RoyalHenOil's recent activity

  1. Comment on Is there a reason that we aren't seeing pushback to US President Donald Trump's blitzkreig? in ~society

  2. Comment on Is there a reason that we aren't seeing pushback to US President Donald Trump's blitzkreig? in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    When you say that this is the Democrats' fault, it implies that you believe the Democrat Party failed to be as good as the Republican party. Is that really how you feel? That the RNC was the...

    When you say that this is the Democrats' fault, it implies that you believe the Democrat Party failed to be as good as the Republican party. Is that really how you feel? That the RNC was the better pick this election?

    3 votes
  3. Comment on Snacks that aren't just sugar or crazy salty in ~food

    RoyalHenOil
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    I'm not sure how much sugar you're trying to avoid, but I like to snack on fruit. Oranges are my particular preference when they're in season. I also grow a lot of berries (raspberries,...

    I'm not sure how much sugar you're trying to avoid, but I like to snack on fruit. Oranges are my particular preference when they're in season. I also grow a lot of berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and gooseberries) that I like to go outside and snack on each day when they're in fruit.

    I also have some small bowls (I think they are called rice bowls) for preparing mini meals. They're good for pouring myself a tiny bowl of cereal, warming up some leftovers, making some quick chia pudding, etc.

    4 votes
  4. Comment on What are some favorite books with themes of grit, endurance, resilience, living through hostile circumstances? in ~books

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    Thank you for this recommendation. This is something I have wanted to learn more about for a long time. I knew a survivor of the Bataan Death March (my childhood best friend's grandfather), and he...

    Along similar lines, Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath...

    Thank you for this recommendation. This is something I have wanted to learn more about for a long time. I knew a survivor of the Bataan Death March (my childhood best friend's grandfather), and he had some horrendous experiences with it that he would only discuss in roundabout ways. I know that he witnessed the murders of other American POWs that he knew extremely well, and I know that he starved and had to catch rats to survive, but he would not elaborate any further.

    The one thing he did love to talk about, however, was how he was rescued by Filipinos. For the rest of his life, he regularly traveled to the Philippines to meet with his rescuers and the other Filipino survivors who escaped with him. He had a thick photo album full of their pictures as they aged over the years, and he loved to tell us about these friends and enthuse about the Philippines in general.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Why is AI slop so easy to spot but hard to detect? in ~tech

    RoyalHenOil
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    Generating AI slop and detecting AI slop are essentially two manifestations of the same problems, aren't they? Our current generation of AI models can't model human behavior perfectly. It's no...

    Generating AI slop and detecting AI slop are essentially two manifestations of the same problems, aren't they? Our current generation of AI models can't model human behavior perfectly. It's no surprise that the neural networks that do model human behavior accurately (i.e., our own human brains) can both produce human behavior and identify human behavior far more effectively.

    8 votes
  6. Comment on Moving to the other side of the Earth in ~life

    RoyalHenOil
    Link
    I immigrated to Australia (from the US) in 2012, and I have gotten know quite a few immigrants from Europe. Do you know which city or town the office would be opened in? Your experiences may vary...

    I immigrated to Australia (from the US) in 2012, and I have gotten know quite a few immigrants from Europe. Do you know which city or town the office would be opened in? Your experiences may vary depending on where you move.

    As a general rule, Australia has a very large immigrant population; approximately 25% of Australian residents were born overseas, so this is very well-trodden ground. It is also my experience that first-generation immigrants, regardless of country of origin, feel a strong connection to each other and will readily help each other navigate the system.

    Most local Australians are also used to immigrants and are generally very accepting. Australia has extremely high election participation rates, so the high rate of immigration is a reflection of the people's generally welcoming attitude toward immigrants. Mind you, xenophobia certainly does exist and anti-immigrant Australians can be a lot more blunt than you may be used to, but it's usually directed at the most common nationalities (Indians, Chinese, Americans, Brits, and handful of others). As a Danish person, you would likely encounter very little of this, so don't let it deter you.

