UniquelyGeneric's recent activity
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Comment on Man sets himself on fire near courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial (gifted link) in ~news
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Comment on Man sets himself on fire near courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial (gifted link) in ~news
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI saw a guy holding a “Ponzi Papers” protest sign walking through Washington Square Park earlier this week. If it wasn’t the same guy, then he has at least one follower, which is disconcerting. I...I saw a guy holding a “Ponzi Papers” protest sign walking through Washington Square Park earlier this week. If it wasn’t the same guy, then he has at least one follower, which is disconcerting.
I had been outside the courthouse for Trump’s initial arraignment for this hush-money case, and the park had so many wild protestors who had come out of the woodwork for the event. A person dressed as a pile of shit holding a sign with indecipherable screed, a black woman who painted herself white sexually harassing the pro-Trump protestors, a guy in a banana costume, and many other political factions waving their various flags.
It seems the circus these events have become attracts the people on the fringe including the mentally ill. They don’t even need to be directly addressing the court case itself, just taking advantage of the limelight. Perhaps even the media coverage itself is introducing people to these fringe views, furthering radicalization.
I’m not sure what the solution is, but I’m not looking forward to the run up to the election this November as tensions will certainly be ramped up.
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Comment on There used to be a people’s bank at the US Post Office in ~finance
UniquelyGeneric (edited )LinkFor reference, the initial deposit limit is ~$16K today, and the expansion became ~$52K. The data last collected by the Federal Reserve in 2019 places the US average household savings at $41,600,...The system could operate “only in designated post offices, redeposit its funds in existing banks, and pay a noncompetitive 2 percent interest rate,” Shaw writes. There was also a $500 deposit ceiling.
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Ferocious opposition by bankers, however, prevented such expansion, except for an increase in the deposit ceiling to $2,500 in 1918.
For reference, the initial deposit limit is ~$16K today, and the expansion became ~$52K.
The data last collected by the Federal Reserve in 2019 places the US average household savings at $41,600, with a median at $5,300. This implies that the vast majority of Americans could be serviced by the Postal Savings System’s initial configurations (adjusted for inflation). It’s also likely those numbers are more optimistic than more recent studies suggest.
The 2% interest rate is also something unheard of today as most savings accounts offer 0.5% at best, putting high yield savings accounts aside (which most poor Americans wouldn’t use anyways). People probably shouldn’t use a savings account as an investment vehicle, but it’s hard to argue against the security of a government-backed bank.
I’m a big fan of the US Postal Service and I despise the constant attempts to make it unprofitable as a way to justify the privatization of it. It provides better services than its private counterparts (e.g. true last-mile delivery, PO Boxes, Informed Delivery), and has a crazy cheap cost (the recent stamp increase to 73¢ is still far cheaper than every alternative), especially given its connection to the global Express Mail Service Cooperative (servicing 180 countries).
The idea that Republicans bandy about, that we should disband one of the fundamental services baked into the US Constitution (due to Ben Franklin, nonetheless), is abhorrent to me. It’s arguable that the USPS’s ubiquity and government backing is what powered the US’s prominence as information needed to travel at an increasing pace on the run up to the Information Age we currently live in.
This banking “side-gig” also seems to have supported Americans during a period that had the most economic strife as well. I’m all for bringing it back, and the cursory research I did to write this comment has only solidified my opinion that the USPS is a net-benefit to society, and can do even more if we just don’t let private interests get in the way.
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Comment on What's something you've been mulling over recently? in ~talk
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI also compulsively bring a steam deck on flights. What I noticed really improved my experience (and allowed me to play more than 30 mins before giving it up), was to use a stand and a controller....I also compulsively bring a steam deck on flights. What I noticed really improved my experience (and allowed me to play more than 30 mins before giving it up), was to use a stand and a controller.
I got a 3D printed stand off Etsy (with an external battery attachment), and I prefer a DualSense controller. Add on noise-cancelling headphones and you can really mentally exit the airplane experience without needing a Vision Pro.
Late at night it would be nicer to have an OLED screen to dim some of the brightness, but I’m usually sleeping on those flights anyways. Removing the discomfort of holding the steam deck at a low angle made the most difference. I’ve seen “clip your tablet here” type seatbacks, and that would be ideal with my setup to have the steam deck at eye-height.
