Tiraon's recent activity
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Comment on Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules in ~tech
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Comment on Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules in ~tech
Tiraon LinkSeems to be the standard of slightly lessening the impact of the changes to reintroduce them later and there aren't much details about the advanced flow or the looser requirements account type. In...Seems to be the standard of slightly lessening the impact of the changes to reintroduce them later and there aren't much details about the advanced flow or the looser requirements account type.
In short a new barrier to installing Google unapproved sw will be added but the ability to decide to install the sw should remain. I guess the impact will depend on the exact flow they will implement.
There will also be an additional account type for low distribution counts with looser requirements.
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Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules
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Comment on Microsoft is adding AI facial recognition to OneDrive and users can only turn it off three times a year in ~tech
Tiraon LinkThe video itself is actually warning against the dangers of hosting your data in the cloud, not having backups and depending on personal account with for profit provider for important data. It...The video itself is actually warning against the dangers of hosting your data in the cloud, not having backups and depending on personal account with for profit provider for important data. It illustrates that mainly by an incident on github.
The single policy for setting ai facial recognition is almost reasonable. Like the author says there are legitimate engineering concerns in letting users change this setting as they want. If it was only possible to turn it on three times a year and the default was off I don't think there would be any story here.
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Comment on The day my smart vacuum turned against me in ~tech
Tiraon LinkSeems pretty standard for an IoT device, what more is there to say? The process of diagnosing and fixing the issue is pretty impressive but also something almost no one will go into. Coincidently...Seems pretty standard for an IoT device, what more is there to say? The process of diagnosing and fixing the issue is pretty impressive but also something almost no one will go into.
Coincidently I recently looked into getting a smart vacuum and the choices are these ones, ultra budget local only ones that don't seem to work that well, trying to find one that can still work fully without internet and Valetudo.
Looking into Valetudo most models require lengthy jailbreaking process usually involving soldering and dissassembly. Like they say on the website it is basically a hobby. It is more than I want to get into simply to get an automated vacuum.
If I happen to find an offer for Roborock S5 as one of the easy models I will probably get it but the main thing I took from that research is that I don't need robot vacuum.
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Comment on Windows 11 videos demonstrating account and hardware requirements bypass purged from YouTube creator's channel in ~tech
Tiraon LinkI didn't see the actual video referenced but it doesn't seem all that likely it was misrepresented by the reporting. If not then there are few things to see here really(and even if yes then these...I didn't see the actual video referenced but it doesn't seem all that likely it was misrepresented by the reporting. If not then there are few things to see here really(and even if yes then these things are still there since it is a long term pattern).
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A normalization of online accounts needed to operate local functionality on owned devices.
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Opaque and arbitrary moderation decisions based on who knows what, meriting zero actual explanation from the platform.
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The likely reliance on "artificial intelligence"(marketing buzzword edition) to make impactful decisions while it is doubtful any human had any direct impact on it.
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Inability to get hold of any customer service representatives at all.
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Stated reason being generic and misrepresentative.
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Defacto monopoly on certain kind of content effectively enabling this kind of thing.
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Complete and utter longterm unwillingness of majority of people to consider alternative platforms and take a temporary hit to convenience now, leading ultimately to this.
As with these kinds of lists I have a feeling I may have forgotten something to add.
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Windows 11 videos demonstrating account and hardware requirements bypass purged from YouTube creator's channel
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Comment on What we talk about when we talk about sideloading in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentThere is not many options outside Android/ios. It is also complicated by the combination of everyone wanting the user to use app instead of website and sometimes adding sw integrity checks into...There is not many options outside Android/ios. It is also complicated by the combination of everyone wanting the user to use app instead of website and sometimes adding sw integrity checks into them specifically expecting Apple/Google approved device.
Additionally a lot of people seems to want to use mobile for general use which I simply don't understand as the experience ranges from horrible to terrible.
Linux phone(I used PinePhone and I think postmarketOS for about a year) was almost enough for using it daily about three years ago. There were hovewer various sw irritants and the hw was not very good, especially the battery life.
I didn't look into Linux phones lately even though I still have the Pinephone but loaded onto a phone with better hw it would probably be perfectly fine. With the large caveat of Android/ios app lock in with insufficient alternatives.
Right now I am thinking that I might alternatively go to Apple if they maintain their current level of how they treat the user.
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Comment on What we talk about when we talk about sideloading in ~tech
Tiraon LinkMobile phones have already been incredibly successful in normalizing that the expensively bought device you use to organize your entire life does not belong to you but to the manufacturer, and in...Mobile phones have already been incredibly successful in normalizing that the expensively bought device you use to organize your entire life does not belong to you but to the manufacturer, and in the case of Android also a random third party that managed to position itself incredibly well since inception.
Root is basically taboo from what I can tell, even though standard Linux manages to make it work perfectly well. Root effectively means that the final authority over the device is the end user instead of the sw maker, that is all.
Loading different software from the stock nag/ad/bloat/telemetryware is also discouraged massively and not very common.
So now there is likely to be forced control over what sw the end user can run and it is honestly not that big of a leap.This is the result of computer literacy being critically low and basically seen as a nerd thing when it is critically important to the long term personal and societal prospects because of the massive importance of computers. If the end user does not care someone else will be really glad to as we are seeing real time.
It is basically impossible to get standard users to care. I assume because the effect is insufficiently visible to the here and now so can this latest restriction even do that?
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Comment on Microsoft's ambitious new Xbox: Your entire Xbox console library, the full power of Windows PC gaming, and no multiplayer paywall in ~games
Tiraon LinkDepending on the details this might not actually be awful but it is to be seen. Biggest cost of consoles is the opportunity cost, they are solid mid range pcs when they come out except the company...Depending on the details this might not actually be awful but it is to be seen.
