alden's recent activity
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Comment on Valve is possibly making a Steam Controller 2 and a ‘Roy’ for its Deckard in ~games
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Comment on You're running for office on a somewhat petty, yet univerally-understood single issue. What is it? in ~talk
alden Link ParentFor the same reason people pay to use patents before they expire. For that decade, if you paid for it, you are the one making money. If it is successful, you could make a lot of money, and your...Why pay a writer for their book to make a video version out of it when you can just wait that decade out and get it for free?
For the same reason people pay to use patents before they expire. For that decade, if you paid for it, you are the one making money. If it is successful, you could make a lot of money, and your competitors could not touch you.
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Comment on I walked away from my job as a queer educator in ~lgbt
alden Link ParentJust chiming in to say this meshes beautifully with the Sisyphus myth. Sisyphus was sent to Tartarus because he pissed off Zeus, but the rolling-the-ball punishment didn't come until later when he...The alternative is to be in misery until you die.
Just chiming in to say this meshes beautifully with the Sisyphus myth. Sisyphus was sent to Tartarus because he pissed off Zeus, but the rolling-the-ball punishment didn't come until later when he cheated death, seeking to live forever. Pushing the ball up the hill is, literally within the story, the consequence of eternal life.
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Comment on Which magazines do you read? in ~talk
alden LinkI mostly go to magazines for current events/news. Here are my subscriptions: Harper's Current Affairs Jacobin Jewish CurrentsI mostly go to magazines for current events/news. Here are my subscriptions:
- Harper's
- Current Affairs
- Jacobin
- Jewish Currents
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Comment on Pricing updates — Nebula in ~tech
alden Link ParentThe web interface is better, yes. Just off the top of my head for example, in the web interface you can filter your library to show only unwatched videos. That feature is missing on mobile.The web interface is better, yes. Just off the top of my head for example, in the web interface you can filter your library to show only unwatched videos. That feature is missing on mobile.
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Comment on DuckDuckGo seems like a significantly worse search engine than Google despite SEO bloat, and I think community discussions mislead people by omitting that in ~tech
alden Link ParentActually, you can share the query for people without accounts! If you look in the triangle menu on Kagi, there is a "share this search" option which gives a link like this:...Actually, you can share the query for people without accounts! If you look in the triangle menu on Kagi, there is a "share this search" option which gives a link like this: https://kagi.com/search?q=why+do+wombats+poop+in+cubes%3F&r=us&sh=M7pYwDzNOvx53vfjb5mAFA
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Comment on Riven (2024) | Launch trailer in ~games
alden Link ParentThis might be a tough genre line to draw, I am sure there's are games which straddle it, but I would classify Myst and Riven as puzzle games, while most of that...This might be a tough genre line to draw, I am sure there's are games which straddle it, but I would classify Myst and Riven as puzzle games, while most of that kleptomaniacal-inventory-combination comes from adventure games. In Myst (and Riven, if I remember correctly) you don't have an inventory. You don't need to bring things from one place to another to solve puzzles. Instead, if you need to get something, it will be a piece of information, a diagram, the code for a combination lock. You are encouraged to keep a paper and pencil nearby while you play.
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Comment on I’ve stopped using box plots. Should you? in ~design
alden LinkWhen I was a kid, they told me never to use a box plot unless I knew my data was unimodal. It seems to me that most of the cases this author complains about are situations where it is...When I was a kid, they told me never to use a box plot unless I knew my data was unimodal. It seems to me that most of the cases this author complains about are situations where it is inappropriate to use a box plot, so he misses out on what the box plot offers when it is appropriate.
Where a box plot really shines is when you are comparing multiple unimodal distributions, particularly if your data are sparse or noisy. There has been a trend over the last decade or so toward trying to squeeze every little bit of insight you can from your data, looking for any pattern you can see. I believe this is misguided, because it leads to statistics which are not robust against sampling errors. In contrast, the quantiles are very robust statistics, particularly if you terminate the whiskers at 5% and 95% quantiles rather than 0% and 100%. That is to say, even if the particular sample you have has a little cluster here or there, or if you have a few outliers sneaking in from a different underlying distribution, the quantiles still give you a reliable description of the distribution you are studying. If two samples have very different quantiles, you can reasonably infer that the underlying distributions are different.
