Akir's recent activity
-
Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
-
Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentOSHW in particular! There are still some binary blobs going around but things are pretty good in terms of building real world things that do cool things. Since the ESP8266/32s and Raspberry Pi...OSHW in particular! There are still some binary blobs going around but things are pretty good in terms of building real world things that do cool things. Since the ESP8266/32s and Raspberry Pi Picos started coming out it’s been great to have some go-to modules that make it easy to start projects regardless of your skill level.
-
Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI really hate the idea of having the illusion of a complete library of music though. You really don’t have everything that you might have through file sharing. Apple Music and Spotify have a lot...I really hate the idea of having the illusion of a complete library of music though. You really don’t have everything that you might have through file sharing. Apple Music and Spotify have a lot of music, but Nintendo keeps the vast majority of its music off and into its own music streaming app, and that doesn’t even include a great deal of historical VGM that wasn’t published by Nintendo and is largely missing on all streaming platforms with questionable legal status.
-
Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentHahaha, after letting this thread sit I thought I would come in here with the exact same answer! I guess we should all get together and have a self-aggrandizement party. 😸Hahaha, after letting this thread sit I thought I would come in here with the exact same answer!
I guess we should all get together and have a self-aggrandizement party. 😸
-
Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentWe live in a cruel world where people are disingenuous. Especially on the big social media platforms. We have been given actual proof of bots and disinformation campaigns, Russian and otherwise....We live in a cruel world where people are disingenuous. Especially on the big social media platforms. We have been given actual proof of bots and disinformation campaigns, Russian and otherwise.
While Tildes is a kinder place where people are more sincere, it's always wise to remember that we don't live in Tildes - we come from places where we are dealing with crazy bad faith arguments and made up stories meant to manipulate us all the time. It feels like people are becoming less honest in meatspace as well.
There is no solution but to build the community you want to be in.
-
Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThe circular references might not be so bad if they at least referenced eachother, but it's all self-reference. It's just the machine masturbating itself to shitty rips of content stolen from...The circular references might not be so bad if they at least referenced eachother, but it's all self-reference. It's just the machine masturbating itself to shitty rips of content stolen from somewhere else.
And worse, you will get a friend to give you a link to something on their their shitty network and they will refuse to show you more than a sliver of the context without creating an account, consenting to their data harvesting and yielding of your rights, and downloading their invasive apps. I get friends who send instagram reels and facebook videos that I can technically view, but I can't pause them, review them in any way, or read the title or caption without going through sacrificing my first born. Attempting to do so will open up the app store before saying that there is no app to open the link I clicked on because I didn't install their spyware.
-
Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir LinkI’ve kind of felt the same. A lot of it is that the creators of thoughtful content have moved around quite a lot in recent years. Journalism oitlets have plummeted in quality and variety of what...I’ve kind of felt the same. A lot of it is that the creators of thoughtful content have moved around quite a lot in recent years. Journalism oitlets have plummeted in quality and variety of what they will publish, and perhaps more importantly aggregators are less likely to pick them up and make them viral, in part because there are less people on them.
A lot of it is likely because people are changing the kind of media they consume. Particularly in the form of short form vertical video. They are watching TikToks, instagram reels, or YouTube shorts. There is a surprising amount of content that I could describe as being “deep-like, but without depth” on those platforms. People making political points also tend to be a lot more effective in them without needing to take a lot of time or words because they can convey passion directly.
-
Comment on Amazon kept shutting down my tablet, so I spent $266 on four AI models to own it in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI wonder how the software situation is on Walmart’s Onn brand tablets? I’ve been hearing good things about them lately.I wonder how the software situation is on Walmart’s Onn brand tablets? I’ve been hearing good things about them lately.
-
Comment on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in ~tech
Akir Link ParentOh man, now that you put it that way I think it might actually be on purpose to avoid liability. That way their salespeople can promise to bring the heavens down, and after they inevitably fail to...Oh man, now that you put it that way I think it might actually be on purpose to avoid liability. That way their salespeople can promise to bring the heavens down, and after they inevitably fail to do so they cant be sued because any such promise was off the record.
-
Comment on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI absolutely agree. One of the things I hate about the current fashion in design is that there are countless companies out there who make their websites the primary ways to advertise their...I absolutely agree. One of the things I hate about the current fashion in design is that there are countless companies out there who make their websites the primary ways to advertise their business, and yet their design is so glossy and generic you might not even be able to tell what it is they actually do.
-
Comment on Dutch regulator fines Uber $966m for automating driver suspensions in ~transport
Akir Link ParentHere’s hoping that the appeal will simply cost them more money.Here’s hoping that the appeal will simply cost them more money.
-
Comment on Webcomic of the author's experience in an abusive school that was a part of the Troubled Teens Industry in ~life
Akir Link ParentI think the important thing to know is that this is not the only program of its kind, and that these literally model themselves after a cult. You might remember they talked about Synanon? They...I think the important thing to know is that this is not the only program of its kind, and that these literally model themselves after a cult. You might remember they talked about Synanon? They model a lot of their practices after them. The cult like behaviors isn’t just for the kids, either, they stretch out to the parents and family so as to support the financial extraction.
