Eric_the_Cerise's recent activity

  1. Comment on How are Framework Laptops? in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    I just got a FW13 a month ago, typing on it now. It's good. I have quibbles and concerns about some specifics, I really like other details; but overall, yeah ... it's a good laptop, everything...

    I just got a FW13 a month ago, typing on it now. It's good.

    I have quibbles and concerns about some specifics, I really like other details; but overall, yeah ... it's a good laptop, everything works. It is more expensive than a comparable "traditional" laptop, but I think just the freedom to replace the battery in a couple of years, even just that alone already justifies the markup for me ... plus the modular peripheral jacks is a really cool bonus, too.

    I do like how the keyboard works and feels; it seems responsive. OTOH, I miss assorted keys -- full-sized arrow keys, PgUp/PgDown Home/End keys, etc.

    Trackpad takes some getting used to, but again, it's actually quite good. But again, I miss dedicated left/right buttons (it has defined L/R button spaces at the bottom, but I keep missing them).

    It runs hot. Like, really hot. Like, I can't work with it in my lap, not for long, and I'm concerned that at these temps, something might burn out faster than normal.

    The version I got has some cutting-edge hardware in it, that I ran into issues finding an OS that can work with it all -- I prefer Mint Debian, but I am now running CachyOS on it (which is a very nice OS, BTW) because I run into unavoidable bugs under the X graphics server, needed to find an OS that was fully integrated with Wayland.

    That's a temporary issue, though. No doubt, whatever the underlying bug(s) is/are, they'll be resolved in a month or 3.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk

  3. Comment on Did NASA just find alien life on Mars? Here's what we know. in ~space

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Is this relating to the recent report about the Arrow rock? Mineral deposits that suggest a biologic origin (w/o conclusively ruling out possible abiotic processes)? Or is this a completely...

    Is this relating to the recent report about the Arrow rock? Mineral deposits that suggest a biologic origin (w/o conclusively ruling out possible abiotic processes)? Or is this a completely separate thing?

    5 votes

  4. Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    Does anyone remember the Big Red Button? Flash "game" thing ... started with a Big Red Button on the screen, with a message "Do not press the Big Red Button" ... and so, of course, you press it,...

    Does anyone remember the Big Red Button?

    Flash "game" thing ... started with a Big Red Button on the screen, with a message "Do not press the Big Red Button" ... and so, of course, you press it, which started a whole 15-20 minute long extravaganza of button-pressing.

    9 votes

  5. Comment on What's your go-to hot sauce? in ~food

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    Might not even be in the right category, or whatever, but my "go-to", for both cooking and just dipping/seasoning stuff, is just a good, spicy picante sauce. Still haven't found a reliable brand...

    Might not even be in the right category, or whatever, but my "go-to", for both cooking and just dipping/seasoning stuff, is just a good, spicy picante sauce.

    Still haven't found a reliable brand here in the EU (here in Germany, ketchup is understood to be at least medium-spicy...), so I often start with mild-to-medium picante, and spice it up w/jalapeños and chili powder.

    2 votes

  6. Will we ever see some kind of Korean reunification, perhaps akin to Germany?

    ~society Ask
    That's pretty much it, the title ... any chance of seeing the two Koreas rejoined in our lifetime? If so, how might that come to pass? If not, why not? Also, related questions... How much of the...

    That's pretty much it, the title ... any chance of seeing the two Koreas rejoined in our lifetime? If so, how might that come to pass? If not, why not?

    Also, related questions...

    How much of the on-going dispute is actually between "regular" Koreans, and how much of it is explicitly caused by N Korean (and/or S Korean) leadership?

    How out-of-touch with the rest of the world are "regular" N Koreans?

    Just a passing thought ... open-ended discussion ... not strictly insisting on it, but let's try to keep the discussion serious, and civil.

    9 votes

  7. Comment on Android emulators to actually use mobile apps in day-to-day life? in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Maybe? Looks like it's Windows/Mac specific (I'm on Linux) ... might still be feasible, but that would mean 2 layers of emulators. Calling it Plan B for now.

    Maybe?

    Looks like it's Windows/Mac specific (I'm on Linux) ... might still be feasible, but that would mean 2 layers of emulators. Calling it Plan B for now.

