ICN's recent activity

  1. Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech

    ICN
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    True, I was looking at things through the lens of my own situation, where I keep the volume adjustment interval pretty low, so fine adjustments are easy but large ones take a few more clicks. For...

    I think it is also good for small fine tuned adjustments. Mine are not stepped, so I can really dial it in at the volume I want, and not stuck either being on a notch slightly too loud/quiet.

    True, I was looking at things through the lens of my own situation, where I keep the volume adjustment interval pretty low, so fine adjustments are easy but large ones take a few more clicks.

    For comparison, my own setup is generally headphones with a random grab bag of content in a household where I've come to suspect the other inhabitants don't always have absolute silence as their top priority. It sounds like your soundscape may be a bit more consistent, so I wouldn't go out of your way to get a mouse that can do it, but if you've already got one I'd give it a whirl; you'll know in a day or two if it clicks.

  2. Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech

    ICN
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    A dedicated volume knob is tactilely satisfying and is better for large adjustments, but the whole point of having volume controls on the side tilts of my mouse wheel is so that I don't have to...

    A dedicated volume knob is tactilely satisfying and is better for large adjustments, but the whole point of having volume controls on the side tilts of my mouse wheel is so that I don't have to reach for anything; if the mumbler starts talking on a podcast or the loud part of a song starts up or whatever, my hand is already on the volume control. It's constant virtually effortless fine-tuning that never breaks my flow.

    It's a relatively small change, but I'd liken it to getting forward/back buttons on a mouse; no, it's not difficult to click on the actual buttons, but once you've made things just a little bit smoother all the time it's hard to go back.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech

    ICN
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    I find binding volume controls to a programmable mouse so convenient for gaming or web browsing that I refuse to use one where it's not possible these days.

    I find binding volume controls to a programmable mouse so convenient for gaming or web browsing that I refuse to use one where it's not possible these days.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    I think another factor is also that the left is less comfortable with snake oil. Supplements in the US are mostly unregulated; IIRC there's no guarantee that they contain what they're supposed to,...

    I think another factor is also that the left is less comfortable with snake oil. Supplements in the US are mostly unregulated; IIRC there's no guarantee that they contain what they're supposed to, don't contain harmful ingredients, or have any of the claimed effects. This has led to the supplement industry being a huge funder of medical misinformation/mistrust (You can't trust doctors, which is why you need my brain pills) awash in right wing grifters. Since workout supplements run parallel to that industry, there's a fair bit of spillover.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    I agree they're different situations. Twitter is out and out ideologically motivated. Google I see as going for an air of plausible deniability when they can. No no, they're not supporting the...

    I agree they're different situations. Twitter is out and out ideologically motivated. Google I see as going for an air of plausible deniability when they can. No no, they're not supporting the spread of misinformation, heaven forfend. They're just optimizing for engagement, which does the same thing. Google is better than Twitter, but at the end of the day they're both heading in the same direction.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    I suspect we both want the same or similar things, but I don't see Newsom as the one to get us there. I'm vaguely aware that there are other ways he's fallen short, but for me his stance on trans...

    I suspect we both want the same or similar things, but I don't see Newsom as the one to get us there. I'm vaguely aware that there are other ways he's fallen short, but for me his stance on trans people is already disqualifying; throwing a group to the wolves for the sake of perceived political expediency is a despicable act in and of itself, and once that strategy is on the table it can be applied to anyone. Why fight for single payer healthcare? The people dying from the current system definitionally have no money, and all the big industry groups will get mad and work against you if you try. If you instead work with them, changing only what they'll countenance, you can instead get all those big donations rolling in.

    In short, while Newsom might talk a good game, I suspect that when time comes to walk the walk he'd instead pursue the same milquetoast Democrat agenda that fomented the conditions for Trump's rise in the first place.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    Sure, here's an article that touches on the funding received by PragerU and The Daily Wire, and another on Turning Point USA, all of which are notable right wing media presences that often target...

    Sure, here's an article that touches on the funding received by PragerU and The Daily Wire, and another on Turning Point USA, all of which are notable right wing media presences that often target young men. It's entirely possible that there are similar organizations on the left targeting young men, but I'm unaware of any.

