Aerrol's recent activity
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Comment on City Sizes: City size comparison tool in ~misc
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Comment on City Sizes: City size comparison tool in ~misc
Aerrol Link ParentYeah, it's a very simplistic design pulling from some city name API and there's a few errors. That's a really weird one though given the fame of each version.Yeah, it's a very simplistic design pulling from some city name API and there's a few errors. That's a really weird one though given the fame of each version.
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Comment on City Sizes: City size comparison tool in ~misc
Aerrol Link ParentVery fair comment, though I just noticed that switching to satellite view is a quick work-around to sanity check if the boundary is accurate.Very fair comment, though I just noticed that switching to satellite view is a quick work-around to sanity check if the boundary is accurate.
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Comment on City Sizes: City size comparison tool in ~misc
Aerrol Link ParentHoly moly! I had no idea Timmins' legal area was so huge! Looking at it on Satellite View, it seems like this is the case of some highly optimistic future civic planning rather than the result of...Holy moly! I had no idea Timmins' legal area was so huge! Looking at it on Satellite View, it seems like this is the case of some highly optimistic future civic planning rather than the result of sprawl though.
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Comment on City Sizes: City size comparison tool in ~misc
Aerrol LinkIn keeping with the thread a while back about neat little websites, I just stumbled on this and thought Tildes would enjoy it. I enjoy challenging my perception of relative physical city size (not...In keeping with the thread a while back about neat little websites, I just stumbled on this and thought Tildes would enjoy it. I enjoy challenging my perception of relative physical city size (not population).
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City Sizes: City size comparison tool
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Comment on Looking for eclectic and little-known websites that bring joy in ~health.mental
Aerrol LinkOh man, I've really fallen off the small internet world. I used to love it - great topic. Here's the only one I still regularly check (I'm a patreon and get email updates) -...Oh man, I've really fallen off the small internet world. I used to love it - great topic.
Here's the only one I still regularly check (I'm a patreon and get email updates) - https://dragonsarmory.blogspot.com/
It's very niche, but I love the dramatic and more in-depth approach to Chinese history. All sorts of fun tidbits are in his posts: I recently learned that the last Sassanid Prince of Persia fled to Tang China and became a general for the Chinese.
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Comment on ADHD and TODO lists in ~health.mental
Aerrol LinkI think the best two answers in here are @TonesTones and @creesch, especially creesch's point about expecting your systems to fall apart and need adjusting. That's a big part of what I've found...I think the best two answers in here are @TonesTones and @creesch, especially creesch's point about expecting your systems to fall apart and need adjusting. That's a big part of what I've found managing my ADHD - rotating through systems as the novel impact wears off.
Some things that work for me:
- Multiple lists. I have a big long list of stuff I eventually want to get done. The occasional to-do list for the day that I try to keep SHORT, VERY SHORT, so I might actually complete it. Then a separate grocery list. The key piece here is I know I frequently forget about/miss items on the to-do list and that's okay. Getting comfortable with that piece and abandoning guilt is huge.
- If you like calendars (many people with ADHD hate them), blocking time for specific chores and tasks there so you both get a reminder and prevent other things from being booked in over top of them.
- Post-it notes and written notes. These very quickly lose impact for me but occasionally I spring them.
- Asking my wife to remind me to do things (I try to limit this one so it doesn't feel naggy).
- Making space for fun activities throughout the day in short bursts. Once I accepted that letting myself game for a lunch break (I work from home) actually makes me feel better and thus more productive and doesn't make me a lazy piece of trash, my life improved dramatically.
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Comment on Use plain text email in ~tech
Aerrol Link ParentYeah, it's painfully clear to me that the author of this article does not work in or interface with any profession that requires email as the primary mode of communication. Moving to plaintext for...Yeah, it's painfully clear to me that the author of this article does not work in or interface with any profession that requires email as the primary mode of communication.
Moving to plaintext for my work would be atrocious and a dramatic drop in my quality of life and ability to get work done.
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Comment on CrowdStrike estimates the tech meltdown caused by its bungling left a $60 million dent in its sales in ~tech
Aerrol LinkI'm shocked it's not higher. I can't imagine ever wanting to use a company that bungled things this badly ever again.I'm shocked it's not higher. I can't imagine ever wanting to use a company that bungled things this badly ever again.
