zipf_slaw's recent activity

  1. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    thanks for the elaboration, good stuff

    thanks for the elaboration, good stuff

  2. Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link
    My old axiom: our language is insufficient to describe our reality. We just can't have a vocabulary that is expansive enough to label all the categories of items and ideas in an ambiguity-free way...

    My old axiom: our language is insufficient to describe our reality.

    We just can't have a vocabulary that is expansive enough to label all the categories of items and ideas in an ambiguity-free way without taxing our brain's processing power too much.

    9 votes

  3. Comment on Megalopolis | Teaser trailer in ~movies

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Does it give away any plot points? If not, it's a teaser, regardless of length.

    Not sure when a minute and a half became a "teaser," but here's hoping for a good film.

    Does it give away any plot points? If not, it's a teaser, regardless of length.

  4. Comment on Those who read a lot of fiction shown to have improved cognitive abilities in ~science

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Agreed on the second point, but from what I understand, the 'original' application for the term click-bait was for article links and video thumbnails with text like: "Doctors hate this one thing...

    I tend to reserve the word "clickbait" for titles containing falsehoods. The notion of "clickbait" is, in my view, suffering undue semantic inflation.

    Agreed on the second point, but from what I understand, the 'original' application for the term click-bait was for article links and video thumbnails with text like: "Doctors hate this one thing that their patients do. Do you do it?". or "A woman's cat confronted the bear on their porch. See what happens next!".

    Not necessarily the two-part structure, but the one that is structured in a particular way to temp the click. Someone else here may be able to explain that type of lure better than I can but it seems to set up a story or conflict that tempts you to find the resolution for.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What are three things you're feeling positively about today? in ~talk

    zipf_slaw
    Link
    The weather! 2) The projects I'll get done today (not even 7am and I've already replaced the shop's porch light with one that has a GFCI outlet so I can plug in the bug zapper and tools for...
    1. The weather! 2) The projects I'll get done today (not even 7am and I've already replaced the shop's porch light with one that has a GFCI outlet so I can plug in the bug zapper and tools for tractor maintenance - garden/greenhouse projects will take the day, though). 3) Haircut day!
    6 votes

  6. Comment on Recipes for chicken thighs in ~food

  7. Comment on How to tell if a conspiracy theory is probably false in ~science

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    I thought the goal post after the "where is the spraying equipment?" goal post was that it was additives in the fuel, ergo it's in every plane with no need to spray.

    I thought the goal post after the "where is the spraying equipment?" goal post was that it was additives in the fuel, ergo it's in every plane with no need to spray.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Most people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence isn't clear on that in ~games.tabletop

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    yeah, it makes me wonder why i even made this comment!

    yeah, it makes me wonder why i even made this comment!

    6 votes

  9. Comment on Heat death of the internet in ~tech

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Interesting point- luddites, at the time, were only opposed to technology in so much as they were against it taking their jobs, income, livelihoods. So, in a sense, the rebranding of "luddites" as...

    Interesting point- luddites, at the time, were only opposed to technology in so much as they were against it taking their jobs, income, livelihoods. So, in a sense, the rebranding of "luddites" as anti-technology-in-general is sort of another win for the ruling class in the struggle against the working class.

    28 votes

  10. Comment on Opinion: Japan is haunted by a return to emerging-economy status in ~finance

    zipf_slaw
    (edited )
    Link
    Seems silly to call a retracting economy "emerging". More like "submerging". edit - sorry for the uninformed glibness.

    Seems silly to call a retracting economy "emerging". More like "submerging". edit - sorry for the uninformed glibness.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on Ten times as much of this toxic pesticide could end up on your tomatoes and celery under a new US EPA proposal in ~health

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    what about cultured human cells? obviously not as encompassing of the biochemistry as an entire organism, but testing on animals isn't exaclty apples:apples.

    ....the only real ethical option is human experimentation...

    what about cultured human cells? obviously not as encompassing of the biochemistry as an entire organism, but testing on animals isn't exaclty apples:apples.

    5 votes

  12. Comment on Ryan Gosling movie 'Project Hail Mary' set for Spring 2026 in ~movies

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Stratt is Dutch, worked for ESA, and was assigned the admin job by the UN.

    Stratt is Dutch, worked for ESA, and was assigned the admin job by the UN.

