HotPants's recent activity

  1. Comment on Tildes first Turing Test in ~tech

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    Here is how the 7b Llama responds: 50 "Eat It" "Amish Paradise" "White & Nerdy" "Word Crimes" "Smells Like Nirvana" "Weasel Stomping Day" "I Lost on Jeopardy" "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" "The Saga...

    Here is how the 7b Llama responds:

    50

    Great! How many Weird Al songs you can you name? can you name them?

    1. "Eat It"
    2. "Amish Paradise"
    3. "White & Nerdy"
    4. "Word Crimes"
    5. "Smells Like Nirvana"
    6. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    7. "I Lost on Jeopardy"
    8. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    9. "The Saga Begins"
    10. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    11. "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"
    12. "White & Nerdy"
    13. "I'll Sue Ya"
    14. "Polkas on 45"
    15. "You Don't Love Me Anymore"
    16. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    17. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    18. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    19. "The Saga Begins"
    20. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    21. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    22. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    23. "The Saga Begins"
    24. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    25. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    26. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    27. "The Saga Begins"
    28. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    29. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    30. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    31. "The Saga Begins"
    32. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    33. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    34. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    35. "The Saga Begins"
    36. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    37. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    38. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    39. "The Saga Begins"
    40. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    41. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    42. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    43. "The Saga Begins"
    44. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    45. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    46. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    47. "The Saga Begins"
    48. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    49. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    50. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    51. "The Saga Begins"
    52. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    53. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    54. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    55. "The Saga Begins"
    56. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    57. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    58. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    59. "The Saga Begins"
    60. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    61. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    62. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    63. "The Saga Begins"
    64. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    65. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    66. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    67. "The Saga Begins"
    68. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    69. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    70. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    71. "The Saga Begins"
    72. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    73. "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
    74. "Weasel Stomping Day"
    75. "The Saga Begins"
    76. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    1 vote
  2. Comment on Tildes first Turing Test in ~tech

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    Here is how the 7b Llama responds: Yes, I have listened to Weird Al's music, and I think it's hilarious. His parodies of popular songs are clever and funny, and his original songs are catchy and...

    Here is how the 7b Llama responds:

    Yes, I have listened to Weird Al's music, and I think it's hilarious. His parodies of popular songs are clever and funny, and his original songs are catchy and fun to sing along to.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on Tildes first Turing Test in ~tech

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    Here is how the 7b Llama responds (not to beat a dead horse): Some songs that I liked as a teenager and still like now include: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey...

    Here is how the 7b Llama responds (not to beat a dead horse):

    Some songs that I liked as a teenager and still like now include:

    • "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
    • "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
    • "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
    • "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

    Some songs that I used to like, but don't anymore include:

    • "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice
    • "Macarena" by Los Del Rio
    • "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
    1 vote
  4. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes

    HotPants
    Link
    This is why I switch my profile every year. It's not ideal, as none of the regulars understand why this newb is sounding so familiar.

    This is why I switch my profile every year. It's not ideal, as none of the regulars understand why this newb is sounding so familiar.

    3 votes
  5. Comment on What’s good? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    That is fantastic news.

    That is fantastic news.

    5 votes
  6. Comment on What’s good? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    That is fantastic news, I am so happy for you.

    That is fantastic news, I am so happy for you.

    5 votes
  7. Comment on What’s good? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    When my kid was two and a half, we would read mostly the same books each night. I always had a stack of new books from the library, but if both of us didn't like the look of a new book we never...

    When my kid was two and a half, we would read mostly the same books each night. I always had a stack of new books from the library, but if both of us didn't like the look of a new book we never cracked it open.

    One night, we got to a certain page in Scuffy, and he wanted that one page read again, then again, then again, for 20-25 minutes. I must have read that damn page fifty times that night. Turns out he was memorized the entire page.

    Shortly thereafter he surprised me by detecting that I had been ad libbing a line in one of his favorite books. The repetition had allowed him to learn to read.

    Hopefully you find a balance between reading a bunch of different books to generate a love for reading, and rereading that favorite book for the thousandth time.

