ShroudedScribe's recent activity
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Comment on Have you ever witnessed the Butterfly Effect? in ~life
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Have you ever witnessed the Butterfly Effect?
It is easy to feel helpless at times. As if there is nothing you can do to impact the "greater good." Many of us currently feel rather helpless in relation to politics, but there are many other...
It is easy to feel helpless at times. As if there is nothing you can do to impact the "greater good." Many of us currently feel rather helpless in relation to politics, but there are many other reasons for this as well.
One argument I hold against this helplessness is the Butterfly Effect, which (in this context) proposes that even the smallest action can significantly alter the future.
An example could be giving encouragement to someone about to give up on a task (even if you aren't aware of it), which keeps them on a trajectory they would have otherwise never continued.
Have you been fortunate enough to identify when this has happened around you?
Of course, there could be negative outcomes related to this too, but I hope we can identify some positive ones.
(Meta note: I was debating if this should be under ~talk or ~life and went with ~life, but feel free to move it if you disagree.)
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Comment on Spotify paid out a record £7.7bn in royalties in 2024 – debate continues about how much money artists and songwriters receive in royalties in ~music
ShroudedScribe Link ParentIn an ideal world, sure. But the music business has always been tough. At least with these various streaming services, a small artist can share their music with people around the globe who...In an ideal world, sure. But the music business has always been tough. At least with these various streaming services, a small artist can share their music with people around the globe who randomly find it, instead of just a handful of people in their city who showed up to their one show at a random bar (and likely weren't even there to see them).
And this applies well beyond recorded music. Professional choir/chorus members are often "volunteer," even if they're performing with a symphony and/or lead vocalists who do get paid. But instrumentalists (typically) still don't make enough to live off that income. There's a running joke about how musicians have to marry someone who doesn't work as a musician... and there's some truth to it.
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Comment on Long-term experiences with Google search alternatives? in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentOne thing that makes me hesitant to pull the trigger on Kagi is that they do source a lot of their results from Google. So if one day Google pulls the plug on their API, Kagi's usefulness goes...One thing that makes me hesitant to pull the trigger on Kagi is that they do source a lot of their results from Google. So if one day Google pulls the plug on their API, Kagi's usefulness goes down the drain significantly.
I know that creating an entire-internet crawler is a massive undertaking. It requires significant computing resources, bandwidth, and storage. But if no one else does it, we're all still subject to Google's will.
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Comment on New anti-obesity drugs will outperform Ozempic in ~health
ShroudedScribe Link ParentYeah, I read an article (might have been posted here?) that some of the big food giants have identified there's a completely different food purchasing pattern for GLP-1 consumers. To the point...Yeah, I read an article (might have been posted here?) that some of the big food giants have identified there's a completely different food purchasing pattern for GLP-1 consumers. To the point they're realizing they will have to make different products.
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Comment on Canadian VPS providers? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe Link ParentEven if some of the deals don't appear to be "live," it's worth clicking through to see if special sale links are still active. Not Canada based, but I scooped up a "Black Friday 2023" deal with...Even if some of the deals don't appear to be "live," it's worth clicking through to see if special sale links are still active.
Not Canada based, but I scooped up a "Black Friday 2023" deal with one a couple months ago. Some of these providers just want to sell VPSs and don't care.
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Comment on Is anyone else frustrated with the eBay buying experience? in ~tech
ShroudedScribe LinkI don't use eBay much anymore, but I remember when it was so pro-buyer that selling on eBay was a little scary. You could be crystal clear about the condition of something in your listing,...I don't use eBay much anymore, but I remember when it was so pro-buyer that selling on eBay was a little scary. You could be crystal clear about the condition of something in your listing, including pictures, and some idiot would claim "it's not working" or "it's all scratched up" and eBay would take their side.
I've heard it's nearly the opposite now. And that also sucks, but just on the other side of the equation.
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Comment on To those who have been trying out Kagi: what do you think of it? in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentThe blocking makes sense to me (and looking at the list of popular blocked domains, I'm not remotely surprised people hate Pinterest links). But favoring specific sites - does that push you...The blocking makes sense to me (and looking at the list of popular blocked domains, I'm not remotely surprised people hate Pinterest links).
