CannibalisticApple's recent activity
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Comment on TN governor halts executions, Christa Pike in hospital following two failed lethal injection doses after US Supreme Court overturns last-minute stay of execution, all on the same day in ~society
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Comment on TN governor halts executions, Christa Pike in hospital following two failed lethal injection doses after US Supreme Court overturns last-minute stay of execution, all on the same day in ~society
CannibalisticApple Link ParentHangings can also go horribly wrong, leading to extended suffering and even outright decapitations... Honestly, all execution methods are fairly messy and have the potential to go horribly wrong...Hangings can also go horribly wrong, leading to extended suffering and even outright decapitations...
Honestly, all execution methods are fairly messy and have the potential to go horribly wrong in ways that cause agony. I think the guillotine is probably the method most assured to be successful (heck, its origin stems from wanting humane execution methods), but decapitation is... Yeah. Not a desirable method.
I think the challenge is they want no mess, ideally a fairly quick death, and a "palatable" corpse (no obvious wounds or mutilation). Unfortunately, that omits the most surefire and quick ways to kill people, so they have to get creative. And most people don't actually like thinking of creative ways to kill people. Those that do are not usually interested in "quick and humane".
...Actually, if they're going the lethal injection route, they might as well just... Look at actual murderers who used poison for reference? Or espionage? Or records of deaths from natural toxins/venom? Because there's got to be some fast-acting methods that they can copy and/or combine...
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Comment on I don’t feel like I’m a creative person. How could I fix that and get ideas? in ~creative
CannibalisticApple LinkPiling onto "look at other things to draw inspiration" advice. A lot of my original writing ends up inspires by anime-style music videos (I even have a Youtube playlist labeled "inspiration"), or...Piling onto "look at other things to draw inspiration" advice. A lot of my original writing ends up inspires by anime-style music videos (I even have a Youtube playlist labeled "inspiration"), or from specific media I fixate on.
Some more specific advice I got from a teacher: collect reference material relating to design, like books about logo designs or photography collections. Professional designers will often reference those books for ideas. (An "inspiration board" style collection of images and photos you like can also work, especially for things like home decor.)
Carry a small sketchbook or notebook to just jot down any quick sketch or ideas you get, no matter how small. I actually did keep a tiny notebook and sketchbook on hand during high school and college. Now I have a Google doc on my phone titled "random ideas" where I just write anything that pops into my head.
And my own personal piece of advice: try keeping dream journals, or at least try to write down interesting dreams. Your subconscious is bursting with ideas. I don't record every dream, just the ones I think could be good stories, but my phone's note app has a dedicated folder and I have used them before. If you keep a journal long enough your recall will improve, and you can get more details.
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Comment on Hundreds of Beavers in ~movies
CannibalisticApple LinkThis is one of my favorite movies from the past few years! Even went out of my way to watch it again with my mom, after a friend showed it to us at his birthday. It's live action Looney Tunes with...This is one of my favorite movies from the past few years! Even went out of my way to watch it again with my mom, after a friend showed it to us at his birthday. It's live action Looney Tunes with tons of slapstick, and some really zany ideas that it just rolls with.
This is one of the few films where I legitimately, genuinely asked: "What drugs were the writers on?" (By which I mean I actually asked that out loud to another friend. She laughed and said "I don't know!")
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Comment on An interesting take on Reddit about why the art direction of World of Warcraft Forever misses the mark in ~games
CannibalisticApple LinkI don't play the game, but I love seeing deep-dive analyses of designs like this. It's fun to see a breakdown of inspiration for aesthetics, and the differences between versions of the game. My...I don't play the game, but I love seeing deep-dive analyses of designs like this. It's fun to see a breakdown of inspiration for aesthetics, and the differences between versions of the game.
My first thought seeing the Sky Elves: "why are they blue? Blue skin is more of a water thing, not a sky thing." ...actually that was my second thought. My actual first thought: "what the heck is with the guy's shoes??" Those shoes legitimately made me think of Mickey Mouse, maybe because of the color but also because they're just so plain. The lack of detail makes the feet look way bigger than they are.
I'd say the writer is on-point talking about the clothing, and lack of detail in newer models. Everything about the Sky Elf outfits feel a bit too "sleek" and perfect. It gives me a very "clean and light fantasy" impression, which doesn't really aesthetically fit with my overall impression of WoW. The clothes also just feel... Fake. They're TOO perfect and smooth, they look like they're molded from play-doh rather than fabric.
I think the points about the details and textures apply to a lot of modern game models, not just WoW. Something about a lot of "clean" models just don't look as good as the blurrier days of barely-perceptible details, when modelers and artists had to put in a bit more work to make sure it looked good and recognizable. It's like the increase in hi-def graphics caused modelers to get lazy, since it could look "good" with less effort... But that also makes the ugly bits stand out more.
