Asinine's recent activity
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Comment on Exposing AdFection - how Discover-Tech turned targeted ads into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware in ~tech
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Comment on Exposing AdFection - how Discover-Tech turned targeted ads into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentWhich is what I use. I asked the question from a generic standpoint, where it seems that is what the article is saying. I feel that I'm pretty secure on all (or most) fronts, but if any part is...GrapheneOS
Which is what I use. I asked the question from a generic standpoint, where it seems that is what the article is saying. I feel that I'm pretty secure on all (or most) fronts, but if any part is ultimately left up to ad companies, I'd like to know asap and how to change what I can. Seems like we're on the same page.
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Comment on Exposing AdFection - how Discover-Tech turned targeted ads into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware in ~tech
Asinine LinkIt appears, from the consumer side, that there is no way to prevent this except for blocking ads - which the article highlights may not always be possible. Am I reading that correctly? Because I...It appears, from the consumer side, that there is no way to prevent this except for blocking ads - which the article highlights may not always be possible. Am I reading that correctly? Because I have zero trust in ad companies...
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Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
Asinine Link ParentFive people born in the same second (shortest life first)
70 Faith Kimani · Tanzania
Born a girl into one of the richest families in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Studied education at university. Worked as a social worker, then retired. Was widowed after 43 years together. Raised 6 children. Lived to see 18 grandchildren. Died of stroke at 70.
70 Cao Jun · China
Born a boy into one of the richest families in rural China. Studied engineering at university. Worked as a small business owner, then retired. Shared 36 years with a partner. Raised 1 child. Lived to see one grandchild. Grew up with no religion, and came to Christianity at 43. Struggled with alcohol for years, and overcame it in the end. Died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 70.
81 Habibatou Coulibaly · Senegal
Born a girl into one of the richest families in Touba, Senegal. Went to school as far as middle school. Worked as a small business owner, then retired. It was what they had dreamed of since childhood. Was widowed after 46 years together. Raised 3 children, and lost 1 of them. Lived to see 3 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Lived as one family with her husband's other wife. Died of ischemic heart disease at 81.
92 Zhou Wei · China · this was you
Born a boy into one of the poorest families in Guangzhou, China. Studied Hospitality and tourism at university. Worked as a team leader, then retired. Was widowed after 22 years together. Raised 1 child. Lived to see one grandchild. Cared for an aging mother. You set up a scholarship back home that helped 6 students finish school. Made a new home in Australia. Became a citizen of Australia. Died of Alzheimer's or other dementia at 92.
93 Filomena Sambo · Angola
Born a girl into a family of modest means in Luanda, Angola. Finished high school. Worked as a small business owner, then retired. Was widowed after 7 years together. Raised 4 children, and lost 4 of them. Lived to see 8 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Died of diarrheal disease at 93. -
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
Asinine LinkDang, I know y'all warned me, but that was definitely more heartstring-tugging than I honestly expected. First wife (and babymama) not mentioned, which was sad. We were on great terms for 14 years...Zhou Wei
2026 – 2118 · died at 92 · Brisbane, Australia
Born a boy into one of the poorest families in Guangzhou, China. Studied Hospitality and tourism at university. Worked as a team leader, then retired. Was widowed after 22 years together. Raised 1 child. Lived to see one grandchild. Cared for an aging mother. You set up a scholarship back home that helped 6 students finish school. Made a new home in Australia. Became a citizen of Australia. Died of Alzheimer's or other dementia at 92.
Cause of death Alzheimer's or other dementiaDang, I know y'all warned me, but that was definitely more heartstring-tugging than I honestly expected. First wife (and babymama) not mentioned, which was sad. We were on great terms for 14 years until suddenly we were distant and divorced.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
Asinine Link ParentSame as in Italian, Polish (I believe, been a while), and a lot of other languages (as V17 mentioned, Czech). Confused the crap out of me at first, being a native English speaker. I still haven't...Same as in Italian, Polish (I believe, been a while), and a lot of other languages (as V17 mentioned, Czech). Confused the crap out of me at first, being a native English speaker. I still haven't quite come fully to terms with it, even after speaking German for years. I mean, it works in German but I can't think of it in English (similar to "doch").
I feel the article touches, but still misses the idea of what English speakers know as "please". We're taught "say please" from childhood, so that's a social construct English has (at least, to those whom this instruction was often given). The idea doesn't require the word though. You can be polite in other ways, such as holding a door for others, allowing someone with only a few items to go in front of you at the grocery store, etc. Not all those translate to other cultures too, as it was mentioned that Danes won't hold a door open for someone else.
