PuddleOfKittens's recent activity
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Comment on An antitrust advocate reflects on the Democratic Party's cult of powerlessness in ~society
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Comment on Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex? in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens LinkIn a vacuum, this would be bad, but ultimately Kagi is trying to compete with Google and they need all the sources they can get. If they're too picky, then Kagi fails to be a good search engine,...In a vacuum, this would be bad, but ultimately Kagi is trying to compete with Google and they need all the sources they can get. If they're too picky, then Kagi fails to be a good search engine, goes bankrupt, and everyone is stuck with Google et al. It's a balancing act, although some people boycotting Kagi over this wouldn't be bad.
At the end of the day, Kagi is a US business and I doubt they're doing any illegal sanction-busting. And I have more confidence in Kagi's moral compass than I do in Google's moral compass.
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Comment on James Webb Space Telescope finds stunning evidence for alternate theory of gravity in ~space
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentNo.but isn't the best practice to use the original title?
No.
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Comment on Luxury cheese is being targeted by black market criminals in ~food
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentCash, I'd imagine. Trade rubles for e.g. Indian Rupees, trade rupees for euros, trade euros for cheese, trade cheese for rubles.What do Russians pay with?
Cash, I'd imagine. Trade rubles for e.g. Indian Rupees, trade rupees for euros, trade euros for cheese, trade cheese for rubles.
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Comment on I was brusque with my family today in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link Parent"I like that he's crazy", charitably interpreted means "I like how he doesn't have a clear line which enemies can tiptoe right up to without repercussion, and I'm hopeful that enemies will..."I like that he's crazy", charitably interpreted means "I like how he doesn't have a clear line which enemies can tiptoe right up to without repercussion, and I'm hopeful that enemies will therefore be more broadly respectful of our rights as a result."
Think like Putin and his " crazy" threats to drop nukes - it's slowed down aid tremendously.
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Comment on James Webb Space Telescope finds stunning evidence for alternate theory of gravity in ~space
PuddleOfKittens LinkCan we edit the title to add "(MOND)" at the end? "alternate theory of gravity" feels clickbaity to me, the obvious question is "which theory?" and we can answer that question with six characters...Can we edit the title to add "(MOND)" at the end? "alternate theory of gravity" feels clickbaity to me, the obvious question is "which theory?" and we can answer that question with six characters and a space.
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Comment on John Thune elected as US Senate Republican leader to succeed Mitch McConnell in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIn the short term, I don't think impeachment actually achieves that - MAGAs just baselessly claim it's a baseless witch hunt, anyone who says "no the democrats are correct here" is declared biased...It is still important to bring awareness of his crimes
In the short term, I don't think impeachment actually achieves that - MAGAs just baselessly claim it's a baseless witch hunt, anyone who says "no the democrats are correct here" is declared biased towards democrats, and low-information voters assume that where there's smoke there's fire.
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Comment on Sorry for the mess (post mortem for a Topic that went sideways?) in ~tildes
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentOoh, this must be one of those "blue MAGA" that @gpl was talking about.IMO she's still the same right-wing grifter she always was, but simply realized she could get a bigger audience if she concern trolls as left wing instead.
Ooh, this must be one of those "blue MAGA" that @gpl was talking about.
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Comment on Looking for eclectic and little-known websites that bring joy in ~health.mental
PuddleOfKittens Linkhttps://tildes.net/ is alrighthttps://tildes.net/ is alright
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Comment on I've added ~society for topics related to politics, law, policies, and similar societal-level subjects in ~tildes.official
PuddleOfKittens LinkOoh, what's #3 and #4?"politics" is by far the most common tag that people filter out, with about four times as many users putting it in their filter list as the second most common one (to nobody's surprise, "elon musk").
Ooh, what's #3 and #4?
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Comment on How do people get over enshittification? in ~life
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentI have some sympathy for the lose/loose confusion, because it's a direct result of English's shitty spelling system. "lose" spelled phonetically should be "looze" (although that still isn't...merging "lose" and "loose"
I have some sympathy for the lose/loose confusion, because it's a direct result of English's shitty spelling system. "lose" spelled phonetically should be "looze" (although that still isn't perfect since the "oo" sound could be interpreted as like "cook"), and we should encourage phonetic spelling whenever it isn't specifically ambiguous (for instance, you shouldn't "correct" someone who spells 'friend' without the i).
The core problem is that we don't have enough vowels. There are a couple of different options, like leveraging the silent e (e.g. "lose", "craze", "made") as a consistent vowel-modifier, there's accents/diacritics ( ö è ç à and whatnot), but nobody does them because they involve people re-learning how to spell and that's a huge political project that nobody cares to solve.
The best thing we can do, is just wait for people to start spelling things more phonetically, then make sure to support them when they do.
When people
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Comment on Russia suffers deadliest day since start of full-scale invasion, Ukraine's military says in ~news
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThat's not at all why this is happening - they're not pushing for the finish line, they're racing a deadline for as much territory as possible. Everyone expects Trump to try to freeze the border...That's not at all why this is happening - they're not pushing for the finish line, they're racing a deadline for as much territory as possible. Everyone expects Trump to try to freeze the border in January (or at least force a ceasefire, which will give both sides time to entrench), so they're trying to get the best border they can.
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Comment on Taylor Swift fans are leaving X for Bluesky after Donald Trump’s US election in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentI don't use Twitter, what does "blue MAGA" mean? Does it mean blue check-marked MAGAs?as well as annoying "Blue MAGA" grifter accounts
I don't use Twitter, what does "blue MAGA" mean? Does it mean blue check-marked MAGAs?