When I travel with my girlfriend we can kill an hour playing a coop game by using the kickstand on a single person’s tray table and sharing headphones (pairing two Bluetooth headsets is more troublesome on Linux). We each have a separate controller and it’s fun to play a split-screen platformer like It Takes Two or Sackboy given the screen size.
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Comment on Jon Stewart on the false promises of AI in ~tech
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentStewart’s interview later that episode was with FTC Chair, Lina Khan, where he lays into Big Tech and consolidation of corporate powers to the consumer-antagonistic oligopolies we see today. He...Stewart’s interview later that episode was with FTC Chair, Lina Khan, where he lays into Big Tech and consolidation of corporate powers to the consumer-antagonistic oligopolies we see today. He links this to his earlier segment by claiming that the AI being let run rampant and acquired by the same Big Tech players today will only entrench their power over us as they realize the gains of productivity while using anti-competitive behavior to squeeze consumers and businesses alike.
Ultimately he does point a finger at Bezos, but in a comedic comparison to Lex Luthor, rather than the main focus of his ire.
I do think he’s aware of worker exploitation, but on such a broad topic of anti-trust enforcement there’s only so much he could cover in the interview timed-bound for TV. He even admits that he wishes he could keep Lina Khan as a permanent guest to continue the conversation.
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Comment on Nobody warned electric vehicle owners how quickly they would burn through tires in ~transport
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI rented a Tesla for the first time a month ago (not by choice, it was the “mystery car” cheapest option next to a pickup truck…a comparison worthy of its own discussion another day I’m sure). It...I rented a Tesla for the first time a month ago (not by choice, it was the “mystery car” cheapest option next to a pickup truck…a comparison worthy of its own discussion another day I’m sure).
It being my first time in a “factory reset” Tesla and I was surprised how much torque is allowed in the default mode. “Chill mode” was far more inline to how I drive ICE vehicles (as an admitted New Yorker who drives rarely).
I feel like if “chill mode” was actually the default we’d have many more Tesla owner’s treating their daily commute with a “Sunday drive” mentality rather than the perceived hyper aggressiveness they seem to impose on the road due to over-powered acceleration.
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Comment on The Abilene Paradox in ~life
UniquelyGeneric LinkReading HN (sorry for linking a comment, I hit a paywall on the actual article), I saw a study referenced that feels like exactly this phenomena: that students would prefer to collectively be off...Reading HN (sorry for linking a comment, I hit a paywall on the actual article), I saw a study referenced that feels like exactly this phenomena: that students would prefer to collectively be off of social media, but in practice they are all actively on it even though they know it’s a detriment to their mental health.
This feels like a form of the prisoner’s dilemma: there’s a clear Pareto optimum, but due to the nature of FOMO everyone makes the collective result worse for each other.
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Comment on You don't need to document everything in ~tech
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentMy problem with this is when you get caught in an infinite scroll of all your photos looking for the specific event you’re talking about. It’s an awkward pause as I’m now distracted, frantically...My problem with this is when you get caught in an infinite scroll of all your photos looking for the specific event you’re talking about.
It’s an awkward pause as I’m now distracted, frantically going through a variety of photos (my girlfriend will stop at a few random photos along the way and make pit stop in conversation…sometimes losing the original search in the process), and I usually fumble trying to keep the conversation flowing to fill the void.
Sometimes I eventually find the perfect pic to showcase what I was describing, but many times I give up the search and tell the other person “I’ll have to show you later.” There is no later, and I think the story would have been better suited to just have maintained eye contact and relied on my description before getting hopes up.
It’s this image search, eyes glued to my phone while talking to someone in real life that also seems to pull you out of the moment. Doesn’t even have to be a photo I’ve taken, sometimes it’s a google search that I just can’t find the right query terms to relocate a specific meme. It’s frustrating, but it makes me wonder if there will soon be AI assistants to perform this tedious task and free my attention to continue engaging in meat space.
