steezyaspie's recent activity

  1. Comment on How it feels to get an AI email from a friend in ~comp

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Yeah, gotta agree here. Email is still the default for any sort of formal communication in most industries. Teams/Slack and similar are fine for ongoing collaborative conversations or quick...

    Yeah, gotta agree here. Email is still the default for any sort of formal communication in most industries. Teams/Slack and similar are fine for ongoing collaborative conversations or quick questions, but anything that is an announcement or is needed to create a formal record of a decision is going to be sent by email.

    7 votes
  2. Comment on Male birth control gel (that is applied to the shoulders) is safe and effective, new trial findings show in ~science

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I suppose it depends on your insurance, but they already cover IVF, so I’m unclear on why that wouldn’t be true in the future. Barring any crazy legal barriers that some states might try to enact,...

    Is insurance going to cover IVF procedures 10 years down the line? I don't know what insurance companies would think but it sounds like a ton of money and would remove the chance of having a more natural... process (??). IDK, it weirds me out a little.

    I suppose it depends on your insurance, but they already cover IVF, so I’m unclear on why that wouldn’t be true in the future. Barring any crazy legal barriers that some states might try to enact, it seems reasonable to expect it’ll continue to be covered.

    4 votes
  3. Comment on What could be Microsoft's larger game plan or agenda with CoPilot? in ~tech

    steezyaspie
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    I have a relative that’s getting a close to 90 years old who uses it all the time and loves it. His google skills aren’t the best, but the ability to just ask a question and get a reasonably in...

    I have a relative that’s getting a close to 90 years old who uses it all the time and loves it. His google skills aren’t the best, but the ability to just ask a question and get a reasonably in depth summary is perfect for him.

    As others have said, copilot isn’t primarily targeted at most of the people here but rather more typical consumers for whom this is a mind blowing feature.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Students invent quieter leaf blower in ~engineering

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Ego makes a few different backpack electric blowers, I’m sure other companies do as well.

    Ego makes a few different backpack electric blowers, I’m sure other companies do as well.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Baltimore high school athletic director used AI to create fake racist audio of principal: Police in ~tech

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    During the NH primaries, an AI generated voice of “Biden” called people telling them not to vote. If I remember correctly, it was luckily pretty poor quality which made it fairly easy for people...

    I'm glad the first "major" case is this instead of something on the political level. It's a solid example of the harms people have speculated, at a level that won't potentially harm the entire country.

    During the NH primaries, an AI generated voice of “Biden” called people telling them not to vote. If I remember correctly, it was luckily pretty poor quality which made it fairly easy for people to identify as fake. It’s already happening though, and I have to assume we’ll see someone more competent release AI generated political slander this fall.

    8 votes
  6. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Is Germany the natural habitat for elephants?

    Is Germany the natural habitat for elephants?

    3 votes
  7. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~misc

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    That is true. I have travelled to a significant percentage of the US over the years for work, and there are definitely some states that culturally felt more foreign to me than other countries I’ve...

    I’ve lived all over the states, and if there’s one thing that is true, it’s that the US has a lot of variation in local flavor.

    That is true. I have travelled to a significant percentage of the US over the years for work, and there are definitely some states that culturally felt more foreign to me than other countries I’ve visited.

    5 votes
  8. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I guess we’ll just have to disagree on that point. Saying, in effect, “I don’t like this and think you’re a bad person” doesn’t really add anything substantive to a discussion. Particularly when...

    I guess we’ll just have to disagree on that point. Saying, in effect, “I don’t like this and think you’re a bad person” doesn’t really add anything substantive to a discussion. Particularly when done in a passive-aggressive manner to evade any minor ramifications that might result from actually voicing an opinion.

    If instead they had said “I don’t want to get into a debate, but I disagree on X,Y,Z moral grounds”, that would have had the same net message, but it would have actually meaningfully contributed to the conversation.

    8 votes
  9. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    You drive the Land Rover yourself? Why put in so much effort?

    You drive the Land Rover yourself? Why put in so much effort?

    10 votes
  10. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~misc

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Comments like these make me feel like I live in a completely different country from you. I live in a rural area, in a town of only a couple thousand people. It’s an area many would assume skews...

    This is completely normal, unfortunately. It should be over-the-top, as you’ve said, but it is not, and, frankly, the constant barrage of ugliness, the weight of it, is wearing us all down.

    I’ve long since lost track of how many US flags with either Jesus laying hands over a ‘pious champion of the faith and faithful Trump’ or the words ‘We The People’ superimposed over the stars and stripes I have seen over only the last few months — let alone the last few years. Or the black-on-black, purposefully designed to look torn-at-the-edges US flags being flown mounted on lifted pickup trucks that seem to be gaining popularity in my area at the moment, nearly always paired with ‘Trump Is My President’ or ‘God, Guns, and Trump’ stickers.

    Comments like these make me feel like I live in a completely different country from you. I live in a rural area, in a town of only a couple thousand people. It’s an area many would assume skews conservative if they only looked at the bullet points. There’s always one or two annoying weirdos like this in a small town - but they are largely ostracized, and it is absolutely not “normal” here, in any sense of the word, to behave in this manner - regardless of your political views.

    6 votes
  11. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Potentially, if relocation isn’t an option (or in the event that the elephant is known to be dangerous, obviously). I will always object to shooting a penned, tied up, or similarly constrained...

