DanBC's recent activity
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Comment on How to take care of a new cutting board? in ~food
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Comment on How to take care of a new cutting board? in ~food
DanBC Link ParentThere are food and pharmaceutical grades of mineral oil.There are food and pharmaceutical grades of mineral oil.
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Comment on Library asks users to verify that books actually exist before making a loan request because AI invents book titles in ~tech
DanBC Link ParentI might, if someone was making and selling hammers and saying "you can use this for screws". But also, perhaps I should have emphasised this: "I feel that it highlights a problem that humans have...You wouldn't blame a hammer for being bad at installing screws, would you?
I might, if someone was making and selling hammers and saying "you can use this for screws".
But also, perhaps I should have emphasised this: "I feel that it highlights a problem that humans have with tech."
When you asked Copilot for a list of books, those titles may or may not have existed.
This is not using a hammer as a screw driver territory. Asking a search engine to provide a list of books that meet certain criteria should never return fictional books. And when the user says "do these books exist?" the answer should be yes if the books exist and no if they don't.
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Comment on Library asks users to verify that books actually exist before making a loan request because AI invents book titles in ~tech
DanBC LinkSorry about the terrible title. I saw this post on Twitter / X: https://x.com/w_carruthers/status/1811326735251574917 . I linked to the library site because lots of people need to avoid X. I'm...Sorry about the terrible title. I saw this post on Twitter / X: https://x.com/w_carruthers/status/1811326735251574917 . I linked to the library site because lots of people need to avoid X.
I'm linking this because I feel that it highlights a problem that humans have with tech. Wikipedia says (and has always said) "Don't use us as a source. Read the article, and then use the article sources as a source". But lots of people don't do that, they just cut and paste the wikipedia article. And when you check the source it'll say something different.
And here, people are just trusting the output of the AI without checking whether it's real or not.
I just asked Co-Pilot in Bing "What are some books that will teach me the science and craft of baking bread?" and it gave me a list, with links to stores selling those books. So, that sounds good. I then asked "Are these real books?" and it replied:
"I apologize for any confusion. It appears I made an error in my previous response. Unfortunately, the books I mentioned do not exist. However, I can recommend some actual books on bread baking:" (and then it lists four more real books".
I dunno, AI just seems like a mess at the moment.
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Library asks users to verify that books actually exist before making a loan request because AI invents book titles
43 votes -
Comment on Dozens were sickened with salmonella after drinking raw milk from a California farm in ~health
DanBC LinkI feel huge sadness for those children. Salmonella infection is incredibly serious, not just for the short term effects, but because it opens them up to long term consequences too. Raw milk...I feel huge sadness for those children. Salmonella infection is incredibly serious, not just for the short term effects, but because it opens them up to long term consequences too.
Raw milk consumption is pretty uncommon, but people who drink raw milk are, unsurprisingly, massively over-represented in the data for food poisoning.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5443421/
In the United States, outbreaks associated with dairy consumption cause, on average, 760 illnesses/year and 22 hospitalizations/year, mostly from Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. Unpasteurized milk, consumed by only 3.2% of the population, and cheese, consumed by only 1.6% of the population, caused 96% of illnesses caused by contaminated dairy products. Unpasteurized dairy products thus cause 840 (95% CrI 611–1,158) times more illnesses and 45 (95% CrI 34–59) times more hospitalizations than pasteurized products.
What a capacitous adult chooses to do with their body is up to them, even if they're making a stupid choice. But it's really concerning that adults are causing harm to their children because they've chosen to ignore the clear warnings.
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Comment on 'I want her to worry about who’s waiting on the corner’: How one man uses Facebook to frighten his children’s mother and why police do nothing in ~life
DanBC Link ParentThey can listen to the victims of stalking and criminally harassing behaviours, and push for either changes to the laws, or better enforcement of existing laws, because we live in democracies...What else can they be expected to do?
They can listen to the victims of stalking and criminally harassing behaviours, and push for either changes to the laws, or better enforcement of existing laws, because we live in democracies under the rule of law.