And while the article is coming from the British viewpoint (presumably, since it's a BBC article), I almost feel that British, Scandinavians, and certain other cultures are already pretty polite in general. So I could understand that in these types of cultures, the please could be redundant and thus unnecessary.
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Comment on The spies who knit codes into sweaters in ~humanities.history
Asinine LinkI totally forgot I'd heard about this way back in the day. It was more of a general write-up likely on someone's blog 15 or so years ago. And oddly[?], my first thought on the title before I...I totally forgot I'd heard about this way back in the day. It was more of a general write-up likely on someone's blog 15 or so years ago.
And oddly[?], my first thought on the title before I clicked was Madam Defarge. -
Comment on Denmark government hack leaked 8.7 million citizen's ID's: the password was "123456" in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentIt's easy to incorporate things like this into a good password though. Also my [current] work password includes 123 too...It's easy to incorporate things like this into a good password though. Also my [current] work password includes 123 too...
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Comment on Recommend me music similar to that of Tool? in ~music
Asinine Link ParentI used to think that Chevelle had Tool-esque vibes, due to this. Haven't listened to them in a couple decades though. Looks like they're still around, but I lost track of them after the Wonder...TOOL has very strong grunge roots
I used to think that Chevelle had Tool-esque vibes, due to this. Haven't listened to them in a couple decades though. Looks like they're still around, but I lost track of them after the Wonder What's Next album.
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Comment on OpenAI releases findings on 377 math problems, further roiling field in ~science
Asinine Link ParentAs a mostly layperson (who took enough classes in other studies for a two-year math degree and managed to tack on a minor in math for a four-year), I believe most are just theories. Some are...As a mostly layperson (who took enough classes in other studies for a two-year math degree and managed to tack on a minor in math for a four-year), I believe most are just theories. Some are rooted in a [mostly-]tangible concept, like the Theory of Relativity, the heat equation, or quantum gravity. Some spin off from those or other ideas, but I believe most are derived from trying to explain or solve real-life things --though some are pulled way out of their original line of study for creation of other equations that may explain something else. That last bit I feel is where most fall, though I really was a layperson stumbling through the field. I followed most of evergoe's post above (which, btw, is great different perspective than what I had, thank you for something new to chew on!), but I still feel I likely resonate more with the general population.
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Comment on Blocking of unverified apps on Android starts in Brazil and other three countries in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentAs an actual libertarian, I still feel this is a logical and sane answer. I'm not an anarchist, and there is a reason governments should exist.As an actual libertarian, I still feel this is a logical and sane answer. I'm not an anarchist, and there is a reason governments should exist.
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Comment on The new Firefox is so snappy, even with uBlock Origin enabled! in ~comp
Asinine Link ParentSame here, though definitely over a decade. Likely closer to almost two now. Which may also explain why I get crotchety anytime there's an update and I want to swap things back to how they were...Same here, though definitely over a decade. Likely closer to almost two now. Which may also explain why I get crotchety anytime there's an update and I want to swap things back to how they were before...
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Comment on The new Firefox is so snappy, even with uBlock Origin enabled! in ~comp
Asinine Link ParentThanks, I've been too lazy to figure how to undo the bubbles, but that's one of the few things I dislike about FF: implementation of crap I don't like... but I can still go in and change it back...Thanks, I've been too lazy to figure how to undo the bubbles, but that's one of the few things I dislike about FF: implementation of crap I don't like... but I can still go in and change it back at least. >3
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Comment on Help with setting up a PiHole - I would like to become worthless to tech companies! in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentAs long as the pihole is connected to something between the internet and the modem/router, you can force all traffic via a firewall through it ... right?As long as the pihole is connected to something between the internet and the modem/router, you can force all traffic via a firewall through it ... right?
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Comment on Help with setting up a PiHole - I would like to become worthless to tech companies! in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentWe can still love to have another community though... ;)We can still love to have another community though... ;)
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Comment on Help with setting up a PiHole - I would like to become worthless to tech companies! in ~tech
Asinine (edited )LinkYou're so not wrong! I've been eying making a pihole for a couple years but feel too overwhelmed with the lack of concrete information (well, information like I was a five-year-old). Also,...You're so not wrong!