    Potentially, if relocation isn’t an option (or in the event that the elephant is known to be dangerous, obviously). I will always object to shooting a penned, tied up, or similarly constrained animal and calling it “sporting” or “hunting” rather than what it really is, which is slaughtering. Slaughtering an animal can be okay if done humanely and for good reason, but it’s still reprehensible if it’s being done solely for a trophy and the rest of the animal is being wasted.

    14 votes
  12. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I’m not sure why they bothered to comment since it’s just noise, but it seems they meant that they are so upset that can’t be civil or respectful. It’s also heavily implied that they think the...
    • Exemplary

    I’m not sure why they bothered to comment since it’s just noise, but it seems they meant that they are so upset that can’t be civil or respectful. It’s also heavily implied that they think the person they’re replying to is [insert morally negative sentiment of choice here], but without actually having to live with the consequences of saying that (because it would violate site rules).

    13 votes
  13. Comment on Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    As somebody who occasionally hunts, I agree that legal and regulated hunting is more ethical than buying factory farmed meat and can be done humanely. That said, I think I’d draw a pretty firm...

    As somebody who occasionally hunts, I agree that legal and regulated hunting is more ethical than buying factory farmed meat and can be done humanely.

    That said, I think I’d draw a pretty firm ethical distinction between “big game hunting”, which more commonly refers to hunting deer, elk, etc., and hunting endangered species like elephants. I take particular issue with “trophy hunting” generally and the method these sort of trips employ, where the animal is essentially corralled for the client who doesn’t do much more than pull a trigger.

    31 votes
  14. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration issues report claiming marijuana has legitimate medical uses - proposes rescheduling in ~health

    steezyaspie
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    If (when) this eventually happens, it will be interesting to see how existing companies adapt to being licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers subject to FDA inspection, who will now need to have...

    If (when) this eventually happens, it will be interesting to see how existing companies adapt to being licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers subject to FDA inspection, who will now need to have robust quality systems, process controls, etc.

    I’d have to imagine that there are some who are essentially already there, but for others it might require major changes. Seems like a great opportunity for people who are experienced in pharma/med device, but may not have wanted to jump to a company operating in a legal grey area.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on Why do the English love non-League football? in ~sports.football

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I would love to see promotion/relegation in American leagues for other sports. I think the most feasible major sports (other than soccer) would be baseball and basketball. Football and Hockey just...

    I would love to see promotion/relegation in American leagues for other sports. I think the most feasible major sports (other than soccer) would be baseball and basketball. Football and Hockey just have too high a barrier to entry for equipment, and for hockey facilities are not nearly accessible enough to enable the depth of league structure that EFL has.

    5 votes
  16. Comment on Gen Z and millennials proudly wear ‘lab-grown’ diamonds, oblivious to the fact they’re made from burning coal in China and India in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I'm not Gen Z, but I hear you - millennials killed the economy with our avocado toast, you know.

    I'm not Gen Z, but I hear you - millennials killed the economy with our avocado toast, you know.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Parkland mass shooting victims send AI robocalls to NRA-supporting US politicians in ~tech

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    That's a pretty cynical take and I cannot agree, but I understand where you're coming from.

    That's a pretty cynical take and I cannot agree, but I understand where you're coming from.

    9 votes
  18. Comment on Parkland mass shooting victims send AI robocalls to NRA-supporting US politicians in ~tech

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    I can't really get behind using AI in this way. Simulation of someone's voice at all after they're dead - but particularly for political points - is pushing ethical boundaries in my opinion. Even...

    I can't really get behind using AI in this way. Simulation of someone's voice at all after they're dead - but particularly for political points - is pushing ethical boundaries in my opinion. Even if you think that they'd have agreed with what you're making them say, or if their estate/family gives permission, the individual has no way to consent to use of their voice and identity.

    The only way this seems okay is if someone expressly gives their consent while alive to use their voice for this specific purpose postmortem.

    I understand that we're talking about children who didn't have wills, estates, etc. set up to give consent and that this is an emotionally charged topic - but methods should matter.

    23 votes
  19. Comment on Ski vacations in the Alps are becoming increasingly elitist in ~travel

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Yeah I guess what I'm saying is there are two sides of skiing. The first is the "elitist" perspective that people broadly seem to have here, which involves travelling across long distances or...

    Yeah I guess what I'm saying is there are two sides of skiing.

    The first is the "elitist" perspective that people broadly seem to have here, which involves travelling across long distances or internationally for a days or week long trip, where you're renting gear, staying at a high end resort, and paying a day rate. That's always been expensive - the same way any major vacation to do any specialized activity would be.

    The other side of the sport is a much more affordable story, where normal local people who live in snowy areas that have hills/mountains can participate. This is (was?) a much more significant percentage of skiers/snowboarders, and it sucks to see the passionate local scene dying in favor of wealthy vacationers who couldn't care less about the impact they're having.

    4 votes
  20. Comment on Gen Z and millennials proudly wear ‘lab-grown’ diamonds, oblivious to the fact they’re made from burning coal in China and India in ~enviro

    steezyaspie
    Link Parent
    Yeah, we bought a lab diamond for two primary reasons: not a blood diamond cost I don't think we were under the illusion that creating diamonds in a lab was some completely green process - if that...

    Yeah, we bought a lab diamond for two primary reasons:

    1. not a blood diamond
    2. cost

    I don't think we were under the illusion that creating diamonds in a lab was some completely green process - if that existed, we may have preferred it though.

    42 votes