arch's recent activity
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Comment on Denuvo DRM has been cirmumvented using hypervisor based bypass in ~games
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
arch Link ParentI was introduced to them by someone I work with a week or so ago, and I have also been surprised by how good their first album is. It's oddly pleasing, and rife with hooks despite dissonance and...I was introduced to them by someone I work with a week or so ago, and I have also been surprised by how good their first album is. It's oddly pleasing, and rife with hooks despite dissonance and counterpoint. They often sound like a fusion of math rock and jazz to me. The two piece band with looped twin neck guitar lends itself to comparison with El Ten Eleven. That makes them often sounds like El Ten Eleven trying to write an album in the sound of Do Make Say Think.
Their music honestly seems monumental to me the way Refused's album The Shape of Punk to Come felt. It fits together so perfectly that it seems effortless, like this is what music always has been, and always should be. But I imagine other musicians following them will have the same trouble matching their style. Even Refused couldn't live up to what they accomplished when they got back together (don't get me wrong, I actually like Freedom and War Music in their own right).
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Comment on Lore based suffixes in ~creative
arch Link ParentThis is wild, thank you for sharing it. It unsurprisingly reminds me of German the way words are derived by compounding. Since English is a Germanic language, I guess that makes the most sense....This is wild, thank you for sharing it. It unsurprisingly reminds me of German the way words are derived by compounding. Since English is a Germanic language, I guess that makes the most sense. For instance dictionary becomes wordbook.
Linguistically this is rather interesting. I do have to mention that the phrase "linguistics pluralism" makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, and I do feel some concern that it speaks to something less savory. I honestly don't want to spend enough time with it to begin drawing any conclusions.
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Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech
arch LinkAlphabet is trying very hard to assure us that this is not a big deal. Ultimately, I hope they are unsuccessful in that endeavor. At first glance, their pull back to this ground actually feels...Alphabet is trying very hard to assure us that this is not a big deal. Ultimately, I hope they are unsuccessful in that endeavor. At first glance, their pull back to this ground actually feels like a sane move. But when I spend time with it, I realize that this was probably the intention from the start. The plan was probably to make a move that was clearly too far so when they pull back there isn't outrage over what Alphabet actually cares about: government issued ID requirements for developers.
That's the problem I really have with their proposal. Developers having a government issued ID does absolutely nothing to build trust for me as a user. This move seems to serve corporations and governments in their move to increase surveillance, control, and wealth extraction of the digital realm.
I'm now extremely weary of Alphabet ever shipping a Fuschia OS based device. I hope this boosts interest and development in GrapheneOS, strengthens their partnership with Motorola and boosts development interest in true Linux based phones. I don't want to support this, and I hope there's a true alternative available to me when the time comes.
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Comment on Xbox confirms 'Project Helix', its next-gen console that will also play PC games in ~games
arch Link ParentI think it's a continuing sign that Microsoft is absolutely all in on Xbox Game Pass as their future. It feels more and more like the Netflix model for games as time goes on. You own nothing, but...I think it's a continuing sign that Microsoft is absolutely all in on Xbox Game Pass as their future. It feels more and more like the Netflix model for games as time goes on. You own nothing, but as long as you subscribe you can play whatever you want for as long as you want.
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Comment on Photons that arenβt actually there influence superconductivity in ~science
arch LinkThe math in this article is way above me head. That said, I was listening to an excerpt of a Feynman lecture yesterday, who I find infinitely more accessible. The man had a real skill at teaching....The math in this article is way above me head. That said, I was listening to an excerpt of a Feynman lecture yesterday, who I find infinitely more accessible. The man had a real skill at teaching. He was speaking on how each photon emitted actually travels every possible path along its route instantly. He goes on to say that the vectors for all but the path of least resistance that we observe it traveling cancel each other out. Is this a layman's way of understanding what these "virtual photons" are, or are they something unrelated?
I find myself wondering if the fact that photons have mass, are simultaneously everywhere, exert gravitational force, and instantly travel all paths somehow relates to what we've labelled "dark matter".
