Weldawadyathink's recent activity

  1. Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    How about Steam? It started out as a universally hated DRM scheme. Now it is the most popular digital game storefront. It’s DRM is optional (for the devs), and it’s one of the most consumer...

    How about Steam? It started out as a universally hated DRM scheme. Now it is the most popular digital game storefront. It’s DRM is optional (for the devs), and it’s one of the most consumer friendly DRM schemes I have seen (as far as any DRM can be consumer friendly). They ported the vast majority of windows games to Linux, and that work is open source. They built one of the best gaming handhelds you can buy, and are about to release the only serious competitor against windows for a manufacturer preinstalled operating system.

    5 votes
  2. Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    Honestly I would say just buy it now. The last hardware drought for the Apple TV lasted 4 years, and there hasn’t really been a substantial update since 2017 with 4k support. The only thing that...

    Honestly I would say just buy it now. The last hardware drought for the Apple TV lasted 4 years, and there hasn’t really been a substantial update since 2017 with 4k support. The only thing that has really changed since the HD 2015 model is the remote, and you can buy the new remote to use with the old hardware. The only noticeable hardware difference is the performance, and all of them have better performance than any smart TV, and better than all the Roku/fire stick devices I have tried.

    Besides, if you really need the new one immediately, you can just sell the olds one when they release a new one. Apple devices keep their resale value, so you can probably resell for around 80% of purchase price.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on Ryanair pulls out of two Danish airports blaming harmful tax – airline says passenger tax will make country's regional airports hopelessly uncompetitive compared to others in EU in ~transport

    Weldawadyathink
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    I don't know if I would agree in general. There are certainly some airports where this is the case, but it seems like there are way more where it isn't the case. Many large cities have multiple...

    I don't know if I would agree in general. There are certainly some airports where this is the case, but it seems like there are way more where it isn't the case. Many large cities have multiple airports. Even when nearby airports are technically in different cities, they can be quite competitive. Oakland airport is very interchangeable with San Francisco airport. Depending on your mode of transport and where you are going to in SF, OAK might be strictly better than SFO. Then when you look at the extensive train system in Europe, it makes more airports even more competitive with city airports. For example, if you are flying transatlantic to Bordeaux, their airport cannot support (as far as I am aware) the planes needed for transatlantic flights. So you have to take a multi-hop flight anyway. You could fly US -> Paris -> Bordeaux, or you could take the train from Paris to Bordeaux, interchanging the Bordeaux airport for the Paris airport. Flights are about 1:25 and trains are 2:10. Taking into account the faff with plane travel and the ease of train travel, that is definitely a reasonable alternative to the Bordeaux airport.

    4 votes
  4. Comment on Uses for retired 2009 MacBook Pro? [Specifically, when I already own an RPi4] in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    Depending on what you want from a server, it still might be worth it compared to the pi. I really like laptops as servers (except for cost). It has a built in uninterruptible power supply. If you...

    Depending on what you want from a server, it still might be worth it compared to the pi. I really like laptops as servers (except for cost). It has a built in uninterruptible power supply. If you need to debug it, you already have a keyboard and screen attached. Depending on the CPU, it might actually be more powerful than your pi. You can almost certainly install more ram on it than your pi has. You don’t have to deal with arm (I really like arm, but it can be annoying for some server things). I think that generation has an internal 2.5 in drive, so you can throw an ssd in there and have a very nice server setup.

    8 votes
  5. Comment on Star Wars recommendations for a six year old in ~tv

    Weldawadyathink
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    I know the internet hates Phantom Menace, but I quite like it. I won’t go so far as to say it’s good, but I enjoy it. I really like Qui-gon Jinn, and Darth Maul is the best Sith in the series...

    I know the internet hates Phantom Menace, but I quite like it. I won’t go so far as to say it’s good, but I enjoy it. I really like Qui-gon Jinn, and Darth Maul is the best Sith in the series (although I like Darth Tyranus as well).

    4 votes
  6. Comment on Star Wars recommendations for a six year old in ~tv

    Weldawadyathink
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    I think it is worth noting that the entire original trilogy (4-6) were released before PG 13 existed. Return of the Jedi was released in 1983 and PG 13 started in 1984. So those might have been...

    I think it is worth noting that the entire original trilogy (4-6) were released before PG 13 existed. Return of the Jedi was released in 1983 and PG 13 started in 1984. So those might have been rated higher if they were released later.

    3 votes
  7. Comment on Greenland plans to ban foreign political donations over fears about potential interference in its forthcoming elections after attracting Donald Trump's interest in ~society

    Weldawadyathink
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    I could be wrong, but didn’t the British isles always have border control? The borders arrangement is called the Schengen Agreement. Ireland and the UK had opt out agreements so they could be part...

