aetherious's recent activity
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Comment on Twenty years to give away virtually all my wealth in ~life
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Comment on Business idea and feedback thread in ~talk
aetherious Link ParentI recently came across blanks when I was looking into customized clothing. There are companies that sell plain clothes in a lot of different colors. The two I know are Gildan and Bella+Canvas....I recently came across blanks when I was looking into customized clothing. There are companies that sell plain clothes in a lot of different colors. The two I know are Gildan and Bella+Canvas. While these are only wholesale that I know of, I think you can find these through other distributors to order smaller quantities. It would be nice to have the same thing targeted towards regular customers.
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Comment on Some ChatGPT users are developing delusional beliefs that are reinforced by the large language model in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentAnthropic is particularly intentional when it comes to safety. A couple of months ago, they were offering $20,000 to anyone who could jailbreak the new Claude safeguards they had come up with...Anthropic is particularly intentional when it comes to safety. A couple of months ago, they were offering $20,000 to anyone who could jailbreak the new Claude safeguards they had come up with called Constitutional Classifiers. They don't seem to be taking any submissions on HackerOne anymore, but it does seem like they paid a few people, and they'll probably incorporate whatever they learned through the jailbreak methods to develop stronger safety measures.
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Comment on Some ChatGPT users are developing delusional beliefs that are reinforced by the large language model in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentWe're going to see the amplification of a lot of negative effects of social media with AI and I agree that the most helpful and directly actionable way is spreading awareness about how it works,...We're going to see the amplification of a lot of negative effects of social media with AI and I agree that the most helpful and directly actionable way is spreading awareness about how it works, how to use it, and how not to.
Reinforcing delusions is just one of the parallels. Just like social media, you can get addicted to using it. You can limit yourself to just using that and nothing else, similar to people for whom the internet doesn't exist outside of social media, including doing research. Falling for misinformation because they're unable to distinguish what a trustworthy source is. Even when it comes to learning, the reduced attention spans were already bad, and now, you're even less likely to understand what you have to learn.
I don't think the solution can be refusing to use it completely, because it's already good and it's going to get better and more ubiquitous.
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Comment on Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | Official trailer in ~movies
aetherious Link ParentI like it partially because it's too far fetched. I don't need grounded realism in a magic movie as long as they're entertaining and these definitely are.I like it partially because it's too far fetched. I don't need grounded realism in a magic movie as long as they're entertaining and these definitely are.
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Comment on Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | Official trailer in ~movies
aetherious LinkI had looked up what movies are coming this year and this was one of the unexpected sequels on the list so the existence of it wasn't a complete surprise but it is nice to see the title. I really...I had looked up what movies are coming this year and this was one of the unexpected sequels on the list so the existence of it wasn't a complete surprise but it is nice to see the title. I really enjoyed how inventive the first two are with the magic they show in it, and this looks to be more of that.
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Comment on Google AI search shift leaves website makers feeling “betrayed” in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentThis is how it's ideally supposed to work, with the Google algorithm prioritizing content that's meaningful on a page that's easy for a user to navigate (since they take factors like page loading...This is how it's ideally supposed to work, with the Google algorithm prioritizing content that's meaningful on a page that's easy for a user to navigate (since they take factors like page loading speed into question). But the main issue with optimizing for Google is that they've been known to make these core updates that completely change how they rank websites and you have to then try to figure out what to do to recover that traffic. Google's recommendation is to just follow their best practices, but I would also suggest keeping an eye on these updates and if you see any change in traffic from what it usually is, that might be the reason. These happen every couple of months, the last one was in March.
I am totally on your side with hating optimization. SEO was THE thing that drove me away but I am glad to have done that. I branched out from doing articles to emails, a bit of branding, and now the most writing-focused work that I do is strategy and website content. But I know others who are still doing writing and doing well, so it's not entirely all so bleak. There's also a market for conversion-focused copy and clearer communication. I came across FletchPMM and what they do is writing, just packaged differently. I also know some who make money writing articles by responding to pitches, and others who have their newsletters with paid subscriptions or Patreon.
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Comment on Google AI search shift leaves website makers feeling “betrayed” in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentFrom what I know, the banner ads on third-party websites typically cost less (Google also offers this with their display network ads), and the ads on search pages are more competitive and also...From what I know, the banner ads on third-party websites typically cost less (Google also offers this with their display network ads), and the ads on search pages are more competitive and also cost more since there would be a higher intent to purchase and more likelihood of someone clicking those. Product listing ads are priced even higher and are known to convert to purchases even more. So, it would make sense why Google isn't worried about lowering clicks to the ads it displays in other websites if they're more than making up for it with clicks from their search pages.