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Comment on Is higher education still valuable? in ~life
arch Link ParentI have a few counter points to your statement that I'd like to bring up. I do believe that higher education is still worth pursuing today, assuming you do it in a reasonable manner, and pay...I have a few counter points to your statement that I'd like to bring up. I do believe that higher education is still worth pursuing today, assuming you do it in a reasonable manner, and pay reasonable amounts for it (in state tuition, getting any grants and scholarships possible, and trying to use any employer programs available).
even if you take the "AI" subject out of the equation, it is definitely no longer a guaranteed yes like it used to be.
I have been hearing this since I started college myself in 2005. The Graduate came out in 1967 and deals in the background with the listlessness of being a recent college graduate, having to live with his parents, and not being able to land a career. There's always been a ton of uncertainty. I'm not trying to say that there aren't new problems that we have to deal, but I don't believe those problems have made higher education worthless.
It used to be that simply having a bachelors degree in any subject heavily correlated to significantly higher lifetime earnings.
As of 2024 this still seems to be the case, according to [this post by the Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2025/data-on-display/education-pays.htm]
Anecdotally of course, any one person's mileage may vary based on their personal circumstances. It's impossible to tell in your life if the job you get would have been available to you if you hadn't earned a degree. It's impossible to tell if you would have been hired if you didn't have that on your resume, or if you lacked the knowledge you gained through education. But, also anecdotally, I can tell you that my spouse's company will not promote her above a certain level in the organization without a college degree, and she has been forced by the company to hire degreed candidates with less experience over more experienced candidates who do not hold a degree. In my experience, climbing the ladder is easier with a degree.
Also anecdotally, it varies wildly on the field you're in. I am currently pivoting my career from construction/Project Management into elementary education. Because I have a BA in English I can go back to school for 1 year, get a graduate degree in education, and be certified to teach in my region. If I didn't have that, I would have far fewer doors open to me. It has also allowed me to substitute in my local school system, and find out that I am truly passionate about that work. I wouldn't be able to do any of this at my age if I didn't have my bachelor's. I'm not saying this is the best financial choice for me, that part is up for debate, but when I'm currently laid off and earning no money the teacher's pay scale in my state certainly looks sufficient for me. But again, this varies wildly based on region.
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Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun in ~tech
arch LinkMaybe I'm the one who is out of touch here. Maybe AI truly is groundbreaking and earth shattering. But I can't help but read these two above excerpts, and think of a person in 2005 firing up...When I rebooted my messy personal website a few weeks ago, I realized: I would have paid $25,000 for someone else to do this.
When a friend asked me to convert a large, thorny data set, I downloaded it, cleaned it up and made it pretty and easy to explore. In the past I would have charged $350,000.
Maybe I'm the one who is out of touch here. Maybe AI truly is groundbreaking and earth shattering. But I can't help but read these two above excerpts, and think of a person in 2005 firing up WordPress and thinking they would have paid tens of thousands to have a developer make that website. When they actually would have used geocities or a more basic html template instead. I can't help but think of someone exporting a data set into Excel, running the Filter function, cleaning it up, and thinking they could have charged hundreds of thousands as a consultant for that. It's just a gross misunderstanding of what proper development can actually accomplish, and where you actually get value from hiring a human.
AI isn't going to be able to replace the web development team of a fortune 500. It can't replace the inhouse IT of these companies. If you try to do that, you are going to have huge issues that cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in downtime. What are you going to do when your VPN goes down at 7 am on Monday if you don't have someone who supports it? Or when your sales portal designed by Claude crashes, or refunds all of your customers but keeps shipping orders? What do you do when a bug lists a $1,000 item for $0.10?
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Comment on Is the detachment in the room? - Agents, cruelty, and empathy in ~tech
arch Link ParentYou raise an interesting point about people taking out their frustrations on personified objects. It's definitely a trend of human nature to do that. I remember from my days in college and...You raise an interesting point about people taking out their frustrations on personified objects. It's definitely a trend of human nature to do that. I remember from my days in college and introductory anthropology and philosophy courses that there is an area of study regarding people's tendency to form tribes, to find and label "others" and to actively shun them. From that standpoint we could probably look for the healthiest way to handle this: is it simply a bad thing in society that leads to conflict? Does it serve a purpose to "alleviate" our anger and aggression on non-humans? Is "anger" a finite thing that is made less by venting, or does it just feed the flame and lead to more anger and aggression?
