Eric_the_Cerise's recent activity
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Comment on Alternative news source recommendations in ~news
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Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentIDK about the distro official website, but Abishek has been hand-writing "It's FOSS" since before the term "AI slop" even existed, so IDK where you got that idea, but that's real-human slop there....IDK about the distro official website, but Abishek has been hand-writing "It's FOSS" since before the term "AI slop" even existed, so IDK where you got that idea, but that's real-human slop there.
Honestly, the actual Ageless website looks pretty human-centric, too.
What makes you think "AI slop" (besides the sheer ubiquity of it these days)?
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Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise LinkNew Linux distro just dropped ... literally "Debian without OS-level age verification". Even better and more interesting (also linked in the parent article) is their website, working to document...New Linux distro just dropped ... literally "Debian without OS-level age verification".
Even better and more interesting (also linked in the parent article) is their website, working to document the position of all major Linux distros on this issue, as well as getting ready to provide explicit tutorial documentation on how to rip OS-level age verification out of your distro of choice.
No word yet on Microsoft's position on the subject.
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Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws
32 votes -
Comment on Edible Plant Database: Explore 25,759 edible plant species from around the world — with edible uses, medicinal properties, cultivation details, and nutrition data in ~food
Eric_the_Cerise LinkVery cool, but so far, also very incomplete. Just at a glance, over half the countries of Europe list 0 species.Very cool, but so far, also very incomplete. Just at a glance, over half the countries of Europe list 0 species.
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Alternative news source recommendations
I have a specific focus in mind here. Not sure if it even exists, but let's ask. So, we all know there's a news cycle, and everyone follows it. That's my "alternative" focus here ... I want that...
I have a specific focus in mind here. Not sure if it even exists, but let's ask.
So, we all know there's a news cycle, and everyone follows it. That's my "alternative" focus here ... I want that news outlet that explicitly, assertively, goes out of its way, to not follow it. Whatever everyone else is reporting on, those Top 10 stories on every other front page, these guys skip right over those.
I'm looking for that news agency that does those "hey, remember that thing in the news 6 months ago? Whatever happened with that?" stories. The agency that says, "So, have you heard enough about the war in Iran yet? Well, guess what's going on in Honduras today".
Things that don't count ...
- Not looking for extremist, or conspiracy theorist sites.
- Not looking for sites that focus on a particular region or subject matter (mostly Ukraine, mostly financial news, mostly Green/Climate news, etc).
- Not looking for highly opinionated or partisan sites -- everyone leans one way or another, I know, but looking for sites that aim to be objective.
- Not looking for deep dives into the same news cycle ("Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Really?").
So ... any tips?
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Comment on Canada is already at war with the US, we just don't know it yet in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link Parent...and 175 countries all agreeing to do something hard is also a flat-out physical impossibility (as evidenced by, eg, oil sanctions on Russia, or climate change) ... I realize this. My rant is......and 175 countries all agreeing to do something hard is also a flat-out physical impossibility (as evidenced by, eg, oil sanctions on Russia, or climate change) ... I realize this.
My rant is clearly an over-simplification of my frustration with what I see as widespread, instant capitulation and even pre-capitulation, when even a half-assed, semi-effective, kinda-sorta-mostly global hard-line refusal would (probably) have worked better than ever-more-inventive ways to appease.
And I do realize that global trade is changing, rapidly, thanks to Trump. US economic dominance is done, and will continue to crash even if Trump disappeared tomorrow.
Ultimately, I guess ... it was just a rant.
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Comment on Canada is already at war with the US, we just don't know it yet in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link Parent... ahem ... economic starvation. Yes, every other country on Earth would struggle ... and the US would struggle about as much as every other country put together. It wouldn't take long to utterly...... ahem ... economic starvation.
Yes, every other country on Earth would struggle ... and the US would struggle about as much as every other country put together. It wouldn't take long to utterly destroy the US economy, in this day and age.
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Comment on Canada is already at war with the US, we just don't know it yet in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise LinkA bit of a broader, more general-purpose side-rant here. Apologies for picking on this article; not explicitly upset with this article, just using it as the example. So I've had this notion...- Exemplary
A bit of a broader, more general-purpose side-rant here. Apologies for picking on this article; not explicitly upset with this article, just using it as the example.
So I've had this notion floating around in my head since Trump took office (again).
I've watched, over and over, his blatant brazen "bow to me or face my wrath" bullshit, and I have been flat-out shocked that organization after organization, and country after country has fallen for this bullshit and caved in, abandoning principles and doing whatever they have to, to appease the boy-king.
And here's what has been obvious to me (and most "regular people") since Day 0, but which--apparently--has never become obvious to every leader on the planet.
