arch's recent activity
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Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech
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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 hadn’t 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. “But the ones who are really dedicated to learning film always were into it, and they still are.”
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
😺🐩👩❤️💋👩🐖𓆏🦛𓃱𓃬🐯🐼🐦🐦🐍🐝🐛🐛🐛🫅🐬🐳🐧🦉🐀🐭🐡𓃴🐦🦩🦈🐹 -
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 Sony’s 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 Barthes’ 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 Barthes’ The Death of the Author. Anyone who’s 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 wouldn’t 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.
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Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
arch LinkI hear you! My kiddo is 8 now, and the conversations got more and more difficult a few years ago. I think we've gotten to a fairly decent place on it now. There was a point where I started...I hear you! My kiddo is 8 now, and the conversations got more and more difficult a few years ago. I think we've gotten to a fairly decent place on it now. There was a point where I started shutting down some of the conversations past this: "because I can't be sure it's safe for you to watch that show". This phrase was part of several larger conversations with the kiddo on what it means to be safe, and how it is our job as a parent to keep them safe. There are some things that I can't safely talk to an 8 year old about. I can't tell her what Trump meant when he said "grab them by thr pussy". I can't safely tell her what pedophelia is, but I can explain coorsion from a non-sexual standpoint. We still have to teach the skills to be as safe from these things as possible. I do feel like I had a bit of a break through with this phrasing, because it got to the core of all the questions that were being asked.
Roblox was the big one in our household. Her cousins play it, some friends at school play it, but we won't let her. It was hard to maintain that, and I eventually had to tell her to that people are using offers of Robucks to convince children to do harmful things. Similar to how school teaches that you don't take candy for strangers. Details past that she just isn't ready for. Hell, I'm not ready for them.
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Comment on Your phone is a fake house in ~tech
arch (edited )LinkWhat a surprisingly thought provoking and emotionally evocative piece. I don't think we are successfully brought to the conclusions in the post: "you are not domesticating your phone—it is trying...What a surprisingly thought provoking and emotionally evocative piece. I don't think we are successfully brought to the conclusions in the post: "you are not domesticating your phone—it is trying to domesticate you". Especially because of the implication that this doesn't apply to Personal Computers in the same way for the author, because I have felt the opposite way. Maybe the points didn't land with me in the end because I was so caught up in my own thoughts and nostalgia. That said, the more I think about the metaphor, the more fraught it becomes. To the point where I think I am going to argue that the author is on to something on the surface, but either the general public seems to disagree with our desire to "occupy digital spaces" in this way, or the author is mislabeling the concept as "a house" while trying to describe something else.
I have always been enamored with Microsoft Bob. It was an experimental GUI that allowed you to decorate and arrange the rooms a "home" for your applications to live in, and for you to do your work in. It was release for Windows 3.1, 95 & NT by Microsoft in 1995. My brother and I installed it on our computer when it was released, and we spent countless hours setting up our "homes" and "rooms". That said, I don't remember actually doing anything productive in the program, but instead spending my time decorating, arranging, theming and interacting with character assistants (if I remember correctly my favorite was named Chaz, and was some strange looking creature that drank mugs of coffee all day long). In hindsight, I used it more as a proto-Sims than an actual "home" to arrange my digital workspace in. I personally think that was due to the limitations of the software. The creators decided that it was more important to maintain the metaphor than to get out of the way the user. This meant you couldn't run your favorite software from within the program. You couldn't effectively control Winamp from the interface. Emails were seemingly arbitrarily character constrained. Who could actually perform work efficiently like that? In the end the experiment was considered a failure and it was discontinued. The concept seems to have been outright rejected by users. I would argue that the poor sales, terrible reviews, and lack of engagement with Microsoft Bob was an indication that people simply don't want to think of their digital devices in this way. I honestly think that is still true. Since Bob, the closest thing I have experienced has been the Oculus (now Meta) "Immersive Home". I'm out of date, and I haven't been able to use VR in any meaningful way (being a middle aged parent with a career, who wears glasses and experiences motion sickness now). Are people actually interacting with this software in a meaningful way? I'm sure there are teenagers who have put countless hours into their personal spaces, just like I did with Bob at that age, but that doesn't mean the general public feels that way.
