vord's recent activity
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Comment on Lifetime Windows user seeking feedback for improvements on my Linux setup in ~tech
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Comment on San Francisco parents are letting teens ride in Waymos without an adult in ~transport
vord Link ParentI think our diffrences boil down to 'each kid is different.' Also life circumstances: My spouse was thrown in a cab at 8 when temps were below 20. My 8yr could handle it. Pretty sure my next will...I think our diffrences boil down to 'each kid is different.' Also life circumstances: My spouse was thrown in a cab at 8 when temps were below 20.
My 8yr could handle it. Pretty sure my next will not until 10.
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Comment on San Francisco parents are letting teens ride in Waymos without an adult in ~transport
vord (edited )LinkThe title of this has Bulldozer Parent written all over it. The actual article just reminds me how we allow companies to 'disrupt' without actually providing the accomodations that are really...The title of this has Bulldozer Parent written all over it. The actual article just reminds me how we allow companies to 'disrupt' without actually providing the accomodations that are really required of the service they're disrupting. Like being able to shove an 8 year old in a cab.
My wife grew up in the gayborhood of Philadelphia, and at that age was walking 3x the distance, before cellphones were really a thing average people had.
We're comfortable with our 8 year old walking ~10 min from home in a small city, with no means of communication or location tracking. If they get in trouble, they know what to do.
If a 12 year old can't get themselves a cab (automated or not), then we really have strayed down an awful rabbithole of killing self-sufficiency.
I just discovered a thing called 'utility concierge' exists. Because it's apparently too difficult for renters to figure out what their electric, internet, and gas companies are and fill out an online form.
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Comment on The Dark Tower Wizard in Glass, is the second half better? in ~books
vord (edited )LinkI enjoyed Wizard and Glass far more when I was older. Especially when I took it slower with Kingslingers. Consider listening to this overview of the entire book It really emphasized how Gilead was...I enjoyed Wizard and Glass far more when I was older. Especially when I took it slower with Kingslingers. Consider listening to this overview of the entire book
It really emphasized how Gilead was an incredibly patriarchal place...Susan's treatment was not exactly unusual in that sort of society. Also it's a Greek Tragedy, exacerbating the issues. We also have to remember that Roland himself isn't really a great person. This is Tull on steroids.
If there was a single recurring theme in all of King, it's that the smaller evils committed by average people do far more harm than the big supernatural evil that may coexist in the story.
I see you got to Part 3, Chapter 3. You're almost to the end of the 'setting up the dominos' part. IIRC Chapter 5 is where they really start getting knocked down. Part 4 IIRC is completely out of the Susan story, so if you're just done with that, I'd at least suggest wrapping up Part 4. The reveal there is far more consequential to the remainder of the series.
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Comment on RetroDECK 0.10.0b is a ground-up rewrite, not just an update in ~games
vord (edited )Link ParentValve really hit it out of the park with the Deck and pending Gabecube. By making a somewhat niche device powered by Linux (opposed to the BSDs or Windows), you pull in a lot of free labor from...Valve really hit it out of the park with the Deck and pending Gabecube.
By making a somewhat niche device powered by Linux (opposed to the BSDs or Windows), you pull in a lot of free labor from outside your device because you're making their devices better too. Especially for covering these grey-area projects that would be risking their own necks.
If they get their x86 to ARM translation running as good as Proton, it could well be the deathknell of x86, thus fulfilling the prophecy.Which could also spell the end of Intel as we know it. AMD's chiplet architecture will give them a further leg up, basicly able to drop in ARM cores in place of the x86 ones for their console space, while the other SoC makers will become more viable.
I personally feel that Intel's continual (sliding) hold on the server market is primarily due to the natural delayed cycle of corporate and government contracts. With AMD first being truely viable circa 2019, that means for big govt contracts that tend to have 5/7/10 year server lifecycles, we're just seeing the beginning of the disruption now.
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Comment on Nova Launcher: An update in ~tech
vord Link ParentI still very much like search/gesture/list based launchers like ulauncher or Unlauncher. Unlauncher in particular really cut phone usage by adding that bit of extra friction to opening other...I still very much like search/gesture/list based launchers like ulauncher or Unlauncher.
Unlauncher in particular really cut phone usage by adding that bit of extra friction to opening other applications.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
vord Link Parent(it's the rich people) ....only like 1/4 kidding.(it's the rich people)
....only like 1/4 kidding.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
vord Link ParentThankfully, we have updated buildings standards to help us differentiate between those things in houses. I'm half convinced that everybody who built houses in the mid sixties was either drunk or high.Thankfully, we have updated buildings standards to help us differentiate between those things in houses.
I'm half convinced that everybody who built houses in the mid sixties was either drunk or high.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
vord (edited )Link ParentThey always have, always will. Especially stateside where an awful lot of the country was forged in puritanical values.The religious right has adopted the persecution complex even though (imo) they are doing most of the persecuting these days.
They always have, always will. Especially stateside where an awful lot of the country was forged in puritanical values.
