Grayscail's recent activity
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Comment on What does the word "cancelled" mean to you? in ~talk
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Comment on Apocalyptica – The Unforgiven II (2024) in ~music
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Comment on Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries in ~engineering
Grayscail Link ParentBut youd also get leftover brine, couldnt you mix a little bit back into the distilled water to get to a desired electrolyte level?But youd also get leftover brine, couldnt you mix a little bit back into the distilled water to get to a desired electrolyte level?
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Comment on If our worst fears about Donald Trump play out, how will we know when it's time to leave? in ~society
Grayscail LinkI dont think I would "get out" per se. If it looked like things were going in a direction where I might end up getting lynched or something, I would look to minimize my exposure to the rest of...I dont think I would "get out" per se.
If it looked like things were going in a direction where I might end up getting lynched or something, I would look to minimize my exposure to the rest of society. Not necessarily going off grid, but more like moving out to a small house in less sparsely populated areas, and just kind of lay low for a while. Try to find some online remote work.
The impetus to do so probably wouldnt be anything that Trump or his administration would do, itd be more going off vibes. As political polarization accelerates I think it would be most evident by just listening to public discourse. I think before we get to the point where the bad things are happening it will be preceeded by a normalization of talking about doing such things.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
Grayscail Link ParentNo one needs my approval to identify themselves with it. I just wouldnt think of that person as being an advocate for me or my needs, so they wouldnt get my support, unless there were other...No one needs my approval to identify themselves with it. I just wouldnt think of that person as being an advocate for me or my needs, so they wouldnt get my support, unless there were other factors involved.
It feels like a slight because people took the previously used term, POC, and modified it to emphasize two subdemographics, Black and Indigenous, as being more deserving of special emphasis. There are two groups that are important enough that they need their own letter so that everyone remembers them, and then there are all the others where it doesnt really matter.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
Grayscail (edited )Link ParentYes, I think thats a big part of the underlying dynamics going on here. The vast majority of people have no real power in a decentralized political movement like "the Left". So if I get into a...Yes, I think thats a big part of the underlying dynamics going on here.
The vast majority of people have no real power in a decentralized political movement like "the Left". So if I get into a conversation with a leftist and bring this up, what are they supposed to say in response? They cant actually do anything to change the fact that society as a whole uses this term, so if they acknowledge that my point is valid thats basically validating a reason for me not to support their side.
Instead what will happen is people will try to argue with me that the things that I am upset about or care about actually dont matter or dont exist. That there is no real reason for me to be upset to begin with. You can see this in the above article, where the writer tries to convince you that identity politics arent really a big thing in the Democratic party, so that cant be the real reason Harris lost.
This is frankly very tedious to have to deal with. I would not want to have a discussion about this with the writer of this article. It would be incredibly frustrating to have some political activist try and convince me that the things I care about shouldnt count or arent real. What this leads to is people just not being vocal about the things that are turning them off of contemporary politics. Which results in the party being generally out of touch with why they are losing support.
I think the reason LatinX gets talked about so much is that NPR has lots of recordings you can point to to prove that this is a real thing.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
Grayscail Link ParentI think BIPOC sticks out in my mind because its sort of an "unforced error". Nobody on the right forced people on the left to use terms like BIPOC or Latinx. So the fact that you still see people...I think BIPOC sticks out in my mind because its sort of an "unforced error". Nobody on the right forced people on the left to use terms like BIPOC or Latinx. So the fact that you still see people using it is an example of a problem that could easily be solved but just isnt, because it doesn't matter enough to the group as a whole.
The reason I dislike BIPOC is because before that people used the term POC, which felt fine to me. Some people didnt like that one either, but it was plainly neutral and put everyone on equal footing. So to go from that to BIPOC, where it explicitly separates out two groups as being special and distinct, feels like a step backwards.
The progressives are supposed to be all about dismantling heirarchies and confronting structural racism, but here they are establishing a racial heirarchy and putting people like me at the bottom. It feels like an unnecessary slight, and it feels like the kind of thing that people on the left in particular should be cognizant of.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
Grayscail Link ParentI will say though that this article is a perfect example of how frustrating and offputting modern politics can be. You can come out and directly say exactly what is bugging you personally and...I will say though that this article is a perfect example of how frustrating and offputting modern politics can be. You can come out and directly say exactly what is bugging you personally and someone else will butt in and tell you that actually no the thing you are upset about isnt real according to statistics so you cant possibly be upset about it.