--No, the US is not at war with Canada; the US is at war with the entire world ... and as long as Canada and Canadians keep thinking about this as attacks by the US on Canada ... until Canadians are every bit as shocked and up-in-arms when Trump attacks Venezuela, or Spain, or Cuba, or Mexico, or China, or even Iran, or whoever else the Infant-Tyrant professes to be upset with on any given day ... as long as everyone, everywhere continues to shut up and hold their breath, in the hope of not drawing His ire ... the US keeps winning what should have been an unwinnable war against the entire planet.
The day Trump announced tariffs on every single country on Earth ... every single country on Earth should have immediately gotten together and said "okay, fuck the US ... no one buys anything from the US, no one sells anything to the US, until the US either grows up, or dies of starvation ... we can go right back to disagreeing on everything else afterwards, but for this, we need to act in unison, put a hard stop to this behavior right now".
Mind you, I'm not saying "reciprocal tariffs". I'm saying 100% everything-sanctions. No scabs; no one crosses the picket line.
Tariffs would have lasted a month, then TACO, and then the subject would never have been raised again.
But instead of saying "that's unfair to the whole world", every leader of every country said "that's unfair to my country; let's talk about making a special exception for us, and then you can keep right on fucking over whoever else isn't smart enough to make a deal with you".
And lo and behold, the spoiled brat keeps getting his way. And I have come to realize that this is how Trump has gotten ahead his entire life ... by trusting in the inherent selfishness and greed and self-interest of everyone he's ever crossed swords with.
This is literally the global socio-economic equivalent of "first they came for the Communists".
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Comment on Almost a third of Gen Z men agree a wife should obey her husband in ~life.men
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentI just finally glanced at this, and I think this is definitely one of those "lies, damned lies, and statistics" sort of "studies" ... to whatever extent there is a trend here, it is primarily...I just finally glanced at this, and I think this is definitely one of those "lies, damned lies, and statistics" sort of "studies" ... to whatever extent there is a trend here, it is primarily cultural, rather than generational.
Which brings me to my anecdotal resonance ... I lived in Hungary for several years. I don't believe that most young men there would "exactly" buy into this "women must obey men" claim, but there definitely is a strong, old-school patriarchal vibe there ... boys are spoiled and treated like princes growing up, while girls are told they are precious, but treated badly, left to fend for themselves, get second-hand care, etc ... girls and women are also strongly told that their value lies in their baby-making potential (preferably boy babies). Women that don't want to have babies are very stigmatized.
Before other Hungarians jump on me here, to clarify, this is a tendency in the culture. Of course, not all Hungarian families are like this. But this kind of inequality does run through the culture there.
Separately (or not, IDK), there are a lot of Hungarians--men and women--looking for any scapegoat to blame for their life, economy, society, etc, sucking there ... immigrants and gypsies are top of the list, but "uppity women" are definitely on that list, too.
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Comment on Chimpanzees are really into crystals in ~science
Eric_the_Cerise LinkGetting strong "The Gods Must Be Crazy" vibes from this experiment...Getting strong "The Gods Must Be Crazy" vibes from this experiment...
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Comment on Lenovo’s new ThinkPads score 10/10 for repairability in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise LinkWow. Looks like my Framework. This was completely off my radar until now. I always liked Thinkpads -- I actually still have a 14-year-old one, gamely plugging away, 24/7, as a spare local server....Wow. Looks like my Framework. This was completely off my radar until now.
I always liked Thinkpads -- I actually still have a 14-year-old one, gamely plugging away, 24/7, as a spare local server. But I've always thought of them as "regular" laptops ... meaning, fuggedabout repair/upgrade.
Gonna have to dig into this some more.
Wouldn't it be glorious if Lenovo and Framework (and anyone else out there, working on this angle) started to develop compatibility? Framework parts in your Lenovo laptop, and vice versa? ... dare to dream.
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Comment on The average US college student is illiterate in ~life
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentWhere I lived in Hungary, there was a municipal trend of painting large, bright yellow signs on the ground right before you entered crosswalks crossing the street, signs that said "Stop using your...Where I lived in Hungary, there was a municipal trend of painting large, bright yellow signs on the ground right before you entered crosswalks crossing the street, signs that said "Stop using your phone! Do not cross the street while using your phone!"
I thought that it was simultaneously very creative of the local govt, and also a sad commentary that the signs were apparently necessary (I hate to think what prompted them to start making those signs...).
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Comment on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in Israeli and American joint strikes in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentThe past year, I have repeatedly found myself describing Trump's foreign policy as "someone playing "Risk" who definitely has a knack for the game, but has never played before".The past year, I have repeatedly found myself describing Trump's foreign policy as "someone playing "Risk" who definitely has a knack for the game, but has never played before".
