stu2b50's recent activity
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Comment on The reason movie trailers give so much away: "a necessary evil" in ~movies
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Comment on Thailand moves to de-legalize weed in major drug-policy u-turn in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentIt’s less about control of supply and more about control of demand. It’s not an immutable fact that people will desire weed. My experience is that two main things make weed use almost nil compared...It’s less about control of supply and more about control of demand. It’s not an immutable fact that people will desire weed. My experience is that two main things make weed use almost nil compared to the US: one is simply a stronger culture of following laws and authority. That goes for democracies and oligarchical single party states in east Asia.
Second, is that the social stigma is immense. You will become a social pariah. Weed smoking is cool in the US. It was considered something degenerate low-lifes did when I was growing up, and even bearing near people like that would just spread misery and poverty.
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Comment on Thailand moves to de-legalize weed in major drug-policy u-turn in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentI was answering a question by someone as to why someone would support banning marijuana when alcohol is legal. I expressed why I think marijuana is more harmful socially than alcohol. No more, no...You suggested that bans on cannabis are broadly good, and I responded to that.
I was answering a question by someone as to why someone would support banning marijuana when alcohol is legal. I expressed why I think marijuana is more harmful socially than alcohol. No more, no less.
I don’t particularly think it’s possible to put the genie back in the bottle in the US. But it is in Thailand and Japan and China and Taiwan and many more.
If it is feasible to ban cannabis consumption, then yes, I absolutely support the ban.
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Comment on Thailand moves to de-legalize weed in major drug-policy u-turn in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentI think the balance of civil liberties vs social good is one that is inherently subjective, and that many societies today have decided more towards the latter and that’s fine. I spent many years...I think the balance of civil liberties vs social good is one that is inherently subjective, and that many societies today have decided more towards the latter and that’s fine.
Maybe we need to stop convincing ourselves that banning substances is an effective means of treating addiction, or that, if it were, that would justify encroaching upon civil liberties.
I spent many years growing up in Taiwan and it was pretty effective, yes. That’s not to say that in any way there weren’t tobacco smokers getting lung cancer and bad alcoholics, but I in no way think anyone’s lives would have been better if weed or any other drug that wasn’t illegal was illegal.
Honestly I think the common western view that the many east and southeast Asian countries with heavy recreational drug restrictions (which is almost all of them) just have them because they’re all stupid or barbaric or something is incredibly paternalistic. People can decide different tradeoffs for their country. It’s OK.
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Comment on Thailand moves to de-legalize weed in major drug-policy u-turn in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentAll of Asia has a great deal of trauma towards any mind-altering chemicals that are smoked due to the opium war. Tobacco gets a pass since it existed and was common before. I don’t think my...All of Asia has a great deal of trauma towards any mind-altering chemicals that are smoked due to the opium war. Tobacco gets a pass since it existed and was common before. I don’t think my parents understood that weed and opium were different until a few years ago.
Second, to be honest, as someone that has done weed, maybe it should be banned? I feel like the negatives of weed are really downplayed. IMO weed’s danger is that it is just an ambition killer. Compared to alcohol, weed lasts waaay longer and just makes you want to do nothing. I think everyone has some college friends who are basically in a perpetual loop of working dead end retail jobs, spending their money on weed, being high all day, repeat. I highly doubt this life would be endurable if they weren’t high all the time.
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Comment on You're going to use Gemini on Android whether you like it or not in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentThey do care about it. They care about it because it's a product differentiator, and Apple isn't set up to make use of said data, so it's a win-win for them. That's different than Google, who does...They do care about it. They care about it because it's a product differentiator, and Apple isn't set up to make use of said data, so it's a win-win for them. That's different than Google, who does have the infrastructure to ingest and use the data.
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Comment on Post graduation job search in ~life
stu2b50 Link ParentIt depends on how you're measuring whether or not OP is "using" his degree. I'm sure they could get, say, a phone support role with a BS in CS degree. But that's because anyone with a bachelors in...It depends on how you're measuring whether or not OP is "using" his degree. I'm sure they could get, say, a phone support role with a BS in CS degree. But that's because anyone with a bachelors in anything could get a IT phone support role. The CS degree isn't helping there.