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Comment on Mum admits ending life of terminally ill son in ~health
DanBC Link ParentChoosing to die is a purely personal decision. Except it affects your family, and most people do think about how their death will affect their loved ones. But here someone isn't just choosing to...Choosing to die is a purely personal decision. Except it affects your family, and most people do think about how their death will affect their loved ones.
But here someone isn't just choosing to die, they're asking other people to help them do that. This is a huge change for healthcare professionals. We need careful thought about how we protect vulnerable people; how we allow healthcare professionals to ethically opt-out while still ensuring the service is available; and how we regulate it.
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Comment on How Ernest Wright scissors are handmade in ~engineering
DanBC LinkThe original title is "How The World's Finest Scissors Are Handmade" which is probably true but feels a bit click-baity. I own a pair of Ernest Wright scissors and they're easily one of the nicest...The original title is "How The World's Finest Scissors Are Handmade" which is probably true but feels a bit click-baity.
I own a pair of Ernest Wright scissors and they're easily one of the nicest things I've ever owned.
I enjoyed this video because they use some cool machines and techniques; they're keeping an industry going; Alec is enthusiastic but not annoying; and the scissor makers clearly take a pride in their work.
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How Ernest Wright scissors are handmade
8 votes -
Comment on A critique of the Cass Review in ~lgbt
DanBC LinkThe Cass Review is a political tool used to deny access to trans healthcare. It was commissioned by the English Department for Health and Social Care, and de-facto bans on trans healthcare quickly...The Cass Review is a political tool used to deny access to trans healthcare. It was commissioned by the English Department for Health and Social Care, and de-facto bans on trans healthcare quickly followed its publication. It's also been used to deny access to trans healthcare outside the UK.
Given that it's a political tool the actual content of the review doesn't matter to anti-trans activists - because politicians lie. And we've seen that with the Cass Review. Cass does not say "we should stop children having access to puberty blockers" -- she's said in interviews since publication that she thinks there's too much delay in providing access to puberty blockers for gender incongruent children, and that if we're going to be using the meds we need to provide access to them earlier for the small number of children who need them. You'd never know this from reading what politicians and anti-trans activists have said about the Cass Review.
Given that the report is mostly garbage, and it doesn't matter what the report says (because anti-trans activists lie about everything all the time anyway), why am I posting this link?
A tiny part of me think truth and accuracy matter. I can't persuade the anti-trans activists -- they're too far gone -- but maybe accurate information can help the bulk of the population realise that anti-trans activists lie all the time about everything, and all trans people want to do is live their life.
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A critique of the Cass Review
16 votes -
Comment on YouTube is testing "Premium Jump Ahead" (built-in sponsorblock) in ~tech
DanBC Link ParentPart of the adpocalypse was YouTube persuading the US regulators that a company asking YouTube to place ads, and complying with Google's and YouTube's policies, and signing a contract with...The Adpocalypse was real and happened a while back.
Part of the adpocalypse was YouTube persuading the US regulators that a company asking YouTube to place ads, and complying with Google's and YouTube's policies, and signing a contract with YouTube, and saying money to Google for that ad placement, is nothing to do with YT or Google but is a relationship between the creator and the advertiser, and the creator carries full responsibility if eg alcohol ads are placed next to content for children.
There were a bunch fo creators that were making content that anyone could watch. It wasn't aimed at children, but it was "accidentally" family friendly. Their ad revenue got hosed.
So, they did the entirely understandable thin of moving to merch and sponsored content.
We need better regulators. We've tried light touch / right touch regulation with some of the big tech companies, and they just abuse it as far as they can.
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Comment on Lemma Demissew - Astawesalehu (1970s) in ~music
DanBC LinkI've posted a few of these before, because I find them interesting and because I like dancing to them. I'm linking to a playlist so you can easily find more of this type of music. A bit about...I've posted a few of these before, because I find them interesting and because I like dancing to them. I'm linking to a playlist so you can easily find more of this type of music.
