aetherious's recent activity
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Comment on The spy who came in from the WiFi: Beware of radio network surveillance! in ~comp
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Comment on The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
aetherious LinkIt's coming out May 1st, 2026. Devil Wears Prada released in 2006 so this is coming out 20 years later. The teaser doesn't give anything away so I have no idea what's bringing Meryl Streep and...It's coming out May 1st, 2026. Devil Wears Prada released in 2006 so this is coming out 20 years later.
The teaser doesn't give anything away so I have no idea what's bringing Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway's character together again but I don't need any more details to see it.
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Comment on Is this a game? | Blank Quiz, made in Google Forms in ~games
aetherious LinkStats are up on my blog here! If you scroll up, you can read more about the 'game'. It ended up getting 108 'plays' after I shared it here and in some other places. There were 45 responses in the...Stats are up on my blog here! If you scroll up, you can read more about the 'game'.
It ended up getting 108 'plays' after I shared it here and in some other places.
There were 45 responses in the text box, which was the most fun part to go through. I've published all of them. I was a little apprehensive about what people might put in an anonymous text box, but everyone who played it was super nice about it even when they didn't get what this was supposed to be. I'm sharing some here:
- Did Sam Reich develop this? It feels like an early episode of Game Changer
- I feel like a speedrunner :)
- I'm not sure why I'm doing this
- Open sesame
- If this were Reddit, this is where I would put a snarky comment about something related to this quiz. Since this is not Reddit, I will write snark about Reddit instead.
Pinging @AaronNight and @Noox
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Comment on Is this a game? | Blank Quiz, made in Google Forms in ~games
aetherious Link ParentYou can replay if you don't follow the instructions ^^You can replay if you don't follow the instructions ^^
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Comment on Is this a game? | Blank Quiz, made in Google Forms in ~games
aetherious Link ParentI'll definitely share it after giving it a few days!I'll definitely share it after giving it a few days!
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Comment on Is this a game? | Blank Quiz, made in Google Forms in ~games
aetherious (edited )LinkThank you, @Dr_Amazing for posting the question, What makes a game, a game? survey and inspiring me to make this 'game' and testing out what you can do with Google Forms, including some features I...Thank you, @Dr_Amazing for posting the question, What makes a game, a game? survey and inspiring me to make this 'game' and testing out what you can do with Google Forms, including some features I had never tried before.
Edit: There is an Easter egg. I'm not sure how that particular feature works, but it should be findable. It's open to submitting multiple responses and doesn't require a Google login or email address input to fill out.
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Is this a game? | Blank Quiz, made in Google Forms
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Comment on What makes a game, a game? in ~games
aetherious (edited )Link ParentWhen I first saw the title with the form link, I thought this would be a game in Google Forms and now I'm thinking of how that could be made. Also filled up the form! Edit: I made the Google form...When I first saw the title with the form link, I thought this would be a game in Google Forms and now I'm thinking of how that could be made. Also filled up the form!
Edit: I made the Google form game!. The word 'game' is very, very loosely applied to this in my opinion.
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Comment on World Population Counter in ~humanities
aetherious Link ParentThat first website gave me a pandemic flashback. I was checking it a lot then.That first website gave me a pandemic flashback. I was checking it a lot then.
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Comment on Blogging in ~comp
aetherious Link ParentI really like how you've set up your blog! Love the collapsible side menu. I didn't build mine from scratch which is very admirable, but I started blogging on Bear very recently. I'm very new to...I really like how you've set up your blog! Love the collapsible side menu. I didn't build mine from scratch which is very admirable, but I started blogging on Bear very recently. I'm very new to blogging. I've used WordPress before, haven't used Git, use Markdown in Obsidian. It's where I write my posts before I copy-paste them into Bear which supports Markdown.
I've posted almost every other day for the past month, which is more consistent than any other publishing I've done outside of any writing done for work. I write pretty much daily, but it was still difficult to pick what to blog about until I decided that I should stop limiting myself to a single topic. Most of the posts are what I'd send really long messages to a friend about, but now they're public-facing instead. I don't think of it as a habit, that word creates expectations for me that I don't live up to. I think of it as an experiment with a variable posting schedule, and the only thing I track is whether I'm enjoying the process.
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Comment on Five more arrests as Louvre jewel heist probe deepens and key details emerge in ~news
aetherious LinkThe most surprising thing to me is that the first alert to the police came from a cyclist nearby and not their own security system.The most surprising thing to me is that the first alert to the police came from a cyclist nearby and not their own security system.
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Comment on Coursera to charge partners 15% platform fee starting 2026 in ~tech
aetherious LinkI was looking into starting a new course on Coursera after a long time away from the platform, and I was very disappointed to see the state of it now with Coursera Plus putting all courses behind...I was looking into starting a new course on Coursera after a long time away from the platform, and I was very disappointed to see the state of it now with Coursera Plus putting all courses behind a paywall with only the first module available for free. I came across this older article from ClassCentral discussing this move, where they covered why it's taken this direction.
