Lia's recent activity
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Comment on Oatly, the world's largest producer of oat milk, is sending a new message to its consumers – most people want their governments to take action on climate change in ~enviro
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Comment on When do you know that you've found "the one"? in ~life
Lia LinkThere are things we look for when dating or meeting someone interesting - values and goals that align well enough, sexual and emotional compatibility, absence of red flags, having a fun time...There are things we look for when dating or meeting someone interesting - values and goals that align well enough, sexual and emotional compatibility, absence of red flags, having a fun time together etc. Once I've met someone that feels right, I tend to hold my horses until I've had at least a couple major disagreements with them and gotten to see and experience their negative personality traits (which every human has), and they mine. That's when I know.
Most people can get along fine when it's just a normal, fun day without extra challenge. But in life, we occasionally face challenging situations and get into arguments. The way you and your partner go through those is extremely important. If the way you resolve conflicts repeatedly leaves one or both of you feeling hurt or unheard, your happiness is going to be eroded over time. If conflict resolution works well, with both people expressing themselves openly and feeling heard, and if your partner's worst traits are tolerable for you (and vice versa), that relationship is built to last.
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Comment on I don’t feel like I’m a creative person. How could I fix that and get ideas? in ~creative
Lia LinkSeconding what others already said. It's the same deal as getting good at lifting weights. You start lifting and keep doing it, and over time you'll get good at it. If you urgently need the best...Seconding what others already said. It's the same deal as getting good at lifting weights. You start lifting and keep doing it, and over time you'll get good at it.
If you urgently need the best possible solution for your place, you should hire someone who has already practiced a lot. If not, doing something yourself can be a fun way to start developing your creativity!
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Comment on Anyone have any ketogenic diet stories? in ~food
Lia Link ParentI'm going to write a little more about my experience. The point of this ramble isn't that all of this will also happen to you if only you go keto, but rather to illustrate how misleading our lived...I'm going to write a little more about my experience. The point of this ramble isn't that all of this will also happen to you if only you go keto, but rather to illustrate how misleading our lived experience can be and some of the reasons why.
I can’t think of many people who could afford to be in a bad mood for “a couple weeks”.
Things like losing a family member or a pet will have a worse effect on our productivity and we all experience them occasionally without permanently devastating our lives. Many have at least this amount time off from work each year as well.
Obviously it feels like a sacrifice to spend your free time making this sort of big change. In my case it paid off spectacularly as my health was always on the poor side before the change and now I feel.. normal and physically capable. I'm not saying the benefit would be the same for everyone - I suspect some people may tolerate carbs better than I do.
one thing I hear a lot of people saying to do is to “listen to their body” and only eat when they are actually hungry. My body is nearly always telling me I am hungry.
I had a serious sugar addiction before the diet change. I craved all forms of carbs and sugar in particular, and I was always thinking about food or candy or eating. Yes, I wasn't overweight but that's probably because my life is in many ways pretty hard and I'm actively trying to make it better which consumes me both mentally and physically and also takes up a lot of energy. I had ice cream every single day and on top of that, a full bag of candy, or chocolate or cookies several days a week.
When I turned 40, I had of course tried to wean myself off the excess sugar a number of times. I'm someone who tends to succeed in whatever I seriously put my mind to. If not on the first go, then on the next after doing more research and investing even more effort. Stopping the sugar habit? No chance, none at all. No matter what I did, the required mental effort wore me down after a short while and it was again impossible for me to get past the candy shelves in the grocery store without grabbing something. At some point I decided I must simply be built this way and that it's in my DNA or something and I just won't be able to stop, so I accepted it and stopped trying.
When I started the keto diet, my biggest concern was that I wouldn't be able to go without my sweets. I prepared for that by getting all sorts of artificial sweeteners and making myself various sweet treats that I really liked the taste of. I kept eating them for a few days (maybe a bit over a week, don't remember precisely anymore) and then I noticed the craving was gone. I simply didn't feel like eating anything sweet.
