ErasmusDarwin's recent activity
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Comment on What's your go-to hot sauce? in ~food
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Comment on Donald Trump Department of Justice is looking at ways to ban transgender Americans from owning guns, sources say in ~lgbt
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentGun Owners of America is a well-known group that fights for 2A rights. It's one of the main alternatives to the NRA for people who want an actual pro-2A group. Their website doesn't have anything...So, 2A people, why aren't you in the streets over this?!
Gun Owners of America is a well-known group that fights for 2A rights. It's one of the main alternatives to the NRA for people who want an actual pro-2A group.
Their website doesn't have anything about this, but the latest updates are from late August. However, their Twitter (sigh) account does have a reaction to this same CNN article, which they responded with "GOA opposes any & all gun bans. Full stop." Rep. Massie also responded with "I oppose all gun bans as well."
(Link)
Oh because hate comes first.
It feels like you've built a caricature up in your mind then immediately used it to prove yourself right. I don't think it's that different from how the average person can get sucked into all sorts of hate against groups whose members they don't know personally.
People in online gun groups talking positively about the Pink Pistols (WP article) is how I found out there was an LGBTQ+ gun group, even though it would be another two decades before I would realize I was queer myself and better immerse myself in LGBTQ+ content online. It's also worth noting that the Wikipedia article quotes the spokesperson as saying they "get a better response from firearms supporters than from homosexuals".
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Comment on Google's new AI video tool floods internet with real-looking clips in ~tech
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentIn the videos I've seen (such as the water bottle person video), it's not even consistent between shots. If you watch the conference room scene that starts around 1:15, it can cut away and back to...In the videos I've seen (such as the water bottle person video), it's not even consistent between shots. If you watch the conference room scene that starts around 1:15, it can cut away and back to a consistent person, but each shot seems to be a different cast of characters. It's particularly noticeable if you try and figure out who's at the head of the table or look for any of the people from up-close shots in the wider shots. So I suspect your plan would work even better and reveal discrepancies much larger than just minor spatial irregularities.
I wouldn't be surprised if merely doing a slow 360 would still be enough to make AI video come up short. In earlier AI videos, it seemed to me like it only mattered that the new stuff panning into view matched what was on-screen. So doing a slow 360 at a public event would give you a whole new crowd of onlookers. I really hope these "problems" don't get solved soon.
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Comment on ‘Doctor Who’ ratings dive, supercharging uncertainty about future of sci-fi series in ~tv
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentAccording to this, he was a sex symbol during his run. And I can definitely see it. When I first saw posters for the new season, I remember being disappointed that they were replacing Smith with...I think a blow to this argument would be Capaldi, who is quite old to the point where I don't think he would have that level of attraction from women.
According to this, he was a sex symbol during his run. And I can definitely see it. When I first saw posters for the new season, I remember being disappointed that they were replacing Smith with some random older guy. But as soon as I saw him in action, I realized how perfect his was for the role. He has a presence that makes him stand out.
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Comment on George Wendt, ‘Cheers’ star, dies at 76 in ~tv
ErasmusDarwin LinkIt looks like the "Related Stories" blurb after the first two paragraphs made Tildes undercount the number of words in the article. The rest of the article does a good job at discussing Wendt's...It looks like the "Related Stories" blurb after the first two paragraphs made Tildes undercount the number of words in the article. The rest of the article does a good job at discussing Wendt's other roles and career, as to be expected from an industry-focused write-up. I found it an interesting read.
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Comment on What are the rules of this subreddit? in ~tildes
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentThanks for the clarification. I think that helps illustrate my difficulties with the situation, as I drew the wrong conclusion from the limited information. I just wish it was easier to get a feel...Thanks for the clarification. I think that helps illustrate my difficulties with the situation, as I drew the wrong conclusion from the limited information.