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Comment on Post graduation job search in ~life
stu2b50 (edited )LinkTo be frank, programming (more often called "software engineering" rather than "programming", in terms of job titles) is the main occupation that a computer science degrees unlocks. IT is really...To be frank, programming (more often called "software engineering" rather than "programming", in terms of job titles) is the main occupation that a computer science degrees unlocks. IT is really somewhat tangential.
It would be like asking if a physics major can work as a car technician. For IT, what they'd really look for is specific knowledge about specific technologies, like internet networking. IT has its own degrees, as well as a myriad of certificates, for accreditation.
If you don't like programming, well, is what it is, you can either go back to school to retool in another area or just deal with it and program. For what it's worth, you do less and less actual coding as you move up the career ladder and more software architecturing.
I don't think you have much more you can do other than go search for entry level software engineering positions and apply apply apply. I would anticipate at least applying to a few hundred spots.
You will likely have to move out of where you live. You can do so after you get the offer, but just anticipate it being a condition.
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Comment on South Korea banned dog meat. So what happens to the dogs? in ~food
stu2b50 Link ParentI don’t think there’s any issue with personally not wanting to eat any kind of meat. Where it gets dicey is when it’s used as some kind of universal moral imperative. First, in practice culinary...I don’t think there’s any issue with personally not wanting to eat any kind of meat. Where it gets dicey is when it’s used as some kind of universal moral imperative.
First, in practice culinary taboos are just arbitrary and come from cultural history and norms, rather than any kind of actual, objective backing.
Second, this line of reasoning is often used as a dogwhistle to denigrate other cultures as barbaric (when, again, it’s mostly arbitrary). See: the “Haitian eating our cats” story that was peddled the last US election cycle.
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Comment on ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ live-action movie set at Disney in ~movies
stu2b50 Link ParentIt has a 93% audience score. The original animated lilo and stitch has a 78% audience score. Not to mention that box offices sales wouldn’t have a long tail if the movie was outright bad. Ads can...It has a 93% audience score. The original animated lilo and stitch has a 78% audience score.
Not to mention that box offices sales wouldn’t have a long tail if the movie was outright bad. Ads can get butts in seats for the first few weeks but months later only word of mouth will do the trick.
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Comment on South Korea banned dog meat. So what happens to the dogs? in ~food
stu2b50 Link ParentSure, that’s why I said “genetically brainwashed”. Either way, the point is that dog’s “love” for humans is to a large extent an artificial product of human creation. That is what it is, but it...Sure, that’s why I said “genetically brainwashed”. Either way, the point is that dog’s “love” for humans is to a large extent an artificial product of human creation. That is what it is, but it seems a bit rich to use it as metric for ethical killing.
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Comment on ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ live-action movie set at Disney in ~movies
stu2b50 Link ParentIt did well, people loved first one, so why not?News of the follow-up film comes as “Lilo & Stitch” has grossed over $910 million at the global box office since Memorial Day weekend. Originally planned as a straight-to-streaming release, the PG adventure is on pace to become the year’s first billion-dollar blockbuster. And that’s just the theatrical windfall
It did well, people loved first one, so why not?
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Comment on South Korea banned dog meat. So what happens to the dogs? in ~food
stu2b50 Link ParentIs there a quantifiable metric by which dogs show more capacity to “love” humans than, say, pigs or cows? Both are fully domesticated and by all accounts can have strong emotions towards human...Is there a quantifiable metric by which dogs show more capacity to “love” humans than, say, pigs or cows? Both are fully domesticated and by all accounts can have strong emotions towards human companions.
Beyond that, does it make sense to rank the ethics of killing and eating a species by the amount that they can “love” humans? Dogs are a heavily breeded animal. Humans have genetically brainwashed dogs to love humans in their very DNA.
Is it logically consistent that species that we didn’t genetically modify to please us are more deserving of death?
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Comment on Meta poaches three OpenAI researchers: Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai in ~tech
stu2b50 LinkMaybe they’re 100m richer. Probably not, but likely a handsome payday regardless.Maybe they’re 100m richer. Probably not, but likely a handsome payday regardless.
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Meta poaches three OpenAI researchers: Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentGood is subjective. I don’t think it’s practical to make “goodness” part of the determination when it’s inherently variable.Good is subjective. I don’t think it’s practical to make “goodness” part of the determination when it’s inherently variable.