A bit about Lemma Demissew: https://www.discogs.com/artist/931003-Lemma-Demissew
Here are the previous posts: https://tildes.net/~music/wly/bahta_g%C3%A8br%C3%A8_heyw%C3%A8t_t%C3%A8ssassat%C3%A8gn_eko_1971 and https://tildes.net/~music/vjo/alemayehu_eschete_afer_yemegneshal_1969
I noticed some of them are being used in soundtracks so if you've heard this before can't place it, that might be where you heard them.
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Lemma Demissew - Astawesalehu (1970s)
4 votes -
What are some lesser known food and cooking YouTubers?
Feel free to define lesser known how you like. Here's my list. Most of these have fewer than 100,000 subscribers. Some of them have fewer than 10,000 subs. Al Brady (32k subs) Has a nice mix of...
Feel free to define lesser known how you like. Here's my list. Most of these have fewer than 100,000 subscribers. Some of them have fewer than 10,000 subs.
Has a nice mix of sweet and savoury food. Has a lot of videos below ten minutes - there's a rapid pacing here that avoids the problems of TikTok / YT Shorts cooking. Enough time to explain what he's doing, no useless padding.
A reasonably new channel (only 33 videos as I post this). He has a method for pricing the recipes, and we can always argue about whether that makes sense or not, but at least it's consistent across his videos so viewers get an idea of relative costs. The recipes are simple. They're aimed at providing tasty filling food for cheap. The production values are low - no fancy lighting, no fancy camera, the kitchen table looks a bit rickety.
He's from Bristol (South West UK) and has the regional accent to prove it. He visits and reviews street food and cafés. I love videos like this - show-casing normal eateries. It's rough and ready - he sometimes includes swearing. And he's usually positive, or occasionally very mildly not positive. But I like that. He does a mix of shorts and long form - the long form does tend to be a bit calmer and explanatory.
Features food, mostly street food or bread, from Iran. I like the "show don't tell" aspect of these videos. There are loads of street food videos and I watch quite a few. Lots of videos are presented by people that I don't enjoy watching.
Another street food channel, again from Iran. This is the video that I really like - street food often looks like it has been rapidly cooked, but there are examples of slow cooked food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDJowrQQisg
At over 100k subs this probably doesn't belong here, but I think this fits here because many of their videos get fewer than 1000 views. Views are picking up recently. It's a great channel if you're interested in fine dining in the UK. There are a huge number of interviews with some very very good chefs here, and often they demonstrate one of their dishes.
He researches regional dishes from France, Spain, and Portugal and he claims to present traditional "authentic" versions of various dishes. I've only just started watching, and I'm not sure if I'll end up finding that he's not for me.
15 votes -
Comment on Weekly food plans/Budget with low repetition? in ~food
DanBC LinkI think this works for me because I find a limited set of food comforting, and I did Home Economics at school, and a large part of that was setting menus and planning buying. I've also practised a...I think this works for me because I find a limited set of food comforting, and I did Home Economics at school, and a large part of that was setting menus and planning buying. I've also practised a lot.
I have an inspirational cookbook that I get some ideas from. (Currently this set from Blasta Books ). I'll pick one or two things from these. I will then do the rest of the week by looking through paper[1] cookbooks, and a ton of pirated e-cookbooks. I'll look[2] for recipes that include common ingredients.
For breakfast I eat cereal and milk, so those are staples. For lunch and snacks I eat some combination of supermarket sushi, (terrible) supermarket falafel or samosa, boiled eggs and salad leaves, English classic comfort food beans on toast, and fruit. Sometimes I'll buy a supermarket Scotch egg and realise why I don't eat them.
I have a freezer, and I can preserve stuff in that if needed. At the moment I am eating a lot of pre-made tinned or frozen ready meals when I feel like eating (because chemotherapy sucks).
