TanyaJLaird's recent activity
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Comment on Visa Onchain Analytics Dashboard in ~finance
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Comment on Visa Onchain Analytics Dashboard in ~finance
TanyaJLaird Link ParentSure, crypto has those advantages as a retailer or service provider. But what exactly is the point of involving Visa at that point?Sure, crypto has those advantages as a retailer or service provider. But what exactly is the point of involving Visa at that point?
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
TanyaJLaird LinkWe adopted a couple of kittens two weeks ago. I present Frodo and Sam. They're a pair of brothers from the same litter, adopted as bonded pair. We'll come down in the morning and find them...We adopted a couple of kittens two weeks ago. I present Frodo and Sam. They're a pair of brothers from the same litter, adopted as bonded pair. We'll come down in the morning and find them literally just lying on top of each other.
We knew we wanted a naming pair. We considered some from mythology. Maybe Phobos and Deimos, Romulus and Remus. But those seemed weird to use on a daily basis. We also considered Ignorance and Want, which would also seems to capture the spirit of cats. But considering how close these two brothers are, we decided on Sam and Frodo.
These are also names that keep on giving. They can be referred to collectively as "the hobbits." And if they ever get into trouble, we can complain about "the tricksy hobbitses." Steal a chair? "They stole it from me!"
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Comment on Visa Onchain Analytics Dashboard in ~finance
TanyaJLaird LinkJesus wept! This is truly the cursed timeline. Visa and crypto. All the inefficiencies of the blockchain and all the centralization, tracking, and lack of control over your money that the big...Jesus wept! This is truly the cursed timeline. Visa and crypto. All the inefficiencies of the blockchain and all the centralization, tracking, and lack of control over your money that the big banks bring. Truly the worst of all possible worlds.
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Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
TanyaJLaird Link ParentI invite others to reply as well, but I can elaborate on my thoughts there. I obviously don't mean that people show up to restaurants dressed like members of Louis XIV's court. It's more a change...I invite others to reply as well, but I can elaborate on my thoughts there.
I obviously don't mean that people show up to restaurants dressed like members of Louis XIV's court. It's more a change in behavior and demeanor that I've observed among many people. People who are otherwise very casual and informal will suddenly adopt an out-of-character stiff and formal demeanor. They'll change the tone of their voice. They'll start being very formal with please, thank you, making formal requests, enunciating their words very rigidly, etc. And they won't act this way when encountering say, cashiers at a grocery store. They will only act in this faux-aristocratic manner when being served at a restaurant. They'll act casually with every service-sector worker that they don't control the wage of. But when working with a tipped employee, they'll adopt a formal demeanor.
In the world of old money, whether British, American, others, a culture developed to regulate the social interactions between the wealthy and "the help" or the common folk and "their betters." The help was supposed to adopt an attitude of polite unquestioning supplication. The wealthy were supposed to act with detached, polite, and disinterested benevolence. This class divide was built into the very architecture of buildings. See the dumbwaiter.
There is a long tradition, a culture that developed of how the rich and their staff were to interact. And middle class people were never wealthy enough to afford those kind of servants. Tipped waitstaff represent to the middle class the one time that they will get to experience a brief taste of that power over others. And it continues to this day.
Perhaps this could be viewed as a uniquely American phenomenon. A broader theme of American culture is an attempt to democratize experiences and goods that were once the exclusive purview of the wealthy. And for many, a sit down restaurant represents just that. It's where anyone, for a modest price, can get to experience complete power and control over someone else's paycheck. It's where people of even modest means can get a taste of the power the old aristocrats held over their servants. In a way, there's a weird democratic spirit to the whole thing. It's something that could only exist in America, with our weird cultural contradictions between the democratic tradition and worship of the wealthy.
At the end of the day, people go to sit down restaurants for more than just the food. Counter service places can give the same exact food for substantially lower cost. They instead go for the experience of having a nice evening out in a setting different from home. But for some, part of the appeal of the experience is that they get to, for a brief moment, have power over others.
If you're in the US, I suggest you listen for it. Observe the people you know when they go into restaurants. See if any of them subtly adopt the affectations of old money aristocrats (or at least the cultural stereotype of that group.) Then see if they adopt those same affectations when dealing with non-tipped service sector workers. What I have observed is that many people who are casual in normal settings and when addressing non-tipped workers will suddenly adopt an elitist and formal demeanor when being served by tipped waitstaff.
