Akir's recent activity
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Comment on That one study that proves developers using AI are deluded in ~tech
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Comment on That one study that proves developers using AI are deluded in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI’m actually about to start working with Codex since I’m going to be teaching a class using it. I overheard one of my coworkers saying they thought it was worse than Claude but I’ll be getting the...I’m actually about to start working with Codex since I’m going to be teaching a class using it. I overheard one of my coworkers saying they thought it was worse than Claude but I’ll be getting the chance to evaluate it soon enough.
Coincidentally we also have a new internal system they are developing and somehow I am only now connecting the dots and realizing they are probably vibe coding. It makes sense since they are going big on AI right now and the program features a ZUI for no particular reason.
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Comment on That one study that proves developers using AI are deluded in ~tech
Akir Link ParentYes, I used Claude Code for the video game project I was referring to. It would have been very difficult to make those changes if I hadn’t because it reached into many different files. I haven’t...Yes, I used Claude Code for the video game project I was referring to. It would have been very difficult to make those changes if I hadn’t because it reached into many different files. I haven’t used cowork though, since I don’t trust it that much.
It should be worth noting, though, that this video game project is the first time I’ve done a major video game project and the first time I’ve used lua to an appreciable level (outside of tinkering with things like nodemcu).
One thing I really like about Claude in particular is that it really has a lot of small touches that make it useful in surprising situations. I’ve used the Learning style to help me with complex concepts that I’ve struggled with for almost a year and it’s been a great help. I think it’s going to be great when I resume university classes in the coming weeks, and it almost makes me regret not taking more classes that would challenge me.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentChina is a really interesting place to look when it comes to food culture. The interesting thing about it is that it hasn’t always been so difficult to find dishes without meat products to my...China is a really interesting place to look when it comes to food culture. The interesting thing about it is that it hasn’t always been so difficult to find dishes without meat products to my understanding. Yes, they have a different cultural understanding of vegitarianism as you pointed out but a mixture of cultural revolutions and rising affluence made meat more accessible and mainstream.
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Comment on That one study that proves developers using AI are deluded in ~tech
Akir LinkI got a Claude Pro subscription two weeks ago and it’s completely changed my opinion on AI in general. It’s mind-blowing what it can do in comparison to what I’d seen from ChatGPT’s free models....I got a Claude Pro subscription two weeks ago and it’s completely changed my opinion on AI in general. It’s mind-blowing what it can do in comparison to what I’d seen from ChatGPT’s free models. While I got it to experiment with Claude Code, I just keep being surprised at how much other things I keep finding it being helpful for. Yesterday I had it clear up a minor mystery of why one of my favorite bands broke up by researching information that was available only in French. It found combed through 481 articles to write that in about 15 minutes. Before that, I had it help me with a financial/legal issue regarding a surprise inheritance.
Before I had tried Claude, I was under the impression that AI was bad with less popular coding languages and couldn’t be trusted with software archetechture. I haven’t tested it with a huge codebase yet, but my > 3000 line video game project written in Lua has been jealousy inducing. I told it that I wasn’t happy with the system I devised to handle input, and in a short period of time it came up with a better solution and even managed to replace my implementation by itself. Not only that, but the code it produced was good quality and matched the style and conventions that I was using.
I do have to say that it’s actually slowed me down in a way; I’m kind of stuck right now because I want to write this project myself and every time I think about it I just think of how Claude can make it for me. But at the same time, the project had been on hiatus for about a year before I tried this experiment.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Akir LinkI’ve come to a realization today as I was doing my workouts that I was lifting too much weight for all of my strength training and it had done me a great disservice. I’ve been sick a few times in...I’ve come to a realization today as I was doing my workouts that I was lifting too much weight for all of my strength training and it had done me a great disservice. I’ve been sick a few times in the past 2-3 months (maybe even 4), and it’s ruined my inertia. But I realized today that part of it is that I was really ruing the idea of the hard work I was doing. Lifting lighter really helped me feel like I was getting back into the swing for the first time.
The thing I hate about this is that what made me realize this was a passing idea that I should ask AI for pointers on my routine and it passively noted something like “add weight when it feels too light” instead of “lift as much as you think you can”. Really, I was being let down by my own hubris.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentAquafaba is indeed a PIA, but it shouldn't waste chickpeas. You can actually use just about any bean to make aquafaba; chickpeas are just the most common one because it has a vaguely eggy color to...Aquafaba is indeed a PIA, but it shouldn't waste chickpeas. You can actually use just about any bean to make aquafaba; chickpeas are just the most common one because it has a vaguely eggy color to it and a relatively neutral taste. But you should also eat the chickpeas. They're tasty. 😋
Also, fake meat burgers are "just as bad" as the real thing in terms of calories, but there are studies out there saying they're better for you in the long run.