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Comment on A new service is trying to fight California's loneliness epidemic in ~life
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentMy girlfriend made a good friend off of Bumble BFF after moving to a new city, albeit after multiple other failed attempts through the same app. I personally used a short-lived app, Party With a...My girlfriend made a good friend off of Bumble BFF after moving to a new city, albeit after multiple other failed attempts through the same app.
I personally used a short-lived app, Party With a Local, that had a brief heyday in NYC. The concept was for tourists who wanted to be guided to more authentic bars by someone willing to explore and provide conversation. I’ve only made a single long-term friend out of the dozens of people I met on that app, though.
I definitely think there’s a market for a matching service for hanging out in-person, but there’s definitely a similar dynamic to dating where you may not vibe with the stranger once you finally meet them.
Pre-pandemic I attended Meetups (the company) with a friend but they tended to attract the more socially inept, which made for awkward conversations. During the pandemic I had considered doing an NYC Reddit meetup, but got scared away by friends alluding to stereotypes of the “average redditor.” Industry networking events usually had more socially capable participants, but they were also a little too much Type A go-getters who use you for their career/LinkedIn rather than seeking real connections. At least the booze tends to be free at those events :)
If I had to design an app/service suited for the type of friend-seeking that the article is about, I think I would try to pair groups of 3-4 to enable better chances of a connection being made (and to save the awkwardness of two people reaching a lull in conversation). I’d also make the service take care of the event organization by suggesting a venue & time based on previously provided availabilities and geographic preferences(à la Bounce. Throw in some conversation starters (à la Omegle, RIP) and it should be enough to get most people engaged.
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Comment on Once more with feeling: Banning TikTok is unconstitutional and won’t do shit to deal with any actual threats in ~tech
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentNot a developer but I deal with cross-platform data privacy and apps certainly have more access to device data than a website accessed via a browser does. Even if the sandboxed apps and...Not a developer but I deal with cross-platform data privacy and apps certainly have more access to device data than a website accessed via a browser does.
Even if the sandboxed apps and consent-managed APIs limit what’s accessible to an app developer, there’s always a risk of a zero-day exploit that Apple/Google are unaware of. Given that state-level actors are the main driver behind this legislation, this seems a reasonable concern.
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Comment on An influential economics forum has a troubling surplus of trolls in ~finance
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI forget where online I read this take, but it seems to ring true any time I see the disconnect between economic models and reality. Behavioral economics (as referenced in another comment)...Economics is an ideology masquerading as a science.
I forget where online I read this take, but it seems to ring true any time I see the disconnect between economic models and reality.
Behavioral economics (as referenced in another comment) attempts to address this issue head-on, but is more limited to microeconomics than macro, imho.
Keynes, Friedman, and even Adam Smith himself all seem to subscribe to this romanticization of macroeconomics as a theory for everything, when the reality seems to be more messy.
The Black-Scholes model became a self-fulfilling prophecy in my opinion due to the incompetence of financial analysts’ ability for truly independent analysis (and greed was probably another driver).
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Comment on Restaurant advice Astoria, Queens, NYC in ~travel
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI second Astoria seafood! A little intimidating at first, but quite casual. Byob if you wanted to pair the meal with any drinks.I second Astoria seafood! A little intimidating at first, but quite casual. Byob if you wanted to pair the meal with any drinks.
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Comment on Restaurant advice Astoria, Queens, NYC in ~travel
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentHere's some of the best dinners I've had in NYC: One Fifth Greenwich Village. Italian. Excellent service. Old New York vibes. Reasonably upscale food and ambience without breaking the bank....Here's some of the best dinners I've had in NYC:
- One Fifth
- Greenwich Village. Italian. Excellent service. Old New York vibes. Reasonably upscale food and ambience without breaking the bank. In-house gelateria. Extensive Amaro selection if you want to try unique flavors without drinking a ton. Been here multiple times with my girlfriend and always had a good time. Based on your preferences, this is my primary suggestion.
- Gramercy Tavern
- Gramercy. New American. From Danny Meyer of Eleven Madison fame. Make sure to book the Dining Room for a more intimate and upscaled experience. I did the prix fixe dinner menu along with the wine pairing for a special occasion and it was probably the best meal I've ever had. Since price is a constraint, there are a la carte options.
