OBLIVIATER's recent activity
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
OBLIVIATER Link ParentOh it's totally possible, but I think it really depends on if someone thinks it's worth the resources. If you wanted to do anything coordinated (i.e. more than just onlyfans spam, scams, etc;...Oh it's totally possible, but I think it really depends on if someone thinks it's worth the resources. If you wanted to do anything coordinated (i.e. more than just onlyfans spam, scams, etc; stuff that's easily identified and blocked) it'd require some effort and tokens and I think there's just much easier marks out there.
Why target a tiny niche forum for things like disinformation, political subversion, etc; when you can get 10,000x more eyes on your content on other websites.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI love being silly and making silly jokes in real life, but god damn have I lost my patience with the endless recycled comments in every single reddit thread outside of smaller niche communities....I love being silly and making silly jokes in real life, but god damn have I lost my patience with the endless recycled comments in every single reddit thread outside of smaller niche communities. I got pushed out of /r/NoStupidQuestions mod team because I didn't want to allow all the stupid joke answers (and I was just tired of modding in general); and now the subreddit is literally just askreddit but even worse. Almost every single "question" and "answer" is a boring and unoriginal joke that I could probably predict without even seeing the title. And if its not some unfunny joke its just a completely unresearched, biased quickfire answer to a obviously politically charged question. Like if the question is "Why don't rich people get taxed more" every single answer will just be "donal trump is pedo file" which while obviously true, doesn't really provide any useful information.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI doubt Tildes will ever be large enough scale to ever have that kind of problem, even if they opened up signup's today. There probably would be some bot posts, but they'd be so obvious that I...I doubt Tildes will ever be large enough scale to ever have that kind of problem, even if they opened up signup's today. There probably would be some bot posts, but they'd be so obvious that I don't think it'd end up being that big of an issue. Truth is we're a very small and niche community that is likely shrinking far more than its growing.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
OBLIVIATER Link ParentIt's small scale enough that you can pretty easily dodge threads you know are going to get spicy, I do my best to do that since I don't have the best self control when it comes to responding to...It's small scale enough that you can pretty easily dodge threads you know are going to get spicy, I do my best to do that since I don't have the best self control when it comes to responding to people. My mental health gets much better when I don't fall back into the reddit-hole of commenting back and forth forever.
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Comment on Who’s buying SpaceX and Anthropic? in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI can't be surprised that he's fucking up SpaceX like he's fucked up all the rest of his companies, but I'm a little sad. SpaceX has by far the most impressive and accomplished group of engineers...I can't be surprised that he's fucking up SpaceX like he's fucked up all the rest of his companies, but I'm a little sad. SpaceX has by far the most impressive and accomplished group of engineers in the private industry.
At least with things like Twitter, Tesla, etc there are established and actual good competitors in the space... SpaceX literally has no competition even close to them. Even if we magically threw all that budget at NASA I don't know if they'd be able to make the amount of progress that SpaceX has been able to do over the past 20 years.
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Comment on Who’s buying SpaceX and Anthropic? in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentIt's a shame that SpaceX is going full grift mode, they have some legitimately incredibly impressive technology and have almost single-handedly dug launch system technology out of the slump that...It's a shame that SpaceX is going full grift mode, they have some legitimately incredibly impressive technology and have almost single-handedly dug launch system technology out of the slump that was the post-shuttle era.
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Comment on Who’s buying SpaceX and Anthropic? in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentWell 20 years of RnD in the most expensive industry on the planet, its very difficult to turn a profit. They're still scaling up production and hoping to achieve cheaper payloads via things like...Well 20 years of RnD in the most expensive industry on the planet, its very difficult to turn a profit. They're still scaling up production and hoping to achieve cheaper payloads via things like Starship. I wouldn't count them out just yet, they've done some pretty incredible work in the "space" so to speak.
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Comment on How has inflation changed your quality of life? in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentAnd ironically, it's also part of the reason that the "cheap" rural areas also saw huge cost of living increases over the last 6 years. Highly paid folks from expensive areas flocking to the...And ironically, it's also part of the reason that the "cheap" rural areas also saw huge cost of living increases over the last 6 years. Highly paid folks from expensive areas flocking to the "cheap" areas and driving up prices.
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Comment on US FBI says Google engineer used internal search data to win $1.2M on Polymarket in ~tech
OBLIVIATER Link ParentThe way polymarket and other current markets function, it is legitimately virtually impossible to prohibit insider trading. This is a very rare case where they caught someone, and there's probably...The way polymarket and other current markets function, it is legitimately virtually impossible to prohibit insider trading. This is a very rare case where they caught someone, and there's probably 10,000 more they will never even know about.
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Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games
OBLIVIATER Link ParentHaha I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. I want the thunk back!Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. I want the thunk back!
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Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games
OBLIVIATER Link ParentYeah, at least so far there isn't a ton to differentiate the two games outside of the visuals and some mechanics. It's a huge step up in terms of how things look and feel, kinda like Hades 1 to...Yeah, at least so far there isn't a ton to differentiate the two games outside of the visuals and some mechanics.
It's a huge step up in terms of how things look and feel, kinda like Hades 1 to Hades 2, but it hasn't done anything that completely blew my mind... yet anyway.
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Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI think it really depends on how early in the game you want to start building a base, and how serious you are about base building. I found similar annoyances when trying to make a base in the...I think it really depends on how early in the game you want to start building a base, and how serious you are about base building.
