skybrian's recent activity
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Comment on Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich in ~finance
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Comment on Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich in ~finance
skybrian Link ParentThat's not how banking works. Banks make money on the spread between their borrowing costs and their loans. The real inflation rate doesn't have any direct effect on that. What does matter,...That's not how banking works. Banks make money on the spread between their borrowing costs and their loans. The real inflation rate doesn't have any direct effect on that.
What does matter, though, is that they make long-term fixed-interest loans. These are financial assets whose price is determined by interest rates. They lost a lot of money when interest rates went up, and some banks became insolvent.
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
skybrian Link ParentI was thinking that convincing a country with a military to intervene would have little to do with money. If the US were somehow convinced that they should take over the port (temporarily), they...I was thinking that convincing a country with a military to intervene would have little to do with money. If the US were somehow convinced that they should take over the port (temporarily), they probably wouldn't be taking donations? The money could be useful for all sorts of other things, though.
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Comment on Are Free Software developers at risk? A potential threat to Free Software developers looms in the form of an ongoing lawsuit in the UK involving Bitcoin and its core developers. in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentThanks for explaining how they do voting. Git uses a merkle tree, but it doesn’t have any of that other stuff, so I’m not sure there’s much relationship? When forking some software, you don’t need...Thanks for explaining how they do voting.
Git uses a merkle tree, but it doesn’t have any of that other stuff, so I’m not sure there’s much relationship? When forking some software, you don’t need to keep its history or even use the same source control system. (Although, it would make it easier to merge patches from another fork.)
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Comment on Are Free Software developers at risk? A potential threat to Free Software developers looms in the form of an ongoing lawsuit in the UK involving Bitcoin and its core developers. in ~tech
skybrian (edited )Link ParentDo they use that power or do they normally take automatic updates from somewhere? How many competing implementations are there? As we’ve seen with Redis, the right to fork can be important in...Do they use that power or do they normally take automatic updates from somewhere? How many competing implementations are there?
As we’ve seen with Redis, the right to fork can be important in exceptional cases, but sometimes, there is one main implementation and people just take the updates, so whoever publishes the updates controls what gets run. For minor updates, people upgrading might not even read the release notes.
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Comment on Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich in ~finance
skybrian Link ParentI think they do adjust for inflation. That will at least partially account for differences between generations. But the world has changed in a lot of ways. Inherited wealth is likely different,...I think they do adjust for inflation. That will at least partially account for differences between generations.
But the world has changed in a lot of ways. Inherited wealth is likely different, for example. How much help do people get from their parents? Has that changed?
How have the places where people live changed? People moving to expensive cities and competing for the same housing will likely raise both income (due to better jobs) and expenses. People taking advantage of remote work and moving to the country might lower expenses.
A common way to lower expenses when single is to share an apartment or house. Is that more or less common? How has the amount of living space people have changed compared to previous generations?
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Comment on Are Free Software developers at risk? A potential threat to Free Software developers looms in the form of an ongoing lawsuit in the UK involving Bitcoin and its core developers. in ~tech
skybrian (edited )LinkIt seems like that depends on the bug. Is it a protocol change? The right to fork is important and useful in many cases, but for Bitcoin, it seems largely besides the point, since whether a new...The court also noted that only a handful of developers have exclusive access to the Bitcoin software code on GitHub. For example, if a Bitcoin owner notices a bug, he or she is unable to fix it because only the developers with access can do so, and they have to agree to do so. In the eyes of the court, this is a clear exercise of the de facto power of the developers. The court completely missed the point that no one can prevent others from applying a fix to the code - that is part of the fundamental freedom that comes with Free Software: if the developers of a particular repository refuse to apply needed fixes, the community can fork the project and bypass those developers.
It seems like that depends on the bug. Is it a protocol change?
The right to fork is important and useful in many cases, but for Bitcoin, it seems largely besides the point, since whether a new block is accepted depends on consensus. Consensus depends on the software that most Bitcoin miners run. If we want to know who has the power to change consensus, a relevant question is how software updates are usually distributed. Are updates automatic? How hard would it be to switch?
Making your own fork of an OS or a browser is more useful, but it’s only the beginning as far as winning significant market share.
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Comment on San Francisco sues Oakland over proposed airport name change in ~transport
skybrian LinkWhen is the long, official name used? I don’t specifically remember seeing “Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” anywhere.When is the long, official name used? I don’t specifically remember seeing “Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” anywhere.
