Pilot's recent activity
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Comment on Caltrain's electrification project is paying off in ~transport
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Comment on Caltrain's electrification project is paying off in ~transport
Pilot Link ParentI was using hyperbole, but not that much. Bel Air sits on a mountain top. The surface of the pass in which the freeway sits adjacent (west) of Bel Air is between 600 and 800ft mean sea level....I was using hyperbole, but not that much. Bel Air sits on a mountain top. The surface of the pass in which the freeway sits adjacent (west) of Bel Air is between 600 and 800ft mean sea level. Proposed tunnels running under Bel Air (east of the freeway) would run beneath property that sits around 1,000 to 1,300ft mean sea level. The north end of the mountain range is a valley (known as "the valley) which is roughly 700 to 800ft mean sea level, the southern portion known as West LA and Westwood starts to get as low as 100ft.
So the subway would run from below the surface of an 800ft valley to descend down to sit below the surface of a 100ft valley. The Bel Air people are just assholes.
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Comment on Caltrain's electrification project is paying off in ~transport
Pilot Link ParentThe central valley portion is happening since it's the "easiest" portion of the alignment. The route into the Bay is via CalTrain (hence the electrification project, CHSR can run on existing right...The central valley portion is happening since it's the "easiest" portion of the alignment. The route into the Bay is via CalTrain (hence the electrification project, CHSR can run on existing right of way that CalTrain currently uses), but the route into Los Angeles isn't fully decided on the last time I checked. There will be debate in the future about easements, rights of way, tunneling, and so forth. A favorite NIMBY argument is cost, and the State's numerous air quality and environmental laws provide a lot of avenues for bad faith lawsuits meant to stop projects for personal reasons under the guise of environmental impact.
As an example, Los Angeles Metro is currently designing a mass transit rail corridor along the 405 freeway from Sherman Oaks to LAX. Homeowner's in Bel Air have been throwing everything at the wall trying to stop or worsen the project. They claim it's because tunnels that will run nearby (and, to be clear, nearly 800ft or more below the houses) present an environmental or quality of life hazard. That argument is provable nonsense, but the wealth of the area means the homeowner's against the corridor have a lot of power to make the project more expensive. That's their goal, to claim something costs too much and then drive up the cost.
We also saw this in LA with the subway project from Downtown to Santa Monica, where an alignment runs under Beverly Hills High School and there was great acrimony from residents there who didn't want a station in the neighborhood trying to claim that the tunnel under the school was a hazard. Beverly Hills lost the lawsuits, but it still ate up years and budget to fend off.
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Comment on Oscars: Conan O’Brien will host Hollywood’s biggest night in ~movies
Pilot Link ParentI don't want to dox myself, but I started as a PA and eventually became a producer. My main area of focus were what we called "pre-tapes," and "remotes," things like commercial parodies,...I don't want to dox myself, but I started as a PA and eventually became a producer. My main area of focus were what we called "pre-tapes," and "remotes," things like commercial parodies, man-on-the-street, "Host learns how to X," any segment that wasn't live in-studio, that would be watched by the studio audience on the monitors.
The SNL "digital short," and "Please Don't Destroy" segments are examples, so are things like Seth Meyer's "Day Drinking," or when Colbert went to a Waffle House.
Conan does a travel show on MAX, and when he did that for his late night shows someone like me would have produced it. That person likely also had a heavy hand in Conan's Emmy's hosting runs because the skillset is 1:1 transferable.
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Comment on Caltrain's electrification project is paying off in ~transport
Pilot Link ParentTurns out people love trains and trains work if you give them the opportunity to. This is why I scoff at people who dismiss the High Speed Rail project. We need to get out of its way and let it...Turns out people love trains and trains work if you give them the opportunity to. This is why I scoff at people who dismiss the High Speed Rail project. We need to get out of its way and let it happen because when it's up and running nobody is going to remember or care how much it cost to build (and if we inhabit that thinking from the get go we can make smarter choices that will actually save money).
