Fal's recent activity

  1. Comment on Los Angeles Metro approves major rail route expansion into West Hollywood after last-minute deal in ~transport

    Fal
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    This success comes in spite of being delayed over a year by NIMBYs. For more information about the background of this vote, I suggest this video by nanbert released in the lead-up to this vote:...

    This success comes in spite of being delayed over a year by NIMBYs. For more information about the background of this vote, I suggest this video by nanbert released in the lead-up to this vote: The Nation's Future Highest Ridership Light Rail Line at Risk Over 22 NIMBYs and LA Mayor Karen Bass

    4 votes

  3. Comment on How China forgot Karl Marx: The Chinese economy runs on labor exploitation (gifted link) in ~society

    Fal
    Link Parent
    I don't think the author necessarily disagrees with the fact that life for your average Chinese factory worker is better now than it was in the 1960s. From the introduction:

    I don't think the author necessarily disagrees with the fact that life for your average Chinese factory worker is better now than it was in the 1960s. From the introduction:

    To be sure, this is about relative distribution of income, not about absolute income changes for the Chinese workforce. Incomes and living standards have risen dramatically since the 1980s, and the country achieved an impressive record of poverty reduction, all of which should be recognized and applauded. But the fact remains that Chinese workers have lagged far behind the owners of capital and the government when it comes to income gains. It may not be the abject labor extraction envisioned by Deng, but it is labor extraction nonetheless.

    6 votes

  4. Comment on How China forgot Karl Marx: The Chinese economy runs on labor exploitation (gifted link) in ~society

    Fal
    Link

    In the early 1980s, rural Chinese workers saw their incomes surge amid the country’s economic liberalization. It was the beginning of one of the most remarkable feats in history as hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens rose out of poverty. But while many watched in awe, one high-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party was worried by what he saw happening.

    Deng Liqun (no relation to Deng Xiaoping, China’s leader at the time, who had initiated the economic reforms) noticed that many rural businesses had started to hire a large number of workers. Deng, citing Das Kapital by Karl Marx, began to sound the alarm about the greedy capitalists extracting surpluses from the Chinese proletariat. To him, large private businesses were inherently exploitative.

    Deng’s warnings were ignored, but they turned out to be prescient: China’s workforce was about to get squeezed. According to official Chinese statistics, in the real economy—that is, agriculture, industry, and utilities—the share of labor compensation relative to the value of all economic inputs, such as raw materials, production components, and capital, fell from 21 percent in 1987 to 15 percent in 2023, the last year for which data are available. (The share of wages for service jobs, including in real estate, finance, and the government sector, is roughly on par with what it was in the 1980s.) In other words, the relative position of Chinese factory and farm workers today is worse than it was before China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on Tip to tip: Crossing China with no map in ~hobbies

    Fal
    Link Parent
    IIRC he (or maybe its Michael?) does and attempts it in the first episode, but his pronunciation makes it pretty incomprehensible

    IIRC he (or maybe its Michael?) does and attempts it in the first episode, but his pronunciation makes it pretty incomprehensible

  8. Comment on Tip to tip: Crossing China with no map in ~hobbies

    Fal
    Link Parent
    Oh man, I speak Mandarin and its rough to listen to sometimes. Them repeatedly confusing 'where are you from' for 'where are you going' was probably the worst one lol I enjoy seeing the nice...

    Oh man, I speak Mandarin and its rough to listen to sometimes. Them repeatedly confusing 'where are you from' for 'where are you going' was probably the worst one lol

    I enjoy seeing the nice hospitality they're getting, it reminds me of when I was in China when I was younger (and had worse Chinese).

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Tip to tip: Crossing China with no map in ~hobbies

    Fal
    (edited )
    Link
    Tip to tip: Japan discussion from last year I was kind of expecting them to go for a sort of Hainan to Heilongjiang sort of route, which would make travel easier by giving the opportunity to...

