Areldyb's recent activity

  1. Comment on "The reason I'm not an atheist is that I think the philosophical arguments against it are unanswerable" (gifted link) in ~humanities

    Areldyb
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    I'll pull out the section related to the post title, as that's what drew me in. My (admittedly uncharitable) summary of the argument: Scientists are, at present, confused about consciousness....

    I'll pull out the section related to the post title, as that's what drew me in.

    Hart: The reason I’m not an atheist is that I think the philosophical arguments against it are unanswerable, or at least the philosophical arguments for something beyond materialism are unanswerable.

    The problem with people like Dennett wasn’t so much his truculence toward all things religious, which was quite real, but that he was in an odd bind that a lot of modern materialist thought is in: Our sciences are not strictly mechanistic. Physics has not been mechanistic in a comprehensive way for more than a century now. Biology, the life sciences, are undergoing some rather extreme paradigm shifts regarding the levels of intentionality within cells, how homeostasis comes about, and the degree to which genetic-centric theory was adequate. It wasn’t. Richard Dawkins’s “The Selfish Gene,” just at the logical level, fails. And as a scientific proposal, it was decades out of date when it first appeared.

    The 17th-century metaphysics of the sciences has captured our minds at a far deeper level than it did originally. The whole reason the mechanical picture of nature was created was to perfect a method of inductive reasoning. So instead of presuming metaphysical causes and instead of presuming the activity of God or the soul, we were going to start just from physical processes, viewing them as mechanical, as machine processes that we would examine discretely. That’s a very good impulse. It’s why we have medical treatments today that were undreamed of before this revolution in thinking.

    But this was a filtering process. It was creating a bracketing by excluding from our picture of nature all the marks of mentality — not just consciousness, but intentionality with a purpose, purposive thinking, the unity of consciousness. The realities you’re dealing with here are composite. You don’t have to account for that inexplicable oneness that underlies conscious apprehension.

    At first everyone was happy just to keep the two realms separate — here’s nature, it’s mechanical; here’s a realm of God and spirits, which is not mechanical. In the terms of Descartes, there’s an extended substance, res extensa — that’s matter, and that works mechanically. And then there’s a thinking substance, res cogitans, the mind, the soul or God, and that works nonmechanically. The two have a liaison with one another in embodied minds, in human minds, but otherwise they’re distinct. And we don’t have to confuse them.

    The sciences commendably want to understand everything. And so in time, they weren’t going to accept this segregation of fields anymore. The attitude was: We want to understand mind and consciousness, too.

    The problem is that we’re still using a model that was perfected through the exclusion of all the properties of the mental. It is impossible, using that model, to make sense of the phenomena of consciousness. So what you have to do instead is say that the phenomena of consciousness aren’t real. They can be reduced to mechanical processes. The more you try to do this, the more absurd it becomes. You do end up with, say, Dennett, who said that consciousness is an illusion.

    This is the bind we find ourselves in. And many of the phenomena of life, I would argue, also don’t fit the mechanical model. You can explain a great deal regarding physiological systems at the level of their mechanical operation. You can explain a great number of things in terms of evolutionary attrition and retention. But there are many things you cannot explain.

    I just think that when you pursue the actual phenomena, not basing this on metaphysical or religious commitments, but just the phenomena themselves, the materialist answers invariably fail. They were right in the 17th century — what the mind does is inherently contrary to what mechanism does.

    The straightforward materialism of the new atheists with its mechanistic prejudices is the most self-defeating project there is.

    To my mind, if you come to the end of a phenomenology of something like conscious acts and you have to square it with your theory, and you say “The theory doesn’t fit the phenomenon so I better get rid of the phenomenon,” that’s no longer good philosophy or good science. The rule of the sciences and the philosophy that deals in natural thought, natural philosophy, is that if the theory doesn’t fit the phenomenon, it’s the theory that goes.

    My (admittedly uncharitable) summary of the argument:

    Scientists are, at present, confused about consciousness.
    Therefore: God.

    Do I have that right?

    16 votes

  2. Comment on What Google thinks you're worth in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    Well, that cuts against my guess then. Parents' ad profiles are worth 1/3 of non-parents by Proton's analysis, so I'd guessed there were comparatively fewer families in Naperville.

