Tardigrade's recent activity
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Comment on Governor Gavin Newsom orders homeless sweeps throughout California in ~life
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Comment on Has sexual content invaded too much of the internet? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentI'm impressed and surprised you managed that. Even sticking to small numbers of reliably safe websites it was easy to stumble into the "weeds" as it were.I'm impressed and surprised you managed that. Even sticking to small numbers of reliably safe websites it was easy to stumble into the "weeds" as it were.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
Tardigrade Link ParentIs there an agreed upon term for the spray blokes beyond something like "Toilet Attendant"?Is there an agreed upon term for the spray blokes beyond something like "Toilet Attendant"?
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentI've only ever seen/heard of people using chatGPT through a vpn. Edit: Chinese LLMs have to be approved by the govt and chatting to colleagues are considered less useful (Chinese source on what's...I've only ever seen/heard of people using chatGPT through a vpn.
I seem to remember some guiding legislation putting Chinese alternatives slightly behind based on what you were allowed to train them on but I might be wrong.Edit: Chinese LLMs have to be approved by the govt and chatting to colleagues are considered less useful (Chinese source on what's approved so far (a little out of date) https://36kr.com/p/2621227318139272)
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentI don't honestly feel qualified to give a good answer. I didn't clarify in the OP but have talked about it further down that I'm here for work. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a tourist but I'm also...I don't honestly feel qualified to give a good answer. I didn't clarify in the OP but have talked about it further down that I'm here for work. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a tourist but I'm also not here long enough to call myself an immigrant either. From my perspective everything works and is fine? Things are available at prices I can afford and the cost of living is a lot lower than it was in western europe. The mass transit is dirt cheap and intercity high speed trains have been really reliable for the tourism I've done. I've enjoyed "China, actually" from Polymatter in the past as a look into the more wider economic situation and issues it may be facing but from the perspective of someone earning a wage and spending that on rent it's pretty similar to a lot of the rest of the world, prices have gone up, wages haven't gone up much but life still goes on. I've been trying to ask about different facets of life here from colleagues to get a better picture on prospects and changes over a wider window but my Chinese limits me a little with that.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentI've heard mixed things about Express but being easy to get without still having a working VPN is a reassuring backup to have in mind. I like to think of myself as fairly level headed and so...I've heard mixed things about Express but being easy to get without still having a working VPN is a reassuring backup to have in mind.
Have fun reading insane takes on what life is like there from westerners who have never stepped foot in the country.
I like to think of myself as fairly level headed and so assumed most of peoples worries were just peoples worries (as with most of my travels this has proved true and the reality on the ground is always fairly chill and safe if you've got some common sense and a willingness to roll with surprises and put yourself out there) but looking back to some of the things said and warned about before I came here from well meaning friends and colleagues has been rather entertaining.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentIf it's anything like the mounds of bureaucratic paperwork that has to be filled in for anything to happen that slows everything down and makes things easy to get lost in the system then the...If it's anything like the mounds of bureaucratic paperwork that has to be filled in for anything to happen that slows everything down and makes things easy to get lost in the system then the surveillance can't be that effective.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentIn the rain/haze of the bigger cities at night (Shanghai recently gave me the vibe of it all quite strongly) it definitely has the aesthetic as well. I don't think so since it's a lot less...In the rain/haze of the bigger cities at night (Shanghai recently gave me the vibe of it all quite strongly) it definitely has the aesthetic as well.
I don't think so since it's a lot less technical these days to get around "your parents" (read: government) firewall. It's installing an app your mate recommended and pressing the button that gets you around it. I might also be in a bit of a bubble but not everyone seems to bother either. People with degrees seem more likely to either for work research or youtube/porn.
I've got a machine outside the network I could give it a go spinning it up on.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentHonestly if the government cares about me then I've fucked up somehow. I'm just a regular immigrant doing my job and not sticking my head above the parapet or doing anything wrong. Sure using a...Honestly if the government cares about me then I've fucked up somehow. I'm just a regular immigrant doing my job and not sticking my head above the parapet or doing anything wrong. Sure using a VPN isn't allowed and all that but they don't enforce that unless they need something to stick you with and if they need that then something else is up.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentHonestly that surprises me. I spent some time in India (New Delhi and nearby cities) a few years ago and got a simcard and phone number just fine from a bloke on the side of the road with an...Honestly that surprises me. I spent some time in India (New Delhi and nearby cities) a few years ago and got a simcard and phone number just fine from a bloke on the side of the road with an airtel stand, he needed my passport to set it up but beyond that it was fine. It might well have changed in the time since I was there but I easily paid cash for everything including restaurants and never needed a phone number for anything beyond phoning/data.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Countdown and launch day in ~games
Tardigrade Link ParentRaid farms were the way to generate them in the past but they reworked it a little in recent updates. I'm sure there's a new and improved method if not just updated raid farms.Raid farms were the way to generate them in the past but they reworked it a little in recent updates. I'm sure there's a new and improved method if not just updated raid farms.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentThanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a go. I've got friends with similar I just don't feel comfortable trusting the free apps either so I've been sticking to "legit" or well known enough to...Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a go. I've got friends with similar I just don't feel comfortable trusting the free apps either so I've been sticking to "legit" or well known enough to trust paid solutions for now.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentThanks for the info. I've not tried Express so I'll avoid doing so. I did manage to get a refund for one of the providers but it was in the first 14 days so I think that was the only reason.Thanks for the info. I've not tried Express so I'll avoid doing so. I did manage to get a refund for one of the providers but it was in the first 14 days so I think that was the only reason.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentWireguard and OpenVPN do both work but using publicly available (paid) VPN providers is a game of whack-a-mole. I've not tried free tiers as I've heard they give worse results and I've not yet...Wireguard and OpenVPN do both work but using publicly available (paid) VPN providers is a game of whack-a-mole. I've not tried free tiers as I've heard they give worse results and I've not yet tried a private tunnel beyond my work one. The caveat with the work one is because it's a legit govt approved one it allows me to access work services and servers but it has the same web blocking as not using a VPN.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentHonestly I don't feel very qualified to give a boots on the ground description. I'm here for work and not here for as long as I'd like to be as there's so much to see and do. I wouldn't exactly...Honestly I don't feel very qualified to give a boots on the ground description. I'm here for work and not here for as long as I'd like to be as there's so much to see and do. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a tourist but I'm also not here long enough to call myself an immigrant either. Caveats aside:
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It's a completely different tech paradigm to western europe. It's functionally cashless with a duopoly of payment apps and if you can't get those to work you're up a creek without a paddle. Sure if you're a tourist and sticking to the main tourist areas you'll probably be fine with cash but a lot of places you wont be.