First really noticed it when I saw footage of that King Kong game a couple years back, and just: look at this. "Foam" is genuinely the perfect description. It's one of the worst offenders out there, but there is a growing trend in this direction.
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Comment on Irreverent ads make me want to buy things even less in ~talk
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI watch Youtube on my TV, so no adblocker available. It tends to be at least a bit relevant to me. I saw Bullet Train in theaters because of the trailer, discovered one of my now-favorite music...I watch Youtube on my TV, so no adblocker available. It tends to be at least a bit relevant to me. I saw Bullet Train in theaters because of the trailer, discovered one of my now-favorite music artists because a cover he did was an ad, found a few TV shows and movies to watch... Also lots of game ads. There's a bunch of irrelevant stuff too (I really hate that one shoe commercial that goes "left foot, right foot"), but I guess my viewing history makes targeting ads easy enough.
At one point though, there was a time when my ads included:
- Horror movie trailers
- Game trailers
- Actual TV commercials for kids' toys (specifically boy-oriented toys, it gave me flashbacks to my childhood)
- An ad for a local boutique specializing in custom dresses for little girls...?
- Either that one, or maybe one for a local hair salon, opened with a black card with production info (client name, basically a file name for the video, etc.) by whatever company made it. Clearly was not supposed to be included in the broadcast.
These were all in the same time frame, so I'd see a mix of those throughout the day. I got a good laugh out of trying to figure out what Youtube thought my age was. Particularly because the toy commercials were clearly the same ones they'd play on a kids' TV channel. One of my friends was jealous since they kept getting political ads around that time.
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Comment on Jon Watts is our ‘Star Wars: Episode X’ director in ~movies
CannibalisticApple LinkFrankly, I think it'd be neat to just explore more of the universe outside of Jedi. Have ever since I saw that SNL sketch with a bunch of fake Star Wars shows, and one of them was a space CSI....Frankly, I think it'd be neat to just explore more of the universe outside of Jedi. Have ever since I saw that SNL sketch with a bunch of fake Star Wars shows, and one of them was a space CSI. Reminded me of my teacher raving about a short story based on the couple in the cantina, and how the female ended up later killing the guy because of her species' mating practices. (Actually on that note: just straight-up adapt a bunch of the short stories, novels and comics. Would probably be a lot smoother and more coherent.)
They have a whole galaxy's worth of world-building to work with. They can do a lot of fun stuff outside the Skywalker family drama.
Seriously just... Don't even touch the last trilogy, too messy -
Comment on A24, Sony and The New York Times circle Letterboxd as bidding starts at $300 million in ~movies
CannibalisticApple Link ParentIt's a lot easier to judge people as outsiders. $300 million is a LOT of money, and its projected earnings for 2026 are apparently only $15 million. If I were to get that sort of offer, I doubt...It's a lot easier to judge people as outsiders. $300 million is a LOT of money, and its projected earnings for 2026 are apparently only $15 million. If I were to get that sort of offer, I doubt I'd be willing to refuse that offer purely on a matter of principles.
Though, I think this is more of Tiny selling their controlling stake rather than the actual founders...? This article says the founders still hold veto power and final say on which company buys it, but the sale may be out of their hands and fully in the hands of corporations.
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Comment on Kakao Entertainment to shut down Tapas webtoon platform in ~comics
CannibalisticApple LinkFor what it's worth, apparently several (free?) Tapas artists are migrating to ComicFury. Found out from an announcement by the site admin that he increased how many images can be posted per page...For what it's worth, apparently several (free?) Tapas artists are migrating to ComicFury. Found out from an announcement by the site admin that he increased how many images can be posted per page to help accommodate the vertical scroll format. Won't help with official translations of foreign comics though, or officially sanctioned ones...? Never used Tapas myself, so not sure how it works overall.
Does anyone know how this will affect artists and writers who signed a contract? First I heard of it was actually from a novel writer who mentioned being unsure what that meant for her story going forward, but that she'd be trying to ensure access to chapters people had already bought. Makes me wonder what that means for IPs published on Tapas, and whether the creators will be able to continue them elsewhere.
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Comment on Amazon plans drone expansion as top exec projects one million deliveries in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link Parent...I'm suddenly picturing the egg drop experiments from school, except being run by corporations. "What's the minimal packaging needed to keep this safe when our drone drops it?"...I'm suddenly picturing the egg drop experiments from school, except being run by corporations. "What's the minimal packaging needed to keep this safe when our drone drops it?"
