balooga's recent activity
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Comment on Half-baked idea for metered inline image allowances in ~tildes
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Half-baked idea for metered inline image allowances
This is totally a half-baked shower thought of an idea, and not one that even I am personally persuaded by, but I’m curious to gauge what others think of it. Sometimes it might be useful to allow...
This is totally a half-baked shower thought of an idea, and not one that even I am personally persuaded by, but I’m curious to gauge what others think of it.
Sometimes it might be useful to allow images to be inlined in topics or comments instead of requiring users to link to them. If that ability were unrestricted, people would probably use it for frivolous reaction GIFs, memes, etc., which are not wanted here on Tildes. But if we restricted how often people could do it, if we made it costly, they’d be less inclined to waste it.
We already have precedent for metered functionality to discourage abuse: Exemplary labels. That seems to be working pretty well. What if users received one image credit per month? We could allow them to rollover/accrue but maybe cap them so nobody can have more than five(?). That’s certainly scarce enough to make me think twice about wasting them.
We could make them collapsible so they can be hidden with a click (though I’m not sure if it’s feasible to make per-image collapsed states persistent). We could also have a user setting for people who don’t want to see the images. Maybe call it “Inline Image Display” with these options:
- Always show
- Always collapse
- Always collapse unless in
<details>blocks - Render as link to image instead
If we wanted to be really cautious we could default to that last option (basically current behavior) so nobody would be opted-in if they didn’t want it.
I’m not suggesting Tildes should get into the free image hosting business. This idea assumes that the images being shown are already hosted from a place that permits embedding on third-party domains. We might be able to validate that before running the form submit, to surface a warning when an image is inaccessible so people don’t find out it’s broken until after spending a credit for it.
We could also allow these images only in new topics, and not in comments where they’re more likely to be used flippantly. Or charge two credits instead of one to do it in a comment. Or in that user setting we could add “Always show in topics and collapse in comments” as an option.
If we wanted to get fancy we could also allow users to flag whether an image they’re sharing is NSFW, and add a couple additional options to that user setting, to exclude those if desired.
Of course now that I’m thinking about NSFW images in 2026 I’m reminded that all this age-verification hysteria could be brought to Tildes’ doorstep much faster if we directly displayed user-originated images on the site. Not really a battle I’d chose for us (read: Deimos) to fight so that risk alone might render the idea DOA.
I’d still be interested to hear what others think though.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of April 6 in ~society
balooga Link ParentThere is no possible way to frame that statement as ethical, respectable, or patriotic. No way to portray it as in any way aligned with Christian morality. It’s just one example of many recent...The United States… has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world.
There is no possible way to frame that statement as ethical, respectable, or patriotic. No way to portray it as in any way aligned with Christian morality. It’s just one example of many recent mask-off statements made by the magasphere that is unabashedly, nakedly evil from top to bottom. You can’t dress it up with justifications or try to twist it into anything other than exactly that — an evil, reckless, headstrong affront to humanity. Completely out of alignment with anyone who values mercy, compassion, democracy, freedom, principled leadership, or even basic decency.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
balooga Link Parent…of course it did. Keep it classy, U.S. politics.…of course it did. Keep it classy, U.S. politics.
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Comment on Project Glasswing: securing critical software for the AI era in ~tech
balooga Link ParentOkay, I see where you're coming from now. I'm not making a long-term bet against it... what I'm predicting is a near-term crisis that acts as an industry wake-up call, which in turn leads to much...Okay, I see where you're coming from now. I'm not making a long-term bet against it... what I'm predicting is a near-term crisis that acts as an industry wake-up call, which in turn leads to much better (I probably mean "deterministic") tools and workflows that really do solve the problem for good. But right now? It's still the wild west. In the meantime I think a lot of engineers, or engineering departments, are going to get overconfident and create some real messes for themselves, before actual best practices are solidified.
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Comment on Project Glasswing: securing critical software for the AI era in ~tech
balooga Link ParentAs a member of that industry (albeit between jobs at the moment) who is pretty deep in the agentic engineering space these days, I'd like to know more about those best practices you're talking...As a member of that industry (albeit between jobs at the moment) who is pretty deep in the agentic engineering space these days, I'd like to know more about those best practices you're talking about. From where I'm sitting that still seems very much up in the air.
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Comment on Project Glasswing: securing critical software for the AI era in ~tech
balooga LinkMy first thought was that this was about hardening critical software against AI drift-induced architectural brittleness. I have a feeling that’s going to become a real problem in the next few...My first thought was that this was about hardening critical software against AI drift-induced architectural brittleness. I have a feeling that’s going to become a real problem in the next few years, particularly with SaaS platforms, as agentic engineers keep implementing new features as afterthoughts tacked onto the existing codebase, rather than properly integrating them into those systems in a cohesive way.