    I don't know how these issues compare to Denmark, but there are a few other things to be aware of:

    • There is currently a major housing shortage in Australia. Depending on where you move, finding a place to rent may be quite difficult. You should definitely find out if this is something your company can help out with. If not, you may need to live out of an AirBnB until you find your footing. I would strongly recommend against renting an apartment without inspecting it first, unless someone you trust can inspect it for you.
    • Australian buildings are very badly insulated, the weather is very changeable, and the sun is very harsh (due to the ozone hole). However, the wildlife is not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
    • Australian education standards are... well, kind of all over the place. If you move here, I recommend searching for a school that employs teaching strategies that are proven effective (such as phonics) and that has a student body that is academically motivated. You may also want to supplement your daughter's education, particularly in writing and mathematics.
    • Australians have a very casual, informal culture. They dislike both arrogance and humility; they prefer to everyone to behave as equals. They are reserved and will generally not be the first to say hello to a stranger, but they almost always really like it when strangers say hello to them. They don't like it when people are pushy about their opinions or argumentative. They use a lot dry, satirical humor with a straight face — so if someone says something that sounds off, don't assume that they mean it seriously. They tease each other a whole lot and they like it if you join in; if you're not sure how to navigate this without hurting anyone's feelings, just tease yourself (Australians love self-deprecation humor). But be aware that Australian culture also has a bullying problem, and bullies often use teasing for the sake of plausible deniability. If you feel like you are being teased too harshly, stand up for yourself; self-respect is admired in Australian culture.
  7. Comment on The cultural ascendancy of the new young American right in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    I'm actually particularly interested in the opinions of the Republican party's conservative base — the ones who are pushing to ban abortions and contraception, cut access to porn, promote...

    I'm actually particularly interested in the opinions of the Republican party's conservative base — the ones who are pushing to ban abortions and contraception, cut access to porn, promote traditional Christianity in schools, etc. How do they react when they see their message for personal moderation and family values not merely opposed by their political enemies, but actively co-opted and inverted by their supposed political allies? Maybe most of them think that they can use these allies now and discard them later (or maybe even convert them), but I imagine at least some of them must sense that they are witnessing the last few nails in the coffin.

    7 votes
  8. Comment on Restaurants close across China in ~food

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    China has a very different culture and very different political system from western English-speaking nations. It makes sense to me that they would discuss certain topics with different frequency....

    China has a very different culture and very different political system from western English-speaking nations. It makes sense to me that they would discuss certain topics with different frequency. There must also be a lot of commonly-used English words that translate to rarely-used words in Chinese, simply because we talk about those concepts more than they do.

    To large extent, of course, it will also just come down to the arbitrary preferences of people who write translation dictionaries. I can imagine that a dictionary writer might prefer the uncommon "auspicious" over the much more common "promising" simply because the meaning of "auspicious" is less ambiguous. I'm guessing that this kind of issue comes up a lot more often in unrelated languages with few cognates.

    3 votes
  9. Comment on If eyes emitted light, could they still see? in ~science

    RoyalHenOil
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    In principle, I don't see why this couldn't work. After all, our bodies emit heat, yet we can still perceive heat from other sources. The brain accounts for ambient temperature (including our own...

    In principle, I don't see why this couldn't work. After all, our bodies emit heat, yet we can still perceive heat from other sources. The brain accounts for ambient temperature (including our own body temperature) in order to pick signals out of the noise.

    There are a number of deep sea fish that emit light directly from their eyes or from bioluminescent organs directly adjacent to their eyes. In many of these cases, it appears the fish have effectively evolved bioluminescent flashlights: that is, they emit light in order to see what bounces back.

    8 votes
  10. Comment on What are the strengths of the left in US politics? in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    I'm sorry for my delay in responding. I have been busy. I grew up in a low-income neighborhood of Atlanta, and the vibe was definitely very different amongst the leftwing in my community compared...

    I'm sorry for my delay in responding. I have been busy.

    I grew up in a low-income neighborhood of Atlanta, and the vibe was definitely very different amongst the leftwing in my community compared to what you are describing. There was a general distrust of business interests and people who pursue extreme wealth, and they instead encouraged small, decentralized businesses (e.g., using slogans like "shop local"). Now, the Libertarians I knew certainly held views similar to what you are describing, but progressives and Libertarians in my community were at odds and argued constantly. While they agreed on things like gay marriage, they still nonetheless came to these conclusions from subtly but fundamentally different first principles (namely fairness versus non-intervention). It sounds like if the progressives from my circle had met the progressives from your circle, they would have identified them as Libertarians and disagreed with them strongly.

    From my perspective, using these terms as I understand them, it sounds to me like your social circle had a lot of Libertarians (or perhaps centrists without a cohesive underlying political philosophy) who enjoyed the aesthetic of progressivism (e.g., dressing like hippies), but did not actually adhere to progressive principles. I have no idea why our experiences here are so different; maybe different socioeconomics, maybe different regional influences, or maybe we just fell in with different crowds? I can certainly understand why you found them frustrating, however, because I don't think I would have been able to handle that, either.