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Comment on How would you go about teaching (or learning) critical thinking? in ~humanities
Aerrol LinkA lot of really good points made here already, but one that I haven't seen yet - for politics specifically, I think empathy is a really underrated part of critical thinking. It can be really easy...A lot of really good points made here already, but one that I haven't seen yet - for politics specifically, I think empathy is a really underrated part of critical thinking. It can be really easy to dismiss political positions you disagree with by focusing solely on the given words being said. But if you take the time to try and understand how a given person - presumably a decent person, as most of us are - arrives at this seemingly odd or hateful position, what their pains and fears are, then you can start to better understand where they're coming from and some of the unspoken motivations driving their position. Or, even if you don't necessarily understand right away, having empathy opens up the conversation a lot more to let them tell you exactly why they feel this way, without getting caught up in the initial outrage you might feel upon hearing they have a given position.
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Comment on How would you go about teaching (or learning) critical thinking? in ~humanities
Aerrol Link ParentWhile I don't have a specific source I can find right now (if I can find it, I'll come back - I swear there's a term for this), I think the unmentioned key piece for the point you mention is the...While I don't have a specific source I can find right now (if I can find it, I'll come back - I swear there's a term for this), I think the unmentioned key piece for the point you mention is the arrogance generated by expertise and success in a given field.
By becoming a full expert in your chosen area, a lot of the feeling and process of learning is forgotten and begins to feel natural. You make dozens of assumptions every day that you know are safe to make because you previously reasoned through them and learned how they applied - but have now forgotten you are making these assumptions. Then, if you lack humility, you turn to a new industry/field and try to apply the same assumptions to this area. You believe because you are so successful in one field, you are qualified and understand this new field just as well. Then, because you are arrogant and prickly, you start to get defensive when people call you out. You find increasingly biased sources to support your position because it makes you feel better - it confirms you are, in fact, a smart person.
You see this a lot with founders of successful tech startups and tech investors. They think because they nailed the monumentally hard task of growing a massive company from scratch, they're infallible. And that belief leads them down some wild, easy to disprove lines of thinking that they are too fragile to back down from once they've committed to it. I've had some smart friends fall into this pit, and trying to strike the balance of just letting things lie and staying friends vs challenging them so they can hopefully grow out of it has been frankly quite painful. Maybe I'll get better at it over time.
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Comment on Elon Musk’s lawyers quietly subpoena public interest groups in ~tech
Aerrol Link Parent@sparksbet already answered this better than I could have - I am not American so I am not a full expert on the intricacies of the difference between the different anti-SLAPP legislation. The big...@sparksbet already answered this better than I could have - I am not American so I am not a full expert on the intricacies of the difference between the different anti-SLAPP legislation. The big piece that I've noticed in my following of the issue broadly is that the California legislation is by far the one that is brought up most frequently in the news and other reports (and therefore seems to be the most actively used, but I have no numbers to back that up).
I was not aware that their legislation was unique in the ability to recover damages against the abuser, but if that's true it would definitely be a strong reason why it's a much more effective application than most other pieces of legislation. If I find time, I definitely want to go read up more on the issue :).
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Comment on Elon Musk’s lawyers quietly subpoena public interest groups in ~tech
Aerrol Link ParentOh boy, finally something on Tildes I can answer WHEN I HAVE TIME TO WRITE AN ANSWER! You're right in most of your points, but a few key points I want to expand on/correct for you: There's three...- Exemplary
Oh boy, finally something on Tildes I can answer WHEN I HAVE TIME TO WRITE AN ANSWER!
You're right in most of your points, but a few key points I want to expand on/correct for you:
There's three simultaneous shitty legal things Musk is doing here:
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Directly suing non-profits who had the gall to directly criticise his garbage platform for, well, hosting repugnant filth. These lawsuits are unlikely to succeed as the initial lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate was a total failure. Why is he pursuing these lawsuits even though they're undoubtedly a waste of money? Because it's not about winning, it's about using his bottomless pit of money as a weapon to batter critics into silence via legal war of attrition.
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Trying to force non profits to disclose pretty much anything possible related to the above lawsuits. Here, his lawyers are looking for any tiny bit of evidence they can find to sue another 'enemy' of twitter, regardless of how tenuous. Again, the goal isn't to find a legitimate basis for a lawsuit but just enough to make it past initial filing and waste their money in frivolous legal fees. Notice a trend here?