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Back to those apps, they define digital life. Sure you're using an android or apple phone but in reality you're using the WeChat and AliPay apps for most things. They have sub apps in a similar way to electron. It's accessed through QR codes. I've never scanned this many QR codes in my life before. Everything from booking the train to booking a museum to paying the local corner shop is done with a QR code embedded in a website or printed. Paying money to friends is also done within these apps and all the banks of course have their own mini programs similar to online banking.
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I speak awful Chinese. This is a major stumbling block in a way that it isn't in other countries. I'll admit with English as my first language to being blessed with the default second language when I travel and for using local websites and programs. In China however this isn't the case and it's a mixed bag whether you can auto translate using WeChat. AliPay mini programs are more reliably translated by AliPay but WeChat can only autotranslate if it is a website and those are the minority. For all of the little programs from the washing machine to the checkout apps (a lot of shops require you to use their miniapp at the checkout) they're all in Chinese and all the prompts are in Chinese in the app. It's a major stumbling block that I'm rapidly getting better at but if I had two phones (to use the camera translate program) or a reliable mobile data vpn (to use google lens on the screen) I could do it all a little quicker.
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You've got to get comfortable with everywhere having all your details. Everywhere. Your identity is tied to your mobile phone number (a side point, you need a Chinese number to use most things which is rather unlike most other Countries that just let you use any number from anywhere) and most places you book or try to interact with will require your phone number and or passport number.
I'll add anything else I can think of later.
Thanks for link to Zerotier, I've have to look into it. I was considering teamviewer or something similar for a while but the latency put me off it and a VLAN is a pretty good alternative.
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Comment on Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall? in ~tech
Tardigrade Link ParentIt's weirdly similar to bump keys and such. You've got a bunch in your bag and keep trying until one clicks. It'd be nice to have an automated tool for that but I can only think of autohotkey...It's weirdly similar to bump keys and such. You've got a bunch in your bag and keep trying until one clicks. It'd be nice to have an automated tool for that but I can only think of autohotkey since you've got to try multiple protocols as well as providers.
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Any other Tildes users posting from within the great firewall?
It's nice having english language forums that don't require a vpn to access. Anyone got any other suggestions and any recommendations for vpns that work on mobile data reliably? I've found PIA,...
It's nice having english language forums that don't require a vpn to access. Anyone got any other suggestions and any recommendations for vpns that work on mobile data reliably? I've found PIA, Nord, and Proton to not work but Surfshark does for now if intermittently (more reliably on wifi).
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Countdown and launch day in ~games
Tardigrade Link ParentIf you mean as a payment for each use I can see that price being high enough but if it's the cost to build one then I think late game that's rather cheap and easy.If you mean as a payment for each use I can see that price being high enough but if it's the cost to build one then I think late game that's rather cheap and easy.
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Comment on Gladiator II | Official trailer in ~movies
Tardigrade Link ParentIt uses it quite a lot for the dance scenes. They've seen quite a bit of reuse in weddings and similar events as background music or waiting music in the UK at least.I've heard Bridgerton uses Vitamin String Quartet pieces a bit, which are all contemporary songs rearranged for a string quartet.
It uses it quite a lot for the dance scenes. They've seen quite a bit of reuse in weddings and similar events as background music or waiting music in the UK at least.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Returning blockier than ever on Friday July 12th (1.21 update) in ~games
Tardigrade LinkTrying to remember from being a casual observer last time. What sort of lifetime was there for the server overall? I'm deployed for another two months but would love to join then if I'm not too...Trying to remember from being a casual observer last time. What sort of lifetime was there for the server overall? I'm deployed for another two months but would love to join then if I'm not too late to the party.
There's a lot of people disagreeing with you here and I don't want to pretend I don't disagree either but I do appreciate you taking the time to write your thoughts out cause I feel like it's better to actually have discussions with disagreeing positions than it is to entirely all just be echoing each others thoughts and for those who disagree to just not comment at all.