BlackLedger's recent activity
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Comment on Gym class is so bad, kids are skipping school to avoid it in ~life
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Comment on Conservative Christian group launches campaign against “Buddhist meditation” in public schools in ~humanities
BlackLedger Link ParentThat's two minutes that could be used for valuable hate.That's two minutes that could be used for valuable hate.
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Comment on What do you think of games as a service? in ~games
BlackLedger LinkTo me, it depends a lot on how games are structured. I started gaming on the PC when games came on a bunch of floppy disks in a box. If you had the misfortune of buying a game that needed to be...To me, it depends a lot on how games are structured.
I started gaming on the PC when games came on a bunch of floppy disks in a box. If you had the misfortune of buying a game that needed to be patched, they might send you a disk with the patch for the cost of shipping and handling. Even though there were software licenses, the experience was much more like buying a packaged good. When you beat the game you were probably done with it. I think Civilization was the first game I ever owned up until that point that I played through more than once.
Today you'll find games where your involvement with the company is just beginning when you purchase it. They're keeping servers up, not only patching but tweaking the game, possibly releasing new content, etc. "Service" doesn't quite capture it but it is probably the closest model that you can translate from other industries.
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Comment on Think your cleaners are beneath you? in ~life
BlackLedger LinkThis is a barrier I really noticed living in a more developed country. At my office in Canada, the cleaning staff was basically invisible. You would only see them if you were in well after hours....This is a barrier I really noticed living in a more developed country. At my office in Canada, the cleaning staff was basically invisible. You would only see them if you were in well after hours. Where I am now, I know all the staff, most of their kids, my regular gym buddy is one of the maintenance guys. Especially when you see how fast things can fall apart in a tropical climate, you really gain an appreciation for what they do.
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Comment on Wall Street rule for the #metoo era: Avoid women at all cost in ~finance
BlackLedger LinkThis article doesn't mention one of the other major concerns, which is the treatment of women in front-office roles (generally the most lucrative ones) by the clients. This is certainly part of...This article doesn't mention one of the other major concerns, which is the treatment of women in front-office roles (generally the most lucrative ones) by the clients. This is certainly part of the decision-making process around putting women in those roles.
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Comment on The Confederacy was built on slavery. How can so many southern whites still believe otherwise? in ~humanities.history
BlackLedger Link ParentI live in a majority black country in the developing world (in fact, one that has a significant number of people whose ancestors left Oklahoma in the 1920s), so my perspective may be a bit...I live in a majority black country in the developing world (in fact, one that has a significant number of people whose ancestors left Oklahoma in the 1920s), so my perspective may be a bit different than this. I would counter that it is an unfair comparison, in that it is unfair to the Nazis, insofar in that they were a temporary, aberrant perversion of the German culture, whereas U.S. southern culture was the norm between the founding of the U.S. and the civil war. After the war, the South's image was quickly rehabilitated for political reasons. U.S. southern culture is simply the beneficiary of American exceptionalism and a sustained cultural effort to sweep the worst aspects under the rug.
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Comment on The Confederacy was built on slavery. How can so many southern whites still believe otherwise? in ~humanities.history
BlackLedger Link ParentIn my book, this is akin to flying a swastika because you like the rallies and uniforms.In my book, this is akin to flying a swastika because you like the rallies and uniforms.
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Comment on Artifact - Preorders now available on Steam + answers to some questions about what the purchase includes and what will be available at launch in ~games
BlackLedger LinkTried this out this weekend, with about 10 hours played since I got it. The game is not for me.Tried this out this weekend, with about 10 hours played since I got it. The game is not for me.
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Comment on Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes denied visa to tour Australia with 'The Deplorables' in ~news
BlackLedger Link ParentSo if an ISIS leader promotes a speaking tour, Australia would let them in? I'd expect them to be locked up. To be honest, I'm Canadian. I've never supported my government allowing foreign...So if an ISIS leader promotes a speaking tour, Australia would let them in? I'd expect them to be locked up.
To be honest, I'm Canadian. I've never supported my government allowing foreign extremists to abuse Canadian citizenship, whether Scot or Somali. He and his anchor babies should be deported forthwith.
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Comment on Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes denied visa to tour Australia with 'The Deplorables' in ~news
BlackLedger LinkWhy would you give a claimed "former" leader of an extremist group a visa to visit your country? Why would it be news that such a person would be denied?Why would you give a claimed "former" leader of an extremist group a visa to visit your country? Why would it be news that such a person would be denied?
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Comment on The fax is not yet obsolete in ~tech
BlackLedger LinkWithout it, how could I learn about Noah's Wet Basement solution?Without it, how could I learn about Noah's Wet Basement solution?
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Comment on Hey, Tildes, what's a strong opinion you hold, but which you also feel like is the minority opinion? in ~talk
BlackLedger Link ParentThe actual beneficial owners should be taxed more heavily is the short answer. The argument against doing so largely boils down to double taxation (i.e. tax capital gains less heavily as they have...The actual beneficial owners should be taxed more heavily is the short answer.
The argument against doing so largely boils down to double taxation (i.e. tax capital gains less heavily as they have already been taxed once, at the corporate level). However, we have no effective mechanism of punishing a corporation. You can throw a truculent billionaire in prison if they cheat, you cannot imprison a corporation. Additionally, the reason wealthy people are able to avoid this is largely through the use of corporations as tax shelters. Removing taxation at the corporate level would have the paradoxical effect of making this more difficult by making the corporate structure more transparent - the rules are less byzantine and as such it is considerably easier to audit and investigate.