I think this is going to be a major issue that companies will be unwilling to acknowledge or talk about. Somebody will probably invent a word for it. From the outside, it’s just going to look like our software is just getting slower, maybe weird regressions start appearing, maybe UIs start introducing bizarre deviations from their familiar UX patterns and branding. It’s mostly going to be only half-perceived like “am I going crazy or did this feature work better last month?” People who point out the drift will be gaslit and told that’s conspiracy thinking. Because nobody outside those companies has eyes on the code and everybody imagines the companies to be competent and, well, capable of controlling the development of their flagship products.
But they won’t be. Inch by inch the AI’s myopic decisions are going to paint these codebases into corners. Code will slowly spaghettify, tech debt will spread like cancer. There won’t be a way to reverse course without major rewrites. Engineering teams will just compound the problem by directing the AI to play whac-a-mole with bug reports, tacking on more band-aid fixes instead of untangling the Gordian knot.
That’s not the problem Project Glasswing is trying to solve. This is about using AI to proactively, defensively find security holes and patch them before they can be exploited. Which is also hugely important, and I’m very much in favor of the initiative.
But the other thing needs to be solved too.
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Comment on NASA’s Artemis II crew flies around the moon (live broadcast) in ~space
balooga Link ParentWould it really be a massive feat to get a couple satellites into lunar orbit to relay signals around it? Compared to JWST and the Mars rovers, I would think not.Would it really be a massive feat to get a couple satellites into lunar orbit to relay signals around it? Compared to JWST and the Mars rovers, I would think not.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
balooga Link ParentI’m starting to really dislike this TACO meme. The last thing an ego like his, so fluent in the language of bullying, needs is for his opposition to keep shitposting about what a coward he is....I’m starting to really dislike this TACO meme. The last thing an ego like his, so fluent in the language of bullying, needs is for his opposition to keep shitposting about what a coward he is. Almost seems like a provocation or a challenge. I’m just picturing him storming out of the bathroom after reading a particularly humiliating series of tweets, barking at anyone in earshot to bring him the nuke football, muttering “chicken out, huh?? I’ll show them chickening out…”
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Comment on Artemis II April 1 launch in ~space
balooga Link ParentQuite grim. But now you’ve made me curious, would a nuclear blast be visible from the moon? Or even from low earth orbit?Quite grim. But now you’ve made me curious, would a nuclear blast be visible from the moon? Or even from low earth orbit?
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
balooga LinkChrist, this goes way beyond asshole. What the fuck.Christ, this goes way beyond asshole. What the fuck.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 30 in ~society
balooga Link ParentNonsensical capitalization, triple exclamation marks, all caps stinger, “public DM” WWE-style smack talk format, superlative claims, performative machismo, threats of violence, unhinged blasphemy…...Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah
Nonsensical capitalization, triple exclamation marks, all caps stinger, “public DM” WWE-style smack talk format, superlative claims, performative machismo, threats of violence, unhinged blasphemy… seems to tick all the boxes. What about that doesn’t sound like him, in your estimation?
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Comment on Where can I learn about the actual science behind Artemis II? in ~space
balooga LinkMight seem like a bit of a cop-out but I’ve been really interested in this as well and ChatGPT has done a great job finding the answers I’m looking for, with links to official NASA sources. I...Might seem like a bit of a cop-out but I’ve been really interested in this as well and ChatGPT has done a great job finding the answers I’m looking for, with links to official NASA sources. I recommend adding “Show your sources.” to prompts to hedge against hallucination. The only real frustration I’ve had has been where certain design details are considered trade secrets, officially and deliberately obscured from the public record. I’m not a fan of obfuscationism from public science agencies.
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Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
balooga Link ParentI assume Protagonist vs. Nature is exactly the sort of conflict OP was asking for, and the Andy Weir space survival stories are great examples of it. Another movie in that category is Apollo 13. I...I assume Protagonist vs. Nature is exactly the sort of conflict OP was asking for, and the Andy Weir space survival stories are great examples of it. Another movie in that category is Apollo 13. I just watched it about an hour ago so it's fresh in my mind — for "some reason" I've been thinking a lot about crewed lunar missions this week, haha.
It's so good! Absolute masterpiece of a movie. I love the realism and the fact that it respects the intelligence of the audience. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it, or if it's been a while. The CG (which was cutting edge in 1995) looks a bit dated by today's standards, but everything else is extremely solid.
