TheD00d's recent activity

  1. Comment on Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex? in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    And I mean, if the binary choice is between Kagi whom as far as I can tells worst sin was getting some Yandex dough and Google. I mean... I think it would be a pretty obvious choice. I could list...
    • Exemplary

    And I mean, if the binary choice is between Kagi whom as far as I can tells worst sin was getting some Yandex dough and Google. I mean... I think it would be a pretty obvious choice.

    I could list all of the insanely sketchy/unethical stuff Google has done but we'd be here for a minute. I mean Project Nimbus is one that comes to mind. But so far Google has a much worse track record compared to Kagi.

    I guess it depends, but honestly I wouldn't let perfection get in the way of just trying to be better.

    14 votes
  2. Comment on What moderate countries are left to emigrate to? in ~travel

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    This is somewhat related, but Scotland was one of my favorite places I've ever been. I have never been to random pub in any other place in tbe world, met some nice locals, get called a cunt and we...

    This is somewhat related, but Scotland was one of my favorite places I've ever been. I have never been to random pub in any other place in tbe world, met some nice locals, get called a cunt and we are all laughing about it.

    Scotland was actually where my wife and I are considering moving. I work in IT - do you know of any resources that i can read up on for possibly migrating?

    Irn-bru and Buckfast are also incredible.

    5 votes
  3. Comment on US election results (other than presidential) thread in ~society

    TheD00d
    Link
    Ohio continues to just disappoint me more and more. We could have fixed our shitty gerrymandering problem with Issue 1. But the asshats at the top changed the language to make it so incredibly...

    Ohio continues to just disappoint me more and more. We could have fixed our shitty gerrymandering problem with Issue 1. But the asshats at the top changed the language to make it so incredibly confusing to the aver voter that its not a surprise that it did not pass. We also lost Sherrod Brown - who was such a goddamn fine Ohioan its an absolute fucking shame.

    Local democrats really need to do some soul searching - get out of their focus groups and actually talk to working class folks.

    31 votes
  4. Comment on Non-college educated White men used to be ahead in the American economy. Now they’ve fallen behind. in ~finance

    TheD00d
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    The first video you posted was the one that immediately came to my mind. I legitimately did not know if it was a real ad or fake. But again, I get the point, but I'm going to go out on a limb and...

    The first video you posted was the one that immediately came to my mind. I legitimately did not know if it was a real ad or fake. But again, I get the point, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say most guys on the fence about voting for Harris probably is not going to swayed by an ad like that. But also, the tongue and cheek nature is probably off putting to some guys as well. Reminds me of the weird Gillette ad from a few years back. Anyway!

    The most recent example I can think of is from when I watched parts of the rally with Michelle Obama the other day. I think she was in Detroit? Not sure. But she was essentially making the case for Harris because of how reproductive rights impacted women and how it affects men. Which again, I get. It's important. However the voter block they are trying to persuade, probably isn't going to land with them. But if you tried telling them how Harris will improve their lives with %XYZ% and how that might like lower healthcare costs, improve housing costs or increase manufacturing etc. As some folks have said earlier, most of the Harris ads seemed to not really address any issues facing men. Focusing on real policy might reasonate better. Again, just speculation from my end.

    12 votes
  5. Comment on Non-college educated White men used to be ahead in the American economy. Now they’ve fallen behind. in ~finance

    TheD00d
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Best we can do is play Madden. While I appreciate the attempt this absolutely reads like out-of-touch campaign manager thought "How can we reach the boys? Oh they like football and video games!"...

    It'd probably be easier to win over lower class white men if most liberal ad campaigns directed at them didn't boil down to"Men, we know you guys suck; you're racist, sexist, rapists... but consider doing something good for once in your life and vote blue"

    Best we can do is play Madden. While I appreciate the attempt this absolutely reads like out-of-touch campaign manager thought "How can we reach the boys? Oh they like football and video games!"

    Jokes aside, I do agree. I would like to preface this with I'm a man, I'm highly educated (but still stupid) and I'm voting for Kamala - but like all they need to do to win male voters over is just make good policies that will actually help working class people instead of fixating on the "Trump bad" stuff. That's not going to work.

    29 votes
  6. Comment on US Senate investigation into Medicare and Medicaid insurance providers finds they are using "AI" to deny care in ~society

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    But we need to think about corporate profits! Kidding. Could not agree more. As someone who has worked in a number of non-clinical healthcare and health IT roles. It's INSANE the amount of...