I really wish more Americans ate tofu. Tofu is so good in so many situations. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in! The same is true of konjak and shirataki.
Now if you'll excuse me, your mention of a tuna sandwich reminded me of a delicious chickpea "tuna salad" I haven't had in forever, and I am very hungry.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentThat does make sense, but I feel like it just opens up so many more questions! I'm glad that you feel so strongly about food insecurity because it is a bigger issue than most people understand,...That does make sense, but I feel like it just opens up so many more questions!
I'm glad that you feel so strongly about food insecurity because it is a bigger issue than most people understand, but I don't think it was the best thing to bring up in this conversation. Food insecurity means that you often don't have a choice of what food you eat, so I think it goes without saying that nobody is asking people suffering from that issue should be forced into something they may simply not be able to do. But at the same time, I feel like it's not quite as much an insurmountable issue for this category of people as you think it is. I won't push that particular issue though.
Food insecurity, lack of time and childcare, and all of these problems you bring up are definately big problems, but they do not invalidate the problem of factory farming. All of them are problems that we should all be collectively trying to fix.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentThank you for responding. I guess the part where I'm confused, though, is why you seem to think that people going vegan will increase food insecurity. As I have stated, most plant based food tends...Thank you for responding. I guess the part where I'm confused, though, is why you seem to think that people going vegan will increase food insecurity. As I have stated, most plant based food tends to last longer than animal products, typically with less energy required to store them.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentWe tend to forget this, but food is an inherently cultural artifact. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people involved with any given food product you buy at the grocery store, and each of...We tend to forget this, but food is an inherently cultural artifact. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people involved with any given food product you buy at the grocery store, and each of them has piles of subtle meanings behind them.
One interesting thing I've heard people discussing lately is women using their dates' opinions on tofu to see if they will be a good match. It seems insane at first, but when you hear their reasoning about how they don't want to deal with men who have their masculinity threatened by a block of bean curds, it starts to make sense.
To be honest, though, I don't know any so-called "militant vegans" in real life. I've seen them online, for sure - I mocked them when I was younger, even. When it comes to me, personally, I only wear the title "vegan" half-heartedly. I didn't start living like this for the animals, I did it for my health. Everything else was just a bonus. There are times when I break down and have food with dairy in it; I actually had a bread pudding not even a week ago. To me and to everyone else I've met traveling this path, we don't care if you aren't successful in avoiding eating animal products 1% of the time; what's more important was the 99% of the time when you were doing better than you did before, and 100% of the time you're doing better than the people who refuse to even try.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentWell they are “chocolate Creme” cookies. But I don’t know if it’s ever actually contained cream before.Well they are “chocolate Creme” cookies. But I don’t know if it’s ever actually contained cream before.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentI get the feeling that you are very passionate about this so I'm going to do my best to avoid turning this into an argument. Generally speaking, food insecurity in the US is not an issue of there...- Exemplary
I get the feeling that you are very passionate about this so I'm going to do my best to avoid turning this into an argument.
Generally speaking, food insecurity in the US is not an issue of there not being enough food, it's an issue with access. People cannot access food because they cannot afford to buy it.
But lets imagine for a moment that it was an issue with the amount of food available. If that were the case, the government would actually have a better case against eating meat. Meat spoils very quickly, especially when comparing to dried staples such as grains and legumes which can last for years without refrigeration. Raising animals at scale take a huge amount of resources that humans need to live - things like water, food, and land. You might want to check out this interesting website for a better picture: https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture
I believe you might be under the impression that vegan food is something extremely difficult and costly to make. But that couldn't be further from the truth. There are some high profile vegan foods that are very overpriced, true, but that's not the majority of what vegans eat. For me persionally, a meal is more often than not some vegetables that I either shredded to add to spring rolls (which don't require any cooking), or tossing some frozen veggies in the microwave with a sauce and some tofu. Both of these are very cheap and about as fast as a homecooked meal can be. I could make more complex dishes, I suppose, but like most people, I'm lazy. I eat like this because I'm on a whole food plant based diet, but if I weren't I'd have a lot more options including fast and tasty processed foods like ramen and whatever "next generation vegan protein" like Impossible and Beyond - which, admittedly, I do eat from time to time, especially when I'm out of the house.
I also want to state for the record, for both you and @archevel, that I'm not really against collective action to end factory farming. I'm actually very in favor of it. I'm just disenchanted and demoralized. It just feels like too much of a bar to pass. Even with that, though, that doesn't mean that it's not important to get everyone around us to eat less - preferably no - meat or animal products. I'm sure I don't need to go into detail, but the shortlist is climate change, animal exploitation, climate change, human exploitation, climate change, political corruption, and have I mentioned climate change? That last one's a big one.
