ChingShih's recent activity

  1. Comment on These travel influencers don’t want freebies. They’re AI. in ~travel

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    This is a prescient example you've presented. If you look at Amazon much of the Chinese brand clothing is modeled by a white person. Whether male or female, they look almost like stock imagery but...

    If they want shots of the influencer wearing their clothes, eating their food, driving their cars, whatever — to do that right is going to require lots of tailor-made LoRAs. Demand for that could conceivably lead to a whole new cottage industry.

    This is a prescient example you've presented. If you look at Amazon much of the Chinese brand clothing is modeled by a white person. Whether male or female, they look almost like stock imagery but more realistic than a quick photoshop of the brand's clothing on top of a (potentially stolen) photo of a model. Vistaprint and other print-on-demand use similar technologies to virtually impose your uploaded image onto a stock model and it happens within the time between page loads.

    If industry is already doing this, and China is able to cheaply do it as well, then we're already only a couple steps away from using AI to do the same thing at higher and more impressive qualities to directly target not just the demographics, but the ethnographics that they want to market their brand(s) towards.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Books: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~books

  3. Comment on Books: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~books

    ChingShih
    Link
    I read several novels this year (and admittedly a bunch of graphic novels ... been one of those years). Here are a few things worth mentioning. Books I liked: The Martian - Coming off of listening...

    I read several novels this year (and admittedly a bunch of graphic novels ... been one of those years). Here are a few things worth mentioning.

    Books I liked:

    The Martian - Coming off of listening to the audiobook of Project Hail Mary towards the end of 2024, I decided to start 2025's audiobook playlist with this one. I'm glad I did.

    Beneath a Scarlet Sky - Based on the true story of an adolescent coming of age in Fascist Italy. His choices, and his family's choices, take him to the unlikely crossroads of being the chauffeur to Germany's highest-ranking officer assigned to Italy. The audiobook does not have my favorite narration, but it's read authentically to the writing (I started with a freemium version of the audiobook and finished by reading the paperback, which I already owned).

    Books I disliked:

    West with Giraffes - Historical fiction based around a true story, but I just couldn't get behind it. The prose didn't stand out; the characters were, well, characterized but flat; and fiction like this is difficult to see how much effort the author put into research to make things feel period-correct and authentic.

    Miscellaneous Mentions:

    I'm about 250 pages into Shantaram and love it. Been a long time since I've loved a book as much as this and I read from a pretty broad selection of genres. I'm glad it has been made into a TV show, but I doubt the show will do the book justice. I'll have to find out after I finish reading.

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn't going to be finished by the end of the year, but not for any fault of its own I just don't have the time (and I enjoy WW2 history). I started it a few months after finishing Rogue Heroes by Ben MacIntyre, a competitor of sorts in that genre. I prefer the writing of the former over the latter.

    I read a Japanese mystery/thriller called Strange Pictures. It's an interesting take on the genre, though it's style may not appeal to everyone (it's not written for western audiences). I can see why it has become something of a modern cult classic in Japan, but I do wish there were a bit more depth across the board. I'll give the next book by this author a try at some point, but for casual reading I'll stick with my "mysteries" written by Rex Stout.

    5 votes

  4. Comment on You’re probably using the wrong dictionary in ~books

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    Stepping boldly into the realm of "books of words that are more fun than practical in daily life," There's a Word for It! A Grandiloquent Guide to Life inspired some of the verbiage in one of my...

    Stepping boldly into the realm of "books of words that are more fun than practical in daily life," There's a Word for It! A Grandiloquent Guide to Life inspired some of the verbiage in one of my favorite shortish fantasy book series, so maybe it's worth a look. It has real words such as "guttersnipe" in it, though it is apparently written in a slightly over-the-top style and meant to be enjoyed by ... word enthusiasts, much like the article. I haven't brought myself around to buying it yet.

