V17's recent activity
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Comment on In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud in ~tech
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Comment on In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud in ~tech
V17 Link ParentBecause the experience is that much better. It's a different world. But it's possible and better to start small - headphones or especially in-ears can sometimes be bought really cheaply if you...If I can enjoy 96 kbps MP3 over shitty speakers, why would I spend thousands upon thousands on equipment to ruin that experience?
Because the experience is that much better. It's a different world. But it's possible and better to start small - headphones or especially in-ears can sometimes be bought really cheaply if you know what you're doing and fix their frequency response with EQ. Headphones are always a compromise though, and speakers cost more, but even there the prices fell sharply in the last decade. Some studio monitors for less than 500 USD can be pretty great.
Unfortunately the difference between 500 USD studio monitors and good 6k USD hifi loudspeakers is also pretty big and clearly audible for a normal person without hearing damage. But the fact is that you can get actual, real hifi sound for sub 500 USD, and okay sound for even lower, that wasn't a thing 15 years a go and it's pretty great.
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Comment on In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud in ~tech
V17 Link ParentWell to be faaaaaaair you really do start hearing when something is a bad recording much more with good quality audio. Things you had no idea existed are suddenly obvious. I think every audiophile...Well to be faaaaaaair you really do start hearing when something is a bad recording much more with good quality audio. Things you had no idea existed are suddenly obvious. I think every audiophile needs to go through a phase in which they decide whether they prefer listening to music for the music or to be impressed by the realism and acoustic illusion. The latter is sometimes mockingly called "listening to equipment", and this is true in some cases, but I think that enjoying a mindblowingly realistic acoustic illusion with nice music can be great on its own and shouldn't be mocked. I like both of those approaches.
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Comment on In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud in ~tech
V17 Link ParentIt's worth adding that this applies to lower bitrates, certainly including any non-maximum settings on Spotify, but not really to 320k (the highest quality MP3 setting ingeneral). There are some...people who work with mixing/mastering absolutely pick up on MP3 artifacts when listening on familiar monitors or headphones.
I'm hardly a professional, and I had to bump my mobile Spotify bitrate when I bought a new car, because the improved speakers made a nasty "sharpness" in cymbals more apparent.
It's worth adding that this applies to lower bitrates, certainly including any non-maximum settings on Spotify, but not really to 320k (the highest quality MP3 setting ingeneral). There are some people here and there who are able to successfully ABX a 320k MP3 and present evidence, which is really easy these days when using a computer as an audio source, but those are rare. It really is pretty much indistinguishable even for most trained ears.
For anyone who wants to try it, there's a plugin for Foobar2000 called ABX Comparator, it's a free way to do rigorous ABX testing. You take a lossless file, encode it to various bitrates of MP3 and then do ABX test with each vs the lossless file. The goal is doing it 7 times in a row (that way the probability that it was random chance gets miniscule).
Personally the highest I managed was either 224 or 256 kbps VBR, which was with nearfield monitors - it's probably easier with good headphones, but also my years are almost a deacde older now, so who knows - and that was with highest concentration, letting my hearing rest a few times inbetween (really helps), and I used one specific sound to discern it: a singer breathing in in a quiet part at the beginning of a song. As soon as the full band started playing, even though it was a high quality and dynamic recording, I couldn't discern shit. Cymbals were a very obvious sign with lower bitrates that automatically cut off everything over 16 kHz, which I'm not sure I could hear now, but I did then.
I can also often identify when a song has a sidechain compressor in use
This on the other hand is extremely audible. Or, actually, most records these days use sidechain compression in some way, but you probably mean when it's pushing too hard and creates pumping or instruments artificially "moving away" to create space for drum hits etc. I hate it as well.
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Comment on Babylon 5 is now free to watch on YouTube in ~tv
V17 LinkIn case somebody's reading this thread not knowing what Babylon 5 is, I think it's possibly the best scifi show ever. The visual effects are very dated, but the rest is not. The topic and style is...In case somebody's reading this thread not knowing what Babylon 5 is, I think it's possibly the best scifi show ever. The visual effects are very dated, but the rest is not. The topic and style is slightly similar to Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which it obviously inspired, but in my opinion even better (and I'm a big DS9 fan). Relations between different alien races, some very mysterious, politics, brewing interplanetary war and also classic space opera everyday stuff from life on a multi-species frontier space station.