I just wish it was easier to get a feel for how some of the cases get decided. For example, over on Reddit, the reaction to the United Healthcare killing led to a lot of seemingly innocuous political hyperbole getting swept into the category of advocating violence. And it's only because of all the tangential chatter about moderation that it was obvious something was going on. But that sort of thing's a bit more off-topic on Tildes, and we don't have the equivalent of people wandering over to other subreddits to discuss/complain about moderation, so it just feels harder to absorb some on the details.
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Comment on What are the rules of this subreddit? in ~tildes
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentAs someone who uses visits Tildes irregularly and doesn't have the best memory, this sort of thing only makes it obvious that someone/something has been banned but not who/what/why. I understand...It's very obvious when someone has been banned or "censored" if you will. It'll say "Comment deleted by site admin".
As someone who uses visits Tildes irregularly and doesn't have the best memory, this sort of thing only makes it obvious that someone/something has been banned but not who/what/why. I understand that publicizing that information can invite more drama, but it also makes it harder to get a feel for the rules. If I see a comment with questionable behavior, I don't know if it just hasn't been removed yet, and if I see a removed comment, I either never saw it or don't remember it well enough.
For example, there's this case that popped up when I tried Googling the comment removal message. The comment was removed by the site admin, the reply was deleted by the author, and the next two replies are completely innocuous with no hint of upstream drama. My best guess is that the OP copied the entire article, and it was removed on copyright grounds. But since there's no indicator, it doesn't help people learn who don't already know about that rule.
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Comment on Ubisoft sends data it collects from gamers in “Far Cry Primal” to Google, Amazon, and others in ~games
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentRelated anecdote: The telemetry is SpaceChem was used to confirm that the last level could be solved. I remember reading that the designer hadn't solved it, but they just shipped and waited to see...Related anecdote: The telemetry is SpaceChem was used to confirm that the last level could be solved. I remember reading that the designer hadn't solved it, but they just shipped and waited to see what happened.
Of course the player data in that and other Zachtronics games is also used in a player-facing manner to provide histograms with the performance of other player solutions. The histograms do a great job of showing the expected par performance for each puzzle, along with what to aim for if you want to go for the more clever solution. Even though it's just player statistics, the results seem to do a good job of matching what I'd expect if each puzzle had target scores set by the designer.
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Comment on UK Supreme Court: 'Woman' means biological female under the Equality Act 2010 in ~society
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentI think everyone's missing the larger connection -- policies that unfairly favor one group over another provide an incentive for gatekeeping membership in that group. I'm a big supporter of...I think it is actively harmful to focus on how a threshold like this might theoretically harm cis men in a conversation about how trans people are having their rights taken away.
I think everyone's missing the larger connection -- policies that unfairly favor one group over another provide an incentive for gatekeeping membership in that group.
I'm a big supporter of self-identification when it comes to gender and sexuality. Too much of it depends on what's going on in a person's head, and that person's the only one who truly knows. And someone figuring things it can be complicated enough without outsiders trying to tell them what they're truly thinking/feeling.
But when you've got the government favoring women over men (even with a motive of correcting a perceived inequity), then you've given the government a reason to define what a woman is. And since tangible benefits are on the line, any definition is going to be stricter than "you're a woman if you say you're a woman." The issue also gives TERFs an issue to use to codify their hatred as well as a means of radicalizing some of the less extreme transphobes.
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Comment on Anubis works in ~tech
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentHaving dug into the details of Anubis works now, I think I see your point. I didn't realize that the tokens are designed so that the challenge server is stateless and the tokens can be...Having dug into the details of Anubis works now, I think I see your point. I didn't realize that the tokens are designed so that the challenge server is stateless and the tokens can be independently verified with the client IP address being an important source of randomness for the challenge.
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Comment on Anubis works in ~tech
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentIf the server doesn't throttle by IP, then a malicious bot can pass the Anubis check once and run wild from a single IP. Extending that same throttling to tokens would provide comparable...If the server doesn't throttle by IP, then a malicious bot can pass the Anubis check once and run wild from a single IP. Extending that same throttling to tokens would provide comparable protections against bots while reducing the impact on users with changing IP addresses.