    Hoping for something along similar lines, I recently picked up a copy of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Yes, it does sound like splendiferous winter reading! Thanks for asking! :) It feels fictional, but has some interesting (and perhaps uncomfortable) terms/words -- or perhaps more accurately "words-to-be" that haven't yet entered even the lexicon of enlightened hipsters -- with fuller and more descriptive definitions than what one might find on Dictionary.com or WordHippo. It leaves something to be desired and while I appreciate the words and their florid descriptions, does leave me wondering if using one of these words would come across like trying to use Elvish in casual conversation. However, it does offer some meaningful prose to reflect on.

    One such example from Obscure Sorrows:

    Falesia (noun): The disquieting awareness that someone's importance to you and your importance to them might not necessarily match ... (continued in the book)

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Winter boot recommendations for women in ~life.style

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    I highly recommend Belleville Boot for all genders -- they were/are the boot made for the US Marines and other services (Air Force ABUs, etc.), but have a variety of styles and sizes -- although...

    I highly recommend Belleville Boot for all genders -- they were/are the boot made for the US Marines and other services (Air Force ABUs, etc.), but have a variety of styles and sizes -- although currently it looks like they might be moving to a unisex shoe sizing (i.e. they're simply defaulting to men's sizes). They carry almost every shoe size imaginable as well as N/R/W/XW widths and have boots that are made in USA, insulated (200g, 400g, 400/800g hybrid), steel-toe, composite-toe, or other configurations. That said, they don't look like fashion accessories, they're utilitarian like Danner tends to be. Here is Belleville's insulated boot listing, but I'd recommend buying through an online retailer for best pricing and warranty support unless there is a specific sale they have that can't be passed up.

    I have thousands of miles on-road and off-trail on my several pairs of boots and with one exception they've held up extremely well (and I think could be resoled). The warranty has been ... accessible if not always a complete replacement like I think it ought to be (I had a cheaper pair wear out on me and I believe it was a defect, rather than from strenuous use, but both could be true). I used to buy the composite toe boots so I could go through airports easier ... sometimes they let me sometimes they don't, has nothing to do with the material composition as it turns out (or at least it's not about it being "metal" or not, they're looking at density). I also have some 200g insulated boots I bought for shoveling snow and they're honestly too warm in that kind of activity. Maybe if I was standing still chopping wood or slowly walking the dog. Anyway, I'm not in a super cold climate, so maybe the 400g or 400/800g hybrids are more fit for task for other people. It's nice to have choices and Belleville has a lot of choices.

    5 votes

  6. Comment on USGS V1cam livestream of erupting Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (west Halemaʻumaʻu crater) in ~enviro

    ChingShih
    Link
    Looks like this episode ended not too long after I posted it, but there is an archive video of the (4,000 hour!) livestream which started I think in August and is continuing. The video isn't...

    Looks like this episode ended not too long after I posted it, but there is an archive video of the (4,000 hour!) livestream which started I think in August and is continuing. The video isn't working for me, but when it is I'll try to find the timestamp for the episode 38 eruption because it's pretty awesome. Best thing to do though is sign up for updates and catch the next eruption live. :)

    4 votes

  7. Comment on USGS V1cam livestream of erupting Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (west Halemaʻumaʻu crater) in ~enviro

    ChingShih
    Link
    This is episode 38 (i.e. cyclical activity based on the "first" initial eruption) which began on Saturday local time. Reasonably calm yet intense and steady eruption with beautiful fountaining of...

    This is episode 38 (i.e. cyclical activity based on the "first" initial eruption) which began on Saturday local time. Reasonably calm yet intense and steady eruption with beautiful fountaining of magma (up to around 1200ft or 365m+ from one vent, less at the other(s)), a friendly rumbling without any felt shaking of the earth, and a clearly discernible river of lava flowing off the mini-hill that was built up over time from previous episodes in this series (nature puts on the best soap operas, haha). The viewing areas around the rim of the crater are increasingly shrouded in steam and vog, but it's also dependent on the intensity of the eruption (this is more intense than epsiode 37 by a large margin) as well as the wind strength and direction; I don't think it's having much impact on the USGS-stationed cameras and tourists were/are getting good photos and videos.

