Minori's recent activity
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Comment on Early tests of H5N1 prevalence in milk suggest US bird flu outbreak in cows is widespread in ~health
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Comment on Mount Fuji view to be blocked as tourists overcrowd popular photo spot in ~travel
Minori Link ParentThey're going off Blue Chip Swap rates as historically the official government exchange rates were always nonsense (see this study). In general, his reforms are more or less working. Argentina has...They're going off Blue Chip Swap rates as historically the official government exchange rates were always nonsense (see this study).
In general, his reforms are more or less working. Argentina has things like crazy high export tariffs, so it's just generally weird. Probably could get its own topic.
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Comment on It’s hard being black in France, says Omar Sy after Aya Nakamura racism row in ~misc
Minori LinkPerhaps unsurprisingly, his comments have a lot more nuance than the headline implies. I have read complaints that it can be harder for Black people to integrate into Europe as there's always a...In an interview in Sunday’s Le Parisien, Sy, one of France’s most popular celebrities, was questioned by readers. One asked him if it was difficult to be black in France, even for him. He said it was a dangerous question that required nuance but replied: “Of course there are instances when it’s difficult to be black in France. That doesn’t date from today and unfortunately it’s ongoing. It can happen at any time in one’s life.”
. . .
He said: “We must all ask ourselves how do we want to be together, to interact, to be part of a group. Because today everyone in the public space is talking about the individual, about themselves and has forgotten the group.” He said it was crucial in France to rebuild a sense of the collective.Perhaps unsurprisingly, his comments have a lot more nuance than the headline implies. I have read complaints that it can be harder for Black people to integrate into Europe as there's always a sense of othering due to skin color. A real shame since immigrants can bring incredible things to a country. Hollywood is arguably so successful in large part due to it being the premier film destination for anyone born anywhere.
(Side note: I'm not familiar with French media, so I originally wondered if the show Lupin was based on the Japanese series Lupin the Third. Apparently it's the other way around.)
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Comment on Early tests of H5N1 prevalence in milk suggest US bird flu outbreak in cows is widespread in ~health
Minori LinkIf the damn raw milk enthusiasts are the vector for another pandemic, I'm going to be pissed. Fortunately, flu viruses are generally well understood, but everyone I personally know in healthcare...If the damn raw milk enthusiasts are the vector for another pandemic, I'm going to be pissed. Fortunately, flu viruses are generally well understood, but everyone I personally know in healthcare may just walk off the job tomorrow if there's another pandemic caused by fools that don't take basic precautions like pasteurizing milk.
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Comment on The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use in ~transport
Minori Link ParentIt's a decade out of date, but the data I can find actually says ebikes are equally as popular in the developing world (and more popular than cars if you compare the number of cars purchased...It's a decade out of date, but the data I can find actually says ebikes are equally as popular in the developing world (and more popular than cars if you compare the number of cars purchased versus ebikes on a per country basis).
It's not too surprising if you think about the costs of owning and operating a fiddly petrol car versus a simple, clean, and easy-to-store e-bike. It helps that the regulatory requirements are much much lower, and there aren't any tariffs. u/C-Cab, the average e-bike sold in China costs about 10% of the average US sale price.
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Comment on Mount Fuji view to be blocked as tourists overcrowd popular photo spot in ~travel
Minori Link ParentThat joke has aged like fine wine what with the Argentinaian Peso recently becoming the strongest currency in the world (per some metrics).and Argentina.
That joke has aged like fine wine what with the Argentinaian Peso recently becoming the strongest currency in the world (per some metrics).
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Comment on Canada bet big on immigration. Now it’s hitting the brakes. in ~misc
Minori LinkMaybe a Canadian can chime in with a more detailed opinion, but my basic understanding is there's just not enough housing. That's the main reason current immigration levels are "unsustainable". My...Maybe a Canadian can chime in with a more detailed opinion, but my basic understanding is there's just not enough housing. That's the main reason current immigration levels are "unsustainable". My understanding is also that a significant portion of the Canadian economy's recent growth has been due to immigration growing the pie. Slowing down immigration seems likely to hurt everyone unfortunately.
