OptimalBasis's recent activity

  1. Comment on The crop that’s sucking the Colorado River dry: Hay swallows triple the water used by everyone in the region to shower, water lawns, and do laundry in ~enviro

  2. Comment on The crop that’s sucking the Colorado River dry: Hay swallows triple the water used by everyone in the region to shower, water lawns, and do laundry in ~enviro

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Thanks! I use uBlock Origin and forget about most paywalls.

    Thanks! I use uBlock Origin and forget about most paywalls.

  3. Comment on Not entirely sure how to fill the void Reddit has left in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the suggestion. I too miss Google Reader, which is now one of 285 projects in the Google Graveyard. Feedly doesn't cut it. Thunderbird works for RSS but isn't portable.

    Thanks for the suggestion. I too miss Google Reader, which is now one of 285 projects in the Google Graveyard. Feedly doesn't cut it. Thunderbird works for RSS but isn't portable.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on When was the golden age of the internet to you? in ~tech

    OptimalBasis
    Link
    I would tie this to some key dates (there are plenty more, but these come to mind): Positive: 2001 Wikipedia started 2002 Firefox released 2004 Gmail released 2005 YouTube released 2005 Google...

    I would tie this to some key dates (there are plenty more, but these come to mind):

    Positive:

    • 2001 Wikipedia started
    • 2002 Firefox released
    • 2004 Gmail released
    • 2005 YouTube released
    • 2005 Google Reader released
    • 2005 Reddit started

    Negative:

    • 2009 Geocities shutdown
    • 2013 Google Reader cancelled
    • 2013 Snowden whistleblowing
    • 2014 Over 50% of Americans have smartphones
    • 2014 to 2015 Reddit lets many hate subreddits pop up without recourse
    • 2018 Reddit releases its redesign

    Based on this, I'd say that 2005 to 2013 was the golden age of the internet.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Tildes fundraiser June 2023: Encourage an app developer (me) to work on a Tildes app faster, by donating to Tildes (not me)! in ~tildes

    OptimalBasis
    Link
    Will this also be used for server expenses? How much are those presently?

    Will this also be used for server expenses? How much are those presently?

    5 votes

  7. Comment on Majority of Bitcoin trading is a hoax, new study finds in ~finance

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    If someone really wants to buy and sell currency to artificially inflate volume, they will end up losing transaction fees, which are generally something like 0.1% per trade.

    If someone really wants to buy and sell currency to artificially inflate volume, they will end up losing transaction fees, which are generally something like 0.1% per trade.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What is your ideal work environment? in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link
    I've worked in a few styles of office spaces, but my preference is a private office. I haven't actually had one, but I have had officemates who spent a lot of time in other locations, so it was...

    I've worked in a few styles of office spaces, but my preference is a private office. I haven't actually had one, but I have had officemates who spent a lot of time in other locations, so it was almost private. Noise can be really distracting to me, so I'm often using earbuds. I should look into getting some noise-cancelling headphones at some point.

    I like a bright environment whether it's naturally or artificially lit. I prefer windows with thin pulldown blinds that could be used to block direct sunlight.

    I like a big flat desk, maybe 5 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep. I don't like a central drawer or a keyboard tray since I always hit my knees on them. A good office chair with plenty of adjustment is essential. I haven't tried a standing desk before.

    I prefer to eat in a breakroom with others for the social aspect. I've tried working from home before, but I find it too isolating. I'm an introvert, but I need some social interaction. It's best when it's routine or scheduled in advance.

    In general, I like a very clean, minimalist office or workspace. I really get bothered by cluttered desks or workbenches. My workplace is considering starting a 5S program, and it could really help by ensuring that there are good work spaces and that tools are kept in their designated locations. Now only if I could implement that at home...

    3 votes

  9. Comment on What is your ideal work environment? in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Are you the boss sitting in the middle staring at your employee's screens, or are you the employee?

    Are you the boss sitting in the middle staring at your employee's screens, or are you the employee?

    2 votes

  10. What is your ideal work environment?

    ~talk Text 109 words
    I'm focusing mainly on an office environment, but other spaces such as a laboratory, shop, factory, operating room, brothel, etc are fair game. What layout do you prefer (open floor plan,...

    I'm focusing mainly on an office environment, but other spaces such as a laboratory, shop, factory, operating room, brothel, etc are fair game.

    What layout do you prefer (open floor plan, cubicles, individual offices, group offices, etc)?

    What kind of lighting do you prefer (natural sunlight, artificial lighting, dim lighting, no lighting, etc)? Does this relate to whether you choose a dark or light theme in software and websites?

    What kind of desk do you prefer (sitting, standing, escape pod, etc)?

    What kind of chair do you prefer?

    Do you use headphones, earbuds, or nothing?

    Do you eat at your desk, go out, or eat in a common area?

    15 votes

  11. Comment on What does the online / social media world look like to you, what would you want? in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Hangouts isn't going away, only Google Plus. Can you still hold video chats with your subscribers with Hangouts alone?

    Hangouts isn't going away, only Google Plus. Can you still hold video chats with your subscribers with Hangouts alone?

    1 vote

  12. Comment on What does the online / social media world look like to you, what would you want? in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    I liked what Facebook was early on: profile pages were like an enhanced AIM profile (literally a single page listing interests, favorite quotes, etc). The News Feed was initially great. Once they...

    I liked what Facebook was early on: profile pages were like an enhanced AIM profile (literally a single page listing interests, favorite quotes, etc). The News Feed was initially great. Once they started curating posts, monetizing things, and allowing groups to form, it really went downhill. This is apart from any privacy issues.

