alphamule's recent activity

  1. Comment on I can restore Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine to HD, so why can’t Paramount? in ~tv

  2. Comment on What small purchase has vastly improved your life? in ~life

    alphamule
    Link
    Rollerblade-style polyurethane office chair replacement wheels, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Office-Chair-Caster-Wheels-Set/dp/B01CTIG4GE/ They make it so that moving around in your office...

    Rollerblade-style polyurethane office chair replacement wheels, like these:

    https://www.amazon.com/Office-Chair-Caster-Wheels-Set/dp/B01CTIG4GE/

    They make it so that moving around in your office chair is silent and effortless without being so frictionless that you slide all over. Feels like a buttery knob. Another big win is that they don't trap hair, dust, or small cords. They usually go for <$40.

    My understanding is that there is one size stem diameter that fits IKEA chairs (10mm) and another that fits all the rest (11mm).

    6 votes

  3. Comment on "37 Seconds" - Legalize Marijuana - Gary Chambers political ad in ~misc

    alphamule
    Link
    Rather powerful speech from Gary Chambers to East Baton Rouge school board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEUNnvGA-1g

    Rather powerful speech from Gary Chambers to East Baton Rouge school board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEUNnvGA-1g

    7 votes

  4. Comment on Why have web pages dropped the www? in ~tech

  5. Comment on For those new to working-at-home since the pandemic began: What purchases/subscriptions have most improved your life? in ~life

    alphamule
    Link
    I bought a set of improved casters for my desk chair: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KET1PUA/ (Note that Ikea chairs use a smaller, 10mm stem.) Such a huge quality of life improvement. Like...

    I bought a set of improved casters for my desk chair: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KET1PUA/
    (Note that Ikea chairs use a smaller, 10mm stem.)

    Such a huge quality of life improvement. Like rolling around on stereo knobs. The standard plastic wheels eat cords and feel awful.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on Do your bumper stickers reveal too much about your family? in ~misc

    alphamule
    Link
    I don't see any up side to slapping your name (much less the names of your entire family) on the outside of your car. People pay money to self-dox?

    I don't see any up side to slapping your name (much less the names of your entire family) on the outside of your car. People pay money to self-dox?

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Updated isolation guidance does not imply immunity to COVID-19 in ~health

    alphamule
    Link
    I wonder if this is them trying to downplay interpretations of "yay, you're immune for 3 months!" or "oh no, after 3 months, you're not immune", but rather trying to say "we don't know one way or...

    I wonder if this is them trying to downplay interpretations of "yay, you're immune for 3 months!" or "oh no, after 3 months, you're not immune", but rather trying to say "we don't know one way or the other on this immunity thing, but if you've had it recently don't bother getting a test since there's a good chance it will come back positive even if you might not have it or be infectious & since we can't give you a test, we can't very well ask any of these re-exposed people to quarantine for 10 days each time, especially for healthcare workers & other essential workers because then the whole thing would fall apart. & besides, we're not doing so hot on the test front anyways".

    Getting the same vibe of when my parents tried to tell me something but didn't want to tell me everything.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on What are your favourite 3DS games, and what 3DS games are you playing right now? in ~games

    alphamule
    Link
    Picross 3DS. It was a 3D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonogram puzzle game. There have been some good 2D picross versions on the Switch, but no 3D versions. I suspect it would be much more...

    Picross 3DS. It was a 3D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonogram puzzle game. There have been some good 2D picross versions on the Switch, but no 3D versions. I suspect it would be much more difficult to implement without the 3DS's stylus.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain dies after battle with coronavirus in ~news

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    I had no idea he had a masters in CS. Surprised this didn't come up at all during his candidacy as far as I can remember.

    I had no idea he had a masters in CS. Surprised this didn't come up at all during his candidacy as far as I can remember.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Cheap/small alternative to the guitar in ~hobbies

    alphamule
    Link
    Completely off the path from all these acoustic instruments, but you might also consider a pocket operator. It's electronic, but not much of a screen. They're small and not bothersome and < $100....

    Completely off the path from all these acoustic instruments, but you might also consider a pocket operator. It's electronic, but not much of a screen. They're small and not bothersome and < $100. There's a pretty interesting community on all the various social media where people post videos of songs they've made. Unlike watching a virtuoso guitar player or whatnot, with a pocket operator, you could actually figure out how to make the song being performed in the video and perform it yourself without a super-elite instrument & years of dexterity practice.

    There was a nyt article about them last summer: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/magazine/electronic-music-synthesizers.html

    Some videos: https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketoperators/

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Confessions of a former bastard cop - An essay by a former police officer on why police are like this in ~life

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    True believers who have already been convinced are probably not the intended audience of this piece. None of them are going to say, oh, well now that a former cop says it, that changes everything....