    But we need to think about corporate profits!

    Kidding. Could not agree more. As someone who has worked in a number of non-clinical healthcare and health IT roles. It's INSANE the amount of "bureaucrats" and "admins" that exist for essentially no reason but to support the broken healthcare system.

    For example - I worked for an HIE (Health Information Exchange) these types of orgs were created as a result of the US HITECH act. Essentially it forced electronic health records (something pretty new at the time) to be more portable and interoperable with other healthcare orgs and software. We had an initiative to collect payment information from all of the insurers on the different procedures and then provide that information to hospitals to allow for more effective pricing. Well it ran for a few years, we correlated all of this data and when we were going to publish it, all of the insurance providers did not renew their contracts with us. Huge portion of the business gone - why? Insurance companies got wise to what was going to happen so they pulled the plug. Since we lost the contract half of the company got laid off (myself included) and the business ended up getting consolidated into another.

    The US healthcare system is a broken nightmare of red tape and deception.

    4 votes
  7. Comment on US Senate investigation into Medicare and Medicaid insurance providers finds they are using "AI" to deny care in ~society

    TheD00d
    Link
    Some highlights - Between 2019 and 2022, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS each denied prior authorization requests for post-acute care at far higher rates than they did for other types of care,...

    Some highlights -

    • Between 2019 and 2022, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS each denied prior authorization
      requests for post-acute care at far higher rates than they did for other types of care, resulting in
      diminished access to post-acute care for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
    • One program that CVS developed suggested the company should focus on cases it
      assigned “a significant probability to be denied
    • In a May 2019 presentation, CVS determined that it had saved more than $660
      million the previous year by denying prior authorizations requests its Medicare
      Advantage beneficiaries submitted for inpatient facilities. A majority of these savings
      came from “denied admissions.”

    My personal favorite, which tells me everything we need to know -

    CVS’s testing of a predictive model for inpatient admissions for the company’s
    Medicare Advantage beneficiaries showed that a model built to “Maximize Approvals”
    jeopardized profits by approving too many cases the company felt should be denied.

    Now I understand the scope of this investigation is limited to Medicare and Medicaid Advantage insurers but if this is what is being done on the "public" (I know its not really public) side of insurance, I cannot even begin to imagine what might be going on in the private side.

    Have you been denied an insurance claim and want to appeal? Fight fire with fire (and "AI") Fight Health Insurance and improve your chances!

    29 votes
  8. Comment on Inside the TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I feel like this happens with so many popular "platforms" and social media sites. It starts off kind of small, eventually gets huge and people find ways to abuse others on the platform and then...

    I feel like this happens with so many popular "platforms" and social media sites. It starts off kind of small, eventually gets huge and people find ways to abuse others on the platform and then some external investigation kicks off a firestorm of interal review.

    Kinda like when people found out terrorists groups were greenlit for ad revenue on YouTube. It really makes me doubt any of these companies have any serious or useful internal auditing or moderation units.

    17 votes
  9. Comment on Dogs bring loads of joy but also perils on a leash in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link
    I can honestly say I'm not surprised. My parents, god bless them, are getting older and more fragile. Purchased a relatively common breed (Doodle) but she is larger and stronger than I think my...

    I can honestly say I'm not surprised. My parents, god bless them, are getting older and more fragile. Purchased a relatively common breed (Doodle) but she is larger and stronger than I think my mother could handle - all it takes is one good yank and she could absolutely topple my mother over. I've seen it happen before. Thankfully not that serious.

    Also, my neighbors - very nice people and great dog owners. Have a St. Bernard and a Bernese Mountain dog. Both have been through a lot of training and both very well behaved. They walk their dogs often! Usually together. However one time I saw her walk both of them at the same time. Note she might be one of the smallest women I have ever seen. Never thought that was a good idea.

    Well one time I saw her in boot and asked what happened. She explained both dogs saw a squirrel or a neighborhood cat and just took off and dragged her. She ended up messing up her foot for a few weeks.

    So please if you are considering a dog. Don't just consider one you like the look of, make sure you get training or at minimum a dog you would be able to physically handle. Double plus if you got to a dog park. I've seen a number of small sized people not being able to physically restrain their dogs when they get aggressive at the dog park. That's not a good situation to be in.

    24 votes
  10. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I think this also makes the most sense given most of the Midwestern states had a lot of German immigrants. I'm in southern Ohio and during September and October I always see a decent amount of...