    There was one other point I wanted to address in your earlier comment:

    Hey we're pro immigrant, but also leave your dirty views about trans people and abortion behind isn't exactly compatible. Or are they just pro educated anglosphere immigrants? Sure seems that way sometimes.

    My neighborhood had a very large immigrant community (I grew up in a section of the Buford Highway Corridor where recent immigrants from Latin America and Southeast Asia outnumbered locals), and while the progressives in my community certainly disagreed with those immigrants who had conservative views, they were still very welcoming of even the most conservative immigrants because their major guiding philosophical principle was that everyone deserves a fair shake in life, regardless of creed. This same community was also very concerned about poverty in Appalachia, for example, despite full acknowledgement of wildly divergent political views.

    Unfortunately, I can't say what this community would be like today because it was essentially destroyed by gentrification. However, I do see a lot of people today who claim progressive ideals, yet do not actually seem to understand or care about the philosophical arguments underpinning those ideals; they just adopt the popular opinions around them, and they would just as readily express conservative ideals if they were in a more conservative space. In the 90s and 00s in Atlanta (at least in my corner of Atlanta), progressive philosophy was not the default like it is in many places now, so the quality of progressive thought was much higher there than I see in most left-leaning communities today.

    7 votes
  11. Comment on Live updates of day one executive orders / actions taken by US President Donald Trump in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Me too! I have been dutifully answering surveys, writing letters, etc., to try to encourage it along. Especially now that the US dollar is so strong against my own currency (Australian dollars),...

    Me too! I have been dutifully answering surveys, writing letters, etc., to try to encourage it along.

    Especially now that the US dollar is so strong against my own currency (Australian dollars), reporting my Australians assets and income to the IRS and FinCEN has become a bigger financial burden than ever.

    I'm deeply grateful that I opened up my Australian bank account in 2012, just a few years before US reporting requirements ballooned out of control. I'm not even sure I would be able to open a new bank account today; American citizens are such a bureaucratic headache for foreign banks, and it's usually not worth it for them unless the customer is rich.

    4 votes
  12. Comment on What are the strengths of the left in US politics? in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    I don't recall Musk ever being the golden child of the left. There was a lot of leftwing enthusiasm for Tesla for environmental reasons, but I don't recall much interest in Musk himself except...

    Musk used to be the golden child and silicon valley elite and their cult around FAANG has always been a thing in left circles.

    I don't recall Musk ever being the golden child of the left. There was a lot of leftwing enthusiasm for Tesla for environmental reasons, but I don't recall much interest in Musk himself except from Libertarians and from Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley itself has been criticized by the non-Silicon-Valley left since at least the 00s (when I first heard of it). Big tech did not receive as much criticism as, say, the oil industry — but that doesn't mean it was beloved.

    Not even left-friendly billionaires like Warren Buffet escape criticism from the left; I think most see him as relatively harmless, or even politically useful in some ways, but certainly not as their champion.

    I am very curious to know where your perspective on this has come from. Are you perhaps basing this on observations from within Silicon Valley?

    5 votes
  13. Comment on Live updates of day one executive orders / actions taken by US President Donald Trump in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    There is currently a bill in the works that would loosen tax reporting requirements for average US citizens who live permanently overseas. Such a bill has a lot of potential for unintended...

    There is currently a bill in the works that would loosen tax reporting requirements for average US citizens who live permanently overseas. Such a bill has a lot of potential for unintended knock-on effects, so a bipartisan team of lawmakers have been working out the kinks for years. It is expected to come up for a vote soon, maybe even this year.

    Trump caught wind of this and decided to add it to his platform so that he can claim credit, even though he has nothing to do with its existence. His only role is to sign it, which is something any other Democratic or Republican president would do; it's not in any meaningful way a controversial bill. It's just a tricky one to write.

    9 votes
  14. Comment on US President Donald Trump to issue executive orders to end birthright citizenship, limit gender identity — incoming official in ~lgbt

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    Even the X and Y chromosomes themselves can get messy. Due to DNA translocation, it is possible for some X chromosomes to have a copy of the SRY gene (the gene that triggers male development) and...

    X and Y are binary, but...

    Even the X and Y chromosomes themselves can get messy. Due to DNA translocation, it is possible for some X chromosomes to have a copy of the SRY gene (the gene that triggers male development) and for some Y chromosomes to lack it.

