caliper's recent activity
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Comment on The Dark Tower Wizard in Glass, is the second half better? in ~books
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Comment on Scientists cast doubt on the discovery of microplastics throughout the human body in ~health
caliper Link ParentI like this positive take! Good way to (almost) start the weekend.I like this positive take! Good way to (almost) start the weekend.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
caliper (edited )Link ParentI don’t think the things we expect from modern communication, like group chats, voice calls, group voice calls, voice messages, stickers, pictures, etc. are offered by the carriers. They all...I don’t think the things we expect from modern communication, like group chats, voice calls, group voice calls, voice messages, stickers, pictures, etc. are offered by the carriers. They all require data connections, they all require apps, they all require services. Sure, 911 has different requirements, but that isn’t what WhatsApp/Signal/Discord/Telegram are used for in most cases.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
caliper Link ParentWild. How are you doing group chats? How are you sending pictures?Wild. How are you doing group chats? How are you sending pictures?
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
caliper Link ParentI’m wondering if this might be a misunderstanding. When I lived in the US around 2012, most people had an iPhone if they had a smartphone. Everybody used iMessage. That isn’t SMS, that is entirely...The thought of having to rely on an app for communication is pretty gross to me.
I’m wondering if this might be a misunderstanding. When I lived in the US around 2012, most people had an iPhone if they had a smartphone. Everybody used iMessage. That isn’t SMS, that is entirely the same as WhatsApp or Signal messages. It’s all TCP/IP, it’s not carrier texts.
In countries where iPhone isn’t the main smartphone, WhatsApp is popular because it’s cross platform, rich messaging. SMS exists everywhere.
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Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
caliper LinkSounds to me like he’s afraid you’ll find something else and he loses an account. Instead of handling it like a normal human, he then bullies you into removing yourself from job search sites. This...Sounds to me like he’s afraid you’ll find something else and he loses an account. Instead of handling it like a normal human, he then bullies you into removing yourself from job search sites. This is on par with interactions I’ve had with recruiters, it solidifies my view most of them are scum and only exist because they fleece employers and employees into thinking recruiters add value.
Personally, I’d tell him to pound sand, in a nice way of course. You are both benefiting from this arrangement and he is benefiting without any effort. So it’s going to last as long as it will last, but he needs you more than you need him. So maybe stand up for yourself a bit more. List yourself again and just tell him it’s a difficult job market and you need to be prepared in case something changes.
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Comment on Feeling weird about my career with respect to AI in ~life
caliper Link ParentThe pessimism for me comes from seeing how others use it and what management thinks it can do. I personally use LLMs regularly for coding and sometimes get good results with a little massaging....The pessimism for me comes from seeing how others use it and what management thinks it can do. I personally use LLMs regularly for coding and sometimes get good results with a little massaging. But I'm a senior dev and I like to believe I've read enough code to pick sensible solutions that match code style of a project, and above all, solutions that won't introduce a massive amount of technical debt.
Looking at the code diarrhea that some of my coworkers pull out of LLMs is just extremely infuriating. I'm the one reviewing that crap and I'm the one that needs to nag and explain and take time out of my day to read and understand it all. It's just so frustrating to deal with. My fear is that this will only get worse with time. New devs won't be required to hone their skills. The amount of technical debt will just grow exponentially. It all just seems so short sighted and management is totally to blame. They jump on the hype train and push it without understanding the implications. The feeling of "these people have no idea what their company is actually doing" has never been greater for me, and that's after the "BigData, NoSQL, everything cloud, blockchain" nonsense we've already lived through.
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Comment on Regarding travel agency exoticca.com in ~travel
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Comment on Regarding travel agency exoticca.com in ~travel
caliper Link ParentThat’s an interesting one. Unless time is super constrained, I’d wouldn’t necessarily pick the fastest option over the slow one. Slow, cheap transport often gets you to meet locals, see places you...While it's important to find good prices for things, don't skimp on things that will actually matter on your trip like taking a cheaper, slower train to another city that saves you $20, but you lose 3 hours of exploring time for example.
That’s an interesting one. Unless time is super constrained, I’d wouldn’t necessarily pick the fastest option over the slow one. Slow, cheap transport often gets you to meet locals, see places you wouldn’t see otherwise and possibly find you some unexpected adventures. For me, travel isn’t just going from sight to sight, the traveling itself is part of the fun.
This doesn’t stop at traveling too. Going on expensive tours are less exciting than finding your own way. Being guided by a local, cheap guide can be more interesting than picking a larger group. Being on a dingy fishing boat can be more fun than traveling on a sturdy luxurious boat.
In short, finding fun and adventure for me is much easier by being cheap than by throwing money at a trip.
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Comment on Strange Pop! OS 24.04 behavior in ~tech
caliper LinkIf you’re struggling to get into the bios, unhook the drive with the OS and start the PC. Without the drive, you should be able to figure out how to get in.If you’re struggling to get into the bios, unhook the drive with the OS and start the PC. Without the drive, you should be able to figure out how to get in.
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Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech
caliper Link ParentTIL and I’ve been a mac user for I don’t know how long. I use the screenshot shortcut on a daily basis and do a cleanup every once in a while. This will improve my life significantly!TIL and I’ve been a mac user for I don’t know how long. I use the screenshot shortcut on a daily basis and do a cleanup every once in a while. This will improve my life significantly!
