balooga's recent activity
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Comment on What if AI just makes us work harder? in ~tech
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 30 in ~society
balooga Link ParentWell let's hope that's because her amateur coverup skills were responsible for some new Epstein bombshell he knows is about to break... Happy to see her out of there either way, but after...Well let's hope that's because her amateur coverup skills were responsible for some new Epstein bombshell he knows is about to break...
Happy to see her out of there either way, but after Markwayne I'm not super jazzed about whoever her replacement might be.
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Comment on Getting permission from your significant other in ~life
balooga Link ParentI agree! At the same time, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater — there's truth in "happy wife, happy life." Married people should prioritize the happiness of their partners,...It draws on the same old well of tired stereotypes thats behind "wife=bad" humor, or "happy wife happy life" , "gotta ask the boss" and so on. The idea that women are humorless hags with full control of their husband's life and wallet, and that a husbands role is to desperately perform for their wives for the rest of their life to escape being bitched at and nagged.
I agree! At the same time, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater — there's truth in "happy wife, happy life." Married people should prioritize the happiness of their partners, assuming their partners reciprocate. Marriage, ideally, is a mutually beneficial arrangement built on love, respect, and service. When both partners are on the same page about this it's a beautiful thing. Maybe we should update the phrase to remove the misogyny. "Happy spouse, happy house"? I dunno.
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Comment on Getting permission from your significant other in ~life
balooga Link ParentSounds about right to me. I can't speak for other couples but I always try to check in with my spouse before making scheduling decisions. It's not about "permission" but it is a gesture of respect...Sounds about right to me. I can't speak for other couples but I always try to check in with my spouse before making scheduling decisions. It's not about "permission" but it is a gesture of respect for my spouse's time and energy. I feel it would be selfish or uncaring of me to just make personal plans without communicating about them first. We share our lives, calendars, and domestic responsibilities. If I make an executive decision to go hang with the guys some night, that will have consequences for my spouse, who now has to manage dinner prep, kids' bedtimes, and evening cleanup without me.
In a marriage, communication is everything. If I want that hangout to happen I can usually make it happen but it does require coordination and planning because we are partners. Maybe we shift our weekly meal plans to lighten the load that evening, or I help prep some ingredients before I leave. Or I promise to do the dishes after I get home that night. The point is, we're not two independent actors who happen to share a house... we're symbiotic, we're a household, we function as one unit. If I try to bypass that I'm just being a jerk to my other half. This is relational maturity, not an affront to my autonomy.
I might refer to this as "getting permission" as a form of funny shorthand. I think I usually use language like "let me check in with my spouse first" or "let me see what we're doing that night" instead though.
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Comment on Linux kernel czar says AI bug reports aren't slop anymore in ~comp
balooga (edited )LinkI’m glad the bug reports are better but frankly this is terrifying… it means new zero-days are now able to be discovered just as effectively. Every helpful security PR could just as easily have...I’m glad the bug reports are better but frankly this is terrifying… it means new zero-days are now able to be discovered just as effectively. Every helpful security PR could just as easily have been a novel attack. There’s always been an arms race between the white hats and the black hats but it feels like the stakes have just gone through the roof. I’ve no doubt we’re going to see some MAJOR, record-breaking hacks in the next few years.
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Comment on Megathread: April Fools' Day 2026 on the internet in ~talk
balooga LinkChristopher Bingham, one of my favorite filmmaking videoessayists, just released The Lost Medieval Fantasy Version of Jaws, an "AI-generated" masterpiece about the forgotten origins of the classic...Christopher Bingham, one of my favorite filmmaking videoessayists, just released The Lost Medieval Fantasy Version of Jaws, an "AI-generated" masterpiece about the forgotten origins of the classic movie.
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Comment on Jeopardy! YouTube Edition | Teaser in ~tv
balooga (edited )Link ParentSpoilers It’s funny what an important role the buzzer timing plays in Jeopardy, and it’s the one thing you can’t practice at home. You just have to figure it out once you get there. I’ve seen so...Spoilers
It’s funny what an important role the buzzer timing plays in Jeopardy, and it’s the one thing you can’t practice at home. You just have to figure it out once you get there. I’ve seen so many trivia geniuses get flummoxed by that non-trivial part of the game. (Can I use “non-trivial” like that? Well I just did. Suck it, Trebek.)
Brennan seemed really off his game but he mentioned he’s got a newborn at home. That’ll throw anybody off. Weeks of interrupted sleep cycles and an endless chain of spit-up and horrific poopy diapers are the universal recipe for zombie-like delirium. Despite that and the buzzer timing he still managed to come out ahead as I predicted, in the end.
