Bedevere's recent activity

  1. Comment on Soy sauce is one of the most important ingredients in Japanese cooking, but chances are you've never tasted the real thing in ~food

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    How is the example of Bourbon an example of a good regulation? It's just rent-seeking by existing Bourbon makers to gain money at the expense of ignorant consumers via the power of government. I...

    How is the example of Bourbon an example of a good regulation? It's just rent-seeking by existing Bourbon makers to gain money at the expense of ignorant consumers via the power of government.

    I guess you could say that there should be regulations that things sold as "Soy Sauce" should actually be Soy Sauce, but then you are left with who gets to decide that? The article says that most Soy Sauce sold is only fermented for 4 months instead of 2 years and in steel barrels instead of wooden ones, and that most soy sauce is like cheap wine compared to the most expensive fancy wine. That sounds like still "Soy Sauce" to me, just cheap Soy Sauce. It's the food snobs and the people who want to sell expensive Soy Sauce that would want to pass a regulation reducing their competition. The consumers obviously want the cheap stuff because they are buying it while the expensive stuff is still available with little demand. I would rather let people vote with their wallets and decide rather than a bureaucrat or politician in the pocket of "the traditional Soy Sauce makers lobby."

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Soy sauce is one of the most important ingredients in Japanese cooking, but chances are you've never tasted the real thing in ~food

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    Capitalism destroys everything good in the world? We can lament that the average quality of soy sauce in the world is lower now and blame that on Capitalism, but more people have access to soy...

    Capitalism destroys everything good in the world?

    We can lament that the average quality of soy sauce in the world is lower now and blame that on Capitalism, but more people have access to soy sauce now than in any time in history. And it's the vast majority of people who want to pay $1 per bottle of soy sauce instead of $40 per bottle that's to blame for the state of the soy sauce industry, not some corporate conspiracy to deprive the people of good soy sauce. But what's so bad about the state of the soy sauce industry? There is cheap soy sauce for those who want it, and there is expensive traditional soy sauce for those who want it. What has been destroyed here by capitalism? Everyone can get what they want at a price that reflects the cost.

    What's the alternative? Government mandate that all Soy Sauce be made the traditional way and anyone who violates it goes to jail or pays a fine? That's how you get stagnation and Soy Sauce that no one can afford. Add price controls to it so people can afford it? That's how you get a disconnect between supply and demand, and you get the situation where almost no one has any soy sauce at all.

    8 votes

  3. Comment on Tesla launches long-awaited standard Model 3 starting at $35,000 in ~transport

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    The reports from people with early Model S's are that the batteries are performing even better than promised. Here's one link with some data:...

    The reports from people with early Model S's are that the batteries are performing even better than promised. Here's one link with some data: https://cleantechnica.com/2018/04/16/tesla-batteries-have-90-capacity-after-160000-miles-may-last-for-500000-miles/ You will probably never replace the battery, but lose a little bit of range over time.

    On a side note, Tesla is now releasing an over the air update giving an extra 15 miles of range on long range Model 3's because of improved firmware, so after a year of ownership, my battery has effectively improved. (This car is absolutely amazing, and unlike anything I've ever driven before. I love it so much for so many reasons).

    8 votes

  4. Comment on Workism is making Americans miserable in ~life

    Bedevere
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    I think it's great that we have the capital and the technology to really enable those workaholics who love their work to do tremendous things and magnify the results of their labor a thousand-fold...

    I think it's great that we have the capital and the technology to really enable those workaholics who love their work to do tremendous things and magnify the results of their labor a thousand-fold compared to times past, but I lament the expectation that everyone in a white collar job have to work so hard.

    My first job out of college I was scolded for only being in the office 40 hours a week, since that was the "bare minimum". I never felt like I could be productive as a programmer 8 hours a day, let alone more than that. I started working 6 days a week back then so I could have 7 hour days. I think there's a mixture of people who want to work long hours and define their identity by it, and those who are forced to, since there is little room in the corporate culture for anything between the "all" and "nothing".

    11 votes

  5. Comment on The electoral college doesn't need to be abolished. We just need to apportion it. Discuss! in ~talk

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    The elections are dominated by who wins in the primaries, which are dominated by the most hard-core members of each party who actually show up to vote. Around 14% to 20% of registered voters tend...

    The elections are dominated by who wins in the primaries, which are dominated by the most hard-core members of each party who actually show up to vote. Around 14% to 20% of registered voters tend to show up for the primaries which is what, around 7% to 10% of the population? If we cared to have representation that all the citizens wanted, we would do way better with a ranked choice voting system that would draw in more people and draw in more central candidates than just taking what we have and putting the final election as a popular vote.

    I think it goes without saying that most of the recent candidates in the final elections were people that most of us didn't want. You could go a a popular vote and make a net of 2% or 3% of the voters slightly less unhappy, but I don't see the point.

  6. Comment on The electoral college doesn't need to be abolished. We just need to apportion it. Discuss! in ~talk

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    I just mean that the primaries tend to elect extremists in their parties relative to others in the party, not relative to people in other countries. Ranked choice voting would yield candidates...