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Comment on The film students who can no longer sit through films in ~movies
arch Link ParentI'm sure there's a lot there. A cursory skimming of them for about ten minutes doesn't show me any causative conclusions. The first few I've skimmed are all small sample sizes and utilize self...I'm sure there's a lot there. A cursory skimming of them for about ten minutes doesn't show me any causative conclusions. The first few I've skimmed are all small sample sizes and utilize self reported surveys. How would you control for a group that claims not to use social media or short form video? They could be watching YouTube shorts at home and just not think of it as short form video. If short form video is the issue, did television commercials cause similar issues in the past? Did America's Funniest Home Videos cause issues?
I don't mean to dismiss anyone's concerns about social media, short form video, addiction, multitasking, electronics, etc. I just want to encourage everyone to think critically and firmly about these things especially before enacting any sort of policy regarding their use. I think it is very important to understand root causes before drawing conclusions. And so far I'm simply not convinced that cold turkey banning TikTock is going to solve the world's problems. That simply rings of the Satanic Panic and Refer Madness to me.
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Comment on The film students who can no longer sit through films in ~movies
arch LinkI always struggle with articles that start from the opinion that no one can focus, especially kids. While I agree that something in our culture and society has changed, especially post pandemic,...- Exemplary
I always struggle with articles that start from the opinion that no one can focus, especially kids. While I agree that something in our culture and society has changed, especially post pandemic, but I don't agree that social media use and internet access in your pockets are the causes. Nor that removing those things is the solution. I would need to see studies conducted to draw a conclusion like that. While I'm glad that the author noted that some people don't agree, they only put the paragraph in there to give it lip service then go right back to making their point.
A handful of professors told me they hadnβt noticed any change. Some students have always found old movies to be slow, Lynn Spigel, a professor of screen cultures at Northwestern University, told me. βBut the ones who are really dedicated to learning film always were into it, and they still are.β
Why doesn't the author give any time or thought to these statements? Who are these professors, versus the ones that think there is a difference?
Anecdote time: I have ADHD, diagnosed at 38 which I masked since childhood. Movies were always an absolute joy for me: it would give me long stretches of time where I wouldn't have to think about the people around me, I wouldn't have to try to remember their names, or the history we had together. They allowed me to be led on an emotional arc with the main characters that almost always ended in a catharsis (emotional regulation was always a huge symptom for me). Movies were a socially acceptable time for me to sit and stare at the screen with someone. Afterwards any social interaction would have an excited direction, I wouldn't have to try to find commonality to talk about, or feel awkward when explaining that I still don't watch sports, or like cars or military gear.
My 8 year old's favorite movie is Flow. It's an 85 minute silent animated film; she has watched it twice through without breaks and without taking her eyes off the screen. She also has diagnosed ADHD.
I can't conclude if anything is different, or if something is different what that may be. I can certainly hypothesize, though. My ADHD was heavily internalized, in no small part because it was socially unacceptable to externalize it 30 years ago. I also had decent teachers who were able to direct me positively: by rewarding me for being a teacher's pet in elementary school. All of those things are much more uncommon these days. It's very uncommon for disruptive students to be removed from classrooms. Class sizes are growing, and are much more integrated without additional help.
It's also no longer seen as socially acceptable to just do nothing. We need to be moving, we need to be cleaning, folding laundry, updating our resume, browsing job applications, answering school or work emails at all hours. If you don't do these things you are seen as lazy, passed over for jobs, or get a lower grade. While "staying home to wash my hair" was something of a joke on sitcoms 30 years ago, it wasn't so outlandish. People could just stay in and rent a movie, and do nothing else while they watched it. We should investigate why we all feel like were not allowed to do that any longer. Why it's seen as selfish to take that time for ourselves. One teacher saying "no, seriously, watch this" while they flip through papers on their desk, or pace the room to monitor can't undo years cultural and societal norms.
I suppose my bias that I have ADHD and learned to live with it since childhood could have given me an unfair advantage. I suppose it possible that social media and cell phones are giving all of you normal people ADHD. But that idea kind of flies in the face of all of the science I have learned about what ADHD is, how it functions, and how the physical brain structure is altered from childhood.
