jackson's recent activity
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Comment on The methodical plan to erase Chicago in ~design
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Comment on AT&T announces $7 monthly add-on fee for “Turbo” 5G speeds in ~tech
jackson Link ParentAre you sure this is the last billing period? On ATT the iOS data usage counters do not reset unless you manually reset them. It should show the "Last Reset" at the very bottom of the...Are you sure this is the last billing period? On ATT the iOS data usage counters do not reset unless you manually reset them. It should show the "Last Reset" at the very bottom of the screen–mine's at 158GB since Feb 2022.
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Comment on Turns out the Rabbit R1 was just an Android app all along in ~tech
jackson Link Parentthat’s mostly because it’s contrasted against the $700+$24/mo humane ai pin, which is the only product i’m aware of that would be considered a direct competitor. it’s pretty much a low-end...that’s mostly because it’s contrasted against the $700+$24/mo humane ai pin, which is the only product i’m aware of that would be considered a direct competitor.
it’s pretty much a low-end smartphone with some twists on the hardware/software; purely based on the hardware the price isn’t unreasonable imo.
of course it can’t really do anything…
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Comment on Humans might need to re-engineer the climate in ~enviro
jackson LinkThe Climate Denier’s Playbook (Climate Town’s podcast) did an episode on this subject recently: https://youtu.be/E9vhQ_nGB8c A key issue they highlight is the second-order consequences of...The Climate Denier’s Playbook (Climate Town’s podcast) did an episode on this subject recently: https://youtu.be/E9vhQ_nGB8c
A key issue they highlight is the second-order consequences of geoengineering. Some geoengineering projects (particularly those involving chemicals) require that they be continued forever or the problem will actually be worse than before. Or they’re not really controllable, like cloud seeding, and can cause destruction in unpredictable ways.
While geoengineering might be a “break glass in case of emergency” stopgap, we should really be focused on permanent climate solutions (like emissions reduction, green energy projects, public transit) rather than trying to modify the environment further.
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Comment on The comfortable problem of mid TV (gifted link) in ~tv
jackson Link Parentgift link https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/27/arts/television/mid-tv.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n00.aqnH.U_LgyaXccAIP -
Comment on Net neutrality is back as US FCC votes to regulate internet providers in ~tech
jackson Link ParentWhile I don't think it's a good argument by itself, it's worth noting how much pushback mainstream ISPs made against net neutrality. Most comments made in support of the FCC proposal to roll back...While I don't think it's a good argument by itself, it's worth noting how much pushback mainstream ISPs made against net neutrality. Most comments made in support of the FCC proposal to roll back NN turned out to be fake. Considering the mainstream ISPs are pretty much the gold standard for geographic monopolies, I'm inclined to think that most laws they support are not in consumers' best interest.
Contrasting this, my local ISP (the only one in my area) actually came out in support of net neutrality. I'm not at all surprised, considering every interaction I have with them has been absolutely delightful - something I absolutely could not say about Frontier or Spectrum.
The other comments make great points too- better points than I'm making.
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Comment on Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers in ~tech
jackson Link ParentSo I went to Kroger today and took pictures of a few price tags, was surprisingly easy to find a wide variety, including something that I bought that had the wrong price!...So I went to Kroger today and took pictures of a few price tags, was surprisingly easy to find a wide variety, including something that I bought that had the wrong price!
I asked the self checkout attendant (because customer service was closed) about the price of the cashews after going back to snap a picture of it (because I distinctly remembered there being some discount), and she zoomed in to show me the (unmarked) expiration date on the price tag... from 2 months ago. I asked why it was still up and she said "no one wants to work at this location."
To be fair, it's not a particularly great location. Rent in the area is ludicrous, so anyone who wants to work there is going to need to live pretty far away because Kroger doesn't pay much more than the minimum wage out here (maybe 10% more if you get a nice position). But corporate needs to just suck it up and invest more in stores like this because it's a problem of their own doing–they didn't have to monopolize grocery stores.
It's only going to get worse if they're allowed to buy Albertsons.
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Comment on Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers in ~tech
jackson Link Parent+1 on this, I really appreciated how Sam's Club does it as well, where they scan your receipt then scan N random items from your cart (the device tells them how many). The self checkout (or even...+1 on this, I really appreciated how Sam's Club does it as well, where they scan your receipt then scan N random items from your cart (the device tells them how many). The self checkout (or even scan-as-you-go mobile app) is very permissive and doesn't treat you like a criminal for daring to shop at the store.
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Comment on Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers in ~tech
jackson Link ParentI will note that most of these features are present at my local QFC: The first person you see is a security guard in some kind of tactical vest at a podium with store cameras The only...I will note that most of these features are present at my local QFC:
- The first person you see is a security guard in some kind of tactical vest at a podium with store cameras
- The only announcements I ever hear over the PA are "hourly conditioning" or "security needed at sector N"
- High-value aisles (beer, health, baby) have camera monitors showing both facial recognition (it draws a box around and faces it recognizes) and a PiP of the guard stand (which is somewhat entertaining when the guard is not at the stand).