    True believers who have already been convinced are probably not the intended audience of this piece. None of them are going to say, oh, well now that a former cop says it, that changes everything. Fence-sitters, on the other hand…

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Never Trumpers' strange relationship with the Democratic Party in ~misc

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    Limiting the conversation to just President, the US Constitution says that each state gets to determine how it's electors to the electoral college are determined:...

    Limiting the conversation to just President, the US Constitution says that each state gets to determine how it's electors to the electoral college are determined: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_2:_Method_of_choosing_electors

    Two states don't use FPTP to determine electors. Then, if those electors don't form a majority (not FPTP), then it goes 1 vote per state in the house amongst the top 3, one of which must win a majority (not FPTP) or else it re-votes same rules until they do.

    So, I understand this as meaning that FPTP isn't really enshrined in the constitution, it's merely that each state two-party apparatus keeps it this way (for the most part). Presumably, these are the same people who keep it the same way for all other elected positions (governor, senators, reps, on down). It also seems like there's a spectrum of possibility between the status-quo and the popular vote amendment pact. An individual state could, in theory, on its own choose to use a more optimal voting mechanism.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on What's your favorite defunct website? in ~talk

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    Carl Steadman of suck also made http://plastic.com (random 2005 snapshot: http://web.archive.org/web/20050828003806/http://www.plastic.com/ ). Now plastic.com points to his tumblr, it would seem,...

    Carl Steadman of suck also made http://plastic.com (random 2005 snapshot: http://web.archive.org/web/20050828003806/http://www.plastic.com/ ). Now plastic.com points to his tumblr, it would seem, but at the time it was a discussion board a very tildes sort of vibe, similar smallness.

    There is http://suckagain.com if you want some nostalgia in your mailbox each day.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Do you still post on Reddit? in ~talk

    alphamule
    (edited )
    Link
    Just unsub. Whenever I have a bad interaction or see a post that makes me feel like I would have been better off mentally had I just never seen it, then I just jam the unsub button. I do a similar...

    Just unsub. Whenever I have a bad interaction or see a post that makes me feel like I would have been better off mentally had I just never seen it, then I just jam the unsub button.

    I do a similar thing with facebook. I made a custom friends list & then went through each friend and thought to myself, has this person ever posted anything here that I find of value? If so, I added them to the list. Then I set up my phone and browser so that whenever I go to fb, it lands on that custom friend list. If anyone is a dipshit, then I remove them from the list.

    Filter bubble, sure, but I go on reddit and fb to waste time while I'm sitting on the toilet, not to hate my friends and family and humanity at large.

    10 votes

  15. Comment on Super Tuesday: who did you end up voting for and why? in ~talk

    alphamule
    Link
    Interesting that all the top line replies here are for Sanders, save two for Warren.

    Interesting that all the top line replies here are for Sanders, save two for Warren.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on The case for being a medical conservative in ~health

  17. Comment on If the US removed FPTP and the electoral college, what new parties would pop up? in ~talk

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    You don't need to change the constitution to get rid of FPTP as it is not mandated in the constitution. It can be changed on a state-by-state basis and would probably actually be harder to change...

    You don't need to change the constitution to get rid of FPTP as it is not mandated in the constitution. It can be changed on a state-by-state basis and would probably actually be harder to change at a national level, as there would be lawsuits demanding that this be a state's right to determine.

    The reason you won't see this in the US is because it does not behoove the two entrenched parties (nor their funders) to see this happen, not because of any actual legal reason.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on A lawyer set himself on fire to protest climate change. Did anyone care? in ~enviro

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    Thích Quảng Đức's self-immolation is still an iconic image of Vietnam War protest fifty-six years later.

    Thích Quảng Đức's self-immolation is still an iconic image of Vietnam War protest fifty-six years later.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on To build a better ballot — An interactive guide to alternative voting systems in ~misc

    alphamule
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    While ridiculous that it might just be marketing that popularized an inferior design, it gives me hope that maybe, through a ton of effort, marketing could bring us an even better solution.

    While ridiculous that it might just be marketing that popularized an inferior design, it gives me hope that maybe, through a ton of effort, marketing could bring us an even better solution.

  20. Comment on To build a better ballot — An interactive guide to alternative voting systems in ~misc

    alphamule
    Link Parent
    But even Australia hasn't always had IRV. Looks like you had 4 elections with FPTP before you changed to IRV in 1919 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_Australia ). Why IRV? Why...

    But even Australia hasn't always had IRV. Looks like you had 4 elections with FPTP before you changed to IRV in 1919 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_Australia ). Why IRV? Why not Score Voting or Approval Voting then? AV and SV had been around for half a millennia even back then, while IRV as an idea was at the time less than 50 years old.

    Because it's used in actual elections?

    FPTP is used in actual elections. Those AV and SV things in the 13th century were actual elections. This isn't a particularly compelling argument. It's used for elections because it's used for elections is rather circular logic.

    Both Score Voting and Approval Voting are still currently used in some small polities, internally within parties and at the UN:

    But not nearly to the extent IRV is used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting#Global_use