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Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
balooga Link ParentI haven't seen that in 20+ years but my memory still catalogs it as the most aggressively depressing film I've ever watched. It starts bleak, and just gets worse and worse and worse. TBH I don't...I haven't seen that in 20+ years but my memory still catalogs it as the most aggressively depressing film I've ever watched. It starts bleak, and just gets worse and worse and worse. TBH I don't actually remember anything about the story, but I do remember the hollow feeling it left in the pit of my stomach by the time the credits rolled.
I don't think I've ever not had a crush on Jennifer Connelly but that's not nearly enough to make want to rewatch this misery-fest.
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Comment on Pam Bondi ousted as US attorney general in ~society
balooga Link Parent"You're fired" was his catchphrase on The Apprentice. He built a whole brand around it."You're fired" was his catchphrase on The Apprentice. He built a whole brand around it.
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Comment on What if AI just makes us work harder? in ~tech
balooga Link ParentWe need some kind of advocacy group / think tank / lobbying org with the express mission of driving policy conversations to ensure technology empowers people to work less. Right now we’re on the...We need some kind of advocacy group / think tank / lobbying org with the express mission of driving policy conversations to ensure technology empowers people to work less. Right now we’re on the cusp of giant breakthroughs that could totally pave the way for a golden age of leisure and plenty. The elimination or reduction of our dependency on human toil. But we’ve already gotten all the market signals we need to know new productivity breakthroughs are always going to have the opposite effect. We’ve seen the pattern, going back to the Industrial Revolution. We know the playbook. We as a society must unite around the explicit goal of offloading human labor to technology — and not penalizing those who have done so by forcing them to replace it with more, different labor — or the cycle will keep accelerating.
We have a failure of political imagination. We can’t seem to conceive of a world where
poorpeople aren’t spending their entire lives working, just to survive (let alone thrive). It’s just considered a given that humans must surrender their bodies and minds to the machinery of capitalism, unless they’re privileged enough to operate that machine and enrich themselves from its output. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. If AI isn’t liberating us, we’re doing it wrong. -
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 30 in ~society
balooga Link ParentWell let's hope that's because her amateur coverup skills were responsible for some new Epstein bombshell he knows is about to break... Happy to see her out of there either way, but after...Well let's hope that's because her amateur coverup skills were responsible for some new Epstein bombshell he knows is about to break...
Happy to see her out of there either way, but after Markwayne I'm not super jazzed about whoever her replacement might be.
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Comment on Getting permission from your significant other in ~life
balooga Link ParentI agree! At the same time, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater — there's truth in "happy wife, happy life." Married people should prioritize the happiness of their partners,...It draws on the same old well of tired stereotypes thats behind "wife=bad" humor, or "happy wife happy life" , "gotta ask the boss" and so on. The idea that women are humorless hags with full control of their husband's life and wallet, and that a husbands role is to desperately perform for their wives for the rest of their life to escape being bitched at and nagged.
I agree! At the same time, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater — there's truth in "happy wife, happy life." Married people should prioritize the happiness of their partners, assuming their partners reciprocate. Marriage, ideally, is a mutually beneficial arrangement built on love, respect, and service. When both partners are on the same page about this it's a beautiful thing. Maybe we should update the phrase to remove the misogyny. "Happy spouse, happy house"? I dunno.
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Comment on Getting permission from your significant other in ~life
balooga Link ParentSounds about right to me. I can't speak for other couples but I always try to check in with my spouse before making scheduling decisions. It's not about "permission" but it is a gesture of respect...Sounds about right to me. I can't speak for other couples but I always try to check in with my spouse before making scheduling decisions. It's not about "permission" but it is a gesture of respect for my spouse's time and energy. I feel it would be selfish or uncaring of me to just make personal plans without communicating about them first. We share our lives, calendars, and domestic responsibilities. If I make an executive decision to go hang with the guys some night, that will have consequences for my spouse, who now has to manage dinner prep, kids' bedtimes, and evening cleanup without me.
In a marriage, communication is everything. If I want that hangout to happen I can usually make it happen but it does require coordination and planning because we are partners. Maybe we shift our weekly meal plans to lighten the load that evening, or I help prep some ingredients before I leave. Or I promise to do the dishes after I get home that night. The point is, we're not two independent actors who happen to share a house... we're symbiotic, we're a household, we function as one unit. If I try to bypass that I'm just being a jerk to my other half. This is relational maturity, not an affront to my autonomy.
I might refer to this as "getting permission" as a form of funny shorthand. I think I usually use language like "let me check in with my spouse first" or "let me see what we're doing that night" instead though.
I don't actually have one since I'm mainly just active on Tildes and we don't do that here. I used to think Imgur was great but I'm usually behind a VPN and these days they do their damndest to block me because of that.