    Perfect video to put on a screen and have running in the background, like the yule log fire but more metal.

    The US Geological Survey had this to say:

    Volcanic Activity Summary:
    Episode 38 fountains began at about 8:45 a.m. HST from the north vent after several north vent overflows overnight. Low fountains and overflows were confined to the two sub vents within the north vent cone for several hours prior to the onset of Episode 38. Fountains and flows from the south vent began at 8:49 HST. All three vents are currently producing fountains. South vent fountains are close to 1200 feet (370 meters) high while the north vent fountains have dropped well below their maximum height of 500 feet (150 m). Hot lava and pumice from the south vent fountained destroyed the V3 streaming camera site within the closed area just before 10:00 a.m. HST.

    Prior to the south vent becoming dominant, there were 3 roughly equal sized 500 foot (150 meter) high fountains with 2 from the north vents and 1 from the south vent. This triple fountain is an extremely rare event, and this is the first time during this eruption it has been observed.

    The associated plume, composed of water vapor and SO2 gas (possibly with Pele's hair and fine ash) currently has a maximum height of ~15000 feet (4500 m) above ground level.

    The summit has deflated approximately 9.5 microradians as measured on the Uēkahuna tiltmeter in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.. The rapid tilt drop and very high output from both vents suggest this may be another relatively short episode lasting less than 6-8 hours similar to episode 37.

    For more information about earlier parts of episode 38 see these notices:

    Most episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, have continued for around a day or less and have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting generally at least several days.

    • All eruptive activity is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; commercial airports in Hawaii County (KOA and ITO) will not be affected by this activity.
    • Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://youtube.com/@usgs/streams
    • KPcam and MKcam provide views of the plume height for aviation purposes

    Source: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates

    If you're into this kind of thing, you can sign up for free notifications (by email or text?) via the USGS link above.

    Pronunciation of Kīlauea is just like it's spelled. :) Pronunciation of Halemaʻumaʻu is approximately Hah-lay-mau-mau, but with more sophistication. :)

    9 votes

  9. Comment on We bought an old house in the Japanese countryside in ~life.home_improvement

    ChingShih
    Link
    Thanks for sharing this. There's a lot of interesting things to read on their blog! Owning and renovating a Japanese home is probably outside of my abilities, but doing one or the other would be...

    Thanks for sharing this. There's a lot of interesting things to read on their blog! Owning and renovating a Japanese home is probably outside of my abilities, but doing one or the other would be fun. As a foreigner doing both would be a lot of pressure, haha, although home reno and working with contractors on various major home improvement projects is generally enjoyable to me.

    I loved visiting Japan and would like to visit again and explore more of the country. I have no route to residency, so living there on a longer-term basis isn't feasible, which means buying and renovating an akiya, like in the blog, wouldn't be feasible either. But this is a fun thought experiment and has given me some motivation to read up on how to better enjoy Japan on longer visit. Thank you!

    4 votes

  10. Comment on What silly complaints would your pets try to report? in ~life.pets

    ChingShih
    Link
    Real complaints from when I had a dog. She wasn't very talkative (barky), but was a great communicator via dog-telepathy: I mean, the dust bunnies had been around so long they probably had a...

    Real complaints from when I had a dog. She wasn't very talkative (barky), but was a great communicator via dog-telepathy:

    The bed is warm??? I have a coat on. I'll have to sleep on the floor with the riffraff.

    I mean, the dust bunnies had been around so long they probably had a diploma. I wouldn't call them riffraff.

    You threw a ball? I'll kill it! <ball death ensues> Throw it again so I may kill it triumphantly. What do you mean, bring it back? You do the throwing, I do the killing.