It is also considerably easier to relocate a corporation than a person. A corporation can exist as a file on a computer in a tax haven, a person must be physically present. I live in such a place, and while money is happy to migrate, people are less willing to do so. Generally speaking, people want the benefits of living in more developed areas, whereas money is ambivalent. Keeping taxation tied to actual people makes it easier to enforce.
The political aspect is also considerable. The primary anti-tax argument rests on the impact on business - that taxation is a hurdle to business operating. Removing tax removes the argument, and makes it more about who has an actual responsibility to society. In other words, you can't argue a business is harmed because the owner is heavily taxed. As previously mentioned, you remove the argument of double taxation.
In addition, the largest corporations (the ones you are likely concerned about) demonstrably barely pay any tax anyway. The tax burden largely falls on smaller businesses and makes them less competitive against larger firms, which can afford to employ an army of consultants and accountants to mitigate their tax liability. Doing away with corporate tax levels the playing field against these large firms.
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Comment on Hey, Tildes, what's a strong opinion you hold, but which you also feel like is the minority opinion? in ~talk
BlackLedger LinkTaxing corporations is a tremendous drain on society, and we would be better off if they were untaxed but more effectively regulated.Taxing corporations is a tremendous drain on society, and we would be better off if they were untaxed but more effectively regulated.
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Comment on Card skimming malware removed from Infowars online store in ~tech
BlackLedger LinkMy number one concern is whether the liberals who are no doubt responsible are using their ill-gotten gains to fund child slave sex tourism on Mars.My number one concern is whether the liberals who are no doubt responsible are using their ill-gotten gains to fund child slave sex tourism on Mars.
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Comment on ‘They basically saw a Black man with a gun’: Police kill armed guard while responding to call in ~news
BlackLedger Link ParentI certainly agree with establishing a formal set of rules for escalation (I would almost want to use the term "rules of engagement" but that undermines the idea by reinforcing this stupid...I certainly agree with establishing a formal set of rules for escalation (I would almost want to use the term "rules of engagement" but that undermines the idea by reinforcing this stupid warrior-cop mentality that is a huge part of the problem). Frankly, if the only standard for police officers is that they are able to "get home safe", then the safest case would be to lay them off so that they never leave home and never need to worry about it. The whole attitude needs to change - the job is one of ensuring public safety first and the personal safety of officers second.
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Comment on ‘They basically saw a Black man with a gun’: Police kill armed guard while responding to call in ~news
BlackLedger Link ParentI think there needs to be a Federal "No Badge" list for the bad eggs. Basically, all of these cops that resign or are fired from one department, only to be hired again by the department in the...I think there needs to be a Federal "No Badge" list for the bad eggs. Basically, all of these cops that resign or are fired from one department, only to be hired again by the department in the next town over, should be on this list. No one on the list is eligible to work in any capacity in Federal law enforcement (FBI, ATF, etc), and no department that employs a person on the No Badge list is eligible for any Federal subsidies or support.
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Comment on How do you feel about where you live? in ~talk
BlackLedger LinkParadise Island, Bahamas. Climate-wise it's appropriately named. Most days, year-round it is in the range of 30-35 degrees Celsius, sunny, with a pleasant ocean breeze. It's generally pretty...Paradise Island, Bahamas. Climate-wise it's appropriately named. Most days, year-round it is in the range of 30-35 degrees Celsius, sunny, with a pleasant ocean breeze. It's generally pretty quiet. The people you meet are a mix of locals and tourists. As I'm white, the locals generally assume I'm a tourist, which has its ups and downs. There's not much to do, though, outside of a few tourist-oriented activities. I work fairly long hours (at a minimum 50/week) and, generally speaking, don't like going out, so it suits me fine, as it's an instant beach vacation the moment I leave the office.
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Comment on Fallout 76 bug accidentally deletes entire 50GB beta in ~games
BlackLedger Link ParentExactly this. It's not even not getting time and a half, most devs are salaried and so make the same amount of money whether they work 40 or 80 hours. Maybe the studio is springing for free pizza...Exactly this. It's not even not getting time and a half, most devs are salaried and so make the same amount of money whether they work 40 or 80 hours. Maybe the studio is springing for free pizza if you're there late.
Also, build and ship processes tend to be really fragile as the job is not sexy and often the juniormost developer gets stuck as the "build engineer". As an example, I worked on a Crash Bandicoot game and fucked up the publisher/studio branding splash screens for the Russian localized version of the game. It shipped that way on disc, got by all of our QA, got by first parties, and wasn't noticed until it hit some message board. Why did I fuck it up? Because I wound up redoing all these splash screens at 2 am on a Saturday.
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Comment on Special counsel Robert Mueller accuses opponents of offering women money to make 'false claims' about him in ~news
BlackLedger Link ParentThe sad thing is he really should be in prison. He swindled his investor out of about $20k as a teenager.The sad thing is he really should be in prison. He swindled his investor out of about $20k as a teenager.
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Comment on Special counsel Robert Mueller accuses opponents of offering women money to make 'false claims' about him in ~news
BlackLedger Link ParentJeez, I didn't realize that this loser was a MAGA chud as well. This brain trust holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever banned from the futures trading industry.Jeez, I didn't realize that this loser was a MAGA chud as well. This brain trust holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever banned from the futures trading industry.
It is very much the attitude of the teacher. I never enjoyed PE but sort of lucked out in high school in that the boys PE teacher mostly used it as an opportunity to work with the guys who were on sports teams. Everyone else was really just left alone to do some basic calisthenics.
On the other hand, the music/band teacher was a former PE teacher who had injured herself and made the class absolutely miserable.