DesktopMonitor's recent activity
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Comment on Japan was the future but it's stuck in the past in ~life
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Comment on Japan was the future but it's stuck in the past in ~life
DesktopMonitor Link ParentLike anything, there are pros and cons. It may work for you or someone else, but there are many trade-offs that don’t become apparent until you’re on the other side. If you’ve got the time and...Like anything, there are pros and cons. It may work for you or someone else, but there are many trade-offs that don’t become apparent until you’re on the other side. If you’ve got the time and resources to try, though, you might as well. Japan makes it easy to come, to stay, and easiest of all to go.
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Comment on Is all language linear to a native speaker? in ~humanities.languages
DesktopMonitor LinkInterestingly, the above describes what Japanese do in the reading of Literary Chinese (kanbun). There is even a whole system of written aids which, among other things, ‘grammatically transforms...I begin to learn to look for the phrase after "de" then "go back" to the "māma zuò" to figure out the whole sentence. Does this make sense? I have to go to the end of the sentence and then refer back to the part "in front" of it so to speak?
Interestingly, the above describes what Japanese do in the reading of Literary Chinese (kanbun). There is even a whole system of written aids which, among other things, ‘grammatically transforms Literary Chinese into Japanese word order’ [1].
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Comment on Massachusetts bill could fully legalize kei cars and override RMV ban in ~transport
DesktopMonitor Link ParentMy parent comment is based on personal experience and concern for the safety of others. Safety should be part of the conversation no matter what. It is the prudent thing to do. Moreover, I am also...My parent comment is based on personal experience and concern for the safety of others. Safety should be part of the conversation no matter what. It is the prudent thing to do.
Moreover, I am also concerned that motorcycle manufacturers are allowed to build, market, and sell bikes that are entirely too fast for any practical purpose outside a racetrack. A graded licensing system based on engine size with rigorous testing and renewal procedures paired with higher minimum insurance requirements and heavy penalties for breaking the law would help keep U.S. streets safer.
In the end, I don’t think making future kei car policy contingent on updating motorcycle policy is the necessary way to move forward. However, I do feel that a broader conversation regarding road safety is long overdue in the U.S.
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Comment on Massachusetts bill could fully legalize kei cars and override RMV ban in ~transport
DesktopMonitor LinkAs someone who lives among kei vehicles and loves them for the affordable and practical machines they are, I really worry about fatal accidents. The specific truck and van models that Americans...As someone who lives among kei vehicles and loves them for the affordable and practical machines they are, I really worry about fatal accidents. The specific truck and van models that Americans want to import just don’t have the ability to withstand the kind of crashes that I’ve seen in the U.S. I can also attest to what wrecked kei cars look like even after low speed incidents. They are less safe, and that’s worth as much consideration as the reasons why people want to import them.
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Comment on Which magazines do you read? in ~talk
DesktopMonitor LinkMy library offers tons of magazines through Libby, so I just browse through whatever is interesting on my tablet. The articles are generally much more substantive than a lot of online articles...My library offers tons of magazines through Libby, so I just browse through whatever is interesting on my tablet. The articles are generally much more substantive than a lot of online articles because if I’ve bought or borrowed the magazine then I’ve already done what they need me to do so they can do their job properly. Novel concept in 2024.
Anyway, I read Wired, The New Yorker, The Guardian magazine, some Newsweek, some photography and outdoors magazines, and occasionally pick up a 2600 zine.
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Comment on This behavior is by design in ~tech
DesktopMonitor LinkMy current favorites include Microsoft’s long-standing decision to not allow multiple OneDrive logins with paid personal accounts while they have that exact functionality available to...My current favorites include Microsoft’s long-standing decision to not allow multiple OneDrive logins with paid personal accounts while they have that exact functionality available to personal+business account combinations. Closely related to this are matters concerning the extra clicks or taps necessary to open and edit Microsoft documents on Google Drive. It’s punishment by design.
Of course, Apple’s got to get it’s due: who can forget the first time they tried to play a video from within the iOS Files app only to be met with an odd screen of functional nothingness, or had the audacity to want to add photos and videos to the iOS Photos app without needing to jump through hoops.
The most insidious one, by far, has been Google’s productivity apps on iOS: they deliberately removed the ‘Look Up’ feature so they you cannot use Apple’s built-in dictionaries. Why? Well, surely they want you to search Google. Except, they removed the ‘Search’ feature too, so you can’t even do that. Nope, you’ve got to paste the word into the Siri box to get Apple’s dictionary definitions. That goes for Docs and Slides. Spectacularly, those same options do appear in Sheets… because spreadsheet authoring is exactly when we all need to use the dictionary. smh.
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Comment on Help me decorate a difficult interior space? in ~life.home_improvement
DesktopMonitor LinkIn addition to de-wallpapering and painting the room, I’d definitely consider putting the tv in the corner between the windows and moving the sectional couch against the windowless wall.In addition to de-wallpapering and painting the room, I’d definitely consider putting the tv in the corner between the windows and moving the sectional couch against the windowless wall.
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Comment on YouTube without a working ad blocker in ~tech
DesktopMonitor Link Parentin our house we happily pay for YT Premium. Our kid watches educational videos most days, we watch the news on it every day, and I listen to music on YT Music every day when I commute to work. We...in our house we happily pay for YT Premium. Our kid watches educational videos most days, we watch the news on it every day, and I listen to music on YT Music every day when I commute to work. We pay ¥1,280/mo directly to Google. Would be higher if we subscribed via Apple. It’s well worth it for us.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
DesktopMonitor Link ParentI can only whistle while inhaling. I cannot whistle while exhaling.I can only whistle while inhaling. I cannot whistle while exhaling.