It may require significant changes in Anubis's design -- basing it on IP probably made things a lot easier for the initial version -- but the fundamental idea should be just as effective whether you identify users by IP or by token.
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Comment on Swedish journalist detained on arrival in Turkey to cover protests over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor has been arrested on terror-related charges and for “insulting the president” in ~society
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentI remember the period 15-20 years ago when a bunch of these prosecutions were taking place in Thailand and would get picked up by western media. It was pretty clear it was being weaponized by the...I was surprised and find it concerning how many of these laws still exist in various democratic countries to this day.
I remember the period 15-20 years ago when a bunch of these prosecutions were taking place in Thailand and would get picked up by western media. It was pretty clear it was being weaponized by the political parties against their opponents, sometimes fabricating the insult in question, despite the king himself having gone on record that people should criticize him when he's wrong.
There was even a Flash game from Raitendo that tried to make a statement on the issue by having the player poop on the king. But since it wasn't the king pushing for these laws and prosecutions, I think it missed the mark since it didn't bring attention to the people actually weaponizing the law. It did, however, create some discussion when it was pulled from Kongregate, since an American-owned website was deferring to a Thai speech law.
But despite having seen all that, I'm also taken by surprise that democratic countries have these laws. When I skimmed the Wikipedia article, it at least didn't look like they were using fabricated insults like I remember from what happened in Thailand. However, this one did jump out at me in the Netherlands section:
On 23 January 2020, an individual was sentenced to 40 hours of community service for insulting Queen Máxima, referring to her as the daughter of a murderer (she is the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, who served as a minister in the Argentine military regime of Jorge Rafael Videla).
While the phrasing was a bit crass, that also sounds like a political critique. It resulted in a slap on the wrist, but I find it worrisome that a statement like that was prosecuted in a country like the Netherlands.
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Comment on She challenges one school book a week. She says she’ll never stop. (2023) in ~society
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentThat reminds me of the CAP alert guy who used to do just that with movies. He'd obsessively record all the things in movies that he felt ran contrary to Christian values. Then he'd use it to...Share that, let other people do the same, and she will achieve a lot more by giving parents the information they need to make judgments, rather than just trying pass these judgements herself in one school district.
That reminds me of the CAP alert guy who used to do just that with movies. He'd obsessively record all the things in movies that he felt ran contrary to Christian values. Then he'd use it to calculate a pseudo-objective score.
It looks like his site's still up, but he stopped adding reviews around 2010 or 2011.
For the curious: http://www.capalert.com/capreports/index.htm
Be warned - there's plenty of preachy homophobia and other overbearing religiousness. But at least the guy stuck to just informing others instead of trying to ban things he disagreed with.
And if you're feeling extra-adventurous, the main page is a time capsule of painfully awkward 90s web design: http://www.capalert.com/
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Comment on Twitch changes monetization policies to give most streamers access to monetization in ~tech
ErasmusDarwin LinkThe existing affiliate requirements (which the article erroneously refers to as partnership requirements) seem pretty low as is - 50 followers, average 3 viewers per stream, and have at least 8...The existing affiliate requirements (which the article erroneously refers to as partnership requirements) seem pretty low as is - 50 followers, average 3 viewers per stream, and have at least 8 hours of total streaming across 7 different days. If they aren't hitting that, then I suspect they're not going to get enough revenue to hit the payout threshold of $50.
It almost sounds like they're trying to take advantage of future failed streamers by getting their friends and family to throw some money at them before they give up.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentIt looks like they were going for much higher volumes than a drone would be capable of. $112,000 worth of tobacco is a lot of tobacco. Of course that only makes their plan sound even more crazy....If I was going to do something like this, well I would use a drone.
It looks like they were going for much higher volumes than a drone would be capable of. $112,000 worth of tobacco is a lot of tobacco.