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Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
arch Link ParentI used this method, too. But I for some reason chose The Lion King and named a bunch of animals from there, then tried doing the same with Finding Nemo. Somehow that one fiercely triggered my...I used this method, too. But I for some reason chose The Lion King and named a bunch of animals from there, then tried doing the same with Finding Nemo. Somehow that one fiercely triggered my lethologica, and it took me a long time to try to switch from Nemo to clown fish.
90 and 148 are damn impressive. I'm a native English speaker and got far less.
50 animals listed
πΊπ©π©ββ€οΈβπβπ©πππ¦π±π¬π―πΌπ¦π¦ππππππ« π¬π³π«π§π¦πππ‘π΄π¦π¦©π¦πΉ -
Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
arch Link ParentI'm a terrible speller and the game was very forgiving. It gave me meercat, wilderbeast, and others. It corrected them for me and gave me the points.I'm a terrible speller and the game was very forgiving. It gave me meercat, wilderbeast, and others. It corrected them for me and gave me the points.
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Comment on Sonyβs TV business is being taken over by TCL in ~tech
arch LinkI think this is a rather crappy article title. When I actually read the article, it turns out Sony isn't really going anywhere as far as their televisions go. They're spinning off that business...I think this is a rather crappy article title. When I actually read the article, it turns out Sony isn't really going anywhere as far as their televisions go. They're spinning off that business unit into a new joint venture with TCL. Sony will own 49% of it, with TCL owning the rest. It seems like TCL will be handling manufacturing of the units, this is similar to what Sony already does with OLED panels, it buys them all from LG and doesn't manufacture their own. I imagine this has proven to be a successful practice for Sony, their software is superior to LG (at least in my opinion) and they pair great processors with the panels.
From an outside standpoint as a consumer, I doubt this will be a noticeable change.
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Comment on You are a better writer than AI (yes, YOU!) in ~creative
arch Link ParentYou just triggered a flood of memories of my writing being interpreted in ways completely different from what I intended. It immediately took me back to Roland Barthesβ The Death of the Author....it's the output of a conscious mind attempting to convey an idea. Maybe I'm an idealist, but I think there's something special about real communication.
You just triggered a flood of memories of my writing being interpreted in ways completely different from what I intended. It immediately took me back to Roland Barthesβ The Death of the Author. Anyone whoβs written enough and received feedback knows what an absolute mindfuck this can be. You get notes on sections you never wanted feedback on, while the parts you thought most deserved scrutiny are ignored. Worse, a reader can use your words to argue the exact opposite of what you believed you were plainly stating.
I honestly think AI could be an excellent proofreader because of this, especially given that society decided 20+ years ago that paying for editors was unnecessary. Editing was my dream job when I went to college, but even then I knew it wouldnβt be a viable career. At least now, anyone can have a kind of Socratic dialogue with an AI over their text before hitting submit. -
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
arch Link ParentYou could probably do something with injecting JavaScript into every website with a tutorial like this. That said, it doesn't seem like the best solution to me, because it's likely to break pages...You could probably do something with injecting JavaScript into every website with a tutorial like this. That said, it doesn't seem like the best solution to me, because it's likely to break pages or cause issues since you're manipulating the website code at execution.
This project is probably better for what you want to accomplish.
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Comment on Stranger Things finale discussion in ~tv
arch Link ParentI'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think I enjoyed the finale at least a little bit more than you. The multiple endings sequence reminded me of Return of the King, and I don't think I...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think I enjoyed the finale at least a little bit more than you. The multiple endings sequence reminded me of Return of the King, and I don't think I could have expected anything different from the show. There's just no way to provide a satisfying conclusion to so many disparate characters without having multiple scenes after the drama has been concluded. My only problem there is where the hell was Vickie? It's an odd choice to just not have her seated next to Robin at the graduation.
I agree with your comment about the military being wholly unnecessary. I believe they were a foil to allow the characters to upgrade their firepower as much as they did. Going from slingshots to automatic weapons over the course of the show was necessary for them to battle a giant spider on another planet.
My biggest dislike with it was the gratuitous beheading of Vecna. It just felt unnecessary and lackluster to me, in a rather ham-fisted attempt to allow Joyce to get some form of revenge on screen despite the battle already having been won. I think that was probably a favorite scene for a lot of other viewers, though. I tend to not have an appreciate for revenge flicks, and the sudden shift to gore porn/troma genre was a bit jarring to me so late in the game. Suffice it to say that scene simply wasn't for me, and I can accept that and still appreciate it for what it was.