I found similar annoyances when trying to make a base in the early game, having to go back out to schlep home enough titanium and quartz to make a pretty modest base was rough. But I think once you have enough technology unlocked it gets a lot easier. Mass gathering resources becomes far less tedious after a few of the unlocks. If you want a big base though, it can still be a little frustrating to have to stop what you're doing and go hunt down a few veins, but that's kinda just the nature of the beast for survival games.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentMaybe would be better attributed to someone with some more concrete rhetoric haha, I'm not very well read on socialism but it's probably better off with one of those authors.Maybe would be better attributed to someone with some more concrete rhetoric haha, I'm not very well read on socialism but it's probably better off with one of those authors.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI think you said it better than I could have! I didn't think people would assume I meant that a heuristic like this would apply to every single situation, but I definitely could have been more...I think you said it better than I could have! I didn't think people would assume I meant that a heuristic like this would apply to every single situation, but I definitely could have been more clear. I originally had this in the ~humanities category because I thought it was more of a thought experiment but it got moved to ~finance which may have implied I was speaking with more authority and factualism than I actually intended.
I appreciate you being willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER (edited )Link ParentI mean... it was literally in there though... Regardless, good responses! You definitely made some great points that have changed how I think about some of this. Discussions like this are what...I mean, no?
I mean... it was literally in there though...
Regardless, good responses! You definitely made some great points that have changed how I think about some of this. Discussions like this are what keep me coming back to Tildes. I think this definitely reinforces my idea that any "Razor" or just a worldview in general is probably more healthy if its applied with an appropriate amount of critical thinking. It's important to remember that things are usually some shade of grey, but some level of skepticism is necessary when coming to a conclusion.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentI'm sorry but this is in my main post, I thought it was clear I was extending this idea to corporations as tools of the elite. It's easy to discount corporations as not people, but at the end of...First, is Uber a person?
I'm sorry but this is in my main post, I thought it was clear I was extending this idea to corporations as tools of the elite.
But a sentiment I've seen more and more frequently online is the idea that there's a pretty simple "razor" (like Occum's razor, or Halon's) that if a billionaire or huge corporation is telling me something is bad or will hurt people, it's usually a sign that the opposite is true
It's easy to discount corporations as not people, but at the end of the day these kinds of decisions are being made by people, a group of very very wealthy and powerful people.
Social issues are an obvious example.
This is a great example and makes me re-think my original point. I think I was focusing too much on economic and class issues and wasn't taking into account social issues. In fairness, most of the things billionaires (or large corporations) spend lots and lots of money on aren't purely social issues. Things like lobbying against abortion, laws against media monopolies, or LGBTQ rights often cross the line between social, economic, and even environmental impacts. For example, is Universal Health Care a social issue, or an economic/class one? Since most people who are affected by the lack of adequate healthcare are poor folks, and disproportionately people of color (often women), its easy to see how it can get confusing very quickly. An insurance company like UnitedHealth probably isn't spending billions of dollars lobbying politicians against Universal Health Care because they hate poor black folks, it's much more likely that they're doing it because having an oligopoly on providing healthcare to people makes them 500 billion of dollars a year.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentThe real question is where has all the money gone? (rhetorical.) There have been logarithmic levels of advancement in human productivity over the past 200-300 years, with a similar spike in...The real question is where has all the money gone? (rhetorical.) There have been logarithmic levels of advancement in human productivity over the past 200-300 years, with a similar spike in productivity during the ongoing information age. The standard of living for people (at least in richer countries) has improved dramatically over the same time period, but I would argue that it's not nearly at the same pace as the levels of wealth generated would indicate.
It's even more apparent over the last 40 years as we've seen the gap between the lower class and the upper class widen further and further, where things like homeownership was the standard for many younger folks; it's quickly becoming exceptional. If things like the internet, advanced farming technology, logistics improvements, etc have made massive efficiency gains and improved productivity in nearly every field, why does it seem like things are at such a standstill or even backsliding for the average person?
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentThat's a pretty uncharitable distillation of the idea I was trying to communicate. I expanded on what I meant here which may have been a little more clear. I don't think this boils down into just...That's a pretty uncharitable distillation of the idea I was trying to communicate. I expanded on what I meant here which may have been a little more clear.
I don't think this boils down into just "being contrarian" but of course that's for the reader to decide.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
OBLIVIATER Link ParentHaha, I think unfortunately despite the humor it wouldn't really work, I think a "razor" is supposed to be attributed to someone who espoused the idea, not who the idea applies to. So in this...Haha, I think unfortunately despite the humor it wouldn't really work, I think a "razor" is supposed to be attributed to someone who espoused the idea, not who the idea applies to. So in this instance "Bezos' Razor" would be something like "You can treat people like human trash and bankrupt their local communities as long as you can deliver Chinese made slop to their doors in 48 hours or less."(/s)
Yeah, I got so sick of the "rules-lawyering" that some users would engage in when they got actioned. I know a good rule system is in place to try and prevent biased mods from abusing their power, but in return they also cause a lot of annoyance to good actors when trying to maintain a community.
Community modding on reddit was a flawed and now failed system imo. Powermods, bad actors, and shills have infiltrated nearly every large community and now they've all lost what makes them unique. Even /r/Videos, which I did my best to keep from descending into political spam for over 14 years, finally succumbed after a hostile takeover from a powermod, and its just entirely political posts now. I just checked now and 24 out of the top 25 posts are ALL about politics, and 21 of those are about Trump specifically... There's pretty much nothing left when it comes to other types of content, and that makes me sad.