PepperJackson's recent activity

  1. Comment on What is your favourite shark? in ~talk

    PepperJackson
    Link
    The obvious answer here is the thrasher shark. Using their long tail to whip and stun prey is so cool!

    The obvious answer here is the thrasher shark. Using their long tail to whip and stun prey is so cool!

  2. Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I've searched for it just now and didn't didn't find it either. It might have been a rerun of a previous story, but I didn't find it in the archives either.

    I've searched for it just now and didn't didn't find it either. It might have been a rerun of a previous story, but I didn't find it in the archives either.

  3. Comment on Meet Kit: Firefox's new mascot in ~tech

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    It's hard for me to pin down, but everything feels more optimized in some indescribable way that lacks the internet of my childhood's whimsy. I guess I should say, perceived whimsy, through the...

    It's hard for me to pin down, but everything feels more optimized in some indescribable way that lacks the internet of my childhood's whimsy. I guess I should say, perceived whimsy, through the eyes of a young pepperjackson

  4. Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I have to admit I'm quick to recall the emotionally charged arguments I've been on the receiving end of over the more neutral. Even when I'm in agreement with the position I become prickly to...

    I have to admit I'm quick to recall the emotionally charged arguments I've been on the receiving end of over the more neutral. Even when I'm in agreement with the position I become prickly to arguments presented this way! Which is unfortunate from my perspective because I suspect the people making these arguments have become so emotionally invested for very good reasons.

    I feel bad admitting that today I found myself having this bristling reaction to an NPR story about validating women's pain in medicine--(a position I think I hold!)--where the argument was made in such a way that I thought it was hard to sympathize. Which sucks! The people presenting the discussion was very well informed and had great reasons for why this mattered to them, they are women physicians and had suffered because of their pain not being taken seriously. But argument was so emotionally charged that I felt I was the bad guy somehow by working in medicine. (Perhaps this says more about me than the people presenting the information!)

    Anyways, I go into all of this because the one person with an inflexible veganism position I've met has this stance because they witnessed the animal suffering at factory farms growing up in the midwest. Which is totally valid, but somehow doesn't turn me towards becoming vegan myself.

    4 votes

  5. Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I think it is interesting that I seem to read "it's crazy that everyone is so black and white on this" way more than I have ever encountered it. I would wager I come across more "harm (meat)...

    I think it is interesting that I seem to read "it's crazy that everyone is so black and white on this" way more than I have ever encountered it. I would wager I come across more "harm (meat) reduction" messaging in my life and am interested in where many people seem to encounter these inflexible views! Even my vegan friends do not proselytize to this extent but will suggest animal free alternatives they think are particularly good, which I'm happy to receive.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on Meet Kit: Firefox's new mascot in ~tech

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    Somehow your comment reminds me of the article: Why do AI comapny logos look like buttholes?. And also by the same author: Why do so many brands change their logos and look like everyone else?....

    Somehow your comment reminds me of the article: Why do AI comapny logos look like buttholes?. And also by the same author: Why do so many brands change their logos and look like everyone else?. The wasteland of interesting logos dropped for a sans serif font is just so sad.

    7 votes

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I am playing Deadlock too and it's amazing. I have a bizarre amount of time in my schedule to play games and not have much responsibilities and playing 2-3 games a day for the past 3 weeks or so....

    I am playing Deadlock too and it's amazing. I have a bizarre amount of time in my schedule to play games and not have much responsibilities and playing 2-3 games a day for the past 3 weeks or so. It's just wonderful. There's so much to explore with movement, itemization, and working with your team to fight. I have absolutely no shooting game chops, and I feel like there are plenty of occultists to play that have let me pretty smoothly get up to Archon without any tryharding. What a great time. And overall, the community has been good, except for a handful really hateful people that I just immediately mute.

    Perhaps my favorite part is how alive the characters feel. I love hearing Lash and Bebop razz each other, Mina (a stuck up Dracula type vampire) uttering "I've never seen a vampire like that" when she kills Drifter (a more thrall, feral type of vampire). Or when you ping Abrams you hear "I see the detective!" and stuff like that. Valve nails these little touches that I think others overlook.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    Lobster, crab, crawdad have all been fine for me. There's likely some bias after I've seen what I'm eating, because it's very much isolated to shrimp. The preparation could have an effect too, but...

