Grumble4681's recent activity
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Comment on Can coding agents relicense open source through a “clean room” implementation of code? in ~comp
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Comment on Lenovo’s new ThinkPads score 10/10 for repairability in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI've got a similar Lenovo device that I had to send in for warranty repair and two of the things highlighted in this iFixit post are actually significant for the issues I faced. My system needed...I've got a similar Lenovo device that I had to send in for warranty repair and two of the things highlighted in this iFixit post are actually significant for the issues I faced.
A modular cooling system, with an independently replaceable fan
Fully modular Thunderbolt portsMy system needed the motherboard replaced to repair a USB port, and needed a heatsink and fan combination replaced to fix a faulty fan. And my system is nearly out of warranty, and the issue with the fan concerns me because the fan cannot be replaced independent of the heatsink, at least not easily anyhow. For $90 they sell the heatsink and fan together as one piece. That's not really a good price in my opinion when the issue is just a bad bearing in the fan and I highly suspect it's fairly common for those fans to fail considering their design. It's also more of a hassle to repair than it should be. Replacing a fan should easier than that. Replacing a motherboard for USB ports is way more common so I wasn't surprised by that, but for an out of warranty situation I would be quite disappointed if I was in that situation. It probably wouldn't even be worth repairing at that point for what they charge for a new motherboard. $1300 for a new motherboard, that's almost twice what I paid for this.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentThis does seem like quite a benefit to have bookmarks and tabs in the same unified viewing window, potentially. At least for how I may use them anyhow. I can sort of imagine how it would solve...On top of that, the app shows you both your tabs and bookmarks in a tree with folders (or just your tabs, or just your bookmarks; you can use filters). So instead of having to open your browser's bookmark manager to go through them, you can just see your existing bookmarks in the app, alongside your tabs.
This does seem like quite a benefit to have bookmarks and tabs in the same unified viewing window, potentially. At least for how I may use them anyhow. I can sort of imagine how it would solve some of my problems, maybe introduce a few other ones from clutter but that could also just be something that requires slightly different behaviors to avoid. My bookmark setup is already somewhat organized, with lots of different folders/categories, so it seems like that would be the same principle behind the setup you're talking about in your app. I'm sure also that I could be imagining how your app works in ways that aren't accurate to the description you provided so I'll take a look at actually trying it out before I make too many more assumptions.
Thanks for the advice, I do like the vision of what you described.
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Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentUnless there's evidence to doubt any elements of their statement or significant omissions, it seems pretty straightforward and forthright enough for the circumstances to be taken at face value to...Unless there's evidence to doubt any elements of their statement or significant omissions, it seems pretty straightforward and forthright enough for the circumstances to be taken at face value to me. I think it's significant they mentioned not to use a recovery email. Presumably it's just good general advice because covering the myriad of issues in having a recovery email would extend the statement and that level of technical detail isn't pertinent to the core message. I assume it's meant to cover something like using Gmail as a recovery email at which point Proton has no control over what data that recovery email will contain that leads back to you, but otherwise there would be no risk of using a recovery email if it's sufficiently anonymized to the degree of the primary Proton email itself.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentYeah I used to be better about it, but I did switch to vertical tabs from horizontal tabs so I assume that I was probably getting worse over time with the horizontal tab setup and it made me look...Yeah I used to be better about it, but I did switch to vertical tabs from horizontal tabs so I assume that I was probably getting worse over time with the horizontal tab setup and it made me look at a vertical tab setup and then it fed into different behaviors. What ends up happening now is that I know 90% of the tabs I have open are meaningless, that I don't care about them or if they went away, and then like 5% are something I would likely go back to, and the other 5% are things I kept around hoping to go back to them but didn't have the time to deal with it at that particular moment that I opened them. And I could bookmark them, I have tons of bookmarks, but I don't even go through my bookmarks. So I end up keeping a tab open as the more likely way that I'll re-engage with whatever is on that tab. But then there's other tabs where they may fit the 5% that I'd likely go back to, so I don't close them right away, and then it just kinda spirals.
