Alfred's recent activity

  1. Comment on Walmart buying TV-brand Vizio for its ad-fueling customer data in ~finance

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    I'd say it's more likely an LTE antenna because they are fairly cheap to add in at scale and they're small enough to go in phones, so definitely small enough to slap into a TV. Kinda like how...

    I'd say it's more likely an LTE antenna because they are fairly cheap to add in at scale and they're small enough to go in phones, so definitely small enough to slap into a TV. Kinda like how Bluetooth is also pretty cheap and easy to add to things when you're already manufacturing at scale. Making a B2B deal with an existing telecom with good coverage to whitelist those same antennas for connectivity also doesn't seem that difficult to pull off if we're talking Samsung-level resources. Your comment sounded like the TV was incredibly out of date, so just having a script that turns this LTE chip on after a year (or some other long time frame) of no updates and then turns it off after again, really wouldn't be that hard to do.

    I worked for a WISP and to configure radios in the field before they were on our actual network, they had LTE chips on them with a script that ran on boot that would pass their MAC address up to our config service that would hand down every value it needed to configure itself and get an IP on our network.

    Something that scans for open Wi-Fi networks and is just praying for an open network that doesn't have a captive portal is so much more error-prone and edge-case prone.

  2. Comment on Walmart buying TV-brand Vizio for its ad-fueling customer data in ~finance

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    This seems like it'd be more likely caused by an LTE chip in the TV that Samsung can remotely send commands to the TV through than accessing hidden open wireless networks.

    This seems like it'd be more likely caused by an LTE chip in the TV that Samsung can remotely send commands to the TV through than accessing hidden open wireless networks.

  3. Comment on Twitch's new sexual content guidelines updated to include 'artistic nudity' after viral topless stream in ~tech

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    I have a very long block list, and I have all of the most common tags blocked as well and it cleaned up my TikTok feed really well. I'm convinced "Not Interested" hasn't actually done anything on...

    I have a very long block list, and I have all of the most common tags blocked as well and it cleaned up my TikTok feed really well. I'm convinced "Not Interested" hasn't actually done anything on Tiktok for awhile.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Anime for someone who doesn't like (shonen) anime that much in ~anime

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    That's the thing! There's no race in real life to watch any of these shows at a pace where you finish them right now. One Piece is an _ epic adventure_, and is as much about enjoyment of the...

    That's the thing! There's no race in real life to watch any of these shows at a pace where you finish them right now. One Piece is an _ epic adventure_, and is as much about enjoyment of the journey and watching the characters learn and grow, win and lose, as it is about getting to the end of the adventure and finding the treasure. You can watch 12 episodes, and come back in a few weeks and it'll all still be there. You are supposed to enjoy it, don't let it become an arbitrarily time-bound thing.

  5. Comment on Anime for someone who doesn't like (shonen) anime that much in ~anime

    Alfred
    Link
    Erased - My girlfriend is not an anime watcher by any means and might be more picky than you OP based on your post. We just finished watching this 12 episode mystery thriller and she loved it. Not...

    Erased - My girlfriend is not an anime watcher by any means and might be more picky than you OP based on your post. We just finished watching this 12 episode mystery thriller and she loved it. Not going to describe too much what this is about because part of the enjoyment is solving the mystery.

    One Piece - Is my all-time favorite anime. It's technically in the shonen genre, but it's been running for 25 years and is the top-selling manga of all time (in the running for top-selling comic series of all-time). There's a reason for that and it's not because the main cast fights, gets stronger, then beats the bad guy and rinses and repeats. The world-building is MASSIVE to the point where we are still learning the answers to 20 year old questions and the themes go from fun-loving and adventure seeking to, war, genocide, racism, slavery and everything in between. That being said, it does take a little while for you as a viewer to put together what it even is about in the beginning, and the beginning of the series does feel like an old show since it was animated in the late 90s. The thing about the series is that it evolves as animation technology evolves, the episodes that have released in the last few months have been previewed in movie theaters (a la Demon Slayer levels of animation quality). Cannot recommend this show enough to people who like a good story.

    1 vote
  6. Comment on Pornhub 2022 Year in Review in ~life

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    At least for gender, from the link

    At least for gender, from the link

    Men vs Women

    Pornhub’s statisticians make use of Google Analytics to figure out the most likely age and gender of visitors. This data is anonymized from billions of visits to Pornhub annually, giving us one of the richest and most diverse data sets to analyze traffic from all around the world. Because doesn’t watch a little porn, right?