  8. Comment on Android emulators to actually use mobile apps in day-to-day life? in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Well ... of course they have a website. That's not the same thing as being able to log in and do your banking online. Actually, though, I may owe my bank an apology. It looks like they recently...

    Well ... of course they have a website. That's not the same thing as being able to log in and do your banking online.

    Actually, though, I may owe my bank an apology. It looks like they recently added (non-mobile) web-based banking ... I think. There's a login, anyway.

    Still, I have other apps with no web-based equivalent, that I would like to get off of my phone.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Android emulators to actually use mobile apps in day-to-day life? in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    I've actually used Android Studio in the past for actual development -- pretty minimal experience, but not a noob. I think I still have a VM lying around on a HDD somewhere, explicitly dedicated...

    I've actually used Android Studio in the past for actual development -- pretty minimal experience, but not a noob. I think I still have a VM lying around on a HDD somewhere, explicitly dedicated to Android development.

    It just never entered my head to try it for this use-case before.

    Now, I'm thinking of things like SIM cards, accelerometers, GPS detection ... IDK, whatever-all-else phones generally have built into them that laptops generally do not ... and what happens in an emulator to fake those sensors and etc, and how might that screw up legitimate app functionality.

    I expect, eg, my pedometer will have to stay on the real phone.

    OTOH, though, my primary banking app is one of my prime targets to get to work on a laptop. It kinda infuriates me that I cannot do my banking on my computer.

    2 votes

  10. Android emulators to actually use mobile apps in day-to-day life?

    ~tech Ask (advice)
    My understanding is that Android emulators primarily exist for mobile development and app testing and such-like, and maybe secondarily, to play mobile games. I want to explore the possibility of...

    My understanding is that Android emulators primarily exist for mobile development and app testing and such-like, and maybe secondarily, to play mobile games.

    I want to explore the possibility of using them as a, basically, full-time replacement for installing apps on my phone. More and more apps and services have no "desktop/laptop" version, and no website version. Installing the app on your phone is starting to become a non-negotiable requirement ... one that I'd like to find a work-around to.

    So, yeah ... I guess that's the question. Is this a 'thing'? Has anyone experimented with--or flat-out used--an emulator on a desktop/laptop to run their banking app and the like? Is this even possible? Can you connect an emulator to an app-store and just start downloading/installing stuff?

    Thanks.

    23 votes

  11. Comment on SpaceX's Starship completes successful test flight after a year of mishaps in ~space

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    SpaceX has actually had fully autonomous driving capability for several years now. Perhaps you are confusing them with some other company?

    SpaceX has actually had fully autonomous driving capability for several years now. Perhaps you are confusing them with some other company?

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Vivaldi takes a stand: keep browsing human in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Vivaldi is primarily my dedicated RSS/news browser. It helps me keep the news segregated from the work. In that capacity, I honestly haven't run into a single UI bug. I do have an issue with, I...

    Vivaldi is primarily my dedicated RSS/news browser. It helps me keep the news segregated from the work.

    In that capacity, I honestly haven't run into a single UI bug.

    I do have an issue with, I guess, UX? They have got a lot of features and extras built into the browser, and finding them is always very unintuitive for me. I end up opening 3-4 different "settings" and "options" menus, slowly hovering my way down a long trail of icons to read what each one actually is, and still–often enough–being forced to search online to find the thing I want.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on SpaceX's Starship completes successful test flight after a year of mishaps in ~space

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    I don't think this is Musk. When he spouts off on his Twitter feed, that's one thing. This is SpaceX official plans, which means Gwynne is at least not actively vetoing the timeline.

    I don't think this is Musk. When he spouts off on his Twitter feed, that's one thing. This is SpaceX official plans, which means Gwynne is at least not actively vetoing the timeline.

    7 votes

  14. Comment on SpaceX's Starship completes successful test flight after a year of mishaps in ~space

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    They sure were selling Starlink hard in this livestream -- more than usual, I think. That aside, this thing is just an epic machine that they've built, never gets old watching it fly ... watching...

    They sure were selling Starlink hard in this livestream -- more than usual, I think.