    I think this also makes the most sense given most of the Midwestern states had a lot of German immigrants. I'm in southern Ohio and during September and October I always see a decent amount of German flags celebrating Oktoberfest. Not sure if just having a trump flag and a German one is a dog whistle.

    1 vote
  11. Comment on Which debut albums from the 2020s do you recommend? in ~music

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    The new fred again.. album is so insanely good. Fred was never on my radar. A few months ago I heard leavemealone and thought it was good. Then out of nowhere YouTube recommended me his rooftop...

    The new fred again.. album is so insanely good. Fred was never on my radar. A few months ago I heard leavemealone and thought it was good. Then out of nowhere YouTube recommended me his rooftop set.

    Ten days has been a daily listen for me. I listen to that song doing anything. Reviewing code? Fo show. Running? Most definitely. Dishes?! Makes them get done faster.

    3 votes
  12. Comment on Are mandatory arbitration agreements the new normal? in ~talk

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Car dealerships with arbitration clauses?! I hope you walked out - that's just gross.

    Car dealerships with arbitration clauses?! I hope you walked out - that's just gross.

    4 votes
  13. Comment on Chick-Fil-A hatches plans for streaming service as reality TV comes home to roost in ~tv

    TheD00d
    Link
    I mean in my mind it's pretty odd that Chick-fil-A is entering the streaming game. But if there is a restaurant company that could make it happen. My money would be on Chick-fil-A. Based solely on...

    I mean in my mind it's pretty odd that Chick-fil-A is entering the streaming game. But if there is a restaurant company that could make it happen. My money would be on Chick-fil-A. Based solely on this article it sounds like the technical team there knows what they are doing.

    7 votes
  14. Comment on Kevin Magnussen has insisted he has no regrets over his "wild" and "exciting" return to Formula 1 as he nears the end of his time with Haas in ~sports.motorsports

    TheD00d
    Link
    Makes me sad. I love watching Kmag race. The man is not afraid to fight, defend or have a race with anyone. My man always makes the midfield more interesting to watch. Kevin, when you go out on...

    Makes me sad. I love watching Kmag race. The man is not afraid to fight, defend or have a race with anyone. My man always makes the midfield more interesting to watch.

    Kevin, when you go out on your last race, crash into everyone so Nico can get his pole - deal?

    5 votes
  15. Comment on I worked for Mr Beast, he's a sociopath in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I've said this before and I mean, I know I am being cynic. I don't really think the man has changed. I never got into his content because I couldn't stand the profanity and the "edge". This whole...

    I've said this before and I mean, I know I am being cynic. I don't really think the man has changed. I never got into his content because I couldn't stand the profanity and the "edge". This whole exercise of removing his old content just seems like an attempt to salvage his image after making it big and making loads of cash.

    4 votes
  16. Comment on SpaceTraders — A unique multiplayer game built on a free Web API in ~comp

    TheD00d
    Link
    I love this. I'm not a dev or even a programmer but I just dipped my toes into API work with postman this last week. This is perfect to help me learn!

    I love this. I'm not a dev or even a programmer but I just dipped my toes into API work with postman this last week. This is perfect to help me learn!

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Get roasted based on your Github username and public contributions in ~comp

    TheD00d
    Link
    I legit snorted when I put my GH name is. I have a repo called PowerShell Digital Forensic and the roaster called it a "PowerShell Dutch Oven, all hot air and no substance". It called me mediocre...

    I legit snorted when I put my GH name is. I have a repo called PowerShell Digital Forensic and the roaster called it a "PowerShell Dutch Oven, all hot air and no substance".

    It called me mediocre and that I should go back to my high school tech club.

    3 votes
  18. Comment on Intel is laying off over 15,000 employees and will stop ‘non-essential work’ in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link
    And don't forget - Intel got 8.5 Billion dollars in direct funding from my pocket and yours. These companies all fucking suck and will take your money in one hand and fire your ass with the other....

    And don't forget - Intel got 8.5 Billion dollars in direct funding from my pocket and yours.

    These companies all fucking suck and will take your money in one hand and fire your ass with the other.

    At this point. I would not be surprised if they got acquired by Nvidia. God help us all.

    17 votes
  19. Comment on Elon Musk says he’s moving SpaceX and X from California to Texas, blames new trans privacy law in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    IIRC most of the engineering folks stayed in California. The people who moved were mostly biznizz peeps.

    IIRC most of the engineering folks stayed in California. The people who moved were mostly biznizz peeps.

    7 votes