I've been eying making a pihole for a couple years but feel too overwhelmed with the lack of concrete information (well, information like I was a five-year-old). Also, time/attention span is something that I find I'm having more trouble dealing with heh...https://www.smarthomeperfected.com/pi-hole-setup-guide/ is one of the sites I'd recently been eyeing. It still doesn't hold your hand much at all, for example, of all of the following instructions (aka, the first step) in
Flash the SD card. Write Raspberry Pi OS Lite to the card with the official Raspberry Pi Imager, set a hostname, and enable SSH so you can run the Pi without a monitor. Boot it on Ethernet and give it a fixed address, either a static IP or a DHCP reservation in your router, so its address never changes.
I know how to flash an SD card, image it, and how to boot it on ethernet. Set a hostname and enable SSH? Give it a fixed address? I'm guessing/hoping the official imager helps with setting those up, but I don't know. Also I suck at networking - I understand all those terms but don't know how to actually do the things. But at least I understand what will need to be done.
Overall, it seems like a lot of me googling (or DDGing/searXing in my case EDIT: today I found out searx is gone :( ) for me to succeed, and ADD is likely to kick in.
Thank you for starting this thread though, and hopefully others can chime in with info or better sites for us layfolk!
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Comment on Blocking of unverified apps on Android starts in Brazil and other three countries in ~tech
Asinine Link ParentWell, presuming you've left the conversation, I'll just reply to the rest here... China has known data collection tendrils throughout their electronics' software, and that doesn't bode well for...Well, presuming you've left the conversation, I'll just reply to the rest here...
China has known data collection tendrils throughout their electronics' software, and that doesn't bode well for most countries who'd rather not just share all their inhabitants' information to them.Things like security (cameras and systems) are especially tense to keep intact when Google wants in on the still-legal-portion of the data. So as I'm backing up Weldawadyathink, I suspect that's their reason for their response.
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Comment on Blocking of unverified apps on Android starts in Brazil and other three countries in ~tech
Asinine (edited )Link ParentI've recently joined another company (due to an acquisition) and I can no longer use the Outlook app with the new policy standards, because my hardened GrapheneOS is flagged as rooted, courtesy of...I've recently joined another company (due to
a monopolistic takeoveran acquisition) and I can no longer use the Outlook app with the new policy standards, because my hardened GrapheneOS is flagged as rooted, courtesy of the Microsoft Intune app. Ironically, I can open Outlook in my phone's browser without issues.
I know the unverified bs for Google is coming, but as a GenXer who maybe is just old and yelling at kids to get off my lawn and turn their music down, I also figured how to not get wrecked by downloading questionable items on Napster, or using sketchy stuff like my first jailbroken smart phone (iPhone 3GS), or refusing to actually use programs, apps, or any technology that could actually make my life more convenient but at the sake of privacy and becoming the product being sold.I find it amusing that as a kid, I thought integrity was standing up for your personal rights for which you should be responsible (with ongoing events (edited for typo) [and themes like the Cold War, punk rock, Robin Hood mentality, etc.]), and now I see in hindsight that it was. But I guess society in general thought we won that battle somehow, and now we can relax and let someone else take over.
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Comment on With most information hidden, the game Stratego had stumped AI—until now in ~games
Asinine Link ParentWe had it as kids in the US, and it's one of the games I remember requiring good strategy but still being simple enough for all ages. Honestly, I'd forgotten about it, and it may have been one of...We had it as kids in the US, and it's one of the games I remember requiring good strategy but still being simple enough for all ages.
Honestly, I'd forgotten about it, and it may have been one of my favorite games growing up.That being said, up to 2000 moves?! Apparently I've never been anywhere near pro level.
Players were surprised, for example, by how often it tucked its flag into a corner behind just two bombs, a rarely played setup.
Hah, I remember that being the newbie move and it being until I was a bit older before I branched away from this. Dang, bringing up lots of memories. I may need to grab another copy and also learn these variants.
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Comment on Irreverent ads make me want to buy things even less in ~talk
Asinine Link ParentI used to work for Carl's Jr (fast food, originally western US) where the slogan in the late 90s was "if it doesn't get all over the place it doesn't belong in your face". Then they cashed in on...I used to work for Carl's Jr (fast food, originally western US) where the slogan in the late 90s was "if it doesn't get all over the place it doesn't belong in your face". Then they cashed in on Paris Hilton (or she cashed in on them? She's done a few more and apparently directed some a decade+ later, but is keeping up the ads).
And it was a huge seller back in the day, and probably still is.
Granted, their burgers are still some of the best around, which is why I could tolerate working at fast food for five years and still eat there after the fact...
But all that has to change is that someone else has this technology and uses it against someone else they don't like or just to be a menace in general.