blivet's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - August 2025 - Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut in ~books
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Comment on Does anyone have a digg invite code I can get ? in ~tech
blivet LinkSame, would like an invite if anyone has one available.Same, would like an invite if anyone has one available.
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Comment on What are your favorite and least favorite airports? in ~transport
blivet LinkLAX is pretty terrible, but the Theme Building is unsurpassed anywhere. Schipol was a lot of fun back in the late 1980s. An incredible amount of duty-free shopping. We bought a CD player for our...LAX is pretty terrible, but the Theme Building is unsurpassed anywhere.
Schipol was a lot of fun back in the late 1980s. An incredible amount of duty-free shopping. We bought a CD player for our stereo there. A lot of that has probably gone by the wayside nowadays.
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Comment on California is moving forward with a partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas’ move in ~society
blivet Link ParentSince you’ve referred to it twice, I gather that you took offense at my “useless and tiresome” remark. I apologize. I’ve noticed that I seem to interact with your posts fairly often, so obviously...Since you’ve referred to it twice, I gather that you took offense at my “useless and tiresome” remark. I apologize. I’ve noticed that I seem to interact with your posts fairly often, so obviously I find your contributions here worthwhile.
If it makes any difference, I was thinking of the sort of performative leftist I keep running into on other platforms.
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Comment on What happened to your first car? in ~transport
blivet LinkGoodness, I am so much older than you all! My first car was a 1979 model, and it was brand new because my parents helped me to buy it. It was a basic economy car, one of the cheapest available at...Goodness, I am so much older than you all! My first car was a 1979 model, and it was brand new because my parents helped me to buy it. It was a basic economy car, one of the cheapest available at the time, and when I moved out of the country I sold it to a friend who drove it until the engine block cracked. I think it lasted about 8 or 9 years altogether.
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Comment on California is moving forward with a partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas’ move in ~society
blivet Link ParentNewsom is taking concrete steps to ensure that the Republicans can’t rig the midterm elections. That’s a huge deal in my book. Using his authority to preserve our democracy in the face of a real...Newsom is taking concrete steps to ensure that the Republicans can’t rig the midterm elections. That’s a huge deal in my book. Using his authority to preserve our democracy in the face of a real and immediate fascist threat is far beyond “at least he’s not Trump”.
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Comment on California is moving forward with a partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas’ move in ~society
blivet Link ParentAnd of course the online ultra-progressives are taking the opportunity to express their hostility towards Newsom. What a tiresome and useless bunch of people. Newsom is one of the handful of...And of course the online ultra-progressives are taking the opportunity to express their hostility towards Newsom. What a tiresome and useless bunch of people. Newsom is one of the handful of prominent Democrats who is actually doing something. Trump threatened to have him arrested and he said to come and get him. More, please.
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Comment on My favorite mouse costs less than USD 10 in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI’m a big fan of that mouse as well. It’s everything I want from a mouse, and no more.I’m a big fan of that mouse as well. It’s everything I want from a mouse, and no more.
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Comment on Question - how would you best explain how an LLM functions to someone who has never taken a statistics class? in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI think it would be helpful to explicitly say something along the lines of, “Many people think that LLMs answer questions the way a person would, by assembling information from memory or from a...I think it would be helpful to explicitly say something along the lines of, “Many people think that LLMs answer questions the way a person would, by assembling information from memory or from a search, and then writing a response incorporating that information. LLMs don’t do that.”
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
blivet Link ParentI’ve read that one, but in pieces. I’ve never been able to read the whole thing straight through. Something about the prose style really puts me off, and I have to stop reading. It’s weird,...I’ve read that one, but in pieces. I’ve never been able to read the whole thing straight through. Something about the prose style really puts me off, and I have to stop reading. It’s weird, because I love Vonnegut’s work otherwise. Nothing else of his has the same effect on me.
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Comment on I spent months living with smart glasses. People talk to me differently now. in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI've read that the issue was that Pepsi did better in taste tests because it is sweeter, but the tests used small quantities, and when drinking a full serving it turned out that most people...I've read that the issue was that Pepsi did better in taste tests because it is sweeter, but the tests used small quantities, and when drinking a full serving it turned out that most people preferred Coke.
