vord's recent activity
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Comment on How Bill Gates is reframing the climate change debate in ~enviro
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Comment on How Bill Gates is reframing the climate change debate in ~enviro
vord (edited )Link ParentIt is, practically speaking, impossible with our current economic models. The luxury the rich world has is predicated upon attaining resources from the poor ones at slavery prices. Otherwise,...if you can help poor countries become rich (or at least middle-income), that's a very high-impact intervention.
It is, practically speaking, impossible with our current economic models. The luxury the rich world has is predicated upon attaining resources from the poor ones at slavery prices.
Otherwise, everyone who lives in the very rare chocolate and coffee producing regions would live like gods.
I completely agree that, collectively for humanity, the correct answer is to bring the bottom up. But it's not solving cliimate change. I have a bigger top-level brewing.
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Comment on Removing obfuscation in Minecraft Java Edition in ~games
vord (edited )LinkSo, mildly tangential: Microsoft cut off the Minecraft MakeCode platform from everything but education edition, which served as a great introduction to modding for my kids, and is not readily...So, mildly tangential:
Microsoft cut off the Minecraft MakeCode platform from everything but education edition, which served as a great introduction to modding for my kids, and is not readily available to parents.
Does anybody know of an equivalent system which simplifies Minecraft modding to the point of drag and drop, to encourage the creation process without the 'learning Java' process?
I despise Microsoft for many things, but the MakeCode platform the most of all because it's lightyears ahead of any other educational coding platform.
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Comment on Starter comments on Tildes? in ~tildes
vord Link ParentThen you call their bluff and then the internet will murder them for you.Then you call their bluff and then the internet will murder them for you.
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Comment on New World is dead: Amazon ends new content updates following massive layoffs, says 'servers will be live through 2026' in ~games
vord (edited )Link ParentJosh Johnson just did a great bit about this kind of thing. To roughly paraphrase: We associate people with lots of money as being intelligent, as they must have been intelligent in order to make...Josh Johnson just did a great bit about this kind of thing. To roughly paraphrase:
We associate people with lots of money as being intelligent, as they must have been intelligent in order to make that money. And that kinda might been true in the early industrial age because there was a lot less stuff to be wrong about. Now, with a global scale, you can become a millionaire from writing a book. You might be good at writing a book, but that doesn't mean you have any other positive qualities that would make your advice/opinion worth listening to.
Jeff Bezos (and his underlings) are good at business. Doesn't mean they have any knowledge or sense to deliver a quality creative endeavor.
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Comment on Is there a postman alternative without the bloat? in ~tech
vord Link ParentWhile I do love tools like Ansible and git CI/CD scripts, there are far more use cases suited to a simple Makefile or shell script. And those don't require you to deal with YAML.While I do love tools like Ansible and git CI/CD scripts, there are far more use cases suited to a simple Makefile or shell script.
And those don't require you to deal with YAML.
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Comment on There’s a reason US electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers. in ~enviro
vord Link ParentTo be clear, I'm not saying infrastructure should not be built. It's just that hypothetical future gains from building infrastructure should not be factored when budgeting to build said...To be clear, I'm not saying infrastructure should not be built. It's just that hypothetical future gains from building infrastructure should not be factored when budgeting to build said infrastructure. The gains from building said infrastructure will manifest in the forms of additional tax revenue from elsewhere.
So, perhaps it would have been more accurate to say 'tax revenue' than 'taxes.' It would be reasonable to cut tax rates in one area presuming that there was a sustainable increase in revenue elsewhere. However, given how close to the bone most tax structures in the USA have been cut, any extra revenue should probably be used to pay debts early or to cover inevitable shortages, like when the boomers die off and there's a lower tax base.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
vord Link ParentI see ebay has many results for 'sodastream co2 adapter' The grey market is a beautiful thing, and why patent/copyright/contract laws need a massive overhaul.I see ebay has many results for 'sodastream co2 adapter'
The grey market is a beautiful thing, and why patent/copyright/contract laws need a massive overhaul.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
vord (edited )Link ParentMental note, investigate if they can be refilled at a paintball supply store. Also something about shoplifting as boycott method. Edit: That was easy tldr: Buy adapter, source CO2 from local...Mental note, investigate if they can be refilled at a paintball supply store.
Also something about shoplifting as boycott method.
Edit: That was easy
tldr: Buy adapter, source CO2 from local welder supply store. -
Comment on There’s a reason US electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers. in ~enviro
vord Link ParentThat's ultimately why, when infrastructure projects (like say roads) are being planned and budgetted, only factoring install cost is gross miscalculation of TCO, and based on what I've seen on the...That's ultimately why, when infrastructure projects (like say roads) are being planned and budgetted, only factoring install cost is gross miscalculation of TCO, and based on what I've seen on the local level, a pretty standard practice.
Every project should be spelled out in terms of permanent tax budget increase. Which should incorporate the following costs:
- Initial cost
- Annual maintainence cost, factoring in a 4% annual increase due to inflation.
- Replacement/decommission cost at end of life, also factoring in a heavy inflation factor
- Small tangent: I'm coming around to the idea that pegging things directly to a complicated policy-specified 'inflation rate' is far worse than tying it to a fixed percentage. Because a fixed percentage is much harder to fiddle with to 'lower costs' without collapsing the economy.
Amortized over the expected lifespan. With the expectectations that:
- That number can never go down.
- Any surplus must be retained to account for cost variations
- Surplus can only be returned (and the permanent tax hike with it) when the project is fully decommissioned (IE a road that is no longer needed)
This of course will never happen, because spelling out true TCO of even small projects, like a suburb road, will balloon to eyewatering amounts which would kill a lot of frivolous projects that hide their true costs in debt-laden ponzi schemes.
