bret's recent activity
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Comment on Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex? in ~tech
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Comment on Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex? in ~tech
bret Link ParentYeah, well I do.We do not discriminate based on current geopolitical issues.
Yeah, well I do.
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Comment on Wicked, Dune, It, and deceiving the audience about two-parters in ~movies
bret LinkI thought the hobbit movies were a two-parter and was super disappointed when the whole desolation of smaug movie never resolvedI thought the hobbit movies were a two-parter and was super disappointed when the whole desolation of smaug movie never resolved
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Comment on Wicked, Dune, It, and deceiving the audience about two-parters in ~movies
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
bret LinkI live in maricopa county, home of all the crazies like Kari Lake and Joe Arpaio... absolutely can't wait for all the deranged political signs to be taken down and the mailers to stopI live in maricopa county, home of all the crazies like Kari Lake and Joe Arpaio... absolutely can't wait for all the deranged political signs to be taken down and the mailers to stop
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Comment on PocketPlay phone case in ~games
bret LinkThis is exactly what I've been looking for but for my android phone :(This is exactly what I've been looking for but for my android phone :(
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Comment on ‘Terrifier 3’ takes over box office as ‘Joker 2’ suffers 82% 2nd weekend drop in ~movies
bret Link ParentI'm the same way. I was just recommended to watch it by a friend. I get that it's cool that it's got that classic gorefest vibe. I like the genre. But I expected some kind of plot or something...I'm the same way. I was just recommended to watch it by a friend. I get that it's cool that it's got that classic gorefest vibe. I like the genre. But I expected some kind of plot or something else it has going for it. I wasn't expecting a good or even mediocre plot, but it didn't even have that.
I've read online that Terrifier 2 has a better plot, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to watch it knowing how much I did not enjoy Terrifier 1.
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Comment on Don't talk to the police in ~life
bret LinkI wrote a reddit post a few years ago that was basically just a recap of this guys book. #YSK The Dangers of Talking to Law Enforcement, Even When Innocent ##Why YSK: Innocent People Can Be Found...I wrote a reddit post a few years ago that was basically just a recap of this guys book.
#YSK The Dangers of Talking to Law Enforcement, Even When Innocent
##Why YSK: Innocent People Can Be Found Guilty, And Overcriminalization (US)###Innocent People Can Be Found Guilty
Police can mistakenly implicate innocent people because police aren't perfect.- Confirmation Bias.
After someone comes to a conclusion, it is very difficult for them to admit that they were wrong. It is much easier and more comfortable for them to convince themselves that they did not make a mistake, and that their initial accusations were correct. Their memories will gladly cooperate in that effort. Even if they are not aware of how it is happening, they might recall nonexistent details to coincide with and corroborate the story they have already begun persuading themselves to believe.
In the case of Earl Ruffin, a police officer brought a copy of his types noted from his interview with him, which he had typed up during their interview three months earlier. But he changed those noted and added three more words that were handwritten that implicated Ruffin, and this was used at trial to convict him. He was exonerated some twenty years later only after DNA evidence exonerated him.
- Imperfect Legal System. The methods law enforcement use to interrogate and gather information is surprisingly effective at getting innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit. According to one study of 250 prisoners exonerated by DNA evidence, 16 percent of them made what’s called a false confession: admitting their commission of a crime that they did not commit.
You are imperfect.
Misspeaking or saying anything even slightly inaccurate can be devastating to your defense.
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It helps convince the police they have the right suspect, making them less likely to pursue other leads.
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The prosecutor can present that evidence to a jury, and the jury will be instructed that if they believe you knew your statement to the police was false, they are permitted to regard that knowing falsehood as evidence you are guilty.
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You can be prosecuted for the criminal offense of lying to the government. You may be sent to prison for up to five years if you made a single statement to a federal agent that turns out to be false, if the prosecutor and jury could be persuaded that you knew it was inaccurate.
Overcriminalization
You can be convicted and imprisoned for committing a crime even if you had no criminal intent and had zero knowledge that your actions were forbidden by law. There are so many thousands of laws that keep being added to that even the Congressional Research Service[is no longer able to keep count of the is no longer able to keep count of the exact number of federal crimes. ^1
The deck is stacked against you. As Justice Breyer of the United States Supreme Court complained in 1998 -
“The complexity of modern federal criminal law, codified in several thousand sections of the United States Code and the virtually infinite variety of factual circumstances that might trigger an investigation into a possible violation of the law, make it difficult for anyone to know, in advance, just when a particular set of statements might later appear (to a prosecutor) to be relevant to some such investigation.” ^2
Just about everyone, whether they know it or not, is guilty of numerous felonies for which they could be prosecuted. One estimate is that the average American now commits approximately three felonies a day. ^3
In conclusion, as former United States Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson put it:
[A]ny lawyer worth his salt will tell the suspect in no uncertain terms to make no statement to the police under any circumstances. ^4
^(1 Paul Rosenzweig, "The Over-Criminalization of Social and Economic Conduct," Champion, August 2003, 28.)
^(2 Rubin v. United States, 252 U.S. 990 (1998)^) ^Breyer, ^J. ^dissenting ^from ^denial ^of ^certiorari
^(3 Harvery Silverglate, Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent (New York: Encounter Books, 2009)^.)
^(4 Former United States Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, Watts v. Indiana, 338 U.S. 49, 59 (1949)^) ^((concurring opinion)^)
- Confirmation Bias.
