blivet's recent activity
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Comment on Elon Musk and the right’s war on Wikipedia in ~tech
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Comment on Former US President and human rights champion Jimmy Carter dies at 100 in ~society
blivet LinkRIP. I voted for him in the first presidential election I was eligible to vote in, in 1980.RIP. I voted for him in the first presidential election I was eligible to vote in, in 1980.
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Comment on The ugly truth about Spotify is finally revealed in ~music
blivet Link ParentA lot of pop music nowadays is essentially written by committee. To my mind once you’ve got a dozen or so people weighing in on maximizing the appeal of some piece of fluff, you’re not all that...A lot of pop music nowadays is essentially written by committee. To my mind once you’ve got a dozen or so people weighing in on maximizing the appeal of some piece of fluff, you’re not all that far from what an algorithm would generate.
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
blivet Link ParentThe article is free. It's not reasonable to expect an author to want nothing at all in exchange for their work. The subscription popup didn't appear immediately on page load, and unlike most sites...The article is free. It's not reasonable to expect an author to want nothing at all in exchange for their work. The subscription popup didn't appear immediately on page load, and unlike most sites nowadays you can dismiss it and continue reading.
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
blivet Link ParentWow, I wish I had known about that back then!Wow, I wish I had known about that back then!
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Comment on Never forgive them - On digital platforms vs users in ~tech
blivet Link ParentNot to downplay the annoyances provoked by the current version of the web, but I don't think anything could top the phenomenon of popups spawning popups spawning popups that you'd get if you...Not to downplay the annoyances provoked by the current version of the web, but I don't think anything could top the phenomenon of popups spawning popups spawning popups that you'd get if you clicked on the wrong link, where you could only make it stop by killing the browser process.
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Comment on What long standalone book is worth its page count? in ~books
blivet (edited )Link ParentIt’s yet another example of Stephenson’s laziness and self-indulgence. He goes on endless info-dump tangents about whatever topic interests him at the moment, and then just stops writing when he...It’s yet another example of Stephenson’s laziness and self-indulgence. He goes on endless info-dump tangents about whatever topic interests him at the moment, and then just stops writing when he gets bored, with only a token effort at wrapping up the story.
I know that for a lot of his readers it’s the journey, not the destination, but I’m not one of those people. I don’t mind the digressions at all, but I expect a professional writer to display a certain level of dedication to their craft. He should grit his teeth and finish the story he started, even if he doesn’t feel like it. After D.O.D.O. and Seveneves I decided I was done with him.
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Comment on Why US Democrats got the politics of immigration so wrong for so long in ~society
blivet Link ParentIt's funny how this statement applies to nearly every political topic.What's maddening is that Democrats proposed legislation that would make progress towards fixing this, and Republicans killed it because they'd rather campaign on the broken system than take steps to fix it.
It's funny how this statement applies to nearly every political topic.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden pardons son in ~society
blivet Link ParentAgree. The pearl-clutching ITT is ridiculous.Agree. The pearl-clutching ITT is ridiculous.
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Comment on Bomb threats made against US President-Elect Donald Trump cabinet nominees in ~society
blivet Link ParentI doubt that letting fascists do as they please will save democracy.I doubt that letting fascists do as they please will save democracy.
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Comment on Bomb threats made against US President-Elect Donald Trump cabinet nominees in ~society
blivet Link ParentI’m not sure why you think the US under Trump is going to be a liberal democracy. He and his gang have made no secret of their intention to ensure that it is no such thing.I’m not sure why you think the US under Trump is going to be a liberal democracy. He and his gang have made no secret of their intention to ensure that it is no such thing.
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Comment on Bomb threats made against US President-Elect Donald Trump cabinet nominees in ~society
blivet Link ParentJust because the majority wants something doesn’t make it right. You seem to be arguing that if the majority has voted to violate the rights of some group, that group is obligated to accept it.Just because the majority wants something doesn’t make it right. You seem to be arguing that if the majority has voted to violate the rights of some group, that group is obligated to accept it.
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Comment on Bomb threats made against US President-Elect Donald Trump cabinet nominees in ~society
blivet Link ParentI read an interesting comment once somewhere to the effect that failing to defend yourself against an aggressor is not non-violence, but in fact enables and encourages further violence.I read an interesting comment once somewhere to the effect that failing to defend yourself against an aggressor is not non-violence, but in fact enables and encourages further violence.
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Comment on Great shows with interesting premises? in ~tv
blivet Link ParentI love the conclusion. Apparently at the time viewers were so enraged that McGoohan went into hiding, but anything more straightforward would have been a disappointment, really. And given what had...I love the conclusion. Apparently at the time viewers were so enraged that McGoohan went into hiding, but anything more straightforward would have been a disappointment, really. And given what had come before, what did people honestly expect? The whole thing was at a minimum borderline surreal the entire time.