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Comment on Google AI search shift leaves website makers feeling “betrayed” in ~tech
aetherious LinkGoogle has been shifting towards this for a long time, even before AI came into the picture. Their search engine results page optimizations (featured snippets, Q&As, pulling from Wikipedia) were...Google has been shifting towards this for a long time, even before AI came into the picture. Their search engine results page optimizations (featured snippets, Q&As, pulling from Wikipedia) were designed to have people stay on Google instead of clicking out. And if you do click, they want it to be an ad.
It's at a point now that I don't even recommend someone to optimize for ranking on Google because unless it's someone looking up the exact name and finding you, no amount of writing content helps because nobody is clicking through to read it. Reaching a new audience through providing information they'd find through a search doesn't work anymore unless you already have brand awareness. I was helping someone build a website for their business, and I know the time spent on creating content isn't going to guarantee enough visitors as it otherwise would have.
I've never liked SEO and the keyword stuffing and all the nonsense that came with it, which is what drove me to shifting away from writing, but the reliance on AI searches for information definitely seems like it'll have a big impact on publishing on the internet in many ways. Maybe it's social media (including LinkedIn and YouTube), Substack, and having a personal 'brand' that's going to increase even more because trust is shifting away from websites or companies towards people. Which is a whole other conversation, but I see this as another move towards having it become more difficult to find reliable information easily.
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Comment on Looking for mobile puzzle-ish games with a heavy emphasis on stats in ~games
aetherious Link ParentI was also going to recommend Minesweeper. I haven't played the one from that publisher, the one I play is Minesweeper Classic: Retro from Still57 Games and it does have a leaderboard and stats...I was also going to recommend Minesweeper. I haven't played the one from that publisher, the one I play is Minesweeper Classic: Retro from Still57 Games and it does have a leaderboard and stats like games played, won, and win ratio for different difficulty levels.
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Comment on Need some career advice, potentially pivoting from a family business of manufacturing to starting afresh in another country in ~life
aetherious LinkThere's already some great advice posted in terms of what you can do for your own company, and I don't have much to add there. But I've been looking into career transitioning resources recently,...There's already some great advice posted in terms of what you can do for your own company, and I don't have much to add there. But I've been looking into career transitioning resources recently, and since you run your own business and from what you've shared, you have a lot of highly transferable skills. If you want to shift to a corporate environment, you would have to reframe what you've done into the corporate lingo used and create your resume based on that. You can position your experience as unique expertise that comes from navigating running your own business. You'll find a lot of actionable advice on the Generalist World blog about finding a corporate role when you have a diverse set of skills.
I briefly worked with a company that serviced manufacturing clients in Europe so I had done some research into labor trends post-COVID and there was an emphasis on gaps in the market for skills required for roles. Since this was a while ago, I took a look at some recent reports and trends published to see what I could find. Some companies are moving their offshore manufacturing out of China to India and some other Southeast Asian companies, so your knowledge of exports and regulations could be useful there (page 17 on this Institute of Manufacturing report). This report also mentions that manufacturing businesses in the UK and Europe have reported labour shortages due to fewer younger people entering the workforce and a lack of skilled labour to replace the retiring workforce, so you might be able to find roles that match your skills. Do you have any transferrable digital skills? That might also be useful. I'm not familiar with specific manufacturing roles and what those might entail, but I hope this gives you a place to start when you're looking at roles.
I'm sharing a couple more resources I went through if you want to read up on manufacturing or jobs in Europe.
Links
- Trade, Jobs and Technological Change: What to Expect in the Next Five Years? - A policy brief by the European Center for International Political Economy
- World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2025 by the International Labour Organization
- Future of Jobs 2025 by World Economic Forum - This talks about jobs across sectors and regions, so if you might be able to find some other roles here. It also mentions core skills employers are looking for such as analytical thinking, leadership and social influence,
curiosity and lifelong learning, talent management, and motivation and self-awareness. All of these are great for building a resume, even if you decide to switch to something other than manufacturing. If you only read one of these, I would suggest reading/skimming this.
