ShroudedScribe's recent activity
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Comment on Disney faces US investigation over Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices in ~society
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Comment on inZOI has been officially released in Early Access in ~games
ShroudedScribe Link ParentDo you have a link? I'm not seeing it on his YouTube channel.Do you have a link? I'm not seeing it on his YouTube channel.
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Comment on When is pet insurance worth it? in ~life.pets
ShroudedScribe LinkThe only time I bought pet insurance was when it was offered by an employer. It was relatively cheap (probably under $20/mo for 2 cats). There was no fine print regarding minimum duration, so I...The only time I bought pet insurance was when it was offered by an employer. It was relatively cheap (probably under $20/mo for 2 cats). There was no fine print regarding minimum duration, so I paid for maybe 2 months, took them in for a check up that was almost fully covered, then cancelled.
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentThat's a fair response, and I agree with you completely. I apologize for only referencing it as a meme and not also as something legitimate. I could have used a better example there. I also don't...That's a fair response, and I agree with you completely. I apologize for only referencing it as a meme and not also as something legitimate. I could have used a better example there.
I also don't forgive or ignore wrongdoings based on party. I disagreed with a handful of Obama administration decisions, including some of the drone strike activity.
It does seem like neglect of proper security protocol is becoming more rampant. I think it's fair to say that several Trump administration decisions are increasing the frequency and severity of this (such as the DOGE team). But there have been all kinds of security and sensitivity breach issues across party lines.
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentYep, the dems are frequently making a mess of their presidential campaigns. Hillary Clinton was wildly unpopular. Even without Trump's frequent absurdism sound bites (insert "but her emails" meme...Yep, the dems are frequently making a mess of their presidential campaigns.
Hillary Clinton was wildly unpopular. Even without Trump's frequent absurdism sound bites (insert "but her emails" meme here), she wasn't the best choice. I'm not going to pretend that if the DNC stood behind Bernie Sanders that the dems would have certainly won, but he seemingly tapped into a "new demographic," the youth vote, which consistently has low turnout.
And then this last election, changing the candidate with roughly a month before voting day, is insane. Kamala Harris needed much more time to build a clear message that would resonate with more voters, especially when she was hit with all kinds of attack messaging prior to becoming the presidential candidate. (Anecdotal, but I heard many concerns of people not wanting to vote for Biden because he could die of old age, and then the "extremely liberal" / "communist" Harris would take over.)
And then there's the endless repetition of spineless acts. The dems didn't have to just give up and sign off on the latest budget. But they did.
Even many voters who had concerns about Trump voted for him. But I try to remind people that they weren't necessarily backing Trump. They were really voting for "not democrat." Regardless of the reason - fear of excess taxation, ethical or religious disagreement on abortion policies, unfounded concerns about transgender individuals assaulting women in bathrooms, anger about the (mostly unlikely) possibility of having their guns taken away, or any other single issue - those are all reasons people voted "not democrat."
Also anecdotal, an acquaintance once told me that he voted for Obama in one election, and Trump in another. Why? Because he is swayed by strong messaging. Obama's messaging on change won him over, while Trump's messaging on border security was compelling to him. While this concept was initially baffling to me, I've come around to seeing that this likely isn't uncommon. Think about how many people are influenced by brand recognition- they'll buy a $1.50 product in the grocery store even when a generic is right next to it for half the price.
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Comment on What we know about the Tufts University PhD student detained by US federal agents in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentThis is insane. That op-ed is incredibly level headed. It sends a clear message and call to action, but in no way suggests any violence, etc.This is insane. That op-ed is incredibly level headed. It sends a clear message and call to action, but in no way suggests any violence, etc.
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Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI have an unrelated question that is stepping into arborist territory but curious of your opinion: have you heard of soil injections taking place in the ground near very mature trees? We're...I have an unrelated question that is stepping into arborist territory but curious of your opinion: have you heard of soil injections taking place in the ground near very mature trees? We're getting some landscaping quotes and one guy suggested that, which seemed a little fishy to us, especially since no other landscaper mentioned it. I can see how it would benefit new plants, but does it really make an impact on decades-old trees?
(Our gut response was "trees in nature don't get artificial soil injections." But maybe that's faulty logic.)
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Comment on Butter vs. margarine: One of America’s most bizarre food battles in ~food
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI think that extends to US farming in general, right? I'm struggling to immediately find any long-term data on how much corn has been subsidized due this dominating news story: apparently some aid...I think that extends to US farming in general, right? I'm struggling to immediately find any long-term data on how much corn has been subsidized due this dominating news story: apparently some aid was released this month to give farmers $42 per acre of corn (and differing amounts for other crops) for a total of $10bil.
