Japeth's recent activity
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Comment on Donald Trump didn't win on the US economy. He won on the perception of it. in ~society
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
Japeth Link ParentThe point of the "unforced error" bit was that if the Democrats lose, with Biden or without, afterwards every pundit and internet commenter will have perfect hindsight and act like they knew all...The point of the "unforced error" bit was that if the Democrats lose, with Biden or without, afterwards every pundit and internet commenter will have perfect hindsight and act like they knew all along that the Democrats were making a strategic error. Just look at how the 2016 election gets re-litigated to this day.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden announces that he will not run for re-election in ~news
Japeth Link ParentThank you, and I didn't realize I had jinxed things when I wrote that. I'm solidly in the blue-no-matter-who camp, but I'm very worried about how things will shake out. There's going to be a lot...Thank you, and I didn't realize I had jinxed things when I wrote that.
I'm solidly in the blue-no-matter-who camp, but I'm very worried about how things will shake out. There's going to be a lot of drama over who the successor will be. Democrats couldn't even coalesce around a nominee when there was just the one guy, now it's anyone's game.
If everyone steps aside for Harris, there'll be a vocal contingent that says it's the DNC playing favorites again. If there's any kind of contest, the loser's supporters are going to feel jilted. And no matter what, the russian bots will be amplifying the most disruptive narratives they can find.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden reportedly more open to calls for him to step aside as candidate in ~news
Japeth Link ParentI don't know what the right course of action is but I can guarantee two things: If Biden stays in the race and loses, it'll be the biggest strategic misstep in modern political history. An...I don't know what the right course of action is but I can guarantee two things:
If Biden stays in the race and loses, it'll be the biggest strategic misstep in modern political history. An unforced error that irreparably damages global society. Every single political pundit and commentator will talk about how stupid it was to let Biden stay in the race.
And if Biden steps down and the new Democrat loses, it'll be the biggest strategic misstep in modern political history. An unforced error that irreparably damages global society. Every single political pundit and commentator will talk about how stupid it was to push Biden out of the race.
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Comment on My Windows computer just doesn't feel like mine anymore in ~tech
Japeth LinkWindows is a huge offender, but there are innumerable other examples of software that do the same thing. They sacrifice sophistication in the name of friendliness for less tech-savvy users. They...Windows is a huge offender, but there are innumerable other examples of software that do the same thing. They sacrifice sophistication in the name of friendliness for less tech-savvy users. They make it harder to customize your experience because they need you to use the program in the specific ways that feed their KPIs. No doubt most of it is enshittification to extract value from users and convert it into revenue, but sometimes it just seems like bad design with no benefit to any party.
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Comment on Despite Republican opposition, citizen-led abortion measures could be on the ballot in nine US states in ~society
Japeth Link ParentFor fascists, "doesn't allow for debate" is code for "we didn't authorize this debate to take place". They'd have no concern whatsoever with a ballot initiative they think they'd win, they only...For fascists, "doesn't allow for debate" is code for "we didn't authorize this debate to take place". They'd have no concern whatsoever with a ballot initiative they think they'd win, they only care about these fake procedural issues when they know they'll lose.
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Comment on Louisiana lawmakers approve surgical castration option for those guilty of sex crimes against kids in ~news
Japeth Link ParentThe fact that Weinstein continued abusing people even after his dick had all but fallen off due to an infection should prove that having the physical equipment isn't a strict prerequisite for...The fact that Weinstein continued abusing people even after his dick had all but fallen off due to an infection should prove that having the physical equipment isn't a strict prerequisite for terrorizing victims.
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Comment on Louisiana lawmakers approve surgical castration option for those guilty of sex crimes against kids in ~news
Japeth LinkWe exonerate people on death row way too often to be experimenting with this type of permanent punishment. You can't never completely undo a surgery on someone if they're later found innocent,...We exonerate people on death row way too often to be experimenting with this type of permanent punishment. You can't never completely undo a surgery on someone if they're later found innocent, assuming it's reversible at all.