    It would be nice to have a Facebook clone that's fairly minimalist and a good way to stay in touch with distant relatives and friends. Even then, I'm not sure I'd join. If Facebook died I'd be conflicted as to whether it's a good or bad thing.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on How do you back up your data? in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link
    Synology NAS with two HDDs in a RAID 1 configuration. I once helped spec a similar setup for work and went with a 12 HDD unit with RAID 6, which allowed for two similtaneous HDD failures before...

    Synology NAS with two HDDs in a RAID 1 configuration. I once helped spec a similar setup for work and went with a 12 HDD unit with RAID 6, which allowed for two similtaneous HDD failures before loss of data.

    7 votes

  14. Comment on Reddit experiencing a site outage in ~tech

    OptimalBasis
    Link
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine that if reddit had a lightweight site (like Tildes) outages like this might be less common.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine that if reddit had a lightweight site (like Tildes) outages like this might be less common.

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Moderators of Reddit, tell us about your experiences in fostering quality discussion and content (or failures to do so) in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent

    Homer: I want to tell you about the most wonderful place in the world: Doggie Heaven. In Doggie Heaven, there are mountains of bones, and you can't turn around without sniffing another dog's butt! And all the best dogs are there, Old Yeller, and about eight Lassies.
    Bart: Is there a Doggie Hell?
    Homer: Well... of course, there couldn't be a heaven if there weren't a hell.
    Bart: Who's in there?
    Homer: Oh, uh... Hitler's dog... and that dog Nixon had, what's his name, um, Chester...
    Lisa: Checkers.
    Homer: Yeah! One of the Lassies is in there, too. The mean one! The one who mauled Timmy!

    4 votes

  17. Comment on I don't trust Signal in ~tech

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    It's mostly complaints about Google, but eventually there is a good point: This echoes the problem of encrypted email. Things like Proton Mail are great, but require you to be in the network for...

    It's mostly complaints about Google, but eventually there is a good point:

    Truly secure systems do not require you to trust the service provider. This is the point of end-to-end encryption. But we have to trust that Moxie is running the server software he says he is. We have to trust that he isn’t writing down a list of people we’ve talked to, when, and how often. We have to trust not only that Moxie is trustworthy, but given that Open Whisper Systems is based in San Francisco we have to trust that he hasn’t received a national security letter, too (by the way, Signal doesn’t have a warrant canary). Moxie can tell us he doesn’t store these things, but he could. Truly secure systems don’t require trust.

    There are a couple of ways to solve this problem, which can be used in tandem. We can stop Signal from knowing when we’re talking to each other by using peer-to-peer chats. This has some significant drawbacks, namely that both users have to be online at the same time for their messages to be delivered to each other. You can still fall back to peer-to-server-to-peer when one peer is offline, however. But this isn’t the most important of the two solutions.

    The most important change is federation. Federated services are like email, in that Alice can send an email from gmail.com to Bob’s yahoo.com address. I should be able to stand up a Signal server, on my own hardware where I am in control of the logs, and communicate freely with other Signal servers, including Open Whisper’s servers. This distributes the security risks across hundreds of operators in many countries with various data extradition laws. This turns what would today be easy for the United States government to break and makes it much, much more difficult. Federation would also open the possibility for bridging the gap with several other open source secure chat platforms to all talk on the same federated network - which would spurn competition and be a great move for users of all chat platforms.

    This echoes the problem of encrypted email. Things like Proton Mail are great, but require you to be in the network for full functionality. Yes, you can send someone outside of Proton Mail an encrypted message, but it's really just an email link to a webpage. If Proton Mail goes down due to an attack, the users are out of luck.

    Personally, I'm getting sick of all the non-interoperabile messaging applications out there. I have Signal, WhatsApp, and standard texting on my phone. I refuse to install Facebook or Facebook Messenger on my phone. Some people only use one and not the any others. And yes, there's an xkcd about that: https://xkcd.com/1810/

    5 votes

  18. Comment on Respect for flags and other national symbols in ~talk

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    When I was in elementary school, we said the Pledge at the beginning of every day. I moved to a different school district and they didn't say it at all. I was in high school after September 11th,...

    When I was in elementary school, we said the Pledge at the beginning of every day. I moved to a different school district and they didn't say it at all. I was in high school after September 11th, 2001, and we started having time to say it every day, but it was optional. Most people said it, but those who did not just sat quietly, and I don't think they were ridiculed.

    But yes, it is a form of brainwashing.

    I agree with most of what the Black Lives Matter movement does, but I think they may have made a tactical error in going after the flag since most people don't think logically about the flag. However, civil rights movements could use this to their advantage. Instead of "disrespecting" the flag, wave it vigorously while demanding your rights. Then again, the police are treated as infallible in this country, so it's always going to be a difficult endeavor.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Suggestion: when clicking on an external link, open it in new tab in ~tildes

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Agreeing. Browsers have this feature. It's not necessary and verges on bloat.

    Agreeing. Browsers have this feature. It's not necessary and verges on bloat.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on Banned Twitch streamers defend slurs, but say language has evolved in ~games

    OptimalBasis
    Link Parent
    Slurs against minorities carry the weight of years of hate and violence. Black people were enslaved, beaten, and lynched simply for their skin color. Calling someone the n-word evokes that...

    Slurs against minorities carry the weight of years of hate and violence. Black people were enslaved, beaten, and lynched simply for their skin color. Calling someone the n-word evokes that history.

    It doesn't mean much to use a slur against a white person since there isn't the history of oppression. Unless you're using a more specific epithet against Italians and Irish people, who were targeted in the past.

    9 votes