But favoring specific sites - does that push you towards an echo chamber? Probably much less than social media algorithms do by default, but I have mixed feelings about trying to "do it myself." Towards the end of my usage, Reddit really become like that, with the exception of smaller subreddits (but they also had their tropes).
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Comment on Discord in early talks about IPO in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentAh yes, the SharePoint strategy. Integrate with as much as you can and add as many features as possible while none of them work well.As hinted at earlier they’ve also been trying to compete with Notion among other things, which I don’t care for at all.
Ah yes, the SharePoint strategy. Integrate with as much as you can and add as many features as possible while none of them work well.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI honestly have no idea where the beef is sourced from in either case. I'd rather not try to strike up that conversation at the Mexican butcher. Tensions are high here in border states and they...I honestly have no idea where the beef is sourced from in either case.
I'd rather not try to strike up that conversation at the Mexican butcher. Tensions are high here in border states and they probably don't want to answer questions from a random white guy. (They even had a sign on their door saying law enforcement is not allowed to enter without a warrant.)
If I consumed a lot of meat, I'd consider doing one of those farm orders where they give you all the cuts from 1/4 of a cow or similar. But I'm only cooking for two, and we're trying to reduce meat consumption in general, especially when it comes to red meat.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentYep, and the voucher program already exists in Arizona. As you've probably guessed, it's really just expanding the divide between families of different economic classes, making public schools...Yep, and the voucher program already exists in Arizona. As you've probably guessed, it's really just expanding the divide between families of different economic classes, making public schools worse (less funding), and helping private schools earn more (as many of them increased their tuition price as a result).
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Comment on What's the best counter argument to "Well, if I don't do it somebody else will" in ~talk
ShroudedScribe LinkIf someone uses that phrase in a conversation, they've likely made up their mind and are tired of talking with you about it. The best counter action is to focus your energy on how you can make a...If someone uses that phrase in a conversation, they've likely made up their mind and are tired of talking with you about it.
The best counter action is to focus your energy on how you can make a difference, instead of trying to convince the same of others who strongly disagree.
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentHonestly, a "new" link aggregator site could just ban porn. That side of reddit feels really disconnected from non-porn subreddits. And if they want to make moderation easier, not having to worry...Honestly, a "new" link aggregator site could just ban porn. That side of reddit feels really disconnected from non-porn subreddits. And if they want to make moderation easier, not having to worry about porn moderation will contribute quite a bit to that goal.
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Comment on Donald Trump administration are limiting toilet paper and other maintenance purchases at US national parks with one dollar credit card limit for staff in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentSure, but I think the "positive message" the right-leaning public is getting from this is that Trump is cutting frivolous spending and reducing government waste. If you read between the lines, all...Sure, but I think the "positive message" the right-leaning public is getting from this is that Trump is cutting frivolous spending and reducing government waste.
If you read between the lines, all of these cuts have been from some of the least expensive departments, many of which provided a huge benefit to either the public or the government itself.
But yeah, I guess brains are shutting off after the "we've saved $x thousands this month" part of the sentence and before the "by cutting services that people love."
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
ShroudedScribe LinkText article from The Verge (if you prefer reading to watching like I do). Highlights (emphasis mine): ... ... ... ... It makes me laugh a bit when they emphasize "doing what users want and...Text article from The Verge (if you prefer reading to watching like I do).
Highlights (emphasis mine):
Rose and a group of what he calls “brainstorming partners,” which included Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, design and product exec Justin Mezzell, and even folks like Blogger and Twitter cofounder Ev Williams, started to talk about whether AI might be able to help them build a better social platform.
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Now, Digg is making a comeback. Rose will be its chair, Mezzell its CEO, and Ohanian an adviser. (Both Rose and Ohanian are also venture capitalists now, and their firms are investing in the new venture.) They bought the domain and other assets from Money Group for a price they wouldn’t disclose and are bringing it back. The site is relaunching today, but only in a limited form. Its ultimate ambitions, however, are enormous: Digg aims to build the kind of community-first social platform that basically no longer exists on the internet. And its new founding team thinks AI could be the secret to pulling it off.
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Rose says he and Ohanian are both convinced — and both learned the hard way — that the real trick, the thing nobody has yet done properly, is to give the communities the tools they actually need to operate. This is where AI comes in. So much of a moderator’s job, Rose says, is just grunt work: fighting spam, reviewing obvious policy violations, litigating pointless fights. “How can we remove the janitorial work of moderators and community managers,” he says, “and convert what they do every day into more of a kind of ‘director of vibes, culture and community’ than someone that is just sitting there doing the laborious crappy stuff that comes in through the front door?”