When you really start to notice it, it become quite disturbing. Even people who themselves have worked shit jobs and have been abused by those above them will suddenly take on a superior demeanor when dealing with waitstaff. It is not enough that servers provide good service, but they must act like servants, servile peons on a lower social status than whoever happens to walk in the door with a dollar in their pocket.
Really, I find the whole thing vile. This kind of behavior has no place in a free and democratic society. It's one of the reasons I find tipping such a horrid practice. I'm in the US, and I realize servers do rely on tips. So I of course do tip when I go out to eat; it's not the servers' fault this broken system exists. But I do believe tipping culture needs to be excised from our society. It's a stain on the national soul. I would support banning tipping or taxing it so heavily that it would hardly ever be done.
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Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
TanyaJLaird Link ParentCome on, that's an easy problem to solve. You pass them both simultaneously. You don't repeal the sales tax and a year later pass an income tax. You pass both of them with a single law. The same...I understand that sales tax is regressive, so replacing it with a progressive tax would be better. The issue is that politicians have an easier time repealing taxes than they do creating new ones.
Come on, that's an easy problem to solve. You pass them both simultaneously. You don't repeal the sales tax and a year later pass an income tax. You pass both of them with a single law. The same bill repeals the sales tax, imposes an income tax, and establishes a means of revenue dispersal. Optionally, write the bill as a ballot initiative to give voters the final say on the whole package.
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Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
TanyaJLaird Link ParentI say tax the hell out if it. Levy a 300% tax on all tips, payable by the tipper. Any tips paid with card will be automatically reported to the state. Any cash tips must be accompanied by a form...I don't see how that will happen, unless tipping is also banned or legally discouraged in some way.
I say tax the hell out if it. Levy a 300% tax on all tips, payable by the tipper. Any tips paid with card will be automatically reported to the state. Any cash tips must be accompanied by a form that requires the tipper to fill out a form that allows your identity to be established. And that form will be sent to the tax office. Once a year, any tippers must file a tipping tax return, and pay the state a tax equal to 300% of whatever they tipped over the last year.
In this system, you can still tip. However, it becomes a royal pain-in-the-ass. Giving the government $3 for every $1 you give the server really kills the mood on the whole "pretend to be an old money aristocrat" experience that some like tipping for. And then you either have to fill out cumbersome paperwork for a cash tip, or accept that your tip will be reported to a state tax agency.
And as far as enforcement? Well that's the real beauty of this. You don't need to drain state coffers, sending out inspectors to enforce a likely low-priority tipping ban. Instead, you have a tax agency! And tax agencies are self-funding. Just allocate a portion of the tipping tax to the creation of the necessary bureaucracy.
Do this, and tipping culture will collapse. It will still be possible to tip, but it would be a rare act of extreme generosity and benevolence. You are saying, "I like your service so much, I am willing to send the government $90 to give you $30. I like your service so much, I am willing to fill out paperwork in order to do so! You're the only person I've tipped this year. Your service is so good, I'm willing to fill out a whole separate tax return just for the privilege of giving you extra money!"
That is what tipping should be used for. The so rare above-and-beyond service that you're willing to jump through a ring of fire in order to do it. Alternatively, you would have a few genuinely rich bastards who would do it just as a way to flaunt their wealth. However, we're not worried about the edge cases here. Bezos can go to restaurants, tip like mad, and let his accountants figure it out. But there are only so many people like him out there. If less than 1% of customers ever tip, then servers won't rely on tips, and tipping will not be the cultural norm.
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Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
TanyaJLaird Link ParentI'm not vord, but I would support actually banning tipping. The problem with banning mandatory tipping is that the tipping culture itself is the problem. Mandatory tipping, such as that applied to...I'm not vord, but I would support actually banning tipping. The problem with banning mandatory tipping is that the tipping culture itself is the problem. Mandatory tipping, such as that applied to large groups, isn't a problem. Restaurant mandatory tip policies for large groups are just meant to ensure that individual servers don't get completely screwed over by a large group not doing what is already socially expected. Tipping is socially expected at sit-down restaurants (and the practice is expanding to other areas.) Most people will simply do it. If a server has many small tables over the course of a night, and if one table stiffs the tip, well the server is still fine. But with large groups, that group may represent a substantial portion of a server's total work that night. And if that one group decides not to tip, then that server is severely harmed.
