V17's recent activity
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Comment on Liberals who were formerly far-left (communist, anarchist, etc.), what led to you coming to liberalism? in ~society
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
V17 Link ParentI bet it's something similar - either an aromatic quickly decomposes into something that's completely harmless but triggering for some people similarly to cilantro, or perhaps it just changes...I bet it's something similar - either an aromatic quickly decomposes into something that's completely harmless but triggering for some people similarly to cilantro, or perhaps it just changes concentration. From smelling perfumes I found out that, at least with smells, different concentrations and/or ratios of the same aromatics can smell like a completely different thing and go from pleasant to disgusting.
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
V17 (edited )LinkYou know what? Rapeseed oil does taste a bit like cardboard now that I think about it! I don't mind it at all though. The only strange thing that I cannot stomach is tangerine flavored foods. I...You know what? Rapeseed oil does taste a bit like cardboard now that I think about it! I don't mind it at all though.
The only strange thing that I cannot stomach is tangerine flavored foods. I thought it was some weird synthetic flavoring, but apparently not, it happens with natural tangerine extracts, whether it's ice cream or San Pellegrino (which I love in its orange variant). This is weird because I definitely do like actual tangerines.
The only thing that reminds me of the weird, apparently natural, tangerine flavor is dihydromyrcenol, a synthetic perfume ingredient used to create a feeling of freshness in many perfumes (most famously and possibly most strongly in Davidoff Cool Water) but also in washing detergents etc. It smells like a synthetic metallic tangerine.
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Comment on Whatever happened to the Uber bezzle? in ~transport
V17 Link ParentJust want to say that at least in my country (Czechia) this is not the case. I suspect that the issue as usual may be that we do more regulation, but Uber lobbied here for deregulation with some...Just want to say that at least in my country (Czechia) this is not the case. I suspect that the issue as usual may be that we do more regulation, but Uber lobbied here for deregulation with some success as well.
Uber indirectly pushed the legislators to change and relax the laws regarding taxi services which happened I think 8 years ago and it was mostly a good thing. Since then competition emerged and prices across the board have been lower when adjusted for inflation than they used to be, the amount of scams and other shady stuff has been reduced significantly. The downside is that since it's easier to enter the field, the number of people who buy fake identities to get around bans has increased, but the scale of this issue is relatively small. And taxi drivers do make less money. But since parts of the taxi service in high profit areas were basically mafia-lite, nobody cared to defend them.
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Comment on What healthy habit has made a difference for you? in ~health
V17 Link ParentI know what you say is true for many people, but I want to add: this is an individual thing, if you're someone who has tried this and it didn't help any, you're not doing anything wrong, that's...I know what you say is true for many people, but I want to add: this is an individual thing, if you're someone who has tried this and it didn't help any, you're not doing anything wrong, that's just what it is.
Many people are just fine with drinking only when they start feeling thirsty or with a meal and eating a common amount of salt.
I am chronically ill and for my very mild heart problems two different doctors recommended that I drank more water, so I pushed myself. It had zero positive effects on me and years later, when I started having issues with very mild malabsorption of minerals (which is not common, but not rare either - it can happen due to microbiome issues, which can be triggered by covid, a round of antibiotics, chronic stress...), specifically magnesium and potassium, it actually made things worse. After I started drinking only when I felt like it, I started feeling better and stopped peeing all the time.
Drinking primarily water instead of any flavored drinks is definitely a good idea though.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 Link ParentAFAIK steel mills have been gradually switching to electric arc heating here in Europe. But simultaneously many have been closing down, the business has been moving to Asia due to costs for a long...AFAIK steel mills have been gradually switching to electric arc heating here in Europe. But simultaneously many have been closing down, the business has been moving to Asia due to costs for a long time, and I have no idea about those. It is true that it takes a long time for the whole industry to switch, I'm just saying that it's already happening.
No idea about cement.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 Link ParentThanks! That's good to hear.Something you might be interested to know though, is that a growing percentage of Solar PV panels actually aren't manufactured in China, they're being sourced from countries like Cambodia, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc. Of course a lot of the components are originally sourced from China, but there's no reason that can't change.
Thanks! That's good to hear.
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Comment on AntiRender: remove the glossy shine on architectural renderings in ~tech
V17 LinkI love the idea, but it already seems to be broken. That was fast.I love the idea, but it already seems to be broken. That was fast.
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Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
V17 (edited )LinkQuite fun with english as a second language. I got to 90, and yes, I also forgot horse. edit: 148 second try. It helps to imagine settings in which you see various animals, like scenes from a...Quite fun with english as a second language. I got to 90, and yes, I also forgot horse.
edit: 148 second try. It helps to imagine settings in which you see various animals, like scenes from a safari, your last time visiting a zoo etc. Still, there are whole categories of animals, like birds, where I have zero idea what most of them are called in English since our terminology is completely different.