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Comment on In Northeast D.C., a rancorous post-election fight erupts — over bike lanes in ~transport
blivet Link ParentThat’s probably got something to do with it, but I noticed in myself that I had gotten so used to there being almost no traffic during the lockdown that once it was over I was driving quite...That’s probably got something to do with it, but I noticed in myself that I had gotten so used to there being almost no traffic during the lockdown that once it was over I was driving quite recklessly for a normal level of traffic.
I made a deliberate effort to stop doing that, but I suspect that a certain number of people just felt entitled to keep driving as if there was no one else on the road, because a certain number of people are inconsiderate jackasses.
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Comment on Daily driving linux (Fedora KDE) - My experiences after a week in ~tech
blivet Link ParentEven Apple hasn’t managed to get sleep to work entirely smoothly, and they have control of the entire environment. I guess it’s a very difficult problem.Even Apple hasn’t managed to get sleep to work entirely smoothly, and they have control of the entire environment. I guess it’s a very difficult problem.
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Comment on Wonder announces acquisition of Grubhub in ~food
blivet Link ParentThe whole idea of having to tip generously beforehand just to convince someone to deliver your order seems completely backwards to me. I wouldn’t use a service like that unless I had to.The whole idea of having to tip generously beforehand just to convince someone to deliver your order seems completely backwards to me. I wouldn’t use a service like that unless I had to.
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Comment on Taylor Swift fans are leaving X for Bluesky after Donald Trump’s US election in ~society
blivet (edited )Link ParentIt’s been a half century since 18-year-olds got the vote. I think 14 presidential elections is enough of a sample to conclude that young people just don’t vote in sufficient numbers to win...Those swifties should have voted then.
It’s been a half century since 18-year-olds got the vote. I think 14 presidential elections is enough of a sample to conclude that young people just don’t vote in sufficient numbers to win elections.
From what I can see, most people make their political decisions based on gut feelings. I think that most young people feel deep down that a choice of which old person is going to run things is pretty much irrelevant to them.
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Comment on LGBTQ folks check-in thread - how're you all doing? in ~lgbt
blivet (edited )Link ParentI may be older than you, and yeah, I felt the same way about her as VP. She was pretty much a nonentity for me. I wouldn't say I got excited about her, but when she stepped in I thought she might...I'm sure I'll get some static over this statement, but Harris honestly was a big zero for a lot of us middle-aged Democrats, myself included, prior Biden stepping aside.
I may be older than you, and yeah, I felt the same way about her as VP. She was pretty much a nonentity for me. I wouldn't say I got excited about her, but when she stepped in I thought she might be able to do it. She had the qualifications and track record without the tarnish of 30 years of Republican mud-slinging that Hillary had. I assumed that compared to Trump, who was clearly not all there anymore, she had a solid chance. But I guess I'm living in my own bubble in a way, caused by the MAGA/Fox News bubble. I have a very hard time seeing the world the way Trump's followers do.
On reflection it seems to me that most voters just go with who they like on a personal level, and the Democratic presidential candidates who have lost in my lifetime have tended to project a supercilious air, or could be seen that way at least. Obama came dangerously close to giving that impression, but neither of his opponents really had the common touch either. One of the complaints about Al Gore well before he became vice president was that he seemed to think he was better than other people, whereas Dubya famously was "a guy you could have a beer with". People didn't know what Trump's policies were, exactly, but they felt like they knew him from seeing him on TV for so long, and he told them he shared their worries about the price of eggs or whatever. If the Democrats are ever going to elect another president, they are going to have to come up with someone like Bill Clinton, who despite being a bona fide intellectual managed to come across as a regular guy.
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Comment on LGBTQ folks check-in thread - how're you all doing? in ~lgbt
blivet (edited )Link ParentWell, I certainly hope so, but the past eight years have seen Trump saying and doing ever more unacceptable things. Reasonable people keep thinking that now finally his followers will see the...Well, I certainly hope so, but the past eight years have seen Trump saying and doing ever more unacceptable things. Reasonable people keep thinking that now finally his followers will see the light, but it never seems to happen. Nothing seems to put a dent in his popularity.
About Harris underperforming, I don’t think the election was rigged or anything like that, but it’s very hard for me to reconcile the stadium-filling rallies, long lines at polling places, and outpouring of donations and volunteer work with her lackluster performance on election day. I myself donated a decent amount, and even wrote postcards to swing states, and I never do things like that. I really don’t get it, especially when you compare her campaign with Trump’s poorly attended rallies, where people walked out on his low energy, aimless speeches. If you had asked me to predict which group of voters would decide that it wasn’t worth the hassle of voting this time around I wouldn’t have picked the Democrats.
I have a hard time empathizing with people who feel that diversity initiatives, however misguided, are a bigger threat to the common good than actual fascism.