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Comment on READFLIX – Free books from open libraries in ~books
CannibalisticApple LinkThe comments about the bad UI got me to check it out (on my phone). Don't know if this is what everyone meant, but the two books I checked had some wonky formatting going on. They both some...The comments about the bad UI got me to check it out (on my phone). Don't know if this is what everyone meant, but the two books I checked had some wonky formatting going on. They both some loooong strings of gibberish, and paragraphs would have seemingly random line breaks. Also, one opened up the first chapter with "RE was a(...)" when it probably should have the word "THERE". So not sure how exactly it's pulling text.
Actually, is anyone familiar with the Count of Monte Cristo? Because uh... I just want to know how "accurate" this part is.
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Comment on Stanford violated its AI policy by turning a Hispanic student into a fake Black woman in ad in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI'm bad with faces, so unfamiliar people tend to blend together for me (I've suspected I have mild prosopagnosia/face blindness for years now). Hair is one of the key traits I use to identify less...I'm bad with faces, so unfamiliar people tend to blend together for me (I've suspected I have mild prosopagnosia/face blindness for years now). Hair is one of the key traits I use to identify less familiar people, and that hair is absolutely NOT the same. Not just the color, the style and length are changed, it frames his face totally differently. The darker eyebrows also stand out more. Can't tell if that's the main reason why something about the face also just feels different.
Just the hair alone though is such a massive change, and it's such a minor yet significant thing to alter. Maybe I'm over-thinking it (probably am), but it almost feels like the AI tried to merge him and the Hispanic guy. At the very least, the hair color and length feels similar...
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Comment on Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges in ~tech
CannibalisticApple LinkThis reminds me of how last year, smart beds got bricked by the AWS outage. Those beds apparently lacked an offline mode, which is just... so basic. On a more relevant note, this feels like...This reminds me of how last year, smart beds got bricked by the AWS outage. Those beds apparently lacked an offline mode, which is just... so basic.
On a more relevant note, this feels like another part of the "users ARE the QA testers" trend that seems to be growing with horrifically untested updates. This feels like something that should have been caught in testing given how widespread it is.
At least it's only in South Korea and not global, but it's also the worst timing since it's right before Chuseok. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it compared to American Thanksgiving, which gives a good idea of how bad it is for a fridge to stop working before THIS holiday. I remember our ice maker broke right before we hosted Thanksgiving one year, and even THAT was an issue. Can't imagine having the entire fridge being unusable.
This all just reinforces my decision to avoid smart appliances. Our stove/oven has a Wi-Fi button, but I have never used it so no clue what it does.
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Comment on Knights of Guinevere in ~tv
CannibalisticApple Link ParentOoh, thanks! Trailer feels delightfully ominous~ If anyone wants to watch the show blind for whatever reason: it says Episode 2 comes out October 9, and the description says the season will have 8...Ooh, thanks! Trailer feels delightfully ominous~ If anyone wants to watch the show blind for whatever reason: it says Episode 2 comes out October 9, and the description says the season will have 8 episodes.
Even better: it also revealed Episode 3 comes out on January 22, 2027, and Episode 4 on April 16! So got three confirmed release dates! :D
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Comment on These cookies are 3D-printed and made of recycled plastic in ~science
CannibalisticApple Link...I'm getting flashbacks to all the dystopian and grim sci-fi stories where "real food" is rare and reserved for the wealthiest people. So this is both cool, and honestly kinda freaky to me....I'm getting flashbacks to all the dystopian and grim sci-fi stories where "real food" is rare and reserved for the wealthiest people. So this is both cool, and honestly kinda freaky to me.
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Comment on ‘Superhuman’ AI tool spots heart disease in less than two seconds in ~health
CannibalisticApple Link ParentFor what it's worth, the article emphasizes that this isn't meant to definitively diagnose people but identify signs that someone's at higher risk of certain heart issues. The intent is that...For what it's worth, the article emphasizes that this isn't meant to definitively diagnose people but identify signs that someone's at higher risk of certain heart issues. The intent is that doctors can use it to flag potential at-risk patients and prioritize getting them ultrasounds for proper diagnosis, since the standard waiting list for those can be months. The article text and quotes place all the emphasis on this speeding up the diagnosis process rather than replacing it.
I don't know how truly accurate this tool is, but this one sounds promising to me just as a means to expedite treatment. Even if it has false flags, the ultrasounds and other scans would ultimately give the doctors more information to work with.
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Comment on ‘Superhuman’ AI tool spots heart disease in less than two seconds in ~health
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI feel like your feelings against the term "AI" might be biasing you a bit here to look at this article in the worst lens possible. It didn't ping me as AI-written or poor reporting, it's fairly...I feel like your feelings against the term "AI" might be biasing you a bit here to look at this article in the worst lens possible. It didn't ping me as AI-written or poor reporting, it's fairly normal for articles to stretch out simple stories way longer than they should be. Even then, I think this article was just fine since it conveyed the necessary information for a layperson to understand the importance.
(Also, the last paragraph has a typo ("hep" instead of "help"), which I think is a big point against it being written with AI.)
