Grumble4681's recent activity
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Comment on Reusing plastic water bottles, to-go containers? Scientists say that’s a bad idea. in ~health
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Comment on US President Joe Biden pardons son in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI figured it was a matter of the election and trying to hold as much ground in the election as he could. If he wins the election, he could do whatever he wants after that, if he loses, he can do...Re the pardon, I think it was dumb for Biden to officially say that he wouldn't pardon Hunter. I don't know what he hoped to gain.
I figured it was a matter of the election and trying to hold as much ground in the election as he could. If he wins the election, he could do whatever he wants after that, if he loses, he can do whatever he wants before someone else takes office. But he and advisers probably thought that it mattered to at least some small percentage of voters that he not pardon Hunter. Of course even after he dropped out and handed the election off to Kamala he still was operating under similar constraints.
I am waiting to see whether Biden uses the pardon power to protect journalists or politicians or FBI staff or the attorneys who worked on Trump's cases. Trump has signaled that there will be prosecutions and legal risk for all of these groups of people.
I think it could be useful to do that. It might in some minds support that the Trump cases were partisan, but in the end I'm not sure that really matters because the people who think that way likely aren't going to behave any differently regardless. The fact that they claimed they were partisan before there was any rational basis to claim it means that even if there happens to be some slight case for it later means reality never really had any bearing on what they were going to do anyhow.
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Comment on Reusing plastic water bottles, to-go containers? Scientists say that’s a bad idea. in ~health
Grumble4681 Link ParentI don't drink anything acidic, I only drink water. I don't drink anything else but water when I'm home at least. The only time I would drink anything other than water is when I'm not at home, and...I don't drink anything acidic, I only drink water. I don't drink anything else but water when I'm home at least.
The only time I would drink anything other than water is when I'm not at home, and typically at restaurants I order water. I only drink something else if it costs me the same as what it would cost me to drink water and if the social friction of trying to get water instead of something else is higher.
I'm not even sure I'd get a copper water cup or bottle but it is good that you mentioned that significant issue with it. I just saw it mentioned in a comment in this thread and did a brief search and it seemed possibly viable (and I did see that you can't use it with anything acidic, but that in particular didn't raise any concerns for me since I only drink water). Though it's far from being in my shopping cart at the moment so if I were actually seriously going to buy one I'd probably do more reading about it anyhow.
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Comment on Great shows with a truly satisfying ending? in ~tv
Grumble4681 Link ParentI have a problem. I've lost count because I've watched definitely more than 10 times, and some episodes more than that even, but the full show more than 10 times. Initially I tried not to rewatch...I have a problem. I've lost count because I've watched definitely more than 10 times, and some episodes more than that even, but the full show more than 10 times.
Initially I tried not to rewatch it too much because I wanted it to feel somewhat new to me each time I watched it, but rewatching it without years between watches made it easier to catch little details and things I didn't catch before. Then I'd checked out the book All The Pieces Matter and had to watch again to experience parts of the show that are mentioned in the book and what not (technically I listened to an audiobook version but still).
It's interesting how well the show has aged, I never would have expected it. I remember on my earlier watches thinking the show might lose a little bit over time, and obviously technology has changed since then but the human element of things only proved more relevant.
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Comment on Reusing plastic water bottles, to-go containers? Scientists say that’s a bad idea. in ~health
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentYeah I saw that line, I didn't see a link to a study for that particular claim or any more details mentioned about why re-using it is worse. I can get that water going in and out of the bottle...Yeah I saw that line, I didn't see a link to a study for that particular claim or any more details mentioned about why re-using it is worse. I can get that water going in and out of the bottle creates additional 'friction' for lack of a better term, though a water bottle that gets shook around a fair bit might create a similar experience even if it's the original water in that bottle.
I did see someone else mention copper water bottles in here and that sounds interesting as a possible replacement for what I'm doing now, provided I can find one of an appropriate size that I can fit into a bathroom sink to fill it.
Though it seems rather pointless because I mostly eat frozen prepared foods that come in plastic trays and are microwaved to heat up, so based on everything mentioned in there it seems like I'm going to get a large share of microplastics there either way. I don't know if it works like smoking where people can do it for years and stop midway through life and sometimes avoid the more serious complications of a lifetime of smoking, but I'm pretty much assuming I've consumed 20+ years worth of microplastics at above average levels on a daily basis so there's no going back now.