It is impossible to cut taxes and maintain current infrastructure.
It is impossible to build new infrastructure without raising taxes.
Anybody telling you otherwise has a bridge to sell you.
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Comment on There’s a reason US electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers. in ~enviro
vord Link ParentWell, back in the 70s, all that infrastructure was practically brand new. And all that money being saved for maintainence and replacement is obviously better served as a temporary tax cut for...Well, back in the 70s, all that infrastructure was practically brand new. And all that money being saved for maintainence and replacement is obviously better served as a temporary tax cut for boomers in those hard economic times.
Forever.
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Comment on There’s a reason US electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers. in ~enviro
vord (edited )Link ParentYou see, the power cost drop is predicated upon the same kind of 'Buy 3, get 1 free' economics that most retail outlets use to decieve you into buying more. Yes, if you needed 4, you save money....You see, the power cost drop is predicated upon the same kind of 'Buy 3, get 1 free' economics that most retail outlets use to decieve you into buying more.
Yes, if you needed 4, you save money. But if you only needed 2, you've increased your costs for no reason. If you needed 3, well the 4th is free but pretty wasteful unless there's a socialist system in play to freely distribute that excess to those who need it most.
In other words, if new data centers account for 10% of new demand, and we built 10 plants to account for all growth, that means we're building one extra power plant we wouldn't otherwise need.
I guess if 100% of all new power plants were solar/wind/nuclear (they're not), with substantial storage capacity to smooth demand spikes/drops (they don't), and that all the data centers get shutdown after the initial capex is recovered but well before plant EoL, so that we could shut off all the coal/oil/gas plants, that would be a net good.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
vord Link ParentWhen a 12 pack of soda goes for $8 and you have a family of 4, it's a lot easier to justify.When a 12 pack of soda goes for $8 and you have a family of 4, it's a lot easier to justify.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
vord Link ParentI picked up one of those Soda Stream contraptions, which is basically just a easy-mount CO2 cartridge. I now make carbonated beverages on demand, can add just enough flavoring to minimize health...add club soda if you want
I picked up one of those Soda Stream contraptions, which is basically just a easy-mount CO2 cartridge.
I now make carbonated beverages on demand, can add just enough flavoring to minimize health harms, and don't end up with a half-used bottle of carbonated water because I wanted one mixed drink.
I'm never buying regular soda again. The added friction means I'm less likely to absentmindedly grab one for a sugar fix, so I end up drinking less too.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
vord Link ParentOftentimes, "No Added Sugar" will translate to "We used artifical sweeteners." There are exceptions, but always check the ingredients if you are sensitive to non-sugar sweeteners. And there are...Oftentimes, "No Added Sugar" will translate to "We used artifical sweeteners." There are exceptions, but always check the ingredients if you are sensitive to non-sugar sweeteners.
And there are billions of these marketting gotchas, because if there is one thing that marketers are good at, it's squirming past deceptive advertising accusationss as smoothly as possible.
See also: Chocolate flavored (contains no chocolate)
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Comment on CS2 skin update ‘rug pulls’ collectors as $1 billion wiped from market cap in ~games
vord Link ParentYea, if the market for CS skins vanishes tomorrow, the only people that suffer are those who made incredibly poor decisions. And they'll still be able to eat.Yea, if the market for CS skins vanishes tomorrow, the only people that suffer are those who made incredibly poor decisions. And they'll still be able to eat.
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Comment on CS2 skin update ‘rug pulls’ collectors as $1 billion wiped from market cap in ~games
vord LinkIf you're going to self-harm because devs pushed out a QoL update to let people get some skins easier, you really need to sit back and think about your life choices. Hey kids! Did you know in the...“You guys know that people are probably going to harm themselves cause of this, yet you pushed it out without hesitation, crazy.”
If you're going to self-harm because devs pushed out a QoL update to let people get some skins easier, you really need to sit back and think about your life choices.
Hey kids! Did you know in the before times, you didn't need to pay hard cash to customize your character in games?
You could just make or download whatever skin you wanted. You could change the rules of the game however you wanted. All you had to do was run a private server and install modding tools. Which companies provided for free.
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Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games
vord Link ParentI'll second everything you've said here. I'll also throw out Boxtron which adds the native DOSBox as a Steam Compatibility tool, as a less intensive option.I'll second everything you've said here. I'll also throw out Boxtron which adds the native DOSBox as a Steam Compatibility tool, as a less intensive option.
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Comment on Not sure if coincidence or I should give up (on USB flash drives) in ~tech
vord LinkI've been quite happy with my Samsung 256GB usb-c drive, bought straight from them. However, I also endorse the USB 3.2 NVME enclosure for anything substantial.I've been quite happy with my Samsung 256GB usb-c drive, bought straight from them.
However, I also endorse the USB 3.2 NVME enclosure for anything substantial.
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Comment on Violent texts from Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general leaked in ~society
vord Link ParentNo it's not. It just means the person who says it aloud isn't masking their feelings. If the only thing keeping you from murdering people is because there are laws against it, that doesn't mean...Thinking it is one thing. Voicing it out loud is another.
No it's not. It just means the person who says it aloud isn't masking their feelings.
If the only thing keeping you from murdering people is because there are laws against it, that doesn't mean you're a better person for not doing it.
Yes. Because Gates is mostly wealth-washing, ignoring that the top of the inequality pyramid is burning the planet more than the much larger bottom segment.
Lop off the top of the pyramid, and then we can talk.