Elan may be closed but I am pretty confident there are still programs just like it still being run to this day.
-
Comment on Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful in ~tech
Akir LinkIs it just me or is online shopping just stupid these days? I gave up impulse buying things online quite some time ago and canceled Prime not too long later. Shopping on Amazon now seems even more...Is it just me or is online shopping just stupid these days?
I gave up impulse buying things online quite some time ago and canceled Prime not too long later. Shopping on Amazon now seems even more tumultuous now than it has ever been. Sometimes products don’t seem to actually have descriptions anymore, they just have summaries.
Relying on AI to purchase things for you is frankly the stupidest thing I could possibly imagine. It is counter to the entire point of online shopping - finding the best deals. AI does not know what these products are like. It has not held them in its hands. It doesn’t have human hands to begin with. Shopping is one of the most alien things you could ask it to do. You might as well ask it to evaluate your poetry recital.
But it seems to me that many online stores - Amazon is hardly the only one - aren’t so much in the business of retail as they are in the business of addiction marketing. They may have the things you need, but that’s just the in - it’s there to get you into the ecosystem that gets you addicted to buying cheap tat you don’t need.
-
Comment on Have you ever been outed? in ~lgbt
Akir LinkSort of. I’m Demi-closeted at work. I’m a teacher and so I don’t want to cause drama with parents who think I will turn their kids gay. When I talk to people about my husband I generally use...Sort of. I’m Demi-closeted at work. I’m a teacher and so I don’t want to cause drama with parents who think I will turn their kids gay. When I talk to people about my husband I generally use gender neutral terms like partner or spouse, and “they” as a pronoun.
I had one student who was extremely personable and pried into my private life a lot - probably as a distraction technique. He was an occasionally frustrating but generally likable kid. He asked if I was married and about my “wife”, and while I didn’t correct his term something - I don’t recall exactly what - finally gave it away. Honestly it was probably my phone lock screen, which has had his face on it forever.
It went perfectly fine. Honestly I think he might have been teasingly calling me gay (which sadly seems to have come back into fashion in my area in that age group) at first, because he seemed taken aback when I confirmed he was correct. Oh well. He took it well. We didn’t really talk about it after that class, and I hadn’t heard anything about it from his parents or my coworkers so as far as I’m aware he never told anyone else.
I will say he slacked off less after clocking me. As much as I’d like to think it was because he saw me as a real person and respected me more because of it, it was probably because it was a tutoring course for a completion and he was starting to gear into it.
-
Comment on Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful in ~tech
Akir Link ParentSpam phone calls have gotten so bad that basically every phone call gets intercepted by the spam filter now. If you need me and it’s an emergency you better leave me a message or I might not even...Spam phone calls have gotten so bad that basically every phone call gets intercepted by the spam filter now. If you need me and it’s an emergency you better leave me a message or I might not even realize you tried to contact me.
-
Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI don’t see why we can’t blame all parties involved.I don’t see why we can’t blame all parties involved.
-
Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentAFAIK restaurants everywhere have always been perfectly fine to do this without collecting information about individual customers. They just look at the trends of what they sell.AFAIK restaurants everywhere have always been perfectly fine to do this without collecting information about individual customers. They just look at the trends of what they sell.
-
Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentExactly. When people started to talk about McDonalds becoming expensive there were always people saying “you can still get good deals if you use the app.” No, that means that the price is still...Exactly. When people started to talk about McDonalds becoming expensive there were always people saying “you can still get good deals if you use the app.”
No, that means that the price is still up, you are just subsidizing them with the sale of your personal information, and furthermore you’re getting a terrible deal.
-
Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir LinkHeres a fun personal fact about me, I actually stopped eating at McDonald’s before I became a health nut entirely because of their appification and invasive data harvesting practices. They are...Heres a fun personal fact about me, I actually stopped eating at McDonald’s before I became a health nut entirely because of their appification and invasive data harvesting practices. They are very much not operating for the public good.
-
Comment on Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO in ~news
Akir Link ParentFrankly I agree with you. But I also believe that while positive change isn’t impossible, it’s been made monumentally difficult and the deck has been stacked in favor of those with power, with the...Frankly I agree with you. But I also believe that while positive change isn’t impossible, it’s been made monumentally difficult and the deck has been stacked in favor of those with power, with the trend further entrenching power further and further away from the people. If, on the other hand, enough people thought things were hopeless and discontented, Mangione could have sparked a revolution, for better or worse (and in the short term, absolutely worse).
Maybe I am being defeatist. But civil rights are being defeated constantly in recent years. We recently saw rights to abortion get clawed back, and we are watching trans rights getting trampled in real time. Americans are supposed to be promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it certainly doesn’t seem like society is set to achieve that for everyone.
We all deserve a fairer society with better opportunities and a general baseline of welfare. I would vastly prefer to achieve that through nonviolent means. And frankly given the rise of fascism I don’t think that a revolution would actually achieve this without the country going through another civil war.
At this point in time I would like to shame Chamberlain, the company with a monopoly on garage door openers with a proprietary home automation system that does not interoperate with any other system.