an_angry_tiger's recent activity
-
Comment on The Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in ~sports.baseball
-
Comment on Any reccomendations for a ~2 day itenirary in Toronto in ~travel
an_angry_tiger LinkGo to Little Canada, it's a miniature model world they've built, it's next to the Eaton's Centre right downtown. Little scale models of different parts of Canada, including Toronto. Just went,...Go to Little Canada, it's a miniature model world they've built, it's next to the Eaton's Centre right downtown. Little scale models of different parts of Canada, including Toronto. Just went, loved it, all these fun little details they put in there, can spend hours just looking over everything.
-
Comment on What did banning Airbnbs in New York City accomplish? in ~finance
an_angry_tiger LinkI didn't see it mentioned in the article after a quick skim, but an important note is that AirBNB's were pretty locked down in NYC even before whatever this ban is. Short term rentals (i.e....I didn't see it mentioned in the article after a quick skim, but an important note is that AirBNB's were pretty locked down in NYC even before whatever this ban is. Short term rentals (i.e. AirBNB/Vrbo) are illegal in the city unless the host lives in the apartment, you don't get to rent out an apartment entirely to a guest, it has to be an apartment you live in (yes at the same time as the guest is there). I'm finding it hard to pin down a date, but I definitely remember this being the case in the late 2010s.
So when we say "ban", it's not a ban from "people using their apartments as hotel rooms via airbnb" to "no short term rentals at all", it's "people using a spare room in their apartment as a hotel room via airbnb" to I guess "no short term rentals at all".
-
Comment on Sports entertainment makes me angry in ~talk
an_angry_tiger LinkI was getting so ready to be an asshole until I realized it was a joke, bravo.I was getting so ready to be an asshole until I realized it was a joke, bravo.
-
Comment on SpaceX stock tumbles 23% from its high as average investor sees gains wiped out in ~finance
an_angry_tiger Link ParentThe IPO price was $130, the first price when it was available for trading was around $157, you are right in that it's still up from the IPO price (which itself is probably massively overvalued...The IPO price was $130, the first price when it was available for trading was around $157, you are right in that it's still up from the IPO price (which itself is probably massively overvalued already) and not yet down from what it was initially trading from.
-
Comment on How funerals keep Africa poor in ~life
an_angry_tiger LinkI remember this making the rounds on hacker news (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47710907) a few months ago, and the discussion was roughly the same kind of split as here (albeit Tildes has...I remember this making the rounds on hacker news (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47710907) a few months ago, and the discussion was roughly the same kind of split as here (albeit Tildes has a much higher floor on bad comments than HN).
I think my take away from reading it this time (I didn't read it the first time on hn), in addition to all the great discussion here so far, is that I don't feel like the article really supports the "wealth destroying" argument. All throughout the article are quotes like:
Your body is going to remain in that refrigerated unit for a long time. Typically it will be weeks or months; sometimes bodies can stay refrigerated for an entire year. Why so long? Because the longer that the body stays in the mortuary, the more time the family has to raise funds for a funeral truly befitting your status. And, since the hospital charges escalating fees for each additional week that your body is stored there, keeping your body refrigerated for a long time is itself a mark of prestige.
Eventually, your family decides that they’ve raised the funds they’re going to raise. So they pick a Saturday—the funerals of Christian Ghanaians are always held on Saturdays—and plan a lavish event that will, in fact, stretch across three days. They hire a graphic designer to produce large colorful banners bearing your name, your photograph, your dates of birth and death, and the time and place of your funeral: these are hung on walls and fences at intersections around the city. They rent a venue, hire a large staff—caterers, a DJ or live band, a photographer, maybe a videographer, perhaps even dancing pallbearers—and choose a funeral cloth for the family to wear. And if your family can afford it, or wants the community to believe that they can, they commission a craftsman to carve you a “fantasy coffin” shaped like something you enjoyed or admired in life: perhaps a cocoa pod, a school building, a crab, a paintbrush, or a giant blue teapot.
And, finally, after all this, the big day comes. Your body is retrieved from the mortuary; hundreds of people show up, many of whom never knew you in life; and a great deal of money is spent feeding them, entertaining them, and sending you off in the style that an Akan elder deserves.
It’s often observed, in fact, that families will spend more money on burying the dead than on keeping the sick alive: indeed, in the Kagera region of northern Tanzania, families spend 50 percent more money on funerals than on medical care.
Sometimes they’ll have insurance of some kind: funeral insurance, where the payout is earmarked for the funeral costs, is one of the most popular financial products in sub-Saharan Africa—often, in fact, more popular than health insurance. And much of the time, family members will pay for funerals with loans from others. About a quarter of households in KwaZulu-Natal, for example, pay for funerals by going into debt.