The article says Louisiana already has the option for a chemical castration punishment that is rarely imposed. If that's the case, what's the need for a surgical castration? I say that, but it's actually pretty obvious. They want to change the law so that if someone even talks to a child about LGBTQ issues that person is guilty of a "sex crime" against the child. And oh look how convenient, they just recently made the punishments for such crimes way more ghoulish, so better keep those lips sealed tight school teachers and librarians!
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Comment on School choice programs have been wildly successful under Ron DeSantis. Now Florida public schools might close. in ~society
Japeth Link ParentOstensibly, a charter school is a public school that is not part of a public school district and therefore able to set its own policies and curriculum. They are open admission and charge no...Ostensibly, a charter school is a public school that is not part of a public school district and therefore able to set its own policies and curriculum. They are open admission and charge no tuition which makes them distinct from private schools. Generally they have a written contract with the state that outlines the school's performance measures, and conceivably if they fail to meet the targets for those measures the state can revoke the contract and the school has to cease operation.
In reality it gets much more complicated, because politicians and other officials can be strict or lenient towards these schools based on whether the politicians like the school or not. And despite being "open" admission, there are a lot of ways for charter schools to avoid or expel special needs students, forcing those students back into the public system and making the charter's performance look better for lack of those more difficult students.
That being said, charters aren't bad by definition, there are some of them out there doing really good work. It's just unfortunately a very exploitable system by bad actors, especially now that republicans have learned they can use charters as a back channel to dismantle public schools. It may be the system is not worth keeping around any longer.
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Comment on The man who killed Google Search in ~tech
Japeth LinkThe editorializing in this article was excessive. I do believe the author successfully identified one of the main engineers of Google Search's fall from grace (which despite what Google says is...The editorializing in this article was excessive. I do believe the author successfully identified one of the main engineers of Google Search's fall from grace (which despite what Google says is clear to anyone with eyes), but the myopic focus on Raghavan, and the lionizing of Gomes, make the piece read as more of a personal vendetta than an investigatory exposé in my opinion.
I'm surprised by the lack of blame directed at Raghavan's superiors, namely Pichai but really leadership as a whole. The strategy of promoting growth at all costs was not adopted through a one-man campaign on the part of Raghavan. The entire executive structure endorsed it, even if there may have been holdouts like Gomes. People like Raghavan who monkey-bar from failure to failure while still somehow climbing the corporate ladder are dime-a-dozen, and I don't need to read what amounts to a derisive profile of him to know that there was someone just like him at Google trying to trade positive user experience for ad dollars. The same thing is happening at every major website.
What this article does make me wish for is an actual case study of how Google's executive culture was converted from "Don't Be Evil" to the growth-at-all-costs mandate that was apparently already fully in force by the time this article raises the curtain in 2019. Was it turnover of the early No-Evil engineers? Was it the rush to compete with the emerging social media goliaths? Is this just the inevitable arc of all publicly-traded companies in the post-Jack Welch world? I mean, I remember 10+ years ago being excited every time Google launched a new project. Now they've killed so many unique projects it's practically a joke to imply any Google project other than Search has any longevity. Though based on the last few years it seems they're doing their best to kill Search, too.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
Japeth (edited )Link ParentHe wasn't suspended for the content he published, he was suspended for not getting approval to publish with another organization. In fact, they specifically did allow him to discuss the same...He wasn't suspended for the content he published, he was suspended for not getting approval to publish with another organization.
In presenting Berliner's suspension Thursday afternoon, the organization told the editor he had failed to secure its approval for outside work for other news outlets, as is required of NPR journalists.
In fact, they specifically did allow him to discuss the same content in other places when he sought approval for those appearances.
In its formal rebuke, NPR did not cite Berliner's appearance on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation program last Tuesday night, for which NPR gave him the green light. (NPR's chief communications officer told Berliner to focus on his own experience and not share proprietary information.)