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Comment on Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich in ~finance
skybrian LinkThe data shared in the article seems suggestive, but it’s pretty limited. It’s about income, rather than wealth as the headline implies. Also, statistical averages don’t tell us anything about how...The data shared in the article seems suggestive, but it’s pretty limited. It’s about income, rather than wealth as the headline implies. Also, statistical averages don’t tell us anything about how much income varies. There are going to be rich and poor people within a generation. (And what’s with the song lyrics?)
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Comment on Why the short-lived Calvin and Hobbes is still one of the most beloved and influential comic strips in ~comics
skybrian (edited )LinkPreviously: Why Bill Watterson vanished I’m not sure I buy everything in that article, but it does sound like writing Calvin & Hobbes was high-stress and all-consuming for Watterson.Previously: Why Bill Watterson vanished
I’m not sure I buy everything in that article, but it does sound like writing Calvin & Hobbes was high-stress and all-consuming for Watterson.
“Work and home were so intermingled that I had no refuge from the strip when I needed a break,” Watterson recalls. “Day or night, the work was always right there, and the book-publishing schedule was as relentless as the newspaper deadlines. Having certain perfectionist and maniacal tendencies, I was consumed by Calvin and Hobbes.”
By Watterson’s own admission, he cannot accurately recall a whole decade of his life because of his “Ahab-like obsession” with his work. “The intensity of pushing the writing and drawing as far as my skills allowed was the whole point of doing it,” he says. “I eliminated pretty much everything from my life that wasn’t the strip.” While Watterson’s wife, Melissa Richmond, organized everything around him, he furthered his isolation, burrowing ever more deeply into the strip’s world. There was no other way, he believed, to keep its integrity absolute. “My approach was probably too crazy to sustain for a lifetime,” he says, “but it let me draw the exact strip I wanted while it lasted.”
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
skybrian LinkI still read webcomics before anything else in my RSS feed. But it's the same ones I read 5-10 years ago: Girl Genius, Questionable Content, El Goonish Shive, Bad Machinery. There were others I...I still read webcomics before anything else in my RSS feed. But it's the same ones I read 5-10 years ago: Girl Genius, Questionable Content, El Goonish Shive, Bad Machinery. There were others I used to read, but they ended.
I assume there are more out there. What am I missing?
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
skybrian LinkI found it disconcerting that the link for "the People’s Liberation Army has since built vast underground complexes" goes to the Daily Mail. Is there better evidence for that somewhere? If true,...I found it disconcerting that the link for "the People’s Liberation Army has since built vast underground complexes" goes to the Daily Mail.
Is there better evidence for that somewhere? If true, it seems like interesting reading.
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
skybrian (edited )Link ParentI haven't read about Haiti in a few weeks, so I went looking for that an article to see what's happening and whether the port is still closed. That article confirmed that it is. That's the bit...I haven't read about Haiti in a few weeks, so I went looking for that an article to see what's happening and whether the port is still closed. That article confirmed that it is. That's the bit that mattered to me. The port being closed is catastrophic.
I believe logistics are the most important thing. People are starving. How are they going to get food in, airdrop it? Anything other than shipping it, by ship, will be dramatically more expensive. (Although, I suppose a land connection from the Dominican Republic would also help.)
It's also disheartening that they're having trouble raising funds, but perhaps fundraising would go better if there were a clear way of getting the food in? Maybe there is a plan to open the port that just needs funding, but that's not how I read it.
(Gaza is another example where logistics, not funding, is the problem for getting food in, though in that case, the logistics failure seems a lot harder to solve than finding a military force that can go up against a few gangs.)
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
skybrian LinkMeanwhile: Gangs attack, hunger gets worse, politicians argue: the latest on the situation in Haiti (Miami Herald) … It seems like money won’t do much except in combination with some larger plan?...Meanwhile:
Gangs attack, hunger gets worse, politicians argue: the latest on the situation in Haiti (Miami Herald)
It’s week seven into the gang insurgency in Haiti and the armed violence continues to upend life in Port-au-Prince and drive a deepening humanitarian crisis, as 5.5 million Haitians remain in need of help. Medical care continues to be disrupted as hospitals remain closed and the few that are operating face supply and staff shortages. Port-au-Prince remains a no-go zone for commercial U.S. flights, but helicopters are buzzing as those with deep pockets — and visas or foreign passports — make their way to Cap-Haïtien in the north to catch the only airline currently flying into the United States.
They are being joined by scores of Haitian nationals who have qualified to come to the U.S. as part of the two-year-humanitarian parole program launched by the Biden administration in January 2023.
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And the dire humanitarian crisis remains front and center. The United Nations is still struggling to raise $674 million from an international community that has only managed to send in $45 million; the main seaport in Haiti remains closed, meaning store shelves are increasingly bare, and Haitians are trying hard not to break under the pressure as mental health emerges as problem amid the deepening hunger.