Okay, one more criticism: these kids not having complex PTSD and a myriad of other psychological issues is just preposterous. Lack of consequences has become a theme of the later seasons, unfortunately. It's probably a reason why so many of us lost interest in the main plot of the show: because it simply didn't feel like it even mattered to the characters by the end. It was more like they played an epic D&D campaign instead of literally fighting a gigantic monster on another planet. They can just go and hold down a day job after that, and be valedictorian? At the start of the series Hopper was a drunk and ruining his career because he lost his daughter to cancer. There's nothing even close to that emotional gravity and consequence given to the events of the finale. It made things feel very emotionally thin, which is culturally very common in modern cinema. Compare it to Oedipus gouging out his eyes (off screen) in Oedipus Rex between the climax and denouement.
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Comment on Leaving Apple behind after eighteen years in ~tech
arch Link ParentUsing multiple users is probably your best bet. I have had Android Auto connect from a second user when I've been active as the first user, so it might work. But you'll likely have to switch users...Using multiple users is probably your best bet. I have had Android Auto connect from a second user when I've been active as the first user, so it might work. But you'll likely have to switch users often.
Graphene's Android Auto support was pretty difficult the last time I tried it, about a year ago. It was prone to breaking on updates, too. I unfortunately switched back to stock android myself, which I plan to run until they no longer offer updates for my Pixel 6a, then I'll switch the Graphene or possible a Linux distro if it's supported.
I personally think it might be worth while to buy a cheap phone dedicated for your car, install Android Auto and your apps on that, and just tether your cellular to it when you're in your car. Or upgrade to a head unit that can run Maps and your apps directly.
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Comment on The truth about AI (specifically LLM powered AI) in ~tech
arch Link ParentI'm not sure entirely how to phrase this to still sound sympathetic to your points. That is important to me, because I am sympathetic. I am just concerned that we are at risk of loosing the forest...AI fanatics vs abstentionists is active empathy.
I'm not sure entirely how to phrase this to still sound sympathetic to your points. That is important to me, because I am sympathetic. I am just concerned that we are at risk of loosing the forest for the trees, so to speak. Those who are "refusing" to knowingly use AI seem more like people in 1900 "refusing" to use electricity because it was putting lamp lighters out of work. On the one hand, I get it. It is empathetic to feel bad for people who are loosing their way of life. On the other hand, those people walking a different route home to avoid "using" public electric lights does absolutely nothing for the lamp lighters. The electric lights are still there, they are still being built, they are still being bought and installed by the people in power.
AI is being used by major corporations, and it is seeping in to our day to day life. Ads are being designed by AI, products are sold in stores that are prints of AI art. While we all think we can spot them a mile away, I'm not entirely sure. AI is being used in photo editing and video editing, in article writing and post writing. The only way to avoid it is to not engage with the world we live in. I think it is far more useful to make yourself familiar with the AI tools that are available out there, so you can be more educated about their abilities, and more weary of their pitfalls.
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Comment on Experiences with foster system and support for removed relatives in ~life
arch LinkMy sole interaction with the foster system was taking several classes a decade ago when my spouse and I were considering adoption. We didn't think we could have our own child together, but ended...My sole interaction with the foster system was taking several classes a decade ago when my spouse and I were considering adoption. We didn't think we could have our own child together, but ended up getting extremely lucky, so we never fostered or adopted.
I can say from those classes that reunion with the biological parents is always the goal of the foster system. Even with full legal adoption, which you would need to actively work very hard to accomplish, active involvement of the biological parents is legally required to be open to them. If a biological parent is not involved, they are either so legally in trouble that they can not even have visitation while incarcerated, can't be found, or they have actively refused their rights as a parent.
I would recommend you look into your local foster program to see if there are any classes you could go to. I found them extremely helpful. It's a chance to talk to parents who have been fostering for years.
The hypervisor bypass method seems to be a ring -1 based exploit. The Windows kernel itself is a higher level, ring 0. There's already some security components that utilize ring -2, and Intel Management Engine at ring -3. I'm not security focused enough to offer any insight into how these things work, or how they might use them for copy protection.