NaraVara's recent activity
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Comment on Reddit reports 69% jump in revenue, topping analyst estimates in ~tech
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara (edited )Link ParentPCs aren’t 2-ton pieces of heavy machinery that cruise through communities at 45+ miles an hour. Everything has to run predictably and the essential driving functions need to be rock-solid...PCs aren’t 2-ton pieces of heavy machinery that cruise through communities at 45+ miles an hour. Everything has to run predictably and the essential driving functions need to be rock-solid reliable. Computer systems that have to operate under those conditions are also full of proprietary stuff because they mostly don’t want to have to test for a bunch of open-ended use cases to make sure it’s reliable. Enabling people to tinker with them in ways that let them hurt themselves is actually dangerous. It’s not just a “it’s my machine I should do what I want with it” because if some dumbass overrates their own competence they’re going to end up running over a kid.
Even those Slate trucks aren’t really designing around allowing you to customize all the tech, they’re mostly sticking the customizability to body kit level stuff and expecting you to install a tablet as your “head unit” that’s not connected to any of the car systems. I don’t think it’s gonna work, largely because all these cost savings still can’t seem to get the thing down cheaper than a base Honda Civic with none of those compromises.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentThey are documented, but they change too often to really be able to support a production process around having third-party hardware. That’s beyond building an internal connected system, you’d need...They are documented, but they change too often to really be able to support a production process around having third-party hardware. That’s beyond building an internal connected system, you’d need to start running it like a hardware/software platform which is going to put you on the hook for all kinds of backwards compatibility, security, safety standards, and fault tolerance under a significantly more complex set of use cases. Instead of having to narrowly design around one expected set of interactions patterns you’d need to design all that around an open-ended one.
I would much rather the range of possibilities be narrower so the UI requirements around non-distraction can be stricter.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentI think you saw the word “proprietary” and went on autopilot here. It’s proprietary because components are different from manufacturer to manufacturer, and often bespoke and custom tuned. “Banned...Yes, this is the part that needs to be banned via IP/trade law reform.
I think you saw the word “proprietary” and went on autopilot here. It’s proprietary because components are different from manufacturer to manufacturer, and often bespoke and custom tuned. “Banned via trade law reform” would necessitate creating a fixed standard for how every one of the thousands (literally thousands) of connected systems in a car operate that the automakers would need to get checked by a regulatory commission any time they wanted to change something. You’d get an automotive sector that’s as innovative and dynamic as the health insurance industry at that point, and the cars certainly aren’t going to be cheap.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentCar head units are functionally interfacing with a proprietary API layer to communicates with and manages all the connected systems in the car. Every car has a different suite of systems and it...Car head units are functionally interfacing with a proprietary API layer to communicates with and manages all the connected systems in the car. Every car has a different suite of systems and it would be basically impossible to economically create 3rd-party head units that can match that sort of functionality for anything but the most common Toyota and Honda on the streets. And, since it can’t really match the functionality, there’s basically no way to make one besides serving a market that wants to be quirky.
Modern cars are just extremely complex. It’s part of the reason they’re safer and last longer and are more tolerant of bad driving and neglect than ever before. I get that it’s frustrating that they’re not simple machines that can be managed without specialized knowledge and equipment, but that’s just evolution.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentIt’s both. The vast majority of EV charging is off residential outlets not charging stations. Then the move would be to regulate UI/UX standards for safety and non-distraction rather than removing...My understanding is that that sort of power management from utility is at the station level, not the car itself
It’s both. The vast majority of EV charging is off residential outlets not charging stations.
Which I would argue is the single most important aspect of designing a peice of heavy machinery operated by the general public.
Then the move would be to regulate UI/UX standards for safety and non-distraction rather than removing functions that will drive people to use their smartphones (I.e. devices designed for sapping attention) while driving.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentICE cars don’t do battery management, which works best when connected to a network because the local utility company exposes usage data by an API that the car uses to dynamically manage how much...ICE cars don’t do battery management, which works best when connected to a network because the local utility company exposes usage data by an API that the car uses to dynamically manage how much power it draws based on the load on the grid. This is designed both to avoid stressing the infrastructure by having a few thousand cars all plugging in at the same hour and to help manage your utility bill by working around peak load.
Most of the networking stuff in infotainment systems just comes downstream of the fact that you’re building 90% of the stuff you need to do all kinds of shit once you get in-car navigation. And, like it or not, that’s basically a dealbreaker for the vast majority of the market. There’s fewer people who will buy a new car without it than will buy a car with a manual transmission. And once you have that, there isn’t much of an argument, besides usability, for not just building more and more features into it.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentThe DOT basically issued a memo saying they’re going to delay on enforcing this until the technology is proven to work. I frankly have no clue how such a detection system would work when people...- Exemplary
The DOT basically issued a memo saying they’re going to delay on enforcing this until the technology is proven to work. I frankly have no clue how such a detection system would work when people are wearing sunglasses that doesn’t involve regulating sunglasses for driving, so this is probably gonna be one of those rules that never gets enforced. Like did you know that, technically swearing in public within the City of Chicago could subject you to a $50 fine?