    I could be wrong, but didn’t the British isles always have border control? The borders arrangement is called the Schengen Agreement. Ireland and the UK had opt out agreements so they could be part of the EU without agreeing to open borders. They are basically the opposite of Switzerland, which is part of the Schengen Agreement but not part of the EU.

    Anyway, you are correct about the private flight part of the story. I have flown private for my job before, and there are no safety controls. It’s weird if you are used to commercial travel.

    5 votes
  8. Comment on Looking for a new mouse (maybe) in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    I haven’t used the 2s, but I did have the original, and I currently have the 3s. I really didn’t need to upgrade except for the USB C port. In my opinion, the 3s is an improvement in every way...

    I haven’t used the 2s, but I did have the original, and I currently have the 3s. I really didn’t need to upgrade except for the USB C port. In my opinion, the 3s is an improvement in every way from the original. It isn’t very much of an improvement, but that is only because the original was already fantastic.

    2 votes
  9. Comment on DeepSeek’s safety guardrails failed every test researchers threw at its AI chatbot in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    No scoffing from me! Especially for hobby projects. These tools work well, and there is no reason we shouldn’t be using them. I can understand why you might not want to at the extreme high end of...

    No scoffing from me! Especially for hobby projects. These tools work well, and there is no reason we shouldn’t be using them. I can understand why you might not want to at the extreme high end of computer science, but this is just a hobby project.

    I have actually been looking for a vector database for a while now, so I’ll be checking out chroma to see if it will work for me.

    1 vote
  10. Comment on What game intended for multiplayer did you enjoy playing solo? in ~games

    Weldawadyathink
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    I came here to say this. It is worth buying titanfall 2 (on sale) just for the single player campaign. Even if you will never touch the multiplayer, buy it. It goes on Steam sales for around $2-5...

    I came here to say this. It is worth buying titanfall 2 (on sale) just for the single player campaign. Even if you will never touch the multiplayer, buy it. It goes on Steam sales for around $2-5 if I remember correctly, but I would say it’s still possibly worth the $30 full price just for single player. It’s a short campaign, but it is oh so good.

    Actually it’s on a Steam sale right now for 3€, so go out and buy it now!

    10 votes
  11. Comment on DeepSeek’s safety guardrails failed every test researchers threw at its AI chatbot in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    What do you use for the local vector database? I thought options for vector databases were all cloud based right now.

    What do you use for the local vector database? I thought options for vector databases were all cloud based right now.

  12. Comment on Italian parmesan producers fight fakes with microtransponders in ~food

    Weldawadyathink
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    Ok honest question here, are they actually delicious, or just fun to eat? In my experience Parmesan rind is tough and bland. It isn’t actually bad, but it has none of the characteristics that make...

    Ok honest question here, are they actually delicious, or just fun to eat? In my experience Parmesan rind is tough and bland. It isn’t actually bad, but it has none of the characteristics that make Parmesan good. Maybe it’s just the type of Parmesan I am buying?

    4 votes
  13. Comment on DeepSeek’s safety guardrails failed every test researchers threw at its AI chatbot in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    Thanks for the better info. I knew there must be some nuance that I was missing.

    Thanks for the better info. I knew there must be some nuance that I was missing.

    3 votes
  14. Comment on DeepSeek’s safety guardrails failed every test researchers threw at its AI chatbot in ~tech

    Weldawadyathink
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    “Open weights” is functionally “binary download available”. Many people are arguing that they are not open source because that would require all the training data and program used to train the...

    “Open weights” is functionally “binary download available”. Many people are arguing that they are not open source because that would require all the training data and program used to train the weights (basically the source code). The weights are the output of this training program (the release binary in typical software parlance). But the community seems to have settled on open source meaning open weights.

    Anyway, the weights alone aren’t enough to run the models, but there is nothing special about running each LLM except the weights. Llama.cpp is a program that started back when Facebook’s llama model weights were leaked, and it’s now the standard for running all LLMs.

    One of the best ways to run models locally is ollama. It’s a command line utility that acts as a wrapper for llama.cpp. Once installed, you can just run ollama run deepseek-r1. It will download the weights and start a conversation with the LLM. Very simple to do.

    Usually most people will setup a fronted so you get a chat GPT like interface, multiple conversations, and other features. Ollama also provides an API so other programs on your computer can use the ollama downloaded models. There are so many options, but the one I use is OpenWebUI. It runs in a simple docker container. It exposes a port to localhost that you connect to with your browser. It also connects to your local ollama API to actually run the models.

    TL;DR yes, you can run these models entirely locally.

    9 votes
  15. Comment on What are everyone’s favourite pens and stationery items? in ~creative

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    I never got into fountain pens. I tried one of the cheap Lamy pens, but it just didn’t seem worth it to me. So I stick with standard pens, mostly G2 refill compatible. Just last year, I discovered...

