sparksbet's recent activity
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Comment on Microsoft struggling to restore service as global outage affects Outlook and Teams in ~tech
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Comment on Microsoft struggling to restore service as global outage affects Outlook and Teams in ~tech
sparksbet Link ParentIf Throwdo's work is anything like mine, which browser extensions they're allowed to install might also be super locked down.If Throwdo's work is anything like mine, which browser extensions they're allowed to install might also be super locked down.
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Comment on Choosing hosting and DNS outside US and EU jurisdictions, hedging against repression in ~tech
sparksbet Link ParentAs someone who usually doesn't like Yudkowsky's takes, this one is pretty solid. I'm not always a fan of his writing style, but this excerpt in particular I really liked:As someone who usually doesn't like Yudkowsky's takes, this one is pretty solid. I'm not always a fan of his writing style, but this excerpt in particular I really liked:
There’s a strange dynamic here: You try to purify your shade of gray, and you get it to a point where it’s pretty light-toned, and someone stands up and says in a deeply offended tone, “But it’s not white! It’s gray!” It’s one thing when someone says, “This isn’t as light as you think, because of specific problems X, Y, and Z.” It’s a different matter when someone says angrily “It’s not white! It’s gray!” without pointing out any specific dark spots.
In this case, I begin to suspect psychology that is more imperfect than usual—that someone may have made a devil’s bargain with their own mistakes, and now refuses to hear of any possibility of improvement. When someone finds an excuse not to try to do better, they often refuse to concede that anyone else can try to do better, and every mode of improvement is thereafter their enemy, and every claim that it is possible to move forward is an offense against them. And so they say in one breath proudly, “I’m glad to be gray,” and in the next breath angrily, “And you’re gray too!”
If there is no black and white, there is yet lighter and darker, and not all grays are the same.
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Comment on Cold-weather vegan recipes in ~food
sparksbet Link ParentYou should specify which type of lentils you're calling for in this recipe, as it's not clear and they have different cooking properties (red lentils, for instance, which I'm most familiar with,...You should specify which type of lentils you're calling for in this recipe, as it's not clear and they have different cooking properties (red lentils, for instance, which I'm most familiar with, definitely do not need to be cooked for that long or soaked at all, so I assume that's not what's being called or, but I have no idea whether you typically use yellow, brown, or green lentils for this recipe).
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Comment on Historic voter turnout powered US Democrats’ blue wave in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentMy state had incredibly long lines at a lot of early voting locations too... because coincidentally our (extremely gerrymandered Republican) state government limited out county boards of elections...My state had incredibly long lines at a lot of early voting locations too... because coincidentally our (extremely gerrymandered Republican) state government limited out county boards of elections to a single early voting location per county regardless of population to discourage early voters in bluer cities as opposed to redder rural areas. That wasn't enough to win them this election, but expanding access to early voting and voting by mail should absolutely be much more of a priority than either a holiday on election day or mandatory voting.
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Comment on Real-life 'Truman Show' pulled from TV as it's branded 'psychological torture' in ~tv
sparksbet Link ParentThere are often economic opportunities during filming, as locals can get hired for some parts of the process. But overall yeah, I agree with you, they got just as much if not more from Invasion...There are often economic opportunities during filming, as locals can get hired for some parts of the process. But overall yeah, I agree with you, they got just as much if not more from Invasion Iowa than they would've from the movie in most cases.
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Comment on Denmark's supreme court is expected to rule on whether the state's classification of residents with “non-western” backgrounds is covered by racial discrimination law in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentI like your ideas when it comes to accent on some level, but as a linguist I'll caution you that it is much more granular and extremely complicated to distinguish accents/dialects than you think...I like your ideas when it comes to accent on some level, but as a linguist I'll caution you that it is much more granular and extremely complicated to distinguish accents/dialects than you think it is. It's one of those things where it gets very complex even as you try to narrow your scope to get more specific, in kinda a fractal way. But I think this is similar to how complex the actual sociology is here too, so in that sense they remain a good reflection of one another.
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Comment on Tesla to wind down Cybertruck production in Texas next year in ~transport
sparksbet Link Parentidk I feel like if Musk told Zemeckis he'd pay for him to use some sort of new kind of rotoscoping, he'd fold like a poker hand.idk I feel like if Musk told Zemeckis he'd pay for him to use some sort of new kind of rotoscoping, he'd fold like a poker hand.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentI think that there are absolutely wishy-washy independents and former Republicans who would be more swayed by something that they aren't fully educated on which has a grain of truth than by...I think that there are absolutely wishy-washy independents and former Republicans who would be more swayed by something that they aren't fully educated on which has a grain of truth than by previous evidence-less claims of fraud. Yes, the core Republican base doesn't care about truth whatsoever. But my state is full of under-informed voters who don't trust either party all that much, and their opinion on abolishing the electoral college will absolutely be heavily influenced by how good the Democrats are with their messaging as opposed to the Republicans.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentI'm not necessarily saying it isn't the right time! It just means the Democrats have to actively not fuck it up, which I have very little faith in them to do.I'm not necessarily saying it isn't the right time! It just means the Democrats have to actively not fuck it up, which I have very little faith in them to do.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentI live in a former swing state that went very red for Trump but all blue this past election, and a big factor in that was self-identified independents, who I think more or less represent exactly...I live in a former swing state that went very red for Trump but all blue this past election, and a big factor in that was self-identified independents, who I think more or less represent exactly that overlap in terms of the Venn diagram.
I also don't necessarily think this alone is a reason to wait. It just means that the Democrats have to put more than zero effort into their messaging no matter when they do it. I think the best argument for waiting would simply be the low odds of this ultimately succeeding and the finiteness of resources and political capital that could better be spent elsewhere, but I'm ultimately on the fence about whether that outweighs the potential benefits.
