Interesting's recent activity
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Comment on Spaceballs: The New One coming to theaters April 23, 2027 in ~movies
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Interesting Link ParentI've actually tried two or three times, and never actually got a response. Maybe other people have better luck than me.I've actually tried two or three times, and never actually got a response. Maybe other people have better luck than me.
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Interesting (edited )LinkFor ebooks, it is literally a faster and better experience to pull them off of libgen (or worse case, zlibrary or Anna's Archive) than deal with buying them from Amazon, though that's half because...For ebooks, it is literally a faster and better experience to pull them off of libgen (or worse case, zlibrary or Anna's Archive) than deal with buying them from Amazon, though that's half because I share an Amazon account, and for some bizzare reason, Amazon won't let you pick your payment method if what you are buying is an ebook. There are so many books I have read that I never, ever would have touched if I had needed to pay for them first. And many I paid for afterwards đ¤ˇââď¸.
With Audiobookshelf, hosting and obtaining the the media is a bit of a pain (I mostly torrent from audiobookbay), but in exchange, I get to have it organized, catalogued, tagged and exactly as I like it, using my preferred covers, whatever. If I ever have the time, I'm going to go through my whole library there and grab epubs for everything too.
I do a decent amount of scientific paper piracy. Of course, there is Sci-hub, but that only covers papers up to 2022-ish. Anything after that is a pain... There is this very weird forum-like website where you can request papers with a bounty of "points", and you get some points by clicking a button each day (enough for 3 or so papers) . I would have to dig through my bookmarks to remember the name. I only really need it for papers that are both paywalled and don't have a preprint available now. Thankfully, papers just straight up being open access is getting more common.
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Comment on France launches government Linux desktop plan as Windows exit begins in ~society
Interesting (edited )Link ParentI've been mulling this over in my head all day trying to think of what it would take to do this in a way that won't horribly fail I think if someone put me in charge of this project, this is the...I've been mulling this over in my head all day trying to think of what it would take to do this in a way that won't horribly fail
I think if someone put me in charge of this project, this is the plan I would want:
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To start, a small pilot at a couple of agencies. Ask for a few volunteers to switch to Linux, trying to find the unicorns with non-technical workloads but with fairly high technical ability. Offer a small bonus, and ~15% release time for the project. Figure out what they can't do but need to be able to do on Linux, fix it, in this stage targeting necessary software or use cases that are government-wide. The very first groups should start out with a backup Windows laptop so they can fall back if needed to make sure their day job gets done. Use metrics on % of time on each laptop, and backup laptop returns, along side surveys of pilot participants to inform results.
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Repeat at a wider array of agencies. Before starting at any agency, survey for the software used in each job role, and how critical it is to that role, and try to get a good idea of what the MVP needs to support, using best practices that were figured out in stage 1, first targeting ~30% of employees not having any blocking software they need. Get that MVP done.
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Drop second laptops for allowing dual boot and virtual machines. Once you've got most use cases covered, start expanding out the pilot to larger percentage of users, this time with a smaller bonus and release time to reduce cost. Scale until you have ~5% of users on Linux for 3 months before dropping the pilot program, but allowing anyone who wishes to move to Linux.
(bonus stage 3.9 - push schools to start using Linux as well, offering subsidies and training to teachers for the transition)
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See who switches off, collect data on why, see who switches on, collect data on that too. Try to fix pain points. If the number goes much below 5%, continue fixing pain points offer some incentives again until you're back there.
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Identify software that is preventing migration for smaller subsets of users. Target that. At the same time, start forcing people in the areas that have the most volunteers, and with no identified software blockers on to Linux. Offer rewards and bonuses to those doing the most peer technical support as part of the transition. Use peer support experience to build quality documentation and training for on-boarding.
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The long tail. All new software purchases must be fully usable on Linux or (perhaps for rare one-off things like niche scientific equipment) have a documented exception. All software that requires Windows where the problem cannot be fixed or mitigated is tracked. Begin forcing less technical organizations on to Linux, ideally always starting with a smaller subset of incentivised volunteers to provide peer support later. For absolutely necessary software with no other options, allow Windows virtual machines, and only if that fails, an exception for a Windows computer.
I would expect this to take a decade to do right at minimum, require a large Linux and application developer team for that time frame, and even then, I don't know if it's possible.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the âMississippi [reading level] miracleâ (gifted link) in ~society
Interesting Link ParentIt's hard data to dig through -- I have to imagine the reporting on the "Texas miracle" fraud took an incredible amount of effort and investigation. I do think there is some value in pointing out...It's hard data to dig through -- I have to imagine the reporting on the "Texas miracle" fraud took an incredible amount of effort and investigation. I do think there is some value in pointing out that the claimed effect sizes in the "Mississippi Miracle" are orders of magnitude larger than studies of phonics interventions, and that is a good reason to be suspicious.