I thought the show was a letdown in general. Too many stupid softball questions with YouTube references awkwardly shoehorned in. The constant YouTube emphasis / sponsorship was an annoying gimmick. I was especially miffed by the PR question about Mr. Beast ethically sourcing ingredients for his junk food. Am I imagining things or did they not deduct points for wrong answers (apart from the final round)? I’m also scratching my head about why there was only one round instead of the normal two, which felt like they were cheaping out.
Did anybody else notice the last question of the post-game interview? Ken asked in an open-ended way what everyone thought of their Jeopardy experience. Monét and Rebecca both gave very cordial, bland answers. Brennan looked like he had something on his mind and I was getting ready for a classic BLM hot take… but they edited it out. There was a very obvious cut, we never hear any response from him, and the interview was over. I’m dying to know what he said.
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Comment on Disney reportedly keen on buying Fortnite developer Epic Games in ~games
balooga Link ParentWhether people admit it or not, this is the destination that the road of capitalism leads to — might as well just make it the explicit goal. There should be a finish line. We should hold a big...Whether people admit it or not, this is the destination that the road of capitalism leads to — might as well just make it the explicit goal. There should be a finish line.
We should hold a big award ceremony for Josh D'Amaro and his execs. Let's invite Iger and Chapek too. "Congratulations, gentlemen! You beat the game!" Give 'em all solid gold statuettes and let them make speeches. Don't even interrupt them with the orchestra, let them take all the time they want to thank their parents and all the little people who made this possible. Hell, name some streets and federal buildings after the bastards. We're all so proud of Josh, he's such a good boy. Very successful.
Then prestige the company the next day. All liquid assets exceeding 150% of projected annual operating expenses are immediately due as tax, and the corporation is now subject to a permanent corporate income tax of 65% with zero capacity for future credits or deductions. All copyright and patent holdings exceeding 50% of the legal expiration age are immediately released to the public domain. All investments are liquidated and the proceeds dispersed to every household in the country as stimulus checks.
I know that would be a terrible idea. But part of me loves the idea of "rewarding" corporations of a certain size by seizing their wealth and kneepcapping their ability to continue the same behavior that got them to that point. A bit like a Jubilee in some ways. The CEO class treats moneymaking like a game, which we as a society ostensibly celebrate, so declare a winner every now then so they can cement their legacies and leave gracefully before their businesses' bloated carcasses start stinking up the place.
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Comment on Air Canada CEO will retire this year after his English-only crash message was criticized in ~transport
balooga Link Parent"He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles," according to the article. I get that it's not the same thing as just speaking French, and also that this is a...it seems pretty obvious that not offering even a token effort to use French in a speech offering condolences to the victims of that crash and their families is a little tasteless
"He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles," according to the article. I get that it's not the same thing as just speaking French, and also that this is a cultural sensitivity issue that I'm far removed from (but lots of Canadians take seriously). Just pointing out that he did offer (arguably more than) a token effort. Assuming the translation was sound, that doesn't strike me as remotely unreasonable — I'm not sure if I've ever seen a CEO or politician deliver a speech with even that basic affordance. But again, it seems silly to me because I'm not in that world, and I'm really unqualified to talk about it.
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Comment on I decompiled the White House's new app in ~society
balooga LinkNot surprised a garbage presidency is shipping a garbage app. My guess is they vibe-coded the whole thing in a couple hours. The location tracking is by far the most egregious thing but (and this...Not surprised a garbage presidency is shipping a garbage app. My guess is they vibe-coded the whole thing in a couple hours. The location tracking is by far the most egregious thing but (and this is just a sign of the times) probably not much worse than what most mobile apps are doing these days. I would hope that OS-level privacy protections would at least prevent it from leaking users' locations without their knowledge.
But you know what we really need? Deep-dive decompilation reports just like this, for ALL THE APPS. We need a whole searchable site full of them, with top/bottom 40 lists praising the best apps and shaming the worst.
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Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life
balooga LinkI enjoy Channel 5's long-form interviews, I think they started with the Hunter Biden one which was fantastic, or maybe it was the one where Jacob Chansley phoned in from jail. Callaghan has a...I enjoy Channel 5's long-form interviews, I think they started with the Hunter Biden one which was fantastic, or maybe it was the one where Jacob Chansley phoned in from jail. Callaghan has a knack for choosing unexpected interviewees who are strangely relevant and interesting. I've been watching this new one with Clavicular. I already had my opinions about that guy before watching, but this is honestly my first time actually hearing him speak for himself. Can't say it changed my mind about him (rather it confirmed a lot of suspicions) but I'm grateful for the chance to hear him out and decide for myself rather than just adopting other people's opinions uncritically.