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Comment on Oscars: Conan O’Brien will host Hollywood’s biggest night in ~movies
Pilot Link ParentI worked in late night for a long time. The way this works is The Oscar's itself is a TV show with its own LLC and production company. When the host is from your own network, like Kimmel and ABC,...- Exemplary
I worked in late night for a long time. The way this works is The Oscar's itself is a TV show with its own LLC and production company. When the host is from your own network, like Kimmel and ABC, the existing Kimmel writer's room works with the producers of the awards show to plan the comedy and script. This works out nicely because that room already knows the host and they are already getting paid because of the 45 production weeks a year. Other writers may come in for the other presentation dialogue or just to have some fresh perspective.
For someone like Chris Rock or Billy Crystal the Oscar's production will hire writers and spin up its own small writers room. Comedians have comedian friends and writers who they like, so more often than not the room is going to consist of a mix of people the host uses often and professional journeymen writers who specialize in awards shows.
When Conan hosted the Emmy's they used his show's writers, and I suspect for the Oscar's Conan will have great sway on who is included in the writer's room. Or since he still has a production company and a show on MAX, they may just hire the production company and then he'll have total sway (and likely use whoever is already getting paid).
Conan strikes me as the very hands-on type, and someone who has a distinct comedy brand. He might not come up with everything, but he'll certainly have great sway. On his youtube channel I think they still have rehearsal outtakes from his TBS show. It's a good watch not just because they're funny but also you get a sense of how Conan works as a writer and as someone who is a great collaborator.
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Comment on US election results (other than presidential) thread in ~society
Pilot Link ParentI just don't think most people give it this level of thought. It starts and ends with, "meh," because it's the result of an implicit bias.I just don't think most people give it this level of thought. It starts and ends with, "meh," because it's the result of an implicit bias.
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Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society
Pilot Link ParentAround the country liberal social policies won broadly if they were on the ballot. There are lots of races were a Democrat down ballot is +8 over Harris. A lot of people simply stayed home this...Around the country liberal social policies won broadly if they were on the ballot. There are lots of races were a Democrat down ballot is +8 over Harris. A lot of people simply stayed home this election and the answer lies in the two points you quoted.
The democrats are bad at marketing and have consistently failed to counteract the decades of Fox News and the effect it has on shaping voter's minds and their apathy. So, so many people this election just could not be bothered, and while I think there's also a deep rooted misogyny driving that it's undeniable that the trickle down "she's bad at her job" or "she's just like Biden" rhetoric sticks.
So if you are a part of popular ideas but not popular people, you need to change the people and the marketing. New voices, new strategy. Don't feel ashamed of propaganda. Hillary loses in 2016 by thin margins in part because there were nearly three decades of attack lines against her and it was very easy for on the fence people to fall back to those. We need something that counteracts a feeling people have, not just a policy proposal.
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Comment on Voepass flight 2283 preliminary report released in ~transport
Pilot Link ParentI don't really think there is a takeaway. This is a factual report that details what the investigators know so far, but it does not draw any conclusions or provide a narrative beyond a...I don't really think there is a takeaway. This is a factual report that details what the investigators know so far, but it does not draw any conclusions or provide a narrative beyond a chronological sequence of events. As someone with some subject matter expertise I could speculate based on the report or identify areas that I think are major contributing factors, but it would be very premature considering not even this report provides the full picture.
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Comment on Star Trek live-action comedy series in development in ~tv
Pilot Link ParentI used to sell my sci-fi enjoying friends on it by saying it's Seth MacFarlane's Star Trek fan fiction, the TV show. I really admire the guy for essentially duping FOX into greenlighting a Star...I used to sell my sci-fi enjoying friends on it by saying it's Seth MacFarlane's Star Trek fan fiction, the TV show. I really admire the guy for essentially duping FOX into greenlighting a Star Trek show by pitching Family Guy in space and then abandoning the premise immediately.
