aetherious's recent activity
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Comment on Coursera to charge partners 15% platform fee starting 2026 in ~tech
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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 -
Comment on What does ChatGPT know about you? in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentMy custom instructions are for writing paragraphs and a more conversational style that matches how I write, so that certainly seems to be making a difference. I also have old projects in it that...My custom instructions are for writing paragraphs and a more conversational style that matches how I write, so that certainly seems to be making a difference.
I also have old projects in it that it keeps bringing up, so I might have to go back and delete them after exporting anything I need.
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Comment on What does ChatGPT know about you? in ~tech
aetherious LinkFun topic! I have information saved in memory, but also have the chat history enabled since I like having cross-chat references and don't give it any sensitive information. As it always is, it...Fun topic! I have information saved in memory, but also have the chat history enabled since I like having cross-chat references and don't give it any sensitive information. As it always is, it defaults to flattery, but I do like seeing how it can put a positive spin on the mundane.
You like frameworks — but only when they serve you. You’re allergic to empty productivity dogma, prefer frictionless systems over forced habits, and use tools like Obsidian and Todoist as scaffolding for your mind rather than rigid planners. You’re drawn to design, though you don’t want to be a designer — you enjoy the aesthetics of clarity, the feeling of good taste made visible.
You write like someone who knows too much to be simple, but cares too much to be obscure. You value tone, nuance, and subtext. You’re often self-critical, sometimes perfectionistic, but deeply self-aware. You dislike absurdism, emptiness, or performance for its own sake. You want meaning — earned, not inherited.
I also asked:
What are some data points you have on me that I haven't explicitly provided?
And then followed it up with asking about facts since this was more of what it gave earlier. And this had a lot of inferred information which was interesting to see, but those I can't share here.
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Comment on I tried to protect my kids from the internet. Here’s what happened. in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentEducation is incredibly important. All these measures only add an illusion of safety, there is still plenty of danger online that these measures won't address but make people more complacent....Education is incredibly important. All these measures only add an illusion of safety, there is still plenty of danger online that these measures won't address but make people more complacent. Social media has been terrible for this, with people sharing a lot of information about themselves publicly without knowing how easy that makes it for bad actors to find even more sensitive information.
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Comment on Your phone already has social credit. We just lie about it. in ~finance
aetherious Link ParentAmazon does limit refunds and LinkedIn can ask for identity verification. These are meant to be fraud protection but they're not transparent about what goes into these and some policies might be...Amazon does limit refunds and LinkedIn can ask for identity verification. These are meant to be fraud protection but they're not transparent about what goes into these and some policies might be more for company protection rather than for users. Amazon refusing refunds for fake products received due to conmingled inventories. LinkedIn might use the smallest reasons to get ID verification because they want to push their Verified tag to more profiles (also might want more data). There are alternatives to Amazon, but for some products depending on where you are, it might be the only option. And you need LinkedIn for a lot of jobs, terrible as the platform is.
Morality isn't tied in, but I think it's worth considering how tech is becoming increasingly linked with our lives.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
aetherious LinkDoorbell prankster that tormented residents of German apartments turns out to be a slugDoorbell prankster that tormented residents of German apartments turns out to be a slug
In a statement, a police spokesperson in Schwabach, Bavaria, said the animal had “been brought down to size, taught about its territory boundaries and placed on a nearby stretch of grass”.
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Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentI had come across this when I was helping someone with their LinkedIn account and once they ask for identity verification, there's no way to get around it even logging in from another device,...I had come across this when I was helping someone with their LinkedIn account and once they ask for identity verification, there's no way to get around it even logging in from another device, you're basically locked out until you verify. This was a new account, so there wasn't much there and I think their overenthusiastic request sending flagged their bot filters, but they had to start another one. They also did not have a way to identify using the work email because it wasn't added before, so if you are starting a new account, I would add that and keep just in case along with a phone number if you can because their support and help resources are pretty much useless.