Besides all that, I think you're looking at this particular article from the wrong angle. Maybe some other articles are more interested in the technological side of how it works, but this one's purpose seems to be explaining to the average person why this tool is so important.
It opens up explaining what ECGs and echocardiograms are, how ECGs can't detect heart disease, and how there is usually a months-long wait for ultrasounds. That gives context for how valuable it is that this tool can use ECG results to identify people with potential higher risk for specific issues.
All the quotes build on the point that this will allow for faster diagnosis of heart disease (at least for heart failure and heart valve disease). It can't outright diagnose people, but the results can be used to prioritize getting further scans and bypass the standard waiting lists. They emphasize that this can be run on all ECGs run at a hospital, so even people getting a test for something unrelated can get flagged and diagnosed BEFORE issues become evident.
Remove the term "AI", and this article's overall message and value to the public remains the same. I'm fairly certain this article would have been published even without AI hype, because the point is to tell the average person about a new tool in healthcare that can potentially save countless lives.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Future in ~books
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI'm definitely in the silent group unfortunately. Feels bad since two of the books this round were ones I nominated. I did get a couple of the books, but due to some timing stuff and getting...I'm definitely in the silent group unfortunately. Feels bad since two of the books this round were ones I nominated. I did get a couple of the books, but due to some timing stuff and getting distracted by other things (yay ADHD) it just... Didn't work out.
Beyond that, it feels like there's a "window" of time to participate. Last year I joined one discussion a bit after the thread went up, and by then discussion seemed to be done. So when threads would go up before I'd finish a book, it just felt like "too late". (I got halfway through The Truth while on a trip. Thread went up. I still have yet to finish, and the pacing makes me feel like I might need to go back to the beginning to make sure I didn't forget any of the small plot threads.)
I think if we do continue, maybe we should try a more casual and relaxed approach. Slow the momentum a bit, go for shorter books if possible, or broaden it a bit (my mom's book club recently had a meeting where they'd pick any book they wanted by a specific author, that could be neat). Offer people more time to get the books and read...
And also, maybe not plan a full six months out. I'm kinda chuckling remembering the "A People's Future of the United States" threads. The timing of that one was... not ideal.
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Comment on What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear? in ~life.style
CannibalisticApple Link ParentAnd a funny addition that isn't my own, but my mom: over the last couple of years she's started wearing clothes that are older than ME. I guess they got buried deeeeeep in her closet, and she...And a funny addition that isn't my own, but my mom: over the last couple of years she's started wearing clothes that are older than ME. I guess they got buried deeeeeep in her closet, and she found them during the move and started wearing them again. It's funny when her friends ask about her "new" outfits and she tells them the age.
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Comment on What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear? in ~life.style
CannibalisticApple LinkOldest thing I can definitively date that I still wear: a Pokémon shirt from 2010/2011. I got a Zekrom shirt at a promotional event at a local mall in the leadup to Pokémon Black and White. I...Oldest thing I can definitively date that I still wear: a Pokémon shirt from 2010/2011. I got a Zekrom shirt at a promotional event at a local mall in the leadup to Pokémon Black and White. I don't wear it too often because it's a bit small, but it's there as a decent backup (and I actually wore it to meet up and buy a friend's copy of Pokémon White last summer!).
Got a couple other things from high school, though not sure when exactly I would've gotten them (but at least 15 years). One is a school-branded T-shirt that I primarily wear at home after showers. I also have a jean skirt from near the end of high school or start of college which I still wear regularly.
Also gotta mention my hats, because I wear hats a LOT. I like the paper boy style (kinda puffy), and have a gray one that I'm pretty sure I got before graduation and remains probably my most-used hats. Literally wore it today. It's so old and well-used that the inner band is yellowed and the tags are faded, but it basically goes with everything and it's comfy. IThere are also a couple of knitted hats my grandmother made me. I think at least one dates back to high school, or perhaps even earlier. That one has a habit of going MIA so...
Last notable one: I have a scarf for my alma mater's School of Science that they sent when I was accepted. Didn't use it that much as a student, but it's now the ONLY scarf I use in extreme cold because it has a tight weave. I use scarves to cover my mouth and nose in extreme cold, and every other scarf we have gets fibers in my mouth.
Most death penalties take decades to be carried out, at least in the United States. I'm guessing it has to do with the appeals system. I read an article by a former death row prisoner who was later found innocent and released. He didn't spend the whole time on death row, and I think he got moved between there and general population a couple times before he was released. He actually said he found general population scarier since other inmates were much more immediate threats.
I think the same article noted death row is also a bigger financial drain, since death row inmates are isolated from the rest. More specialized meals, more manpower to work in that area of the facility... Heck, they probably get better medical care just because all death row inmates are under so much public scrutiny. The costs add up.