Obviously NPR could be being less-than-truthful about its reasoning, but Berliner broke an office rule that long pre-dated this controversy. It would be strange if NPR didn't reprimand him in some way.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
Japeth (edited )Link ParentIs that really his criticism? I mean, putting aside the very real implications of the bill chilling educator's ability to discuss sexuality in the classroom regardless of if the bills says "gay",...On March 10, 2022, I wrote to a top news executive about the numerous times we described the controversial education bill in Florida as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill when it didn’t even use the word gay.
Is that really his criticism? I mean, putting aside the very real implications of the bill chilling educator's ability to discuss sexuality in the classroom regardless of if the bills says "gay", that's also just a common way the public refers to that bill. It's like calling the Affordable Care Act "Obamacare", definitely originally inspired by a political agenda but at this point common parlance. That doesn't seem like a particularly damning piece of evidence for political bias.
(I do agree with him about the use of "Latinx" though.)(Edit: see below)I admit I'm as biased as anyone towards my own beliefs, but I actually think NPR does a commendable job maintaining journalistic neutrality. They don't shy away from claiming Trump "lied" about the election, and they also don't sugarcoat any of Biden's gaffes. For example, I recall when the Robert Hur report first came out, they covered Biden's defending himself but specifically pointed out how in the same press briefing Biden mixed up the names of the presidents of Egypt and Mexico undermining Biden's claims about his own mental acuity. They could've brushed over that gaffe if they wanted to, but I think it says a lot about their impartiality that they brought it up anyway.
I am a prominent member of the newsroom in Washington. If Uri told the truth, then I could only be a registered Democrat. I held up a screenshot of my voter registration showing I am registered with “no party.” Some in the crowd gasped. Uri had misled them. [...] When I asked Uri, he said he “couldn’t care less” that I am not a Democrat. He said the important thing was the “aggregate”—exactly what his 87-0 misrepresented by leaving out people like me.
He writes of a dismaying experience with his managers: “I asked why we keep using that word that many Hispanics hate—Latinx.” Why indeed? It’s true that many Latinos don’t like this ungendered term, including some who work at NPR. That may be why NPR does not generally use the term. I did a search at npr.org for the previous 90 days. I found: 197 uses of Latino. 201 uses of Latina. And just nine uses of “Latinx,” usually by a guest on NPR who certainly has the right to say it. Like Uri, I often have opinions about NPR’s coverage. Sometimes I am right; and sometimes I check the easily searchable archives and discover I am wrong. I wish he’d done the same.
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Comment on ‘Heroes’ reboot in the works from series creator Tim Kring in ~tv
Japeth Link ParentIf you listen closely you can hear the sound of a finger on a monkey's paw curling: That show actually was rebooted just recently... by the CW.If you listen closely you can hear the sound of a finger on a monkey's paw curling: That show actually was rebooted just recently... by the CW.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~games
Japeth Link ParentTargeted harassment campaigns go far beyond game lobby insults. You can log out of counter strike, you can't do the same when a few dozen people have doxxed you and spend all their free time...Targeted harassment campaigns go far beyond game lobby insults. You can log out of counter strike, you can't do the same when a few dozen people have doxxed you and spend all their free time trying to ruin your life for no reason whatsoever. Being dismissive of that harassment is dangerously close to saying the harassers are doing nothing wrong.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv
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Comment on Fallout | Official trailer in ~tv
Japeth Link ParentI don't mind the weekly/slow release, but I think it only works to a point. If a show is airing for longer than ~1.5 months, it falls off in the zeitgeist pretty hard before its finale. I think...I don't mind the weekly/slow release, but I think it only works to a point. If a show is airing for longer than ~1.5 months, it falls off in the zeitgeist pretty hard before its finale. I think the sweet spot is, regardless of number of episodes, have all of them out within a month of the first episode airing. Whether that's 2/3 episodes once a week, an episode every three days, or the Stranger Things method of putting 80% of the season out on day 1 and the finale a month later, that seems to be the best pace for premiering in my experience.
