raze2012's recent activity
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Comment on Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s – PM Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration in ~tech
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Comment on Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s – PM Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentAre those more common in your country? Those are extremely rare in the US to begin with. And when they do occur, boarding schools tend to be thought of with prestige reserved for the most wealthy...Are those more common in your country? Those are extremely rare in the US to begin with. And when they do occur, boarding schools tend to be thought of with prestige reserved for the most wealthy families. The ability to pay for rent and board and tuition all at once for grade school is a very high bar to meet.
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Comment on Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s – PM Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentAhh,, I didn't consider that point. Classes tended to be 20-30 students max and that's around what a single teacher can manage (it's also just a fire hazard to jam more people in the rooms we...classes got too big for teachers to meaningfully engage with every student as individuals
Ahh,, I didn't consider that point. Classes tended to be 20-30 students max and that's around what a single teacher can manage (it's also just a fire hazard to jam more people in the rooms we had). Even then, it's stretching it a bit to manage 20 kids less than 90% of them are disciplined.
A post covid environment with even more kids and teachers being paid less compared to my grade school 10-15 years ago? That's a recipe for disaster. Not to mention that in the US parents WANT their kids to have phones (something about "but what if I need to contact them?" Well, you contact the school and they can contact the kid. Like pre ubiquitous cell phones).
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Comment on Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s – PM Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration in ~tech
raze2012 (edited )LinkSocial media bans are always thorny; I agree with the idea behind it and you really should as a parent limit their internet activity in general to build good habits. But governmental intervention...Social media bans are always thorny; I agree with the idea behind it and you really should as a parent limit their internet activity in general to build good habits. But governmental intervention rarely works out well when it comes to the Internet.
This statement doesn't help either:
She did not specify which social networks the new measures would affect, but said it would cover “several” social media platforms. She said there would be an option for parents to give permission to their children to use social media from the age of 13.
If we're being honest, most social media isn't "bad". It really comes down to the big ones ran by algorithms designed to maximize engagement. Literal drug dealers of the digital era. If more places were like Tildes there would be few issues in engaging with them. Or at least, no more issues than any act of having peers forced to interact in school for 7-8 hours a day.
(but then again, would Tildes still have these norms if it was the size of any "ban-worthy" media? quite the conundrum...)
The other ambivalence around this is that these initiatives rarely address the real issues. Conviniently mentioned here:
In her speech, the prime minister cited figures showing that 60% of 11- to 19-year-old boys did not see a single friend in their free time
I always imagined Denmark as a very "accessible" city, so this was a bit surprising to hear. But I would not be surprised of this statistic if it's similar in he US. Here, we made everything hostile to loitering, charge to participate anywhere and are charging more and more, and kids who can't drive have no safe way to get to a town square and hang out. Add in how more 2 income households have busy parents who can't drop their kids off on demand and we have a recipe for the stay-at-home teen holed up in their room.
No surprise this ends with kids communicating in the last "free" way possible through the net, or at least cheaply through game lobbies in the case of teeenage boys. Much of society took away all the traditional options we thought of as "teen spaces" 30-40 years back. But I don't see too many initiatives to properly "bring back" community. No building, only restricting whatever is left. No wonder Nepal's generation simply rebelled in retaliation; it takes you back to an old African proverb:
"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth"
Didn't mean for this to get so negative. But I just hope this is the start of an initiative to really "rebuild community" and not the end.
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Comment on Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s – PM Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentMaybe it's just the honors class environment (I graduated 2010), but we just followed the rules for the most part. one simple warning here and there and it wasn't much worry. Not to say there was...Maybe it's just the honors class environment (I graduated 2010), but we just followed the rules for the most part. one simple warning here and there and it wasn't much worry. Not to say there was never any cheating (or in my case, a blaring alarm you forgot to turn off. 7AM classes but your alarm is set for 730-8), but you just didn't make it blatantly obvious you were on your phone, especially during a test day.
I do absloutely agree with no phones in class, though. It's a place of focus and phones are a distraction from what the teacher prepared for you that day. It should be a norm similar to being quiet in a library.
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Comment on How some veterans exploit $193 billion US Department of Veterans Affairs program, due to lax controls in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentOnly you can vouch for youself. The benefits are there for a reason, so you may as well see if you qualify.Only you can vouch for youself. The benefits are there for a reason, so you may as well see if you qualify.
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Comment on How some veterans exploit $193 billion US Department of Veterans Affairs program, due to lax controls in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentPerhaps, but one extreme is better than the other. One extreme means vets get care and some "overspending" is done on some people who know how to access the channels. The other extreme leaves our...Perhaps, but one extreme is better than the other. One extreme means vets get care and some "overspending" is done on some people who know how to access the channels. The other extreme leaves our troops on the streets, weakens trust in the nation, and causes a variety of mental health issues on top of physical ones.