    That aside, this thing is just an epic machine that they've built, never gets old watching it fly ... watching rockets the size of Montana flying backwards ... watching Starship fly halfway around the world, survive a brutal re-entry, and then land 100m from the camera where they expected it to land, etc.

    Still, my biggest takeaway from the live feed ... they are seriously planning on launching multiple Starships to Mars next year already -- no mission beyond "can we get there and what happens if we try to land", but still. Then, they're still aiming for a second fleet in the 2028 launch window to actually land with a bunch of "real Mars colony" gear and robots and stuff, and try to prepare an area for manned landings in the 2031 window.

    Until they can fully refuel one of these things in orbit, it's still just a pipe dream ... but even a somewhat more realistic timeline has them potentially landing humans on Mars by the mid-2030s.

    10 votes

  15. Comment on Donald Trump administration issues stop-work order for US offshore wind project in ~enviro

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Yeah, agreed ... it's not in international waters -- something in the article made me think it was. So, practically speaking, it's a moot point. But technically? Just wondering ... these projects...

    Yeah, agreed ... it's not in international waters -- something in the article made me think it was.

    So, practically speaking, it's a moot point.

    But technically? Just wondering ... these projects are fundamentally designed to include a few dozen miles of buried submarine high-power lines to get the energy from the farm to the shores.

    Is there any fundamental limit on range here? Could they lay 300 mi up along the coast to Canada?

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Donald Trump administration issues stop-work order for US offshore wind project in ~enviro

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    IDK enough about the legalities of this, but I assume this is something the Feds would have to sign off on. The states don't get to unilaterally decide what happens in US coastal waters, just...

    IDK enough about the legalities of this, but I assume this is something the Feds would have to sign off on. The states don't get to unilaterally decide what happens in US coastal waters, just because it's near their coast ... otherwise, that first wind farm might have already started exploring that option.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Donald Trump administration issues stop-work order for US offshore wind project in ~enviro

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    This is the 2nd such major offshore wind project, of 5 that are currently in development. It is 80% complete. The first one (Empire Wind) was stopped back in April, but apparently, it's now back...

    This is the 2nd such major offshore wind project, of 5 that are currently in development. It is 80% complete. The first one (Empire Wind) was stopped back in April, but apparently, it's now back on, after a lot of negotiations with the Trump Admin.

    This one (Revolution Wind) is located off the coast of Rhode Island ... and also ... entirely in international waters. Which brings up an interesting idea. Probably untenable, so let's just call it a thought experiment.

    Presumably, the stop-work order can only really apply to the "connecting it to RI" part of the project. So ... hypothetically -- asking Tildes users with more knowledge on the subject -- would it be A) technically possible at all, and then B) practically feasible ... for this (Danish) company to just finish the wind farm, and then lay a couple hundred miles of submarine high-power line to Canada, and sell the energy to them?

    8 votes

  19. Comment on A Ukrainian startup develops long-range drones and missiles to take the battle to Russia in ~engineering

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    Wow. I know this is happening; I have always known that Ukraine is innovating and developing their own weapons systems at a breakneck pace. They have to. And yet, day-to-day, I forget about this....

    Wow.

    I know this is happening; I have always known that Ukraine is innovating and developing their own weapons systems at a breakneck pace. They have to.

    And yet, day-to-day, I forget about this. And even when I think I remember it, articles like this remind me that I don't know the half of it.

    Nothing the EU gives Ukraine today is charity.

    The day this war ends, Ukraine is going to become the preeminent supplier of the best aerial weapons systems on Earth, and the EU is gonna be their favorite customer.

    11 votes

  20. Comment on Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses in ~enviro

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    Except image generation wasn't measured separately; it wasn't measured at all, or – much more likely – it was measured, but not reported. Which, ultimately, this is Google self-reporting. They are...

    Except image generation wasn't measured separately; it wasn't measured at all, or – much more likely – it was measured, but not reported.

    Which, ultimately, this is Google self-reporting. They are under no requirement to be complete, or accurate, or even honest, for that matter. We actually have very little chance of confirming or refuting the numbers they have published, and even if they are caught lying about the numbers, they face no consequences.

    4 votes