It seems like money won’t do much except in combination with some larger plan? I think what they really need is for some outside country to capture the port and provide the security to keep it open. But I haven’t seen anyone arguing for that.
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Comment on Intelligence community largely won House FISA fight. Now comes the US Senate. in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentYeah, I’m just hoping for something that doesn’t make things worse than the status quo.Yeah, I’m just hoping for something that doesn’t make things worse than the status quo.
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Comment on Intelligence community largely won House FISA fight. Now comes the US Senate. in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentI think the best chance is that the Senate passes a slightly different bill with some fixes to problems that Ron Wyden and other pro-privacy Senators object to. After all, the House did a bit of...I think the best chance is that the Senate passes a slightly different bill with some fixes to problems that Ron Wyden and other pro-privacy Senators object to. After all, the House did a bit of that already.
After that, it has to be reconciled with the House version.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
skybrian Link ParentIt does follow the template of some previous stories, which is why I found it surprising and newsworthy that a guy who worked at NPR for 25 years would write that essay. I didn’t know anything...It does follow the template of some previous stories, which is why I found it surprising and newsworthy that a guy who worked at NPR for 25 years would write that essay. I didn’t know anything about him before seeing a story about it (on the NPR website) and it would be interesting to know more. Maybe he will write about it more now that he resigned?
But I’m also surprised at the lengths that people will go to discredit him, sometimes even making stuff up, rather than admit that he might be a respectable, non-nutty journalist (a Democrat!) with a contrary opinion.
To me, that’s interesting, even if the essay he wrote is more about his subjective impression of how things went than hard facts. I would prefer more facts, but people do write subjective opinion pieces sometimes.
Why is there so much conflict in American news organizations about this? I would like a better explanation than “everyone who writes negatively about diversity initiatives is some kind of nut.”
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
skybrian (edited )Link ParentA history aside: Bret Devereaux has argued that strategic airpower doesn’t win wars on its own, and of course the Allies had huge forces on the ground. They did try: On the other hand:A history aside: Bret Devereaux has argued that strategic airpower doesn’t win wars on its own, and of course the Allies had huge forces on the ground. They did try:
First, the accuracy to enable pin-point targeting of industrial facilities simply wasn’t there. By way of example (drawn from the chapter on strategic bombing in Lee, Waging War (2016)), in 1944 the allies attempted from May to November in a series of raids to destroy an oil plant in Leuna, Germany. The plant was 1.2 square miles in total size and yet 84% of all bombs missed. In the USAAF, the problem of accuracy led to a shift in tactics, from aiming for factories to area bombing intended to ‘de-house workers,’ which is an incredibly bloodless euphemism for daylight bombing raids against dense urban housing. Consequently, industrial damage was far less than was hoped. Instead of falling, German production continued to rise – indeed, it tripled – until territorial losses to the advancing Soviet and Allied armies finally curtailed production. Overy argues, persuasively, I think, that bombing did serve to stunt German production growth, but the strategic effect of disabling German industry to the point that the war couldn’t be continued was wildly, overwhelmingly out of reach. The opponent could, after all, react, dispersing and protecting industry, limiting the impact of bombing campaigns. Industrial bombing thus achieved something, but it is unclear if it achieved anything to be worth the tremendous investment in vast fleets of bombers necessary to do it.
On the other hand:
Arguably the most successful example of strategic airpower use anywhere, ever is the Berlin Airlift, which was a pure airpower operation that comprehensively defeated a major Soviet strategic aim, and yet the U.S. Air Force is far more built around strategic bombing than it is around strategic humanitarian airlift (it does the latter, but the Army and the Navy, rather than the Air Force, tend to take the lead in long-distance humanitarian operations).
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Comment on Intelligence community largely won House FISA fight. Now comes the US Senate. in ~tech
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Comment on We need to rewild the internet in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentThanks. It's a long article and I'll admit I skimmed it. Getting into a situation where we can't upgrade key components certainly is a problem. One approach is to use randomization to prevent...Thanks. It's a long article and I'll admit I skimmed it.
Getting into a situation where we can't upgrade key components certainly is a problem. One approach is to use randomization to prevent counterparties from relying on protocol details that should be allowed to change. Here's an example in Chrome.
Maybe that could be seen as artificially injecting diversity?
I believe "transfers" means that it includes government benefits like social security?
Not looking at wealth for retirees is especially weird because they're living on their investments. The Gen Z average is the same as boomers over 70 who likely own their own home and aren't working.
(Also, at that age, it's fine to be spending your retirement savings.)