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
vord (edited )Link ParentYea tbh half of all of Scotts antisocial traits could be tied to "yea he worked at one of the most beuracratic souless orgs possible."Yea tbh half of all of Scotts antisocial traits could be tied to "yea he worked at one of the most beuracratic souless orgs possible."
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Comment on Scott A. on Scott A. on Scott A. in ~comics
vord (edited )Link ParentI was gonna say, an awful lot of Dilbert was also poking fun at the engineers as well. At least with the 90s Dilbert I was consuming as a teen, the closest I ever saw to full beating-down was on...I was gonna say, an awful lot of Dilbert was also poking fun at the engineers as well.
At least with the 90s Dilbert I was consuming as a teen, the closest I ever saw to full beating-down was on salespeople. And I have yet to meet an engineer that does not hate the average salesperson whom is abstracted from the consequences of their promises.
Several of my friends have made it up the management ladder now (in 40s) from gruntwork... one has gone from college dropout to 'just below VP' of a fairly prominent org. The difficulties of good management are real, but good managers convey this to their reports. But, there is always at least one PHB in any medium+ org and if the CEO is of equivalent standing it can result in many Dilbertesqe moments.
My one friend, the one highest in the management chain, was told by the CEO to deploy a whole AI learning interface in 40 days from 0. With a staff of like 4 and no clear requirements. His engineers were superheros that made it happen in the face of arbitray stupid demands. And one then got laid off 'because they had to tighten the belt'.
Another has done very much work as a contractor for the military, so understands why they'll spend $100k flying out the engineer who designed the system to come flip a breaker instead of reading the detailed technical manual that was written. But it doesn't bode well for appearances.
And the third has been thrown into a trial by fire. With one peer manager in particular that makes everyone else's lives a living hell my micromanaging and arbitrary punishments (like a staffer being reperimanded for 3 monitors instead of 2 on desk).
And the last is an engineer whom reported to the CEO of a small business. A CEO who drives a new BMW while claiming that a $40k bonus to the engineer who almost singlehandedly delivered on $5 mil in contracts is unreasonable. A CEO who refuses to let the company get larger tham 48 people so he doesn't have to give FMLA leave.
The 'quantity of Dilbert relates to toxicity' is certainly a relatable one, but it's hardly a function of immaturity and antisocial behavior at the bottom.
There are many different types of intelligence, almost as many as there are types of stupidity. The real maturity is knowing that we all posess far more of the latter than the former.
The biggest problem is that managers think their different intelligence and stress justifies earning multiples of their report's wages. For some reason those 20%+ annual bonuses stop trickling down, and become 3.6% raises at best. Seeing your boss make double you while continually ruining your life because they ignore your wisdom and it bites back every 6 months causes a lot of Dilbert comic proliferation.
The second biggest is leaders who trust a salesperson over the collective wisdom of the staff that would be installing, managing, and using said product.
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Comment on So this is 2nd grade subtraction in ~science
vord LinkTangential, but I know we've got a lot of teachers here. I'm on the hunt for a good (and reasonably priced) homeschool prek syllubus to supplement bored younger sibling. We've got Hooked On...Tangential, but I know we've got a lot of teachers here.
I'm on the hunt for a good (and reasonably priced) homeschool prek syllubus to supplement bored younger sibling. We've got Hooked On Phonics which is great for the early reading, but want something a bit more well-rounded for everything else.
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Comment on So this is 2nd grade subtraction in ~science
vord Link ParentYour criticism of the each strategies rings true for me and my young. It's great when it works, but my child grokked it with the first few and the was bored for a week. As well as the worse/burnt...Your criticism of the each strategies rings true for me and my young. It's great when it works, but my child grokked it with the first few and the was bored for a week. As well as the worse/burnt out teachers basically skipping half them for one reason or another. Large classroom sizes really hurt.
And sometimes, despite the vast covering of different methods, sometimes the old methods just click. Kiddo was struggling with on particular concept for a bit outside of class, mom showed 'the old way,' and it clicked instantly and their speed and accuracy trippled overnight.
I will say I think it's this solid foundation, as well as the algebratic concepts also introduced, which enabled this kind of moment.
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Comment on So this is 2nd grade subtraction in ~science
vord Link ParentI've noticed this happens sometimes when my internet connection is spotty. I'm sure it's something on my end.I've noticed this happens sometimes when my internet connection is spotty. I'm sure it's something on my end.
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Comment on So this is 2nd grade subtraction in ~science
vord Link ParentHave child that passed through the second grade. Under 20 is 'fast facts' and they want those snap memorized for faster standardized test taking. It makes sense though, because it minimizes the...Have child that passed through the second grade. Under 20 is 'fast facts' and they want those snap memorized for faster standardized test taking.
It makes sense though, because it minimizes the distance you need to decompose. As soon as you hit 20, and then later multiples of 20 once times tables are built, will allow for super fast mental math.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
vord (edited )Link ParentAnticircumvention laws are the primary barriers there, and they do exist in most jurisdictions. That's what prevents somebody decompiling the first-party app and extracting the auth process and...there's no real legal mechanism for WhatsApp to stop you from interacting with their API
Anticircumvention laws are the primary barriers there, and they do exist in most jurisdictions. That's what prevents somebody decompiling the first-party app and extracting the auth process and API calls. It's what makes it illegal to make and distribute tools which make it easier to do that.