    My kid ended up learning to read surprisingly early, then losing interest in reading books a few years later.

    3 votes
  8. Comment on What’s good? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    What changed? The kids? The parents? You?

    What changed? The kids? The parents? You?

    7 votes
  9. Comment on What's your Halloween story? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link
    I decorate my house with a number of life like effigy's in addition to the usual red lights and gravestones. The effigy's look real enough at night, so people are afraid of a jump scare from real...

    I decorate my house with a number of life like effigy's in addition to the usual red lights and gravestones.

    The effigy's look real enough at night, so people are afraid of a jump scare from real people.

    A number of people simply nope right past my house.

    Normally my wife hands out candy.

    She opens the door, and tells people it's ok, they are not real, don't be afraid.

    This year my wife is taking the kid trick or treating, so I am handing out the candy. I have no mercy.

    While I never grew up celebrating Halloween, I am now firmly of the opinion that you have to earn the candy by facing your fears.

    4 votes
  10. Comment on So, uh, about the UK in ~talk

  11. Comment on So, uh, about the UK in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    The conservative party is a steaming pile of shit in USA also, and I don't hear good things about Australia either. Moving from New Zealand to USA 20 years ago, the common thread back then was...

    The conservative party is a steaming pile of shit in USA also, and I don't hear good things about Australia either.

    Moving from New Zealand to USA 20 years ago, the common thread back then was Murdochs News Corp. Fox News is just awful.

    The hole in my theory is the UK, most people seem to watch the BBC for news.

    But in the last decade, social media allows well funded sources to spread lies, which neatly coincides with when the conservatives re-emerged.

    So I guess the question is, did conservatives in the UK start becoming angrier, more partisan, hating on the BBC and slightly unhinged from reality in the last ten years?

    4 votes
  12. Comment on So, uh, about the UK in ~talk

  13. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 17 in ~news

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    I love your clear & well articulated thoughts. Looking at 2020, I agree with you. Absurd claims require a preponderance of evidence, and the claim that many Republicans stood by while an election...

    I love your clear & well articulated thoughts.

    Looking at 2020, I agree with you. Absurd claims require a preponderance of evidence, and the claim that many Republicans stood by while an election was stolen in favor of Biden is absurd.

    Looking forwards, I agree with @skybrian. When election deniers control the count, the certification and the adjudication of disputes, I'm not sure how reliable the facts will be.

    5 votes
  14. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 17 in ~news

    HotPants
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    As bogus as the Supreme Court's ruling was, that debate was never seriously about the facts. Everyone agreed the election was tight, there were an unusually large number of votes that could swing...

    As bogus as the Supreme Court's ruling was, that debate was never seriously about the facts. Everyone agreed the election was tight, there were an unusually large number of votes that could swing the election in a recount, and that the uncounted votes were not counted due to hanging chads.

    In fact, I am increasingly sympathetic to the Supreme Courts (legally bullshit) argument that they did not want to bog the country down in endless appeals and have the courts be the final arbitruers of truth, in the case a recount swung the election the other way due to hanging chads.

    Edit

    I think there is an important yet subtle distinction between 2000 & 2020. In a large, complex system like America's, there is always a margin of error. A recount will change the facts. But only a little. The entire process for finding facts is designed around this simple assumption.

    2000 was a legal debate about if this process should even play out. The Supreme Court said, yeah, we are happy our guy won, lets move on, but this in no way sets a precedent, so if our guy doesn't win next time our ruling won't constrain us with any precedent. That isn't a debate about facts.

    2020 introduced wild, unsubstantiated claims that America lacks a free and clear electoral system. Also not a debate about facts, curiously enough, because one side simply ignored the facts and focused on unsubstantiated allegations on the internet.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on What have you learned from going through a pandemic? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link
    My view of humanity and society has fundamentally changed. I thought we were evolving intellectually as a species and society was becoming more stable. There are two types of Sci Fi movies. The...

    My view of humanity and society has fundamentally changed. I thought we were evolving intellectually as a species and society was becoming more stable.