In my experience, it's lack of exposure that vets even have such options rather than "fraud". So they'll never use channels they don't have.
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Comment on Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentI've never had trouble with packaging, but the price increases and my decreased spending from my work situation made me quit. Prime doesn't give you points for Twitch anymore (which you can use to...I've never had trouble with packaging, but the price increases and my decreased spending from my work situation made me quit. Prime doesn't give you points for Twitch anymore (which you can use to donate and support your favorite streamer) so that definitely didn't help.
I remember the breaking point for me being Amazon Prime, where a Prime subscription would still show you ads on Prime videos. I barely even watch shows on Amazon, but I absolutely hate the concept of a premium subscription still deciding to double dip with ads (and ofc I wasn't paying another $9 for a dedicated prime video subscription on top of the increased $15 price).
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Comment on We’re seniors. It’s not our responsibility to fix the housing supply. in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentI wouldn't dismiss it all on noise. A lot of the zoning laws that makes it hard to build new houses came from them fighting to keep their home value going up and up. So it's not like they did...I wouldn't dismiss it all on noise. A lot of the zoning laws that makes it hard to build new houses came from them fighting to keep their home value going up and up. So it's not like they did nothing and just happen to sit on valuable land.
Kicking out existing people from homes helps no one. But if they care about their future generations, they need to let them build.
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Comment on Apple pulls ICEBlock from the App Store in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentIf the masters truly owned the tools, they wouldn't be freaked out everytime people record ICE doing fascist stuff. They wouldn't be frantic to call out undesirable photos as AI everytime someone...If the masters truly owned the tools, they wouldn't be freaked out everytime people record ICE doing fascist stuff. They wouldn't be frantic to call out undesirable photos as AI everytime someone takes a peek at someone from the wrong angle.
They are bringing changes in ways not anywhere near as accessible 80 years ago. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. These aren't tools anyone can control anymore.
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Comment on OpenAI’s H1 2025: $4.3b in income, $13.5b in loss in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentSora is invite only right now. But unless they announce some sort of premium subscriptions, it seems like ads are inevitable once they open it up.OpenAI isn’t doing ads as such, not yet anyway.
Sora is invite only right now. But unless they announce some sort of premium subscriptions, it seems like ads are inevitable once they open it up.
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Comment on OpenAI’s H1 2025: $4.3b in income, $13.5b in loss in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentAds for a black box oracle sounds like the exact dystopia Silicon Valley would laugh at 10 years ago. Didn't take much to sell their souls, I guess. Reality is stranger than fiction, though. Seems...Ads for a black box oracle sounds like the exact dystopia Silicon Valley would laugh at 10 years ago. Didn't take much to sell their souls, I guess.
Reality is stranger than fiction, though. Seems instead that ChatGPT is trying to turn into Tiktok to get that money back: https://andrewmayne.com/2025/10/04/sora-the-chatgpt-moment-for-generative-video/
Having your entire social media become AI Slop feels like yet another omen dozens of sci-fi stories warned against.
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Comment on Illiteracy is a policy choice: why aren’t we gathering behind Mississippi’s banner? in ~society
raze2012 LinkAhh, so that's where we're doomed. No one wants to train anyone anywhere these days. And the pay as is is so pitiful for the work needed to be a licensed teacher. Doing any of these adjustments...The second pillar, White told me, is “a scaled system of training those teachers on that curriculum — most teaching you get as a teacher is not training on the curriculum.”
Ahh, so that's where we're doomed. No one wants to train anyone anywhere these days. And the pay as is is so pitiful for the work needed to be a licensed teacher. Doing any of these adjustments basically requires a teacher to do even more work off the clock to get stuff ready.
And as expected, what training they do get is very subpar:
Teachers, of course, already undergo a lot of training — and it’s mostly a waste of their time. That’s not because teacher training is unimportant but because we’re training them in the wrong things.
Billions of dollars are spent — and largely wasted — every year on professional development for teachers that is curriculum-agnostic, i.e., aimed at generic, disembodied teaching skills without reference to any specific curriculum.
I work adjacent to teachers atm and can defintiely confirm. Workshops and online trainings that's more there to CYA than really help prepare a curriculum for the students. You just need to figure out the best approach for your actual subjects, and anyone can tell you you can't teach math the same way you teach history.
And yea, politics:
“This is just a politically awkward story,” education policy expert Andy Rotherham told me. “It’s all these red states. This is a very ideological field. People struggle with calling balls and strikes.”