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentI imagine doing this to your car will make it basically uninsurable and possibly even increase your criminal liability if you get into an accident. We basically have 3 options here: Accept that...I usually buy 5-10 year old cars. If, in 2032, I'm buying a 2027 vehicle, I'd imagine hackers and mechanics will have long since made circumventing any of this nanny-state crap on the 2027 model year easy to do for someone that can plug in an OBDII scanner and maybe snip a few unnecessary GPS/modem/camera/sensor wires or swap in a new ECU.
I imagine doing this to your car will make it basically uninsurable and possibly even increase your criminal liability if you get into an accident.
We basically have 3 options here:
- Accept that drunk or distracted drivers continue to kill ridiculous numbers of pedestrians
- Nanny state surveillance
- Become extremely aggressive about suspending licenses or imposing fines on people driving distracted, which will involve a different kind of “boots on the ground” heavy surveillance
It’s not really surprising why the second option would be the favored one.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentYou think this, but you’re wrong. A big part of the smarts in an EV is there to do things like manage the acceleration/deceleration curves so the drive isn’t all jerky, intelligently control...I want an EV that is barely smarter than a cordless drill.
You think this, but you’re wrong. A big part of the smarts in an EV is there to do things like manage the acceleration/deceleration curves so the drive isn’t all jerky, intelligently control charging to maximize the battery’s usable life, report how fast the car is going, and do onboard diagnostics to help with servicing.
The software part is basically what makes the car, without that it’s just a skateboard made of batteries with some motors on it.
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Comment on Music streamer Deezer allows users to filter out AI music, so why does Spotify not offer the same? in ~music
NaraVara Link ParentI think this is a case of “all the CGI in movies looks bad now.” It’s easy to notice the stuff that’s bad and the stuff that’s well executed sneaks under our radar.I haven't tested this myself, but I would also think detection isn't that hard. Full ai-generated songs have a particularly unique sound that isn't hard to pick out if you are actively listening.
I think this is a case of “all the CGI in movies looks bad now.” It’s easy to notice the stuff that’s bad and the stuff that’s well executed sneaks under our radar.
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Comment on Music streamer Deezer allows users to filter out AI music, so why does Spotify not offer the same? in ~music
NaraVara Link ParentYeah I gave up on Spotify a long time ago. Apple Music at least seems to avoid these sorts of sleazy shenanigans even though its interface and discovery tools are meh. For just mindless “play the...Yeah I gave up on Spotify a long time ago. Apple Music at least seems to avoid these sorts of sleazy shenanigans even though its interface and discovery tools are meh.
For just mindless “play the radio” type stuff, funnily enough, I find Pandora is still the GOAT. If you train a station just a little (like put 4 or 5 artists/songs of the kind you want and dislike a few things that are not the vibe) it tends to hit consistently and doesn’t inject slop.
I’ve also been playing around with this application called Longplay (Mac/iOS only) that’s really nice for album and playlist focused listening. I mostly just don’t use Apple Music anymore unless it’s to build the playlists that I then transfer as a mixtape to Longplay.
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Comment on Music streamer Deezer allows users to filter out AI music, so why does Spotify not offer the same? in ~music
NaraVara LinkThe easy answer is that Spotify sucks and wants very much to serve you slop it can sling without paying royalties rather than actual music. The harder answer is that this is mostly signaling...The easy answer is that Spotify sucks and wants very much to serve you slop it can sling without paying royalties rather than actual music.
The harder answer is that this is mostly signaling because “AI filters” are actually not very good and have big false-negative and false-positive problems. If people aren’t honestly tagging their songs as AI it won’t filter, and if the whole point of self-reporting this is so people can pass on your stuff nobody has an incentive to tag their shit.
It gets even more complicated when you think about music that’s not 100% AI. Like suppose I’m a vocalist and use AI to play the instruments? Suppose I just suck at playing guitar and use an AI to fix my screw-ups but I’m playing most of the track? Suppose I laid down a track but used AI to master and denoise it? There’s skill and artistry involved in all of those tasks, so what’s the actual line?
The truth is that as long as we are passively consuming stuff being served to us through an algorithm the incentives will always be towards algorithm-gaming slop, and AI is simply superior at generating slop than anything else. If you want real music, you’re gonna need to engage with it the old fashioned way and be intentional about how you select what you’re going to listen to.
