blivet's recent activity
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Comment on Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account in ~tech
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Comment on You get to choose your favorite director's next project. What is it, and why? in ~movies
blivet Link ParentYeah, when I listened to his discussion of Star Trek on a podcast a few years ago he seemed to have a deep affection for it. I suspect that if he had gone through with it he would have approached...Yeah, when I listened to his discussion of Star Trek on a podcast a few years ago he seemed to have a deep affection for it. I suspect that if he had gone through with it he would have approached it seriously and addressed it on its own terms.
One thing that I thought was interesting was that several of the episodes he referred to involved time travel. Given how much he likes jumping around his stories' timelines, I imagine that he would have had a lot of fun somehow using time travel as a formal storytelling device.
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Comment on Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account in ~tech
blivet Link ParentAlong those lines, given that Affinity has positioned itself as a direct competitor to Adobe, I’m really surprised that they haven’t taken advantage of the situation and released Linux versions of...Along those lines, given that Affinity has positioned itself as a direct competitor to Adobe, I’m really surprised that they haven’t taken advantage of the situation and released Linux versions of their applications. I can’t help but think that they would clean up.
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Comment on Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI would guess that for the vast majority of users, the main impediment at this point is just the fact that applications they must use for work have not been ported to Linux. Mac users have it a...I would guess that for the vast majority of users, the main impediment at this point is just the fact that applications they must use for work have not been ported to Linux. Mac users have it a little easier, but there is a tremendous amount of specialized software out there that only runs on Windows.
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Comment on Conspiracy in ~misc
blivet LinkI haven't had a change to watch the whole thing, but this is right up my alley. Thanks for posting it. I like that she mentions that she will be discussing the undercurrent of antisemitism that...I haven't had a change to watch the whole thing, but this is right up my alley. Thanks for posting it. I like that she mentions that she will be discussing the undercurrent of antisemitism that seems to be omnipresent in fringe belief systems, regardless of their ostensible focus.
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Comment on Why is everything binary? in ~science
blivet Link ParentYou would have a hard time trying to address the items in the not binary category as binary, though.You would have a hard time trying to address the items in the not binary category as binary, though.
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Comment on What do you do with your diplomas? in ~life
blivet LinkI’ve only ever needed mine once. To get a discount on car insurance a couple of years ago I had to provide a photo of my college diploma. Fortunately we had moved recently, so I had a good idea of...I’ve only ever needed mine once. To get a discount on car insurance a couple of years ago I had to provide a photo of my college diploma. Fortunately we had moved recently, so I had a good idea of where it was.
I had actually lost track of it a few years prior, and had ordered a new copy. I was disappointed to discover that the university apparently doesn’t retain the blank templates for each year’s graduating class. The new copy was for a different degree than the one I earned, one that didn’t even exist when I graduated, and it bore the signature of the current governor of the state, not the one who was in office when I graduated.
On the plus side, the current governor was Arnold Schwarzenegger, and as it happens I found my original diploma a couple of months after receiving the new copy, so now I have the original as well as a somewhat amusing artifact.
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Comment on BYD unveils new super-charging EV tech, to build charging network in China in ~transport
blivet Link ParentI think much of it is the unwillingness of the MBA class in the US to think more than one quarter ahead. It’s not as if any of them think of the companies they run as anything more than a cash...I think much of it is the unwillingness of the MBA class in the US to think more than one quarter ahead. It’s not as if any of them think of the companies they run as anything more than a cash cow. They don’t actually care about the company’s wellbeing, let alone that of its employees or the world at large.
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Comment on Professional writer endorses short story written by OpenAI's new creative writing model in ~books
blivet Link ParentNow that you mention it, that verbosity, vagueness, and monotony are exactly what bother me about LLM-generated text. It makes sense that these models can’t follow the standard writer’s guidelines...Now that you mention it, that verbosity, vagueness, and monotony are exactly what bother me about LLM-generated text.
It makes sense that these models can’t follow the standard writer’s guidelines to omit needless words, say what they mean, and mix things up a little, because there is no meaning or intent. An LLM isn’t trying to say anything, it’s just generating plausible-looking text related to a given topic.
I suppose the solution is to train the models on better writing samples, but that would involve judgment and standards, and no doubt require paying the creators of the samples, too. The people pushing “AI” seem to abhor all of these ideas.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department in ~society
blivet (edited )Link ParentThis is a bit of a tangent, but I've always thought that it must be significant that American culture assigns such low status to professions that deal with caring for children.This is a bit of a tangent, but I've always thought that it must be significant that American culture assigns such low status to professions that deal with caring for children.
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
blivet (edited )Link ParentIt's not you, it's the Twitter model of important or would-be important people making pronouncements, and everyone else admiring their sagacity. I never used Twitter, but I started to use a few of...I tried Mastadon, and it seems too focused on individuals, rather than topics. Possibly, I'm just not using it right.