Especially since the years we're looking at for data include the COVID years, where data gets super wonky in all sorts of different ways.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the âMississippi [reading level] miracleâ (gifted link) in ~society
Interesting LinkI went deep down the rabbit hole on this subject a few months ago. These three articles by Freddie deBoer and his back and forth with The Argument were where I hit the bottom....I went deep down the rabbit hole on this subject a few months ago. These three articles by Freddie deBoer and his back and forth with The Argument were where I hit the bottom.
https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/there-are-no-miracles-in-education
https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/is-phonics-instruction-a-reading
https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/education-doesnt-work-30
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Comment on Wikipedia:AI or not quiz in ~tech
Interesting Link7/10 - I was 5/5 for the first 5 and then started rushing, which definitely killed me. This was fun, thank you for sharing it.7/10 - I was 5/5 for the first 5 and then started rushing, which definitely killed me.
This was fun, thank you for sharing it.
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Comment on Russian soldier secretly guides Ukrainian strikes on own unit, leaving up to 150 dead in ~society
Interesting LinkI'm honestly amazed at how it's not basic common sense to not allow soldiers to carry personal devices, and to enforce that with an iron fist. Or did this guy just manage to hide his phone...I'm honestly amazed at how it's not basic common sense to not allow soldiers to carry personal devices, and to enforce that with an iron fist. Or did this guy just manage to hide his phone perfectly?
I feel like the best practice would probably to offer locked down work cell phones that are perhaps on a time delay for personal messaging? Or even one that only allows sending email that's all cached for censorship ww2 letters home style.
Like, even without actual treason as a consideration, there is a bit of a history of apps like Strava revealing military positions.
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Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech
Interesting Link ParentI mean, my mom had a single Windows laptop for about 8 years, but she also spent $1200 on it when she bought it, and that was in like, 2008. The vast majority of Windows laptops are cheap...I mean, my mom had a single Windows laptop for about 8 years, but she also spent $1200 on it when she bought it, and that was in like, 2008.
The vast majority of Windows laptops are cheap craptops, but when you spent real money, you can get something that will last. I bought my friend's kid a used ThinkPad 480s with an 8th gen Intel i5, and it's plenty fast for ordinary browsing and productivity. The build quality is great - - It looks almost brand new.
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Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech
Interesting (edited )Link ParentI'm not as sure. The average person doesn't understand what a file system is to use to even burn the installation media, let alone figure out what Linux distro to pick in the first place. Maybe if...I'm not as sure. The average person doesn't understand what a file system is to use to even burn the installation media, let alone figure out what Linux distro to pick in the first place.
Maybe if they desperately needed to they would figure it out eventually, but I think the average person would have serious problems
Edit: now that I think of it, does the average user even keep around a USB drive anymore? Cloud storage has taken over everything and corporate laptops now typically block USB storage anyway.
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Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech
Interesting Link ParentI think you drastically overestimate the average person's ability to install an operating system. Many people don't even know it's possible to install a new one.I think you drastically overestimate the average person's ability to install an operating system. Many people don't even know it's possible to install a new one.
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Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech
Interesting LinkIf anyone wants some context, this article has a bit of an angry take on what's going on https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-users-are-angry-and-microsoft-is-finally-doing-something-about-it/...If anyone wants some context, this article has a bit of an angry take on what's going on
More neutral but still frustrated
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Comment on All the Eurovision songs are out. Let's talk about them! in ~music
Interesting Link Parenthttps://tildes.net/~music/1rkx/ireland_among_countries_boycotting_eurovision_after_israel_allowed_to_compete This conversation has some thoughtful discussion on the topic of Israel, in case that...This conversation has some thoughtful discussion on the topic of Israel, in case that interests people
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Comment on Untangling the connection between dopamine and ADHD in ~science
Interesting Link ParentI find that the best way to balance "I want people to read this" and "I want to encourage people to participate and have lots of people comment" is to pull out a few interesting sections as quotes...I find that the best way to balance "I want people to read this" and "I want to encourage people to participate and have lots of people comment" is to pull out a few interesting sections as quotes without actually summarizing.
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Comment on GameDate: An anonymous LFG forum for 'dead' games in ~games
Interesting Link ParentThat may be more correct, honestlyThat may be more correct, honestly
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Comment on GameDate: An anonymous LFG forum for 'dead' games in ~games
Interesting Link ParentLooking for [a] game. It's people looking for groups to play games that don't regularly have open servers anymore. It's not PC specific. I've actually seen it used more often for TTRPGsLooking for [a] game. It's people looking for groups to play games that don't regularly have open servers anymore.