Of course that only makes their plan sound even more crazy. They would have to spend a significant amount of time launching that much tobacco over the fence.
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Comment on Only about 40% of the Ted Cruz "woke science" US database is woke science in ~society
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentI think I worded that poorly. I'm not criticizing the rest of the proposal, just that the inclusion of that last sentence makes the final combination seem like satire. Plenty of satire has...I think I worded that poorly. I'm not criticizing the rest of the proposal, just that the inclusion of that last sentence makes the final combination seem like satire. Plenty of satire has something serious that ends with an absurd twist.
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Comment on Only about 40% of the Ted Cruz "woke science" US database is woke science in ~society
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentThat's a fair point. You're right that tying it to actual policy is pure speculation. But whether that diversity shoehorning was coming from a reaction to actual NSF practices or just a false...That's a fair point. You're right that tying it to actual policy is pure speculation.
But whether that diversity shoehorning was coming from a reaction to actual NSF practices or just a false belief that's what the NSF wanted, the resulting grant proposal still feels like a satire of mandatory DEI.
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Comment on Only about 40% of the Ted Cruz "woke science" US database is woke science in ~society
ErasmusDarwin LinkIt's not the central focus of the article, but I thought this illustrates an area where we've become too polarized. If people could more easily argue against the former without getting lumped in...It reflects poorly on the Biden administration that you could only get a grant to cure cancer if you suggested you might teach an underrepresented minority child about it. But surely it also reflects poorly on the Republicans when they propose it for cancellation just because it did include the sentence about minorities.
It's not the central focus of the article, but I thought this illustrates an area where we've become too polarized. If people could more easily argue against the former without getting lumped in with the latter, maybe we wouldn't have gotten another Trump presidency.
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Comment on Hypothyroidism and me in ~health
ErasmusDarwin Link ParentI wanted to emphasize this point, as I had this very problem recently. My dosage levels had been consistent for ages. Then I lost a bunch of weight and didn't even think about the consequences...Make sure to keep up with the blood tests to insure you're getting proper dosage, especially as your weight changes.
I wanted to emphasize this point, as I had this very problem recently. My dosage levels had been consistent for ages. Then I lost a bunch of weight and didn't even think about the consequences with my thyroid medication. Suddenly, I was still losing weight even during periods where I thought I was indulging a bit too much calorie-wise, I was sleeping less yet feeling rested, I felt like I could do anything. I didn't realize it was the meds until my next checkup showed my thyroid levels were way too high.
If not for the fact that it presumably has negative long-term health effects, I wouldn't have minded being like that all the time. It honestly felt a bit like having super powers.
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Comment on Leprechaun lore in ~movies
ErasmusDarwin LinkIt's been ages since I've seen Leprechaun 4, but the thing that stuck with me the most is that it was its own entire B-sci fi flick, and the leprechaun just happened to be wandering around in the...It's been ages since I've seen Leprechaun 4, but the thing that stuck with me the most is that it was its own entire B-sci fi flick, and the leprechaun just happened to be wandering around in the background killing people. I always wondered if they wrote it from scratch, or if they bought the rights to the cheapest sci-fi script up for sale and then pasted in the leprechaun.
When I was happy with the flavor but wanted more heat, I stuck to my favorite sauces and just added dried carolina reaper chili powder to the mix. Wicked Reaper was the brand I went with -- they used to have a 3-pack on Amazon that was a good deal, but now it seems they only sell singles.
When I first tried it, I nervously added just the slightest amount to my food on its own, and it wasn't any hotter than the hot sauce I'd been using (El Yucateco Extra Hot - a habanero-based sauce that's a little over 10k SHU). So even though reapers are a little over 2 million SHU, it's you can control how much heat you're adding, and it doesn't change the flavor too much (though it can be noticeable).
It's been a few years, but when I was in my "heat, heat, and more heat" phase, I was literally adding some to every meal I ate.