The pilot episode wasn't remastered like the rest of the show for some reason, so it's low-res and compressed, but the rest is in HD.
Great overarching story, great characters, interesting ideas, humor, music - the only downsides are firstly that the quality and story are not as consistently tight as some of today's shows with very short seasons (but then again all of current Star Trek is way worse in this despite having short seasons and long seasons have many advantages as well), and secondly that the show was nearly cancelled a couple times, so they had to wrap up most storylines in the second to last season just in case and the very last season is weaker as a result.
Some of the movies are pretty good too, and even the cancelled spin off show Crusade is pretty decent despite some obvious flaws (it's more dependent on CGI, which just wasn't there at the time, technologically and budget-wise, and the studio and the author had conflicting views about its direction).
Interesting fact: the author of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski, tried to think ahead and prepare for possible problems with shooting, so for each main character he wrote an alternative character with their own story arch and personality and a way to coherently write out the original, in advance, in case the actor had to leave the show at any point. This did actually happen and it worked brilliantly.
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Comment on What the troubling use of the term ‘ghettos’ reveals about Denmark's attitude towards immigration in ~society
V17 Link ParentMost of them I only met briefly so I don't know, the ones I do know live in Aalborg - looking on wikipedia it seems like you're correct.I assume those friends of yours are in Copenhagen or at least another major city.
Most of them I only met briefly so I don't know, the ones I do know live in Aalborg - looking on wikipedia it seems like you're correct.
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Comment on What the troubling use of the term ‘ghettos’ reveals about Denmark's attitude towards immigration in ~society
V17 Link ParentMy friend is an immigrant to Denmark who studied music there and decided to stay more than a decade ago, and he's surrounded by other immigrants from all around Europe and also from Israel (so...My friend is an immigrant to Denmark who studied music there and decided to stay more than a decade ago, and he's surrounded by other immigrants from all around Europe and also from Israel (so they are brown). They all feel reasonably happy and welcome in Denmark.
So I don't think there's a harsh attitude towards immigration in general. Either it's towards immigrants with the wrong skin color, or, as the article claims, it's towards immigrants who, whether through their fault or not, live in so called ghettos that have other social issues associated with them.
Assimilate and integrate or you're gonna have a bad time.
Is that a bad thing?
I have a problem with the state doing interventions like tearing down appartment complexes in order to move non-integrated people around. So this is a difficult thing to enforce in an acceptable way. But ideally "integrate and assimilate or don't come here" would be how it should work, especially since the issue here is not that somebody came from a different culture but the existence of segregated spaces with higher crime rates, poverty and lower education. One would expect the best way to solve this is alleviating poverty and increasing education, but that's not an easy thing to do either.Also, I have no idea how common this is in reality around Europe, but the following, from the article, definitely doesn't apply in Czechia at least:
In most European countries, the word [ghetto] still evokes a dark past. From medieval Jewish quarters, to the Nazi-era ghettos where Jews were confined before being deported to death camps
No, the word is primarily used and evokes the same thing as it's used for in modern Denmark. I don't know if that was a natural evolution of the language or whether that's an influence from how the term is used in the US (US culture has a considerable influence on our culture), but that's how it is. If we want to talk about the original meaning, we have to specify "jewish ghetto".
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Comment on Liberals who were formerly far-left (communist, anarchist, etc.), what led to you coming to liberalism? in ~society
V17 Link ParentI think the point is that while this is true, the world is and always has been full of injustice and suffering, focusing on that as the most important thing of all without trying to understand the...I think the point is that while this is true, the world is and always has been full of injustice and suffering, focusing on that as the most important thing of all without trying to understand the incredible complexity of how and why often leads to paralysis and hyperfocus on unviable theoretical solutions instead of real world actionable policies.
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Comment on Liberals who were formerly far-left (communist, anarchist, etc.), what led to you coming to liberalism? in ~society
V17 Link ParentI find it really interesting how moving away from extreme political ideas can make a person both more interested in politics, because they move from theorizing and LARPing to caring about...I suppose as a whole that era kind of made me disinterested in politics all around. I used to be much more involved and even planned a career in it at some point. I’ve since regressed and basically solely care about movies (as is evident by my post history).