I realised that there had been two components to my addiction, a physical one and a mental one. The physical component completely vanished and has not reappeared. The mental one is related to comfort eating and it still exists. If life gets very hard, I get impulses to go rummage the kitchen.
In practice I don't eat much candy anymore because I have now experienced what sugar actually does to me (the nightmares, nausea and the racing heartbeat) and so I feel a natural aversion. Also, because the craving is no longer constant like it was when the physical component was there, I can more easily catch myself and rather than going to the kitchen, ask: "What's making your life feel too hard right now?" When I focus on handling whatever that is, the craving goes away. It's almost silly how predictably this works. I don't always want to handle it - sometimes I just have the comfort food and go on with my day knowing that the looming situation will be waiting to be handled in the future. But I am able to make that choice deliberately and more often than not, I choose to handle stuff on the spot. There's a balance I didn't have before.
Yet another thing is that on this diet the taste of food is different. I used to think that dark chocolate (85%) tastes like cardboard. Now one of the best parts of my meal is a small brioche bun with a thick layer of unsweetened peanut butter and crushed 85% chocolate on top. The experience is similar to how it felt to eat regular chocolate before. Eating my favourite regular chocolate bar isn't as nice as it used to be because I can taste some artificial flavours in it and it's overly sweet. I have to put it in the freezer to cut some of the worst flavours.
Yet another observation wrt hunger: when my blood glucose levels stabilised with the diet change and I no longer experienced plummeting glucose, I stopped feeling hungry. I can easily skip my one meal a day if it's inconvenient to have it for some reason. I can tell whether ot not I've eaten recently and whether it would be a good idea to eat, but it's not an overpowering irresistable craving. It's a much more quiet signal and without knowing anything about you or your situation, I'm inclined to guess that the cravings would need to be stripped first for you to be able to detect that signal. (I could be wrong, I'm just one layperson with some personal experience.)
I suppose I’m jealous?
Thanks, I guess. I am really happy about how this diet thing turned out for me. But of course, this isn't the full picture of my life. Most people wouldn't want to go near the things I face almost every day and if you could get a glimpse of it, you'd most likely feel happy to be living your own life rather than mine.
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Comment on Hundreds of Beavers in ~movies
Lia LinkI enjoyed this film. I laughed my ass off at the horse and my partner got a kick out of how much I laughed.. xDI enjoyed this film. I laughed my ass off at the horse and my partner got a kick out of how much I laughed.. xD
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Comment on Anyone have any ketogenic diet stories? in ~food
Lia LinkKeto -> low carb + OMAD - 6,5 years I started keto in 2020 because I learned that it may help with ADHD symptoms (and it did). Shortly after that, I started naturally gravitating towards...Keto -> low carb + OMAD - 6,5 years
I started keto in 2020 because I learned that it may help with ADHD symptoms (and it did). Shortly after that, I started naturally gravitating towards intermittent fasting. First 16/8, then 20/4, then 23/1. It happened by listening to my body and eating only when hungry. My keto diet was 5% of total energy form carbs, with the important exception that green vegetables don't count and you have to eat a lot of them. After a few months I started experimenting with slightly more carbs. These days I'm doing 10% carbs max and 15% protein max (I'm not always able to eat that much).
Notes:
- If you do keto, do it properly (5% carbs max) and stick to it for at least six months. Your body will adapt but the first few weeks will feel awful. It's best to start when you can afford to be in a bad mood and less productive. The fact that the adaptation sucks does not mean it's bad for you. Analogy: if you're addicted to drugs, rehab will suck but it's still good for your health in the long run.
- The only issue outside of the adaptation-related difficulties was heartburn. I started taking two apple cider vinegar capsules before each meal and the heartburn immediately stopped happening. After two months or so, I stopped taking the capsules and have never again experienced heartburn.
- I didn't do this to lose weight and was never really overweight to begin with (slightly below BMI 25), but I did end up shedding about 10 kg spontaneously during the first year. After that my weight stabilised to BMI 22. The interesting part was that my food intake did not change accordingly - I was eating the same meals and portions during the weight loss period and afterwards. It confirmed to me that counting calories is a waste of effort.