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Comment on Where can I find the best lanyard? in ~life.style
NaraVara (edited )LinkThey’ve got pretty heavy duty carabiners with AirTag holders And it seems like for the rest of the stuff, you’d probably benefit from putting them on some kind of quick-release keychain. This...They’ve got pretty heavy duty carabiners with AirTag holders
And it seems like for the rest of the stuff, you’d probably benefit from putting them on some kind of quick-release keychain. This would save you putting wear on your carabiner spring. They have magnetic quick-release ones too, depending on how much you trust magnets.
I imagine you can probably consolidate some stuff into a multi-tool as well. Like they make combination box-cutters + sim ejector tools. I imagine there’s stuff out there that will include a bit driver too if you dig enough.
In terms of “the best lanyard” I think that’d probably be a length of nylon paracord tied through a decent carabiner.
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Comment on MKBHD - Glass is glass || Or how the wording "scratch resistant" and "shatter resistant" misleads customers in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentThe one time I cracked a phone screen was my iPhone 4. A girl gave me her number and I dropped the phone as she handed it back to me. Alas! Never really scratched my phone screens badly either. My...The one time I cracked a phone screen was my iPhone 4. A girl gave me her number and I dropped the phone as she handed it back to me. Alas!
Never really scratched my phone screens badly either. My Apple Watch has been scratched badly but never the phone.
I only even put my phone in a case for better grippyness. My wedding ring scrapes against the metal when I use it and it just feels a bit slippery going in and out of my pocket.
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Comment on MKBHD - Glass is glass || Or how the wording "scratch resistant" and "shatter resistant" misleads customers in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentThey will apply a screen protector to your screen in the store if you ask. They even have a neat gizmo that applies it sort of automatically without any bubbles. It’s no extra charge you just have...They will apply a screen protector to your screen in the store if you ask. They even have a neat gizmo that applies it sort of automatically without any bubbles. It’s no extra charge you just have to buy the screen protectors in store.
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Comment on How US doctors cashed in on the No Surprises Act in ~health
NaraVara Link ParentThey can’t increase premiums so they gotta cut costs somewhere else. You’ll end up seeing it in bigger deductibles, lower payouts, higher copays, etc. That’s just how it works. Health insurance is...They can’t increase premiums so they gotta cut costs somewhere else. You’ll end up seeing it in bigger deductibles, lower payouts, higher copays, etc. That’s just how it works. Health insurance is actually a very low-margin business. They get rich off the volume, but there isn’t like a pile of money lying around that they can give up and remain in business.
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Comment on Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys in ~society
NaraVara Link ParentI don’t think my point was that much different, it was sort of a derivative of what you’re saying. It’s framed in a way where there’s “them” and there’s “us” and by virtue of being in on this joke...I don’t think my point was that much different, it was sort of a derivative of what you’re saying. It’s framed in a way where there’s “them” and there’s “us” and by virtue of being in on this joke with me, the smart satirist, you’re part of the “us” that is better than ”them” who are too stupid and incurious to understand the DEEPER MEANING behind everything. And since you’re one of “us,” we all get to be up here on our high horses and look down on “them” who we presume are too stupid to be in on this joke with us.
And since it’s all snark, it’s not actually a point you can argue because they’re not really arguing their point. They’re drawing a line and it’s about picking a side. The facts and narratives, such as they are, cannot be disputed they’ve been taken out of the realm of discussion entirely.
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Comment on Palantir employees are starting to wonder if they're the bad guys in ~society
NaraVara Link ParentAll the old class markers around breeding and having storied families are gone. It is, today, just a matter of whether you have money or not. So it makes sense that the people with money have a...All the old class markers around breeding and having storied families are gone. It is, today, just a matter of whether you have money or not. So it makes sense that the people with money have a great deal more consciousness about the money than the people without it. The people without it are forced to invest their consciousness in other markers of identity since the “I have a lot of money” ones aren’t available to them.
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Comment on For $700 a month, sleeping pods make San Francisco more affordable, but at what cost in ~life
NaraVara Link ParentIf you’re below the poverty line then you’re not a median resident by definition is my point. And even being at the poverty line in SF is going to be generally better than being poor in Denver...If you’re below the poverty line then you’re not a median resident by definition is my point. And even being at the poverty line in SF is going to be generally better than being poor in Denver because there’s more resources and support systems available there.
Being the slowest in the race to the bottom seems to be working out for them, even if we’d all prefer they’d have not joined the race.
I do check out Reddit still, probably once a day or so. It’s really meh now honestly, there’s very little that’s interesting and a ton of slop (both AI and human generated). It feels more like Threads than anything.