In each case it's an example of the deceased's relatives paying money to someone in exchange for goods or services. You pay money to a hospital, to the staff of that hospital, to the graphic designers, to the caterers, the DJ, you're paying for food, where is that money going? It sounds like its going to the local hospital, to local labour, to local goods, where is the wealth being destroyed? Individual wealth, by which I mean the family of the deceased who are paying for the funeral, that seems to be decreasing in these incidents, but its not going on a funeral pyre, nor does it sound like its going outside of the country (or even municipality I bet), the money is exchanging hands and powering a local economy.
I could, myself, personally, probably come up with reasons why (whether I agree or believe them or not) -- but the article, as best I can tell, does not.
The kinship network has a strong interest in preventing any of its members from becoming prosperous enough to no longer need it: someone who no longer needs your help is also someone who might not help you.
"any of its members", it claims are prevented from prospering, but doesn't support why the network itself is not prospering as a whole from, what sounds like, a big wealth distribution mechanism.
There’s a reason why virtually every economically successful society has graduated from a social order that stresses the claims of kin into one that stresses the rights of individuals. Living in a society of individuals governed by impersonal institutions, we have an understandable wistfulness for the imagined world of warm communities and thick familial bonds. But we forget how suffocating that social world is, how parasitical it is on its most productive members, and how poisonous it is for any prospect of economic development.
I don't believe at any point does it delve in to why it poisons any prospect of economic development, it's laid out like a natural fact without elucidation
The obvious incentive, then, is to hobble the most productive: the demands that the kinship group makes on its most productive members are not simply demands for solidarity but demands for a kind of enforced mediocrity.
"mediocrity" is an interesting choice, we all use contemporarily use it to imply subpar, but the actual definition is moreso "the state or quality of being average, ordinary, or merely adequate". An "enforced average", the most productive members of the group are "hobbled" as it claims, by having to pay out for all these expenses, but does not address why the expenses are not bringing the average up, and making the network more prosperous as a whole.
It's an interesting take on what is a society I know very little about, and is very different from the ones I am familiar with, but I don't get the sense that it backs up its arguments, that it "makes the math work". The author seems in-line with modern western-style individualism, and writes with the conviction that its' principles are inherent and synonymous with positive economic growth, and whether I or anyone agrees or disagrees with that, you still have to make the arguments and back up why that's the case.
-
Comment on What are your gaming idiosyncracies? in ~games
an_angry_tiger Link ParentDamn, there goes mine. Sports games are the worst for it, the stories they create are always the same. You and your best friend are playing on a high-school/college team, your friend goes on to be...I'll steer clear of games trying to be movies.
Damn, there goes mine.
Sports games are the worst for it, the stories they create are always the same. You and your best friend are playing on a high-school/college team, your friend goes on to be the best draft pick, you have to slum it a bit and work your way back up, you'll meet up with your friend again in the big leagues, and thats the climax of the story.
Not a terrible story, just boring and repetitive, but the worst part is, story doesn't follow the gameplay at all. You play the game on easy, crush the other team 100-0, cut to a cutscene where your coach is chewing you out for playing badly. Reeks of failed movie directory wannabe who gets a job directing a game instead.
-
Comment on When did your preferred fighting game franchises peak? in ~games
an_angry_tiger LinkStreet Fighter Alpha 2. Alpha 1 wasn't all there, 3 had some weird stuff. Street Fighter 3 is good but third strike has some weird competitive stuff. Not a fan of SF4 and onwards.Street Fighter Alpha 2.
Alpha 1 wasn't all there, 3 had some weird stuff. Street Fighter 3 is good but third strike has some weird competitive stuff. Not a fan of SF4 and onwards.
-
Comment on Lifetime Plex Pass will cost $750 USD after July 1st in ~tv
an_angry_tiger LinkWell damn, glad I got mine at $75 during the pandemic, $750 is a real tough fucking sell.Well damn, glad I got mine at $75 during the pandemic, $750 is a real tough fucking sell.
-
Comment on We should take hantavirus more seriously in ~health
an_angry_tiger Link ParentAre you.............a mouse?Are you.............a mouse?
-
Comment on How I made a shooter game in 64 KB in ~games
an_angry_tiger LinkGlad to see the demoscene spirit still alive :)Glad to see the demoscene spirit still alive :)
-
Comment on Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapse in ~transport
an_angry_tiger LinkAnd here's the conclusion of that anti-trust ruling blocking the JetBlue acquisition, a dead company whose assets may get bought up by JetBlue anyway. People seemed pretty happy about that ruling...And here's the conclusion of that anti-trust ruling blocking the JetBlue acquisition, a dead company whose assets may get bought up by JetBlue anyway. People seemed pretty happy about that ruling at the time, and I still don't really get it -- but I am biased as I did buy some Spirit stock expecting the deal to go through, so that's my cards on the table.