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Comment on Huawei announces phone with tri-folding screen in ~tech
bret Link ParentI love mine, but the more I use it the more I am used to just using the front screen and not unfolding it at all haha. I'm kind of at the point where I think I might as well just get a regular...I love mine, but the more I use it the more I am used to just using the front screen and not unfolding it at all haha. I'm kind of at the point where I think I might as well just get a regular phone again.
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Comment on Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: Who is leading in the US presidential election polls? in ~society
bret Link ParentYeah that's exactly what I said you got me.Are you saying that she will lose significant numbers of voters if she doesn't continue to signal that she will support Israel's genocidal campaign?
Yeah that's exactly what I said you got me.
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Comment on Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: Who is leading in the US presidential election polls? in ~society
bret Link ParentFully disagree. The group that the 'going full left' appeals to appears much bigger on the internet than they are in reality, and the demographics that actually vote won't show up for it.Fully disagree. The group that the 'going full left' appeals to appears much bigger on the internet than they are in reality, and the demographics that actually vote won't show up for it.
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Comment on Against Netflix in ~tv
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
bret Link ParentYes. There were a lot of Gylenhaal movies I thought about adding to the list, he really has an insanely good filmography. Something about End of Watch is so good though - even though it's corny,...Is End of Watch the one with Jake Gylenhaal and Michael Pena? That's on my to-watch list already, but I also haven't seen it.
Yes. There were a lot of Gylenhaal movies I thought about adding to the list, he really has an insanely good filmography. Something about End of Watch is so good though - even though it's corny, and very pro-cop, the chemistry between the characters is so good.
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
bret Link ParentThe first watch I would have given it like a 7/10 (probably my lowest christopher nolan film rating), but then on second watch i liked it way more, and ive only liked it more every watch since, to...The first watch I would have given it like a 7/10 (probably my lowest christopher nolan film rating), but then on second watch i liked it way more, and ive only liked it more every watch since, to the point it's now my second-favorite nolan film
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
bret LinkThe Grand Budapest Hotel Interstellar Tenet (probably my most unpopular pick... but i adore it) The Shawshank Redemption Back to the Future Lord of the Rings (the trilogy... all of it) Inglorious...The Grand Budapest Hotel
Interstellar
Tenet (probably my most unpopular pick... but i adore it)
The Shawshank Redemption
Back to the Future
Lord of the Rings (the trilogy... all of it)
Inglorious Basterds
The Sixth Sense
End of Watch
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~sports
bret (edited )LinkIts crazy how many online pundits I've seen state things like "she has XY chromosomes" as FACT when that, in fact, was never stated. The actual facts as we know are: She was raised as a woman...Its crazy how many online pundits I've seen state things like "she has XY chromosomes" as FACT when that, in fact, was never stated. The actual facts as we know are:
- She was raised as a woman since birth.
- The IBA disqualified her for unspecified reasons (they never said she has XY chromosomes as is widely stated elsewhere)
... thats it. But the anti-woke(?) crowd went wild with it. I certainly have my problems with having (actually) trans people competing in womens sports (e.g. those who have had the advantage of puberty or some kind of advantage specifically that they would not have had if it weren't for transition) but this absolutely isn't it.
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Comment on JD Vance’s wife: My husband only meant to insult people who actively choose not to have kids, not people who are trying but are unsuccessful in ~society
bret LinkAh good, he only meant to insult people like me, I feel much better now :^)Ah good, he only meant to insult people like me, I feel much better now :^)
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Comment on The growing scientific case for using Ozempic and other GLP-1s to treat opioid, alcohol, and nicotine addiction in ~health
bret Link ParentIt definitely feels like I'm taking crazy pills when there is all this talk of the "social security" problem but raising the social security income taxable cap is a popular solution that never...It definitely feels like I'm taking crazy pills when there is all this talk of the "social security" problem but raising the social security income taxable cap is a popular solution that never seems to be on the table for some reason.
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Comment on The growing scientific case for using Ozempic and other GLP-1s to treat opioid, alcohol, and nicotine addiction in ~health
bret Link Parentsurely this is the other way around (workers to beneficiaries)? this is saying there will be more workers per beneficiary in the futurethe ratio of old people (i.e. beneficiaries) to workers has gone from 5.1:1 to a projected 2.1:1 in 2040
surely this is the other way around (workers to beneficiaries)? this is saying there will be more workers per beneficiary in the future
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~misc
bret LinkI would love to have a candidate other than Biden. In an ideal world, we could simply replace him. The risks of replacing him are huge, however. There are a million more unknowns for other...I would love to have a candidate other than Biden. In an ideal world, we could simply replace him. The risks of replacing him are huge, however. There are a million more unknowns for other candidates. Will people actually rally behind this other candidate? What scandals/skeletons will arise? What message does it send if the DNC has to replace their chosen candidate? Can they raise enough money to be competitive? Is the other candidate actually likable? As an example, I know people love to quote Bernie Sanders polls against Donald Trump, but I have no doubt that if Sanders actually ran against Trump his comments loving communist regimes would play on repeat and shift those results significantly. We know the bar for Biden, we don't know the bar for others. Given, if Biden has one more performance against Trump similar to the last debate, it's done for. That may be a smaller risk than someone completely untested on the national stage.
It kind of depends on the extent of the involvement of those companies. One of the defining characteristics of Russia right now is the heavy amount of corruption involved in doing any business there. And yes, if Trump did something as bad as trying to invade, rape, and pillage another country, I would extend my discrimination to any American company not taking a stand against that.