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Comment on Apple’s requirements (subscription model only) to hit creators and fans on Patreon in ~tech
Pilot Link ParentThe app store fee discourse drives me kind of nuts because a lot of online discussion of it is driven by people who are online and who are either directly in or close enough to the tech industry....The app store fee discourse drives me kind of nuts because a lot of online discussion of it is driven by people who are online and who are either directly in or close enough to the tech industry. It means a lot of the discussion is from the seller's POV. But Apple aside, for consumers the IAP structure is very good for exactly the reason you mentioned. Simple, secure billing in a single place that is easy to turn off and on on a per-subscription basis.
For those reasons I think Apple should be more flexible with the fee structure. On the other hand, I was very much alive and online when the App Store first showed up and the 30% cut seemed like a great deal to developers, so I see a lot of the contemporary acrimony as disingenuous.
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Comment on I worked for Mr Beast, he's a sociopath in ~tech
Pilot Link ParentIf you haven't seen it, the Netflix show Squid Game tackles exactly this phenomenon. People will go so far beyond their own limits and morality if they think they have a shot at improving their...Could the guy really not leave because of the money? At some point it seems like greed. 4 days * 10k/day seems like more than enough money to me.
If you haven't seen it, the Netflix show Squid Game tackles exactly this phenomenon. People will go so far beyond their own limits and morality if they think they have a shot at improving their station, and the show points out why that's not just a fallacy but also often a false dichotomy setup by the extremely wealthy for entertainment.
(Then Netflix went and made it an actual reality show which was just so insanely tone deaf to me and yet proved exactly the show's point).
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv
Pilot Link ParentPost-TNG Trek has spent a lot of time examining those flaws, though, which I sometimes appreciate and sometimes think they take too far.Post-TNG Trek has spent a lot of time examining those flaws, though, which I sometimes appreciate and sometimes think they take too far.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden reportedly more open to calls for him to step aside as candidate in ~news
Pilot Link ParentI don't think he ever did this, though. He mentioned once about being a "bridge candidate [to the next generation" and I think a lot of people in 2020 who wanted a more progressive candidate...Personally I think Biden should have stuck to his wink wink nudge nudge promise of being a "transitional president"
I don't think he ever did this, though. He mentioned once about being a "bridge candidate [to the next generation" and I think a lot of people in 2020 who wanted a more progressive candidate swallowed the line as a compromise and then themselves assumed he'd be a one term guy. A lot of that was driven by the same anxiety we see today that he wasn't/isn't up to the task. But he ended up being one of the most progressive and effective presidents in decade, so all the popular progressives are backing him and he still has pull with more moderate voters.
Honestly what I can't believe are the Schiff's of the world being so open and public about replacing him. It makes me wonder if they are personally scorned, terrified and anxious, or getting donor pressure from centrists.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden reportedly more open to calls for him to step aside as candidate in ~news
Pilot Link ParentI am forever reminded that eyewitness testimony is factually and without question the worst evidence. Forget bias, our memories are just not nearly as good as we think they are, and people broadly...People have eyes
I am forever reminded that eyewitness testimony is factually and without question the worst evidence. Forget bias, our memories are just not nearly as good as we think they are, and people broadly and often overestimate their own analytic ability.
I'll say this, though, I don't think it's a Republican conspiracy, I think it's just a bunch of self-interested parties doing what they do. Crypto guys want the money and no taxes, media loves the ad-dollars and clicks because they can't compete with social media, Dems are anxious and worried, and the MAGA base is happy to cheer on anything that makes their guy strong and everyone else weak.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden reportedly more open to calls for him to step aside as candidate in ~news
Pilot Link ParentThis convo is exactly me since the debate. Panic, anxiety, dread, then onto threads or xitter to doom scroll, wash, rinse, repeat. But now I am worried the endless narrative will spill over into...We gotta hope that holds again. It bad for our collective ability to read reality when all the journalists are addicted to this dogshit website.