    There are two types of Sci Fi movies. The future of humanity as an evolved species. And the future of humanity as a shit show, or even extinct. I used to think we would evolve.

    Now I see how fragile society is. The pandemic wasn't that bad. Yet huge divisions were created by fear and anger.

    I really feel more empathy for Germans, who are still suffering a crisis of conscience from what Hitler untapped.

    I think fundamentally we are slowly learning how to treat each other better... as long as we don't get punched in the nose by something unusual such as an unexpected recession, war, pandemic.

    3 votes
  16. Comment on Why men are hard to help in ~life.men

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    It's the potential for near term gratification sooner, with the worries of loans and jobs in the future.

    It's the potential for near term gratification sooner, with the worries of loans and jobs in the future.

    "Women tend to live in the future," he says, while "men tend to live in the present."

  17. Comment on Why men are hard to help in ~life.men

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    I can see why more men would be less interested in prioritizing the opportunity cost college or university now for a potentially better job later. What's unusual to me is that the men aren't...

    I can see why more men would be less interested in prioritizing the opportunity cost college or university now for a potentially better job later.

    What's unusual to me is that the men aren't simply attending college or university to get laid now, plus the bonus of a better job later.

    But then maybe I am just a corny horn dog.

  18. Comment on What have you learned from working in tech? in ~talk

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    That is kind of besides the point. Most entertainment involves either a gas guzzler or the internet. The same is increasingly true for employment.

    That is kind of besides the point. Most entertainment involves either a gas guzzler or the internet. The same is increasingly true for employment.

    1 vote
  19. Comment on Why men are hard to help in ~life.men

    HotPants
    Link Parent
    Internet porn and video games were only popular from the late 90's and onwards. Women have been enrolling at college/ university at greater rates than men from the 70's and 80's. So I think...

    Internet porn and video games were only popular from the late 90's and onwards. Women have been enrolling at college/ university at greater rates than men from the 70's and 80's. So I think something else is at play. Also, these natural explanations are easily thought of and easily tested, and one of the interesting comments from the article is that experts are genuinely confused, which indicates the answer is not simply thought of and tested.

    12 votes
  20. Comment on Why men are hard to help in ~life.men

    HotPants
    (edited )
    Link
    This is such an interesting article, thank you. In both America, and worldwide, the percent of people attending tertiary education rose from 10% to almost 40%... While America had more females...

    This is such an interesting article, thank you.

    In 1972, Congress passed Title IX — a landmark statute to promote gender equality in higher education. Quite rightly, too: At the time, there was a 13 percentage-point gap in the proportion of bachelor's degrees going to men compared to women. Just a decade later, the gap had closed. By 2019, the gender gap in bachelor's degrees was 15 points — wider than it had been in 1972, but in the opposite direction. Today, women far outperform men in the American education system.

    In both America, and worldwide, the percent of people attending tertiary education rose from 10% to almost 40%...

    While America had more females than males in higher education by the early 80's, most other western countries saw a change in the late 80's early 90's, and it is a gradual change, not a sudden change that can be pinpointed to any specific event such as gender equality legislation, the popularity of TV or video games.

    I wonder if perhaps, as more people feel pressure to attend college/ university, women are just simply more inclined towards that path than men. If that were the sole factor, I would expect gender equality to happen at a point similar to the USA, which was when 16% of the most likely population attended college/university. I don't see that in the data, so obviously there are additional factors at play, such as the ability to find non-college jobs and the gender bias in each countries education.

    The most common high-school grade for girls is now an A; for boys, it's a B. Girls account for two-thirds of high-school students in the top 10% of their classes ranked by GPA, while the proportions are reversed at the bottom rung. To be sure, boys still perform better than girls on most standardized tests. But this gap has narrowed sharply in recent years — down to a 13-point difference in the SAT.

    I wonder if there is a natural gender bias in schools. Perhaps women are much better at being well behaved and so get better grades and are more comfortable with the idea of continuing education. I would imagine that anything easy would have been tested already, such as the effect of male teachers vs female teachers on gender bias.

    5 votes