-
Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
an_angry_tiger LinkI swap between paying and pirating pretty fluidly and randomly. I have a Youtube TV subscription that's pricey but I like it, gets me TCM (hell yes) and most major sporting events, but not all of...I swap between paying and pirating pretty fluidly and randomly. I have a Youtube TV subscription that's pricey but I like it, gets me TCM (hell yes) and most major sporting events, but not all of them.
I tend to pirate movies to my Plex since I have a diverse range of tastes for what movies I want to see at what time, and a lot of them aren't available on common streamers, so I find it easier to download them and come back to the curated collection on my Plex than have to track which ones I wanted to see.
On the other hand, sometimes my gf and I will browse through and watch something on Tubi (with ads), which is nice since it's free and has a real weird ass collection of movies.
Most sports stuff, if it's not on national TV (i.e. my Youtube TV) then I tend to just pirate it since it's just as easy as going to one specific site and they have all the games I want to see from a single click. I would much rather continue pirating sports things than have to pay $30 a month to watch just to the friggin Knicks (who I do want to watch, but I don't want to pay James Dolan that much money for it).
But on the other hand I paid like $7 for a month of Prime to watch the NBA play-ins this week, and I didn't really hesitate on that much.
So it's a real mixed bag for me, I pirate when the pirating is easier and better than doing the thing, but also pay for things semi-often, especially when I feel like the money is going to something better (such as independent podcasters I listen to, instead of paying $30 to a billionaire to watch a single team play, did I mention that's more than the NBA League Pass itself? That's fucked up and fuck james dolan).
-
Comment on Chemist Hitler Louis nears three dozen retractions for image duplication, self-citation and more in ~science
an_angry_tiger Link ParentI had to re-read the title a few times to confirm that yes, that's the name, and that's what it actually says, wasn't misreading it. Other cultures, especially Africa and India I've found, really...I had to re-read the title a few times to confirm that yes, that's the name, and that's what it actually says, wasn't misreading it.
Other cultures, especially Africa and India I've found, really don't seem to shy away from just naming kids after known names like Hitler or Stalin or the like, and boy that's gotta get weird.
-
Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun in ~tech
an_angry_tiger Link ParentQuebec also has Hydro-Quebec, I'm sure it's a term used across the whole country.Quebec also has Hydro-Quebec, I'm sure it's a term used across the whole country.
-
Comment on Liberals who were formerly far-left (communist, anarchist, etc.), what led to you coming to liberalism? in ~society
an_angry_tiger Link ParentWould be interesting to the see the reverse thread get made too (liberals who become far-left) to see the perspectives the other way around. I don't think I could put in a good enough starter post...Would be interesting to the see the reverse thread get made too (liberals who become far-left) to see the perspectives the other way around.
I don't think I could put in a good enough starter post myself unfortunately.
-
Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
an_angry_tiger LinkChicken feet. It's bone and cartilage with a little bit of meat, there are many more offerings for meat (and non-meat proteins) out there, I would prefer all of them over chicken feet. I've tried...Chicken feet.
It's bone and cartilage with a little bit of meat, there are many more offerings for meat (and non-meat proteins) out there, I would prefer all of them over chicken feet. I've tried it, I gave it a shot, I don't like it, I don't need chicken feet in my life.
-
Comment on US users: how are you watching Olympics coverage? in ~sports
an_angry_tiger LinkLiving in the USA but coming from Canada, I bought a month of NordVPN (and plan to use the 30 day money back guarantee) so I can watch the Canadian coverage free on CBC Gem. Seemed to work well...Living in the USA but coming from Canada, I bought a month of NordVPN (and plan to use the 30 day money back guarantee) so I can watch the Canadian coverage free on CBC Gem. Seemed to work well for the opening ceremony.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Post Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Playoffs, Week 3 in ~sports.american_football
an_angry_tiger Link ParentMan that panthers team was just awful, I tuned in for a year because Baker (my boy) also joined the team, and god that was horrible football to watch. One of those teams where nothing goes well...When he got his second chance with the Panthers I saw a player that had thr potential, but he had to both work out his lingering issues and also not be held down by a shit coach in Rhule.
Man that panthers team was just awful, I tuned in for a year because Baker (my boy) also joined the team, and god that was horrible football to watch. One of those teams where nothing goes well and you can't judge any players because the whole thing is rotten, no one could succeed in a position like that.
Which I guess makes sense for Darnold too, can't trust the jets, they will betray you.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Post Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Playoffs, Week 3 in ~sports.american_football
an_angry_tiger LinkWho would have guessed, many years ago, that we'd be seeing a Sam Darnold superbowl. All aboard the GEQBUS baby.Who would have guessed, many years ago, that we'd be seeing a Sam Darnold superbowl. All aboard the GEQBUS baby.
Yeah fuck this sport, congrats to the dodgers on buying up the league for the next decade with their TV revenue and deferred contracts.