Rat-Circus's recent activity

  1. Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life

    Rat-Circus
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    The hand warmers did leave me thinking about going all the way and getting some heated gloves. Do you have any recommendations?

    The hand warmers did leave me thinking about going all the way and getting some heated gloves. Do you have any recommendations?

    1 vote
  2. Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    I don't think my batteries would last 12 hours, especially on the higher heat settings. But being able to recharge by USB is very convenient so I don't really mind. Out of curiosity, were the...

    I don't think my batteries would last 12 hours, especially on the higher heat settings. But being able to recharge by USB is very convenient so I don't really mind. Out of curiosity, were the Zippo hand warmers very expensive?

    2 votes
  3. Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life

  4. Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    This is the model I purchased. So far I am very satisfied with the warmth, ergonomics and battery life of the devices. One feature I think it's missing is some kind of timed shutoff. I keep...

    This is the model I purchased. So far I am very satisfied with the warmth, ergonomics and battery life of the devices. One feature I think it's missing is some kind of timed shutoff. I keep forgetting to turn them off which can lead to wasted battery life.

    4 votes
  5. Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life

    Rat-Circus
    Link
    I recently got myself a pair of electronic hand warmers and I'm thinking about buying some more as a stocking gift for my fellow cold-fingered family and friends. It's been a game changer for...

    I recently got myself a pair of electronic hand warmers and I'm thinking about buying some more as a stocking gift for my fellow cold-fingered family and friends. It's been a game changer for waiting at the bus stop

    13 votes
  6. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

  7. Comment on Former naturalists/materialists, what changed your view? in ~humanities

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Aw, scifi speculation isn't always pointless. I think it can serve to encourage people to think more deeply about issues like what you describe

    Aw, scifi speculation isn't always pointless. I think it can serve to encourage people to think more deeply about issues like what you describe

    7 votes
  8. Comment on Why the short-lived Calvin and Hobbes is still one of the most beloved and influential comic strips in ~comics

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Oh man, Daisy Owl! I had forgotten about this one, but clicking on the link brought me right back. I felt the same way when it ended. I should read it again

    Oh man, Daisy Owl! I had forgotten about this one, but clicking on the link brought me right back. I felt the same way when it ended. I should read it again

    2 votes
  9. Comment on Favorite hobby / subculture YouTube channels? in ~hobbies

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    I'm a big fan of Crime Pays but Botany doesn't

    I'm a big fan of Crime Pays but Botany doesn't

    2 votes
  10. Comment on Generative AI - We aren’t ready in ~tech

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    I dont mean to say gamers should be prioritized over humanity's safety. My position is that trying to impose this level of control over the whole world would be its own species-threatening...

    I dont mean to say gamers should be prioritized over humanity's safety. My position is that trying to impose this level of control over the whole world would be its own species-threatening disaster.

    This thing you propose would do more than upset hobbyists, it would require auditing the lives of every person in the domains health care, education, communication, finance, or manufacturing. Every hospital, school, museum, library, bank, etc. would have to undergo constant scrutiny in their materials handling procedures to ensure employees aren't stockpiling illicit compute. You would have to investigate commonplace situations like a lost or broken laptop like a potential crime scene. And that's just today--what happens when distributed training becomes more accessible? Do we destroy every phone, tablet, and smart speaker too?

    And again the biggest question...who?

    1. Who do you trust to have sufficient expertise, wisdom, and benevolence to decide what amount of technology is safe and what is forbidden...? Should it be software developers? Philosophy scholars? Elected officials?
    2. Who do you trust to be the world's impartial auditor, conducting constant surveillance to detect noncompliance...? Should it be an automated system? A private business? Government agencies?
    3. Who do you empower to enforce the auditors rulings, to go into homes and hospitals and decide what and who and how much to smash...? Should it be the local cops? The army? Private soldiers?

    Now imagine for a moment that the AI Safety Authority goes rogue. They're only human, after all. What's to stop them from confiscating this technology, using it for themselves, and bringing about the very doom they were supposed to avert?

    4 votes
  11. Comment on Generative AI - We aren’t ready in ~tech

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    The notion of universally restricting GPUs or compute resources to a low enough level prevent people training new AIs is dystopian in the extreme, in my opinion. You suggest it could be done...