Im not saying that the term "BIPOC" made me vote for Trump or anything, but yeah it definitely is a thing Ive thought about before, and the fact that I could have predicted that dismissive response does contribute to a general feeling that the current left wing of politics is not looking out for my interests in particular.
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Comment on Who is allowed to practice identity politics? in ~society
Grayscail LinkThis article seems to draw a distinction between Harris and Trump as individuals vs party avatars. It says things like Harris didnt run on identity politics, and Trump did, but doesnt count all...This article seems to draw a distinction between Harris and Trump as individuals vs party avatars. It says things like Harris didnt run on identity politics, and Trump did, but doesnt count all the non-Harris non-Trump discourse going on surrounding her. People arent voting for Harris or Trump in a vacuum, they are voting for the party as a whole. If there is discourse going on within the left wing that has turned people off, that is going to affect Harris in the polls even if she did not directly engage in any of it.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
Grayscail LinkI think the biggest takeaway is that Democrats still havent learned that trying to weaponize outrage against a troll only makes them stronger. In 2016 they tried the whole "oh my god look how...I think the biggest takeaway is that Democrats still havent learned that trying to weaponize outrage against a troll only makes them stronger.
In 2016 they tried the whole "oh my god look how awful he is listen to his terrible soundbytes" thing and it didnt work out.
But even as soon as last week people were still going "oh my god did you hear what they said about Greece? This is so damaging, Trumps campaign is SUNK".
Hes been shitty for the last 10 years and people are still acting like that isnt a core part of his appeal.
Its like if people went to go watch Joker and didnt understand why everyone didnt turn on Arthur after he shot that tv host.
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Comment on American election mental health thread in ~health.mental
Grayscail LinkIm not too broken up about it, I always knew this was a possibility and the last couple weeks everyone was saying it was like 50/50, so I had already mentally come to terms with it. I cant...Im not too broken up about it, I always knew this was a possibility and the last couple weeks everyone was saying it was like 50/50, so I had already mentally come to terms with it.
I cant necessarily say Im surprised. Ive been feeling very worn out and put off of politics and the way the discourse has evolved these last few years, so Im not completely surprised to see that lots of people didnt end up turning out to vote. I mean, that happens every year, but it feels more understandable this year. Public discourse just feels really exhausting and unfulfilling nowadays. Which for some people might have translated into them being uninspired to do their civic duty, despite how dire everything appears to be.
I hope that people can take a step back and see that something needs to change here, and we need to find new ways of connecting with the public that reignites the political passions of the disaffected rather than doubling down on what the last 10 years have been.
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Comment on How to vote rationally + Intrinsic values survey in ~society
Grayscail Link ParentI had the exact same thought, I got to that question and answered yes, and when it told me that was incorrect I immediately thought about how they listed "achievement" as one of the possible...I had the exact same thought, I got to that question and answered yes, and when it told me that was incorrect I immediately thought about how they listed "achievement" as one of the possible intrinsic values, and becoming rich could certainly be considered achievement to some.
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Comment on Reddit is profitable for the first time ever, with nearly 100 million daily users in ~tech
Grayscail Link ParentThe sub I was most active in for a while was a minor subreddit for an old RPG I played a lot as a kid. During the protests the mods decided to lock down the sub. It didnt really stop me from using...The sub I was most active in for a while was a minor subreddit for an old RPG I played a lot as a kid. During the protests the mods decided to lock down the sub. It didnt really stop me from using reddit, but it did stop me from browsing/participating in that specific community. So the protest was effective in affecting my behaviors, but not really effective at driving me off the site as a whole.
One longer lasting effect was that I used to google questions+reddit to find reddit answers to technical questions I had, but after a lot of technical support subs locked I have largely stopped bothering with that.
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Comment on Russian court fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in ~society
Grayscail LinkPsh, is that all? Basically a slap on the wrist. Anyway, does anyone know what this number would be called? 20 decillion dollars?Psh, is that all? Basically a slap on the wrist.