The new Digg, Rose says, will include lots of AI-forward ways to sort through and make decisions on content. He also hopes AI can be used for fun. “I’m just making stuff up here, but there’s everything from an AI agent that converts your entire sub-community into Klingon, to another one where you don’t allow a certain type of profanity and that’s automatically auto-moderated.” Users will be able to tap AI models to build stuff right in their communities, too.
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The new Digg, if the team does it right, should feel more like a community-driven art project than an old-school internet forum. But Rose and Mezzell both say the whole thing depends on doing what users want — and nothing else.
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One big challenge, Mezzell says, is figuring out how to reward and promote users for doing good work. Digg won’t show how many followers you have because that creates bad incentives; same with competing to be the most-“Dugg” person on the platform.
It makes me laugh a bit when they emphasize "doing what users want and nothing else" while also pushing AI use, not just for moderation, but "for fun."
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Comment on Donald Trump administration are limiting toilet paper and other maintenance purchases at US national parks with one dollar credit card limit for staff in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentTheoretically this is a return to what I consider more traditional (probably from roughly 1970s or even earlier to early 2000s) Republican thinking: party of small government, cut frivolous...Theoretically this is a return to what I consider more traditional (probably from roughly 1970s or even earlier to early 2000s) Republican thinking: party of small government, cut frivolous spending, lower taxes. While I don't personally subscribe to that view, I could at least understand it more than what we've seen in the Trump presidencies.
But now so much of everything is government overreach: enforcement of what you can't do to your own body, probing into any org that gets government funding to remove anything that could be DEI related, etc.
Some people believe that we could start cutting down trees in national parks. I would hope that we go back to protesting by chaining ourselves to trees at that point. At the very least, if many park rangers are laid off, what would they have to lose from participating in these protests?
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Comment on Donald Trump administration are limiting toilet paper and other maintenance purchases at US national parks with one dollar credit card limit for staff in ~society
ShroudedScribe LinkWow, so this takes financial power away from nearly everyone who would normally order routine supplies and potentially fund low cost (<$1000) repairs. So what do they have to do now? Everyone has...Wow, so this takes financial power away from nearly everyone who would normally order routine supplies and potentially fund low cost (<$1000) repairs. So what do they have to do now?
Neubacher said he was told that the Pacific West Region will have only two people to purchase with cards. That region leads 65 parks, monuments and historic sites in the national park system, spanning eight states and three U.S. territories and including over 5,000 employees.
Everyone has to ask up the chain for one of these two people. Imagine working for a 10k employee company and the CEO has to personally approve and personally order every individual office supply.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
ShroudedScribe LinkI want to start my comment with a question: how much does everyone pay for beef per pound? Specifically referring to anything other than ground or stew meat. I went to a Mexican butcher shop in...I want to start my comment with a question: how much does everyone pay for beef per pound? Specifically referring to anything other than ground or stew meat.
I went to a Mexican butcher shop in the Phoenix (Arizona) area to get some carne asada, and it was $16/lb (not including the marinade they added after weighing). Bought 3lbs, and it was the largest 3lbs of meat I've ever received in recent history. (Maybe just because it was sliced thin.) But the price seems a little high? Walmarts here charge at least $12/lb for any cut, so that much more wasn't too bad, but I still feel like $12/lb is a lot.
But I threw it on the grill and it turned out amazing. Made some loaded Mexican fries and it was a very satisfying meal.
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Comment on Godot 4.4 release - A unified experience in ~games
ShroudedScribe LinkA lot of people are also excited about the integration with Jolt Physics, which was used in Horizon Forbidden West.A lot of people are also excited about the integration with Jolt Physics, which was used in Horizon Forbidden West.
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Comment on ‘Flow’ wins animated feature Academy Award, delivering Latvia its first Oscar in ~movies
ShroudedScribe LinkIt was also made completely in Blender! FOSS supporters are super happy about this!It was also made completely in Blender! FOSS supporters are super happy about this!
Wow, I did not see that ending coming. It's pretty incredible how these kinds of "on a whim" choices result in who we are today.