- Fortunately no aisles have locked cases, instead they have these plastic bits you have to (loudly) move around to get what you want
- ....but there are some high-value items locked in cases at the front (like baby formula) that you need to request at checkout
- all the hard liquor is kept behind the customer service desk too (which may not be open because they run the store on a skeleton crew)
- We have the locking shopping carts. It's an urban store so I haven't had any lock up on me purely because I never have to take them outside of the store. I have had these lock up at the doors of other suburban stores though.
- self-checkouts all have a camera monitor attached to them, but I don't think they can freeze your checkout session like the author describes
- which I would have less of a problem with if the store had more than 0-2 regular checkouts open at any given time
- we also have these silly traffic gates that prevent you from leaving the store except through a checkout lane
- these are also present at the front door to regulate traffic but one of the doors was broken for weeks so they had to dismantle them to allow ingress/egress through a single door
So really the only feature they haven't rolled out is the AI video detection (which I do think is the most concerning thing mentioned in the article).
Funny thing about the cart wheels locking- you can unlock them yourself ;)
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Comment on Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers in ~tech
jackson Link ParentHere’s the different varieties of price tags I’ve seen off the top of my head: Standard price Standard price + card price Standard price + card price + digital coupon price (with a QR code you...Here’s the different varieties of price tags I’ve seen off the top of my head:
- Standard price
- Standard price + card price
- Standard price + card price + digital coupon price (with a QR code you have to scan to “clip” the coupon which may or may not actually exist - I frequently have to ask the self checkout attendant to correct prices because of this. Also the store may not have a good LTE or wifi connection so their app might not work at all. Also even though every Kroger brand’s app is the exact same app aside from the logo, you must use the app that matches the brand of store you are at)
- Standard price + card price displayed as “2 for $5” (purchase of 2 items is not actually necessary to get the $2.50/ea price).
- Standard price + card price displayed as “buy 2 and save with $5 price” (purchase of 2 items is necessary to get the $2.50/ea price)
- Standard price + BOGO card price
- Your typical by-weight pricing for meats etc.
I only realized the difference between the “2 for $5” and the “buy 2 and save” about a week ago after deliberately experimenting with an item that had that tag- the lower price was nearly 50% lower than the “standard price” so it’s obviously meant to encourage people to buy more than they actually need.
At self checkout, only the standard price displays on the machine until you press “pay,” so you can’t actually tell what the running total is. Non-card prices are ludicrously high, grabbing several random receipts out of my reusable bag shows average 25% “savings” with my card. So I guess I could just lop 25% off of the running sum as I’m scanning things.
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Comment on I just switched to an iPhone, what should I do to make the most of this change? in ~tech
jackson Link Parentah yeah if it’s a non-pro model it’s just using the cameras and is much less accurateah yeah if it’s a non-pro model it’s just using the cameras and is much less accurate
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Comment on I just switched to an iPhone, what should I do to make the most of this change? in ~tech
jackson Link ParentWhich model of iPhone was this on? I've found it to be relatively accurate on the 14 Pro ("standard" models do not have lidar), but I only ever use it when I need a rough approximation ("how much...Never really tried it before but just did and it was off by 5% to 10% so definitely not fully reliable
Which model of iPhone was this on? I've found it to be relatively accurate on the 14 Pro ("standard" models do not have lidar), but I only ever use it when I need a rough approximation ("how much cat6 do I need to go around the perimeter of this room"). Definitely stick with a measuring tape for anything requiring precision.
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Comment on Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers in ~tech
jackson Link ParentI think Kroger wants to have their cake and eat it too. My local QFC (one of their million store brands) has about a dozen cashier checkout lines but typically has between 0 and 2 open. I’m...I think Kroger wants to have their cake and eat it too. My local QFC (one of their million store brands) has about a dozen cashier checkout lines but typically has between 0 and 2 open.
I’m relatively cost-conscious while shopping, and legitimately could not tell you how much my cart will cost when I get to checkout because the design of their price tags is so (intentionally!!) hard to decipher. At another store down the street I’m able to approximate my total cost to within $5. Fortunately I can afford unpredictable grocery bills but a lot of people cannot- I am not at all surprised people are willing to steal from Kroger.
Ultimately shoplifting is not a Kroger problem but is a community problem. We should be looking at what is causing people to want or need to shoplift and address the root causes, rather than increasing surveillance.