- This may sound unbelieveable but I have gained 2,5 cm (about an inch) in height since I started. I'm in my 40's and my new height has been consistent for the last 5 years. I've also been able to develop some muscle mass, for the first time in my life, and exercise without feeling like it's bad for my body.
- Once I'd adapted, exceeding the carb limit caused negative symptoms: nausea, racing heart, nightmares. I kept experimenting occasionally and it got better over time. Nowadays I'm able to have a pizza without any symptoms but if I have a liter of ice cream in the evening, I'm still guaranteed to have nightmares during the night.
- For anyone with ADHD, it may be interesting that I'm able to stay on a relatively low dose of meds because the diet gives me similar benefits. I'd say it's equal to about 10-15 mg of methylphenidate.
I'm not fascist about my meals and will make exceptions if I want to go to a nice restaurant or have a movie night at home with ice cream and crisps or whatever. What matters is what I eat most days. I eat significantly less food in terms of volume than I did before but I've become picky about food quality. I eat lots of nuts, spinach, fish (salmon), cheese, yoghurt, fresh berries and fruit (these have surprisingly few carbs relative to how sweet they taste) and seeds (usually in the form of tahini). High quality items cost more but because I need less volume, the total inflation adjusted cost isn't more than before the change.
Oh, and doing OMAD means I need to get all my electrolytes form the one meal, so I don't skimp on the salt - on the contrary, I add some. My bloodwork has come back excellent every year. Blood pressure is always excellent as well.
Happy to answer any questions.
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Comment on OpenAI hacked Australia's Medicare portal in ~tech
Lia (edited )Link ParentIf I hire some people and leave them to their own devices with instructions to make as much money as possible, and they end up robbing a bank, I will be held liable even if I didn't intend for...If I hire some people and leave them to their own devices with instructions to make as much money as possible, and they end up robbing a bank, I will be held liable even if I didn't intend for that to happen.
This scenario is even worse. It's like I hire those people, they rob the bank and rather than halting operations I just sit there posting to social media about it. "Guys, we just robbed a bank with unprecedented efficiency! Preparing for IPO!"
If we don't hold these people accountable, they sure as hell won't do it themselves. (And the same goes for all people, and that's why we have laws.)
Edit: Another example. I have a dog. It attacks someone. I certainly did not intend for that to happen, but I also won't put my dog on a leash even though it just attacked that person and I witnessed the attack. Instead I pull out my phone and start posting about it.
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Comment on OpenAI hacked Australia's Medicare portal in ~tech
Lia LinkHacking a national healthcare portal is an extremely serious crime. Anyone who does so or allows their company to do so, for any reason, should be in prison. I can't believe these companies are...Hacking a national healthcare portal is an extremely serious crime. Anyone who does so or allows their company to do so, for any reason, should be in prison. I can't believe these companies are only getting minor wrist slapping.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Lia Link ParentHave they? How effective has this been? In my country we are generally more mindful about consumption and waste than the US (by a lot!). We still keep seeing news articles along the lines of "So...Have they? How effective has this been?
In my country we are generally more mindful about consumption and waste than the US (by a lot!). We still keep seeing news articles along the lines of "So and so much food was wasted this year". Usually the numbers are strikingly high despite our restaurants, at least most of them, doing their best. And despite the stricter regulation we already have in place (a hunch, no time to double check this now). There's still a lot of room to improve.
Obligatory disclaimer: I don't support artificially intelligent everything machines that generally make the world worse and I'm unsure whether large restaurant chains would be able to use AI responsibly.
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Comment on Where do we go from here? (Regarding AI) in ~tech
Lia Link ParentUsing AI to make small businesses more viable and offer grassroots workers a better chance to remain employed? For all my resentment for the companies behind the currently dominant AIs, this is...Using AI to make small businesses more viable and offer grassroots workers a better chance to remain employed? For all my resentment for the companies behind the currently dominant AIs, this is one use case I can completely get behind. If most people were using it this way, we wouldn't have to worry much, or at all.