Vaites agreed. “I think the story is going untold for the same reason journalists ignored the successful school reopening stories in Florida and the rest of the Sun Belt in August 2020: The appetite to tell positive stories in red states is low.”
I really, REALLY hate this mentality. The whole point of the "scientific method" should be to not assume results before doing the experiments. Well, others have done the experiments for you. If you want to critique the approach, find flaws in their approach, or find point out actual discepucies in their environment. I don't hate the unhinged policies DeSantis makes because "Red State". It's because I can identify the incentives and harm and how they are inverse with what a leader should be doing for their people.
"Red state" or "Blue state" doesn't matter for the process of learning.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentThe bar was nearly on the floor, but there was some amount of training to filter out the blatantly psychotic candidates before this year. I'm sure many LEO's do think things were fine before, but...unlike your previous workforce before the hiring-spree?
The bar was nearly on the floor, but there was some amount of training to filter out the blatantly psychotic candidates before this year. I'm sure many LEO's do think things were fine before, but this is stupid even for them. Which is telling.
If you want the most optimistic take: some of these LEO's may know corruption runs rampant but also feel powerless to do anything. The media attention being on ICE gives them some chance to talk about it (anonymously, of course).
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Comment on Bluesky melts down over Jesse Singal in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentWell I barely use it (and barely use Twitter) so I can't really say. I'm just posting a reason I bounce off of stuff like TikTok. It might be an r/all vs "my subreddit" situation. The default...Well I barely use it (and barely use Twitter) so I can't really say. I'm just posting a reason I bounce off of stuff like TikTok.
It might be an r/all vs "my subreddit" situation. The default sucks but you can curate a list and browse that instead.
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Comment on Bluesky melts down over Jesse Singal in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentWell, I. can still post Palestinian political activism in response to any popular post here. The difference is that this place is easier to moderate. And the self moderation tools ("off topic" tag...Well, I. can still post Palestinian political activism in response to any popular post here. The difference is that this place is easier to moderate. And the self moderation tools ("off topic" tag in this case) can help minimize potential spam like that.
If course, the people here are also specifically curated and are simply less likely to do this. Any soammers would be quickly culled, and ban evasion is much harder here
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Comment on Bluesky melts down over Jesse Singal in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentYou'll find political groups on any social media if they don't outright ban political discussions. Especially in trying times like this. I even remember the politics group on Gamefaqs way back in.... I just personally don't want to engage with that type of userbase, have enough of that on reddit.
You'll find political groups on any social media if they don't outright ban political discussions. Especially in trying times like this. I even remember the politics group on Gamefaqs way back in the day.
The main thing I look for is how easily I can filter and tailor my feed. People seemed to have given this up to the app to determine, but I will adjust every knob I can.
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Comment on Elon Musk plans to take on Wikipedia with 'Grokipedia' in ~tech
raze2012 Link Parent"Overt racism" is a better way to phrase it, I suppose. That early boom of modern social media in the early '10's at least had people use dogwhistles or anonymity. Saying half the stuff today..."Overt racism" is a better way to phrase it, I suppose. That early boom of modern social media in the early '10's at least had people use dogwhistles or anonymity. Saying half the stuff today would have ended political careers.
of course, 2016 took a very hard turn.
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Comment on Updates to Xbox Game Pass: Introducing Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans in ~games
raze2012 Link Parenthttps://www.theverge.com/news/718038/spotify-premium-subscription-price-increase-outside-us Give it a month or two. This is the same strategy the consoles did before finally raising prices in the...https://www.theverge.com/news/718038/spotify-premium-subscription-price-increase-outside-us
Give it a month or two. This is the same strategy the consoles did before finally raising prices in the US. They always try to make other countries foot the bill first.
And I bet my bottom dollar this isn't the last price increase either. Youtube had two price jumps in a year.
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Comment on White House in a bind as soybean sales to China plummet to zero in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, many people and even some diehard trump supporter are realizing that this isn't the same trump they voted for in 2016. The dread is there. Also, this as usual hurts the smaller farms the...Yeah, many people and even some diehard trump supporter are realizing that this isn't the same trump they voted for in 2016. The dread is there.
Also, this as usual hurts the smaller farms the most. The bigger farms will weather it until the BBB kicks in. The smaller ones simply go bakrupt or sell off to private equity, which has been on a firesale lately.
It's still worldwide instant communication, so I think it's popularity would still be there, because there's intense demand for that.
Would it be anywhere near as sticky or profitable without all the dark arts developed over the 2010's? Not by a long shot. But I'll admit that at that scale even the purest algorithms and best faith moderation may not prevent many of the effects we see today. Especially in the classroom. Kids in general simply have less self control to moderate any behavior, even if it's not egging them to consume more.