in the past. Legendarium seems very up my alley, now that I have a human recommendation...Thanks! I've looked up a lot before but honestly there are so many I've fallen prey to the paradox of choice in the past. Legendarium seems very up my alley, now that I have a human recommendation I'll check it out!
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Comment on Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentDo you have a specific podcast readthrough in mind? I started a read a couple of months ago but I've stalled out, I imagine a good podcast could help restart my efforts.Do you have a specific podcast readthrough in mind? I started a read a couple of months ago but I've stalled out, I imagine a good podcast could help restart my efforts.
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentThe AI companies love to talk about their 'concern' for job replacement as a marketing strategy. It's just like the Mythos bit they tried last week: scaring us with ghost stories about how...The AI companies love to talk about their 'concern' for job replacement as a marketing strategy. It's just like the Mythos bit they tried last week: scaring us with ghost stories about how powerful their product is, with little evidence and no objective opinions to back them up.
But the truth is, we don't have to gallop forward into massive LLM adoption at full speed. The AI companies and their vested interests are pushing this. The rest of us won't benefit. You could stop every datacenter and every LLM chatbot offering on the planet right now and most of us would return to the way we used to live without issue. It would only be a problem for the people who have ~invested~ gambled hundreds of billions of dollars into companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, and the megacorporations like Facebook and Google and Oracle who have pushed hundreds of billions of dollars into LLM development and data centers.
We're not concerned about the world ending, and that should be obvious. We're actually concerned about a bunch of rich people laying many of the rest of us off to balance their spreadsheets. Meanwhile the rest of us just want to feed and clothe and house our families, and maybe, if we're really really ambitious, save for a cushy retirement of not working ourselves to death after 65-70.
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentThis thread began with you asking "...isn't this just terrorism?" The next comment: Your reply indicates that this is justification for terrorist activity. My reply pokes fun at your response,...This thread began with you asking "...isn't this just terrorism?"
The next comment:
Its what people have always done in the face of tyranny, before we have collective bargaining, before we have legal system where we agreed everyone is equal before the law, and before we had democracy where the state exists of the people, for the people, by the people.
Your reply indicates that this is justification for terrorist activity.
My reply pokes fun at your response, since the same logic applies to states: 'the violence is ok because it is just'.
If you didn't catch my drift, I don't think your logic checks out. You're trying to say that no matter the circumstances people should just just roll over and accept abuse from the powerful, as long as it falls within the bounds of the law.
Let's say you're a homosexual, and your state declared homosexuality a crime. The state throws you in prison. Should you just accept it, because that's The Law? Or should you resist and stick up for what's right?
I'm not saying that violence against the oligarch class is justified. But it feels disingenuous to pretend that you don't understand the argument being made here. And honestly it's pretty dickish to call it a 'totally disconnected political tangent.'
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentAmerican AI is fueled by billionaires and VC, and much larger than AI efforts anywhere else except maybe China. When the oligarchs have placed all-in bets on wiping out our jobs, of course the...American AI is fueled by billionaires and VC, and much larger than AI efforts anywhere else except maybe China. When the oligarchs have placed all-in bets on wiping out our jobs, of course the rest of us will be pissed. I imagine if I lived in Europe with a functional social safety net I would be far less concerned, especially with much less investment into AI in the first place.
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentReplace "terrorism" with "war" and "terrorist" with "head of state" and now you're cookin'.Replace "terrorism" with "war" and "terrorist" with "head of state" and now you're cookin'.
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Comment on The insider trading suspicions looming over Donald Trump's US presidency in ~society
DynamoSunshirt LinkI, for one, look forward to spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and tens of years of public servant time to prove that Donald Trump is a corrupt piece of garbage. I imagine it will...I, for one, look forward to spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and tens of years of public servant time to prove that Donald Trump is a corrupt piece of garbage.
I imagine it will produce results similar to previous prosecutions of Trump.
(seriously though, how do we fix the system so these oligarchs -- and their posse -- actually suffer meaningful consequences for their corruption on a reasonable time scale?)
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Comment on Apple names insider John Ternus as CEO, Tim Cook to become executive chairman in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentSorry, big tech was the wrong term. I should say medium-large (mid-cap?). Some I've worked for, some friends have worked for. In all fairness they tend to rotate every 2-3 years so there are...Sorry, big tech was the wrong term. I should say medium-large (mid-cap?). Some I've worked for, some friends have worked for. In all fairness they tend to rotate every 2-3 years so there are literally more of them in my brain.
I don't think non-MBAs are necessarily better, btw. I've just literally never met anybody with an MBA who hasn't been absolutely ghoulish to work with.
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Comment on Apple names insider John Ternus as CEO, Tim Cook to become executive chairman in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentI'm just so glad to see someone without an MBA running a big tech company. Even better, someone who rose up through the ranks over the course of decades. The professional executive class is an...I'm just so glad to see someone without an MBA running a big tech company. Even better, someone who rose up through the ranks over the course of decades. The professional executive class is an absolute cancer in my experience; I have yet to meet one of these ghouls who has any idea how to do anything but justify more headcount to the superiors. Makes it very difficult for those of us who want to actually work on something, since "actually working on something" tends to step on their toes as they play their political chess games in search of a CEO position.
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Comment on Framework reveals 13 Pro laptop with 20-hour battery in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt Link ParentDo you know if any independent hands-on of the new trackpad are out? It sounds very compelling, with glass and haptics, but the devil is in the details.Do you know if any independent hands-on of the new trackpad are out? It sounds very compelling, with glass and haptics, but the devil is in the details.
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Comment on Framework reveals 13 Pro laptop with 20-hour battery in ~tech
DynamoSunshirt LinkLooks like Framework is claiming more battery life than Apple's newest laptops, at least for video, on Linux. And you can upgrade the RAM and ROM with standard components, and easily swap ports...Looks like Framework is claiming more battery life than Apple's newest laptops, at least for video, on Linux. And you can upgrade the RAM and ROM with standard components, and easily swap ports and replace parts using Framework parts!
I wonder if they fixed sleep?
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Framework reveals 13 Pro laptop with 20-hour battery
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Comment on Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced releases July 9, 2026 in ~games
DynamoSunshirt LinkHeh. I just started the Temeraire book series recently, and the ship combat inspired me to look into ship combat games. Turns out, nobody has truly topped the ship combat in Black Flag, which I...Heh. I just started the Temeraire book series recently, and the ship combat inspired me to look into ship combat games. Turns out, nobody has truly topped the ship combat in Black Flag, which I played more than any other AC game just because the ships were so fun.
I wonder how much "new content" they'll truly add to a game I already played so hard. Personally I would prefer a new game with similar ship mechanics (and expanded mechanics, like a larger map, more legendary ships, and a diverse range of ship types for your personal ship depending on how you want to play). But I guess we'll just get AC:IV with a content filter and a few new quests instead. Maybe I'll pick it up in a couple of years on Steam sale if it supports macOS.
It's funny to think that a lot of people are giving Apple heat these days for "not innovating" in AI... but by merit of enshittifying their ecosystem slightly slower than others, and investing in real-world improvements like better CPUs (and consequently better battery life) they've made the only Big Tech laptop hardware worth buying in the last decade.