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Comment on How to subtitle your book so people will read it: Tajja Isen on balancing the demands of marketing with artistic vision in ~creative
Japeth LinkI've thought the "meta" of subtitles has been pretty ridiculous for a while. It seems like the actual title of most works these days is irrelevant, and the subtitle actually tells you what the...I've thought the "meta" of subtitles has been pretty ridiculous for a while. It seems like the actual title of most works these days is irrelevant, and the subtitle actually tells you what the piece is about. It seems like with the trajectory we're on, eventually we could just cut titles entirely.
But this article is a very interesting perspective, the subtitle as an elevator pitch. I hadn't thought about it that way before but it really rings true. I wonder if, as the salesmanship of the title/subtitle continues to increase over time, if English language works well eventually get to the level of the overly long Japanese book that have small paragraphs for titles?
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Comment on Joe Biden’s chances of US re-election are better than they appear in ~society
Japeth LinkNo matter how many articles I read about Biden doing this or that, doing well or poorly, I just can't shake the notion that they are all ignoring the elephant in the room. I don't see how this...No matter how many articles I read about Biden doing this or that, doing well or poorly, I just can't shake the notion that they are all ignoring the elephant in the room. I don't see how this election will be anything other than a referendum on abortion rights. I think barring a historical-level news story between now and November, something along the lines of 9/11 or COVID-19, the election will be framed by the repeal of Roe. It's an easy drum for the left to beat, Trump is as directly responsible for the repeal as any president could've been, and most Americans haven't gotten the chance to vote in a consequential election since the repeal happened.
Maybe this part is overly optimistic of me, but I'm willing to bet there are a lot of voters out there who aren't fans of Biden but will absolutely turn out to defend abortion rights. I mean, if abortion can win in Ohio and Kansas, surely it can get a couple percentage points in Wisconsin and Arizona.
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Comment on The US right’s underestimated brain in ~society
Japeth Link ParentGrounded in reality? 70% of them believe the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. They live in a fantasy world.I would credit the right-wing as overall being more pragmatic, where they accept the world at it is and working within those confines - they are more likely to be grounded in reality.
Grounded in reality? 70% of them believe the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. They live in a fantasy world.
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Comment on The US right’s underestimated brain in ~society
Japeth Link ParentYeah the OP here makes valid points overall, but passing the ACA was maybe one of the most effective uses of American political power in the 21st century. It was the most expansive policy that...Yeah the OP here makes valid points overall, but passing the ACA was maybe one of the most effective uses of American political power in the 21st century. It was the most expansive policy that stood a chance of passing, it would've even had a public option except for the hold out of Lieberman. And it proved so effective and popular, that even when the Republicans controlled all three chambers in 2017 after having campaigned on repealing Obamacare, the votes to repeal it weren't there.
It's shitty that we Americans have to fight for these absolute scraps of a decent livelihood, but until we learn the secret to deprogramming the conservative cult, this is the reality we have to navigate. I'm sure I'll keep being disappointed that Democrats are not more progressive, but it's night and day when the other party just dismantled Roe and are smacking their lips at the prospect of stripping away even more of our rights.
This implies the public is capable of recognizing when a problem is "fixed," and I'm not sure that's a given. Unemployment is at historic lows but when surveyed a huge portion of the electorate says unemployment is at historic highs. Inflation has moderated but prices remain high. The public wants to see prices come down but anyone who has taken a Economics 101 class knows that deflation has devastating consequences.
Any meaningful "fix" for economic problems will not reliably have a short-term payoff, especially not one that will be felt within a single presidential term. So often all an administration can do is try and persuade voters that their policies are helping or will be helping soon. Take for example the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Those have helped and will continue to help the economy tremendously but did nothing to help Democrats stay in power. And it's not like Biden could've done anymore with the Rs blocking just about everything, hell it's a miracle he got through what he did.
It seems to me like lying is the obvious solution. I hate it but the last ten years have proven it's a winning strategy.