It's not you, it's the Twitter model of important or would-be important people making pronouncements, and everyone else admiring their sagacity. I never used Twitter, but I started to use a few of its clones a while back, and while there is some interesting content there, and some people are genuinely important, with worthwhile things to tell the rest of us, I really don't like the fundamentally hierarchical model.
I was used to Reddit, and at first I tried using Mastodon, etc., the same way. It was quite disappointing when someone would say something, and I would respond, and they wouldn't engage back. After a little while I realized that they didn't post something to start a conversation, they just wanted to pontificate. So now I just use microblogging platforms passively, purely as reading matter.
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom "completely aligns" with Charlie Kirk on trans athlete issue, and agreed about restricting gender affirming care for prisoners and youths, in podcast in ~lgbt
blivet Link ParentI’m a Californian too, and I agree with you that Newsom has done an all right job, but for me on he comes across as way too slick and insincere. I doubt I’m the only one who feels that way, and...I’m a Californian too, and I agree with you that Newsom has done an all right job, but for me on he comes across as way too slick and insincere. I doubt I’m the only one who feels that way, and since as far as I can tell most people vote based purely on their feelings, I don’t think there is any way he could win a presidential election.
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
blivet Link ParentYeah, I think this is a valid point. There’s no reason that online spaces should be any different than physical ones. Most people over the age of, say, 25 have probably had the experience of...Yeah, I think this is a valid point. There’s no reason that online spaces should be any different than physical ones. Most people over the age of, say, 25 have probably had the experience of having a cool dive bar or other hangout ruined when the general public finds out about it. It’s a drag, but it’s not like your life is over. You just find somewhere else to hang out.
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
blivet (edited )Link ParentI've visited it a few times recently to see if there was anything interesting about a couple of TV shows I like, and I was genuinely shocked by how much it has deteriorated. Leaving aside...In my opinion reddit is beyond saving
I've visited it a few times recently to see if there was anything interesting about a couple of TV shows I like, and I was genuinely shocked by how much it has deteriorated. Leaving aside subjective aspects like quality of discourse, I noticed that very few comments had even a single up- or downvote, and there were many fewer comments per thread than there used to be. It seems like engagement has really gone downhill.
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Comment on What's the best counter argument to "Well, if I don't do it somebody else will" in ~talk
blivet Link ParentI don't disagree with your points, but the events of the past few years have led me to realize that a significant number of people genuinely don't care about doing the right thing, or even...I don't disagree with your points, but the events of the past few years have led me to realize that a significant number of people genuinely don't care about doing the right thing, or even actively want to do the wrong thing. Your arguments are entirely useless with such people. They will shrug in response, or get angry with you and call you names.
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Comment on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us. MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease. in ~health
blivet Link ParentYeah, if nothing else it’s good to see that he can be pressured into doing the right thing. As an older person, I hope he does the same about the flu vaccine.Yeah, if nothing else it’s good to see that he can be pressured into doing the right thing. As an older person, I hope he does the same about the flu vaccine.
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Comment on Everything is Chrome in ~tech
blivet Link ParentI’ve never encountered this usage before, but I suspect it derives from the “vendors” directory where many web frameworks install local copies of third-party libraries and assets (such as fonts).I’ve never encountered this usage before, but I suspect it derives from the “vendors” directory where many web frameworks install local copies of third-party libraries and assets (such as fonts).
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Comment on I've been enjoying a few tropes in 1970s TV shows in ~tv
blivet Link ParentWhat I loved about that was that only Vulcans could do it. Not even the ship's doctor could figure out how it worked.Spock had his Vulcan nerve pinch
What I loved about that was that only Vulcans could do it. Not even the ship's doctor could figure out how it worked.
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Comment on I've been enjoying a few tropes in 1970s TV shows in ~tv
blivet Link ParentYeah, looking back on the shows from my childhood, it's kind of interesting how stylized and theatrical most of them were. Viewers were expected to interpret some coils of rope as representing...Yeah, looking back on the shows from my childhood, it's kind of interesting how stylized and theatrical most of them were. Viewers were expected to interpret some coils of rope as representing total immobilization. A couple of swings in the general direction of someone's head meant that they had been beaten to a pulp. Some bright red liquid was a serious if not fatal wound. In some ways it seems like a more sophisticated way of telling a story, where everything didn't have to be laid out in precise detail.
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Comment on What are your favorite books with an unreliable narrator? in ~books
blivet Link ParentPKD’s novels are unique in that they usually have the standard depersonalized “omniscient narrator”, but he is unreliable. There are often major plot contradictions and details that don’t add up.PKD’s novels are unique in that they usually have the standard depersonalized “omniscient narrator”, but he is unreliable. There are often major plot contradictions and details that don’t add up.
I suppose you're right. After reading your comment I did a little searching, and although I didn't find the statement itself, apparently Affinity has said flatly that they have no plans to port their software to Linux.