    Lobster, crab, crawdad have all been fine for me. There's likely some bias after I've seen what I'm eating, because it's very much isolated to shrimp. The preparation could have an effect too, but I don't have the desire to seek out the perfect way to prepare shrimp.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    Depending on the last time you tried these foods, in the past 15 years commercial Brussels sprouts and broccoli have had their bitter flavor (sinigrin and progoitrin) bred out of them. So they...

    Depending on the last time you tried these foods, in the past 15 years commercial Brussels sprouts and broccoli have had their bitter flavor (sinigrin and progoitrin) bred out of them. So they objectively taste better!

    11 votes

  10. Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food

    PepperJackson
    Link
    This one is easy for me: shrimp. I essentially have no other food aversions, but the texture of shrimp is just detestable. Fortunately, I also do not find the flavor to be enticing, so I'm not...

    This one is easy for me: shrimp. I essentially have no other food aversions, but the texture of shrimp is just detestable. Fortunately, I also do not find the flavor to be enticing, so I'm not missing out. But my goodness, the texture. A shrimp is similar to an orange slice; full of little self contained packets that burst as you bite through. But the packets are mealy and made of meat. Yuck! This is most notable with cocktail shrimp, but it is so off putting that I avoid most all shrimp.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on Highguard | Official launch showcase in ~games

    PepperJackson
    Link
    I've never really played an FPS besides a good bit of CS 1.6 and a bit of CSGO. The previews for Highguard look like a generic gun game. The guns feel like they could be completely ripped from COD...

    I've never really played an FPS besides a good bit of CS 1.6 and a bit of CSGO. The previews for Highguard look like a generic gun game. The guns feel like they could be completely ripped from COD or Battlefield and they would work fine. And that saps from the fantasy aesthetic for me. Conversely, I've been really digging Deadlock, every character feels distinct, with tons of personality. I think the hero shooter genre benefits from the 3rd person shooter style. Though take note, this first impression is certainly colored by how much fun I've been having with Deadlock.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on Massive winter storm expected to dump snow and ice across United States in ~enviro

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I grew up in the Seattle area and I may have seen lightning on the order 5 times in about 30 years. And probably less than that.

    I grew up in the Seattle area and I may have seen lightning on the order 5 times in about 30 years. And probably less than that.

    6 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    PepperJackson
    Link
    I have been having great fun bouncing between two games that I'm admittedly not very good at! Fellowship This one really brings me back to the glory days of WoW. I have wondered if my fond...

    I have been having great fun bouncing between two games that I'm admittedly not very good at!

    Fellowship

    This one really brings me back to the glory days of WoW. I have wondered if my fond memories of running dungeons with my guildmates were colored fully by rose-tinted glasses, or if that kind of gameplay is actually just fun. Turns out, the formula is great. I always played a healer in WoW, and Sylvie fits my style. It's been a lot of fun getting geared up and learning new mechanics in various dungeons. I even got a few of my buddies from back home to spend an hour a week playing. It has been wonderful.

    Deadlock

    I have played a lot of DotA. But not recently. The game is practically unrecognizable to me nowadays, which is quite sad. Anyways, playing this game, the third person shooter is so well suited for the MOBA gameplay that I'm surprised no one else has tried. I am having a blast, and I am absolute garbage at the game. I feel like I'm always low on player damage for my team, so I think I need to stop farming and start fighting. I've been playing a bunch of different heroes and haven't found my favorites yet. They all seem to have so much character, it is wonderful.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on Leaving Apple behind after eighteen years in ~tech

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    In case you are interested, the toggle is under Settings > Apps > Sandboxed Google Play > Android Auto

    In case you are interested, the toggle is under Settings > Apps > Sandboxed Google Play > Android Auto

    2 votes

  15. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

    PepperJackson
    (edited )
    Link
    I think it's fun sharing the Christmas albums people listen to. My family has 2 classics we play very often and this year put a third on rotation. First, the classics. Vince Guaraldi Trio - A...

    I think it's fun sharing the Christmas albums people listen to. My family has 2 classics we play very often and this year put a third on rotation.

    First, the classics.

    1. Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas

    I feel like I've been listening to this one for years. It's fun, jazzy, and feels appropriate to have on in the background no matter the occasion.

