post_below's recent activity
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Comment on Musings on "Developer Mode" in ~comp
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Comment on Would someone be willing to help me with a Godot project? (4.4.1) in ~games
post_below Link ParentJPEG isn't a bad choice, one thing you may want to try is tweaking the compression. Depending on which image editor you're using there might be good options in the save/export process....JPEG isn't a bad choice, one thing you may want to try is tweaking the compression. Depending on which image editor you're using there might be good options in the save/export process.
Alternatively you could try an app dedicated to lowering image file sizes. To give you an example of what that looks like, put one of your images through an online image shrinker like: Tiny JPG
At the end of the day, though, the file size on a package of photo quality images is always going to be pretty big. It's going to feel clunky having to load everything in advance, an in Godot, no matter how much compression you do.
One option might be to trim it down to a smaller selection of only your best work and then link out to a more traditional website for the rest.
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Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below Link ParentThat's reasonable, each new person who saw it because of you can never go back. Well deserved. I'm only familiar with goatse from your list, which is enough to quell my urge to google any of the...I don't know why, but I feel more than a hint of shame about that.
That's reasonable, each new person who saw it because of you can never go back.
She probably bumped me 20 points for gumption alone
Well deserved.
I'm only familiar with goatse from your list, which is enough to quell my urge to google any of the others.
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Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below Link ParentSpeaking of gaming memes... Leeeroy JeeenkiinsSpeaking of gaming memes... Leeeroy Jeeenkiins
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Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below LinkThis thread wouldn't be complete without some of the first memes: Dancing baby dates back to the mid 90's. One of the first internet memes, definitely the first one to make a giant impact on...This thread wouldn't be complete without some of the first memes:
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Dancing baby dates back to the mid 90's. One of the first internet memes, definitely the first one to make a giant impact on culture. Most famously featured on Ally McBeal.
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Hamster dance, also from the 90's. Early mashup and pop culture reference with a sample from Disney's Robin Hood cartoon. Why was it so popular? Like many of the best memes no one will ever truly know.
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I Can Has Cheezburger? The link goes to the wiki article about the blog but I'm referring to the captioned image that started the site in the first place. Early example of a pet meme, image caption meme, pet speak, and part of the beginning of the image macro phenomenon.
I highly recommend looking up the original memes for the above, not because they're that good, but because they're the the progenitors, crawling out of the primordial soup and blinking, unknowingly, in the light of what would become a new world.
A new world that would eventually become a corporate hellscape of course, but first, and for a long time, it was innocent, weird, dumb and beautiful.
Also, shoutout to the original coining of the concept of the meme from 1976.
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Comment on Is the concept of debate completely useless? in ~talk
post_below Link ParentWow that's a good point, I realize now that I was wrong.- Exemplary
P.P.S. Everyone who disagrees with what I've written here is wrong.
Wow that's a good point, I realize now that I was wrong.
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Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentI don't know where mercury comes into it, but the research shows very clearly that microplastics are cumulative and build up in tissues and organs, including the brain. The body can't break down...I don't know where mercury comes into it, but the research shows very clearly that microplastics are cumulative and build up in tissues and organs, including the brain. The body can't break down microplastics and excretion can't keep up.
When we're being exposed to it from so many sources, including just breathing, one source may not be enough to accumulate to a problematic level over the course of a life, but taken together it's become clear that it does. Which means all sources bear investigation.
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Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentThe problem isn't acute poisoning, at least not in the way you mean. Here's a paper from 2023, quite a lot of shocking new findings have been made since then. One of the concerning impacts of...The problem isn't acute poisoning, at least not in the way you mean.
Here's a paper from 2023, quite a lot of shocking new findings have been made since then.
Experiments show that the exposure to microplastics induces a variety of toxic effects, including oxidative stress, metabolic disorder, immune response, neurotoxicity, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity.
One of the concerning impacts of microplastics that has been more strongly established by newer research, in addition to cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders, is infertility in both men and women.
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Comment on Probiotics: hype or helpful? An interview with Professor Jens Walter. in ~health
post_below LinkThis is a great interview, thanks for posting! One thing that wasn't covered in depth: Fermented foods. Eating fermented foods can increase microbiome diversity and improve other markers of gut...This is a great interview, thanks for posting!
One thing that wasn't covered in depth: Fermented foods. Eating fermented foods can increase microbiome diversity and improve other markers of gut health.
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Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentI appreciate your attention to detail. In that spirit: In a vacuum. In real life, exposures to many compounds are cumulative because the body can't get rid of them quickly. We are getting...I appreciate your attention to detail. In that spirit:
As a general rule of thumb, whenever you see something measured in parts per billion or nanograms per kilogram, you can safely assume that it won't have any negative effect on you.
In a vacuum. In real life, exposures to many compounds are cumulative because the body can't get rid of them quickly. We are getting microplastics and related chemicals from a lot of different sources that add up to concerning levels of exposure. The idea that a particular source doesn't have a enough to be a problem is very misleading.