    Tip to tip: Japan discussion from last year

    I was kind of expecting them to go for a sort of Hainan to Heilongjiang sort of route, which would make travel easier by giving the opportunity to travel along the coast until about Beijing. Based on the map in the beginning, they instead are aiming for Inner Mongolia, which will take them across some very mountainous terrain. They'll also be missing out on most of the major population centers, save for Chongqing and Xi'an. Looking forward to seeing how this goes!

    9 votes

  11. Comment on I made a word association game - Noun Sense in ~games

  12. Comment on I made a word association game - Noun Sense in ~games

    Fal
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    I'm number one today 813/1000 baby RAAAAAAH

    I'm number one today 813/1000 baby RAAAAAAH

    2 votes

  13. Comment on California to rename Cesar Chavez Day as ‘Farmworkers Day’ in ~society

    Fal
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    California lawmakers announced on Thursday that they intend to change the name of Cesar Chavez Day to “Farmworkers Day” in the wake of devastating accusations of sexual abuse by Mr. Chavez, an iconic labor leader who has been celebrated for decades in the state.

    Twelve days before the annual March 31 state holiday, leaders of the California State Assembly and State Senate said they were introducing a bill to make that change. It came as elected officials across the Southwest were grappling with how to respond to a New York Times investigation that detailed how Mr. Chavez groomed and sexually abused two girls and raped Dolores Huerta, his most prominent farm labor ally.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Queering the Map in ~lgbt

    Fal
    Link Parent
    “Fuck I can’t swim” - pin in the Pacific north of Hawaii

    “Fuck I can’t swim” - pin in the Pacific north of Hawaii

    13 votes

  16. Comment on Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton's CEO asked ChatGPT how to void $250 million contract, ignores lawyers, loses in court in ~games

    Fal
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    Makes this post from last year somewhat ironic: Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton will be an "AI-first" company, with AI HR, AI R&D, in-game AI services I'm open to alternative post titles, since...

    A judge ordered the reinstatement of a video game developer after he was fired as part of a scheme cooked up by a CEO using ChatGPT. Facing the possibility of paying out a massive bonus to the developer of Subnautica 2, the CEO of publisher Krafton used ChatGPT to create a plan to take over the development studio and force out its founder, according to court records.

    The Monday ruling details the bizarre story. Unknown Worlds Entertainment is the studio behind the 2018 underwater survival game Subnautica. The company has since been working on the sequel, Subnautica 2. In 2021, South Korean publisher Krafton bought Unknown Worlds Entertainment for $500 million and promised to pay out another $250 million if Subnautica 2 sold well enough.

    Krafton’s internal sales projections for Subnautica 2 looked great, and looked like it would be on the hook for the additional $250 million. In an attempt to avoid paying this, Krafton CEO Changhan Kim turned to ChatGPT for help avoiding paying the developers the $250 million bonus. “As Unknown Worlds prepared to release its hotly anticipated sequel, Subnautica 2, the parties’ relationship fractured,” the court decision said. “Fearing he had agreed to a ‘pushover’ contract, Krafton’s CEO consulted an artificial intelligence chatbot to contrive a corporate ‘takeover’ strategy.”

    Makes this post from last year somewhat ironic: Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton will be an "AI-first" company, with AI HR, AI R&D, in-game AI services

    I'm open to alternative post titles, since this one is a bit hamfisted to make it less clickbait-y

    46 votes

  18. Comment on Jet Lag Season 17: Taiwan Rail Rush | Trailer in ~hobbies

    Fal
    Link Parent
    I did notice that, the linear loop-ness of it all makes me think that it'll play more like the New Zealand season, with each team going in a different direction around the loop. The strategy there...

    I did notice that, the linear loop-ness of it all makes me think that it'll play more like the New Zealand season, with each team going in a different direction around the loop. The strategy there then is deciding how to defend your holdings once you pass them I suppose.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on Jet Lag Season 17: Taiwan Rail Rush | Trailer in ~hobbies

    Fal
    Link
    Oh no, its the Au$tralia season on steroids. Also congrats to the Youtube channel for reaching 1 million subscribers!

    Oh no, its the Au$tralia season on steroids.

    Also congrats to the Youtube channel for reaching 1 million subscribers!

    4 votes