GhostHardware's recent activity
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Comment on Share a true story from your life in five lines or less in ~creative
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Comment on Iceland hit by thousands of quakes and threat of volcanic eruption – the island nation has experienced increased seismic activity in the past month in ~science
GhostHardware Link ParentYes: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Erdbeere It literally means "earth berry" or "berry of the soil". It has the same etymology in Dutch, my native language: Aardbeving - Earthquake Aardbei -...Yes:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Erdbeere
It literally means "earth berry" or "berry of the soil".
It has the same etymology in Dutch, my native language:
- Aardbeving - Earthquake
- Aardbei - Strawberry
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Comment on Iceland hit by thousands of quakes and threat of volcanic eruption – the island nation has experienced increased seismic activity in the past month in ~science
GhostHardware Link ParentThat might have to do with the fact that this article was published by Deutsche Welle; it seems like a Germanism. In German, the word Beben (tremor) is very commonly used for earthquakes. In fact,...That might have to do with the fact that this article was published by Deutsche Welle; it seems like a Germanism. In German, the word Beben (tremor) is very commonly used for earthquakes. In fact, the proper term, Erdbeben, is a compound noun derived from this word.
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Comment on Scott Alexander has deleted his Slate Star Codex blog due to the New York Times planning to reveal his real name in an article in ~tech
GhostHardware Link ParentExactly. I live in the Netherlands, where it's also common practice to use fake names if requested by the source or interviewee. I am actually a bit surprised that a quality publication like the...Exactly. I live in the Netherlands, where it's also common practice to use fake names if requested by the source or interviewee. I am actually a bit surprised that a quality publication like the NYT does not do the same. Very dissappointing.
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Comment on Virus cases skyrocketing among Latinos in the USA in ~health
GhostHardware LinkThis pandemic has made severe socioeconomic inequality in the US, which is of course predominantly along racial lines, even more visible than usual. Per the article, black Americans are in a...[...] the second is that there's more underlying health problems sometimes, and the third is there's less access to health care.
This pandemic has made severe socioeconomic inequality in the US, which is of course predominantly along racial lines, even more visible than usual. Per the article, black Americans are in a similar situation. For Latinos, there is often the additional problem of a language barrier, that makes it harder for many to receive adequate healthcare.
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Comment on Andrew Yang is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data in ~tech
GhostHardware Link ParentThe implications for an individual aren't that great. But on a collective level, the ramifications could be great: I expect that the overwhelming majority of people would choose to "sell" their...The implications for an individual aren't that great. But on a collective level, the ramifications could be great: I expect that the overwhelming majority of people would choose to "sell" their data, which means that nothing changes except that now millions of people receive a trivial amount of money. This will make it even harder to argue in favor of restrictions on the gathering of data.
On an individual level, there is a danger that sensitive data is in the hands of a private company, that can do with it whatever they want. Targeted advertising preys on people's personal insecurities, there is a risk that people continue self-censoring their online communications because they're even more acutely aware that corporations "are listening in" on the things they do online, and most importantly people shouldn't be made to choose between money and their rights.
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Comment on Andrew Yang is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data in ~tech
GhostHardware LinkThis was my first thought as well. Most people do not fully understand the implications of giving up their privacy and personal data. I don't have a lot of faith in the general public's ability to...Some people fear that data ownership is the wrong approach to protecting user privacy online and only incentivizes users to sell away their privacy instead of protecting it.
This was my first thought as well. Most people do not fully understand the implications of giving up their privacy and personal data. I don't have a lot of faith in the general public's ability to assess the value of their own data, and whether it's worth it to sell it. I predict that most people would happily sell their data for a few bucks. After all, most people are living paycheck to paycheck, and might think "what's the harm in sharing the info that's already on my facebook profile for a few dollars", not realizing that "personal data" entails much more than just what high school someone went to.
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Comment on Using the menstrual cup and open menstrual discussion in ~health
GhostHardware LinkAm a guy, but reading this reminded me of the first time I realized just how profoundly my mother's childhood has been shaped by her conservative Catholic upbringing. She told me how her mother...I'll go first, my mom was in a ferocious fight with my older sister for spending the night with some guy or whatever. As my mom was ripping my sister's clothes/throwing her out the house, I got my first period. I had to interrupt the fight to ask what I should do... middle child problems! I guess I found a good way to break up a fight...
Am a guy, but reading this reminded me of the first time I realized just how profoundly my mother's childhood has been shaped by her conservative Catholic upbringing. She told me how her mother got immensely angry when she asked what was happening to her body when she first menstruated, and eventually she had to resort to asking her older sisters in secret. Instead of ending a fight, her innocent and important question started a huge one. Made me appreciate so much more the open style of communication my parents had with me and my brother.
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Comment on Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of June 15 in ~health
GhostHardware Link ParentOver the past few weeks, I've noticed that two opposing positions have become popular: we're either mostly past the worst, or the worst is yet to come. I think the current situation is a bit more...Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that two opposing positions have become popular: we're either mostly past the worst, or the worst is yet to come. I think the current situation is a bit more nuanced than those two extremes, and highly dependent on what region you're from.