    That time I learned that in some versions of fetch, everyone gets exercise!

    Excuse me, dinner is over. Hey. <Bark.> Dinner is over. I'm at my place of dinner and I am finished. <looks at place treats come from> <Bark.>

    She always got a special sausage-flavored treat after dinner. If I ran out, or we were having dinner at a relative's, or I didn't give her exactly the right portion to the microgram (not like she chewed anyway, oy) then she would give me a bark of annoyance. Formal complaint lodged! If I had to go to the store to get more she was inconsolable. Never saw her more upset than when the economy got in the way of her after dinner cigar treat.

    12 votes

  11. Comment on Pebble Flow review - A towable RV made for electric vehicles - Fully integrated battery, motor, solar, and software in ~transport

    ChingShih
    Link
    So this video is from 6+ months ago at CES 2025. It's the second review I've seen from these guys and so far I'm quite impressed with their depth and breadth of knowledge and thus ability to ask...

    So this video is from 6+ months ago at CES 2025. It's the second review I've seen from these guys and so far I'm quite impressed with their depth and breadth of knowledge and thus ability to ask specific questions when it comes to EVs and the really interesting stuff like mechanical engineering, physics, and stuff EV and efficiency enthusiasts care about.

    Anyhow, this is quite a lengthy video (nearly 80 minutes, but you can just check Pebble's website for an overview) and the YT page has chapter links to make things easy. Here are a couple things that popped out to me about this towable RV:

    • Built-in ~45kWh battery with bi-directional, simultaneous charging (to house or car!)
    • The aerodynamic nose (vaguely) like the Concorde. Lov e it!
    • New-age heat-pump
    • Wheel-mounted motors (I'm drooling over the implementation)
    • Solar roof for (probably very minimal) passive charging even while driving
    • Bespoke software platform with some really nifty features (like using your iPad to tell your RV to hitch itself to your truck!)

    The Flow is pricey at US$110,000 and up, but I wonder how that compares to other campers/caravans of similar features. Apparently deliveries started at the end of June 2025. There are some really cool ideas coming out of this company so I'm looking forward to seeing some more reviews of this kind of thing even though I'm not an RV/caravan person. Pebble website for those who are interested.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on Klarna’s losses widen after more consumers fail to repay loans in ~finance

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    I think that's good context, I wouldn't call it a nitpick. :)

    I think that's good context, I wouldn't call it a nitpick. :)

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Klarna’s losses widen after more consumers fail to repay loans in ~finance

    ChingShih
    (edited )
    Link
    Commenting about this separately because this is a whole other can of worms, but I want to point out something that people should really be calling their representatives about constantly: "buy...

    Commenting about this separately because this is a whole other can of worms, but I want to point out something that people should really be calling their representatives about constantly: "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) services help enable irresponsibly high-value firearms purchases (and in concerning quantity). Not saying everyone does this, but it's almost as in-your-face as gambling ads on TV and the web and it's so, so accessible.

    Regardless of one's views on firearm ownership and accessibility, there are many more risks to allowing the purchase of firearms via services like Klarna, Credova, Sezzle, and Paypal that provide opportunities to vastly over-extend one's buying power in addition to traditional credit cards. It's very, very easy to purchase a firearm and, in many states have it delivered and take possession of that firearm well before the first payment is due. That's the opposite of "layaway," where a person pays in installments until they've paid the full amount before being able to go home with the appliance, furniture, etc. that they've bought. Even the credit card companies are getting in on BNPL opportunities with direct emails about how to convert large, recent purchases into payment plans after the transaction.

    I see a lot of these services that specifically target individuals at point-of-sale and during checkout with such great offers even I've taken a look. Some of those people literally cannot qualify for traditional, better-regulated credit services. As much as I dislike the predatory nature of high-interest rate credit cards and all of that, so many firearm sites are partnering with BNPL services to enable spending habits without even a "please call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling addiction..." in the fine print. Some of the biggest firearm retailers have different BNPL companies and their payment plan options listed on every product page load.

