LumaBop's recent activity
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Comment on Microsoft is adding AI facial recognition to OneDrive and users can only turn it off three times a year in ~tech
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Comment on Is 67 just brain rot? in ~humanities.languages
LumaBop Link ParentThat’s fair, I think there are good aspects to it. Really what I was trying to say is that increased communication across cultural, political and geographical boundaries has many benefits, but...That’s fair, I think there are good aspects to it. Really what I was trying to say is that increased communication across cultural, political and geographical boundaries has many benefits, but it’s not good if it results in homogenisation.
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Comment on Is 67 just brain rot? in ~humanities.languages
LumaBop LinkI learned about this meme from The Guardian, which makes me feel really old. I guess it’s 4/5 years since I’ve actually known what’s going on in meme culture. I won’t comment on 6-7 itself because...I learned about this meme from The Guardian, which makes me feel really old. I guess it’s 4/5 years since I’ve actually known what’s going on in meme culture.
I won’t comment on 6-7 itself because it’s really hard to assess these things from the outside. @papasquat compared it to “E” which seems apt.
What is interesting to me is that 6-7 seems to be part of a wider trend of cultural homogenisation. Every English speaking country, even English speaking international schools around the world, seems to be witnessing this meme. If the internet and online culture really are resulting in a convergence of speech, thought and opinions across the world, this could be a problem. It seems like now more than ever what we need is a true diversity of thought in order to solve the difficult problems facing the world.
On the other hand, if such a homogenisation really is happening, it may be a good thing for increasing fellowship and solidarity across the world. Cosmopolitanism is a good thing.
Rant: when I was at school (not so long ago), we had our own homegrown jokes and memes, our own way of seeing and interacting with the world. It seems like different people and groups had their own slice of the world and culture that they came into contact with and took into their own lives. You can think of it like a Venn diagram.
I’m not suggesting that now kids all have the exact same experiences, but if the Venn diagrams are overlapping more (as some trends like 6-7 seem to suggest), then it’s a double edged sword. On the one hand they have more in common, and this is generally a good thing. But then there are more experiences being missed out on, or perhaps to put it another way, they may be missing experiences which would inform their own unique worldview. And that would be a pity - but I’m jumping to conclusions, since there is no serious evidence that that is the case. /rant
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Comment on Prince Andrew gives up royal titles including Duke of York after 'discussion with King' in ~news
LumaBop Link ParentYes, he is still a Prince. Technically he still owns his Dukedom as this would require either an act of parliament or a royal decree to revoke. He will also continue to live at his royal home (the...Yes, he is still a Prince. Technically he still owns his Dukedom as this would require either an act of parliament or a royal decree to revoke. He will also continue to live at his royal home (the Royal Lodge), but this is separate from the rest of the family.
So, this is very significant action. It pretty much amounts to being kicked out of the royal family. He wouldn’t even be able to attend the next coronation in person. Still, a lot of people will feel he deserved worse. It seems pretty unfair he gets to retain his luxurious royal home, in particular.
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Comment on How can I combine several ranked lists into one mega list? in ~comp
LumaBop LinkCombining lists is (generally) pretty straightforward, so you should be able to do it without getting your hands too dirty. The important question is what do you mean by “combine”? Do you want to...Combining lists is (generally) pretty straightforward, so you should be able to do it without getting your hands too dirty.
The important question is what do you mean by “combine”? Do you want to combine the lists sequentially, or interleave them, or something else?
By combining sequentially, I mean the result is: all of List A followed by all of List B followed by all of List C, etc.
By interleaving I mean: each 1st item followed by each 2nd item followed by each 3rd item, etc.
Also, do you need to programmatically ingest the lists to be sorted? If so, it would be useful to know what format the lists are in at the moment.
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Comment on My take on Apple's Liquid Glass in ~tech
LumaBop LinkI have an iPhone 12 and a 2021 MacBook Pro. I haven’t noticed the performance issues the author describes - Tahoe has been smooth since spotlight finished indexing, and my phone has not gotten...I have an iPhone 12 and a 2021 MacBook Pro. I haven’t noticed the performance issues the author describes - Tahoe has been smooth since spotlight finished indexing, and my phone has not gotten noticeably worse since the update.
Surely the new animations are wasteful in terms of performance and battery, but I think we can allow this sort of thing as technology progresses. I wonder if reducing transparency and motion would noticeably improve performance?