The real problem is not mandatory tipping. The problem is tipping culture in general. That is the practice that needs to end. The problem of course is that if a single restaurant bans tipping, then they will have to raise their prices. Customers will see the menu prices as higher, not factor in the tips, and go elsewhere. Plus, there are a certain portion of people who just get a kick out of being able to exercise some small amount of power over random strangers. For some people, going to a sit-down restaurant lets them LARP as an old-money aristocrat for an hour.
If we really want to drive a stake through the heart of tipping culture, I would propose that we create a tipping tax, a tax payable by the tipper. Tax tips at 300%. Require people to keep record of their tips, and then file a tip tax return once per year. If you tip with a card at at restaurant, the tip will be reported just like employers report your wages to the IRS.
Are you really a big-money aristo who wants to lord your wealth over your humble server? Fine, let's see how deep your pockets really are. You can pay the state three dollars for every one you pay the server. Tipping will become a rare and extravagant act of benevolence, rather than a normal social expectation.
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Comment on California junk fee ban could upend restaurant industry in ~food
TanyaJLaird Link ParentThis is arguing that it's a good thing we trick people. The customer still has to pay the full price, including taxes. You're arguing a town should be able to say, "yes, our taxes mean the...If sales taxes are included in advertised prices, this could happen in more areas on a smaller scale, or cities could start a race to the bottom for sales taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to move in. Eventually consumers may have lower prices, but they come at the expense of budget shortfalls to run city services.
This is arguing that it's a good thing we trick people. The customer still has to pay the full price, including taxes. You're arguing a town should be able to say, "yes, our taxes mean the customers will pay more than in the next town over. However, if we allow businesses to not advertise the true price, we'll get more business into our town!" The customers are still paying the full price, you're effectively just justifying a reason to get them in the door with a fake price.
A town could use the same argument to allow all kinds of violations of truth-in-advertising laws. If Washington businesses are helped because that they don't have to include the 8.4% sales tax in the price in their adds, why not give them further exemption? Why not let them falsely advertise the pre-tax price? That would bring even more customers to Washington businesses!
Customers should be able to see the full price of something in an ad. If that means lower sales for a city or state, so be it. All taxes, of any form, have some undesirable secondary effects. Governments are supposed to take those into account when deciding how to set their tax policy. If Washington is unwilling to accept the decline in Vancouver, they could adopt Oregon's model of having no sales tax. Or, the state could provide subsidies to the municipal coffers of border cities particularly affected. There are plenty of ways around this problem without letting stores trick people by advertising fake prices.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentWe don't even need to take cars away. We could put all the streets on road diets. Narrowing lanes encourages drivers to drive slower, and it doesn't decrease the throughput of roads. Narrow the...We don't even need to take cars away. We could put all the streets on road diets. Narrowing lanes encourages drivers to drive slower, and it doesn't decrease the throughput of roads. Narrow the lanes, slow down the cars, use the freed up space for bike lanes. Costs almost nothing except for a little paint. Can be done effectively for free when it comes time to restripe a road anyway.
What cities should really be aiming for is the mass adoption of e-bikes. E-bikes, and especially cargo e-bikes, really are effective car replacements. And even a big cargo e-bike costs a fraction of what a full-sized vehicle does. If you can afford a car, you can afford an e-bike. In fact, the reduced where and tear on your car will mean the bike more than pays for itself over time. And in urban areas, where commuting speeds really aren't that fast anyway, e-bikes are just as fast as cars.
We need to restripe the arterial roads, narrow the lanes, and provide dedicated space for bikes and especially e-bikes. Bikes are great for fitness, but for true accessible practical transportation, e-bikes are the answer.