    Well, that cuts against my guess then. Parents' ad profiles are worth 1/3 of non-parents by Proton's analysis, so I'd guessed there were comparatively fewer families in Naperville.

  3. Comment on What Google thinks you're worth in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link
    There's an interesting breakdown of factors determining a profile's ad value, and "parent or not" is a big one. The article includes a list of top ten most/least ad value cities, and the common...

    Proton analyzed over 54,000 demographic profiles using 2025 ad auction data to estimate what advertisers pay to reach different types of Americans. The range is much wider than you might expect.

    The average American generates about $1,605 a year in advertising value. A 35- to 44-year-old man in Bozeman, MT, without children, using a desktop and making high-value corporate searches, generates an estimated $17,929.30. An 18- to 24-year-old father in Fort Smith, AR, using an Android phone and making low-value searches, generates $31.05.

    That’s a 577x difference between two people using the same free service.

    There's an interesting breakdown of factors determining a profile's ad value, and "parent or not" is a big one. The article includes a list of top ten most/least ad value cities, and the common thread as far as my wife and I can tell is "how child-free is this place?".

    Also the whole thing is an ad for Proton services, because of course it is.

    32 votes

  5. Comment on The Dealer's Tarot - Modern games to play with a tarot deck in ~games.tabletop

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    Thank you for this, I've been looking for a new game to run and this looks intriguing. 😀

    Thank you for this, I've been looking for a new game to run and this looks intriguing. 😀

  6. Comment on Any one use mesh networks like mesh core? in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    Not at all, I keep forgetting they exist!

    Not at all, I keep forgetting they exist!

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Any one use mesh networks like mesh core? in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    I'm in the US, eastern North Carolina. Things are building out to the point where I pretty regularly hear chatter from Tennessee, and there was some very impressive ducting the other day that let...

    I'm in the US, eastern North Carolina. Things are building out to the point where I pretty regularly hear chatter from Tennessee, and there was some very impressive ducting the other day that let me pick up a repeater advert in Connecticut!

    Netherlands -> UK is quite a feat, what kind of pathing lets you do that?

    Public and #test are definitely the two most popular channels, and yeah, most of that is about the mesh itself. That makes sense enough: the mesh is growing fast, and people have a lot of gear to test. I'd like to see more chatter on smaller channels, but... then I'd have to be the change I want to see.

  8. Comment on Any one use mesh networks like mesh core? in ~tech

    Areldyb
    (edited )
    Link
    Meshtastic and MeshCore are both fairly active in my metro area. I set up a Meshtastic node a while back but mostly ignored it until getting back into it this year. What I found was what a lot of...

    Meshtastic and MeshCore are both fairly active in my metro area. I set up a Meshtastic node a while back but mostly ignored it until getting back into it this year.

    What I found was what a lot of people have found: Meshtastic is great for sparse networks, but as things scale up, congestion becomes a big problem and reliability drops off. I bought a couple more nodes and switched them all over to MeshCore a few months ago. At least in my area, reliability on MeshCore is growing, and with repeaters going up on trees, towers, and mountaintops, messages hop a lot further than I think anyone expected. (Edit: As an example, the furthest contact on my map right now is about 350 miles away. This was supposed to be a metro-area-scale network. We might need to start using region tags to keep traffic local...)

    I bought two more WisMesh Tags, they arrived this morning. I might be developing a problem.

    Edit again: Forgot you asked about the current drama with MeshCore. I don't think it really imperils the project if that's what you're worried about. It's annoying, but ultimately it won't matter.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link
    Let's see, uh... Mint is my go-to for new installs, because it Just Works so well. Two computers in the house are on it right now. One of them is the living room gaming/media PC, which ran Pop!_OS...

    Let's see, uh...

    Mint is my go-to for new installs, because it Just Works so well. Two computers in the house are on it right now. One of them is the living room gaming/media PC, which ran Pop!_OS for a little while but I found the experience to be pretty flaky.

    My laptop used to also run Mint, but I switched to Kubuntu at some point. I forget why I did, but Plasma's so nice I've kept it anyway. That one's also got a Kali VM because everything I use ends up with one of those eventually.

    The kids' laptop (the one that isn't running ChromeOS) runs... I forget what I put on there actually, something lightweight that a decommissioned Chromebook could live with. I should look into that.

    The Pis all run Raspberry Pi OS.