    I never got into fountain pens. I tried one of the cheap Lamy pens, but it just didn’t seem worth it to me. So I stick with standard pens, mostly G2 refill compatible.

    Just last year, I discovered the joy that is gel ink. It’s pretty hard to find gel ink in Parker G2 refills, but you can find it. Previously, even with very high quality refills, the writing experience was just okay. Every gel refill I have tried makes the writing experience fantastic (when paired with a quality pen). My current favorite is a Parker brand gel black ink 0.7mm. I’ve tried 0.5mm, but I like the 0.7 way better.

    My current favorite pen is the LTT scribedriver. It is built from faulty screwdriver shafts, so it has the added benefit of being partially recycled. But even without that, or any brand affiliation, it’s just a really nice pen. My previous favorite was a rotring (I think rapid pro), but the LTT is way better (and cheaper).

    1 vote
  16. Comment on What are some accidental life hacks you've stumbled into? in ~talk

    Weldawadyathink
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    Just a heads up, those are made from a plastic called PLA, and they aren’t very biodegradable or compostable. Here is a good article about the issue. It is 3d printing focused because PLA is...

    Just a heads up, those are made from a plastic called PLA, and they aren’t very biodegradable or compostable. Here is a good article about the issue. It is 3d printing focused because PLA is common in 3d printing, but it is accurate for all PLA. They biodegrade in around 80 years, which is way too long to group them together with other biodegradable things. They can be composted on a reasonable timeframe, but only with very specific compost conditions. The article mentions that only 5% of the 1000 composters in Germany were able to compost bio plastics. I don’t have specific numbers, but the USA is not any better. It is still way better than oil based plastics, but you should consider using a refillable flosser or plain floss instead.

    4 votes
  17. Comment on ADHD representation in media in ~health.mental

    Weldawadyathink
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    That lines up with my experience. It’s important to note that ADHD doesn’t affect long term memory, just short term working memory. If things end up in your long term memory, then you will never...

    That lines up with my experience. It’s important to note that ADHD doesn’t affect long term memory, just short term working memory. If things end up in your long term memory, then you will never have trouble remembering it. Is just the short term memory that’s affected.

    It’s also worth mentioning that medication can help significantly with that. Since I started medication, my working memory is way better. I don’t think it’s good compared to neurotypical people, but it’s way better than what I am used to. I use atomoxetine (straterra), which isn’t a stimulant. Therefore it doesn’t have any of the classic issues of ADHD medication. If you are hesitant to try stimulant medication, I highly recommend asking your doctor about it.

    2 votes
  18. Comment on ADHD representation in media in ~health.mental

    Weldawadyathink
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    I don’t have autism either, so I can’t provide any more insight. I would be interested to hear from someone who does. Based on that summary, it sounds pretty decent for representation. It’s at...

    I don’t have autism either, so I can’t provide any more insight. I would be interested to hear from someone who does.

    Based on that summary, it sounds pretty decent for representation. It’s at least teaching that some people are different from others, and that is out of their control. They should try to learn about themselves and others. If that is all it teaches, it’s still way better than the stuff I had as a kid (At least for representation).

    Would you say it might be worth it to watch as an adult with no kids? Wikipedia says it targets ages 4-8, so I would guess not. I am still glad it exists though.

    1 vote
  19. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

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    Screw the free speech argument. You are not the US government. Free speech for a private entity is meaningless. I don’t just mean this in a legal sense. Free speech in a private space makes that...

    Screw the free speech argument. You are not the US government. Free speech for a private entity is meaningless. I don’t just mean this in a legal sense. Free speech in a private space makes that space worse (except for a very particular subset of the population). I love tildes precisely because it does not have free speech.

    Take a look at the nazi bar idea, and the paradox of tolerance. There are some people in this world that are genuinely good people in all ways. These are the people you want. But they don’t want to be in a place where bad things happen. Things that may seem small will drive those people away and make your platform worse.

    That being said, I don’t think this is quite a first step towards a nazi bar. Even if you let the post stand, I don’t think it will be an issue that you can’t fix later. Just keep this in mind for future moderation decisions.

    18 votes
  20. Comment on ADHD representation in media in ~health.mental

    Weldawadyathink
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    It’s great to hear that modern kids shows have this representation! I am pretty sure I am not autistic myself, but as I understand it, autism has the same poor representation in media as ADHD. Do...

    It’s great to hear that modern kids shows have this representation! I am pretty sure I am not autistic myself, but as I understand it, autism has the same poor representation in media as ADHD. Do Carl and his friends have explicit diagnoses on the show? I don’t think that is essential, but it is pretty impressive if they did that.

    3 votes