AnxiousCucumber's recent activity
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Comment on Shrinking number of free news outlets in ~talk
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Comment on Giant mirrors in space to reflect sunlight at night? No thank you, astronomers say. in ~space
AnxiousCucumber LinkDoing this just to have sunlight at night dosen't seem like something anyone wants or needs. If they were talking about positioning a giant mirror in space, tracking the sun to reflect sunlight...Doing this just to have sunlight at night dosen't seem like something anyone wants or needs.
If they were talking about positioning a giant mirror in space, tracking the sun to reflect sunlight away from earth to slow global warming, that might be something.
Ancient history anecdote time! The Sim City line of games had a powerplant that worked with beamed focused solar energy from an orbital mirror to an earth based receiving dish. Sometimes the beam would miss and cause fires, much like a kid frying bugs with a magnifying glass.
It was also the plot to the James Bond movie Goldeneye.
Some country or billionaire villain will make the mirror able to focus light, weaponize it, and there we are. -
Comment on Facebook and Instagram are paradises for scammers, reveal Meta's internal documents in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber LinkFacebook and its social media ilk need to be constrained and regulated like tobacco companies were once the risks of smoking were known. Social media is a digital mental cigarette, nicotine for...Facebook and its social media ilk need to be constrained and regulated like tobacco companies were once the risks of smoking were known.
Social media is a digital mental cigarette, nicotine for the mind, a habit, a hit, easy to spend ten minutes on, and always with you in your pocket.
Instead of lung cancer we have brainwashed people, including children, with ruined attention spans thinking every sort of nonsense is true. People with no critical thinking, no patience, no reasoning, believing whatever is put in front of them in their feed, again and again. Of course they will fall prey to scams of every sort!If one believes that the millions of people using social media should be protected from predators, it follows that regulation is desperately needed. Electoral integrity, child protection, and consumer protection agencies across the globe need to coordinate, regulate, and fine the living hell out of Facebook. It needs to cost more to continue this behavior than to change it. Money is the only thing the careless people running Meta will pay attention to.
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Comment on Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber LinkHaving read Careless People a couple months ago, this is not surprising. It is disappointing. Tech companies regulating themselves nowadays is working about as well as oil companies regulating...the documents indicate that Meta’s own research suggests its products have become a pillar of the global fraud economy. A May 2025 presentation by its safety staff estimated that the company’s platforms were involved in a third of all successful scams in the U.S.
Having read Careless People a couple months ago, this is not surprising. It is disappointing.
Tech companies regulating themselves nowadays is working about as well as oil companies regulating themselves in the 80s, and tobacco companies regulating themselves in the 50s. Working as well as a screen door on a submarine!
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
AnxiousCucumber LinkReplaced the fixed position tv wall mount above my fireplace with an adjustable one. Better viewing angles and now can pull the tv out and swing it left or right. The companion soundbar had been...Replaced the fixed position tv wall mount above my fireplace with an adjustable one. Better viewing angles and now can pull the tv out and swing it left or right.
The companion soundbar had been sitting on the mantle. Now it's also wall mounted and the sound quality is noticeably better. -
Comment on 'Intentional' explosion at Harvard medical campus under investigation in ~news
AnxiousCucumber LinkExplosion like "Halloween stupid fireworks prank", or explosion like "domestic terrorism"? The article isn't clear.Explosion like "Halloween stupid fireworks prank", or explosion like "domestic terrorism"? The article isn't clear.
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Comment on Amazon Web Services crash causes $2,000 Smart Beds to overheat and get stuck upright in ~tech
AnxiousCucumber Link ParentI used to listen to Mitch Hedberg. I still do, but I also used to.I used to listen to Mitch Hedberg. I still do, but I also used to.
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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.
CBC also has a stripped down minimalist version, CBC Lite, for those with low bandwidth or who prefer text based, newspaper feel. The pictures / media don't even display unless you click on them. It's especially great in dark mode.
If you like the Guardian you may like The Independent . Similar feel.
If you like the BBC give Al Jazeera a go. Originally founded by the Emir of Qatar with many former BBC staffers.