blivet's recent activity
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Comment on Daily driving linux (Fedora KDE) - My experiences after a week in ~tech
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Comment on Wonder announces acquisition of Grubhub in ~food
blivet Link ParentThe whole idea of having to tip generously beforehand just to convince someone to deliver your order seems completely backwards to me. I wouldn’t use a service like that unless I had to.The whole idea of having to tip generously beforehand just to convince someone to deliver your order seems completely backwards to me. I wouldn’t use a service like that unless I had to.
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Comment on Taylor Swift fans are leaving X for Bluesky after Donald Trump’s US election in ~society
blivet (edited )Link ParentIt’s been a half century since 18-year-olds got the vote. I think 14 presidential elections is enough of a sample to conclude that young people just don’t vote in sufficient numbers to win...Those swifties should have voted then.
It’s been a half century since 18-year-olds got the vote. I think 14 presidential elections is enough of a sample to conclude that young people just don’t vote in sufficient numbers to win elections.
From what I can see, most people make their political decisions based on gut feelings. I think that most young people feel deep down that a choice of which old person is going to run things is pretty much irrelevant to them.
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Comment on LGBTQ folks check-in thread - how're you all doing? in ~lgbt
blivet (edited )Link ParentI may be older than you, and yeah, I felt the same way about her as VP. She was pretty much a nonentity for me. I wouldn't say I got excited about her, but when she stepped in I thought she might...I'm sure I'll get some static over this statement, but Harris honestly was a big zero for a lot of us middle-aged Democrats, myself included, prior Biden stepping aside.
I may be older than you, and yeah, I felt the same way about her as VP. She was pretty much a nonentity for me. I wouldn't say I got excited about her, but when she stepped in I thought she might be able to do it. She had the qualifications and track record without the tarnish of 30 years of Republican mud-slinging that Hillary had. I assumed that compared to Trump, who was clearly not all there anymore, she had a solid chance. But I guess I'm living in my own bubble in a way, caused by the MAGA/Fox News bubble. I have a very hard time seeing the world the way Trump's followers do.
On reflection it seems to me that most voters just go with who they like on a personal level, and the Democratic presidential candidates who have lost in my lifetime have tended to project a supercilious air, or could be seen that way at least. Obama came dangerously close to giving that impression, but neither of his opponents really had the common touch either. One of the complaints about Al Gore well before he became vice president was that he seemed to think he was better than other people, whereas Dubya famously was "a guy you could have a beer with". People didn't know what Trump's policies were, exactly, but they felt like they knew him from seeing him on TV for so long, and he told them he shared their worries about the price of eggs or whatever. If the Democrats are ever going to elect another president, they are going to have to come up with someone like Bill Clinton, who despite being a bona fide intellectual managed to come across as a regular guy.
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Comment on LGBTQ folks check-in thread - how're you all doing? in ~lgbt
blivet (edited )Link ParentWell, I certainly hope so, but the past eight years have seen Trump saying and doing ever more unacceptable things. Reasonable people keep thinking that now finally his followers will see the...Well, I certainly hope so, but the past eight years have seen Trump saying and doing ever more unacceptable things. Reasonable people keep thinking that now finally his followers will see the light, but it never seems to happen. Nothing seems to put a dent in his popularity.
About Harris underperforming, I don’t think the election was rigged or anything like that, but it’s very hard for me to reconcile the stadium-filling rallies, long lines at polling places, and outpouring of donations and volunteer work with her lackluster performance on election day. I myself donated a decent amount, and even wrote postcards to swing states, and I never do things like that. I really don’t get it, especially when you compare her campaign with Trump’s poorly attended rallies, where people walked out on his low energy, aimless speeches. If you had asked me to predict which group of voters would decide that it wasn’t worth the hassle of voting this time around I wouldn’t have picked the Democrats.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
blivet (edited )Link ParentI don’t disagree with your points, but I happened to run into this brief article about a Democratic Congressional Representative who is on track to win her district handily, and who feels that the...I don’t disagree with your points, but I happened to run into this brief article about a Democratic Congressional Representative who is on track to win her district handily, and who feels that the Democratic leadership is simply not addressing the concerns of ordinary people. At least Trump pretends to.
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Comment on Does the Great Pumpkin really exist in the Peanuts Universe? in ~comics
blivet Link ParentYou may be right that it is a reference to something topical that is now obscure. Schulz would do that from time to time. I remember one strip that I first saw in a compilation. The punchline was...You may be right that it is a reference to something topical that is now obscure. Schulz would do that from time to time.
I remember one strip that I first saw in a compilation. The punchline was “Hyannis Port”, and I had no idea what it meant. My parents explained to me that it was where the Kennedy family spent their vacations.
There was another strip with a gag built around one of the gang seeing a photo of a little girl playing on the White House lawn. It was only many years later that I understood that it was a reference to a famous photograph of Caroline Kennedy.
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Comment on Does the Great Pumpkin really exist in the Peanuts Universe? in ~comics
blivet LinkThis is a fun question. I loved Peanuts when I was growing up back in the 60s and 70s, and I remember a lot of the strips in the article you linked to from when they first ran. I just looked up...This is a fun question. I loved Peanuts when I was growing up back in the 60s and 70s, and I remember a lot of the strips in the article you linked to from when they first ran.
I just looked up the strip for the following day, and it has nothing to do with Halloween, so apparently this issue is never resolved.
My gut feeling is that the Great Pumpkin doesn’t really exist in the Peanuts world. Linus may be the wisest character in the strip, but he’s also neurotically dependent on his security blanket, so he’s not entirely stable. The Great Pumpkin is his delusion.
I also think that it would be very out of character for Charlie Brown to lie to Linus, or tease him.