The research on the negative health effects of plastics in the environment is only just beginning and already it points to a public health crises.
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Comment on What is a business/org that is great and ethical in so many aspects that everyone should consider using? in ~life
post_below LinkCompanies that have transitioned to employee ownership and other alternative models rather than sell out to wallstreet or conglomerates deserve a shoutout. It's a great anti-enshittification...Companies that have transitioned to employee ownership and other alternative models rather than sell out to wallstreet or conglomerates deserve a shoutout. It's a great anti-enshittification strategy that often leads to more ethical business practices.
Two great examples of large companies like this are Bob's Red Mill and Patagonia.
Here's to this trend growing!
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Comment on Presenting... PrizeForge: a novel crowdfunding model for sustainable open-source and fighting enshittification in ~tech
post_below Link ParentThat's true, so I'd be content with something like "Right now we want to see if this is a viable idea so we're going to launch without taking the time to setup a board and apply for nonprofit or...Being a non-profit usually subjects you to reporting requirements and red tape. I think it's just way harder and would tie one's proverbial hands.
That's true, so I'd be content with something like "Right now we want to see if this is a viable idea so we're going to launch without taking the time to setup a board and apply for nonprofit or public benefit status. Later we'll convert because we believe this service is a benefit to the world rather than an opportunity to make profits and eventually become what we claim to be against."
But from what they're saying it sounds like they're all in on for-profit and want us to belive that's the ethical choice.
I'd even be ok with "we want to make some money from this but we'll open source the core software at some point because our whole thing right now is open source". Instead they're very clear, with more sketchy logic, that they won't be open sourcing.
It's important from my perspective that they're targeting the open source community for funding but seem to be rejecting the community's values. That's going to make it a tough sell.
It's the idea that matters, not the specific company.
If only history wasn't littered with great ideas brought to market in the wrong way or at the wrong time. You can take a killer idea and set it back by decades by associating the wrong things with it.
Note that I appreciate your support for their goals, I agree with you in principle, and I'm glad you posted. It's an interesting idea even if their implementation has (maybe fatal) flaws.
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Comment on Presenting... PrizeForge: a novel crowdfunding model for sustainable open-source and fighting enshittification in ~tech
post_below LinkI support what it seems like they're trying to do, alternative crowdfunding options are good. This is a dealbreaker for me. First because nty Google. But no less because auth really isn't that...I support what it seems like they're trying to do, alternative crowdfunding options are good.
password login is still in development, so you have to login via Google SSO
This is a dealbreaker for me. First because nty Google. But no less because auth really isn't that hard. You can find perfectly good auth systems already built in pretty much any language and building your own is really not difficult. Some quick searching will get you comprehensive information about vulnerabilities to avoid but if you don't have someone that already knows how to do it you're a long way from running a software company. Especially a financial service. To me that's a red flag, is this going to be a vibe coding thing? If not, where are the experienced engineers? Skipping auth to do the "fun stuff" first feels first timey.
I want my software made by people who took the time to do it right. It shows good faith.
Here's something else that felt a little off:
Why not a non-profit?
PrizeForge users rightly expect to benefit from the creation their contributions encourage. That kind of contribution is not a pure charity. Our services to enable these transactions to happen are likewise inherently commercial in nature.
Elastic funding scales up to create cooperation among the largest companies, which benefit from cooperative development of technologies they don't intend to compete on. Serving the B2B market will unavoidably create a huge commercial opportunity, and if we are not a for-profit seeking to realize the potential, then some other entity will out-innovate and out-execute us. Indeed, some of the stagnation of innovation at competitors like Kickstarter may be related to their status as a public benefit corporation that is not motivated to aggressively innovate.
All that said, we can provide streams that directly flow into non-profits, although it may make sense legally to create a pass-through entity so that contributors for such streams can deduct taxes.
Contributors on our platform will potentially get a future product out of their contribution so that's why we have to be for profit. Huh?
If they'd just chosen to be a for profit company I wouldn't have done a double take, it's the weird logic that gives me pause. A nonprofit or public benefit corp will get outcompeted. Why? Kickstarter outcompeted everyone in their niche.
The only way I can think of that a for profit would have an advantage in this space is by accepting angel or hedge fund money and chasing an IPO. Which would be the opposite of the ethos they're claiming.
Caveat: I read a lot of their pitch but I wasn't inspired to really dive in so maybe it's a more exciting idea than I realize. But it's going to be hard to sell to a large market, lots of complication and friction.
I would like very much to believe there's a straightforward solution to corporate control and enshittification, which you seem to see as a possibility here, so I hope I'm wrong.
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Comment on Pioneering method turns plastic into fuel with 95% efficiency in ~engineering
post_below LinkThe paper is paywalled, but from the abstract it sounds inexpensive and scalable enough to be profitable. Which means no economic barrier, which is usually the problem with plastics recycling. I...The paper is paywalled, but from the abstract it sounds inexpensive and scalable enough to be profitable. Which means no economic barrier, which is usually the problem with plastics recycling.