I just vaguely remember something about these subsidies being part of why different ethanol blends of fuel were trialed at one point.
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Comment on Are you tech-savvy enough? in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentAs an argument for UI changes (which @ButteredToast & @vord have also posted concerns about) - One of the big things people complain about with a lot of FOSS applications is the UI and UX. Either...As an argument for UI changes (which @ButteredToast & @vord have also posted concerns about) -
One of the big things people complain about with a lot of FOSS applications is the UI and UX. Either inconsistent themes, applications with a very old-looking interface (like most versions of Qt), and functionality that's scattered all over the place.
A UX example I can provide is GIMP. Photoshop users play around with GIMP for an hour and quickly conclude that it does not support their workflow. It's a mess of multiple floating windows.
The UI thing applies to... most FOSS that doesn't live in the browser. There's a lot of self-hosted applications that I love, but 90% of them are things I can open in a web browser or PWA.
If you try using a Linux distribution as a desktop OS, I feel like this compounds further. I haven't tried desktop Linux in a few years now, but I previously gave most of the desktop environments a shot: Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE, and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. All of them lack the polish of Windows (and probably OSX but I haven't used a Mac too much).
What I'm trying to say is that I think UI and UX refreshes can be a good thing. Frequent changes are a way to make gradual changes so you don't shock the userbase with something completely new. Are some changes excessive? Absolutely. But I would argue many are ultimately good.
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Comment on US Postal Service chief Louis DeJoy steps down in ~society
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI question this number. I'd imagine a big chunk of it is the investment in vehicle upgrades. A huge amount of postal delivery vehicles are old gas guzzlers with no A/C. They're starting to move...Reuters says that the postal service "has lost more than $100 billion since 2007."
I question this number. I'd imagine a big chunk of it is the investment in vehicle upgrades.
A huge amount of postal delivery vehicles are old gas guzzlers with no A/C. They're starting to move towards electric vehicles.
I recall reading a cost analysis on how this will ultimately save a tremendous amount of money, because the gas vehicles require repairs and, of course, consume gas.
But it does require an investment with an initial cost that could be reported as a "loss." Not only due to the vehicle purchases themselves, but also charging infrastructure.
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Comment on The strangest encounter in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentAssuming you're talking about illegal fireworks (aka anything that doesn't stay on the ground, or perhaps those too depending on your local laws), you should report him. Unfortunately there are...the firefighter across the corner that sets off fireworks for hours every holiday
Assuming you're talking about illegal fireworks (aka anything that doesn't stay on the ground, or perhaps those too depending on your local laws), you should report him. Unfortunately there are some firebugs who become firefighters but also commit arson. This behavior unfortunately leads me to believe he could fall into that category. (Obviously not something that can be proven from that alone, though.)
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Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI honestly don't think any of those are a crime. They're oversimplified meals that come together quickly and are budget-friendly. I feel like the cream of mushroom + rice would have been a huge...I honestly don't think any of those are a crime. They're oversimplified meals that come together quickly and are budget-friendly.
I feel like the cream of mushroom + rice would have been a huge upgrade over the rice and soy sauce I would eat for dinner every so often when my budget was stretched.
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Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food
ShroudedScribe Link ParentA long time ago I accidentally dripped mustard from a subway sandwich on one of their chocolate chip cookies and it was actually really good. I've never bothered to try to recreate it, because......As a kid I used to do BBQ sauce (whatever was on hand) or yellow mustard
A long time ago I accidentally dripped mustard from a subway sandwich on one of their chocolate chip cookies and it was actually really good.
I've never bothered to try to recreate it, because... it's kinda weird, probably specific to the subway flavors, and subway has gone so far down the drain in the last 5+ years to the point I find it nearly inedible.
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Comment on Enough with the bullshit (a letter to fellow bullshit sufferers) in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentThings have been pretty bad prior to this too. I was doing some research on astroturfing and Samsung was caught doing it at least twice. There's services that companies can pay for that can...Print ads weren't too hard to disassemble. But no one was prepared for an era where kids would be inundated with TikToks algorithmically catered to their interests with 3D animation and filters and AI voices to completely overwhelm their bs meter.