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
V17 LinkJust noticed that Tech Ingredients made a video on LRADs around the same time, and while similarly to Benn Jordan the guy is overconfident and has clear gaps in basic acoustics also seen in other...Just noticed that Tech Ingredients made a video on LRADs around the same time, and while similarly to Benn Jordan the guy is overconfident and has clear gaps in basic acoustics also seen in other videos, he does show a DIY device similar to an actual LRAD and how to protect from it.
Two serious flaws in the video:
- The earplugs were likely improperly inserted. Earplugs generally work better than over the ear protection, especially when it's cheap, but fit matters a lot (with both actually, headphones are going to fit worse over long hair for example). With neither headphones nor earplugs is the attenuation linear - different frequency bands are attenuated by wildly different amounts, so it is possible that earplugs truly are worse for this frequency band, but I believe the difference shown is too large to be real with proper fit and insertion.
- Showing the riot shield and face shield is excellent, but he completely omits explaining a feature of acoustics that is very important to understanding them: to work properly, physical obstacles have to be larger than the sound's wavelength, in both axes. LRADs generally produce high frequencies, but based on the technology used I expect they could go as low as 500 Hz, though not as loud, which is almost 70 cm. I would aim at 1000 Hz as a realistic goal, and use a shield that's at least 40 cm wide to be sure, which the riot shield in the video probably was. Whereas the face shield is simply too small to make a useful difference.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 LinkSince the video is this long, I have to ask: does he talk about the issue with the fact that pretty much all solar panels are made in China? (are they still? is there any movement to change that?)...Since the video is this long, I have to ask: does he talk about the issue with the fact that pretty much all solar panels are made in China? (are they still? is there any movement to change that?)
In the recent years it's become clear that unfortunately we may be getting back into an era of global scale conflicts. The west is way too dependent on China in many areas, but specifically energy infrastructure is possibly the most important one of them all. It's necessary for literally everything else.
I'm not convinced that we should avoid solar because of this, but surely it has to be part of the decision process. As much as I hate coal (I was born in a region devastated by coal mining), I think that from the point of view of energetic security phasing it out so aggressively here in the EU as one of the only truly independent source of energy is extremely short sighted.
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
V17 Link ParentIn the text Minori cites the LRAD was used as a louder, better quality megaphone. That kind of use is much quieter than the maximum output for tones/alarms ("deterrent setting") and indeed should...In the text Minori cites the LRAD was used as a louder, better quality megaphone. That kind of use is much quieter than the maximum output for tones/alarms ("deterrent setting") and indeed should not cause hearing damage unless you're standing close to it. And hearing damage is certainly not intended there. I don't think the comparison to a concert is a great one for the same reason, but LRAD use on the loud "deterrent setting" and use as a megaphone are two different things.
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
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Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself.
Note: I couldn't decide whether to post this to society or to health, in the end I think it's more important that people interested in the protests see it, but feel free to move this. I have not...
Note: I couldn't decide whether to post this to society or to health, in the end I think it's more important that people interested in the protests see it, but feel free to move this.
I have not seen an LRAD from up close, I'm going from what is available online and my knowledge of acoustics. There's a lot of misinformation floating around that could be dangerous for protestors, so I'm trying to clear up the worst of it.
What are LRADs/sound cannons?
LRADs are incredibly loud highly directional loudspeakers capable of reproducing medium to high frequencies. They can be used for communication, but they can also be used for playing tones or alarms at volumes so high that it completely paralyzes a person even with ears covered or earplugs inserted. This mode can easily cause immediate permanent hearing damage.
This is what they look like (sorry for daily mail link, but it's a decent current article)
The police in Minneapolis did not use it as a weapon yet afaik, they only used it to amplify voice and threaten to actually use it, so hopefully there was no harm done unless someone was standing close to it. However I think that in current political climate we have to assume that this can change at any time.
Benn Jordan's video on LRADs is wrong
I have seen links to a video by Benn Jordan on LRADs posted again in various places. Ignore this video and warn anybody who posts it as it's completely wrong and you are going to get hearing damage if you listen to it. Benn Jordan did not do his research and is shockingly lacking some fundaments of acoustics, I could write a whole post on that, but let's focus on the most imporant thing:
The video is about ultrasonic modulation speakers, whereas afaik all of the common LRADs are "just" incredibly loud normal loudspeakers. Here's a teardown that makes it obvious, some evidence can be found on the manufacturer's website as well.
Which means that most of what he says in the video simply does not apply. Most importantly, a piece of stiff glossy paper or plastic foamboard, which people on reddit or youtube keep posting about, will not help at all, it will do nothing, and if you ever try to rely on it, you're going to get hearing damage!
What does help?