Biggest cost of consoles is the opportunity cost, they are solid mid range pcs when they come out except the company says no so they can only be used in very limited ways to consume content.
This essentialy being a prebuilt computer with preloaded os and some default sw could eliminate that cost and make it easier to transition away from the console experience if desired.
But it remains seen if it will be locked in some way, as in S mode or similar. Since it will have proprietary components the upgrade potential and Linux compatibility might not be very good.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
Tiraon Link ParentI think that example got a bit away here. I don't consider juicing fruit but it was what I thought a good example for the degrees of effort involved in doing things yourself. Mainly I drink tea,...I think that example got a bit away here. I don't consider juicing fruit but it was what I thought a good example for the degrees of effort involved in doing things yourself.
Mainly I drink tea, water, mineral water and coffee which I should moderate a lot more actually.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
Tiraon Link ParentShould I switch to coca cola then? Fruit juice serves for me the niche of cold sweetened drink. I may reevaluate that based also on your other comment here but I don't feel my usage is high enough...Should I switch to coca cola then? Fruit juice serves for me the niche of cold sweetened drink. I may reevaluate that based also on your other comment here but I don't feel my usage is high enough to do much of anything.
Maybe that example was not the best chosen but yours among other comments here are useful even despite the poor example.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
Tiraon Link ParentTo be honest I used it as a shorthand and use it as heuristic rather than some hard rule. Not all processed food is bad but the likelihood is higher. It could be better than homemade but that is...To be honest I used it as a shorthand and use it as heuristic rather than some hard rule.
Not all processed food is bad but the likelihood is higher. It could be better than homemade but that is not what it is optimized to do.
I am simply tired of having to go out of my way to avoid various foods rich in sugar, marketing and addiction optimization.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
Tiraon Link ParentWhat I mean is basicaly the number and quality of steps that the final product is removed from something grown. I really don't know how to say it better then the example I gave, sorry. Generally...What I mean is basicaly the number and quality of steps that the final product is removed from something grown.
I really don't know how to say it better then the example I gave, sorry. Generally less sugars, less white bread etc.
Basically I am looking for tips to do that while keeping the costs down.
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Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods
A prototypical example of what I am looking for would be fruit juice. Where I am at the only options for something that isn't orange or apple are overpriced lemonades with about thirty to fifty...
A prototypical example of what I am looking for would be fruit juice. Where I am at the only options for something that isn't orange or apple are overpriced lemonades with about thirty to fifty percent fruit content and truly expensive 100% ones.
Usually I simply buy the expensive ones and add 1-2 parts water ending up with better tasting juice at same or less cost.
Another step would be squeezing fresh fruit yourself but that adds time, space, complexity and money costs.
What things can be done in a typical kitchen without buying additional single purpose appliances? Sufficiently multipurpose ones or small tools are fine. Basically I want to reduce the number of steps in which the food is industrially processed.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Tiraon LinkI replayed Colony Ship now that it has been finished a while. There are things to like here but also design decisions that I personally disagree with. They however added difficulty options which...I replayed Colony Ship now that it has been finished a while. There are things to like here but also design decisions that I personally disagree with. They however added difficulty options which is good and mitigates some of the problems I had with it originally.
It is a party or solo RPG with some free choice about how to navigate the encounters. Both non combat and combat playthroughs are possible which is nice.
The tone of the setting is very cynical and I would say nihilistic. It also has a can't do attitude on societal level which I personally don't find very enlightening or helpful.
Related to that is the choice of faction design. Here they are more like a bunch of flaws in a trenchcoat instead of something where you as a player pick based on both flaws and strengths of the faction(this is incidentally also why I didn't even finish Elex since I refused to join any faction there).
The story is also very linear for the developer with main differences being how you do something for who and what optional objectives you can get rather than more extensive branching.
It can also be seen that a lot of care went into the design and balancing but they chose to balance it right to the edge. Both in encounter design and in the skill check based interactions but it is a main area where the difficulty options can moderate the experience based on player preference.
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Comment on How I reversed Amazon's Kindle web obfuscation because their app sucked in ~tech
Tiraon LinkAmazon goes very hard on drm on ebooks generally, including their ebook readers. If this method of getting the books from web works well enough I expect it to get patched out. Personally I view it...Amazon goes very hard on drm on ebooks generally, including their ebook readers. If this method of getting the books from web works well enough I expect it to get patched out.
Personally I view it this way. If I prefered their ereaders(I don't) or didn't consider mobile or desktop a painfully inferior reading experience(I do) they actually provide a solid service. Except that by using it I would lock myself and pay into a system that will get worse on the timescale of years at best. For bonus points they also unilateraly control the so called purchases.
Further pain point is that specifically Kindle that enforces exlusivity is the only option used by most self published authors.
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Comment on Microsoft debuts Copilot Actions for agentic AI-driven Windows tasks in ~tech
Tiraon LinkAlso worth a mention is the linked https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center/security/secure-future-initiative. Its the first time I am reading about this but apparently it was launched in 2023.Also worth a mention is the linked https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center/security/secure-future-initiative. Its the first time I am reading about this but apparently it was launched in 2023.
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Microsoft debuts Copilot Actions for agentic AI-driven Windows tasks
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Microsoft warns that Windows 10 reaches end of support today
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I view it less as the burden for the developer and more as someone inserting themselves into the usage of my device.
Yes they already do it but this is the next step that would have real implications of how an Android phone can be used at all. It is also further normalization of some random third party unilaterally dictating how the end user is allowed to use their property.
In the original plan the user would have zero options to install something not Google approved on the phone's original os using only the phone.