Anyway, does anyone know what this number would be called? 20 decillion dollars?
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Comment on From "anti-core" to "felt inflation": Or how I calmed my populist demons in ~finance
Grayscail Link ParentMuch as it is important for us to transition off of fossil fuels, its just the reality of our current situation that we still rely heavily on it and cant yet afford to stop. Theres lots of...Much as it is important for us to transition off of fossil fuels, its just the reality of our current situation that we still rely heavily on it and cant yet afford to stop.
Theres lots of articles I see online that talk about how renewable energy is booming at unprecedented levels, but adjacent to that has been a massive increase in natural gas consumption to displace coal and provide flexible dispatchable power. Natural gas has basically taken the place that coal had 20 years ago.
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Comment on Controversial opinion: I don't like "cosmetic armor" being an option in games in ~games
Grayscail Link ParentI play OSRS and used to play mainline Runescape. I liked the way they implemented cosmetic overrides in the mainline game. You can override your appearance with any wearable item you actually own,...I play OSRS and used to play mainline Runescape. I liked the way they implemented cosmetic overrides in the mainline game. You can override your appearance with any wearable item you actually own, and thats what will show up on your normal appearance. But if you go into a PvP game, the overrides disappear so other players can see your actual equipment.
I think one benefit of overrides is that due to meta, a lot of players tend to use the same equipment because thats just understood to be the best setup you can use at that level. Having people be able to override lets different characters be more easily distinguishable regardless of what build or playstyle you are going with.
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Comment on Thoughts on the friendzone in ~life
Grayscail (edited )LinkI can totally understand that you dont owe anybody a relationship, and you dont even really need a reason for it other than that its not how you feel. But I would also maybe extend that rule to...I can totally understand that you dont owe anybody a relationship, and you dont even really need a reason for it other than that its not how you feel.
But I would also maybe extend that rule to friendship. Nobody owes you a friendship. If for any reason someone decides that dont want to be your friend anymore, that ought to be allowed too. The setup of being friends is what would be most convenient for you, and the setup of dating would be most convenient for them, but neither of you are owed that.
I think especially when you are younger the concept of "dating" is a nebulous and uncertain idea. Youre not really asking to have sex, youre just trying to get some kind of validation that you are deserving of this thing called love thats supposed to be so important in life. You dont really get what attraction or infatuation means because you dont have any experience with it yet. So if you get rejected, you dont really understand how fickle love can be, and it feels like a deeply personal rejection.
I mean what even is dating when you are a child? Going to the movies and studying together? Stuff you were maybe already doing already as friends? Its pretty arbitrary of a division outside of a label. So if you get rejected that can be very confusing, especially coming from someone who ostensibly already likes you well enough, but just doesn't like you in that kind of way.
None of that is to say that you, as the object of someone elses affection, should just date that person in order to spare their feelings. But I do think there is something off about the idea that someone should be obligated to bury their own feelings just so that the other person doesnt have to deal with the complexities of those feelings.
Sometimes it sucks that you and another person have different ideals or priorities, but thats just the risk of engaging in interpersonal relationships. Sometimes they are going to be something more or less than what would be most convenient for your needs.
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Comment on Your politics are boring as fuck in ~society
Grayscail LinkIts the great paradox of collective action that the kinds of people who feel compelled to go out and try to engage with the public are the kinds of people I wouldnt want to collaborate with. I...Its the great paradox of collective action that the kinds of people who feel compelled to go out and try to engage with the public are the kinds of people I wouldnt want to collaborate with.
To make this concrete for a moment: an afternoon of collecting food from businesses that would have thrown it away and serving it to hungry people and people who are tired of working to pay for food—that is good political action, but only if you enjoy it.
I volunteer at a place that does this in my town. And when I go to help out, theyre just happy to have me there. No one makes demands of me or tries to force discourse on stuff I dont care about or tries to influence my opinions. Thats why Im happy to go there and help out.
But on the other hand, there are a number of issues where I dont know of any groups that are engaging in direct action. And ironically if there were advocates out in the streets raising awareness of their group, that would probably put me off of wanting to join them.
