AnxiousCucumber's recent activity
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Comment on Amazon Web Services crash causes $2,000 Smart Beds to overheat and get stuck upright in ~tech
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Comment on What's a quantum computer? in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentGood point... That might be the next tech Big Thing / bubble. The word "quantum" is hella marketable.Good point... That might be the next tech Big Thing / bubble. The word "quantum" is hella marketable.
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Comment on Financial collapse? in ~finance
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentThe money supply has become a parabolic curve. But the inflation chart is tame compared to this. What gives? A look at consumer price index as a measure of inflation. We, the people, buy things...The money supply has become a parabolic curve. But the inflation chart is tame compared to this. What gives?
A look at consumer price index as a measure of inflation. We, the people, buy things and over time they get more expensive to buy.
But the gov/fed have been low balling the CPI since the Clinton years by stripping out food and energy costs (who needs gas, heat, or food, anyway?), and using "heuristic adjustments", eg if a $1000 laptop in 2025 has twice the CPU power of one from 2020, it's come 'down' in value by 50%. Using these adjustments, the gov has incentive to lowball inflation so they don't have to pay out as much for inflation-linked entitlement programs.If the cpi as it was calculated in the 90s is used ( before heuristic adjustments), cpi inflation is above the official number. It's even higher running the numbers today using the method how it was calculated in the 80s, back when food and energy were included in the CPI.
Personal anecdote: rent inflation (housing). A 1 bedroom apartment in my PNW city was $650 in 2012, but that same one now is $1900. So rent inflation is closer to 6% YoY.
I suppose "rampant inflation" could have been written as "dramatic increase in the money supply", or "prices doubling quickly, with no accompanying wage growth".
At any rate, after all three financial collapses, there were many loans and bailouts, the money supply increased, and anyone holding cash savings saw their purchasing power quickly eroded.Circling back to OP, this is one of the reasons why the price of gold has been rising: a larger and growing money supply is chasing a finite amount of gold bullion.
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Comment on Financial collapse? in ~finance
AnxiousCucumber LinkEach collapse in 2001 and 2008 started with a bubble popping and lead to interest rates dropping, bailouts and loans into the hundreds of billions, and rampant inflation. The cause of 2020...Each collapse in 2001 and 2008 started with a bubble popping and lead to interest rates dropping, bailouts and loans into the hundreds of billions, and rampant inflation. The cause of 2020 collapse was different but the result was the same.
Magnificent 7, AI companies, chipmakers, and the US gov itself are now in a biweekly circle jerk of multibillion dollar investments among themselves to keep the stock chart lines going up. How long can that keep going? At some point, to paraphrase Sam Altman, "someone will lose a phenomenal amount of money." Cue the bubble popping, bailouts, interest rate cuts, and more inflation.
There will probably be a correction, but the real fear is being mostly in cash during a time of rampant inflation. It's not that prices are going up - it's that purchasing power is going down.
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Comment on Luigi Mangione wants death penalty count tossed in US CEO murder case in ~news
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentThis premise is reminiscent of the plot of Fahrenheit 451 wherein the protagonist escapes a manhunt, yet the authorities 'find' him and capture him for display to the public - but he's actually a...This premise is reminiscent of the plot of Fahrenheit 451 wherein the protagonist escapes a manhunt, yet the authorities 'find' him and capture him for display to the public - but he's actually a patsy, a fake to show the public that the authorities are competent and in control.
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Comment on Robin Williams' daughter pleads for people to stop sending her AI videos of her dad in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber LinkWasn't there a Black Mirror episode where a loved one was 'recreated' into a robot doppelganger of the original person? The robot was built out of a composite of past posts, clips, videos, and...Wasn't there a Black Mirror episode where a loved one was 'recreated' into a robot doppelganger of the original person? The robot was built out of a composite of past posts, clips, videos, and content... Kind of what AI is doing now.
She's right. This isn't progress. This is regurgitation. This is treading a limitless pool of water for an indefinite amount of time.
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Comment on What's a product or service that you use but don't want to pay for and why? in ~life
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentNewpipe for Android has been a game changer for lowering my annoyances with YouTube.Newpipe for Android has been a game changer for lowering my annoyances with YouTube.
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Comment on Charlie Kirk, Ezra Klein, and the cost of civility-theater liberalism in ~society
AnxiousCucumber LinkThe public, myself included, has taken to treating political parties as rooting for a particular sports team. There's no shades of gray anymore; support is a binary choice. We don't see the whole...when politics is routed through entertainment, audiences are trained to react, not reflect. In that register, even an assassination is received as content; the horror presents itself as just another installment of the show.
The public, myself included, has taken to treating political parties as rooting for a particular sports team. There's no shades of gray anymore; support is a binary choice. We don't see the whole debate, we just see the highlight reel on tv or socials.
This is magnified in a two party system... It's as if the Lakers are always playing the Knicks, there are no other teams in the league, the refs are always calling fouls in favor of the Knicks, and everyone is constantly watching the personal lives of every player. -
Comment on The top 100 things I'd do if I ever became an evil overlord (1996) in ~books
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentHaving just read through The Fantasy Novelist 's Exam... Oof. Patrick Rothfuss, my dude, it's been over a decade of wait for Doors of Stone.Having just read through The Fantasy Novelist 's Exam...
Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?
Oof. Patrick Rothfuss, my dude, it's been over a decade of wait for Doors of Stone.