I find it really interesting how moving away from extreme political ideas can make a person both more interested in politics, because they move from theorizing and LARPing to caring about actionable real life policies, and less interested in politics, because they want to reduce things in their life that induce or strengthen an "everything is fucked" mindset that seems to be necessary for both far left and far right ideologies. I very much empathize with both, and both can effectively reduce doomerism in my experience.
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
V17 Link ParentI bet it's something similar - either an aromatic quickly decomposes into something that's completely harmless but triggering for some people similarly to cilantro, or perhaps it just changes...I bet it's something similar - either an aromatic quickly decomposes into something that's completely harmless but triggering for some people similarly to cilantro, or perhaps it just changes concentration. From smelling perfumes I found out that, at least with smells, different concentrations and/or ratios of the same aromatics can smell like a completely different thing and go from pleasant to disgusting.
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
V17 (edited )LinkYou know what? Rapeseed oil does taste a bit like cardboard now that I think about it! I don't mind it at all though. The only strange thing that I cannot stomach is tangerine flavored foods. I...You know what? Rapeseed oil does taste a bit like cardboard now that I think about it! I don't mind it at all though.
The only strange thing that I cannot stomach is tangerine flavored foods. I thought it was some weird synthetic flavoring, but apparently not, it happens with natural tangerine extracts, whether it's ice cream or San Pellegrino (which I love in its orange variant). This is weird because I definitely do like actual tangerines.
The only thing that reminds me of the weird, apparently natural, tangerine flavor is dihydromyrcenol, a synthetic perfume ingredient used to create a feeling of freshness in many perfumes (most famously and possibly most strongly in Davidoff Cool Water) but also in washing detergents etc. It smells like a synthetic metallic tangerine.
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Comment on Whatever happened to the Uber bezzle? in ~transport
V17 Link ParentJust want to say that at least in my country (Czechia) this is not the case. I suspect that the issue as usual may be that we do more regulation, but Uber lobbied here for deregulation with some...Just want to say that at least in my country (Czechia) this is not the case. I suspect that the issue as usual may be that we do more regulation, but Uber lobbied here for deregulation with some success as well.
Uber indirectly pushed the legislators to change and relax the laws regarding taxi services which happened I think 8 years ago and it was mostly a good thing. Since then competition emerged and prices across the board have been lower when adjusted for inflation than they used to be, the amount of scams and other shady stuff has been reduced significantly. The downside is that since it's easier to enter the field, the number of people who buy fake identities to get around bans has increased, but the scale of this issue is relatively small. And taxi drivers do make less money. But since parts of the taxi service in high profit areas were basically mafia-lite, nobody cared to defend them.
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Comment on What healthy habit has made a difference for you? in ~health
V17 Link ParentI know what you say is true for many people, but I want to add: this is an individual thing, if you're someone who has tried this and it didn't help any, you're not doing anything wrong, that's...I know what you say is true for many people, but I want to add: this is an individual thing, if you're someone who has tried this and it didn't help any, you're not doing anything wrong, that's just what it is.
Many people are just fine with drinking only when they start feeling thirsty or with a meal and eating a common amount of salt.
I am chronically ill and for my very mild heart problems two different doctors recommended that I drank more water, so I pushed myself. It had zero positive effects on me and years later, when I started having issues with very mild malabsorption of minerals (which is not common, but not rare either - it can happen due to microbiome issues, which can be triggered by covid, a round of antibiotics, chronic stress...), specifically magnesium and potassium, it actually made things worse. After I started drinking only when I felt like it, I started feeling better and stopped peeing all the time.
Drinking primarily water instead of any flavored drinks is definitely a good idea though.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 Link ParentAFAIK steel mills have been gradually switching to electric arc heating here in Europe. But simultaneously many have been closing down, the business has been moving to Asia due to costs for a long...AFAIK steel mills have been gradually switching to electric arc heating here in Europe. But simultaneously many have been closing down, the business has been moving to Asia due to costs for a long time, and I have no idea about those. It is true that it takes a long time for the whole industry to switch, I'm just saying that it's already happening.
No idea about cement.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 Link ParentThanks! That's good to hear.Something you might be interested to know though, is that a growing percentage of Solar PV panels actually aren't manufactured in China, they're being sourced from countries like Cambodia, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc. Of course a lot of the components are originally sourced from China, but there's no reason that can't change.