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Comment on Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI’s Sam Altman would make a good Marvel villain after voice dispute in ~tech
DesktopMonitor Link ParentI get you. It’s just that, <sigh>, I’ve got so few news site to go to these days. Don’t need this from The Guardian.I get you. It’s just that, <sigh>, I’ve got so few news site to go to these days. Don’t need this from The Guardian.
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Comment on Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI’s Sam Altman would make a good Marvel villain after voice dispute in ~tech
DesktopMonitor LinkI hate to be like this but… …reads rather differently than the Guardian’s title.I hate to be like this but…
Asked if Altman could make for a good Marvel villain, she said: “I guess he would – maybe with a robotic arm.”
…reads rather differently than the Guardian’s title.
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Comment on What is your favorite Final Fantasy game? in ~games
DesktopMonitor Link ParentAs a cisgender male who plays a spritely girl with a curated collection of color-coordinated seasonal outfits and as someone who can now confidently compliment players on their adorable and...it has pushed me to accomplish things in gaming that I thought I might never have, and turned me into a more confident gamer overall
As a cisgender male who plays a spritely girl with a curated collection of color-coordinated seasonal outfits and as someone who can now confidently compliment players on their adorable and handsome glams while grinding dungeons, I completely agree with this comment.
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Comment on Reuters investigation: Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic in ~health
DesktopMonitor LinkHaven’t read many articles that make out social media execs to be the good guys in the room.The military program started under former President Donald Trump and continued months into Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters found – even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation.
Haven’t read many articles that make out social media execs to be the good guys in the room.
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Comment on Toyota’s bet on hybrids was mocked, then vindicated. Now it’s trying to repeat the trick with an unlikely bet on the combustion engine. in ~transport
DesktopMonitor Link ParentThe 50/60Hz issue and aversion to nuclear aside, what’s the problem with Japan’s electricity grid? Tons of solar here, few service interruptions in spite of having tons of above-ground power lines...The 50/60Hz issue and aversion to nuclear aside, what’s the problem with Japan’s electricity grid? Tons of solar here, few service interruptions in spite of having tons of above-ground power lines and rough annual rains.
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
DesktopMonitor Link ParentThe author likely heard the recording through their first language and imposed that ‘r’ on it. Also, yeah, Japanese has a thing called pitch accent. For example, the word "neko" (cat) has a...The author likely heard the recording through their first language and imposed that ‘r’ on it. Also, yeah, Japanese has a thing called pitch accent. For example, the word "neko" (cat) has a high-low pitch pattern, where the first syllable is pronounced with a high pitch and the second syllable with a low pitch. In contrast, the word "inu" (dog) has a low-high pitch pattern, where the first syllable is pronounced with a low pitch and the second syllable with a high pitch.
Regarding Hitachi, according to NHK’s Japanese accent dictionary it’s the ‘ta’ that would sound “stressed” and not the ‘hi’.
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
DesktopMonitor Link ParentBut there’s a huge catch here. Think of all the foods and ingredients that you have come across and how you pronounce those compared to how people in the food’s originating country (a tricky...But there’s a huge catch here. Think of all the foods and ingredients that you have come across and how you pronounce those compared to how people in the food’s originating country (a tricky concept itself) do. Are you mispronouncing some of those things? Relative to whom? Does the pronunciation even have solid agreement or the name for the thing itself even have agreement within the country to which that thing ‘belongs’?
Now with brands we have an interesting case because you could say that the company may dictate how its name is pronounced. Sure, but does it always want to? And, is that not similar to how a person from country A in country B would accept alternative pronunciations of their name?
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
DesktopMonitor (edited )Link ParentIf they were serious about this, yeah, they'd have to go back a few steps. Just off the top of my head…. Start with a simple study measuring Forvo visitors’ self reported reasons for using the...If they were serious about this, yeah, they'd have to go back a few steps. Just off the top of my head….
Start with a simple study measuring Forvo visitors’ self reported reasons for using the site and establish that a significant majority visit because of self-perceived pronunciation issue(s). You could do an MSc dissertation on this.
Continue with another study that confirms that these pronunciation issue(s) on the part of site visitors are in fact deviant in some meaningful way(s). There’s a PhD in this part alone.
The next studies could get into the brand-related stuff.
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
DesktopMonitor LinkThe author(s) from *BusinessFinancing.co.uk note that… Based, presumably, on their Forvo listening. Man, this is some seriously bad linguistics.The author(s) from *BusinessFinancing.co.uk note that…
The Hitachi name is made from two kanji characters: hi means “sun,” and tachi means “rise.” The name should sound like “hit Archie”
Based, presumably, on their Forvo listening. Man, this is some seriously bad linguistics.
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Comment on Wiley to shutter nineteen more journals, some tainted by fraud in ~science
DesktopMonitor Link ParentOh, the irony.I don't have a subscription […]
Oh, the irony.
I left the United States for Japan after Columbine but before Sandy Hook (and Trumpism). Would you say the uneasiness you’ve described above is what it’s like for most people in the U.S. these days? I’d really like to hope not…
Edit: I can’t offer anything useful in reply, I just don’t think anyone should have to deal with what’s been described below. Thank you for sharing your experiences.