It definitely depends on taste. I mostly like Liquid Glass, but Tahoe sucks compared to iOS 26. It’s really inconsistent and this makes it much more distracting - plus the bugs. Really hope we get a lot of improvements soon through updates.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentIt’s weird - was having a small play around with it earlier. Strangest one is that the sound control in the menu bar vs control centre is completely visually different and has functional changes -...It’s weird - was having a small play around with it earlier. Strangest one is that the sound control in the menu bar vs control centre is completely visually different and has functional changes - you can’t adjust the volume in the menu bar widget by swiping/scrolling like used to be possible, but you can if you go in control centre. Very weird and annoying.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentI’m also largely on board with the design, but the lack of polish is real. My biggest visual annoyance is with swipe actions in Mail - the corners of the message will randomly be either rounded or...I’m also largely on board with the design, but the lack of polish is real. My biggest visual annoyance is with swipe actions in Mail - the corners of the message will randomly be either rounded or squared. They will awkwardly snap back to being rounded after a second, but it looks really ugly.
macOS Tahoe is even worse in terms of visual inconsistency and lack of polish, but that’s probably a conversation for a different thread.
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Comment on Disabling Auto-Zoom in the YouTube app (iOS) in ~tech
LumaBop LinkDoesn’t fix it happening automatically (which sounds very annoying), but can you use a pinch gesture zoom out?Doesn’t fix it happening automatically (which sounds very annoying), but can you use a pinch gesture zoom out?
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Comment on How can England possibly be running out of water? in ~enviro
LumaBop LinkTurns out private water companies have no financial incentive to improve infrastructure, so we lose trillions of litres a water a year to leaks and build zero new reservoirs. I think the real...Turns out private water companies have no financial incentive to improve infrastructure, so we lose trillions of litres a water a year to leaks and build zero new reservoirs. I think the real question isn’t how can we be running out of water, but how has it taken this long?
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Comment on Germany legal case alleging adblockers violate copyright in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentI assume that major browsers would comply by delisting adblockers from their official extension stores. That would be enough to prevent 99% of users from accessing them. They would probably have...I assume that major browsers would comply by delisting adblockers from their official extension stores. That would be enough to prevent 99% of users from accessing them. They would probably have some legal means to also pursue the maintainers, or at least hosts of open source projects - GitHub would probably comply with lawful requests to take down or geo-restrict access to repositories.
This is often the issue: in principle these laws shouldn’t be enforceable, but often due to our reliance on particular gatekeepers, it is enough if the relevant government can convince that entity to comply with their requests.
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Comment on Germany legal case alleging adblockers violate copyright in ~tech
LumaBop LinkHow ridiculous. A browser must process the HTML/CSS provided in order to render it, and the way in which it does so is subject to variation, and in particular may be modified to the user’s...How ridiculous. A browser must process the HTML/CSS provided in order to render it, and the way in which it does so is subject to variation, and in particular may be modified to the user’s preference. Should we say that when a website tries to use a feature which is deprecated, and the browser thus ignores the relevant code, the browser is performing an illegal modification to copyrighted code? Perhaps we should say that when a compiler optimises a program, it illegally modifies the source the code?
Of course, a court of law will never consider these things because they do not understand how technology works.
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Comment on How can we fix UK universities? in ~life
LumaBop Link ParentVery interesting. I’ll have to give that talk a look!Very interesting. I’ll have to give that talk a look!
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Comment on How can we fix UK universities? in ~life
LumaBop Link ParentAh, thank you so much for articulating this - it is exactly the right point. The idea that the goal of university is to get a job afterwards is entirely at odds with the nature of these...I don’t think you can separate the increasingly transactional nature of higher education with its devaluation
there fundamentally needs to be more avenues for good job prospects than just a degree
Ah, thank you so much for articulating this - it is exactly the right point. The idea that the goal of university is to get a job afterwards is entirely at odds with the nature of these institutions, and when the students and the government believe that that is what a university education is for, the system is riveted by contradiction and bound to collapse.
Designing trade schools and apprenticeships to appeal to those students who only care about the outcome of a job could help that type of student avoid going to university, and fixing the funding system would help universities better serve the sort of student that belongs there.
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How can we fix UK universities?
TL;DR: I’m interested in your thoughts about this the current problems in UK higher education, and how they can be fixed. I recently read an opinion piece in the Guardian about the problems...
TL;DR: I’m interested in your thoughts about this the current problems in UK higher education, and how they can be fixed.
I recently read an opinion piece in the Guardian about the problems currently faced by UK universities and their students. These problems aren’t new, but they’re getting worse year by year, and Simon articulates them particularly well.
It seems to me that there are three main criticisms of our current university system: that it is too costly for students while failing to fund the universities adequately; that degrees do not provide enough value to students; and that there are too many students attending university, especially (so-called) “low value” degrees, but increasingly also “high value” areas such as STEM.
The main solutions being presented are replacing students loans with a “graduate tax”, shuttering low-quality institutions and degrees, and sending more students to apprenticeships or trade schools rather than universities.
My view on this, as someone who has recently graduated university, and will be returning next year to begin studying for a PhD, is conflicted. I can definitely see that these problems are real, but I’m not convinced by the solutions being offered.
Firstly, I don’t think most people discussing these issues and offering their solutions are addressing the most fundamental problem, which is that universities have forgotten how to, or simply stopped, actually teaching. Many degrees only teach you what you need to know to pass the exams and produce acceptable coursework, which is not the point of a university degree.