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Comment on US Pentagon declares Anthropic a threat to national security in ~society
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentFWIW, between OpenAI and Google, they have ~200,000 employees, and last time I checked, the petition had something like 300 signatures on it, so.... I mean, I'd love to see these companies just do...FWIW, between OpenAI and Google, they have ~200,000 employees, and last time I checked, the petition had something like 300 signatures on it, so.... I mean, I'd love to see these companies just do something right, just because it's the right thing to do, but absent that fantasy, a petition with <1% of employees signing it, isn't exactly a compelling reason.
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Comment on Anthropic rejects latest US Pentagon offer: ‘We cannot in good conscience accede to their request’ in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise Link"request" ... apparently, Hegseth wasn't quite blunt enough."request" ... apparently, Hegseth wasn't quite blunt enough.
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Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies
Eric_the_Cerise LinkOne point that, I think, no one else has said ... 3d-printed ghost guns are not a complete red herring. People do make them, and people do use them in crimes. But it's not common, and it's not...One point that, I think, no one else has said ... 3d-printed ghost guns are not a complete red herring. People do make them, and people do use them in crimes. But it's not common, and it's not nearly as easy as people (politicians?) seem to think.
What is common, and easy, is any of a dozen other ways people get their hands on guns to commit crimes.
Ghost guns are not "the low-hanging fruit" in this situation.
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Comment on Anthropic drops flagship safety pledge in ~tech
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentThe point I'm surprised ... no, not surprised, I guess, just--somehow--even more disappointed over... Snowden was less than 15 years ago. Today, the Pentagon is threatening to blacklist Anthropic,...The point I'm surprised ... no, not surprised, I guess, just--somehow--even more disappointed over...
Snowden was less than 15 years ago.
Today, the Pentagon is threatening to blacklist Anthropic, explicitly, for not giving them full use of their AI, for A) fully autonomous, AI powered targeting & strike capabilities, and 2) unrestricted, fully autonomous AI powered mass surveillance of US citizens.
This is not a whistleblower thing, it's not a reporter "scoop", nothing.
The US Pentagon is flat-out openly stating that it will destroy an AI company if it can't use the AI for mass spying on the US public.
(Oh yeah ... and killing people w/o human oversight)
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Comment on Lithium plume in our atmosphere traced back to returning SpaceX rocket in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise Link ParentIDK the exact percentages, but the (vast?) majority of these do not "count" as atmospheric pollution. Rocks and simple metallic meteors burning up in our atmosphere is (mostly) not the same as...IDK the exact percentages, but the (vast?) majority of these do not "count" as atmospheric pollution. Rocks and simple metallic meteors burning up in our atmosphere is (mostly) not the same as rockets and satellites, which are full of assorted advanced alloys and toxic chemicals and etc.
Additionally, this is like Climate Deniers (not calling you one; just an analogy) claiming that volcanoes contribute more to global warming than people do ... our atmosphere--like our climate--is adapted/tuned to include the amount of pollutants that get added annually by meteors (or volcanoes), but the extra that we add thru technology is the part that is at risk of throwing things out of balance.
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Comment on Lithium plume in our atmosphere traced back to returning SpaceX rocket in ~space
Eric_the_Cerise (edited )Link ParentI am a huge fan of space exploration, going way back -- I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon. And I don't want us to stop. But your conclusion that Capitalism is the solution feels like...I am a huge fan of space exploration, going way back -- I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon. And I don't want us to stop. But your conclusion that Capitalism is the solution feels like you've missed the mark here.
How much atmospheric pollution will we be seeing once SpaceX has 30,000+ satellites in LEO, and 6,000 of them are intentionally being deorbited to burn up in our atmosphere every single year? What about once Amazon and Europe and China (planning not one but 2 massive mega-constellations) add their two-bits? What about the pollution being produced by rockets on take-off -- yes, they pollute, and when it's a hundred launches a year, globally ... meh ... but once fully reusable rockets the size of Starship are ubiquitous (PS: China is already just 2-3 years behind SpaceX in producing their own fully-reusable super-heavy lift system -- sans Capitalism), and we are launching a dozen-plus giant rockets daily....
And ye gods, don't even get me started on Kessler Syndrome, which, perversely, would solve all of these problems for us, for at least a few centuries.
I have no real-world solutions. The best solution would be a global, binding regulatory system that actually prioritizes equitable, sustainable access to space (call it a UN of Space, sans veto power) ... particularly LEO, but it looks like the Moon is about to get hosed by Capitalism over the coming decade, too, so...
But no one is even talking about such a global regulatory system (nor any other viable alternative method of self-restraint) and of course, getting China, Russia & the US to actually submit to such a thing is unimaginable, so (shrugs).
Edit to add: Okay, I just finished reading the article ... apparently Robyn Schofield & Robert George Ryan (the authors) are at least talking about such a regulatory system. Good on them.
These guys are already in my RSS feed, thanks.