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Comment on Where environmentalists went wrong / It’s time for “effective environmentalism" in ~enviro
Grayscail Link ParentI think the reason people chafe at activists is not a matter of big changes vs little changes, it is the "push" that is the common factor in all those examples. People dont want some stranger...I think the reason people chafe at activists is not a matter of big changes vs little changes, it is the "push" that is the common factor in all those examples.
People dont want some stranger butting into their life and telling them what to do or how to feel about things. Especially when it comes to big movements where youre really engaging with a group of people instead of a single person. The bigger a group is, the more inflexible it is to being swayed by a single person.
So if you are not already in sync with that movement, its kind of a take it or leave it. You can maybe argue with some individual people and maybe affect their perspective, but the group dynamic is out of your control.
In which case, what point is there in engaging with a group you dont already naturally align with?
I think the point of the plastic straw example is to shownan instance where a thing nobody seemed to care about somehow managed to manifest in the zeitgeist of a few years ago. Everyone now says that it was a pointless exercise and not even their suggestion or idea, but in the moment there were definitely lots of conversations about it and lots of people advocating for it and talking about how important it was. People beyond the policy makers who are now given sole responsibility for it. The fact that true environmentalists apparently didnt really care about it is very much the point if the anecdote.
I think what people are put off by is the notion that if you associate with one of these big groups that you dont already agree with, you will end up in a situation where the group will collectively decide "We(excluding you) as a group have decided we(including you) are going to do this action" and then youll be sucked into something that causes you minor inconvenience but doesnt give you anything in return.
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Comment on Actually, we can deploy energy infrastructure very quickly in ~enviro
Grayscail LinkThe writer does not outright say this, but it feels like the implication of the piece is that we are poised for a rapid energy transition and the only thing holding us back is a lack of political...Some clear patterns emerge from the examples above. In all cases:
- The technology was well established. Technical risk was not a concern.
The writer does not outright say this, but it feels like the implication of the piece is that we are poised for a rapid energy transition and the only thing holding us back is a lack of political will or institutional support, because the technologies of solar and wind power are well established at this point.
However I think there is still technical risk that is a concern.
This was discussed in comments on the recent post about negative electricity prices. It is important to maintain a balance of generators putting power on the grid and loads pulling power off the grid. There is never a perfect match, but thanks to the physics of how electricity and magnetism work, there is a kind of buffer to account for short term imbalances in the form of the grid frequency. Net energy going into the grid makes the frequency go up and net energy going out makes the frequency go down. Regulators try to balance things out to keep the frequency stable.
What we need to consider then, in mathematical terms, is the derivative of grid frequency with respect to energy. For every X megawatt-hours of energy mismatch there will be a Y change in frequency. This rate comes from the "inertia" of the grid, which comes from the inertia of all the generators and loads.
Turbines like those in a coal, gas, or nuclear plant have a big heavy spinning metal rotor which has a lot of rotational inertia that is electromagnetically coupled to the electricity coming out of it, and provides a big chunk of inertia centered at one known spot. Asynchronous AC power like conventional wind turbines or DC power from solar panels do not provide this same inertia, because the electricity goes through an inverter which doesnt maintain that coupling.
This means that as renewable penetration increases, grid planners and regulators need to do increasingly more planning and analysis to make sure that they can guarantee stability over a range of potential edge cases. While batteries or other fast demand response capabilities can account for the general loss of inertia, there is still an increasing risk of large shocks to the system being problematic. For example a power line going down and a major power plant loses connectivity, resulting in rapid spike in energy mismatch.
There are a number of potential solutions to this, but its not entirely clear to me whether some of them will be viable. One option Ive seen is that certain renewable companies are marketing so called "virtual" or "synthetic" inertia that can be handled by wind turbines or inverters. This is a pretty nebulous term though, and some of the examples I have seen are really more like primary regulation than true inertia. This might not matter for the general grid drift but become significant for those edge case shocks.
All of which is to say that while we definitely know a lot about how engineering the grid works, this is still somewhat uncharted territory for us.
Trying to be concise, Id call it a coordinated surge of negative publicity.
Negative consequences like getting fired are possible, but not necessary.