That leaves the other two in-universe possibilities you laid out.
I think the real explanation is that Schulz was usually pretty good about continuity, but not above contradicting himself for the sake of a gag.
I think it’s much more likely that Schulz would break continuity than have his own self-insert do something so out of character.
Even the idea that a radio broadcast would mention the Great Pumpkin is a bit contradictory, since in other places, the Great Pumpkin is presented as Linus’ invention that only he and the other kids in the gang know about.
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Comment on Reddit is profitable for the first time ever, with nearly 100 million daily users in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI deleted my comments back around the time of the protests, and have spent almost no time there since, but I have visited a few times via search results for programming questions, and I visited a...But with a long, slow bleed of people who actually make the website good (not just mods, but high quality commenters and contributors) the site is doomed to become Facebook or Twitter eventually.
I deleted my comments back around the time of the protests, and have spent almost no time there since, but I have visited a few times via search results for programming questions, and I visited a subreddit devoted to a TV series once to see if there was any interesting discussion. The programming subs didn't provide anything useful and seemed pretty deserted, and the quality of discussion on the TV sub seemed way below what I remembered.
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Comment on AI is killing remote work in ~tech
blivet (edited )Link ParentWhatever you say. My experience working with that type of programmer has been uniformly terrible. People should have some pride in their work, especially if they’re being well paid. I’m sick of...Whatever you say. My experience working with that type of programmer has been uniformly terrible.
People should have some pride in their work, especially if they’re being well paid. I’m sick of people who can’t be bothered to do their jobs.
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Comment on AI is killing remote work in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI think I was clear enough, but yes, I think that there is plenty to be ashamed of in being motivated by nothing but "a love for making a lot of money".I think I was clear enough, but yes, I think that there is plenty to be ashamed of in being motivated by nothing but "a love for making a lot of money".
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Comment on AI is killing remote work in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI disagree. I’ve worked with that kind of programmer and it’s awful. They have no actual interest in the field or professional pride in doing a good job. These are the kind of people who do the...Many people in it have no love for computers, just a love for making a lot of money, for better or for worse (no shame in the latter imo).
I disagree. I’ve worked with that kind of programmer and it’s awful. They have no actual interest in the field or professional pride in doing a good job. These are the kind of people who do the bare minimum to get something that looks like it works, and who don’t stick around long enough to have to deal with the consequences. Being stuck cleaning up their messes is a nightmare.
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Comment on US mortgage rates back to 7% in ~finance
blivet (edited )Link ParentFor us the big problem when rates were low was that any place we could afford that was halfway decent got snapped up before we even had a chance to look at it. The couple of places we did manage...For us the big problem when rates were low was that any place we could afford that was halfway decent got snapped up before we even had a chance to look at it. The couple of places we did manage to make an offer on had other prospective buyers who were offering way above asking. Once rates went up we finally managed to buy a place we liked, and because the market had cooled off we were even able to haggle a bit on the price.
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Comment on ‘I grew up with it’: readers on the enduring appeal of Microsoft Excel in ~tech
blivet LinkI’m reminded of a dictum about requirements gathering from The Daily WTF to the effect that, no matter what your users say they want, what they really want is Excel. To echo what others have said...I’m reminded of a dictum about requirements gathering from The Daily WTF to the effect that, no matter what your users say they want, what they really want is Excel.
To echo what others have said here, it really seems like Excel has a near-ideal interface. Everyone wants to use it for everything.
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Comment on Severance | Season 2 official teaser in ~tv
blivet (edited )Link ParentYeah, three years is just too long between seasons for a continuing story. I’m in my 60s, and I remember half-seriously wondering if I would live to see the ending of Better Call Saul. Another...Yeah, three years is just too long between seasons for a continuing story. I’m in my 60s, and I remember half-seriously wondering if I would live to see the ending of Better Call Saul.
Another problem with long delays is that the people involved have careers to consider. Apparently Disney has approved it, and everyone involved with The Orville wants to do another season, but it’s been so long that they all have other commitments.
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Comment on Severance | Season 2 official teaser in ~tv
blivet (edited )Link ParentI suspect that the plot point spoiled towards the end of the trailer is from the first episode, so I’m not too bothered. But I’m definitely not going to rewatch the trailer to look for anything else.I suspect that the plot point spoiled towards the end of the trailer is from the first episode, so I’m not too bothered. But I’m definitely not going to rewatch the trailer to look for anything else.
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Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
blivet Link ParentYou should watch the linked video. It’s short, and it’s a quite effective demonstration of how newer Star Trek is bad in a different way from the bad parts of the older series.You should watch the linked video. It’s short, and it’s a quite effective demonstration of how newer Star Trek is bad in a different way from the bad parts of the older series.
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Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
blivet (edited )Link ParentI'd put it even more strongly, that Section 31 goes against everything Star Trek is supposed to stand for. The idea of a gritty black ops branch of Starfleet that does whatever it takes to get the...section 31 is barely trek to begin with
I'd put it even more strongly, that Section 31 goes against everything Star Trek is supposed to stand for. The idea of a gritty black ops branch of Starfleet that does whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter how dirty, runs exactly contrary to Gene Roddenberry's optimistic view of the future.
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Comment on Steve Klabnik's Tutorial on Jujutsu (git replacement) in ~comp
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Comment on Steve Klabnik's Tutorial on Jujutsu (git replacement) in ~comp
blivet Link ParentThe fact that it impossible to distinguish the Git Manpage Generator from the real thing is a good enough illustration of the problem.The fact that it impossible to distinguish the Git Manpage Generator from the real thing is a good enough illustration of the problem.
Even Apple hasn’t managed to get sleep to work entirely smoothly, and they have control of the entire environment. I guess it’s a very difficult problem.