    2 votes
  7. Comment on Elizabeth Warren is ending her US presidential campaign in ~news

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    You should watch more debates then, she wouldn't get shouted over by Trump. There isn't anything Trump hasn't said to her that would be more impactful if he said it to her. Saying it to her face...

    You should watch more debates then, she wouldn't get shouted over by Trump. There isn't anything Trump hasn't said to her that would be more impactful if he said it to her. Saying it to her face would just give her the opportunity to respond and she hasn't shown that she'd back down.

    She's been able to hold her own very much with other candidates trying to muscle her out. She also verbally eviscerated Mike Bloomberg in his first debate.

    8 votes
  8. Comment on I've received a school project where I need to read a book but I've never really wanted to read a book and don't know many books at all. What book should I read? in ~books

    Alfred
    Link
    A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. The obvious juxtoposition of power between the characters should make it a little simpler to define their physiological and psychological...

    A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

    The obvious juxtoposition of power between the characters should make it a little simpler to define their physiological and psychological characteristics.

    It's also a play, so it's easier to read than a novel, and should be more engaging as there needs to be a little more action in a play.

    3 votes
  9. Comment on Do people like CSS or just grow to tolerate it? in ~comp

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    I don't really find any faults in your comments. I haven't ever had to use any of those GUI tools, because I build things for the web where CSS has been sufficient for my needs. I do agree that...

    I don't really find any faults in your comments. I haven't ever had to use any of those GUI tools, because I build things for the web where CSS has been sufficient for my needs.

    I do agree that the barrier to entry on creating a viable browser engine that is spec-compliant shouldn't be so high, but I don't know any realistic solutions to that.

    What do you think needs to be done to address your pain-points? Should we create and embrace a new styling system for the web, knowing that browser vendors ultimately choose what they implement anyways?

    2 votes
  10. Comment on Do people like CSS or just grow to tolerate it? in ~comp

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    So, these are issues that not everything in the spec can be used together, in every browser. That's part of building a spec and hoping that those that implement the spec are able to implement it...

    So, these are issues that not everything in the spec can be used together, in every browser. That's part of building a spec and hoping that those that implement the spec are able to implement it in a way that works 100% of the time. I'm skeptical that other software systems that have the amount of use as CSS (100% of the internet, over the last 20 years) can be shown to have less compatibility issues between itself.

    But I guess, how often in your professional experience do you actually have to use those things together? We were getting by with making sticky content before position: sticky so, is your use-case so specific that you have to use it to get your ideal design?

    Yeah, it's cool when you can use new things, but you can accomplish your goals another way, why use the new things? Just because they're new?

    My point is that the how many features CSS has and how they interact is a strength, not a weakness.

    1 vote
  11. Comment on Do people like CSS or just grow to tolerate it? in ~comp

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    Haha, I should have put a disclaimer not to fall in love with the computers. Good luck with your continued learning!

    Haha, I should have put a disclaimer not to fall in love with the computers.

    Good luck with your continued learning!

    3 votes
  12. Comment on Do people like CSS or just grow to tolerate it? in ~comp

    Alfred
    Link
    CSS is a programming language. I think what you'll find is that all web technologies are culminations of long historical processes once you get sufficiently proficient with them. You're getting...
    • Exemplary

    CSS is a programming language. I think what you'll find is that all web technologies are culminations of long historical processes once you get sufficiently proficient with them.

    You're getting frustrated because you're trying to learn. That's okay, that's how we learn things. You'll get better as you stick with it and practice more, just like anything else.

    CSS gets the worst wrap in contemporary web development culture. The cascade is really difficult to wrangle when you pull in a bunch of third-party styles because there aren't any namespaces by default. Lots of people act like it's not real programming because its entirely style based, but anyone running a successful business in modern times understands a good product is nothing if not well designed, and polished.

    I like CSS. It relaxes me to write because of how many different ways there are to accomplish a certain task. You can also create really unique things with it, or even art. The pressure to have a really performant solution isn't really there as opposed to when I write JavaScript or other code, because CSS is just fast, and it pretty much is always fast.