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
caliper Link ParentStarlings are such amazing birds. Not sure if they are like the ones around here, but here they are great singers ánd can mimic all kinds of sounds. Ringtones, alarms, other birds, etc, they will...Starlings are such amazing birds. Not sure if they are like the ones around here, but here they are great singers ánd can mimic all kinds of sounds. Ringtones, alarms, other birds, etc, they will pick up sounds and go crazy. Absolutely love them. Oh and in flocks they are spectacular!
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
caliper LinkLast two weeks I’ve been at our vacation home. There’s always DIY stuff to do, which I love. I can’t relax during the holidays, so I did jobs that have been on my todo list. First week was...Last two weeks I’ve been at our vacation home. There’s always DIY stuff to do, which I love. I can’t relax during the holidays, so I did jobs that have been on my todo list. First week was replacing a breaker box and rewiring parts of the house. Also did some plastering. This week worked on some shelves, completed the rewire work and replaced a huge water heater. That last job was not at all on my list (so sadly can’t check it off my todo list) but it was good to replace now before it crapped out. Luckily I have lovely neighbors here that have all kinds of tools, including a winch. Getting the old heater out without one would’ve been a total cluster fuck. This only took some mild cussing. If stores hadn’t been closed on the 1st, I could’ve finished the job in a day. Now we had one extra day without hot water. It wasn’t as bad as 4 days without electricity in part of the house 😅 Good thing the family is forgiving!
Too bad vacation is over again and I have to go back to work. I could’ve spent another week here to do some more DIY stuff!
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Comment on Steam Replay 2025 in ~games
caliper Link ParentThis reminds me of that year when my home music server went on a U2 bender for a good week and totally messed up my Spotify wrap up. And I really really hate U2.This reminds me of that year when my home music server went on a U2 bender for a good week and totally messed up my Spotify wrap up. And I really really hate U2.
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Comment on Steam Replay 2025 in ~games
caliper LinkI don’t want to intimidate Tilderions, but I played 3 games and unlocked 15 achievements. This has to be my lowest amount of game time ever. I’ve been wondering recently why I haven’t made time to...I don’t want to intimidate Tilderions, but I played 3 games and unlocked 15 achievements. This has to be my lowest amount of game time ever. I’ve been wondering recently why I haven’t made time to play, but I keep coming back to having the feeling there is more important things to do. I’ve got real life achievements to unlock, and many of them. Maybe when that’s all done, I’ll be able to catch up on the great games that need to be explored!
One idea I’ve been toying with is getting a PS Vita and do some gaming on the commute. But I can’t justify getting another console and having to explain to my SO why there is more crap in the house.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
caliper LinkWe moved a month or two ago. We went from a smaller town with lots of green to a small quaint city. Our dog is loving it so far! She seems more alive here. Each walk we do a different route and...We moved a month or two ago. We went from a smaller town with lots of green to a small quaint city. Our dog is loving it so far! She seems more alive here. Each walk we do a different route and there’s a lot of things for her to sniff and people to meet. We adopted her at a year and a half, and I think her street life is showing. She’s finding things to eat everywhere. I’m still unsure if I should try to avoid this or just let her have her fun time.
Our cat is less happy. He used to roam the neighborhood and trot along when we’d go for walks with the dog. Now he’s more confined to indoors. We’ve got a small patio for him to enjoy some fresh air, but it is clearly a downgrade for him. So far we’ve only been able to take him on a walk early on a Sunday morning. He was skittish with all the people that were already around, but he stayed close to us. I hope we can make this our new routine.
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Comment on Can we maybe have an informal agreement to avoid posting articles that require you to sell your firstborn child to the devil just to read them? in ~tildes
caliper (edited )Link ParentThat’s good advice too. Although that still means you have to do something while browsing, those cookie popups will still be there and the cookies also while the browser is open. On second...That’s good advice too. Although that still means you have to do something while browsing, those cookie popups will still be there and the cookies also while the browser is open. On second thought, how often do you close the browser? On my devices, the browser is only closed when the device needs a reboot or when Firefox requires a restart. Uptime on my laptop is usually weeks, if not months.
A much better addition is by @d32 in another topic:
Minor correction: it's not about cookies actually, at all. Cookies are an implementation detail. Those popups are asking for your consent to being tracked by the site, which can come in various forms and technical implementations. Calling it "cookies" misses the point. It can mean gathering your data, correlating it with data from other sources, using it to determine strategy to adjust your views, selling it to the american government - anything.
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Comment on Can we maybe have an informal agreement to avoid posting articles that require you to sell your firstborn child to the devil just to read them? in ~tildes
caliper Link ParentUnfortunately I don’t. When I looked I couldn’t find an alternative that does block those. I hope somebody will swoop in and tell us both!Unfortunately I don’t. When I looked I couldn’t find an alternative that does block those. I hope somebody will swoop in and tell us both!
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Comment on Can we maybe have an informal agreement to avoid posting articles that require you to sell your firstborn child to the devil just to read them? in ~tildes
caliper Link ParentJust a heads up: last time I checked, consent-o-matic did not turn off “legitimate interest” toggles. Aren’t those the real evil consents?Just a heads up: last time I checked, consent-o-matic did not turn off “legitimate interest” toggles. Aren’t those the real evil consents?
Same here, reading this post I realize I’ve put the book down halfway through and that was 2 or 3 years ago. I wanted to finish it so badly, but the story was frustrating as hell. Not exactly sure what it was I found frustrating though, it is too long ago and I don’t remember.