As much as we like a visualization to reveal the data, it is just as important that it conceal the data. We are good at seeing patterns, even if they do not mean anything. The discipline in statistics is to remove those parts of the data which people are apt to misinterpret, hopefully leaving something useful. Box plots are designed to conceal the variability which (for example) a strip plot reveals.
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Comment on Former US President Donald Trump has been found guilty of thirty-four counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election in ~news
alden Link ParentIf he were running for senate, the answer would be a bit more clear. Article 1, section 6: The constitution makes it clear that the usual privileges against arrest don't hold if a senator commits...If he were running for senate, the answer would be a bit more clear. Article 1, section 6:
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
The constitution makes it clear that the usual privileges against arrest don't hold if a senator commits a felony. Of course, we are not talking about a senator here. There is no analogous clause for the president.
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Comment on Nintendo pre-announces a Switch 2 announcement is coming… eventually in ~games
alden Link ParentLewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, chapter VIII."You are sad," the Knight said in an anxious tone: "let me sing you a song to comfort you."
"Is it very long?" Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.
"It's long," said the Knight, "but very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it—either it brings the tears into their eyes, or else—"
"Or else what?" said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.
"Or else it doesn't, you know. The name of the song is called 'Haddocks' Eyes'."
"Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested.
"No, you don't understand," the Knight said, looking a little vexed.
"That's what the name is called. The name really is 'The Aged Aged Man'."
"Then I ought to have said 'That's what the song is called'?" Alice corrected herself.
"No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called 'Ways And Means': but that's only what it's called, you know!"
"Well, what is the song, then?" said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered.
"I was coming to that," the Knight said. "The song really is 'A-sitting On A Gate': and the tune's my own invention."Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, chapter VIII.
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What Boeing did to all the guys who remember how to build a plane
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Comment on On Bleem v. Sony and the legality of emulators in ~games
alden LinkA lot of the reporting from that time (The Register, Gamespot) seems to be a bit muddled because of the much larger and more consequential case happening the same week, Sony v. Connectix. Here is...A lot of the reporting from that time (The Register, Gamespot) seems to be a bit muddled because of the much larger and more consequential case happening the same week, Sony v. Connectix. Here is a law review article explaining that case, which did set a precedent allowing reverse engineering for emulation.
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Comment on What is the "bible" of your hobby or activity? in ~hobbies
alden LinkI tinker with electronics on occasion, and the book The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill is an essential reference. I also sometimes do recreational coding, for which The Art of Computer...I tinker with electronics on occasion, and the book The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill is an essential reference. I also sometimes do recreational coding, for which The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth almost always contains good advice. Not a good introduction for a beginner though, unless they are highly motivated. In the kitchen I always have Joy of Cooking handy. Its recipes and advice are quite reliable, though somewhat plain or understated at times.
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Comment on Shaun on Palestine in ~society
alden Link ParentI have a hard time following the criticism presented in that Reddit thread. They seem to conceptualize racism as some crime which must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than as a...I have a hard time following the criticism presented in that Reddit thread. They seem to conceptualize racism as some crime which must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than as a foundational and pervasive part of American ideology. When you see racism as part of the ideology of the Truman administration, it comes across as bizarre to suggest that it did not play a role.
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Comment on Shaun on Palestine in ~society
alden Link ParentI thought the thesis was pretty clear. He repeated it a few times. He argued that a thorough understanding of the history of the conflict is not necessary to see that Israel is in the wrong. He...I thought the thesis was pretty clear. He repeated it a few times. He argued that a thorough understanding of the history of the conflict is not necessary to see that Israel is in the wrong. He also shared how he personally came to that conclusion.
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Comment on The man who owes Nintendo $14m: Gary Bowser and gaming’s most infamous piracy case in ~games
alden LinkIt bothers me how much Nintendo tries to use this case as an example of someone being punished for software piracy. His criminal sentence was for wire fraud. The penalty for software piracy is...It bothers me how much Nintendo tries to use this case as an example of someone being punished for software piracy. His criminal sentence was for wire fraud. The penalty for software piracy is just a fine.
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Comment on The misguided war on the SAT in ~humanities
alden Link ParentDo you think so? It's not obvious to me why that would be the case.The SAT does too, but it’s relatively easier for poorer students to play it in their favor.
Do you think so? It's not obvious to me why that would be the case.