    I just mean that the primaries tend to elect extremists in their parties relative to others in the party, not relative to people in other countries. Ranked choice voting would yield candidates more appealing to the general electorate rather than the minority party members who show up to vote in the party primaries.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on The electoral college doesn't need to be abolished. We just need to apportion it. Discuss! in ~talk

    Bedevere
    Link
    I'd be all for going to a popular vote that also has ranked choice voting and no party primaries. Without a switch to ranked-choice, I don't really see any point in moving from electoral college...

    I'd be all for going to a popular vote that also has ranked choice voting and no party primaries. Without a switch to ranked-choice, I don't really see any point in moving from electoral college to a popular vote, unless your goal is to elect Democrats and don't care that the primaries tend to yield extremists from both major parties.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on As more electric cars arrive, what's the future for gas-powered engines? in ~transport

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I guess that makes sense. My all electric quadcopter is loud AF. I guess electric cars are so quiet because there are no blades powering through the air, just turning the tires.

    Yeah, I guess that makes sense. My all electric quadcopter is loud AF. I guess electric cars are so quiet because there are no blades powering through the air, just turning the tires.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on As more electric cars arrive, what's the future for gas-powered engines? in ~transport

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    I can't wait for the leaf blowers and lawn mowers to all be electric. I'm tired of their noise pollution more than their air pollution. There are already cheap electric leaf blowers and lawn...

    I can't wait for the leaf blowers and lawn mowers to all be electric. I'm tired of their noise pollution more than their air pollution. There are already cheap electric leaf blowers and lawn mowers for sale on Amazon. As batteries get better and cheaper, it's just a matter of time before those transition as well. Maybe even faster than cars. I couldn't imagine myself buying any gas powered yard equipment today, in this age of good Lithium Ion batteries.

    2 votes

  10. Comment on Are we on the road to civilization collapse? in ~humanities.history

    Bedevere
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    I think while a lot of people can look at everything wrong with the world, most are missing that most all objective measurements of human welfare are on the up and up, sometimes dramatically so....

    I think while a lot of people can look at everything wrong with the world, most are missing that most all objective measurements of human welfare are on the up and up, sometimes dramatically so. Measures of life expectancy, infant mortality, average income, medium income, percent of people in extreme poverty, literacy, average years of education, food production per person, and average productivity are all improving. This web page that tells you how much things have improved since you were born is kind of fun: https://www.humanprogress.org/ylin

    The thing that scares me isn't a traditional civilization collapse, but when virtual reality gets so good that no one ever wants to leave their seat anymore and we all starve to death while plugged into the computer.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~misc

    Bedevere
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    The population likely won't go to zero. I bet there will be some religion capable of convincing its followers to still have lots of children despite how horrible having children is, and they will...

    The population likely won't go to zero. I bet there will be some religion capable of convincing its followers to still have lots of children despite how horrible having children is, and they will replace everyone else.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on What are your favorite retro mobile games? in ~games

  13. Comment on What are some of your favorite mobile games? in ~games

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    Wow, interesting to see that. The basic mechanics and units are clearly copied from an old PC shareware game that I used to play called Slay. There's a modern iOS version of Slay by the original...

    Wow, interesting to see that. The basic mechanics and units are clearly copied from an old PC shareware game that I used to play called Slay. There's a modern iOS version of Slay by the original author that I still play every day on my iPad. I will be interested to try out Antiyoy.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on 21 Chump Street, the Musical - from This American Life in ~arts

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    Sorry, didn't see that there was a ~Music, and I didn't remove anything from the title, I just typed my own title which happens to be close to the YouTube title. Is it expected to use titles from...

    Sorry, didn't see that there was a ~Music, and I didn't remove anything from the title, I just typed my own title which happens to be close to the YouTube title. Is it expected to use titles from the links instead of making our own?

    First post here, so please excuse any faux pas. I just heard this one today and really loved it, so thought I would share.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on 21 Chump Street, the Musical - from This American Life in ~arts

    Bedevere
    Link
    Really well done, but also depressing.

    Really well done, but also depressing.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on The rise and fall of turkey brining in ~food

    Bedevere
    Link
    I've had luck with the Cooks Illustrated / American Test Kitchen recipe for Turkey, and I think it's worth noting that the author is quoted in the article saying that he's stopped brining because...

    I've had luck with the Cooks Illustrated / American Test Kitchen recipe for Turkey, and I think it's worth noting that the author is quoted in the article saying that he's stopped brining because his kitchen is too small, not because it isn't the best method.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Help! I'm indecisive and I want a keyboard. in ~comp

    Bedevere
    Link Parent
    How do you like the Keyboard.io? I've been following that since the kickstarter, thinking about getting it, but I really hesitate because I use the number pad so much for Excel and the arrow keys...

    How do you like the Keyboard.io? I've been following that since the kickstarter, thinking about getting it, but I really hesitate because I use the number pad so much for Excel and the arrow keys for gaming. I'm still using the old Microsoft Natural keyboard from 20ish years ago.