Using a third party app also violates their terms of service, so even if you do figure out how to reverse engineer it, you're risking your account being banned by doing so. That's not a legal mechanism, that's the company actively tamping down on uncontrolled usage.
Terms of service are, almost by definition, entirely a legal construct. You legalize third-party acess by making that term unenforcable unless the first party can prove the third party is causing significan harm. So a third-party app that scrapes the whole of Facebook every login could be banned, but not one that interops with a user's chats.
Once a particular method is found, it's also not too difficult for the company to change the API and their clients simultaneously to stop it. So it's and endless game of wack a mole that becomes a horrible experience for the third party app users.
I wouldn't say it's easy, especially if circumvention tools are legalized. Adblockers are still effective over 20 years later is because there are heavy diminishing returns on continually making your service harder to interop with. Especially when you have thousands of motivated users (or other companies) with a vested interest in breaking your new lock. Especially if there's a large number of low-user third-parties.
Suppose GrapheneOS manages to create a perfect iOS sandbox to run iOS apps alongside Android apps. Would Apple be able to shift the entirety of their ecosystem quickly enough and frequently enough to keep ahead of it without fracturing their app store advantage? What if Microsoft and Samsung also threw their weight behind it?
Do you think Salesforce will continue having a lot of enterprise customers if those paying enterprise customers are required to rework their custom addons and integrations every few months to cope with these breaking changes?
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
vord (edited )LinkThis is ultimately why thoroughly legalized adversarial interoperabilty is the only possible solution to destroying the tech monopolists. If you want to make it possible to eliminate Whatsapp,...This is ultimately why thoroughly legalized adversarial interoperabilty is the only possible solution to destroying the tech monopolists.
If you want to make it possible to eliminate Whatsapp, competitors must be able to write 100% compatible Whatsapp integrations without Whatsapp's approval.
There is no technical barrier to Signal integrating Whatsapp functionality, and upgrading chats to Signal when clients detect that the other is using Signal. Just like Apple does with iMessage, SMS, and OpenBubbles. There is merely a legal baton which lets the company sue a third party to oblivion.
Interoperability via reverse engineering is what turned the 90s chat programs into defacto open standards. Trillian users represent. Let's bring it back to its glory days, but with Discord, Slack, Teams, Matrix, Facebook, Whatsapp, Google Meet, Google's chat program of the month, and riot.im.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
vord Link ParentI had very good luck forcing some family members off Facebook when I had kids. If you only post your family photos in a group Signal chat, they definitely don't want to miss out.Family is unlikely to adapt.
I had very good luck forcing some family members off Facebook when I had kids. If you only post your family photos in a group Signal chat, they definitely don't want to miss out.
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Comment on US households using Ozempic spend less on groceries in ~health
vord Link ParentConversely, a lot of antidepressants and mood stablizers I've been on basically smash the "You're full" switch with a hammer. Even with the most begnin medicines, long term complaince is an issue,...Conversely, a lot of antidepressants and mood stablizers I've been on basically smash the "You're full" switch with a hammer.
Even with the most begnin medicines, long term complaince is an issue, even when ignoring costs or inconvienience.
An awful lot of people just have a subconcious "whelp, I don't need that anymore" attitude to meds that are working long term, because they don't realize how much the meds are helping.
It's especially pronounced with schizophrena.
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Comment on Wyoming high court rejects state abortion ban with thoughtful opinion in ~society
vord Link ParentI don't think conservatives grok that nobody wants an abortion. It's not exactly a pleasant process. I think the closest I could come is "needs-based" abortion. Anybody who is seriously...I don't think conservatives grok that nobody wants an abortion. It's not exactly a pleasant process.
I think the closest I could come is "needs-based" abortion. Anybody who is seriously considering one outside of pure medical neccessity is certainly spending some considerable thought into what that child's future life would be like.
Even if you imagine all the vainest, shallowest, sociopathic 'doing it for themselves' reasons for abortion....would you even want that person using them to be raising a child?
Betcha suicide rates would be a lot lower if unwanted children were not born, instead of completely neglected and abused after the fact.
I reccomend ripping off the bandaid. These days there are relatively few things not possible, and some slightly more that are really no worse than finding the correct nested path in Windows settings or a regedit.
If you want to retain a dual boot as a backup, UEFI has been a savior there. In the before times, it took 5 minutes to boot a PC. Feel greatful and use the 30 seconds to pee or refill your water ;). Here are the steps to minimize headaches:
This method gets you two seperate EFI partitions, which operating systems usually try to share. Which means Linux won't clobber Windows or vice versa. The only headaches come with Windows updates, and that's easily solved by putting Windows first in the BIOs until they are done.
If you don't need the Windows install for games, with a bit of work using VirtManager, you can probably boot the Windows disk directly as a VM. Even with some video accelleration since you have an AMD card. And in reverse on the Windows install with HyperV.