It's not PC specific. I've actually seen it used more often for TTRPGs
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Comment on Breakthrough antibody discovery targets Epstein-Barr virus, which infects 95% of the worldâs population in ~health
Interesting Link ParentIt's really not a big deal. It's a very common Jewish last name, I know at least 2 unrelated people personally with that name. Not quite "Smith", but halfway there.It's really not a big deal. It's a very common Jewish last name, I know at least 2 unrelated people personally with that name. Not quite "Smith", but halfway there.
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Comment on Single vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, researchers say in ~health
Interesting Link ParentEven if it does end up causing other problems that make it unsuitable for the general population, I wonder if it could be useful for immunocompromised cancer patients.Even if it does end up causing other problems that make it unsuitable for the general population, I wonder if it could be useful for immunocompromised cancer patients.
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Comment on US Supreme Court strikes down Donald Trumpâs sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda in ~society
Interesting LinkWell, I guess that insider billionare who was paying ~30% in exchange for importer's tariff refund rights gets to make a ton of money now.Well, I guess that insider billionare who was paying ~30% in exchange for importer's tariff refund rights gets to make a ton of money now.
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Comment on At these Gaza schools, âpeace buildingâ is part of the curriculum in ~society
Interesting Link... ... ... ... ... ... ... https://thegazachildrenvillage.org/ I sent a $100 donation because this gave me some hope that maybe, there's a path to the conflict not going back and forth forever,...Quietly, and despite considerable risk, a network of free private schools for war orphans and other children has sprouted in the Gaza Strip. The schools, called Academies of Hope, are the brainchild of a Palestinian American neurosurgeon, Dr. David Hasan, who first visited Gaza on medical relief missions soon after Israel invaded Gaza in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Though he hasnât been back to Gaza since early 2024, he has built the institutions by forging partnerships with humanitarian groups on the ground, hiring Palestinian staff over WhatsApp and raising money â largely from Jewish donors â in the United States and Israel.
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Operating schools in any war zone is hard enough, and schools across the enclave are struggling to rebuild. But Dr. Hasan has compounded his challenges. He revamped a much-criticized national curriculum and worked to keep Hamas from endangering his schools. He also verifies that none of his staff have ties to militant groups, a charge Israel has leveled against the United Nations agency caring for Palestinians in Gaza and some international aid groups.
The schools teach a modified version of the Palestinian Authorityâs curriculum, which is taught in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, but without any lessons demonizing Jews or glorifying perpetrators of violence against Israel. Dr. Hasan said the curriculum changes were made without the authorityâs permission, prompting threats of reprisal from its education ministry. A ministry spokesman did not respond to repeated messages seeking comment.
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Before-and-after excerpts from the curriculum illustrate the changes:
A math problem comparing the number of âmartyrsâ killed in the first and second intifadas has been replaced with one involving attendance at a West Bank soccer match.
A reading comprehension selection praising Dalal Mughrabi â a woman who led a 1978 massacre that killed 38 Israelis, 13 of them children â has been replaced with one about Hind al-Husseini, a pioneering Palestinian educator.
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On social media, some Gazans have asked whether Dr. Hasanâs agenda is overly aligned with Israelâs. Others, embittered by Hamas, have retorted that itâs better to teach tolerance than to teach children to sacrifice themselves.
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...leaders of big families in Gaza have helped him obtain space for more schools. âThe way we did it is by gaining trust,â he said.
One way is by ensuring those families â as well as the Israelis and his donors â that his staff has no ties to militant groups. Dr. Hasan said that every employee had been cleared with the Israeli authorities and checked against a U.S. government sanctions list.
He also makes clear that his donors include Israelis. âI told the elders, âI work with the Israelis,ââ he said. âThey said, âAs long as they donât want to brainwash our kids, weâre fine.ââ
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Born in Kuwait to Palestinians from the West Bank, [Dr. Hasan] left the Middle East at 18 to attend college in Texas. At 19, he dropped his given name, Emad, and called himself David.
He said he felt stirred to action by the war. In December 2023, he was in Gaza on a medical mission, performing 20 operations in 10 days, often without anesthetics or antiseptics. He recorded video of maggots crawling out of unhealed wounds. Every patient he operated on, he said, eventually died of infection.
He returned the next April with more medical supplies, and had better results.
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He said he had not returned to Gaza since April 2024 because he had aroused suspicion. When he wasnât operating, he said, he was poking into hospital storerooms and asking questions, trying to learn if Israeli hostages might be on the premises. He fled, he said, when he was alerted that armed militants were looking for him.
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Dr. Hasanâs sixth school is set to open east of the southern city of Khan Younis with space for 10,000 children, some college classes and even a tiny zoo. And he wants to keep opening schools, with a goal to serve as many as 250,000 youngsters by the end of the year.
https://thegazachildrenvillage.org/
I sent a $100 donation because this gave me some hope that maybe, there's a path to the conflict not going back and forth forever, someday.
"this video is unavailable"