What even are homes, anyway? What differentiates living in a home against a long term residence in a hotel, or the lives of the residences of a shared home, like the characters painted by Downton Abbey? In the show, the Abbey doesn't appear to feel like any less of a home to the residents. The valet who lives on site has made it as much his home as the Earl of Grantham does, despite it also being his job. That said, being the Earl of Grantham is just as much Robert Crawley's job while he lives in the Abbey. The author of the article evokes memories of going down the stairs of his home at night and avoiding the step he learned is creaky. But like he said, he is avoiding the creaky step because it would wake his family. Ultimately, I think that's the feeling of "home" that the author is chasing, and not the intimate knowledge he has of the actual building or space. What gives that space meaning to us are the people that occupy it, the people that clean it, the people that decorate it and live in it with us daily. While that space we grew up in was our first home as children, I think it's important to recognize that while we lived there with our parents, that space was just as much a house to them as it was the place where they have the "job" of being mom, dad, chef, shopper, clothes washer, etc. I think the part that is most easily being provided by software is simplifying those tasks. Our digital desktops can be sorted alphabetically at the touch of a button. The trash can be emptied without getting up. We can have a clear desk to work on in an instant, without loosing the clutter of the workspace we are writing our paper on. But we also struggle to hold that many "rooms" in our memory and retain our muscle memory of working in them. The less time we have to interact with them, the more true that becomes. An we seem to have so much less free time year after year as the means of constant communication break down further and further.
If we extend the metaphor this far, then maybe we could using the metaphor to improve software. I always imagine this library in my mind when I think about working in a digital space: shelves filled with every leather bound book I could desire, a comfortable arm chair, a small desk clear of clutter, one of those green shaded lambs providing warm light to work under, comfortable and ornate area rugs, wood flooring, a warm fire. Most of us don't have those spaces in our home, don't have the time, money, or free space to create them. So why is that the image that is evoked for me, when I have never had it and ultimately could never have it in my personal life? Is there a way for our phone to be that clean library, with a clear desk, and any time we pick it up it is just like we like it? Can we somehow get the feeling evoked by our mother putting our clean clothes in our drawers for us every week without her having to wash it, dry it, fold it and put it all away? I honestly just don't know.
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Comment on Firewood banks aren’t inspiring. They’re a sign of collapse. in ~finance
arch Link ParentSorry, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying that Wood Banks are a strawman, meaning they don't really exist? Or do you mean the idea that they're a sign of "collapse" is a...Sorry, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying that Wood Banks are a strawman, meaning they don't really exist? Or do you mean the idea that they're a sign of "collapse" is a strawman? You're not really responding to the points I read in the article.
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Comment on 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars coming to theaters in 2027 in ~movies
arch Link ParentI believe the original masters were used when making the Special Editions. They exposed all of the edits and CGI directly onto the film. I don't quite remember if there are versions in-between the...I believe the original masters were used when making the Special Editions. They exposed all of the edits and CGI directly onto the film. I don't quite remember if there are versions in-between the master reels and the 35mm print that Lucas/Disney would be likely to have.
I believe a good chunk of the matte line issues you mention are visible with HDR because the poor quality of projectors back then would have effectively hidden them.
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Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life
arch Link ParentThat's not nessicarily the case, because you don't know where that student is starting from. There are students with ADHD who may excel in language, but be behind to average in math. Giving them...If they're getting higher scores than average, then it seems like overcompensating?
That's not nessicarily the case, because you don't know where that student is starting from. There are students with ADHD who may excel in language, but be behind to average in math. Giving them accomodations and/or medication can help them reach their potential, which is likely higher than average. Not giving them accomodations would mean they would struggle, or be average, and have more limited outcomes. It can be the difference between choosing a difficult major over the easiest one available to these students. It can also be the difference between finishing college in 4 years vs 6, or dropping out due to burnout. Is it more important to have a level playing field, or for as many students as possible to reach their peak potential?
Accomodations don't always look like more time. Sometimes they can be as simple as having the questions be read to them, and answers provided verbally.
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Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games
arch Link ParentThe most telling thing for me is that every game I have with these Windows only kernel level anti-cheats still have blatant cheating. It's been a few years since I played Fortnite, but when I did...The most telling thing for me is that every game I have with these Windows only kernel level anti-cheats still have blatant cheating. It's been a few years since I played Fortnite, but when I did play it was filled with people using auto-aiming, auto-build macros, etc. So either these companies are grossly misinformed, or they're not resisting Linux because it would increase cheating.
For Fortnite, I honestly believe they won't enable Linux support because they can't support Epic Games Store on it. If they didn't have Fortnite tied to EGS, they would have to show what a colossal failure it has been.
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Comment on Toy Story 5 | Teaser Trailer in ~movies
arch Link ParentTwo things stand out to me that might be the main cause of that: The material textures are insanely detailed. I can see the dimples in the plastic of the toys, and each material looks perfect to...Two things stand out to me that might be the main cause of that:
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The material textures are insanely detailed. I can see the dimples in the plastic of the toys, and each material looks perfect to life. I don't remember them being quite this good in Toy Story 4 even.
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Something about the blur looks like they're using tilt shift in this trailer. Our brains have come to associate that look with models, miniatures, and toys.
I could be wrong about either or both of these, but that's my layman's perspective.
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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?