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Comment on Where do we go from here? (Regarding AI) in ~tech
Lia Link ParentCan it go throw out the sour milk in my fridge and then make me some brioche? Sign me up.There no task that human can do and LLM can't.
Like at all.Can it go throw out the sour milk in my fridge and then make me some brioche? Sign me up.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI buy all my tech second hand, directly from the previous owner. This is especially easy with Apple devices because there are so many people discarding nearly pristine items as soon as they can...I buy all my tech second hand, directly from the previous owner. This is especially easy with Apple devices because there are so many people discarding nearly pristine items as soon as they can get their hands on a newer model. It's a bit more work and you have to develop an eye for potential scammers and check the device diligently, but it's fun! And doing the extra work leads to my appreciating my device more. It feels special, one of a kind, even though obviously it isn't. Because it's the one I managed to hunt down from the confines of the www, the one that had the exact specs and colour I was after, an attractive price tag to boot and that was previously owned by a nice person.
I think it satisfies my hunting instinct, which is another plus really: I won't have to waste money and my mental health on a trophy hunting spree somewhere in Africa.
The ultimate upside is of course that Apple gets 0 euros of my hard earned money.
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Comment on Software for humans in ~tech
Lia Link ParentThanks. I don't hate the idea of AI, I just hate the companies that are developing it for all the wrong reasons because those reasons shape the way it's being marketed to the public and the use...Thanks. I don't hate the idea of AI, I just hate the companies that are developing it for all the wrong reasons because those reasons shape the way it's being marketed to the public and the use cases they focus on. And I do believe it's important to oppose them not just in spirit but in actions as well.
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Comment on Software for humans in ~tech
Lia (edited )Link ParentThanks for explaining. I agree that there isn't much difference in our opinions. I'm just getting tired of seeing people parrot the "AI is here to stay, there's nothing we can do about it"...Thanks for explaining.
I agree that there isn't much difference in our opinions. I'm just getting tired of seeing people parrot the "AI is here to stay, there's nothing we can do about it" black-and-white doomerism because in most cases it seems to imply that we have to take everything an AI company says or does as unavoidable. Use it or get left behind is another similar soundbite. And so on and so on.
It's as if Frodo went to Mordor and sent word back to Rivendell: "It's over, there are orcs everywhere and the air stinks. Nothing we can do, time to go home folks."
I wasn't intending to accuse @JCAPER in particular for this. His comment was well written and described many pain points accurately. I'm just inclined to call these propaganda-like statements out when I see them (when in an environment I actually care about).
Sorry to hear that some of your friends are reactive to the point of making you feel pressured. I can relate to their sentiment when so much of what I used to love about the world is being destroyed, mutilated, twisted into all sorts of sick forms against the original creator's will and intent, exploited, milked dry, what have you. The pain I feel can't be escaped because AI and the toxic people it enables (not you!) are everywhere. It's like a subtle form of torture and I can feel myself developing an allergy-like reaction to it. For example, nowadays just seeing the words "An honest question" feels extremely off-putting. As if I'd taken out a loaf of hand baked bread from its paper bag to discover it completely covered in mold.
Would it help at all to think of these reactions as potentially having nothing to do with you? If someone has food poisoning and ends up throwing up on your shoes, it's not necessarily because they're trying to influence you. They're just having a reaction that's out of their control. I know it isn't as cut and dried as this but maybe it can help alleviate some of the emotional weight of those experiences?
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Comment on Software for humans in ~tech
Lia Link ParentI see these questions often and they feel a little.. manipulative (perhaps unintentionally?). Because I've never seen anyone ask that we pretend LLMs don't exist. It's a straw man. Why do so many...But these models are a genie that are out of the bottle now. Are we supposed to pretend they don't exist? Should the americans 70 years ago pretended jet engines weren't a thing because the Nazis invented them? I don't think so.
I see these questions often and they feel a little.. manipulative (perhaps unintentionally?). Because I've never seen anyone ask that we pretend LLMs don't exist. It's a straw man. Why do so many people bring it up? Where/how does this completely disjointed thought pattern originate?