The only thing that truly does help is always keeping your distance from an LRAD and/or at least standing far enough from the angle in which it produces maximum volume, which is about 15°. I believe a relatively safe distance without any hearing protection would be about 200 meters (about 650 feet) for the loudest models, but even then it just gives you time to GTFO.
If you need to be closer, wear earplugs. Soft foam earplugs cost almost nothing and may prevent hearing damage (but not if you're close and the LRAD is used at maximum volume). Something like this will provide more isolation. If you expect to be close to an LRAD, wearing large over the ear protection, as strong as you can get, with earplugs underneath is a good idea. Even that won't shield you from 150+ dB, so do not ever get too close.
A stiff, large and heavy shield will help. There's a link at the bottom with more information. However this only shields direct sound, and sound reflects off things, so if you're near a wall, or in a narrow street, you may still get dangerous volume levels just from reflected sound. I think it's usually safer to stay mobile than to carry around a heavy shield.
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Comment on Iran’s supreme leader signals harsher crackdown as protest movement swells in ~society
V17 Link ParentThanks a lot for your information! Yeah, that was based on information that was available at that point.Thanks a lot for your information! Yeah, that was based on information that was available at that point.
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Comment on Hunger signals messed up in ~health.mental
V17 LinkI also get suppressed appetite when stressed. My question is: are you still eating the same portions? In other words, is truly the issue a lack of hunger signals, or is it that you feel full much...I also get suppressed appetite when stressed. My question is: are you still eating the same portions? In other words, is truly the issue a lack of hunger signals, or is it that you feel full much quicker than before?
The reason why I'm asking is that for me when I stress-starved myself in the past for an extended period of time (weeks?), the issue was that my stomach significantly suppressed its natural peristaltics (seen on endoscopy), and as a result I felt full quickly and when I attempted to eat normal portions of food I quickly became nauseous. But when I didn't eat, I regularly became nauseous as well, likely from the stomach acid produced on an empty stomach. Herbal teas for aiding digestion seemed to make the second issue worse while not helping the fist issue.
The solution from the gastroenterologist was to force myself to eat regularly until the stomach starts moving normally again. This was really difficult and I failed until I got a tip from a different doctor who was into alternative medicine (a red flag, but this thing in particular worked): he told me to only drink warm fluids, even if it's just warm water with a bit of lemon juice for taste (I usually used diluted fruit syrups warmed in the microwave), no cold or room temperature drinks whatsoever, do not eat raw vegetables, only cooked, and avoid dairy. I assume that the first thing was the most important and afaik is backed by some evidence, but I decided to do the latter two as well just in case, so I cannot say for sure. I felt a difference in a week and within two weeks I was able to eat mostly normally.
Good luck in any case, and a visit to a gastroenterologist seems warranted. Endoscopy is not that bad.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
V17 Link ParentHonestly that's valid. What I intended to say by that is that I acknowledge that it is clearly a jab and not neutral commentary, but I think it's a jab at attittude, not at a diagnosis or people...You described it as "mildly offensive observations." I don't think it makes sense to be like "no not like that, it's mildly offensive in another direction"
Honestly that's valid. What I intended to say by that is that I acknowledge that it is clearly a jab and not neutral commentary, but I think it's a jab at attittude, not at a diagnosis or people with the diagnosis in general. And I think that things can be stated in a somewhat offensive way but still be mostly accurate.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
V17 Link Parentcopying what I say above: I don't interpret it that way, I see it as a criticism of "2010s tumblr"-like focus on the diagnosis as the most important thing in one's personality, which doesn't seem...What a brave take; a doctor dismissing people with literal mental illnesses. Bravo. I can't wait to never read any of his other material.
copying what I say above: I don't interpret it that way, I see it as a criticism of "2010s tumblr"-like focus on the diagnosis as the most important thing in one's personality, which doesn't seem healthy.
Btw here's a piece by the NYT on the man, doxing him, to provide more context into the enviously large, genetically superior brain behind these works.
Of all the reasons to hate him I think this is one of the worse ones and recommend looking up and reading the subject's response together with it, it gives reasonable explanations why some parts of the article are just badly written/wrong.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
V17 Link ParentI don't interpret it that way, I see it as a criticism of "2010s tumblr"-like focus on the diagnosis as the most important thing in one's personality, which doesn't seem healthy.I don't interpret it that way, I see it as a criticism of "2010s tumblr"-like focus on the diagnosis as the most important thing in one's personality, which doesn't seem healthy.
I find it really interesting how moving away from extreme political ideas can make a person both more interested in politics, because they move from theorizing and LARPing to caring about actionable real life policies, and less interested in politics, because they want to reduce things in their life that induce or strengthen an "everything is fucked" mindset that seems to be necessary for both far left and far right ideologies. I very much empathize with both, and both can effectively reduce doomerism in my experience.