    1. The Irish Rovers - Songs of Christmas

    This album compliments the steady, coolness of A Charlie Brown Christmas with some fun and pep. It is essentially just Christmas Classics sung by a number of talented Irish guys with a few silly songs sprinkled in. This album always makes me feel jolly. I'm a big fan of Christmas in Killarney.

    1. Mark Tremonti - Christmas Classics New & Old

    (Yeah, that Mark Tremonti. The singer from Creed.) This is the new kid on the block. I did a double take when I was recommended the album. Surely the lead singer from Creed would make a Christmas Album a bit too Creed-y? But when the first song came on I think, "Oops, I must have clicked Bing Crosby or Sinatra!". It's a great classic sounding album. The guy can sing!

    EDIT:

    1. Elf Film Soundtrack

    This one is also in regular rotation in my household! How could I forget? They nailed it with this one.

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Without looking, do you have a vague idea of your coordinates? in ~talk

    PepperJackson
    Link
    I actually have a good idea to the 0.1 because I regularly use the Merlin bird ID app and it says "Listening from XX.XXXX, YY.YYYY". Before then, no idea at all!

    I actually have a good idea to the 0.1 because I regularly use the Merlin bird ID app and it says "Listening from XX.XXXX, YY.YYYY". Before then, no idea at all!

    3 votes

  17. Comment on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end all monkey research in ~science

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    Very interesting, thanks for sharing these. I've heard of Evo, but haven't seen it be used in the lab yet, but perhaps it will soon. It's obviously young technology. As I understand it, it seems...

    Very interesting, thanks for sharing these. I've heard of Evo, but haven't seen it be used in the lab yet, but perhaps it will soon. It's obviously young technology. As I understand it, it seems useful for hypothesis generation, but maybe not so useful for hypothesis testing in it's current state.

    I hope we can use machine learning to better categorize large datasets to help patients soon.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end all monkey research in ~science

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    I'm not actually familiar with the advances you mention here. Do you mind filling in an old immunologist on what we've learned with AI? In my experience there just hasn't been much of anything...

    With advancements in AI (not LLMs) we've seen some pretty amazing advances in genomics and understanding the human biome.

    I'm not actually familiar with the advances you mention here. Do you mind filling in an old immunologist on what we've learned with AI? In my experience there just hasn't been much of anything that has impressed me.

    Ideally at some point we can stop doing most animal modeling because computer modeling will be close enough for the statistical noise and variation it generates to be within the parameters of how well animal models reflect human biology.

    I agree this would be ideal, but I'm incredibly skeptical of the ability to computationally model complex biology. At that point we would essentially be stimulating life itself!

    6 votes

  19. Comment on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end all monkey research in ~science

    PepperJackson
    Link Parent
    This is an important point; I worked at a vaccine research institute for a number of years and the 3-5 number was what was thrown around for the experiments they were able to afford. I would link...

    This is an important point; I worked at a vaccine research institute for a number of years and the 3-5 number was what was thrown around for the experiments they were able to afford. I would link to the papers themselves but I don't want to identify myself. With my other comments it would be easy to identify me.

    But for the big pharma number, that is based on a degree of separation: the investigators I worked with had collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and they said even the pharma companies didn't do larger experiments. But I can't say if their experience actually represents all of big pharma (likely does not, vaccine regulations are a bit different than new drug discovery).

    So that is to say from personal experience for the small academic researchers, but hearsay for the big pharma number, which should be challenged!

    7 votes

  20. Comment on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end all monkey research in ~science

    PepperJackson
    Link
    As someone who has been involved in non-human primate (NHP) research, I actually think this isn't terrible. These experiments are insanely expensive. Even big pharma companies will test their...

    As someone who has been involved in non-human primate (NHP) research, I actually think this isn't terrible. These experiments are insanely expensive. Even big pharma companies will test their study drugs in experiments with around 5 NHPs. And most academic labs can only afford 3. But then the data from these 3 animals drives all of the experiments in humans. It's a difficult position. I want to say we should have some testing before humans, but I also don't think we necessarily learn that much in NHP studies. Additionally, because these experiments are so expensive, almost all of the NHPs are in multiple experiments, meaning, they will be subject to one study drug, and then a few months later they will be subject to another, etc. So it's actually hard to know which study is responsible for an outcome, which is hard to parse. In the end, I find it difficult to justify many of these studies, though I'm sure there are a number of studies that I'm not aware of that are doing good work and will be affected terribly by this change.

    36 votes