This also gets around the problem that people really do value the independence that private vehicle ownership brings. Go where you want, when you want. Don't have to worry about being harassed by weirdos on the bus. An e-bike allows that kind of freedom.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentRecumbent bike with electric assist. Done. Costs a fraction of what a full sized vehicle does.Recumbent bike with electric assist. Done. Costs a fraction of what a full sized vehicle does.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentIf cars are a necessity, then why don't we give poor people free cars? If the poorest can be asked to go without cars, then wealthier people incapable of driving responsibly can also be asked to...For a lot people cars are a necessity.
If cars are a necessity, then why don't we give poor people free cars?
If the poorest can be asked to go without cars, then wealthier people incapable of driving responsibly can also be asked to go without cars.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentPerhaps the answer is eye tracking. That technology has come along way. Take your eyes off the road, the car starts automatically applying the brakes. That would train people pretty quickly not to...Perhaps the answer is eye tracking. That technology has come along way. Take your eyes off the road, the car starts automatically applying the brakes. That would train people pretty quickly not to get distracted by their phones or infotainment.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentThere is no such thing as a good driver. Everyone is a good driver under certain conditions and a bad driver under other conditions. Everyone gets tired. Everyone gets distracted by random...Among those who drive well, there's a near zero chance of rear-ending someone.
There is no such thing as a good driver. Everyone is a good driver under certain conditions and a bad driver under other conditions. Everyone gets tired. Everyone gets distracted by random billboards and bumper stickers. Everyone has their mind wander. Everyone fiddles with the radio or other internal control. And everyone is a fantastic driver at times as well. Different people have different ratios of good driver time to bad driver time. But there is no such thing as people who "drive well." The only one who drives well is the mythical little old lady who only drives her car once a week to church on Sundays.
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Comment on Florida is the first state to ban lab grown meat - Ron DeSantis in ~food
TanyaJLaird LinkI wonder if this will even survive a court challenge. Religious liberty may be the biggest challenge to this law. Consider how religious liberty laws have been used to challenge abortion...I wonder if this will even survive a court challenge. Religious liberty may be the biggest challenge to this law. Consider how religious liberty laws have been used to challenge abortion restrictions.
There are many religions that prohibit the eating of meat. And conservative states, in recent years, have gone out of their way to pass laws granting broad religious exemptions to state laws. They primarily intend these as a means to allow conservative Christians to discriminate against LGBT people, but the laws have to be written broadly. There are likely many religions that would prohibit the eating of regular meat but would allow the eating of lab-grown meat. This law likely directly tramples on the rights of religious vegetarians to practice their faith. The state is of course allowed to pass laws that violate religious principles. But especially in conservative states that have passed expanded religious liberty laws, the state needs to have a very compelling interest to do so.
If someone wants to bring back the Aztec religion, build a pyramid in their suburban neighborhood, and start sacrificing people to Xipe Totec...Well, the state obviously has a clearly compelling reason to trample on that individual's religious liberty. But a law restricting lab grown meat clearly doesn't actually have a lot of rational basis behind it. The state could argue that it's trying to prevent people from being confused about what they're purchasing, but that's unlikely to hold water. If that is the rational basis cited for the law, then the obvious question will be why they simply don't require lab-grown meat to be clearly labeled as such. With proper labeling, no one will confuse lab-grown for regular meat.
I would expect to see this law challenged based on religious liberty grounds. Maybe the Sikhs will challenge it. But especially in states with broad religious liberty exemptions, I would really wonder if this law could survive a legal challenge. It really seems to just shit all over the religious liberty of people whose faith decrees that killing animals is morally wrong.
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Comment on Whistleblower who accused Boeing supplier of ignoring defects dies in ~transport
TanyaJLaird Link ParentAlso we shouldn't ignore the influence of stress. Whistleblowers who have spent years fighting a huge company like Boeing, defending their reputation against slander, etc. have been living in a...Also we shouldn't ignore the influence of stress. Whistleblowers who have spent years fighting a huge company like Boeing, defending their reputation against slander, etc. have been living in a high-stress condition for years. Plus years before of watching the company's criminal behavior, stressing and debating whether you should risk your whole career and come forward. That kind of high-stress life can certainly have an impact on health.
I would point out a big problem with your math though. Your math assumes that all of them are 62 years old, or at least an average of 62. It's quite possible these two guys are substantially older than the average whistleblower age. I would expect the average age to be something more like 40-45, considering the age of the workforce.