Europe (except for Russia) is mostly past the worst, with very low rates of new cases and deaths compared to only a month or two ago. South America on the other hand is currently in an immensely rough situation, with countries like Peru, Chile and most notably Brazil seeing high growth rates. The US is somewhere inbetween those two regions: daily growth of cases is more or less linear (and has been so since early April), even ever so slightly trending downwards, with a minor uptick over the past few days.
In my home country, the Netherlands, restrictions have been slowly lifted over the past few weeks, and public life is gradually starting up again. Fortunately, there has not been an associated rise in cases. In fact, the daily amount of new cases is the lowest it has ever been. If I had to speculate, even fairly imperfect adherence to social distancing measures is sufficient in a country like the Netherlands, where probably something like 20% of the population have already developed immunity.
like we've somehow gotten past the worst of the situation, when in reality almost nothing has changed.
To put things in perspective, growth is much closer to linear than exponential in most of the world. That is already a huge win compared to the exponential growth seen almost everywhere in the early stages of the pandemic.
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Comment on When the giant Galapagos tortoise faced extinction, Diego answered the call in ~enviro
GhostHardware LinkThe Wikipedia article on Diego mentions that there was actually another tortoise in the same breeding programme that fathered even more offspring. The paragraph on the breeding programme made me...The Wikipedia article on Diego mentions that there was actually another tortoise in the same breeding programme that fathered even more offspring. The paragraph on the breeding programme made me laugh:
The three male tortoises were placed into breeding pens with different females and the offspring released onto Española as juveniles, once or twice a year. The survival rate of the offspring on the island was around 50%. During this time Diego fathered around 900 offspring, some 40% of the programme's output.[1] A second tortoise, known as E5, fathered most of the remaining 60%, with the third male, E3, producing very few offspring.[5]
Despite E5's being more successful at reproducing, Diego has received the majority of media attention and has been said to have "had so much sex he saved his species".[5] This is believed to be because E5 had a more reserved character, a less interesting name, and was seldom witnessed in the act of mating.[5][6] Diego, by comparison, has been described as aggressive, active and vocal in the act of mating, which in turn made him popular with the female tortoises.[1]
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Comment on Why Finnish people tell the truth – in Finland, people are assumed to be honest all the time, and trust is implicit unless proven otherwise in ~life
GhostHardware LinkIs the way Finns value honesty and directness that radically different from other north(west)ern European high-trust societies though? While reading the article, I recognized a lot of things that...Is the way Finns value honesty and directness that radically different from other north(west)ern European high-trust societies though? While reading the article, I recognized a lot of things that are also true for the Netherlands, my home country: stuff like directness to the point of bluntness, a certain intolerance for exaggeration, a generally positive view of the government and its actions, those are all things that are also very important in Dutch society -- and I think that is also true for Germany, and all of the Nordic countries.
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Comment on Trump mounts campaign for more debates against Biden in ~news
GhostHardware Link ParentI hadn't even thought about that, but now that you mention it I feel that it almost guaranteed that Trump will throw a hissyfit about that too. I wonder if he'll use a possible lack of an audience...I hadn't even thought about that, but now that you mention it I feel that it almost guaranteed that Trump will throw a hissyfit about that too. I wonder if he'll use a possible lack of an audience as "proof" that the CPD are in bed with "overreacting Democrats"?
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Comment on Trump mounts campaign for more debates against Biden in ~news
GhostHardware Link ParentAs long as FPTP exists, there will be no sane or viable third parties. If you're a pragmatic politician whose views don't neatly align with one of the two major parties, it still makes sense to...As long as FPTP exists, there will be no sane or viable third parties. If you're a pragmatic politician whose views don't neatly align with one of the two major parties, it still makes sense to join them, if you want a shot at winning elections. That way, you can enact your desired policy changes from within the proverbial "belly of the beast". You see this happen a lot with politicians that represent a constituency that is markedly different from the national norms in terms of demographics and/or political motivations. A very liberal college town might elect an ultraprogressive running as a Democrat, but who might as well have been a member of the Green Party. Similarly, a constituency somewhere in the snake-handling boondocks might elect a Republican who is basically a batshit insane Constitution Partyesque paleocon in disguise.
If you're not a pragmatic politician, or someone who Wants To Make A Point, or a loonie, or all three at the same time, you join one of the third parties. That's just the way things are under FPTP. The only real way this would ever change, is if the US adopted a radically different proportional representation electoral system (unlikely, given the extreme lack of momentum in US politics).
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Comment on What is your favourite film from your country? in ~movies
GhostHardware LinkTechnically not from my home country (the Netherlands), but a movie from my language area nonetheless: I love the Belgian comedy-drama The Misfortunates (De Helaasheid der Dingen), adapted from...Technically not from my home country (the Netherlands), but a movie from my language area nonetheless: I love the Belgian comedy-drama The Misfortunates (De Helaasheid der Dingen), adapted from author Dimitri Verhulst's partially autobiographical novel of the same name. It's about the coming of age of a boy who grows up in the Belgian equivalent of a white trash family that consists of unemployed drunkards. It's a hilarious but also deeply sad little movie about an extended family's life in a small town in Flanders, their alcohol-fuelled antics, and their financial struggles amidst a life of squalor and debt. The movie is framed by scenes of the adult author reflecting on his childhood and eventual escape from his roots. The movie is a series of loosely connected scenes; it's a bit like Trainspotting meets Parasite.