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Suing the advertisers indirectly via GARM, which a few other comments discuss. The key point with GARM is that his lawyers argued this to be illegal coordination to price fix/freeze out Twitter. The argument was never that they HAVE to go advertise on twitter, but that discussing the reasons why they don't want to associate with his platform is anti-competitive and illegal. This is a patently absurd argument and almost certainly would've also been destroyed in court, but GARM was low budget and opted to fold instead. Yet again, Musk waging legal warfare without any real legal basis for his claims.
As you can see, the truly horrible thing that's playing out here in the worst example I can recall is that we have a rich manchild utilizing his bottomless pit of money to waste everyone else's time and money in pointless lawsuits until they sit down and shut up.
My personal opinion is that the Western legal system generally and the US especially needs some dramatic reform on how Legal costs are awarded. It is far too easy for bad-faith entities and individuals with a lot of money to abuse the system like this. California's anti-SLAPP legislation is one good example of a protection, but we really need Federal/national protections on a similar basis AND a more general punishment for clearly frivolous lawsuits.
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Comment on Sweden has cut 80% of its net emissions since 1990 – while growing its economy twofold. How have they done it? in ~enviro
Aerrol LinkSuper impressive! As a Canadian, my immediate thought is - what the hell is stopping us from duplicating this here? Lots of things, I know, but they should all be solvable: More cooperation...Super impressive! As a Canadian, my immediate thought is - what the hell is stopping us from duplicating this here?
Lots of things, I know, but they should all be solvable:
- More cooperation between levels of government
- Politicians with the guts to stick with environmental policies long term
- Investing in support across the supply/energy chain
Hopefully we can get more of this sooner than later...
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Comment on Unpopular opinion: Capitalism is a better ideology than socialism or communism because greed is a more tolerable emotion than fear/envy in ~talk
Aerrol Link ParentWow, I had never heard of Mondragon Corporation before - that's a really inspiring example for me. A worker cooperative/humanist corporation with decades of success! Thanks for sharing.Wow, I had never heard of Mondragon Corporation before - that's a really inspiring example for me. A worker cooperative/humanist corporation with decades of success!
Thanks for sharing.
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Comment on Technology is making people busier during their so called free time in ~life
Aerrol LinkI read this on my phone while eating lunch... Whoops. More seriously, this isn't the first article to discuss this trend by any means and it won't be the last. Right to disconnect is a great step...I read this on my phone while eating lunch... Whoops.
More seriously, this isn't the first article to discuss this trend by any means and it won't be the last. Right to disconnect is a great step forward but until wages rise relative to cost of living significantly, it will be difficult for most people to disconnect. Part of the mania for work is driven by the sense of instability prevalent in our world, the sense that if you slow down you'll be left behind, maybe even fired.
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Comment on What's your not-D&D RPG, and why? in ~games.tabletop
Aerrol Link ParentOh dang, someone DID mention Lancer and I just missed it. Well, adding a comment here to say that if you like the idea of rules light narrative gameplay + crunchy, customizable tactical combat but...Oh dang, someone DID mention Lancer and I just missed it. Well, adding a comment here to say that if you like the idea of rules light narrative gameplay + crunchy, customizable tactical combat but want to play a fantasy setting, check out ICON! https://massif-press.itch.io/icon
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Comment on What's your not-D&D RPG, and why? in ~games.tabletop
Aerrol LinkDisappointed to see no mention yet of Massif Press's two amazing RPGs: Lancer and ICON. Lancer: https://massif-press.itch.io/corebook-pdf-free ICON: https://massif-press.itch.io/icon Both follow...Disappointed to see no mention yet of Massif Press's two amazing RPGs: Lancer and ICON.
Lancer: https://massif-press.itch.io/corebook-pdf-free
ICON: https://massif-press.itch.io/iconBoth follow the same core gameplay desogn, which I really love - splitting the game into a rules-light narrative mode for your wandering, conversing etc. and a nice, crunchy, very well balanced tactical combat.
Lancer was developed first and is unapologetically a space opera mecha pilot rpg. Hundreds of potential mech combos, well fleshed out setting background and three supplementary books released now. Best Kickstarters I've ever backed.
ICON is still in beta but it's effectively the same idea tailored for fantasy. I personally love what they've done with classes to optimize customization.
Both are heavily supported by the community - the discord is bumping and Lancer in particular has a lot of excellent homebrew plus a great web tool called COMP/CON.
Seems like it's down now - on mobile for me. No results load. Previously it prompted cities in a list after you typed something in.