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Comment on The vast majority ~90% of us only consume, never post and never comment. So come on in, leave a tildes-worthy comment, and join the 10% my dear lurker in ~talk
blivet (edited )Link ParentYeah, as @Sodliddesu, says, tech guys are permanently online so they are highly visible, but they aren't the only ones. I used to work at a university, and it wasn't at all unusual to see...Yeah, as @Sodliddesu, says, tech guys are permanently online so they are highly visible, but they aren't the only ones. I used to work at a university, and it wasn't at all unusual to see scientists and academics assume that a PhD in their field made them an expert on any topic that caught their fancy.
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Comment on xkcd: Undocumented Feature in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI'm a member of a forum like that, although I'm pretty sure that everyone is quite a bit older than the people on yours. Its origins date back to the late 90s sometime. I still check in once in a...There's a forum that I'm still a part of that is an reboot of a reboot of a reboot of an offshoot of a larger forum
I'm a member of a forum like that, although I'm pretty sure that everyone is quite a bit older than the people on yours. Its origins date back to the late 90s sometime. I still check in once in a while, and it's the same old handful of die-hards complaining about the same stuff. I think the last time I actually posted anything was six or seven years ago, when I happened to have the answer to a question someone had. I'm glad it's still there, though.
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Comment on Modern masculinity and The Critical Drinker in ~life.men
blivet (edited )Link ParentThanks for the link. This line jumped out: I love it, although I have to say that after reading the article the entire topic strikes me as a perfect example of "inconclusive". I suspect that a big...Thanks for the link. This line jumped out:
Bisexuals of both sexes more often described themselves as ambidextrous than gay or heterosexual individuals of the same sex
I love it, although I have to say that after reading the article the entire topic strikes me as a perfect example of "inconclusive".
I suspect that a big problem for this line of research is that it depends on self-reporting for both sexual orientation and handedness. In addition to closeted individuals just lying about their orientation, I have a feeling that a lot of people who aren't 100% gay or straight would nevertheless when asked just "pick a side", so to speak. I've also read that the vast majority of people who describe themselves as left-handed are actually ambidextrous.
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Comment on Modern masculinity and The Critical Drinker in ~life.men
blivet Link ParentIs (or was) there thought to be a correlation between handedness and sexual orientation? I’m left-handed, so I’ve done a certain amount of casual reading on the topic over the years, and I’ve...Is (or was) there thought to be a correlation between handedness and sexual orientation? I’m left-handed, so I’ve done a certain amount of casual reading on the topic over the years, and I’ve never come across anything like that.
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Comment on What’s a notable misunderstanding from your life? in ~life
blivet Link ParentThis is really well put.disorders that are more complicated and hard to distinguish from personality traits
This is really well put.
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Comment on The America Party in ~society
blivet (edited )Link ParentIf they actually cared about the budget they would support the Democrats, who are by all objective standards much more fiscally responsible than the Republicans. Clinton ran a budget surplus, for...The budget not being an priority has been a complaint of people for a long time, and yes they often weren't the ones winning in the GOP, which is why it's a long running issue.
If they actually cared about the budget they would support the Democrats, who are by all objective standards much more fiscally responsible than the Republicans. Clinton ran a budget surplus, for God's sake. But somehow none of that counts.
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Comment on Baking edgeless brownies from the inside out in ~food
blivet LinkBut the edges are the best part! Why would anyone want to get rid of them?- Exemplary
But the edges are the best part! Why would anyone want to get rid of them?
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Comment on How does collecting differ psychologically from hoarding? in ~life
blivet LinkAlthough of course Sotheby’s has an interest in reassuring collectors that what they do isn’t as unhealthy as hoarding, the article does make a distinction that never occurred to me. Collectors...Although of course Sotheby’s has an interest in reassuring collectors that what they do isn’t as unhealthy as hoarding, the article does make a distinction that never occurred to me. Collectors have a compulsion to acquire, while hoarders have an inability to discard.
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Comment on What is a non-problematic word that you avoid using? in ~talk
blivet (edited )Link ParentWith flammable/inflammable, understanding the intended meaning can be a matter of life and death. I’m entirely willing to sacrifice linguistic purity for the sake of clarity in this case.With flammable/inflammable, understanding the intended meaning can be a matter of life and death. I’m entirely willing to sacrifice linguistic purity for the sake of clarity in this case.
I'm not sure what other reading is possible, although I don't think Vonnegut himself thought that. The story was probably just him having his usual black-humored fun depicting the worst possible outcome for any attempt to improve things.