Rather than pretending LLMs don't exist, I see demands to hold accountable the criminals who created them, as well as all the other criminals whose crimes are now being produced on an industrial scale with the help of said LLMs. Demands to limit how much further oppression can be carried out by the rogue companies, demands for fair compensation to those who spent their lives creating something that got exploited without consent, etc. Suggestions to perhaps not use these things indiscriminately, let alone pay for subscriptions until the companies start playing a fair game, etc.
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Comment on X corp is taking down Nitter instances and demands takedown of project repository in ~tech
Lia Link ParentHotel rooms then? Whatever you meant when you suggested that. I want online platforms where people from all walks of life can meet and connect if - and only if - they are able to behave...Hotel rooms then? Whatever you meant when you suggested that.
I'm confused, do you want the ability to do this or don't you?
I want online platforms where people from all walks of life can meet and connect if - and only if - they are able to behave themselves. In my book that isn't a bubble. When you stop extending the same privileges and kindness to others that you yourself expect to receive, that's when you should get kicked out. If not, everyone else will have to withdraw into a bubble in order to protect themselves.
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Comment on X corp is taking down Nitter instances and demands takedown of project repository in ~tech
Lia Link ParentHotels are places you go to with people you know in real life. Online platforms, by default, are places where anonymous people with unknown identities congregate. When you first go in, even if...If you really wanted to compare it to service industry, it'd be a hotel or a venue where you can have a private room.
Hotels are places you go to with people you know in real life. Online platforms, by default, are places where anonymous people with unknown identities congregate. When you first go in, even if they give you tools to "look the other way", you will be exposed to other people's behaviour before you have the chance to implement your personal bubble.
The real issue is precisely this ability to withdraw into a makebelieve reality that helps deepen all sorts of scewed thought patterns because you'll get likeminded individuals to reinforce them, even if only a handful of such individuals exist globally. Even if the same features "help" others to protect themselves form toxicity, the actual problem is that the platform allows the toxicity in the first place.
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Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech
Lia Link ParentJust a tentative heads up: someone in the comments is calling this out for undisclosed AI use and saying there are multiple errors in the instructions. But they didn't specify the errors and I'm...Just a tentative heads up: someone in the comments is calling this out for undisclosed AI use and saying there are multiple errors in the instructions. But they didn't specify the errors and I'm not tech savvy enough to know what to believe.
All I can say is I feel very lucky for having had extremely low (non-existent) interest in putting a TV in my home for around 20 years. If I ever wanted one again, I'd look for a second hand device from before the surveillance economy era. Who cares if image quality isn't just as great? Human perception is notoriously adaptive and will absolutely get used to it in a few seconds.
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Comment on X corp is taking down Nitter instances and demands takedown of project repository in ~tech
Lia (edited )Link ParentIf I go into a restaurant where a bunch of people at some table are doing nazi salutes, I expect the waitstaff (or ultimately, the owner) to address their behaviour. If they instead tell me to...If I go into a restaurant where a bunch of people at some table are doing nazi salutes, I expect the waitstaff (or ultimately, the owner) to address their behaviour. If they instead tell me to just look the other way, I'm out of there and won't go back. Why would I go spend money there when I can go to some other place making the world better, not worse? I will also call it a nazi diner any chance I get. Is that not just common sense?
It isn't impossible for online platforms to address these things either, despite their claiming otherwise. It's a solved problem. Letting uncouth behaviour flourish on your platform is a deliberate choice.
Wow, this is nice!
I don't drink milk (any sort) so I wouldn't have seen this were it not for the extra publicity it's generated. The fact that I've seen it probably means that many politicians will see it as well. The message is simple and powerful and the data point it communicates is important for everyone to understand - even those people who belong to the 89%, because there's rampant propaganda coming from the other side claiming they are a minority. This type of thing is easy and cheap for the company to do, the impact could be real, and even if it isn't, no harm done.
I got a similarly warm feeling out of this than the Norwegian government's (was it?) enshittification awareness campaign.