Octofox's recent activity
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Comment on One in four school-starters in England and Wales not toilet-trained, say teachers in ~life
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Comment on Inside Apple Arcade: axed games, declining payouts, disillusioned studios – and an uncertain future in ~games
Octofox Yeah I tried Apple Arcade and felt the same. This didn’t feel like when you’d pay $8 and get fruit ninja or angry birds. It just felt forced somehow. The games just weren’t fun in a way that’s...Yeah I tried Apple Arcade and felt the same. This didn’t feel like when you’d pay $8 and get fruit ninja or angry birds. It just felt forced somehow. The games just weren’t fun in a way that’s hard to explain.
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Comment on Those free USB sticks in your drawer are somehow crappier than you thought in ~comp
Octofox I’ve no doubt people do this, but I think it’s best to treat them all as junk and always have backups. Then it doesn’t matter if the drive dies or gets lost.I’ve no doubt people do this, but I think it’s best to treat them all as junk and always have backups. Then it doesn’t matter if the drive dies or gets lost.
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Comment on Those free USB sticks in your drawer are somehow crappier than you thought in ~comp
Octofox Have they? Back in the day windows would literally automatically execute a binary the instant you plugged a USB in. These days to replicate something similar you’d have to exploit a known bug in...risks of malware-infected thumb drives have only increased since then
Have they? Back in the day windows would literally automatically execute a binary the instant you plugged a USB in. These days to replicate something similar you’d have to exploit a known bug in the OS. And those are worth so much that it’s almost impossible the average user would ever encounter that kind of attack.
Computing in general seems to be getting consistently more secure every year.
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Comment on Those free USB sticks in your drawer are somehow crappier than you thought in ~comp
Octofox I feel like for most use cases you just don’t need a reliable USB stick. Personally the only use I’ve had for them for a while is loading files on to machines like a 3D printer or playing a video...I feel like for most use cases you just don’t need a reliable USB stick. Personally the only use I’ve had for them for a while is loading files on to machines like a 3D printer or playing a video on a TV where it doesn’t matter if they break. Even if you had a super reliable one, you can still physically lose it.
The only case I can imagine where it matters is something like live recording video to a portable SSD where you really don’t want it to fail before you get home and back it up.
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Comment on ‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything in ~tech
Octofox Enshitification seems to only really affect free or unsustainable services. It’s the end of the line for “we will grow first and work out a profit model later” There are quite a lot of things...Enshitification seems to only really affect free or unsustainable services. It’s the end of the line for “we will grow first and work out a profit model later”
There are quite a lot of things which have always been sustainable from the start which have only got better over the years. Some personal examples I use being Steam, Google Drive/docs, and iOS.
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Comment on US grocery stores should cut prices as costs ease, Joe Biden White House says in ~finance
Octofox It would seem that way. Restaurants are notoriously risky businesses that very often shut down from financial trouble.It would seem that way. Restaurants are notoriously risky businesses that very often shut down from financial trouble.
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Comment on US grocery stores should cut prices as costs ease, Joe Biden White House says in ~finance
Octofox There was a time where avocados were reasonably expensive in Australia. Then all the farmers planted a bunch of trees to cash in on it. Now they are so overproduced that they are dirt cheap in...There was a time where avocados were reasonably expensive in Australia. Then all the farmers planted a bunch of trees to cash in on it. Now they are so overproduced that they are dirt cheap in supermarkets.
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Comment on Bluesky Social is now open to the public in ~tech
Octofox Usually the throwaway numbers are detectable and just get rejected by the platform. The easiest way to get new numbers is to just buy a month of an eSIM plan and sign up. But when it costs $10...Usually the throwaway numbers are detectable and just get rejected by the platform. The easiest way to get new numbers is to just buy a month of an eSIM plan and sign up. But when it costs $10 every time you want to troll someone, the trolling stops pretty soon.
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Comment on Bluesky Social is now open to the public in ~tech
Octofox (edited )Link ParentThe lack of instances makes it work much better. You just sign up like a normal account. You don't have to find an instance that has signups open. You don't have any drama about instances shutting...The lack of instances makes it work much better. You just sign up like a normal account. You don't have to find an instance that has signups open. You don't have any drama about instances shutting down or having unhinged admins.
Realistically I don't see the benefit in having all social media connected up in one homogeneous blob. I'm perfectly happy to visit different sites/apps for different kinds of content and discussion. I don't need to subscribe to hacker news threads through the same app I share art on. Or see twitter arguments next to serious discussion.