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Comment on Reusing plastic water bottles, to-go containers? Scientists say that’s a bad idea. in ~health
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentI kind of look at it from this angle, but in the opposite way, though I wonder if I'm missing something. I have re-used these 'single use' plastic water bottles, mostly I'll just re-fill them with...I kind of look at it from this angle, but in the opposite way, though I wonder if I'm missing something.
I have re-used these 'single use' plastic water bottles, mostly I'll just re-fill them with water multiple times per day and use them for a week or so, then put them in the recycling and open a new one and repeat that pattern.
Mostly I do this because I've rarely lived in a situation where I have a good way to wash dishes. Currently I have basically no access to a kitchen and just have access to a small bathroom sink.
I've known there are issues with plastic water bottles and microplastics, but I've always kind of thought that just refilling it couldn't be any worse than using them once over and over again. I don't keep them for long because I do know bacteria can build up in them. I'm not refilling them with anything but cold tap water. I guess I wonder if re-using them is really that much worse than I thought.
I also wonder if its really any better using paper products since my understanding is many of them have a plastic lining in them to make them water resistant, so is this better or worse than plastic containers? Seems like all disposable products are not only problematic for environmental reasons obviously but also health reasons, I've just kinda resigned myself to being full of microplastics either way.
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Comment on The Texas OB-GYN exodus – Amid increasingly stringent abortion laws, doctors who provide maternal care have been fleeing the state in ~health
Grumble4681 Link ParentBut the doctors are leaving now and they aren't changing the laws immediately to get them to stay or come back, so why would they be worried about locking them up if they're losing them already...I know there's the odd case of a couple doctors being prosecuted, but good luck locking up/firing 60% of your doctors and having a functional healthcare system.
But the doctors are leaving now and they aren't changing the laws immediately to get them to stay or come back, so why would they be worried about locking them up if they're losing them already and not concerned enough about to backtrack?
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Comment on How do I trick my brain into accepting eating less? in ~health
Grumble4681 Link ParentThis doesn't take away from anything you said as that all seems very accurate to me, but it's perhaps worth noting that psyllium husk fiber is also a laxative from what I have read. It may not...This doesn't take away from anything you said as that all seems very accurate to me, but it's perhaps worth noting that psyllium husk fiber is also a laxative from what I have read. It may not necessarily produce the same effects as taking something that is specifically meant to be used as a laxative depending on amount taken, but I do believe it increases the number of bowel movements in a day in my experience.
I unfortunately don't really feel any benefit from the psyllium husk fiber with regards to changing my appetite. I take it in capsule form rather than powder form so there may be some differences there, though I would not imagine much since I think its just the powder packed into a gel capsule. I take it pretty regularly, like on a schedule even, but my desire to eat swings wildly between days. Some days I wake up in the morning and I feel like I'm super hungry the moment I get out of bed, other days I can be relatively content with little to eat in the morning and make it to the afternoon. I definitely have a problem with sugar though and I know sugar triggers my hunger more, so it's possible if not for this the fiber would have more of an impact.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI do because it matters to the person I'm judging or defining in that way. I think it is a net negative to society to not account for this, because it leads to misunderstandings about each other...I don't distinguish sexism as only conscious acts.
I do because it matters to the person I'm judging or defining in that way. I think it is a net negative to society to not account for this, because it leads to misunderstandings about each other and what people should be more aware of or more knowledgeable about.
If people commonly perceive being accused of racism, sexism etc. as something that is made up of conscious thoughts and acts, but that is not what I am meaning to convey when I define their thoughts or behaviors, then it's a breakdown of communication that will almost certainly not lead to a positive outcome.
Perhaps some may not intend to have a channel of communication when they say it, but then I'm not sure what the goal in saying it is and even those who are not the target for the accusation are still likely to misinterpret or understand the meaning and alter their own thoughts and judgements based on that misunderstanding.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentThis seems very odd to call out my comment for being insulting to a whole demographic of people as within context of the comment I replied to, it should be fairly reasonable to see that it's...This seems very odd to call out my comment for being insulting to a whole demographic of people as within context of the comment I replied to, it should be fairly reasonable to see that it's speculation of reasons why a subsection of the group being discussed are voting for a person who is very anti-immigration, and that comment I replied to mentioned what people may commonly assume about that group and their perspectives of immigration and how voting for Trump seems to run counter to those assumptions.