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Comment on The top 100 things I'd do if I ever became an evil overlord (1996) in ~books
AnxiousCucumber LinkCame across this old chestnut while rabbit holing down Wikipedia after reading about Sauron, Dracula, and other fictional dark lords (as one does). It's amusing how many books and movies use these...Came across this old chestnut while rabbit holing down Wikipedia after reading about Sauron, Dracula, and other fictional dark lords (as one does). It's amusing how many books and movies use these plot devices to this day!
List items are in the vein of:
"Do not build super weapons with small hidden vulnerabilities that, if damaged, could destroy the entire apparatus."
"If you capture the hero and his lackey, kill the hero first."
"Do not invest more of your malice and will to dominate into any external object than you can afford to lose."
"Do not reveal your plans before killing the hero."
"Avoid using digital countdown timers. If one must be used, set it so the device activates two minutes before the countdown finishes."
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The top 100 things I'd do if I ever became an evil overlord (1996)
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Comment on Has anyone here tried bone conduction headphones? in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber LinkHave a pair of cheap Amazon alphabet soup named knockoffs. Use them for audiobooks at work as I need to hear what's around me on job site, and as background music when cycling. Way better than one...Have a pair of cheap Amazon alphabet soup named knockoffs. Use them for audiobooks at work as I need to hear what's around me on job site, and as background music when cycling.
Way better than one earbud since I can still hear in all directions and there is zero risk of losing the earbud in a pocket or dropping it. Cheap set cost under $60 so if they get destroyed I don't really care. They work just fine for my purposes and last 2-3 full work days on a single charge.
Worth a shot for you at that price point! If you wind up enjoying them you can always upgrade. -
Comment on What words do you recommend? in ~talk
AnxiousCucumber LinkWhen expressing both sides of a thought in business correspondence, I enjoy using a good semicolon however. It clears the way for a contrary thought; however, the latter thought is often related...When expressing both sides of a thought in business correspondence, I enjoy using a good semicolon however.
It clears the way for a contrary thought; however, the latter thought is often related to the former thought.
However, using a comma can also start a sentence nicely on its own.A second favorite is using former / latter when presenting options.
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Comment on Draft bill would, if passed, allow US President Donald Trump to wage war against drug traffickers and countries in ~society
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentTrade Guild Ambassador: My lord, is that... legal? Palpatine: I will make it legal.Trade Guild Ambassador: My lord, is that... legal?
Palpatine: I will make it legal.
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Comment on US coffee prices surge in ~food
AnxiousCucumber LinkCoffee futures have headed back up to January's all time highs. So while import tariffs are driving the cost up as the article suggests, the underlying price of the commodity is also rising....Coffee futures have headed back up to January's all time highs. So while import tariffs are driving the cost up as the article suggests, the underlying price of the commodity is also rising. Double whammy!
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Comment on What is a business/org that is great and ethical in so many aspects that everyone should consider using? in ~life
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentLet My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard is a great memoir and story of Patagonia by its founder. As early as 1984, the company HQ provided on site child care and a cafeteria serving healthy...Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard is a great memoir and story of Patagonia by its founder. As early as 1984, the company HQ provided on site child care and a cafeteria serving healthy food to employees.
Patagonia is also the first company to commit to 1% For the Planet (also founded by Chouinard).
From 2022 onward Patagonia has been a trust, all of whose profits are dedicated to addressing climate change.
Source: Wikipedia -
Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber LinkHorseshoe Bend, Arizona. Taken at dusk for maximum orange.Horseshoe Bend, Arizona. Taken at dusk for maximum orange.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
AnxiousCucumber (edited )LinkThe Orenda by Joseph Boyden. 1640s New World setting. The story follows three narrators: Bird, a Huron war chief; Christophe, a French Jesuit missionary sent to bring 'les sauvages' to Christ; and...The Orenda by Joseph Boyden. 1640s New World setting. The story follows three narrators: Bird, a Huron war chief; Christophe, a French Jesuit missionary sent to bring 'les sauvages' to Christ; and Snow Falls, whom Bird adopts as his daughter after his war party kills her Iroquois parents. A captivating and vivid world.
Also set in the 1640s - albeit a different part of the world and non fiction: The Wager by David Grann. The true account of HMS Wager as she sets out with four other Royal Navy ships of the line to hunt a Spanish treasure fleet off the coast of Chile.
It does not go well. She becomes damaged and lost in a storm coming around Cape Horn and wrecks on a desolate island. Then there is a mutiny.Currently reading Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark Sullivan. WWII Italy 1944-45 spy story set in and around Milan. Unlikely hero protagonist, and it's also based on true events! It would make an excellent movie. Similar writing style and pace to All the Light We Cannot See.
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Comment on One quirky anti AI technique I've used is leaving in the typos in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentI'm guessing it will be the end users who eventually don't care about AI everything that will kill the hype. Why pay for features that aren't needed, more points of failure/error, and that make...I'm guessing it will be the end users who eventually don't care about AI everything that will kill the hype.
Why pay for features that aren't needed, more points of failure/error, and that make the design more complicated to use?? I don't care or want to pay extra for having a wifi enabled fridge or washing machine, and the same goes for unnecessary AI. -
Comment on We, the spiteful - why don’t Americans vote in their own economic interests? (2011) in ~society
AnxiousCucumber LinkA long read but thoughtful. Boiled down it's the "if I can't have it, no one should" sort of greedy individual thinking that leads to awful leaders being elected out of spite.A long read but thoughtful. Boiled down it's the "if I can't have it, no one should" sort of greedy individual thinking that leads to awful leaders being elected out of spite.
I used to listen to Mitch Hedberg. I still do, but I also used to.