    While we can't fix every unhealthy mindset, there's a lot more we can do here and I think this is one of several ways we need to tackle bad spending habits. There are a lot of people buying things they can't afford and then are faced with either selling/consigning it (and losing face/taking a hit to their masculinity) or finding other ways to eventually pay off a debt that turns out sometimes has additional fees and interest rates attached. That additional pressure further entrenches people into the mindset that the world is out to get them and leads them further down a toxic road.

    Edit: There's a Wiki page about BNPL:

    The COVID-19 pandemic era produced a massive increase in BNPL transactions in the United States, going from $2 billion in 2019 to $24.2 billion in 2021.[8]

    I'd be curious how this correlates to subprime car loans and, separately, Qanon-related purchases during the pandemic and leading up to the election (like the guy who bought a new truck thinking that Q would pay for it if only the election went his way).

    9 votes

  15. Comment on Klarna’s losses widen after more consumers fail to repay loans in ~finance

    ChingShih
    Link
    Of similar concern in the US, repayments of vehicle subprime loans are also at an elevated rate and have been trending that way for a bit. This, combined with borrowers getting behind on payments...

    Of similar concern in the US, repayments of vehicle subprime loans are also at an elevated rate and have been trending that way for a bit. This, combined with borrowers getting behind on payments in other spaces and a lack of rising wages across the board, isn't a great sign. Sprinkle on some tax rebates for the wealthy that do not translate into the kind of economic stimulus (and mental health benefits) that giving the same money (and child tax credits) to lower-income families would ... I just hope everyone gets through this.

    12 votes

  16. Comment on How Counter-Strike took over my life in ~games

    ChingShih
    Link
    Interesting video! Thanks for sharing. It brings back a lot of memories from my CS:S days and playing competitively and in ladders. I'd criticize the length of the video, but I can still talk far...

    Interesting video! Thanks for sharing. It brings back a lot of memories from my CS:S days and playing competitively and in ladders. I'd criticize the length of the video, but I can still talk far too much about crazy CS/BF/CoD games that stuck with me. ;) Condensing my own stories to 83 minutes would be a miracle, haha.

    I like that this was more of an emotional documentary than just another video about learning a new game or refuting/confirming biases. I wish this kind of thing was talked about 20 years ago, because competitive games really are team-building exercises and opportunities at emotional growth (and anger management with support from your peers). We all have things we can do to improve and wanting to improve and learning to accept an L and move on is so crucial to avoiding toxic mindsets.

    I like that this Youtuber wanted to change and grow emotionally when hitting that toxic low-point. That's an important trait to have in life and it reflects well not just on players but on achievers when there is an attitude shift. Team games rely heavily on that interpersonal connection and maintaining good vibes in the face of adversity. Especially when adrenaline is pumping and maintaining that high and keeping the level of gameplay elevated becomes important for smooth transitions from one round to the next (and keeping your teammate from ragequitting).

    I also like that there's a lot of positivity in the top comments -- including towards that one player, who actually commented on the video. Very cool. It's nice to see some positivity around the gameplay aspect.

    Now to wait 20 years to watch a similar video on Deadlock. :)

    2 votes

  17. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    You're in for a ride with Her Body. ;D I want to know what you think when you finish it!

    You're in for a ride with Her Body. ;D I want to know what you think when you finish it!

    1 vote

  18. Comment on EV owners - what advice do you have from experience for a new user? in ~transport

    ChingShih
    Link Parent
    Don't worry too much about the temperature you're starting the car at unless you keep it outside or in a detached, unheated garage or other situation. Typically attached garages won't get nearly...

    Don't worry too much about the temperature you're starting the car at unless you keep it outside or in a detached, unheated garage or other situation. Typically attached garages won't get nearly as cold as outside temps anyway (this coming from someone who needs to better insulate their garage doors). Your car should often be within nominal operating range when you start it (or maybe on the low side for a few minutes until it warms up).