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Comment on Guinness reinstates Billy Mitchell’s Donkey Kong, Pac-Man records in ~games
GhostHardware Link ParentIt's essentially a clash between an older, trust-based informal community and a newer, more anonymous internet-based community that values verifiability. I hope that these incidents become more...It's essentially a clash between an older, trust-based informal community and a newer, more anonymous internet-based community that values verifiability. I hope that these incidents become more rare as the older community is rapidly losing relevance and credibility.
And indeed as you pointed out, the dynamic of trust clashing with verifiability is even apparent within the newer, largely internet-based community. Whenever a modern speedrunner commits fraud, their defenders tend to be people closely connected to them on forums and in discord channels, who often keep insisting that the fraudster couldn't have possibly faked their speedrun, "because reasons".
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Comment on Are journal articles getting too long? in ~humanities
GhostHardware Link ParentRecently, I've seen several people make this complaint, both in humanities and the hard sciences. Is this related to the "publish or perish" adage? I am not all that familiar with the inner...(or at least skimmed it, which is the norm now!)
Recently, I've seen several people make this complaint, both in humanities and the hard sciences. Is this related to the "publish or perish" adage? I am not all that familiar with the inner workings of professional academia, but this seems like a huge problem?
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Comment on Guinness reinstates Billy Mitchell’s Donkey Kong, Pac-Man records in ~games
GhostHardware Link"I do not see a reason why Billy would need to even use MAME or save states to film both games with this style of play." This statement rests on the mistaken assumption that high level players..."I do not see a reason why Billy would need to even use MAME or save states to film both games with this style of play."
This statement rests on the mistaken assumption that high level players don't feel compelled to cheat as much as lower level players. In fact, I'd say that high level players have as much if not more reasons to cheat: in one of his videos on fraud in speedrunning, Karl Jobst pointed out that lots of high level speedrunners get frustrated with just missing out on world records despite their high level of ability. They feel entitled to getting a world record, so they resort to cheating to shave off those final few (mili)seconds. A similar dynamic almost certainly exists for players focused on high scores, like Billy Mitchell.
On a more general note: I have been realizing more and more that Guinness World Records is straight-up a garbage organization. A short while ago, they started falsely copyright striking dozen of SMB speedrunning videos after they included a clip of Kosmic's SMB speedrun in one of their official videos. There's also an entertaining John Oliver video on GWR's association with nationally sanctioned world records by authoritarian states, in particular Turkmenistan.
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Comment on Reddit starts an Ethereum scalability competition in order to launch Community Points (monetization of karma) site-wide in ~tech
GhostHardware Link ParentYou're in for a treat. It was one of Reddit's weirdest, most misguided projects. My memory is a bit fuzzy, because it's been a while, but this is the basic gist of what happened: Several years...You're in for a treat. It was one of Reddit's weirdest, most misguided projects. My memory is a bit fuzzy, because it's been a while, but this is the basic gist of what happened:
Several years ago, Reddit officially announced something called "Reddit Notes" in a blogpost that was so vague it explained exactly nothing. The best people could make of it at the time was that it was going to be some sort of stocks scheme masquerading as Reddit-branded cryptocurrency. As this was at the height of the cryptocurrency mania, the voices of those questioning the legality of the whole project were quickly drowned out by crypto enthusiasts.
To implement the (very vaguely defined) project, Reddit hired a guru-wannabe techbro who was given complete freedom to work on the project on his own, without clear goals or deadlines -- or even the tiniest shred of guidance as to what Reddit Notes was even supposed to be.
Some time passed, and the only thing said techbro had done in the meantime was spending all his time rewriting bitcoin in javascript (???). This spectacular feat of incompetence wasn't even entirely his own fault, because none of the people who came up with the project gave him any specific tasks, except for the a vague instruction to "build Reddit notes (whatever that is going to be)". Because no one, not even the higherups who came up with the plan, could explain what Reddit notes was all about, he was let go, and the project was (quietly) scrapped.
Let's humblebrag about the time I peaked as an 11-year old, in an excessive display of run-on sentences, because I am awful at constrained writing:
My (Dutch) primary school held a spelling contest for all students in the eighth grade and participation was mandatory.
My teacher dictated a story, which I absent-mindedly wrote down on a piece of official-looking paper, and I promptly won.
Winning one of the local school competitions (a feat accomplished mostly by accident) meant I and about sixty other kids from across the nation were automatically entered into a national, live TV spelling contest, taking place inside the hall where the Senate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands meets once a week.
Came in second with nine mistakes and was bested by a Frisian girl with buckteeth who only got four mistakes, but I got a nice pen out of it, and a handshake with a bunch of superduper very famous Dutch people that I, an 11-year old kid with an unhealthy interest in dinosaurs and memorizing the capitals of each sovereign country in the world, did not care for all that much.