    My wife's all Apple products. She'll see the light someday.

    At this point, the only computer in my house still on Windows is my work laptop, and that's only because it isn't mine.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Solar oven/cooking in ~food

    Areldyb
    (edited )
    Link
    I have a GoSun Fusion and use it to roast dinner sometimes (usually a pork tenderloin, it fits well in the tube). It works really well! I keep meaning to experiment with it more often.

    I have a GoSun Fusion and use it to roast dinner sometimes (usually a pork tenderloin, it fits well in the tube). It works really well! I keep meaning to experiment with it more often.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on US tariffs refunds: pick your poison in ~society

    Areldyb
    Link
    I hope this is a joke, but either way I'm done reading.

    In the Paleolithic era of, say, 2022, we would have had no choice but to wince and trust the government. In 2026, we can ask AI whether the government’s assertions are correct.

    I hope this is a joke, but either way I'm done reading.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Color game — how well can you remember colors? | Dialed in ~games

    Areldyb
    Link
    I got 46.75 on my first attempt. I refuse to play again out of fear that it was a fluke.

    I got 46.75 on my first attempt. I refuse to play again out of fear that it was a fluke.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on I Wanna Lockpick: a free puzzle game in ~games

    Areldyb
    Link
    World 1 gets tricky/thinky fast! I can only imagine what later levels are like.

    World 1 gets tricky/thinky fast! I can only imagine what later levels are like.

    4 votes

  14. Comment on I Wanna Lockpick: a free puzzle game in ~games

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    I didn't test it with pure Wine, but it ran flawlessly for me in Bottles.

    I didn't test it with pure Wine, but it ran flawlessly for me in Bottles.

    5 votes

  15. Comment on Strong Bad Email #210 - Robots in ~comics

    Areldyb
    Link
    Dear Strong Bad,How do you type with a robot bucket on?
    Dear Strong Bad,How do you type with a robot bucket on?
    9 votes

  16. Comment on What we talk about when we talk about sideloading in ~tech

    Areldyb
    Link

    To learn more about what you can do as a consumer, visit keepandroidopen.org for information on how to contact your representative agencies and advocate for keeping the Android ecosystem open for consumers and competition.

    17 votes

  17. Comment on Timasomo 2025: Final Updates in ~creative.timasomo

    Areldyb
    Link
    No movement this week. I'll keep working on it, but it is not going to be ready in time for the showcase. :(

    No movement this week. I'll keep working on it, but it is not going to be ready in time for the showcase. :(

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo

    Areldyb
    (edited )
    Link
    So. Much. Winding. Wire. I've still got a bit more to do, but most of the little toroids are wound, soldered, and tested for continuity. I also assembled the Really Weird Twisted Sister...

    So. Much. Winding. Wire. I've still got a bit more to do, but most of the little toroids are wound, soldered, and tested for continuity. I also assembled the Really Weird Twisted Sister Transformer (yes, that's what it's called) and soldered that on as well. Here's what the main board looks like now, minus a couple more things I added since taking that picture.

    Scout saw me winding wire playing with a shiny wobbly string and decided to help. I'm glad Mittens was taking a nap or I would have made no progress at all...

    This was the first time I used the multimeter I put together from another kit. (I never did properly calibrate it, but it works fine for basic continuity testing.) Using things you made to make other things feels cool.

    Right now I'm about halfway through the assembly instructions, so I'm pretty far behind if I want to finish this by the end of the month, but I think there's still a chance!

    Edit: lol nope forgot my father in law was going to be in town this weekend. Well, I'll do my best.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk

    Areldyb
    Link Parent
    Similar US govt-related take: the 17th Amendment was a grave mistake and should be repealed. If we're going to have a senate to represent the governments of each state, then those governments...

    Similar US govt-related take: the 17th Amendment was a grave mistake and should be repealed. If we're going to have a senate to represent the governments of each state, then those governments should decide who their senators are (ideally by a top-two vote in each state legislature in my opinion, but that's another take).

    I believe, deep in my heart of hearts, that if the 17th Amendment had never been ratified, we would never have learned the name "Ted Cruz".

    16 votes

  20. Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 2 Updates in ~creative.timasomo

    Areldyb
    Link
    I've been on vacation! No progress whatsoever.

    I've been on vacation! No progress whatsoever.

    4 votes