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Comment on How ECMO is redefining death in ~health
TanyaJLaird LinkI want to live to see the day when someone climbs Mt. Everest while breathing entirely through an advanced portable ECMO-machine. We already have artificial hearts. They're typically used as a...To that end, the lab is trying to create a mini-ECMO—a kind of wearable artificial lung. Down the hall from the conference room where I spoke to Bartlett, a research intern named Gabriele Seilo sat at a lab bench, winding grooved pucks with a gauzy plastic fabric.
I want to live to see the day when someone climbs Mt. Everest while breathing entirely through an advanced portable ECMO-machine. We already have artificial hearts. They're typically used as a stopgap for transplant. But research has been done on using them as heart replacements. And ultimately, if a portable, practical, and permanent artificial lung-heart machine could be perfected, maybe that should replace all lung transplants. If you could get the tech right and make it cheap enough, wouldn't this be better than transplants? No need to take immunosuppressant drugs for life. Parts can be maintained and replaced instead of needing a whole new organ.
I do not have anywhere near the medical or bio background to say if such a thing will ever be possible. But the idea is intriguing.
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Comment on What cats’ love of boxes and squares can tell us about their visual perception in ~science
TanyaJLaird LinkLink to the paper.Link to the paper.
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Comment on The tech baron seeking to “ethnically cleanse” San Francisco in ~life
TanyaJLaird LinkI propose we grant their little enclave independence. Then immediately embargo them. Cut off all external flows of water, food, and power. I'm sure the tech geniuses will be able to figure things...I propose we grant their little enclave independence. Then immediately embargo them. Cut off all external flows of water, food, and power. I'm sure the tech geniuses will be able to figure things out. Move fast and break things, starting with the water mains.
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Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance
TanyaJLaird Link ParentThe key word is old. A lot of those old factory and warehouse buildings were built to allow natural ventilation. An early 20th century factory can be converted to residential. An old Walmart...The key word is old. A lot of those old factory and warehouse buildings were built to allow natural ventilation. An early 20th century factory can be converted to residential. An old Walmart can't.
There was a fundamental change in architecture that came with the introduction of air conditioning and central HVAC systems. Think of the huge cube farms that big modern office buildings have. Think how far your cube might be from an exterior wall. There's just not a way to fill that space with regular-sized apartments.
Now, you can of course convert them into cavernous lofts/studio spaces. But those old factory to loft conversions were aided by high ceilings. Office buildings don't have those high ceilings. Imagine a "loft" apartment with ceilings 8' high. Imagine a bedroom 50' wide with ceilings 8' high. It would be downright unsettling to live there. Maybe a few oddballs would be willing to inhabit such a space, but the market rate for such rentals would be crap. Again, better to just tear down and build fresh.
You might try and demolish every other floor plate to give yourself those high ceilings you find in the old factory loft conversions, but you can't do that. Those floor slabs are part of the lateral force resisting system. They're needed to distribute wind loads to the building's braces or shear walls; you can't just go knocking them out. In theory, you could, but you would have to add so much structural reinforcement that you're effectively building a whole new structure.
I know it's hard to accept, but there are some problems you can't just brute force with raw creativity, and this is one of them. Sure, with unlimited budget, you can make anything happen. But the whole point of conversions (outside of historical structure preservation) is to save money. If you can't do it in an economical manner, there's no point doing it. And most of these old office buildings aren't really worth saving. The bland cube-farm glass towers boxes are uninspired buildings not really of historical note.
And it's not like the materials from these structures will end up in the landfill. The steel columns and beams will be melted down to make new steel. The concrete gets ground up to make fill or new concrete. The wiring is gathered up and recycled. The parts that aren't recycled are the parts that you would have to throw away anyway in a commercial to residential conversion - things like drywall, PVC piping, etc. And even that is recyclable to some degree.
We build buildings to purpose. And sometimes, you simply cannot practically repurpose them, any more than you can repurpose an SUV into an airplane.
Again. What's the point? If you want a payment method that doesn't do chargebacks, just issue a special version of a card that doesn't have that as an option. This all just seems like the work of a bunch of uncreative lazy executives chasing the latest fad they heard. Next they'll be trying to shoehorn AI into it. Just children chasing after shiny toys.