Thanks! That's good to hear.
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Comment on AntiRender: remove the glossy shine on architectural renderings in ~tech
V17 LinkI love the idea, but it already seems to be broken. That was fast.I love the idea, but it already seems to be broken. That was fast.
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Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
V17 (edited )LinkQuite fun with english as a second language. I got to 90, and yes, I also forgot horse. edit: 148 second try. It helps to imagine settings in which you see various animals, like scenes from a...Quite fun with english as a second language. I got to 90, and yes, I also forgot horse.
edit: 148 second try. It helps to imagine settings in which you see various animals, like scenes from a safari, your last time visiting a zoo etc. Still, there are whole categories of animals, like birds, where I have zero idea what most of them are called in English since our terminology is completely different.
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
V17 LinkJust noticed that Tech Ingredients made a video on LRADs around the same time, and while similarly to Benn Jordan the guy is overconfident and has clear gaps in basic acoustics also seen in other...Just noticed that Tech Ingredients made a video on LRADs around the same time, and while similarly to Benn Jordan the guy is overconfident and has clear gaps in basic acoustics also seen in other videos, he does show a DIY device similar to an actual LRAD and how to protect from it.
Two serious flaws in the video:
- The earplugs were likely improperly inserted. Earplugs generally work better than over the ear protection, especially when it's cheap, but fit matters a lot (with both actually, headphones are going to fit worse over long hair for example). With neither headphones nor earplugs is the attenuation linear - different frequency bands are attenuated by wildly different amounts, so it is possible that earplugs truly are worse for this frequency band, but I believe the difference shown is too large to be real with proper fit and insertion.
- Showing the riot shield and face shield is excellent, but he completely omits explaining a feature of acoustics that is very important to understanding them: to work properly, physical obstacles have to be larger than the sound's wavelength, in both axes. LRADs generally produce high frequencies, but based on the technology used I expect they could go as low as 500 Hz, though not as loud, which is almost 70 cm. I would aim at 1000 Hz as a realistic goal, and use a shield that's at least 40 cm wide to be sure, which the riot shield in the video probably was. Whereas the face shield is simply too small to make a useful difference.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
V17 LinkSince the video is this long, I have to ask: does he talk about the issue with the fact that pretty much all solar panels are made in China? (are they still? is there any movement to change that?)...Since the video is this long, I have to ask: does he talk about the issue with the fact that pretty much all solar panels are made in China? (are they still? is there any movement to change that?)
In the recent years it's become clear that unfortunately we may be getting back into an era of global scale conflicts. The west is way too dependent on China in many areas, but specifically energy infrastructure is possibly the most important one of them all. It's necessary for literally everything else.
I'm not convinced that we should avoid solar because of this, but surely it has to be part of the decision process. As much as I hate coal (I was born in a region devastated by coal mining), I think that from the point of view of energetic security phasing it out so aggressively here in the EU as one of the only truly independent source of energy is extremely short sighted.
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Comment on Police threatened to use LRAD devices ("sound cannons") in Minneapolis. There is misinformation online on how to protect yourself. in ~society
V17 Link ParentIn the text Minori cites the LRAD was used as a louder, better quality megaphone. That kind of use is much quieter than the maximum output for tones/alarms ("deterrent setting") and indeed should...In the text Minori cites the LRAD was used as a louder, better quality megaphone. That kind of use is much quieter than the maximum output for tones/alarms ("deterrent setting") and indeed should not cause hearing damage unless you're standing close to it. And hearing damage is certainly not intended there. I don't think the comparison to a concert is a great one for the same reason, but LRAD use on the loud "deterrent setting" and use as a megaphone are two different things.
I mean it depends. I can still enjoy crust punk or Darkthrone. Some amateur live recordings with average camera sound became clearer and a bit easier to listen to. But some overly loud popular music recordings became quite annoying, which I consider a feature, not a bug.
The only thing I dislike is that Rick Rubin fucked up a few albums that I enjoy with loudness wars, like half the Slayer discography or Californication by Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And those became even more tiring to listen to than before. It pissed me off so much that I started coding an audio declipper to remove all the clipping distortion and make my own remasters that are easier to listen to, still in progress - that is the weirdest audiophile thing I've ever done by far.