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentI think they’re correlated more often than not. I think people overvalue the difficulty of work, and not the result of the work, when determining how much someone “deserves”.I think they’re correlated more often than not. I think people overvalue the difficulty of work, and not the result of the work, when determining how much someone “deserves”.
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentWhy? For one, you have to take everything Altman says with a grain of salt. He's talking about a direct competitor - it is in his interest to make the attempts at poaching his staff seem as...Why? For one, you have to take everything Altman says with a grain of salt. He's talking about a direct competitor - it is in his interest to make the attempts at poaching his staff seem as extraordinary as possible.
Secondly, poaching from competitors is perfectly normal. It's also just called a competitive job market.
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Comment on The Onion calls out ‘cowardice’ of US Congress in full-page New York Times ad in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentBecause the people protesting are left leaning democrat-likely voters and Congress is in control of Republicans? If anything, seeing democrats be mad makes Republican voters happier. “Own the...Thousands marching in the streets for No Kings, millions around the world protesting the bombing of Iran, emails, phone calls... doesnt seem to phase them.
Because the people protesting are left leaning democrat-likely voters and Congress is in control of Republicans? If anything, seeing democrats be mad makes Republican voters happier.
“Own the libs” is one of the major mandates Republican lawmakers have from their voters so the more miserable people on the left look the better.
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Comment on US bombers strike nuclear sites in Iran in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentI would reframe it as that Islam as a religion and culture has been much better at being a religion. What I mean by that is that Islamic followers have stayed far truer to their cultural norms...- Exemplary
I would reframe it as that Islam as a religion and culture has been much better at being a religion. What I mean by that is that Islamic followers have stayed far truer to their cultural norms than modern Christians have. I have Muslim and Christian friends, and there is just a world of difference between the level of devotion.
Even the least devout Muslim does far more inconvenient things for the sake of their beliefs - the prayers, the dietary restrictions, and so forth. Meanwhile most Christians, like, give up candy for lent or something.
There's a lot of theological research into this. One theory is that outward expressions of religion are more likely to cause children to become religious as well. Some of Islam's very public pillars, like the prayers, therefore are more effective than the comparative lack of public displays in Christian doctrine.
But either way, that does have an effect on each religions compatibility with modern, humanist philosophies. Because, in the end, modern humanism is very different than cultural practices which began 1 C.E or 610 C.E. That's a lot of time.
I have no doubt that back in the Islamic Golden Age, the muslim nations were in many ways more equitable, more advanced technologically, and more peaceful than many Christian nations at that time. But, if those 1000 CE Christians saw how a Christian in the US, or Norway, or Germany is acting and believing, they would denounce them as infidels and heretics.
Because the cultural practices are barely recognizable. And that's the difference - for better or for worse, a lot of christians just kinda ignored most their holy book and a lot of their practices and made their most important religious holiday about a fat old man that gives children material goods. Can you imagine any Islamic religious holiday being taken over like that?
In the end, the proof is in the pudding. How many Islamic nations are there with at least a fair human rights track record? Tunisia maybe? Malaysia?
I don't think it's because Christianity is a more peaceful religion that more peaceful countries have Christian majorities - rather, Christianity cannot muster enough cultural force to overpower alternative philosophies from taking over cultures that Christian, like enlightment-era humanism.
In review, I think that it's not that Islam is particularly more violent or oppressive - I think the creators of the religion were just better at crafting policies that would continue their cultural practices and belief through the generations.
But, inevitably any set of practices from so long ago will find a large gap between themselves and today.
IMO the latter. The reality is that the media landscape is very competitive now. A movie needs to compete with TikToks and youtube videos and the newest video game and so forth and so on. If you're not "in" to cinema, then a vague trailer just isn't going to outcompete the rest for attention. You need a strong hook, and often that requires revealing some of the plot.
For what it's worth, I also don't think it's the case that spoilers harms the experience all that much for people. Personally, I've watched several movies in the last year because someone spoiled something that caught my attention.
In some way's, it's similar to in media res on a meta level.
If you knew that Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, does that really make the Star Wars movies an unenjoyable experience to watch? I wouldn't say so.