This is a very challenging issue, because obviously universities must assess their students. But the purpose of a degree, its value, lies not in the assessment, nor even in the certificate awarded upon its completion (despite what many people believe), but in how you can learn and grow to have a deeper and more rounded understanding of your degree area, and the world at large. A university degree should make you a more curious person and build your critical thinking, enabling you to think through and approach many problems intelligently. But instead universities are continuously lowering the bar necessary to pass, because failing students is too costly for them, and thus also lowering their teaching standards.
The problem, it seems to me, is that the purpose of university is to educate, yet many who graduate university do not display the level of education, understanding and intelligence we would expect them to have achieved after investing at least three years of their life and tens of thousands of pounds in their education. This is not a crisis of too many students, but of a lack of quality in teaching. It seems to me that this has been driven by the funding model, which incentivises universities to grow their cohort size in order to receive more funding. Of course, this makes it harder to teach them all, and thus promotes the lowering of assessment standards so that students of sub-par quality - whether it be their work ethic, prior education, or simply learning at university that lacks - can graduate successfully.
If this is our problem, then I don’t think any of the proposed solutions serve to ameliorate it. This problem is equally common to humanities as it is STEM subjects, so the issue is not in students studying in “low value” degree areas. Whilst an apprenticeship might provide better value to a student in terms of the skills they would acquire, it is addressing a different goal and need to a university education. And while a graduate tax might be fairer than our current loan system (which favour high earners who can pay the loan off faster), it would not solve the currently perverse financial incentives universities are subject to.
The solution to this is obvious, but a hard sell. It is necessary to remove the financial incentive for universities to grow their cohort sizes. It seems to me that we must either fix, or at least cap, the funding universities receive, such that it does not grow with larger student bodies. Perhaps it should instead be linked to some performance metric, or maybe the faculty size - the more lecturers and other teaching staff the university employs, the better its funding. Of course, a complete solution to this will require a lot of thought and nuance, but I think it’s clear that the basic issue is the funding model.
The value to be gained (as a society) from a well educated population is massive, but we are currently selling hopeful high school students up the river with underwhelming university degrees that don’t educate them properly. I believe it’s the wrong answer to say that these students should give up on their dreams of a university education. We need to fix the funding model so that universities are incentivised to provide as high quality teaching as possible, not to provide the lowest level acceptable to as many students as possible.
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Comment on Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act verification rules in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentWell, yes. People support it because they think it will make them/their children safer. A big data leak would show that OSA actually made them less safe. Then people would no longer support it.Well, yes. People support it because they think it will make them/their children safer. A big data leak would show that OSA actually made them less safe. Then people would no longer support it.
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Comment on Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act verification rules in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentIf by some miracle we ended up with a proper privacy preserving and trustworthy government provided service for attesting age and similar personal information, then I would feel a lot less...If by some miracle we ended up with a proper privacy preserving and trustworthy government provided service for attesting age and similar personal information, then I would feel a lot less negative about OSA.
It’s deeply frustrating knowing that these problems can be solved in robust, secure and private ways, but that the we choose not to do so.
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Comment on Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act verification rules in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentSpecifically on OSA, it seems that for a very long time people in this country have believed that when a child accesses something they shouldn’t on the internet, it is not the fault of their...Specifically on OSA, it seems that for a very long time people in this country have believed that when a child accesses something they shouldn’t on the internet, it is not the fault of their parents, but rather of the internet in general, or the state for failing to regulate it. OSA is the natural conclusion of this line of reasoning.
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Comment on Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act verification rules in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentI totally agree with you, I just think that the implementation of age checks for OSA is so impossible and dangerous in terms of random third party companies getting access to sensitive personal...I totally agree with you, I just think that the implementation of age checks for OSA is so impossible and dangerous in terms of random third party companies getting access to sensitive personal information that that aspect of the law will become untenable.
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Comment on Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act verification rules in ~tech
LumaBop LinkOSA is clearly absurd and I expect we will see it fall eventually, but I think that will take a scandal - involving data used for user verification being leaked or stolen, or similar - for the...OSA is clearly absurd and I expect we will see it fall eventually, but I think that will take a scandal - involving data used for user verification being leaked or stolen, or similar - for the government to actually be forced to reckon with the utter ridiculousness of it. Until then we will just have to suffer.
If the only facial data that’s uploaded is encrypted, then it doesn’t really matter since it is theoretically garbage unless you have the encryption key. Which is only the user, not Apple, if you have advanced data protection on.
But I agree that I find saying “it’s not the X, it’s a mathematical description of the X” vaguely useless, technically speaking everything in your computer is mathematical descriptions, that’s all that we can do since everything is a number at the bottom. I was recently trying to understand the term biometric template which is basically the same thing again. Feels unnecessarily confusing.