- One if by Land, Two if by Sea
- Greenwich Village. American. 3 or 7-course prix fixe. Live piano jazz music. One of the most romantic venues in NYC, known for many proposals happening here. Definitely on the pricier end, but worth a mention.
Honorable mention:
- Flatiron Room
- NoMad. New American. Live jazz and Old New York ambience. Very much a whiskey and cocktails joint, but has fine dining, too. Not as pretentious as it sounds, but the burger on the menu is $29 so it's not plebeian either.
Also, my two cents: avoid Hudson Yards entirely. It's a capitalist hellhole with nothing but office buildings and luxury apartments you can't enter, surrounded by an overpriced mall. Its centerpiece is the suicide shawarma. It's difficult to get to, so if you want to experience a soulless part of the city as a tourist there's plenty more readily accessible in midtown. If you want luxury shopping just do Fifth Avenue. IMHO, you'd be wasting your time otherwise.
- One Fifth
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Comment on Is an ethical social media platform even possible? in ~tech
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI have tried multiple times to simultaneously post listings on both Craigslist and FB Marketplace to increase my chances at finding a buyer. Both times FB Marketplace actually led me to a sale....I have tried multiple times to simultaneously post listings on both Craigslist and FB Marketplace to increase my chances at finding a buyer. Both times FB Marketplace actually led me to a sale.
One time I listed a piano keyboard on Craigslist at a certain price point, but in the description I said I had some accessories I was willing to sell at an additional cost. Some Craigslist warrior reported my listing because it didn’t include the full cost upfront I suppose. That post was taken down within 30 minutes of its posting. Meanwhile on FB Marketplace, I immediately got an interested buyer who negotiated the price to include the accessories anyways. I didn’t mind the negotiation because it was a parent gifting a present for her child, which was relatively straightforward to confirm from her FB profile.
The other situation involved selling a bike where FB Marketplace gave yet another immediate response and I never got any bite from Craigslist.
As much as I absolutely despise having to be a FB user to enable the above, it was undeniably more effective. I used to hate that FB was the only method for planning events, but Partiful has been conveniently filling that gap. I’m not sure if there’s a better marketplace app that conveys the same level of user trust as FB Marketplace, but Craigslist has certainly gone downhill from it’s all-purpose listing service to a more sketchy corner of the web.
I had a dinner chat earlier tonight specifically about how most of Craigslist’s main features have been replicated by tech companies these days (i.e. AirBnB, Indeed, FB Marketplace, dating apps). Perhaps the masses are just easily swayed by a pretty UI and a marketing budget, but that strategy has consistently been eating Web 1.0’s lunch for the past 10+ years.
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Comment on How to avoid making other people angry on the internet in ~tech
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentUsing some antiquated third person (e.g. “one does not simply walk through the gates of Mordor”) does not flow with modern English well, and perhaps because the statements it makes can be...Using some antiquated third person (e.g. “one does not simply walk through the gates of Mordor”) does not flow with modern English well, and perhaps because the statements it makes can be interpreted to apply universally.
More effective email writing entails using the passive voice and the “royal we”. I can imagine that using an unqualified “you” could lead to misunderstandings and inadvertent confrontation.
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Comment on Category 6 hurricanes have arrived in ~enviro
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentJust experienced the “atmospheric river” that flowed across Southern California. Having grown up there it was the most rain I’ve ever seen there in my life (the historic record rainfall measured...Just experienced the “atmospheric river” that flowed across Southern California. Having grown up there it was the most rain I’ve ever seen there in my life (the historic record rainfall measured in downtown LA confirms this).
It made me painfully aware of how unequipped the paved sprawl is to handle any significant rainfall (and how inexperienced many LA drivers are for flood-like conditions).
Generally climate change will make SoCal dryer, but maybe it will also make rain events more intense and clustered. My friend who lives there said he had never heard of an atmospheric river before and now he had experienced it twice in a month.
Winds toppled down trees, but weren’t even that intense (20-30mph at worst). It’s a mixture of saturated soil and shallow roots, perhaps, but I think I agree with the premise that the flooding is worse than the wind.