Of course, there is the added benefit that people who are living a vegan lifestyle are much more likely to be motivated to advocate for the policies you want. You say the time is for collective action, and I'm saying to build the collective. We're actually on the same page, but the two of you are just more optimistic about change than I am. Or perhaps it's more accurate to call me jaded.
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Comment on Factory farming is a blight in ~enviro
Akir LinkHonestly I still believe that veganism is a better response to factory farming than any given attempt to make the government affect a change, at least here in the US. There’s a chance that an...Honestly I still believe that veganism is a better response to factory farming than any given attempt to make the government affect a change, at least here in the US. There’s a chance that an individual can be convinced to give up meat and dairy. I’d say it’s easier to convince someone on a carnivore diet to switch to veganism than it is to convince the government to change its agricultural policies contrary to the desires of “Big Ag”. They have huge well oiled lobbying machines and even if they didn’t they can always claim “if you don’t pass my laws, people will starve”, which seems to work regardless of the continued lack of veracity of those statements. Asking the government to change things contra to what big ag wants is like trying to wring blood from a stone.
Personally convincing people to go wholly or partially veg isn’t going to make a huge difference to the world. But it does make a difference, and on the individual level it can be extremely impactful. Especially when it comes to health outcomes. The more people we can collectively convince to change, the less powerful animal agriculture will have over government, and that is how we will come to those big impactful changes. Heck, we’ve already got at least one major victory - the latest USDA publication of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans actually provides advice for vegan diets, and that happened during a conservative administration! A lever has been placed; we just need to keep pulling on it.
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Comment on Researchers develop biodegradable, plant‑based packaging from natural fibers – new research in ~science
Akir Link ParentLiterally the first thing I thought when I saw the headline was “they reinvented paper”. I’m glad that they’re excited enough with this material that they are trying to scale it up but I have very...Literally the first thing I thought when I saw the headline was “they reinvented paper”.
I’m glad that they’re excited enough with this material that they are trying to scale it up but I have very little hope of it taking off unless world governments band together to collectively legislate against plastics or fossil fuels generally. Plastic is incredibly cheap because it’s made from fuel processing byproducts. The ubiquity of plastic is at least partially a consequence of the ubiquity of gas and diesel.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentTrust me when I say that I am well past that phase at this time. I've even gone so far as to have an endoscopy done and now I'm waiting for a third appointment with an ENT.Trust me when I say that I am well past that phase at this time. I've even gone so far as to have an endoscopy done and now I'm waiting for a third appointment with an ENT.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI want to use it but the problem is that it causes me to generate so much phlegm that it basically drowns me at night.I want to use it but the problem is that it causes me to generate so much phlegm that it basically drowns me at night.
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Comment on Recommended beginning soldering kits in ~hobbies
Akir Linkjameco sells electronics project kits that are probably exactly what you are looking for. They are all through-hole PCB designs AFAIK; briefly looking through their website largely shows the same...jameco sells electronics project kits that are probably exactly what you are looking for. They are all through-hole PCB designs AFAIK; briefly looking through their website largely shows the same kits I had available to me as a kid.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentHonestly, probably the great amount of things I’ve been procrastinating on. That’s the kinds of things I’ve been thinking about at least. One of the things I’ve been procrastinating is actually...Honestly, probably the great amount of things I’ve been procrastinating on. That’s the kinds of things I’ve been thinking about at least. One of the things I’ve been procrastinating is actually making a doctors appointment for the sleep problem….
But other than that, it’s a vast quantity of phlegm.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
Akir LinkYeeeessss…? Ongoing issues with sleep have caused me to change my sleep schedule pretty dramatically. I was an early bird at one time when I could still do CPAP therapy but ages being unable to do...Yeeeessss…?
Ongoing issues with sleep have caused me to change my sleep schedule pretty dramatically. I was an early bird at one time when I could still do CPAP therapy but ages being unable to do it has caused terrible sleep, which made me groggy in the morning, which made me shift all my stuff to the evening, which made me stay up late because that was when I finally had energy. This was all with the background of my job basically only happening in the afternoon.
The past few weeks have been marked by pretty bad insomnia. Last night I went to sleep around 3:00 AM and got about 4 hours sleep.
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Comment on All the Eurovision songs are out. Let's talk about them! in ~music
Akir Link ParentI like the guy and all the things he does, but I really can't find a way to care about the actual music he produces.I like the guy and all the things he does, but I really can't find a way to care about the actual music he produces.
I’d be teaching how to use codex to build websites.
That being said the curriculum itself seems to be AI generated itself and not particularly well thought out so it’s feels more like an extended daycare activity….
I would complain about it but the sole student I am teaching this to has some form of intellectual disability combined with a language barrier, so the goal of teaching him is more to support his development in the softer things more so than to add a skill to his repertoire.