It seems you chose the most unfavorable interpretation you could come up with and I just don't think that's a fair way to reply to the comment I made.
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Comment on Perplexity CEO offers AI company's services to replace striking New York Times staff in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI think the general public has less qualms about using AI than they do about AI taking their jobs anyhow. The average person wants to use AI. It's why it's becoming one of the most booming...I think the general public has less qualms about using AI than they do about AI taking their jobs anyhow. The average person wants to use AI. It's why it's becoming one of the most booming industries right now, why Nvidia is becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. Investors are seemingly lining up to have their money thrown into this deep money pit of AI where money just keeps going in at a massive scale and not nearly as much is coming out, because they expect huge demand will eventually lead to huge profits.
It matters whether it was sincere or not because if it was sincere, it's misreading the room in terms of AI taking jobs and looks bad because they were offering to take over jobs of people who were striking, but when it is insincere, it means that they didn't believe they could actually take over that job or didn't have any belief that NY Times would take them up on it, and instead intended for it to be conveyed as advertising to consumers who would use AI, rather than AI taking someone's job directly. So in this context, it's reading the room just fine, the general public I do not believe is that against using AI themselves.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI thought this at the time with Hillary, but after this and just the more I reflected on it, I do think some voters were possibly drawn to Trump or away from Harris in part because she is a woman....I thought this at the time with Hillary, but after this and just the more I reflected on it, I do think some voters were possibly drawn to Trump or away from Harris in part because she is a woman.
These are all just my thoughts and opinions and I'm not trying to convey it as fact or expert opinion.
More specifically, I think Trump does really well against women because he has this faux Strongman persona, he mentions Putin a lot and I think sort of wants to project a similar strength that someone like Putin does. I think there are certain kinds of voters that are possibly more lured in by this when the opposing candidate is a woman, because women may be unfairly judged when competing with men using similar behaviors or characteristics. I've seen it mentioned many times that women in the workplace are treated more unfairly because if they're assertive people see it as a negative trait where as for men it's often seen as a positive trait, and I don't think that's just exclusive to assertiveness either.
I think some people want to believe that Trump has all the answers and can do everything needed to turn things around or change things in ways they think are better and they're influenced more easily by strong male types. I also recognize Harris did not just lose because tons of people voted for Trump instead of her, but also because tons of people just didn't vote at all rather than vote for her over Trump. I still see some of this as an extension of the above, I think to some people women will look weaker against Trump because of those flaws in people where they see negatives in women that are positives in men, and even people who don't like Trump are susceptible to this, so the result may be that they just won't vote for either.
Not saying that's the only reason, I do think there's TONS of other reasons why people wouldn't vote for either, or would vote for Trump over Harris, and I don't even see it as sexism necessarily. I distinguish sexism and racism as more intentional or done with awareness, as I think that's how a lot of people perceive it when accused of being sexist or racist, whereas in this case I think it's more specifically an unconscious bias. I believe the former is considered conscious bias.
I also think women can be just as guilty of this bias in some cases as men. I also think that this bias isn't just against women, but frail old men that can barely speak at a debate wouldn't likely fare so well either. Unfortunately Trump somehow still has a loud mouth and can cover up his decline from aging still.
I don't think a more attractive woman would necessarily fare better against Trump unless she had a totally separate persona and platform and basically ran on celebrity status more than being a professional politician. Even then it's questionable.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentPossibly even they do care, just not in the way people thought. The classic pull the ladder up behind you once you're up. For a lot of people, it's a great way to get ahead and stay ahead.Immigration policy is becoming less relevant to them: why should they care when they're already here?
Possibly even they do care, just not in the way people thought. The classic pull the ladder up behind you once you're up. For a lot of people, it's a great way to get ahead and stay ahead.