Things have been pretty bad prior to this too. I was doing some research on astroturfing and Samsung was caught doing it at least twice. There's services that companies can pay for that can organize and execute misinformation campaigns through writing fabricated articles, getting them published in news media, post comments across the internet on Reddit and social media sites, inflate likes/interactions at a rapid rate to get a lot of attention, etc. In Samsung's case, they not only tried to falsely bolster their own goods, but created a narrative that HTC's devices were shit.
Between this, fake reviews on Amazon, and YouTube & Twitch sponsorships, we're being bombarded with bullshit. Sure, the US FTC and similar orgs from other countries are starting to claim this (fake reviews and astroturfing) is illegal, but I'll be interested to see if that truly makes a dent in the process.
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Comment on Google claims news is worthless to its ad business after test involving 1% of search results in eight EU markets in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentIf you want even more control check out the Sidebery extension. Vertical tabs you can group however you want, force certain sites to open in different containers, lots of cool features. Mentioning...If you want even more control check out the Sidebery extension. Vertical tabs you can group however you want, force certain sites to open in different containers, lots of cool features.
Mentioning @pseudolobster & @DesktopMonitor too.
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Comment on Trapping misbehaving bots in an AI Labyrinth in ~tech
ShroudedScribe LinkFantastic timing in relation to this tildes thread: https://tildes.net/~tech/1mso/please_stop_externalizing_your_costs_directly_into_my_faceFantastic timing in relation to this tildes thread:
https://tildes.net/~tech/1mso/please_stop_externalizing_your_costs_directly_into_my_face
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Comment on In email, Microsoft suggests Windows 10 users trade in or recycle their PC in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentYeah, while Win 11 has annoyances (that I've mostly disabled with group policy and registry edits), there are some things it improved on that were problems for years. One that impacts me daily is...Yeah, while Win 11 has annoyances (that I've mostly disabled with group policy and registry edits), there are some things it improved on that were problems for years.
One that impacts me daily is window placement automatically adjusting when a monitor is connected or disconnected. It's nearly seamless now, where it was a huge pain in 10 and before.
But I will say I believe MS should have waited another iteration to pull the plug on 10. I get it, it's been a long time, but when you add hardware requirements that go way beyond "add more RAM" (as was often the case with Vista), I think you should give more breathing room.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump revokes legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in ~society
ShroudedScribe LinkThis is awful. I looked it up and the process for these people was very detailed, so it's not like they just let everyone in carelessly. Per Wikipedia:This is awful. I looked it up and the process for these people was very detailed, so it's not like they just let everyone in carelessly. Per Wikipedia:
The first step is for a US-based sponsor to complete form I-134A online through a USCIS account. The form asks the sponsor to agree to financially support an individual ("beneficiary") for the term of their parole.
If the form I-134A is confirmed (approved), the beneficiary will submit attestations of eligibility, along with photos of their face and their passport, to U.S. Customs and Border Protection through the CBP One app. CBP completes additional vetting and if approved, will issue Travel Authorization. This gives the beneficiary 90 days to arrive in the US.
The beneficiary must travel by air. Upon arrival in the US, they may be paroled into the US for two years.
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Comment on Please stop externalizing your costs directly into my face in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI could see this being a pivot for the crypto mining farms. Perhaps they have made a judgement call that this will be more valuable in the long run. Or, they are using just a subset of their farm...Who is in the intersection of "owns a jillion GPUs to train models" and "acts like an asshole script kiddie with a botnet"?
I could see this being a pivot for the crypto mining farms. Perhaps they have made a judgement call that this will be more valuable in the long run. Or, they are using just a subset of their farm for this.
And technically, data collection is a separate process from AI training. So it could be multiple parties at play.
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Comment on Please stop externalizing your costs directly into my face in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentFrom the article, it sounds like this doesn't fully encapsulate the issue. The crawlers are using a vast number of IP addresses with a lot as part of residential IP blocks. The crawlers are trying...Websites will allow crawling by well-known, well-behaved crawlers from known IP addresses. Everyone else is treated with suspicion. It will be harder to self-host a crawler, which means you might need to use a service to do it for you.
From the article, it sounds like this doesn't fully encapsulate the issue. The crawlers are using a vast number of IP addresses with a lot as part of residential IP blocks. The crawlers are trying to appear to be legitimate visitors, and are not hitting a ton of resources from the same IP blocks.
What regulation is he referring to? General EEO doesn't conflict with DEI afaik (unless being a young white male is added to the list of protected classes). And nothing else in relation to that applies to private companies, right?