After failing to boost the stock price through layoffs and stock buybacks, Coursera replaced its long-time CEO with Amazon veteran Greg Hart.
In Hart’s first full quarter as CEO, he raised Coursera’s 2025 revenue outlook by $17 million, projecting a range of $738 million to $746 million. During the earnings call, CFO Ken Hahn attributed the current quarter’s growth to “strong receptivity to our Coursera Plus subscription offerings and marketing campaigns, including localized promotions and pricing that benefited our paid conversion rate.”
Hart indicated the additional $17 million will come from the consumer business, which he described as having “a more responsive model.” This suggests Coursera can adjust pricing strategies more aggressively to maximize revenue, and the upcoming Preview Mode rollout is part of this approach.
Previously when MOOC providers implemented paywalls, it was done in the guise of sustainability. Yet Coursera’s financials tell a different story. The company has never been stronger financially, generating $29 million in free cash flow last quarter alone while maintaining $775 million in cash reserves.
This move appears to be designed primarily to boost a stock price that, despite the recent surge, remains 73% below its IPO level.
And now, this report mentions that partners who host their courses will have to now pay a fee.
In an email to partners, Coursera justified the new fee as necessary to “sustain progress and continue investing in innovation” in what it calls “the most transformative era yet.” The company outlined four areas where the platform fee will supposedly support investment: AI-powered discovery features, content optimization tools, assessment and validation improvements, and expanded global reach.
But here’s where the story gets interesting: Coursera doesn’t actually need the money.
According to the company’s Q3 2025 financial results, Coursera is sitting on nearly $800 million in cash and cash equivalents. During the earnings call, outgoing CFO Kenneth Hahn boasted that “Year-to-date, we’ve delivered more than $80 million of free cash flow, representing 55% year-over-year growth and reinforcing our strong financial position.”
So if Coursera is flush with cash and generating strong free cash flow, why impose a new fee on partners? The answer seems obvious: to boost margins and goose the stock price.
I like learning, but I don't like the business that education has become, and I particularly don't like that it's influenced by enshittification that plagues the internet at large today in pursuit of higher stock prices and profit.
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Coursera to charge partners 15% platform fee starting 2026
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Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
aetherious Link ParentIt isn't a heist game at all, but I like that there are parts of Baldur's Gate 3 where you can sort of do this.It isn't a heist game at all, but I like that there are parts of Baldur's Gate 3 where you can sort of do this.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentIt did auto-save previously. They've added additional clicks. I'm also pretty sure the edit alarm used to expand below instead of being in a new pop-up screen. And inexplicably, the font used for...It did auto-save previously. They've added additional clicks. I'm also pretty sure the edit alarm used to expand below instead of being in a new pop-up screen. And inexplicably, the font used for time in the edit alarm section is different from the font used on the list of alarms screen.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentI would love to believe that they make research-backed decisions but I'm not entirely convinced that it doesn't have to do with some employees justifying their roles within the company.I would love to believe that they make research-backed decisions but I'm not entirely convinced that it doesn't have to do with some employees justifying their roles within the company.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
aetherious LinkBetween this, which is just following Apple's liquid glass suit (I want to make an emperor's new clothes joke here and all the other emperors jumping on that guy's bandwagon), the terrible phone...Between this, which is just following Apple's liquid glass suit (I want to make an emperor's new clothes joke here and all the other emperors jumping on that guy's bandwagon), the terrible phone redesign (which removed the ability to swipe to reject a call) and clock app redesign (which also removed the swipe to snooze and had the text not even fitting within the same line in some sections) they had done a while back, which they have fixed to some extent, I seriously doubt the capability of these UI/UX designers. It's user interface design and user experience, not just designing something that looks cool that messes with usability that's been working. Already. For ages. Not that tech companies calling themselves user-centric has ever meant user-friendly. But what is this level of competence?
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Comment on Who tried beetroot? in ~food
aetherious LinkI had beetroot ketchup the other day from a healthy eating place. I don't know quite how it was made, but it was delicious as a condiment. I'd easily have it over regular ketchup, but then, I...I had beetroot ketchup the other day from a healthy eating place. I don't know quite how it was made, but it was delicious as a condiment. I'd easily have it over regular ketchup, but then, I don't love regular ketchup all that much.
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Comment on The medium is the message and it's imperfect in ~tech
aetherious LinkI didn't quite know where to post this one, but I saw there were a few older posts on blogging posted here, so here it is. This is something that I wrote and it's more about writing than blogging...I didn't quite know where to post this one, but I saw there were a few older posts on blogging posted here, so here it is. This is something that I wrote and it's more about writing than blogging specifically and I'm fairly new to doing this but blogging about blogging seems to be a rite of passage.
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The medium is the message and it's imperfect
11 votes
This reminds me of something I came across a while ago, which is how WiFi can be used to map the position of human bodies. From Popular Mechanics in 2023.
Quote from the paper:
Link to the paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.00250