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Comment on Perplexity CEO offers AI company's services to replace striking New York Times staff in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentSeems less like a sincere offer and more like a publicity generating maneuver. They want more people to know Perplexity exists in the hopes that it can be mentioned more and more along with...Seems less like a sincere offer and more like a publicity generating maneuver. They want more people to know Perplexity exists in the hopes that it can be mentioned more and more along with ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude etc., basically all the other big names.
In this way, I highly doubt they care about a small subset of NY Times workers or even people who already have negative feelings about AI/LLMs, and more so want a larger share of population from people who are excited about or in some way value or are seeking out AI/LLMs. This is basically like advertising to them.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentWith regards to his explanation of the timing being bad, he said this: This is the primary point that bothers me, and this type of action happens in myriads of areas of life where it's like, these...With regards to his explanation of the timing being bad, he said this:
I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy.
This is the primary point that bothers me, and this type of action happens in myriads of areas of life where it's like, these problems could so easily be avoided by just acknowledging that if you delayed the implementation beyond a point where it impacts people now, the problem wouldn't even exist anymore. It's sort of like the idea of politicians voting for pay raises, it gets heavily distorted these days by how many of those positions are basically lifetime or as long as they want, but in theory if the system worked more ideally, them voting for pay raises is heavily solved by voting for pay raises that happen in future sessions of Congress rather than in their current one. When it works as expected, people who actually have to earn their jobs in Congress and aren't just their for life are more likely voting for the good of the job and not for themselves. There's so many areas of government and life in general where these potential conflicts of interest can be avoided by considering the longer scale of things.
In this way, what Bezos did is make an important decision at the last minute and if you look at the overall arch of what he's trying to impact, it is completely irresponsible. The WP and many other news organizations have been doing endorsements for decades now. Allowing them to continue this practice for one more election is rather irrelevant in the large scope of things. If he is to be believed that it's really a principled decision on his part and something that is ethically better in the long run for organizations like this and for this industry, then in the long run it would prove out just as well by implementing it later when its not as dramatic of a change of practice at a key moment in time. What is one more election endorsement after decades of them? This only further indicates a motivation other than what he is publicly claiming. He could have easily let the endorsement go through, and also said it would be the last endorsement that the WP would do and that is it. Then most of the controversy of the immediate future anyhow just goes away, and it looks less like he's trying to influence what happens in this election by letting them continue it for this election. If he wanted to avoid the controversy and not have an endorsement this election, then the bottom line is that he should have made the decision much earlier.
He even acknowledges in the part you quoted, the conflicts of interest potential or the bulwark against intimidation angle, and says that only his principles can tip the balance from one to the other. So if his principles are so important to whether or not his ownership of this organization is affected by his wealth and business interests in a positive or negative way, then he should have taken far more care for how his principles are conveyed and perceived. He basically just acknowledged that the Washington Post's integrity is dependent on his principles and says "Trust me", after making a decision that makes it very easy to question his principles and motives. How can anyone trust that?
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Comment on The misogynistic, bigoted and crude US rally remarks Donald Trump hasn’t disavowed in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentRCV is probably an inferior option, but STAR or just some type of score voting would be good, but also I think that needs to be combined with some proportional representation method. It's not...RCV is probably an inferior option, but STAR or just some type of score voting would be good, but also I think that needs to be combined with some proportional representation method.
It's not enough to just say whoever gets 1st with some better voting system is the only one that gets representation. Just because you aren't part of the most popular bloc of voters doesn't mean you shouldn't have representation or have a voice. Of course at a certain point it does mean that you may not have much influence over things, but to me the whole point of a representative system is that you elect someone else to do the day-to-day work of fighting to have your perspectives considered within government because most people don't have the time, education or resources to fight those battles all the time while living their lives. You elect someone else whose job is to fight them for you. If you have reasonable perspectives your representatives may often work in coalitions to build support for things you care about.
The difference between that and how we currently operate is that every single person has to constantly fight to have their voice heard because they rarely ever get someone who has an aligned set of values or perspectives to represent them since there are so few representatives to the overall population and because there's only one winner over a district etc. So at best they're just a set of functioning ears for which you have to scream non-stop and hope they eventually hear you.
I don't think we personally need to decide or be knowledgeable enough to know what the optimal voting setup for us is to move the needle, but we do need more and more people to be aware of the problem until they're receptive to a solution, that way we can get more experts and resources devoted to evaluating the optimal voting systems for us.