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Comment on At least thirty protesters arrested during pro-Palestinian protest at UT Austin in ~news
Minori (edited )Link ParentI'm prefacing this by saying this isn't intended to be a hostile comment, just raising the argument I've seen from some Jewish students and feel personally sympathetic to. Obviously a lot of the...I'm prefacing this by saying this isn't intended to be a hostile comment, just raising the argument I've seen from some Jewish students and feel personally sympathetic to.
Obviously a lot of the protestors have a point and Israel under Bibi is committing heinous acts (almost no one will disagree with this). The concern some Jewish students have is it feels like a Nazi bar situation. Some of the protestors are using openly antisemitic and violent language that directly condemns Jewish people. I'm not talking about "river to the sea" or antizionism either.
There have been hateful slogans and chants that accuse Jewish students of dual allegiances, allege global conspiracies, and only serve to isolate liberal Jews that hate Israel's current government as much as the protestors. When these voices aren't immediately shouted down and kicked out of the bar (instead they're finding a toehold), it feels like a dangerous trajectory.
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
Minori Link ParentYou won't necessarily like the answer, but the reason the decisions and planning didn't happen in public was to avoid lobbying from Tiktok. There have been behind the scenes bipartisan...You won't necessarily like the answer, but the reason the decisions and planning didn't happen in public was to avoid lobbying from Tiktok. There have been behind the scenes bipartisan negotiations and informal assurances about data security from Tiktok for more than a year. The thing is, no one involved trusted a corporation to just protect US data out of good will, and there were fears about Tiktok developing a PR and legal strategy to fight the bill if they watched the sausage being made.
See this article: ‘Thunder Run’: Behind Lawmakers’ Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
Minori Link ParentI mean it's a nice idea, but the US government already made it illegal to sell US consumer data to China, Russia, Iran, etc. You're right that countries should be improving data privacy and...I mean it's a nice idea, but the US government already made it illegal to sell US consumer data to China, Russia, Iran, etc. You're right that countries should be improving data privacy and collection laws regardless of Tiktok.
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Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance
Minori Link ParentWell as we all know, the only true leftist is whoever supports and enacts the policies I personally agree with. Dean Phillips is a member of the DSA which is very explicitly a leftist socialist...Well as we all know, the only true leftist is whoever supports and enacts the policies I personally agree with. Dean Phillips is a member of the DSA which is very explicitly a leftist socialist organization, so I don't know how he wouldn't qualify.
If San Francisco council members were neoliberals, they'd actually be doing supply side reforms instead of supply side skepticism. California just can't help but subsidize demand.
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Comment on Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans in ~tech
Minori Link ParentIf we're truly at the point where practically all labor is automated, I think it makes the most sense to lobby for UBI and redistributive policies. However, I really can't find any evidence that...If we're truly at the point where practically all labor is automated, I think it makes the most sense to lobby for UBI and redistributive policies.
However, I really can't find any evidence that we're running out of jobs or there's too much labor. Humans will always have some comparative advantage, and most economists just say we'll invent new service industries to pour our newfound wealth into. Increasing automation has only increased global wealth and well-being since industrialization (inequality under serfdom and the like was much much worse).
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Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance
Minori Link ParentOffice values would have to drop even more. Even then, it still might be cheaper to tear down and start fresh. Modern office buildings have massive floor plates with open floor plans which simply...Office values would have to drop even more. Even then, it still might be cheaper to tear down and start fresh. Modern office buildings have massive floor plates with open floor plans which simply don't convert easy. The ratio of floor space to windows is awful basically.