    If you're just starting, hell yeah, pull in Bootstrap and override the things you don't like, but as a tip, don't try to override the same classes and IDs, but really dive in those DevTools and see what you're overriding and what the styles do. Just like anything else, you'll get better and better until you won't need the training wheels that Bootstrap offers and you'll be styling your entire pages and apps yourself!

    Don't give up on CSS because it doesn't make sense, it will eventually make sense if you practice, it's difficult just like other topics in programming and technology, you just have to keep working hard to learn it.

    23 votes
  13. Comment on What's a "sore thumb" for you? in ~talk

    Alfred
    Link
    When people post pictures of a screen instead of taking and sharing a screenshot. I saw this multiplied to the worst extent where someone recorded a screen-recording (with a second device) and...

    When people post pictures of a screen instead of taking and sharing a screenshot.

    I saw this multiplied to the worst extent where someone recorded a screen-recording (with a second device) and posted it as a video.

    It's always horrible quality, and the thing you saw definitely has a native share option if you saw it on the internet. Take the extra 3 seconds and send me the link.

    9 votes
  14. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~news

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    I agree Gorsuch is being incredibly spineless here. It's literally his job to come to a conclusion that makes sense, saying you're picking a side so you don't have to keep arguing is just...

    “What good would another five years of litigation over the adequacy of that explanation serve?” Gorsuch asked.

    I agree Gorsuch is being incredibly spineless here. It's literally his job to come to a conclusion that makes sense, saying you're picking a side so you don't have to keep arguing is just abdicating responsibility.

    6 votes
  15. Comment on Tell us the most uninteresting thing you did today! in ~talk

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    That's an interesting little thing. At this point I'm 50/50 lose a chapstick vs keep it all the way through, though, so I'm gonna keep trying to perfect my system without buying yet another thing

    That's an interesting little thing. At this point I'm 50/50 lose a chapstick vs keep it all the way through, though, so I'm gonna keep trying to perfect my system without buying yet another thing

  16. Comment on Tell us the most uninteresting thing you did today! in ~talk

    Alfred
    Link
    I lost my pocket chapstick and opened the one I keep in my bag for when I lose the one I keep in my pocket.

    I lost my pocket chapstick and opened the one I keep in my bag for when I lose the one I keep in my pocket.

    5 votes
  17. Comment on Discussing blackness on Reddit? Photograph your forearm first in ~tech

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    These articles were great. I appreciate you doing the work to create the space and just trying to make Black people feel comfortable online. I submitted for verification just now because of this post

    These articles were great. I appreciate you doing the work to create the space and just trying to make Black people feel comfortable online. I submitted for verification just now because of this post

    8 votes
  18. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion #1 in ~health

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    It's pretty standard but that doesn't mean it isn't predatory. I recently canceled my commercial gym membership because of the cancellation fees, and their process for refunds was really fucked...

    It's pretty standard but that doesn't mean it isn't predatory. I recently canceled my commercial gym membership because of the cancellation fees, and their process for refunds was really fucked up. I ended up cancelling, getting charged for the next 2 months of membership after cancellation and just charging it back on my credit card.

    I now mark every "we miss you" email from them as spam.

    I hope you are able to find a local gym that doesn't have all the bullshit on top of their membership. You may be looking at a higher flat monthly rate though.

    3 votes
  19. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion #1 in ~health

    Alfred
    Link
    I run Wendler's 5/3/1 with Boring but Big accessories. I recently switched to a local gym from the commercial one I was going to, so I had a few weeks off when I was in-between gyms, and now just...

    I run Wendler's 5/3/1 with Boring but Big accessories. I recently switched to a local gym from the commercial one I was going to, so I had a few weeks off when I was in-between gyms, and now just getting to the point where I go consistently again.

    Just trying to lift myself into a good headspace, and feel more confident about my body again. I lost a lot of weight this summer and most of it was muscle and form, so I'm cosniderably weaker and smaller than I'd like to be.

    Really just want to vent that I'm not as strong as I was and I've been not as disciplined as I could be.

    3 votes
  20. Comment on Is anyone else interested in (or actively pursuing) meat from more ethical and sustainable sources? in ~food

    Alfred
    Link Parent
    I'll definitely keep it in mind to ask.

    I'll definitely keep it in mind to ask.