A good example of tabs I have open right now, I have a few tabs for Ente photos, because I want to setup self-hosting and move off Google photos. But that is a 'project' of sorts, which mentally I often don't feel like dealing with, so it has lingered there. Then I have a few tabs for various desks I was looking at, because I have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle of sitting too much and I should get a desk I can go from seated to standing occasionally. But I don't reach the point of pulling the trigger on anything, partly as a habit of buying anything, I try not to impulsively buy things and let them linger before I decide if they're worth it. I'll end up having multiple tabs open for various things I've considered purchasing, most of which I'll end up not purchasing. I have tabs open for updating the bios for a piece of hardware I own that I was considering for setup of Ente photos or other self-hosted software, but then I put that off because I didn't want to wipe any of the USB thumb drives I have to load those bios files on there. Oh and there's possibly a few tabs laying around that were looking at buying more USB drives.
It's basically just a lot of executive dysfunction.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentMost likely I developed the habit while previously using Chrome, it was a long time ago. There's just something ingrained in my head that the address bar suggestions is where they shovel trash at...Most likely I developed the habit while previously using Chrome, it was a long time ago. There's just something ingrained in my head that the address bar suggestions is where they shovel trash at you, so I ignore it without even thinking about it. Not saying Firefox has that reputation. I'll probably try to retrain myself to look at it now.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI use Firefox, I just have a habit of ignoring anything the address bar suggests. I don't even look at it, so to be honest, I never even noticed it suggested that. At some point I developed a...I use Firefox, I just have a habit of ignoring anything the address bar suggests. I don't even look at it, so to be honest, I never even noticed it suggested that. At some point I developed a mindset that all the suggestions in the address bar are worthless spam and just blocked it all out.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentUgh, I've spiraled out of control with bad tab management since I switched to vertical tab bar in my browser. I've had over a thousand tabs numerous times, eventually I just close them all out and...Ugh, I've spiraled out of control with bad tab management since I switched to vertical tab bar in my browser. I've had over a thousand tabs numerous times, eventually I just close them all out and start over. Currently I'm approaching 300 tabs and this is all within about a month or so. It's not so much that I'm even saving them for any particular reason, and some are just duplicates of already existing tabs, except once I've got a hundred of them I just don't bother looking for the existing one, I open a new one. I wasn't always this bad, when I was using horizontal tabs it forced me to be more discerning and clear them more often. I really do need to get a grip on it and somehow I keep slipping back into this lack of managing them.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentMaybe it's not an Apple type product/design, but it seems like this would be better suited to a shell connected to a phone, like the old Motorola Atrix with the laptop dock.Maybe it's not an Apple type product/design, but it seems like this would be better suited to a shell connected to a phone, like the old Motorola Atrix with the laptop dock.
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Comment on Motorola and GrapheneOS Foundation partnership announced in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI'd say it's a valid question especially if you consider the broader scope of what's involved. Motorola currently pushes garbage onto their phones, Glance being one app in particular that they've...I'd say it's a valid question especially if you consider the broader scope of what's involved. Motorola currently pushes garbage onto their phones, Glance being one app in particular that they've made it difficult to remove. I don't know what they make off users for pushing this onto people but you have to figure if they're not doing it with a GrapheneOS phone they have to sell the phone at a higher price to cover what they would have expected to make over the life of the phone. And Motorola specs are middling. It happens their pricing is already fairly low so maybe it won't seem so bad even with an increase going to GrapheneOS, but it could change their potential customers some. I would still pay for it probably, even if it takes a $200 phone to a $400 phone. I don't know what the actual values would be though. If any of their pricing goes up to flagship pricing though, they will probably shrink their potential market, because they don't come close to flagship specs.
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Comment on US Pentagon declares Anthropic a threat to national security in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentThat's not the only weasel wording he's done. It's important he does the right thing, not the easy thing that looks strong but is disingenuous. What's not disingenuous about publicly stating their...That's not the only weasel wording he's done.
“We have long believed that AI should not be used for mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons, and that humans should remain in the loop for high-stakes automated decisions,” Altman wrote in a memo that was viewed by CNBC. “These are our main red lines.”
“This is a case where it’s important to me that we do the right thing, not the easy thing that looks strong but is disingenuous,” Altman wrote. “But I realize it may not “look good” for us in the short term, and that there is a lot of nuance and context.”
It's important he does the right thing, not the easy thing that looks strong but is disingenuous. What's not disingenuous about publicly stating their 'red lines' are the same as Anthropics, and attempting to sway public opinion to believe they share the same ethics, while in actuality they don't?