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Comment on ‘I grew up with it’: readers on the enduring appeal of Microsoft Excel in ~tech
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentIt's modularity to the extreme. The top comment as of writing my comment mentions it being referred to as "the second-best tool for everything" which does indicate people recognize modularity has...It's modularity to the extreme. The top comment as of writing my comment mentions it being referred to as "the second-best tool for everything" which does indicate people recognize modularity has its flaws and thus not being the best tool for anything, but it makes sense why everyone wants to use it. Not only is it modularity to the extreme, it manages to keep it relatively simple considering taking anything to the extreme generally doesn't stay simple.
It's interesting for me to think about more purpose-built software that is more specific to a particular situation, because often times I just find myself wishing it was more modular. Even though its specificity is its advantage in some regards, it's also its Achilles heel at times. Mostly I'm thinking of software I encountered working for different businesses. It seems to be true with a lot of software, many times something starts out specific and is really good at the one or two things it does, but then people want more and the tool tries to become a multi-tool and then it often is lackluster at many things, and it seems to be really just because people want modularity like in Excel. In some cases people end up hating the software because it becomes bloated and unwieldy. Yet somehow Excel manages to thread this needle perfectly.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI'm suspecting this as well. There have been some notable people coming out against him very recently, specifically John Kelly, but also 13 former Trump administration officials who signed an open...I'm suspecting this as well. There have been some notable people coming out against him very recently, specifically John Kelly, but also 13 former Trump administration officials who signed an open letter backing John Kelly's remarks.
But we've seen that in this bizarre reality, these types of warnings don't seem to resonate with people who haven't already decided against Trump.
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Comment on Anthropic announces New Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Haiku and the Computer Use API in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentSeems like there's a time and a place for HID automation solutions and perhaps it's planning to slot into that? It's not seemingly substantially different than a bunch of the other macro programs...Seems like there's a time and a place for HID automation solutions and perhaps it's planning to slot into that? It's not seemingly substantially different than a bunch of the other macro programs out there before it, or what people use AutoHotkey for, except with an LLM attached it might have someplace to go beyond where those could not.
Microsoft's PowerAutomate is/was extremely powerful for an HID automation (I haven't used it in awhile because seemingly at some point they put it behind another gate that make it inaccessible to me). You could set it to look for certain pictures on the screen, or sets of pixels really, and it would follow commands based on recognition of that.
To me it seems like they're basically trying to cross the barrier between developer and power user, an API is more of a developer layer and where the power user wants to automate is not likely going to have an API because they would ordinarily have no use for it.
Rather than equating this to making a car out of train parts, I see it as more like making autonomous cars work on roads and systems built for humans. It's rather asinine in one perspective that a car is trying to interpret visual elements meant for humans when humans could build the equivalent of an API for autonomous cars to use on the roads, except I'd say it's fairly understandable why that doesn't happen in the short term for various reasons. You work with what is available now, not what is on your wishlist to be available for things you have no control over.
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Comment on Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound in ~health
Grumble4681 Link ParentWill any of the actual features work or are they basically just overpriced bluetooth earbuds at that point?Will any of the actual features work or are they basically just overpriced bluetooth earbuds at that point?
I'm not trying to be argumentative and I'm certainly not an expert on the matter, but in the US, copper pipes used to be fairly common and it seems the EPA advises (though does not enforce) that tap water should fall in the 6.5-8.5ph range which could be slightly acidic though it seems more likely that water will be slightly alkaline rather than acidic if advisement is followed. It seems partly to be the case that metal piping is a consideration in why that ph range is advised, to not leech metal into the water. I'm not saying that if water is safe to go through copper pipes its also safe to use as a water bottle, as there could be a myriad of other factors coming into play, just noting that from what I've found it seems unlikely for tap water to be acidic in part because they do need to consider how it impacts existing plumbing infrastructure.
Looking this up also reminded me how the US and probably other countries as well have in many cases moved to PEX/PVC pipes so the water is delivered through plastic tubes in our buildings. Yes these types of plastics are not the same as single-use plastic in terms of how they're constructed/made but does make me realize the extent of how difficult it might be to avoid microplastics.