    The notion of universally restricting GPUs or compute resources to a low enough level prevent people training new AIs is dystopian in the extreme, in my opinion. You suggest it could be done without stopping hobbies like gaming but I am not convinced. I can train a simple model on a laptop CPU today, and recreational hardware is only getting better. What's the plan for when a gaming laptop is enough to train "dangerous" AI?

    I would also ask, who is the great scrutinizer who will inspect every university, college, bank, hospital, startup, etc and decide if their AI work falls within "safe" boundaries? How does that authority have the knowledge to appropriately decide what is "too complex" and should be destroyed? How do we stop that AI authority from undergoing instant regulatory capture, and turning into a mouthpiece for whichever AI company can provide the most convincing bribes?

    8 votes
  12. Comment on The Super Bowl and gambling are locked in a tight and dangerous embrace in ~sports.american_football

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Your comment got me morbidly curious so I wound up clicking one of these ads....turns out there are way more horse tracks near my city than I ever would have guessed. Upsetting!

    Your comment got me morbidly curious so I wound up clicking one of these ads....turns out there are way more horse tracks near my city than I ever would have guessed. Upsetting!

    1 vote
  13. Comment on The Super Bowl and gambling are locked in a tight and dangerous embrace in ~sports.american_football

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Ever since they allowed gambling advertising in Ontario, it's become a flood of radio and YouTube ads for betting on horse racing. Drives me crazy.

    Ever since they allowed gambling advertising in Ontario, it's become a flood of radio and YouTube ads for betting on horse racing. Drives me crazy.

    5 votes
  14. Comment on Researchers were able to isolate the brain from the rest of the body of a pig, and kept it alive and functioning for five hours in ~science

    Rat-Circus
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    Yeah, I wish I could hide this post somehow. I don't want to block ~science, but I don't want to see this again either :(

    Yeah, I wish I could hide this post somehow. I don't want to block ~science, but I don't want to see this again either :(

    2 votes
  15. Comment on Anime for someone who doesn't like (shonen) anime that much in ~anime

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    I checked out Blue Eye Samurai and I couldn't stop watching. Wow. Thanks for the rec!

    I checked out Blue Eye Samurai and I couldn't stop watching. Wow. Thanks for the rec!

    3 votes
  16. Comment on Anime for someone who doesn't like (shonen) anime that much in ~anime

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    I keep hearing about this one! I'm looking forward to checking it out

    I keep hearing about this one! I'm looking forward to checking it out

    1 vote
  17. Comment on Anime for someone who doesn't like (shonen) anime that much in ~anime

    Rat-Circus
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    Hmm, I have a couple ideas I would suggest: since you mentioned Studio Ghibli, I'll suggest Mushihi, Spice and Wolf, or Natsume Yuujinchou. Three styles of "fairy tale" with focus on nature /...

    Hmm, I have a couple ideas I would suggest:

    • since you mentioned Studio Ghibli, I'll suggest Mushihi, Spice and Wolf, or Natsume Yuujinchou. Three styles of "fairy tale" with focus on nature / spirits and their interactions with the human world.

    • You might like Baccano!! which is a short, lively shonen that imo feels like a Tarantino film (lots of characters and plotlines weaving past and/or colliding with each other; over the top, gory action sequences; killer OST)

    • Samurai Champloo is a lot of fun. Some of the episodes are more serious (with some very cool swordfighting along the way) and others are absurd in the best possible way--like the baseball episode.

    11 votes
  18. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~food

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Haven't tried any, so I'm not sure! Is there much difference?

    Haven't tried any, so I'm not sure! Is there much difference?

  19. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~food

    Rat-Circus
    Link
    I don't like any of the standard north American condiments....ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish all seem gross and un-foodlike to me. Dunno how the rest of you eat that stuff on a perfectly nice burger

    I don't like any of the standard north American condiments....ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish all seem gross and un-foodlike to me. Dunno how the rest of you eat that stuff on a perfectly nice burger

    2 votes
  20. Comment on What are your top three video game soundtracks? in ~games

    Rat-Circus
    Link Parent
    Hollow Knight soundtrack is top tier imo. You can tell it was created with absolute love and care, on top of the composer being very skillful. The way certain melodies repeat and evolve reflects...

    Hollow Knight soundtrack is top tier imo. You can tell it was created with absolute love and care, on top of the composer being very skillful. The way certain melodies repeat and evolve reflects the changes that happen in the story and creates such an immersive, moody atmosphere. It enhances the game beautifully. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'll offer:

    1 vote