“We would ask for the contract to cover any use except those which are unlawful or unsuited to cloud deployments, such as domestic surveillance and autonomous offensive weapons,” Altman wrote.
Oh what do you know, turns out there's some more caveats to his ethics and red lines. It's 'unsuited to cloud deployments'. So AI for mass surveillance is a red line, 'Hey everyone, look we're just as ethical as Anthropic', but then it's actually just fine and dandy as long as it's not in a cloud deployment. Also let's ignore that little tidbit about its legality, because clearly this administration alone has shown no indication that they breach legalities and clearly we haven't seen over the past 20 years that mass surveillance is something that is happening and been enabled by courts to continue happening.
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Comment on US Pentagon declares Anthropic a threat to national security in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentThat's not proven true. Furthermore, Sam Altman has been releasing public statements full of weasel wording ever since the Pentagon retaliated against Anthropic. The last part "reflects them in...That's not proven true. Furthermore, Sam Altman has been releasing public statements full of weasel wording ever since the Pentagon retaliated against Anthropic.
In a post on X announcing competitor OpenAI's deal with the Defense Department, the company's CEO Sam Altman, who previously cited similar concerns, said his agreement with the government included safeguards like the ones Anthropic had asked for.
"Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems," he said. "The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement."
The last part "reflects them in law and policy" is extremely telling. They're stating that the DoD is already bound by law and policy not to violate those principles. The Pentagon has said that they demanded that Anthropic allow them to use the model for anything that was legal.
So Altman's weasel wording is to interpret the law as already preventing the Pentagon from utilizing them that way, while still acquiescing to the Pentagon they can use it however they want to the full extent of the law. If this were true, Anthropic could have also agreed. Clearly at least Anthropic believes that the law does not prevent the DoD from using services to violate those principles. I think that perception is quite clearly true. So Sam Altman is a liar. What a surprise.
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Comment on US Pentagon declares Anthropic a threat to national security in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentAs skybrian also mentioned, my reading indicated that they had 6 months to switch. Furthermore, they could have more integrations or dependence on claude beyond just what bookmark they have set in...The Pentagon just declared Anthropic a threat to national security and the government is being ordered to stop using it. OpenAI just agreed with Dept. of Defense to deploy models in their classified network. It does seem like they in fact can just easily switch overnight. Will that be chaotic? When isn't it.
As skybrian also mentioned, my reading indicated that they had 6 months to switch. Furthermore, they could have more integrations or dependence on claude beyond just what bookmark they have set in their web browsers, I have no idea, again from my reading it sounded like it wouldn't be that easy to switch. Just because they made an agreement with OpenAI quickly doesn't mean that every military contractor and government agency is going to be able to switch overnight.
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Comment on US Pentagon declares Anthropic a threat to national security in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentWhile it's possible, there's no reason why they couldn't have gradually introduced their favored partner and then gradually faded out the other if that's all it was about. They're going to have to...While it's possible, there's no reason why they couldn't have gradually introduced their favored partner and then gradually faded out the other if that's all it was about. They're going to have to do that to some extent with what they're doing now, because Claude is currently the only approved service now, and they can't just easily switch overnight.
I have the impression it's more of the same from this administration. They want to make things into high stakes spectacles, make it something people need to have an opinion on and further sow division. They want to push the boundaries of what they can do, who they can pressure, how much they can get away with. They want to bully others into obedience, or at least bully them into someone who will not harm their public image or will allow themselves to be used as a prop for the administration to claim public victories. Much of what Trump and his administration is doing is about legacy after all, putting his name on things, changing things that require having to mention his name, and trying to set up very publicized battles that he can wrangle into a headline of victory for himself in some way or another. It's also setting up a bit for the future, where any attempt or follow through to undo what he has done can be further politicized and twisted into the narrative that he's been targeted, that Democrats are wasting time on frivolous things or targeting Republicans etc.
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Comment on Writers who don't read books: a response in ~books
Grumble4681 Link ParentI can sort of relate to your friend, but I actually recognize the value of reading and have told myself and others on numerous occasions this very idea that I can't be a writer because I don't...I can sort of relate to your friend, but I actually recognize the value of reading and have told myself and others on numerous occasions this very idea that I can't be a writer because I don't read books. I read a lot, I'm looking at a screen all day, a screen frequently populated with words and sentences, but reading tildes comments or long-form news articles or such is not the same and I'm well aware I don't have the writing chops. There are occasions where I can write something that other people who aren't big readers will think is enough to qualify me as being capable of getting into writing as a career, but they're saying it because they think it's helpful or generous to praise someone for something even if they don't really know the realities of what they're saying.