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Comment on Bluesky Social is now open to the public in ~tech
Octofox Phone number requirements are basically required for social media these days. If you don't collect a phone number, bans and blocks are entirely useless. Realistically, if you are that concerned...Phone number requirements are basically required for social media these days. If you don't collect a phone number, bans and blocks are entirely useless.
Realistically, if you are that concerned about your privacy, a public social media account probably isn't what you want anyway.
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Comment on An instant fake ID factory - An underground website called OnlyFake is claiming to use “neural networks” to generate realistic looking photos of fake IDs for just $15 in ~tech
Octofox I’d be surprised if they don’t have a system that actually verifies the ID details with a government database.I’d be surprised if they don’t have a system that actually verifies the ID details with a government database.
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Comment on Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? in ~food
Octofox Seems like there is quite a lot of entertainment media that’s means to feel educational or useful. People who want to watch cooking or DIY videos but don’t actually care about following along. So...Seems like there is quite a lot of entertainment media that’s means to feel educational or useful. People who want to watch cooking or DIY videos but don’t actually care about following along.
So it’s just easier and more effective to make up fake content for them.
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Comment on Why we can’t build family-sized apartments in North America in ~design
Octofox I’m not convinced that central hallways and fire escape stairs are to blame. I’ve seen plenty of 3-4 bedroom layouts with this central hallway design. They just wrap around the corner or even two...I’m not convinced that central hallways and fire escape stairs are to blame. I’ve seen plenty of 3-4 bedroom layouts with this central hallway design. They just wrap around the corner or even two corners.
I’m not familiar with the US market but the article diagrams look exactly like Australian builds as well. From what I see, family sized apartments do exist, the problem is they cost exactly the same as a house further out. And when given the option, most buyers end up buying the house over the apartment.
Australia and the US are similar in that land is not really that constrained. It only becomes constrained if you want to live really inner city which just tends to be younger people who like to socialise a lot. So not the family house buyer type. People also seem to have this idea that apartments should be much cheaper than houses, but the reality is they cost a lot more to build so you are only saving on the land component. And if you are willing to live further out, the land component isn’t that much.
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Comment on Elon Musk's Neuralink implants brain chip in first human in ~health
Octofox Or when most of the workforce has it and unless you have a chip in your brain, you can’t possibly compete with people that do.Or when most of the workforce has it and unless you have a chip in your brain, you can’t possibly compete with people that do.
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Comment on The decline of username and password on the same page in ~tech
Octofox You can already enumerate accounts by trying to sign up with that username/email. Not that it even matters since no one does that. They just directly attempt to log in with an email/password from...You can already enumerate accounts by trying to sign up with that username/email.
Not that it even matters since no one does that. They just directly attempt to log in with an email/password from an external dump.
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Comment on The decline of username and password on the same page in ~tech
Octofox I haven't seen this all that much. Google is the only example that comes to mind. Just guessing but I'd say it's either to have a confirmation step that yes you did get your email right, here's...I haven't seen this all that much. Google is the only example that comes to mind. Just guessing but I'd say it's either to have a confirmation step that yes you did get your email right, here's your profile pic. Or that they have multiple different authentication methods, and putting the username in lets them select the right one.
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Comment on Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not in ~tech
Octofox (edited )LinkThis doesn’t surprise me. It’s pretty much on trend for the first version of a new product line from Apple to not be great. First iPhone/watch/ipad were all a bit overpriced and underpowered. What...This doesn’t surprise me. It’s pretty much on trend for the first version of a new product line from Apple to not be great. First iPhone/watch/ipad were all a bit overpriced and underpowered. What they always get right is the concept, after a few years of software and hardware revisions, I have no doubt this will be a pretty solid product.
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Comment on ‘No cash accepted’ signs are bad news for millions of unbanked Americans in ~finance
Octofox Can you take cash to a post office or something to buy a ticket? This has been a thing in most places for a long time because having a bus driver count coins slows the system down a lot.Can you take cash to a post office or something to buy a ticket? This has been a thing in most places for a long time because having a bus driver count coins slows the system down a lot.
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Comment on ‘No cash accepted’ signs are bad news for millions of unbanked Americans in ~finance
Octofox I heard from a business owner that he stopped taking cash because having his delivery drivers carry cash required them to be paid more since it was considered a more dangerous job.I heard from a business owner that he stopped taking cash because having his delivery drivers carry cash required them to be paid more since it was considered a more dangerous job.
I’ve caught myself doing something similar. I was drawing on paper and instinctively two finger tapped the paper which is the Procreate undo gesture. Makes me wonder if the kids just had a quick “whoops” moment or if they sat there for minutes swiping and getting confused.