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Comment on Understanding the leftist that didn't vote: "Everybody else gets one, but not me" in ~society
PuddleOfKittens LinkThis basically comes down to whether the USA is a democracy, and the core problem is that it's not, and we need to recognize that. Go back to 2012: it's FPTP, there are only 2 real choices. It's a...This basically comes down to whether the USA is a democracy, and the core problem is that it's not, and we need to recognize that.
Go back to 2012: it's FPTP, there are only 2 real choices. It's a democracy. Come 2016, one choice is objectively worse, and dangerous to boot. You only have 1 real choice.
I'm not saying this is good or right, but US democracy effectively ended in 2016. People want a choice, but they don't have any others except the "burn the country down" option.
But I suppose we're actually talking about this, okay then. We have "tactical voting" vs "tactical fascism". Temporary fascism, maybe, but tactical fascism nonetheless. This is accelerationist logic, that sounds uncomfortably similar to what the 1930s German communist party used, where they focused on tearing down the socialist party at the expense of letting Hitler gain power and ultimately making the whole fight moot.
Yes, it's fucked. The US desperately needs real democracy, but ultimately voting Trump is playing Russian roulette. The vote is a referendum on fascism or get-fucked-by-democrats, not a real choice.
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Comment on Looking for DRM-free book recommendations in ~books
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIf you're concerned about morality but not legality, then after you download the DRM-free copy, just send the money to the author directly. Skip the Kindle Store Bullshit tax.If one purchases a DRMed copy and then downloads a DRM-free one to actually use, it's still technically illegal, but not, IMO, immoral.
If you're concerned about morality but not legality, then after you download the DRM-free copy, just send the money to the author directly. Skip the Kindle Store Bullshit tax.
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Comment on Flags and symbols of patriotism in context in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentHonestly, the US should just switch back to the old union stars-in-a-circle flag. Sure, they're supposed to symbolize all the different states, but surely there's something that could address that...The colors don't compliment each other, the stars and stripes manage to be both busy and boring, and there's no symmetry or balance.
Honestly, the US should just switch back to the old union stars-in-a-circle flag. Sure, they're supposed to symbolize all the different states, but surely there's something that could address that - like stars-in-stars, perhaps 5 stars deep so you can have 10 stars in the circle.
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Comment on Looking for DRM-free book recommendations in ~books
PuddleOfKittens LinkFanfiction - https://archiveofourown.org/ (also known as AO3) doesn't have DRM.Fanfiction - https://archiveofourown.org/ (also known as AO3) doesn't have DRM.
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Comment on Donald Trump's team mulls postponing Ukraine's NATO membership for at least twenty years, WSJ reports in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentWithout NATO membership, Ukraine has no peace - only a ceasefire. Russia's promises of peace are as meaningless as they were in 2014/2022, and US deterrence will be even more meaningless than they...Without NATO membership, Ukraine has no peace - only a ceasefire. Russia's promises of peace are as meaningless as they were in 2014/2022, and US deterrence will be even more meaningless than they are now if the US force Ukraine to cede territory that US themselves were supposedly deterring Russia from taking.
Russia essentially has a veto on NATO membership, as NATO membership requires there to be no disagreements on ownership with land on date of joining. Russia can trivially make anyone fail that requirement simply by claiming to own some of that country's land. So, a promise of future membership in exchange for a Russian ceasefire is useless.
And honestly, what's the difference to Russia between NATO membership now and NATO membership later, if Russia will actually honor its ceasefire? It's not like Ukraine will invade Russia, Ukraine's army is struggling to even defend let alone make net gains, and Russia has nukes.
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Comment on Thoughts on Donald Trump, America and what this all means in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentRussia's military is struggling to get past Ukraine. It won't ever get through to e.g. Belgium, which is why Belgium et al are such laggards in contributing to EU defence. While Russia will build...Russia's military is struggling to get past Ukraine. It won't ever get through to e.g. Belgium, which is why Belgium et al are such laggards in contributing to EU defence.
While Russia will build up their military after the Ukraine war, so will the EU (look at Poland's spending spree lol), which more than balances things.
Aus/NZ have a bad habit of copying the US's policy choices 15 years later, so we're not as perfect a choice as you'd think.
Point is, either choice is fine.
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Comment on How should Europe build its own Silicon Valley? in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens LinklolGet complete digital access
AU$95 per monthlol
This is yet another article that says "the democrats are useless, because...", and I want to throe my hat into the ring:
The Dems are useless because they live in a 1-party state. Trump isn't a real political party and the main argument of " he will destroy the country" precludes any discussion with him.
Meanwhile, leftists are dismissed because "we can't afford to piss off centrists or Trump will win and destroy the country".
Notice how none of this has any actual policy goals as its basis? The Dems heard the comment that a baked potato would be a better president than Trump, and so they're actually trying to elect the baked potato. Because they're the only game in town.
Meanwhile, the people who the Dems are trying to acquire with "we need to save democracy!", well, they want an actual democracy. The Dems' policy on e.g. Gaza stinks, they think, so they vote against the Dems.
"Vote blue no matter who" was always just a temporary solution - it got Trump out, but the actual solution needed to be implementing a third-party voting system, so that people could vote any "fuck you" candidate without spoiler-effecting Trump into office.