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Comment on Over two percent of the US’s electricity generation now goes to bitcoin in ~enviro
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI think Bitcoin (vs cryptocurrencies in general) warrants somewhat more scrutiny than other economic activity that actually produces inherent value (e.g. multimedia content from your provided...I think Bitcoin (vs cryptocurrencies in general) warrants somewhat more scrutiny than other economic activity that actually produces inherent value (e.g. multimedia content from your provided examples).
In the 15 years of its existence, BTC encroached on 2% of the US electricity usage. The overall US use of electricity has remained relatively flat during that time period.
Are we expected to allow Bitcoin to become 4% of electricity usage in another 10-15 years? When does it stop? ETH proved a transition to PoS is possible in 2022, cutting 99% of electricity usage, so why can’t BTC be required to reduce emissions in the same way?
bitcoin isn’t going away
Drug addiction, prostitution, gambling, gun ownership, and alcohol are clearly not going away any time soon, either. Generally providing a legal yet very regulated pathway to using these vices has historically proven a better policy than banning them outright. BTC proponents want to break rules and not answer to any laws…at some point it will have to at least succumb to the laws of physics (you can’t grow exponentially forever). If we’re going to accept that it’s here to stay, we should strive to make it sustainable, which it clearly is not.
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Comment on Has anyone else noticed a difference in their winters? in ~enviro
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentWhile I agree anecdata should be taken with a grain of salt, I have some backed with historical data that makes it feel worse in context. NYC had 1.4 inches of snow 2 weeks ago, ending a 701-day...While I agree anecdata should be taken with a grain of salt, I have some backed with historical data that makes it feel worse in context.
NYC had 1.4 inches of snow 2 weeks ago, ending a 701-day drought of snow, the longest in NYC’s recorded history. That historical record goes back to 1868, over 150 years ago.
If the 1.4 inches is the only snowfall we see this winter, and so far that seems likely, it will be the smallest measured snowfall in NYC’s history. The second lowest snowfall was right before the drought began, at 2.3 inches.
When I first moved to NYC 10 years ago, it snowed by Halloween. These days I’m contemplating getting rid of my snow boots and replacing them with rain boots, since snow boots feel dumb and impractical now.
Last year was NYC’s hottest year (so far), and at one point it had the worst air quality in the world due to the Canadian wildfires. Even though they’re just anecdata, regularly breaking historical records does not feel like a good trend to be living through.
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Comment on Exclusive: Reddit seeks to launch IPO in March in ~finance
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentSo I got hit with the “pardner” block again and did some testing. It appears it’s primarily based on a shared IP getting blocked on “new” Reddit (www subdomain). Using old.reddit will avert the...So I got hit with the “pardner” block again and did some testing. It appears it’s primarily based on a shared IP getting blocked on “new” Reddit (www subdomain). Using old.reddit will avert the block page, and I assume most search engines are serving the www subdomain. Logging in will also avoid future blocks (but not save the IP block if not logged in).
Curiously, switching VPNs also got me around the block. My guess is that it was due to large amount of traffic coming from a shared IP passing some automated threshold at the load balancer. Not quite as spicy as some scheme to track raw IP addresses for advertising purposes, which I guess is a good thing.
I’m not going to move off my preferred VPN over it, just make sure I’m using old Reddit.
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Comment on Exclusive: Reddit seeks to launch IPO in March in ~finance
UniquelyGeneric Link ParentI try to exclusively use old.reddit as well and I want to say that I’ve been hit with the block page with those as well, but I haven’t done extensive testing. The block pages started a few weeks...I try to exclusively use old.reddit as well and I want to say that I’ve been hit with the block page with those as well, but I haven’t done extensive testing.
The block pages started a few weeks ago, and the quickest workaround has been just to turn off my VPN (not a practice I want to get used to).
Next time it happens I might experiment with various logged-in states, old/new reddit, and VPNs to see if I can narrow what signal is triggering the block.
I assume it’s either due to fears of webscraping for AI training, or because they can use real IP addresses for ad monetization. Regardless, it’s degrading my experience and making me want to use reddit even less than I already am, but it’s hard when troubleshooting software problems and reddit has the only relevant discussion for a problem.
Yes! That’s the one! I had the same reaction as you, so I didn’t focus too much on what he looked like, but I want to say he seemed younger/college-aged and so unlikely to be the one who self-immolated.