The thing is, I just don't like reading books. I don't care for the type of writing that is in books. I prefer dry material. I have no imagination for words in a book, so descriptive wording is just a waste of time and bores me because I can't leverage it into something that I can bring to life in my own imagination. For that reason and many others, it would make me a very unsuccessful writer.
The problem I have is that I have absolutely no creative outlet whatsoever, and have absolutely no idea how to express myself, my ideas or feelings. I can't write them, I can't draw them, I can't animate them, I can't direct them in a film, I can't sing them, I can't dance them. I get it, many if not all of these things are skills others develop and they can come with practice, though some do have other barriers of entry than others. Writing has little to no barrier to entry, that's the attraction to the average person who thinks they can just write (even if they don't read books). If you want to get into cinema or TV or such, I wouldn't even know where to begin, but I sure as hell know there's more to it than reading books and writing on a piece of paper or opening up a word document on a computer.
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Comment on Apple brings age verification to UK users in iOS 26.4 in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentGithub is aware of the law. They would also be aware of the OS having 'data signals'. What's to say that Github isn't legally required to request those data signals? Their best defense may be that...That pipeline requires the distribution platform to be integrated with the OS-level age verification system. GitHub has no concept of this.
Github is aware of the law. They would also be aware of the OS having 'data signals'. What's to say that Github isn't legally required to request those data signals? Their best defense may be that it's not possible to do through the browser, which I don't know enough about browser limitations and what information could be gathered without the browser updating their software to support passing that query through, but seeing as Google is one of the companies targeted by this legislation and they control the source code for the most widely used web browser, that would already be a potentially solid start for California legislators.
The signal infrastructure doesn't exist, but the law doesn't account for that. So you can't just say it doesn't exist and wash your hands of it. If it goes to court, who is to say that judges can't rule against parties saying the law obviously intends for these parties to incorporate the necessary signal infrastructure to comply?
The entire law’s mechanism assumes a closed ecosystem. The signal flow is: OS provider builds age API, app store queries it, developer requests signal from app store at download and launch.
I don't see that being the case. The law is written opposite of that, it is written to broadly encompass many potential avenues of application distribution so as not to be so narrow to be easily defeated.
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Comment on Anthropic rejects latest US Pentagon offer: ‘We cannot in good conscience accede to their request’ in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI would say that if all others refuse to give in and there's enough public concern about this that it could have enough impact to persuade others from giving in, but people still use X despite...I would say that if all others refuse to give in and there's enough public concern about this that it could have enough impact to persuade others from giving in, but people still use X despite Threads (which isn't much of a better alternative on the ownership front thanks to fuckerberg) and BlueSky existing. I doubt anyone will back off using anything from xAI's Grok at that point.
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Comment on Apple brings age verification to UK users in iOS 26.4 in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentDoesn't it require developers to request the data signal? You said "can request" as though it's optional, but in my reading it indicated it was mandated. So if you choose not to "opt" in to age...Doesn't it require developers to request the data signal? You said "can request" as though it's optional, but in my reading it indicated it was mandated.
The bill would require a developer to request a signal with respect to a particular user from an operating system provider or a covered application store when the application is downloaded and launched.
So if you choose not to "opt" in to age verification at the OS level (by using OS that do not comply for whatever reason), it's possible developers will be required to block you from accessing the app because they won't receive an age signal from you. This part is unclear and the bill does not specifically scope out this scenario.
A developer that receives a signal pursuant to this title shall be deemed to have actual knowledge of the age range of the user to whom that signal pertains across all platforms of the application and points of access of the application even if the developer willfully disregards the signal.
It doesn't say what happens if a developer doesn't receive a signal or if the developer is liable for not enforcing age restrictions if no signal is received.
It also doesn't block downloading apps or websites.
I'm not quite sure what you're saying here. Developers are legally liable for children using their apps, so they will be compelled to block usage of them if there is an age signal indicating it's a minor or possibly if there's no age signal at all (unclear). If the distinction is that it doesn't block downloading but you can't use it because the developer will block usage of it, that distinction is worthless.