    9 votes
  15. Comment on US President Donald Trump to make historic move towards revoking birthright citizenship in ~society

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    Reinterpretations are not without cost. If we decide that they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the US, we are effectively saying that the law does not apply to them. In effect, we are...

    Reinterpretations are not without cost. If we decide that they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the US, we are effectively saying that the law does not apply to them. In effect, we are granting diplomatic immunity to anyone who enters the country illegally.

    16 votes
  16. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration to revoke authorization for the use of red no. 3 in food and ingested drugs in ~health

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    Xylitol is the one I personally would like to see more regulated. It is fine for humans, but extremely dangerous for dogs even in very small amounts, and it is often present in food products...

    Xylitol is the one I personally would like to see more regulated. It is fine for humans, but extremely dangerous for dogs even in very small amounts, and it is often present in food products commonly fed to dogs (such as peanut butter, which is a popular filling for Kong toys).

    I'm not saying it should be banned in any way, but I would love to see some kind of "contains xylitol: not safe for dogs" warning label.

    4 votes
  17. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration to revoke authorization for the use of red no. 3 in food and ingested drugs in ~health

    RoyalHenOil
    Link Parent
    I think there are cases where intentionally changing the color of a food product is merited, such as when color serves an artistic purpose (e.g., cake decorating) or makes it easy to differentiate...

    I think there are cases where intentionally changing the color of a food product is merited, such as when color serves an artistic purpose (e.g., cake decorating) or makes it easy to differentiate between products (e.g., a mixture of candies where color is used to indicate flavor). There can also be cultural significance associated with colors (e.g., tumeric used as a yellow dye in many curries).

    But if dye is used to disguise the ingredients or quality of a product, I completely agree with you. It borders on false advertising.

    8 votes
  18. Comment on California fire facts in ~enviro

    RoyalHenOil
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    I am not surprised that this situation has turned into a big blame game. The public is furious and will demand answers, and everyone they demand answers from will do everything in their power to...

    I am not surprised that this situation has turned into a big blame game. The public is furious and will demand answers, and everyone they demand answers from will do everything in their power to pass that hot potato to someone else.

    The truth is, I don't know that anything could have been done. I know a lot of CFA people (members of the main bushfire fighting force in Australia), and a common opinion I've heard is that some fires just can't be brought under control until weather conditions change. The firefighters still do extremely valuable work during that time — they can save people's lives, and they might be able to protect a few key sites if they aren't too densely packed — but even if they had all the resources in the world, they cannot counter strong winds. We simply don't have that technological capability.

    9 votes
  19. Comment on There is no safe word: How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades in ~books

    RoyalHenOil
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    My partner met Neil Gaiman in the 00s (at the time, he had never heard of Neil Gaiman and did not know he was famous) and took a strong disliking to him. My partner is a generally very good judge...

    My partner met Neil Gaiman in the 00s (at the time, he had never heard of Neil Gaiman and did not know he was famous) and took a strong disliking to him.

    My partner is a generally very good judge of character, but he is slow to form judgements; he gives people the benefit of the doubt and usually only comes to a conclusion after knowing them for an extended period of time, so it is noteworthy to me that he developed such a strong repulsion to Neil Gaiman so quickly. Indeed, Neil Gaiman left such a strong impression on my partner that he brought it up while we were still in the early stages of dating, even though I myself had never read anything by the author and barely knew who he was. So one of my first impressions of my partner was that he just really, really did not like Neil Gaiman — not on the basis of his writing (which my partner admitted was good, though he felt uncomfortable reading it) but on the basis of who he is as a person: arrogant, pushy, unempathetic.

    So I was disappointed, but not the least bit surprised, when it turned out that Neil Gaiman is a terrible person. I believe the allegations completely.

    32 votes
  20. Comment on What are your favourite things to mix with natural yogurt? in ~food

    RoyalHenOil
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    I love frozen raspberries in yogurt. I will usually microwave them for a short time (around 30–45 seconds) to soften them up, and then I mix the yogurt in. If that's not sweet enough for my...

    I love frozen raspberries in yogurt. I will usually microwave them for a short time (around 30–45 seconds) to soften them up, and then I mix the yogurt in. If that's not sweet enough for my palate, I will add a small amount of light agave nectar, but I find I don't usually need much, if any, because the raspberries themselves are usually pretty sweet.