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Comment on What's the best way to avoid scams when being paid by strangers on the internet? in ~finance
jackson LinkA third option is credit cards- it's not terribly difficult to set up payments using Stripe (though this does come at a cost), and you can generate a link to a hosted checkout/payment page from...A third option is credit cards- it's not terribly difficult to set up payments using Stripe (though this does come at a cost), and you can generate a link to a hosted checkout/payment page from the dashboard that you can send to the client.
You do run the risk of a chargeback, but I don't think that's a common practice of scammers.
On PayPal, a common scam is to forge a "payment received" email and send it to your address, either just to trick you into sending the product or it'll include something like "your account has been locked, please send $400 to support at notactuallypaypal.com to unlock your account." Other than that, it's a pretty solid way to pay for things online. Venmo and Cashapp also work and support non-reversible transactions (though buyers on Venmo can mark it as "for a purchase" which allows them to reverse it like on PayPal and has fees for you).
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Comment on Executions in ~humanities
jackson Link ParentI believe this video is available anywhere you can’t legally stream it on a paid service (like HBO Max). They’ll post just the executions segment on Thursday, available (mostly) everywhere (at...I believe this video is available anywhere you can’t legally stream it on a paid service (like HBO Max). They’ll post just the executions segment on Thursday, available (mostly) everywhere (at least in the US, not certain about elsewhere).
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Comment on How do you feel about student loan forgiveness? in ~life
jackson Link ParentI think there is presently value in geneds for college students due to the wild variations in how complete high school curricula can be, but I think there's a future in which we have higher...I think there is presently value in geneds for college students due to the wild variations in how complete high school curricula can be, but I think there's a future in which we have higher standards for high school education that replace our need for them.
I did have a relatively focused degree plan though, with most of my geneds exempted through AP/dual credit before I actually started at university.
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Comment on Does anyone else have really strange FedEx driver stories? in ~talk
jackson Link ParentDefinitely had this happen before as well. Quite surprising that "package arrived too early" is not a failure case many delivery services are prepared for. Though this is partly an issue with how...Definitely had this happen before as well. Quite surprising that "package arrived too early" is not a failure case many delivery services are prepared for.
Though this is partly an issue with how delivery dates are now being "guaranteed," before that you didn't have any idea when it'd arrive.
I've noticed that Amazon is starting to require authentication to receive high-value packages by sending you a 6-digit code on the day of delivery, which must be shared with the driver for them to complete the delivery (they stress that this should be done in-person). Interestingly a driver didn't ask for a code on one of my packages and it's still showing in my account as "shipped, not yet received," even after several months. This seems to be a better system than the signature system, but it has a whole host of usability concerns (should a package locker negate the need for this, sending packages as gifts, etc).
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Comment on Does anyone else have really strange FedEx driver stories? in ~talk
jackson Link ParentI may be reading based on personal assumptions, but I assume the package was a “hand to me” or “signature required” and the driver walked off with it based on the tone of the post. I have a...I may be reading based on personal assumptions, but I assume the package was a “hand to me” or “signature required” and the driver walked off with it based on the tone of the post.
I have a similar issue occasionally where I get notifications that my package was undeliverable even though the carrier never attempted to call me on the intercom (directory code is included in delivery instructions). Occasionally Amazon drivers will open a chat session then immediately leave (probably to convince the app they tried to contact me). Can’t really blame the driver given the terrible working conditions but it’s reflecting poorly on the company with how often this happens.
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Comment on Will the Apple antitrust case affect your phone’s security? in ~tech
jackson Link ParentSo there’s interestingly a hidden level of control that you can take here- I’m not certain on the details, but carriers have apps that allow you to more dynamically block spam calls. ATT’s is...So there’s interestingly a hidden level of control that you can take here- I’m not certain on the details, but carriers have apps that allow you to more dynamically block spam calls. ATT’s is called ActiveArmor, and it’s definitely better than nothing (and is free on all postpaid rate plans, not sure about prepaid).
It’s imperfect, and doesn’t allow a super fine-grained level of control, but it’s certainly better than nothing. I believe there are also 3rd party apps that can use this same API, but have not specifically sought any out.
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Comment on Tiny undervalued hardware companions in ~tech
jackson LinkYou can! It's just hidden away in the app or through a weird gesture. You can toggle that feature ("Speak to Chat") by holding two fingers on the right earcup until the headphones say "Speak to...The only ‘downside’ is generally the downside of the Sony WH1000XM4 headphones – that You CAN NOT disable their silencing while you speak – so using them in ‘passive’ mode with Boom Microphone Cable is preferred to meet all needs.
You can! It's just hidden away in the app or through a weird gesture.
You can toggle that feature ("Speak to Chat") by holding two fingers on the right earcup until the headphones say "Speak to Chat disabled."
Here’s the same video on Nebula if you have a subscription: https://nebula.tv/videos/stewarthicks-the-methodical-plan-to-erase-chicago/
Good watch, definitely recommend if you’re interested in design.