SortedFood (a YouTube channel) have a [subscription app called SideKick[(https://www.sortedfood.com/sidekick). I don't use it. I don't know how it works. But they have meal plans that you'd cook over the week, and these use common ingredients plus store cupboard items. Some people like it, some people don't get on with it. I thought I'd mention it -- unfortunately the website doesn't do a great job of explaining it.
I'm really lucky in that I have 5 supermarkets within a kilometre of my home so fresh food is a short walk. I know lots of people don't have that. It means that I sometimes don't have to think about this - I can just buy what I need for today and tomorrow.
[1] I was struggling to find the words for this. Dead tree? AFK book? Not-ebook? !ebook?
[2] Searching inside a medium large collection of epub ebooks is unfun. There are windows explorer plug-ins that can force indexing of the book collection, but they mean that search now doesn't work because all results will include very many not-relevant files. DocFetcher works.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
DanBC LinkI'm gently obsessed with the 4x CivHero, a free to play game on Itch.io. Rounds are short, and it gives me that 4x hit but in a tiny burst. I've moved up to "Prince" difficulty, which is 3 out of 5.I'm gently obsessed with the 4x CivHero, a free to play game on Itch.io. Rounds are short, and it gives me that 4x hit but in a tiny burst. I've moved up to "Prince" difficulty, which is 3 out of 5.
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Comment on My Windows computer just doesn't feel like mine anymore in ~tech
DanBC Link ParentMe: "Hey Microsoft, my laptop has a trackpad. I know who made it, I have the driver here. I've set it up how I like it. Please, leave it alone." MS: "Oh, time to update" Proceeds to install the...Me: "Hey Microsoft, my laptop has a trackpad. I know who made it, I have the driver here. I've set it up how I like it. Please, leave it alone."
MS: "Oh, time to update" Proceeds to install the most generic driver, trashing settings.
I used to think that the problem was me - I grew up with computers that gave me access to everything. That character in the top left of the screen? I can find out what it is with a PEEK command of the screen memory address, and I can change it by POKING data to that address. Obviously this would be a stupid level of access to give a user on a machine that is also used for home banking, so I traded control for security. I accepted that this was probably a good thing - living through the 90s and all those rooted windows machines with people willingly installing malware - browser toolbars, strippers in the taskbar.
And then vendors enshittified security to push their garbage (oh hi, here's a rootkit; hey, time to destroy a bunch of your settings; here's some ads in your start menu).
It sucks.
I'm moving to a dual boot system - a tiny partition for windows and MS Teams, and then FreeBSD (my preference) or Linux (with a fluxbox window manager). Or probably Linux Mint because it's easy and I'm a bit distracted at the moment.
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Comment on Going on a cruise soon: how can I be a better human being? in ~travel
DanBC LinkAlmost always when you have the choice between giving someone cash or a gift you should chose cash. The exceptions are when there are cultural sensitivities about cash, or expectations (birthdays,...Almost always when you have the choice between giving someone cash or a gift you should chose cash. The exceptions are when there are cultural sensitivities about cash, or expectations (birthdays, Christmas) for gifts, or where there are rules about cash (eg, healthcare professionals in England cannot receive cash, but can receive very small gifts with a value less than £20).
The cruise line knows that people can have questions about how to tip, when to tip, and how much to tip and they give some guidance. (It can be hard to find). You can decide whether that's reasonable advice or whether you'd prefer to pay more.
But friendly politeness and genuine gratitude does go a long way.
The trouble with these studies (there's another one comparing plastic boards to wooden boards) is that they're based on disgusting habits. They inoculate the board, then leave it unwashed for 24 hours. I don't care about how boards perform if left unwashed for a day - I wash my board as soon as possible after use.
The other problem is that the advice about oiling a board is "once a day for a week; once a week for a month; and once a month for a year". But the linked study did not test those boards:
This feels like what I want from a board. Contaminants are not soaking in, they can be washed off, allowing me to continue using the board right now, and not having to wait 24 hour for the anti-microbial action of the wood to take effect.