“Covered application store” means a publicly available internet website, software application, online service, or platform that distributes and facilitates the download of applications from third-party developers to users of a computer, a mobile device, or any other general purpose computing that can access a covered application store or can download an application
It also can apply to websites that are facilitating the download of applications from third party developers. So how does that not apply to Github, SourceForge or other types of sites? You don't own Github, you're a 3rd party.
I would say it's semi-noteworthy that it does not scope out the circumstances of no signal received because it absolves various parties in some circumstances
This title does not impose liability on an operating system provider, a covered application store, or a developer that arises from the use of a device or application by a person who is not the user to whom a signal pertains.
An operating system provider or a covered application store that makes a good faith effort to comply with this title, taking into consideration available technology and any reasonable technical limitations or outages, shall not be liable for an erroneous signal indicating a user’s age range or any conduct by a developer that receives a signal indicating a user’s age range.
So it absolves some of responsibility in certain scopes, but says nothing about the lack of a signal received.
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Comment on Third spaces: What do we want, and how do we get them? in ~life
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentI was living out of my car last year, and yeah, libraries are the place to go during the day. In the places I have been, the problem I encountered is libraries haven't been open on Sundays,...I was living out of my car last year, and yeah, libraries are the place to go during the day. In the places I have been, the problem I encountered is libraries haven't been open on Sundays, sometimes have limited hours on Saturdays and Fridays. It's one of the challenges of being unhoused but relying on the library for shelter during the day is the limited hours. Other people who were in the city's shelter system would basically go from the shelter in the morning since they weren't all-day shelters, to the library during the day, and back to the shelter at night, which works better when the schedules line up but is especially hard when they don't.
There was one library that I went to where they had something like what airports have where if your baggage doesn't fit in the box then it's too big to bring in, but as far as I can tell, they didn't enforce it. I believe that to be something anti-homeless, because homeless people have nowhere else to store their belongings and even myself though I was living out of a car and could keep my belongings in there while going into the library, I still would bring in a lot to the library when I'm in there all day. They never stopped me or made me verify my bags fit in that box, which they wouldn't have on some occasions. Of course some people who don't have a car to store their things in did bring in way more than I was bringing in and it could feel a bit excessive with the amount of space they would take up, but I understand both sides of the problem.
There were some services that were restricted to cardholders. One library had a gaming area, like a couch and chairs and gaming consoles and what not, but the sign said it required a library card to utilize. Makerspaces that I saw also required a library card. But indeed books and what not there was no such restriction to read them while inside the library.
I do think that people ought to be aware of homeless populations to some extent when considering 3rd spaces because it's possibly a problem for some areas, even if it's not representative of the overall experience that may exist for every potential 3rd space. If you make a place where people can go that doesn't cost money, homeless people don't have many options and are likely to be drawn to such a place. The vast majority of options in my experience last year is basically libraries are the only place you can truly go and not be expected to pay money, you can get away with going into some retail places or malls and walk around for free without having to pay. Most of the seating options I saw in the few malls I went in were quite intentionally not meant to be utilized for extended time and were quite uncomfortable.
Edit: Should clarify that I'm of course only talking about indoor places, as there's parks and some other areas for outdoor spaces.
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Comment on Reddit fined £14m for 'concerning' child age check failings in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentThis is what I think many of these sites and platforms need to do. This is where I think people having a problem with what Discord is doing for age verification would wish their criticism would...At what point does big tech follow the lead of Imgur, tell the ICO and Ofcom to fuck off and geoblock British IPs? And when is this backlash going to finally topple Keir Starmer and lead to a change in leadership?
This is what I think many of these sites and platforms need to do. This is where I think people having a problem with what Discord is doing for age verification would wish their criticism would drive the response towards. I know there were some arguments about how Discord has to do age verification so it's not their fault, but they can stop enforcing legal requirements from backwards ass legislatures of countries onto other people. Stop doing business there and hopefully people revolt on their legislatures for poorly crafting laws that deny them access to services.
I tested it, they actually attempt to charge. I used privacy.com and set a limit to prevent an actual charge, but I can tell it does attempt one.
Merchant Name
bblxddyhvwiv institute
$16.65
DECLINED