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Comment on Spotify is adding direct messaging to their music streaming app in ~tech
aetherious LinkSo they're not end-to-end encrypted if Spotify is scanning the messages and it's probably more for Spotify to track what users share in a single place rather than for users to have a single place...The feature aims to consolidate content recommendations that already happen over texts, social media, and third-party messaging services into a single location where Spotify users can more easily track their shared content.
Spotify says the user-to-user messages are 1:1, support text conversations and emoji reactions, and are protected by “industry-standard encryption”.
Users can choose to accept or reject message requests, block other users, or opt out of Messages entirely. Users can also report any shared content and text messages, or the account that sent them, by holding down on the message to flag anything nefarious. Spotify says it will proactively scan Messages for “certain unlawful and harmful content” and review chats that get reported by users.
So they're not end-to-end encrypted if Spotify is scanning the messages and it's probably more for Spotify to track what users share in a single place rather than for users to have a single place to share Spotify recommendations. It seems like a way for them to get more data on users rather than anything else. What are the chances they also use these for better ad targeting, considering they're also rolling this out to free users?
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Comment on If you're forced to use Windows 11, here's how to steal some of your time back in ~comp
aetherious LinkThanks for sharing this! This was worth it to get rid of the finish setting up your device screen finally. I already had a couple of things mentioned in this turned off (the more egregious news...Thanks for sharing this! This was worth it to get rid of the finish setting up your device screen finally. I already had a couple of things mentioned in this turned off (the more egregious news and suggestions) but I didn't know this was even a thing that could be turned off.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
aetherious Link‘Just Tan and Be Hot and Single’: The People Fighting to Be on ‘Love Island’ I don't watch Love Island, but I do find it fascinating to hear about it as a curiosity.‘Just Tan and Be Hot and Single’: The People Fighting to Be on ‘Love Island’
I don't watch Love Island, but I do find it fascinating to hear about it as a curiosity.
New applications increase each year; the team received around 20,000 for season seven.
On a Saturday in mid-June, nearly two weeks after season seven premiered, “Love Island” hopefuls waited in the pouring rain to attend the Atlanta stop of the summer casting tour. Over 1,000 people dressed in brightly colored swimsuits, two-piece sets and sarongs sat through casting interviews before the line was cut off.
Producers also comb through social media, sometimes finding potential contestants through tagged photos or location tags. The monthslong casting process involves multiple interviews, psych evaluations, social media screenings, STD tests and personality tests.
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Comment on Exploring the dangers of AI in mental health care in ~health.mental
aetherious Link ParentI've noticed this change too and it's certainly from the changes to the default prompts that these models come with. Since these companies, like all tech companies, probably value engagement...And that's the thing, if before it was just how LLM's work, it was just a side effect of how they set up the thing, now it seems intentional. OpenAI and Google seem to want their AI's to be sycophants.
I've noticed this change too and it's certainly from the changes to the default prompts that these models come with. Since these companies, like all tech companies, probably value engagement metrics, the sycophantic behavior is probably an aspect of the LLM behavior they've deemed to be the way more users spend more time on their platform. It's certainly why ChatGPT has more 'personality' now and will evolve based on your interactions, even though it will resort to the default programmed personality response. It can still manage to challenge your responses but you have to go out of your way to ask for it and it's much, much worse at it.
This, more than ever, pushes the responsibility towards the users to use the products meaningfully. The one-line disclaimers at the bottom of all of them in the smallest readable text isn't enough, especially when they can sound so persuasive and people are susceptible enough towards confirmation bias already.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
aetherious Link ParentFootnotes of footnotes is a great description! The structure of this format does lend itself to complicated emotions well, I tried exploring with other ideas in third-person but it worked the best...Footnotes of footnotes is a great description! The structure of this format does lend itself to complicated emotions well, I tried exploring with other ideas in third-person but it worked the best with writing a character's thoughts. Thanks for reading!
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.
And now, this report mentions that partners who host their courses will have to now pay a fee.
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.