    For algorithms, here's an article on Youtube, Twitter, and a Wikipedia link to a Facebook leak showing their harmful algorithm priorities.

    13 votes

  8. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    My impression of Newsom is a cynical man of few actual principles who's gearing up for a 2028 presidential run. In my opinion, he's trying not to alienate the mythical magical center and remain...

    My impression of Newsom is a cynical man of few actual principles who's gearing up for a 2028 presidential run. In my opinion, he's trying not to alienate the mythical magical center and remain palatable to big donors in the traditional Democratic party style, and the trolling is a means of boosting engagement and getting his name in headlines.

    17 votes

  9. Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society

    ICN
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    Getting positive influences is a difficult problem for a myriad of reasons. First, and likely most significantly, is that there's no money in that space. There are no billionaires signing blank...

    Getting positive influences is a difficult problem for a myriad of reasons.

    First, and likely most significantly, is that there's no money in that space. There are no billionaires signing blank checks. You can't hawk dodgy supplements which props up so much of the alt right and medical disinformation grifters. The demographic themselves aren't going to have much money in the first place.

    Then there's the issue that all the algorithms are biased against you. Even before the current situation where the social media companies are mask off and embracing the right, every company tended to go through a phase of tweaking things to be a little more to the right to appease all the right-wingers screaming about imbalance, only to then get even louder complaints. All social media prizes engagement, and negative emotions tend to be more engaging than positive ones.

    Then there's the social issues. It's hard to be vulnerable when the other side will make fun of you and specifically target that vulnerability. It's hard to go against the grain of centuries of media telling you otherwise.

    Then for the young men themselves, the message that society was better for everyone when they were on top, that relationships work best as a dictatorship, that there's no need to ever be vulnerable, and that there's no need to go through the difficult and often tedious process of introspection and self-improvement on your reflections, those are all messages that can be very appealing. Countering them articulately and in ways that are emotionally resonant is difficult and often takes some experience and maturity on the individuals part.

    Purity testing on the left can make for hostile spaces to those just getting started, but that's a thorny issue. While a significant portion of this is caused by the way social media works, it also comes down to one of the most unfair dynamics marginalized people face; in addition to all the challenges of marginalization, they often get saddled with the difficult, exhausting, and thankless work of educating people about said marginalization. It's a big ask of those worried about their survival to be nice to the people insulting and denigrating them in the hopes they'll learn to be better.

    8 votes

  10. Comment on What is a business/org that's so terrible no one should use if possible? in ~life

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    I hear the Monsters Inc. CEO got busted for child trafficking. Definitely not the sort of people you'd want to open the door for.

    I hear the Monsters Inc. CEO got busted for child trafficking. Definitely not the sort of people you'd want to open the door for.

    11 votes

  11. Comment on A US federal appellate court finds the National Labor Relations Board to be unconstitutional in ~society

    ICN
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    From what I can tell, that general strike effort is unaffiliated with the one that IIRC has the UAW, postal workers, and teachers' unions on board for May 1st, 2028. Yes, I worry about waiting...

    From what I can tell, that general strike effort is unaffiliated with the one that IIRC has the UAW, postal workers, and teachers' unions on board for May 1st, 2028. Yes, I worry about waiting that long, but a successful general strike would be an incredible feat of logistics and organizing; doing it right takes time, unfortunately.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on My favorite mouse costs less than USD 10 in ~tech

    ICN
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    Ah yes, if you go deep enough, every project secretly contains every other project within it.

    Ah yes, if you go deep enough, every project secretly contains every other project within it.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on My favorite mouse costs less than USD 10 in ~tech

    ICN
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    In case you weren't aware, a space mouse can make 3d navigation loads easier. There are also DIY options if the steep price tag is a nonstarter.

    In case you weren't aware, a space mouse can make 3d navigation loads easier. There are also DIY options if the steep price tag is a nonstarter.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on What is the most insane, tedious, difficult, and/or noteworthy gaming achievement you have completed or given up on? in ~games

    ICN
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    Oh hey, I was actually thinking of putting forth a 33 orb Noita run for myself; the collapsing difficulty curve is fun to play around with for a bit, but gets real stale after tracking down the...