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Comment on For Severance fans: The You You Are by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD in ~tv
aetherious Link ParentI didn't follow the last two or three seasons as closely but the first few seasons are quite fun. Also, a lot of great guest stars and also cameos from writers too. It was the first time I saw...I didn't follow the last two or three seasons as closely but the first few seasons are quite fun. Also, a lot of great guest stars and also cameos from writers too. It was the first time I saw James Patterson.
I love the extra stuff because it's thoughtful too, and they get to do more with what they have and it isn't just restricted to the medium of the show.
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Comment on For Severance fans: The You You Are by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD in ~tv
aetherious Link ParentMy first encounter with this type of marketing was a few years after LOST with the Richard Castle books for the show Castle, which are the books that he's doing research for on the show. Westworld...My first encounter with this type of marketing was a few years after LOST with the Richard Castle books for the show Castle, which are the books that he's doing research for on the show. Westworld had websites up too, for the parks and the companies in the show, which are now taken down. It is always nice to see some extra effort into marketing via worldbuilding and creating things beyond what's filmed for the fans.
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Comment on For Severance fans: The You You Are by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD in ~tv
aetherious LinkThanks for sharing this! I had read the handbook they had done for the first season but I didn't see that they had done another one of these. There's also the Lumon Industries website that also...Thanks for sharing this! I had read the handbook they had done for the first season but I didn't see that they had done another one of these. There's also the Lumon Industries website that also has a spoiler-free wellness session with generic phrases but you can create a custom one (I did prank a friend with that since the link doesn't tell you that it can be customized so I kept the first few ones and slipped in some random specific facts). They also have a reference to the season 2 episode 1 on the 404 page. There's also the link to the company's LinkedIn on there.
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Comment on Is it okay to use ChatGPT for proofreading? in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentYeah, I find it handy for suggestions, just in case I might want to reconsider writing a sentence differently. But like with any other by-the-rules writing feedback, it's best to take what you...Yeah, I find it handy for suggestions, just in case I might want to reconsider writing a sentence differently. But like with any other by-the-rules writing feedback, it's best to take what you like. Writing in your voice should be about what feels right to you and being understood.
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Comment on Recommend me a racing/driving game on PC in ~games
aetherious LinkI love old-school simple racing games and Horizon Chase Turbo is one of the few racing games I've completed. I played it on Android first and then on PC with keyboard, but the controls are...I love old-school simple racing games and Horizon Chase Turbo is one of the few racing games I've completed. I played it on Android first and then on PC with keyboard, but the controls are straightforward enough that I don't see it having any issues with controller.
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Comment on Is it okay to use ChatGPT for proofreading? in ~tech
aetherious LinkIf you want to use ChatGPT as a tool to write better, you can also use it as a tool to identify specific areas of improvement. You can give it your first drafts and final versions that you ended...If you want to use ChatGPT as a tool to write better, you can also use it as a tool to identify specific areas of improvement. You can give it your first drafts and final versions that you ended up going with after the critique or slight corrections from your previous chats. Ask for what patterns it sees in the first drafts and the changes made, and if there are any suggestions it has for avoiding repeating the same kind of errors.
Another great free tool is Hemingway, which is especially useful if you're aiming for clarity since it will point out any complicated sentence structures, filler words, and give you a readability grade for your text. They've added paid/AI features, but the core functionality is something I've been using for years alongside Grammarly (also the free version).
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Comment on "Other Hand" font by Cheetos in ~design
aetherious Link ParentYeah, randomly super expanded fonts like those used so much can make reading such a pain. I always prefer reading accessibility to a fancier design.Yeah, randomly super expanded fonts like those used so much can make reading such a pain. I always prefer reading accessibility to a fancier design.
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Comment on "Other Hand" font by Cheetos in ~design
aetherious Link ParentI don't watch SNL much but I love those skits. These are all satire but I do like all the work that goes into creating a custom typeface even if it's just for a logo although most brands will now...I don't watch SNL much but I love those skits. These are all satire but I do like all the work that goes into creating a custom typeface even if it's just for a logo although most brands will now extend that into their brand identity like Netflix Sans. My personal favorite in media though is what Pentagram designed for Killing Eve that was used for the title and for location overlays in the show.
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Comment on WikiTok in ~tech
aetherious Link ParentI'm with you, I don't love this format and I can't engage with it personally but it is nice to see something like this exist for those who do because that's what seems to be a majority of the...I'm with you, I don't love this format and I can't engage with it personally but it is nice to see something like this exist for those who do because that's what seems to be a majority of the younger population now. Wikipedia does have its own random article feature, both on the website and the app.
The New York Times interview was also interesting.