This convo is exactly me since the debate. Panic, anxiety, dread, then onto threads or xitter to doom scroll, wash, rinse, repeat. But now I am worried the endless narrative will spill over into meat space in a bad way because some of these "twitter brained" pols are also getting panic from the donor class, and big flashy op-eds are so bad. I am so so curious what's happening inside the Biden campaign about trying to reign this all in.
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Comment on Debunking the myth of Hollywood's "fake" transatlantic accent in ~humanities.languages
Pilot Link ParentWhat ruined the short video essay genre for me was realizing the vast majority were just paraphrased versions of the wikipedia article and did not contain any depth whatsoever. Some channels are...What ruined the short video essay genre for me was realizing the vast majority were just paraphrased versions of the wikipedia article and did not contain any depth whatsoever. Some channels are better at hiding it, but once I realized it there was no going back from seeing the table of contents match the chapter outlines.
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Comment on After a shaky debate performance top US Democrats talk about replacing Joe Biden on the ticket in ~society
Pilot Link ParentThis is crazy to me and should be crazy to anyone who remembers how upset Bernie Sanders supporters were in 2016 because their claim was exactly that the DNC was hand picking a candidate and that...This is crazy to me and should be crazy to anyone who remembers how upset Bernie Sanders supporters were in 2016 because their claim was exactly that the DNC was hand picking a candidate and that their votes didn't matter.
Nobody likes that Biden is old, but always in these discussions there isn't a really viable alternative even if we hand wave away totally ignoring the party primary process. Whitmer hardly held on in her own state and doesn't have good national name ID, and cold as it is you can't just run a woman when the most popular democratic woman candidate lost in 2016.
Prtizker also suffers from the name ID issue, even worse that Whitmer does. You'd have to be looking at someone like Newsome, who carries his own baggage with moderate voters after a decade of "Commiefornia" rhetoric. All three of these folks are gearing up for 2028 which makes sense because it gives them time to establish themselves and their platforms.
The only way to swap is if Biden drops out, and that's just not a realistic option. Democrats, instead, need to stop the fretting and buckle down hard on running a campaign that breaks though a media apparatus that is obsessed with Trump. And they need to fire whoever prepped Biden for the debate.
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Comment on The curious case of the underselling arena tours in ~music
Pilot LinkIt's a solid write up. As someone with a lot of experience in this industry, though, the biggest factor here was really poor artist representation. The Black Keys fired their manager and they...It's a solid write up. As someone with a lot of experience in this industry, though, the biggest factor here was really poor artist representation. The Black Keys fired their manager and they should fire their agent, too. Any rep who claimed to be even halfway decent at the job would have known an arena tour was a terrible idea for that band. The J Lo stuff is the bigger surprise, but even that could have been very easily foreseen.
The article touches on this, but I think it's the primary factor. Live Nation being shitty and costs going up are ancillary to the fact that you have to recognize where your band actually stands and the rep's job is to deliver bad news sometimes.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
Pilot Link ParentThat's kind of the point, though. His job was as a senior editor at a major news organization. That sort of unfounded statement isn't something he'd let fly in an article he was editing and yet it...However, I’ll note that, reading carefully, he doesn’t claim it to be a complete poll or a random sample? He found 87 Democrats. He didn’t find any Republicans. We don’t know who he asked, or how.
That's kind of the point, though. His job was as a senior editor at a major news organization. That sort of unfounded statement isn't something he'd let fly in an article he was editing and yet it appears here as an easily disprovable gotcha. Take all of the opinion and viewpoint out of it and it's just shoddy journalism for a publication that is not his employer that he did not seek comment for nor inform his employer per their "outside work" policies. A 5 day suspension is a slap on the wrist, and his own resignation is his choice.
If I had made a fool of myself by showing I wasn't actually capable of doing my job well while complaining all my coworkers sucked I'd probably resign, too.
You asked what I thought would hamper the high speed rail project, and the answer is NIMBYism, particularly as the alignment starts to form near Los Angeles. Thus I provided examples of rail projects in Los Angeles hampered by NIMBYs. California overall has let its well-intentioned environmental laws become bludgeons that delay projects.