    Oh hey, I was actually thinking of putting forth a 33 orb Noita run for myself; the collapsing difficulty curve is fun to play around with for a bit, but gets real stale after tracking down the same orbs four times in a row.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on The world’s most-visited museum shuts down, in response to mass tourism in ~travel

    ICN
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    I've heard some National Parks in the US have started using that as a deliberate strategy. There's the one well-known, popular destination that essentially serves as a sacrificial lamb, taking the...

    I've heard some National Parks in the US have started using that as a deliberate strategy. There's the one well-known, popular destination that essentially serves as a sacrificial lamb, taking the brunt of the tourists and all their associated problems. Then the other sites only attract those willing to put a little effort into finding them, which leads to significantly lower wear and tear, and tends to attract a much more respectful crowd.

    5 votes

  16. Comment on We can terraform the American West in ~enviro

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    The US West already has plenty of water; the problem is that so much of it goes to growing water intensive crops in a desert for cattle feed.

    The US West already has plenty of water; the problem is that so much of it goes to growing water intensive crops in a desert for cattle feed.

    12 votes

  17. Comment on Joe Edelman: "Is anything worth maximizing?", a talk about how tech platforms optimize for metrics in ~tech

    ICN
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    My apologies on both counts; that's what I get for insomnia posting. I'd assumed I'd picked up enough context from the comments, and the 'eh' was meant to be casual rather than dismissive, but it...

    My apologies on both counts; that's what I get for insomnia posting. I'd assumed I'd picked up enough context from the comments, and the 'eh' was meant to be casual rather than dismissive, but it didn't read that way in retrospect. Sorry again. Today was busy, but tomorrow I'll watch the video and edit this post if I have any more relevant thoughts.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Joe Edelman: "Is anything worth maximizing?", a talk about how tech platforms optimize for metrics in ~tech

    ICN
    (edited )
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    Personally, I'm extremely skeptical that more data would lead to better recommendations. Netflix used to have a quality recommendation algorithm. Near when Tiktok got started, I remember jokes...

    Personally, I'm extremely skeptical that more data would lead to better recommendations. Netflix used to have a quality recommendation algorithm. Near when Tiktok got started, I remember jokes about it's algorithm knowing you were queer before you did. Both of these were before the current LLM craze, and I'd wager both were done with less data than Google had access too.

    Recommendations aren't bad because of a technical limitation or lack of data; they're bad because Google is optimizing them for it's actual customers, stockholders and advertisers, rather than the product, i.e. the users.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on When there’s no school counselor, there’s a bot in ~tech

    ICN
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    Even if the company were completely honest about their data collection policies, eventually they'd be forced by legislators or replaced by a company willing to do it, since since all that data...

    Even if the company were completely honest about their data collection policies, eventually they'd be forced by legislators or replaced by a company willing to do it, since since all that data would be invaluable for "improving educational outcomes". From there, they'd start selling it, and that's okay because all the money is going to the severely underfunded school systems. And once we're doing that, is it really that much difference to let the advertisers use it? It's another valuable income stream for the school.

    We end up at a place were sad kids are told by the friendly chatbot that a can of Red Bull is what they need so they'll have the energy to crush those negative feelings, where every step on the way was ostensibly for the children.

    New troubled teen/conversion camp industry boom, anyone?

    Given the way things are going, probably, but as work camps with all the same old abuse added on top.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Reddit will lock some content behind a paywall this year, CEO says in ~tech

    ICN
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    My guess is that they think it will drive some people to other platforms, but the increased monetization of the remaining users will make up for it. I'm skeptical that it'll work out for them...

    My guess is that they think it will drive some people to other platforms, but the increased monetization of the remaining users will make up for it. I'm skeptical that it'll work out for them however, since Reddit's business model relies on users working for free to generate content for other users, and adding a paywall somewhere in there throws a huge wrench in the works.

    5 votes