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Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance
Minori (edited )Link ParentUnfortunately the vast majority of modern office buildings are built in a way that makes them extremely expensive to convert to housing (see this article). Simple stuff like adding plumbing to...Unfortunately the vast majority of modern office buildings are built in a way that makes them extremely expensive to convert to housing (see this article). Simple stuff like adding plumbing to every apartment (versus the centralized bathrooms of an office) is so expensive it can actually be cheaper to tear down and start fresh. One option might be congregate shelters with pallet beds like you'd see in a gymnasium as part of emergency shelters, but that kind of housing is essentially illegal to build and operate in most Anglophone regions.
Fundamentally, the issue with housing in San Francisco is a lack of a supply due to rampant NIMBYism and insane amounts of regulation and red tape. Their leftist council members like DSA member Dean Philips have made things worse. San Francisco housing construction and permitting is a joke. They approved only 1823 units in the entire year of 2023. Obviously, more people than that want to move to the city.
Check out this article for great visualizations and descriptions of the city's problems: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2023/san-francisco-housing/
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Comment on Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans in ~tech
Minori Link ParentIt's honestly ridiculous how dangerous Amazon's warehouses and delivery operations are. Their injury rates are almost double industry averages, and the injuries are generally more severe too....It's honestly ridiculous how dangerous Amazon's warehouses and delivery operations are. Their injury rates are almost double industry averages, and the injuries are generally more severe too. Unions would help a lot.
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
Minori Link ParentIt's a bit off topic, but I'm actually in favor of increasing defence funding for Taiwan and Ukraine. Israel is a whole can of worms, and I'd rather we stopped giving them offensive weapons as...It's a bit off topic, but I'm actually in favor of increasing defence funding for Taiwan and Ukraine. Israel is a whole can of worms, and I'd rather we stopped giving them offensive weapons as long as Bibi is in charge and actively telling the US to fuck off.
US military funding in absolute, inflation-adjusted terms has been flat-ish since WW2 ended, and it has mostly dropped as a percentage of GDP...ignoring Bush's misadventures in the middle east.
I think a Tiktok sale bill probably would've passed even without the defence funding based on the vote margins. Turns out ByteDance telling users to call their legislators just made lawmakers more suspicious of Tiktok's influence in the US.
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
Minori Link ParentI mean single subject bills just wouldn't get passed. At least in the case of this bill that banned Tiktok and funded US defence priorities, each section was a separate vote in the house.I mean single subject bills just wouldn't get passed. At least in the case of this bill that banned Tiktok and funded US defence priorities, each section was a separate vote in the house.
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Comment on Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans in ~tech
Minori Link ParentAutomation only takes away jobs at the factory micro level. If I automate one factory, I eliminate 90% of human jobs going from 100 to 10 employees. However, on a macro scale, it's now cheaper and...Automation only takes away jobs at the factory micro level. If I automate one factory, I eliminate 90% of human jobs going from 100 to 10 employees. However, on a macro scale, it's now cheaper and easier for me to create 10 new factories with the cost savings. Each factory uses fewer workers, but I'm still employing the same number of people.
Amazon's work force hasn't shrunk. They're just increasing efficiency and putting humans into different and better jobs. This also makes everyone richer because society is producing more for less (even if the benefits flow unevenly, you almost certainly benefit from lower prices due to increased efficiency).
This is what happens at a society level with automation and reskilling. If workers are having a hard time reskilling then we should increase education access rather than limiting automation.
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Comment on Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans in ~tech
Minori Link ParentI don't see much reason to fret. We've always found more new work for humans to do, and I doubt we've run out of opportunities yet. The Luddites have been wrong for 200 years, and I still think...I don't see much reason to fret. We've always found more new work for humans to do, and I doubt we've run out of opportunities yet. The Luddites have been wrong for 200 years, and I still think they're wrong now.
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
Minori LinkIf they don't sell, the ban happens after the election, so I expect shenanigans.If they don't sell, the ban happens after the election, so I expect shenanigans.
Seitan can be found in grocery stores sometimes. I really like a chorizo seitan that we buy because it's heavily spiced. I cook it up with scrambled eggs for a simple breakfast wrap occasionally. It doesn't crisp like sausage crumbles, but it's very moist and tender in an appreciable way.