I feel like I must be missing something though, because that would be miraculous. Front page above the fold level.
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Comment on Ed Zitron: How to argue with an AI booster in ~tech
post_below Link ParentAI is creating enough new power demand that it is slowing down the green energy transition. The demand is also driving up costs for everyday people. This has been well covered by reputable outlets...AI is creating enough new power demand that it is slowing down the green energy transition. The demand is also driving up costs for everyday people. This has been well covered by reputable outlets if you're curious. The demand is projected to grow dramatically, meaning that we're only at the beginning of its impact. Which is the time to talk about whether or not it's a good idea.
As far as Tiktok goes, and datacenters in general, I'd be excited to see a serious look into the impact on society and the carbon footprint they have. It would be great if they were required to offset their impact, especially in small communities. But AI in particular is causing an explosion in datacenter expansion that makes video delivery look tame by comparison
About the article you linked, it's a bit misleading:
For the human writing process, we looked at humans’ total annual carbon footprints, and then took a subset of that annual footprint based on how much time they spent writing.
So it's not actually a carbon footprint comparison at all. For the human side of the estimate they just looked at how much of a footprint the human has while existing, regardless of what they're doing. They're going to have that footprint either way. It's darkly funny in the sense that the only way AI would offset that footprint is if its use caused the human not to have to exist at all.
Reading the article it sounds like a hype piece, they go off on tangents about how great AI is that appear to have nothing to do with the analysis or the carbon footprint premise. So weird that it's published by the Nature website.
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
post_below Link ParentSo right. We (meaning the tech literate) along with journalists, parents, tech companies and educators have been teaching people digital hygiene for decades and it's worked out ok. We could do...Why do we treat the sentiment that 'everybody who uses computers should have a minimal understanding of how they work' as some form of gatekeeping?
So right. We (meaning the tech literate) along with journalists, parents, tech companies and educators have been teaching people digital hygiene for decades and it's worked out ok. We could do better, but in any case the population is definitely capable of learning to avoid scams and malware. And they're motivated to learn. There are a lot of tech details most people don't care about, but scams and malware get everyone's attention.
As others have said, education is the solution. Google extending their control over applications isn't. I can already think of a handful of ways people will use to get around it. The arms race has been going on for a long time and it's unlikely to end any time soon.
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Comment on Ed Zitron: How to argue with an AI booster in ~tech
post_below Link ParentI've seen a lot of different estimates and really I don't think anyone knows exactly how much power AI is using, but I think everyone agrees that it's a lot. Stacks of high end GPUs draw a lot of...I've seen a lot of different estimates and really I don't think anyone knows exactly how much power AI is using, but I think everyone agrees that it's a lot. Stacks of high end GPUs draw a lot of power and the process of training models (which is happening nonstop right now) and building and running large datacenters, that wouldn't otherwise be needed, is power use in addition to how much a particular query costs.
I don't think there's any way that doing a task with AI assistance (from a large cutting edge model) is cheaper in terms of power than doing the same task unaided.
Here's a review from MIT:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/ -
Comment on Ed Zitron: How to argue with an AI booster in ~tech
post_below Link ParentIn conversations about AI I like to add: It's also an environmental nightmare because of the huge amount of electricity involved. We're not at a place, globally, where we should be going all in on...In conversations about AI I like to add: It's also an environmental nightmare because of the huge amount of electricity involved.
We're not at a place, globally, where we should be going all in on new industries that use unprecedented amounts of power.
Once we've completed the transition to greener energy it's a different conversation.
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Comment on McDonald’s is cutting prices of its combo meals to convince customers it’s affordable again in ~food
post_below Link ParentIt was one example of inflation (average prices going up) causing something, not a model. Is the implication that I, or anyone else, actually thinks that inflation is as simple as the example I gave?It was one example of inflation (average prices going up) causing something, not a model. Is the implication that I, or anyone else, actually thinks that inflation is as simple as the example I gave?
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Comment on What are the standards for a good father/husband? in ~life.men
post_below Link ParentWell said. Spending bandwidth on identifying the fundamentals and working from there rather than endlessly litigating the surface details is an underrated lifehack. And a big part of being a good...just the scaffolding
What matters is the outcome
Well said. Spending bandwidth on identifying the fundamentals and working from there rather than endlessly litigating the surface details is an underrated lifehack. And a big part of being a good (anything).
I think I can clear it up pretty simply: Developers actually need and use a lot of tools you'll find in developer modes. There's no scam.
It also makes non developer but tech inclined people feel cool, and what's wrong with that? And it hides actions that most people don't want or need behind an extra step.
In short, it makes sense. The alternative, a separate version of applications with developer features, is clunky and inefficient. But I suppose you could suggest the same interpretations about classes and power there too. Personally I don't see it in either case.
Finally, in a tech world where giving users less choice and granular control is the norm, I think we should celebrate choice and control under any name.