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Comment on The misguided war on the SAT in ~humanities
alden LinkThis op-ed falls into a common trap, failing to question the premises of its argument. The SAT is designed to predict how well a student will score in their college courses. When College Board...This op-ed falls into a common trap, failing to question the premises of its argument. The SAT is designed to predict how well a student will score in their college courses. When College Board evaluates a question for inclusion on the test, their main criterion is whether it accurately predicts what a student's grades will be. The article spends the whole time defending the SAT on the grounds that it does accurately predict what a student's grades will be, but it does not question why you would want to predict that.
Here are a few other reliable predictors of college student grades:
- Students get better grades if their parents went to college.
- Students get better grades if their parents are wealthy.
- Students get better grades if they were raised in a wealthy zip code.
- Students get better grades if they attended an expensive private school.
- Students get better grades if they are perceived as white, because of structural racism in the college environment.
- Students get better grades in engineering courses if they are men, because of structural sexism.
- Students get better grades if they don't have a major disability.
I could go on. I think it's obvious why it would be wrong to use any of those as criteria for admissions. Part of the goal of a university is to provide opportunity to the disadvantaged. It would be wrong to adopt an admissions practice which reinforces existing social inequalities, even if it does result in a student body which gets better grades.
College Board goes to great lengths to control for effects of race, gender, and class in their tests. They are entirely aware of this criticism. Personally, I think they are fighting a losing battle. I don't think it is possible to create a test of "scholastic aptitude" which does not simply reinforce existing social inequality. In psychometry jargon, I don't think the construct is well-defined. Instead of trying to sort students into the categories of will-do-well and will-not-do-well, I believe that we should direct our energy to making colleges work for all students.
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Comment on What’s something you wish more people understood? in ~talk
alden LinkQuantitative does not mean the same thing as objective. Many measures are objective and quantitative -- it's 50°F outside, this rock weighs seven pounds, that tree is 80 years old. Many measures...- Exemplary
Quantitative does not mean the same thing as objective. Many measures are objective and quantitative -- it's 50°F outside, this rock weighs seven pounds, that tree is 80 years old. Many measures are subjective and qualitative -- that painting is beautiful, this person is kind. Lots of people miss the fact that measures can be objective and qualitative. I remember my college chemistry course a decade ago had a unit on qualitative analysis, where you would mix reagents with an unknown compound and determine visually how it responded (the solution turns blue, a white precipitate forms, orange fumes rise up...). Those are qualitative assessments, but it's not just an opinion that the solution turned blue rather than red.
The category I really wish people would recognize more is the measures that are both quantitative and subjective. When Roger Ebert says a film is a four star film, that doesn't mean it's an objectively good film. Even though he used a number, it's still just his opinion. I read an op-ed last week whining that schools should only be using objective measures to choose who to admit, like SAT scores. SAT scores are quantitative, yes, but they are subjective. They are the opinion of College Board Incorporated, based on a couple of hours of observation. They reflect all the preferences, biases, and limitations of the people designing and grading the assessment. Similarly, a person's GPA is quantitative and subjective. The teachers give a number to represent their opinion of a student's ability. Sure, you could say "the student's GPA is objectively 3.5", but that's just like saying "the film's Ebert score is objectively four stars". Neither of these is an objective measure of merit.
This is not to say it's wrong to use subjective measures. Subjective measures are great. When well-used they can meet you directly at the level of sensation, bypassing the interpretation step of "hang on, is seven pounds a heavy rock or a light rock?" At the end of the day we all can only understand things by relating to our own subjective experience, so it is helpful to hear about other people's subjective experiences. Just don't mistake them for objective facts when an opinion has a number attached.
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Comment on Best Buy is discontinuing physical media in Q1 2024 in ~tech
alden Link ParentIf I am reading the article correctly, it only refers to discontinuing DVD/Blu-ray sales. It seems they will continue to stock video games.If I am reading the article correctly, it only refers to discontinuing DVD/Blu-ray sales. It seems they will continue to stock video games.
It seems to me that the author of that IGN article did not understand the patent. It's not a patent for Hall effect joysticks, lots of people already make Hall effect joysticks. It's a patent for a joystick which includes magnetorheological fluid for haptic feedback. If you want a controller which uses Hall effect joysticks, you can buy one today.