    Not a Chevy owner, but I would think most if not all EVs, including your Bolt, will tell you if they're unhappy in the cold when you start it. My Volvo tells me how much "power" (whether that's HP or torque) is restricted until the system has literally warmed up. Chevys should be telling the user if the battery needs a bit to warm up, too, but it'll also let you drive at a reasonable speed.

    To help with battery efficiency many EVs have fans to blow either warm or cool air over the battery packs -- this is necessary because when using the batteries they generate a good amount of heat in an otherwise confined space. But also because of the cold temperatures that you're concerned about. So don't worry, engineers have already thought of that. Hopefully the accountants and management-as-interior-designers have allowed the engineers to do their jobs.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on EV owners - what advice do you have from experience for a new user? in ~transport

    ChingShih
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Edit: I should add, I've owned a Volvo EV for 2.5 years now in a semi-rural area. I'm very reluctant to actually use the Plugshare and ElectrifyAmerica apps and all that. There are too many...

    Edit: I should add, I've owned a Volvo EV for 2.5 years now in a semi-rural area.

    I'm very reluctant to actually use the Plugshare and ElectrifyAmerica apps and all that. There are too many brands, payment plans, etc. to keep up with. When I do longer trips (150 miles+) I just pay with credit card at the charging station and skip the "convenience" of the app -- which often offer now monetary savings at the fast charging stations I use anyway. Also, ElectrifyAmerica does that thing where you have to "top up" the credits in the app in like $20 increments. That's some MTX/gambling app shit and I hate it. That along with their annual service fee ... I'd rather just pay at the pump, so to speak.

    I agree with Pilot about the philosophical paradigm shift of simply being more conscientious about when to charge and how to plan your stops. If you already eat out a lot, or enjoy going to the mall, then building charging the car into a stop for fast food/shopping really feels more like saving time than taking time out of your day. Do always have a backup plan for charging somewhere else, though. MANY of the chargers in my area listed on Google Maps are not public chargers; a number of them are on dealership lots, hotels offering 1 or 2 Level 1/2 chargers only to guests, and that kind of thing. Know before you go!

    For convenience, and also to be sure that I'm hitting fast chargers that actually work, I tend to plan longer trips around changing stops at major conveniences so that I'm more likely to be able to get the service I want in the timeframe I want. Even though it sounds counter-intuitive, charging mid-day at the mall has always been pretty quick (plus the other EV patrons know the rules and etiquette). I might have to wait for someone to finish charging, but even at popular malls I'll get my turn to charge pretty soon. I strongly avoid grocery store chargers. I have also noticed that Walmarts have a partnership with some fast charging providers, so I'm looking at using those more often even though I don't set foot in a Walmart unless I absolutely have to.

    It sounds like a lot of that stuff won't be relevant to your particular use-case, but I hope that other EV-adopters will take note of some of the quirks of the charging options outside of cities.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX's Starlinks in ~space

    ChingShih
    Link
    I'm posting this with the intention of asking Tildesians a couple questions as I'm curious on people's views: Given the current situation, do you view Amazon's Kuiper satellite internet as being...

    I'm posting this with the intention of asking Tildesians a couple questions as I'm curious on people's views:

    1. Given the current situation, do you view Amazon's Kuiper satellite internet as being notable more or less evil than SpaceX?
    2. In 2025 are you more or less interested in satellite internet access in general (whether for home or mobile-living use)? In the US there's a big push for home cellular internet, but is that an alternative for your situation?
    3. How do you feel about companies putting satellites into low orbit in general? Apparently GPS satellites are in medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles); Starlink orbits at roughly 550 kilometers (342 miles) and there are a lot more of them.

    (Or is all of this moot because we're never getting off this rock? ;D)

    4 votes