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Comment on Real-life 'Truman Show' pulled from TV as it's branded 'psychological torture' in ~tv
sparksbet Link ParentHonestly I think this feels a lot worse than Invasion Iowa to me. I don't think Invasion Iowa was completely ethical or anything (and I think T1J's video points out a lot of the problems well),...Honestly I think this feels a lot worse than Invasion Iowa to me. I don't think Invasion Iowa was completely ethical or anything (and I think T1J's video points out a lot of the problems well), but it seemed a lot less personally impactful to the lives and careers of the people in that town than this Danish equivalent, in large part because this Danish prank show was so focused on duping him specifically rather than a collective group like Invasion Iowa. I think the much more direct way in which he stood to benefit from his film getting made as opposed to the more indirect benefits a small town gets from one getting filmed there affects how they feel to me.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentRepublicans are willing to go all-in on "Democrats are rigging elections in their favor" messaging even when it isn't true. I can't fathom that they wouldn't barrel down on that when there's even...Republicans are willing to go all-in on "Democrats are rigging elections in their favor" messaging even when it isn't true. I can't fathom that they wouldn't barrel down on that when there's even a smidgen of a grain of truth in there, and I think you're definitely underestimating how much they'd be able to capitalize on it in their opposition.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentUltimately I think Democrats would have to be very clever to spin the optics in a way that doesn't look like they're just trying to grab power. It probably can be done -- especially if you focus...Ultimately I think Democrats would have to be very clever to spin the optics in a way that doesn't look like they're just trying to grab power. It probably can be done -- especially if you focus on the voting power of a Republican in New York or California -- but it would take some finagling for sure.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentYeah, this thread is beneath a top-level comment and replies about the Ohio election, the Texas thread is a different one.Yeah, this thread is beneath a top-level comment and replies about the Ohio election, the Texas thread is a different one.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentWait, did both attorney general and secretary of state go blue? I thought Republicans got one of those. If both of them go blue, Dems control 3/5 seats on the redistricting committeeWait, did both attorney general and secretary of state go blue? I thought Republicans got one of those. If both of them go blue, Dems control 3/5 seats on the redistricting committee
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Comment on Halloween night! in ~talk
sparksbet Link ParentHonestly the deer in my area (also Ohio) are bold enough that I'd half expect them to walk up and ring the doorbell themselves.Honestly the deer in my area (also Ohio) are bold enough that I'd half expect them to walk up and ring the doorbell themselves.
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Comment on Binance suspends withdrawals after crypto hackers steal $6.3 billion in ~tech
sparksbet Link ParentI interpreted "recreational estrogen" as a humorous way to refer to DIY HRT, as it's often purchased in similar ways to recreational drugs that cannot be easily purchased legally.I interpreted "recreational estrogen" as a humorous way to refer to DIY HRT, as it's often purchased in similar ways to recreational drugs that cannot be easily purchased legally.
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Comment on Halloween night! in ~talk
sparksbet LinkI didn't dress up but I went along with my 4-year-old niece (along with her mother/my sister, her 9-month-old brother, and my brother). My niece wanted to dress up as Catwoman ever since my...I didn't dress up but I went along with my 4-year-old niece (along with her mother/my sister, her 9-month-old brother, and my brother). My niece wanted to dress up as Catwoman ever since my brother showed her some episodes of Batman the Animated Series, so to go with her my brother dressed up as The Riddler and my sister wore a Batman shirt and dressed the baby up as Robin. Their street has only a few houses far apart, so they came to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood we grew up in by my parents' house. This is my first time trick or treating in over a decade, although I did hand out candy in my apartment last year in Germany.
The street next to ours was absolutely popping! I think it's a mix of lots of kids living on that street, a lot of houses with enthusiastic decorations, and it having the houses close together and near the street, which made it well-organized for trick or treating. A lot of people were outside at little tables or near little portable fire-pits, which made it easier to spot who was handing stuff out and also made the whole thing feel a lot more social. My sister says this became a lot more normal post-Covid, but in any case I like it! There was also a cop driving around handing out glowsticks and candy from his car. One house had a table for adults with sandwiches, hot apple cider, and optional booze. I was the only one in my family who partook in that but can confirm apple cider with a lil shot of caramel vodka is delicious.
My parents' actual street had a few less houses handing stuff out and was darker and had houses further back, so it wasn't as "lit", but there were still a fair few trick or treaters. My dad sat out on the porch and played the banjo with the candy bowl. My niece was extremely timid when actually approaching strangers to take the candy and say "thank you" in basically a whisper, but as soon as she turned around she'd sprint back to her mom shouting about what candy she'd gotten at the top of her lungs. It was a very funny contrast.
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Comment on Finland launches criminal investigation into Google's clearing of forest for data centre site in ~enviro
sparksbet Link ParentIn US cases about removing trees from someone else's property without permission, actual damages are usually calculated using either the replacement cost of the tree or the effect of the tree's...In US cases about removing trees from someone else's property without permission, actual damages are usually calculated using either the replacement cost of the tree or the effect of the tree's removal on the property value. Some states double or triple this factor (treble damages). The purpose of this, at least on paper, is to "make whole" the damage to the injured party. Actual damages like this would be separate from any additional punitive damages or criminal fines. In the case of a whole forest, the actual monetary damages calculated this way would almost certainly be absurdly high.
I don't know what Finnish law does in this case, though, so I don't know if it bears much resemblance to US-based tree law.
My work is still using an older version of Outlook and our email still got hit. Which version of the Outlook app you're using on the front-end doesn't matter with the kind of outage this is. You mention "our Exchange server" -- if you're running your own on-prem Exchange server instead of Microsoft's, that's what saved you, not using an old version of Outlook.