    17 votes

  13. Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Maybe in their tax filings or business documents, but what the public sees on the website and hears on the radio will never be "National Public Radio" anymore. That name is effectively gone.

    Maybe in their tax filings or business documents, but what the public sees on the website and hears on the radio will never be "National Public Radio" anymore. That name is effectively gone.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on I’ve been at NPR for twenty-five years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. in ~news

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Actually, no, you don't have "public" in the name anymore, that was intentionally removed from their marketing. It's been years since anyone at the network has called it "National Public Radio"....

    But there’s a good reason for NPR to be the first: we’re the ones with the word public in our name.

    Actually, no, you don't have "public" in the name anymore, that was intentionally removed from their marketing. It's been years since anyone at the network has called it "National Public Radio". It's just "NPR" now.

    And while I see the author's points (without fully agreeing with them) my main issue with NPR lately is that there are so many stories about sports, teams, and leagues. A lifelong "commute-listener" I've been turning it off far more frequently lately due to an extreme disinterest in Sportsball.

    15 votes

  15. Comment on Applejuicification: why the fruit is found in so many mixed juices in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    no, proteins would not be broken down in processing like this. even apple essences or flavor extracts would be potentially allergenic to sensitive folks.

    no, proteins would not be broken down in processing like this. even apple essences or flavor extracts would be potentially allergenic to sensitive folks.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Applejuicification: why the fruit is found in so many mixed juices in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    yes, some apple varieties have more intense flavor and aroma attributes than others. my assertion of 'neutral flavor' is relative to most other fruits (pear and white grape aside).

    yes, some apple varieties have more intense flavor and aroma attributes than others. my assertion of 'neutral flavor' is relative to most other fruits (pear and white grape aside).

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Applejuicification: why the fruit is found in so many mixed juices in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link
    This has been a thing in the food industry for decades. Apples are the perfect juice base because they 1) store well, easy to process, 2) have neutral flavor and color, 3) relatively cheap sugar...

    This has been a thing in the food industry for decades. Apples are the perfect juice base because they 1) store well, easy to process, 2) have neutral flavor and color, 3) relatively cheap sugar source with the organic acid bonus. It also helps cut the flavor of the potent fruits (cherry and cranberry, for example). It's the perfect choice. And with Regulatory allowing you to tuck away the ingredient declaration, few people ever know how much it dominates nearly all fruit juice formulations.

    32 votes

  18. Comment on I can't cry for some reason in ~health.mental

    zipf_slaw
    Link
    I just watch a documentary about martian landers or other space probes where decades of work lead to critical moments where telemetry is beamed back indicating successful landings or deployments...

    I just watch a documentary about martian landers or other space probes where decades of work lead to critical moments where telemetry is beamed back indicating successful landings or deployments or whatever, and Mission Control goes nuts - I start the waterworks.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on It annoys me that so many PC games feel like they're intended for consoles in ~games

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    I hate WASD as well (asymmetric, harder to reset position to home) so I always rebind those controls to the numpad. Usually enough neighboring keys to rebind other functions to be nearby the...

    I hate WASD as well (asymmetric, harder to reset position to home) so I always rebind those controls to the numpad. Usually enough neighboring keys to rebind other functions to be nearby the numpad as well. The only issue is that it makes me have to shift the keyboard over (or get a USB 10-key pad).

  20. Comment on Have you ever "homebrewed" fermented beverages? in ~food

    zipf_slaw
    Link Parent
    Just to clarify something, "skunked" beer, in the industry, has a pretty specific meaning: bitter acids from the hops breaking down from UV light exposure, the result being a skunky aroma from an...

    skunked based on the thoroughness of your sanitizing,

    Just to clarify something, "skunked" beer, in the industry, has a pretty specific meaning: bitter acids from the hops breaking down from UV light exposure, the result being a skunky aroma from an extremely potent compound that goes by 3-MBT (search that term and the first link that comes up is my blog, heh). This is not from microbial (sanitation) sources. You may know this aroma from Corona or Heineken in their clear/green bottles (but not from draught or the can, as they block UV). Mitigate this partially by using brown bottles or fully by using modified hop acids that resist such breakdown (MGD, High Life, etc). I could go on, but I'll pull up here.

    4 votes