I really appreciate how Callaghan's interviews are neither sycophantic nor adversarial. There's no raised voices or crosstalk. He pushes back when needed but isn't aggressive about it. The entire time he maintains a respectful congeniality. He gives off a youthful vibe that seems unprofessional at first, which helps put people at ease I think, but I think he's on a higher journalistic tier than most interviewers who have bigger budgets and nicer clothes.
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Comment on Jeopardy! YouTube Edition | Teaser in ~tv
balooga LinkI’d love to be surprised but my guess is that Mulligan is going to clean house. That man is overflowing with random knowledge, and quick on his feet, too. Absolutely nothing against the others,...I’d love to be surprised but my guess is that Mulligan is going to clean house. That man is overflowing with random knowledge, and quick on his feet, too. Absolutely nothing against the others, but I think anybody would be quickly out of their depth against him in a trivia game. I’m excited to see him share a stage with Ken Jennings though, that alone should be worth the price of admission.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 23 in ~society
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Comment on Paradise: S01E03 - FAANGball in ~tech
balooga LinkI know there are a few other fans of KRAZAM around here. The new sketch comedy show "Paradise" is dropping new episodes weekly this month, this is the latest one. I think it's awesome and I love...I know there are a few other fans of KRAZAM around here. The new sketch comedy show "Paradise" is dropping new episodes weekly this month, this is the latest one. I think it's awesome and I love the format. Alexis Gay is particularly great!
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Paradise: S01E03 - FAANGball
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Comment on The Treasury just declared the US insolvent. The media missed it. in ~society
balooga LinkSerious question— wasn't addressing this the (stated) purpose of DOGE? That was of course an unmitigated clusterfuck but surely the rapid slash-and-burn had some effect on the national debt? Did...Serious question— wasn't addressing this the (stated) purpose of DOGE? That was of course an unmitigated clusterfuck but surely the rapid slash-and-burn had some effect on the national debt? Did it make any impact at all?
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Comment on The Dude in ~movies
balooga LinkMy spouse and I were fortunate to attend a screening of The Big Lebowski at The Lensig in Santa Fe, around 2010 or so. David Huddleston (RIP) was in attendance. People came in costume and quoted...My spouse and I were fortunate to attend a screening of The Big Lebowski at The Lensig in Santa Fe, around 2010 or so. David Huddleston (RIP) was in attendance. People came in costume and quoted along with the movie. Afterward we hit some local bars on the Plaza for white russians. One of my favorite memories!
It’s hard for me to put my finger on what makes The Big Lebowski such a special movie, but this essay hits a lot of the same points I would. It’s surreal and dreamlike. It’s simultaneously stupid and profound. It can be interpreted with layers of meaning. It’s genuinely funny and eminently quotable. It’s got a great soundtrack… Definitely a modern classic.
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Comment on Seth MacFarlane teases new life for ‘The Orville’: “Season 4 is written” in ~tv
balooga Link ParentToss in Ira Steven Behr and Ron Moore and you’ve got my interest!Toss in Ira Steven Behr and Ron Moore and you’ve got my interest!
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Comment on Kill chain - on the automated bureaucratic machinery that killed 175 children in ~society
balooga LinkThis is phenomenally researched. I don’t think I’ve seen a better writeup about Maven, Claude’s actual relationship with it, and the historical and bureaucratic context into which they’re being...This is phenomenally researched. I don’t think I’ve seen a better writeup about Maven, Claude’s actual relationship with it, and the historical and bureaucratic context into which they’re being deployed. For some reason I’m really curious about the names of those Kanban swim lanes.
Also, oh boy do people ever have trouble spelling the word “bureaucracy.” I tease!
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 16 in ~society
balooga Link ParentThe stupidity of this timeline is… limitless.The stupidity of this timeline is… limitless.
We need some kind of advocacy group / think tank / lobbying org with the express mission of driving policy conversations to ensure technology empowers people to work less. Right now we’re on the cusp of giant breakthroughs that could totally pave the way for a golden age of leisure and plenty. The elimination or reduction of our dependency on human toil. But we’ve already gotten all the market signals we need to know new productivity breakthroughs are always going to have the opposite effect. We’ve seen the pattern, going back to the Industrial Revolution. We know the playbook. We as a society must unite around the explicit goal of offloading human labor to technology — and not penalizing those who have done so by forcing them to replace it with more, different labor — or the cycle will keep accelerating.
We have a failure of political imagination. We can’t seem to conceive of a world where
poorpeople aren’t spending their entire lives working, just to survive (let alone thrive). It’s just considered a given that humans must surrender their bodies and minds to the machinery of capitalism, unless they’re privileged enough to operate that machine and enrich themselves from its output. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. If AI isn’t liberating us, we’re doing it wrong.