Carrie's recent activity
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Comment on Why I am pursuing a life, professionally and personally, of Christian Virtue in ~humanities
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Comment on Copyright abuse is getting Luigi Mangione merch removed from the internet – artists, merch sellers, and journalists making and posting Luigi media have become the targets of bogus DMCA claims in ~tech
Carrie Link ParentInteresting ! Is this not more related to Son of Sam laws and not being allowed to profit from your crimes ? On that topic, if you do not make any profit, are you allowed to retain your rights to...Interesting !
Is this not more related to Son of Sam laws and not being allowed to profit from your crimes ? On that topic, if you do not make any profit, are you allowed to retain your rights to share your story ?
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Comment on The US "Ice Cream Truck Song" is rooted in racism in ~music
Carrie LinkFrom the article, I thought this was quite a good piece of writing:From the article, I thought this was quite a good piece of writing:
When teeth fall out, I blame the dollar under their pillow on the tooth fairy. When presents appear overnight under the fir tree, I say Santa Claus is the culprit. And so when a song about niggers and watermelon fills the suburban air, I will smile and hand over money from my pocket.
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Comment on Luigi Mangione prosecutors have a jury problem: 'So much sympathy' in ~society
Carrie LinkI'm not sure if this is the right post to bring this up, but it has been a recurring thought in my mind. I recall a case in which a man murdered his son's abuser on live TV, some of you may also...I'm not sure if this is the right post to bring this up, but it has been a recurring thought in my mind.
I recall a case in which a man murdered his son's abuser on live TV, some of you may also remember this, Gary Plauché. There are many interesting components to this case, but the most marked one is that he received no prison time. I fail to see how we allow something like this to happen, with various justifications, including:
'if somebody did it to your kid, you'd do it too'
but we are mostly saying, there is no way in hell that Mangione is going to "get off" without some sort of huge punishment. To be clear, I agree with this sentiment, there is no way that a rich person is going to be murdered without some sort of visible repercussion, if for nothing more than to send a statement to keep the underlings in check.
However, it is a sad reminder that, in fact, certain deaths are more valuable/justified/whatever you want to call it. People may be created equally, but they certainly are not treated equally.
You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up! Those puny little ants outnumber us a hundred to one and if they ever figure that out there goes our way of life! It's not about food, it's about keeping those ants in line. - Hopper, A Bug's Life, 1998.
Unrelated rant/question about quality of Wikipedia these days
Has anyone noticed a decrease in the accuracy, but also the quality of writing in Wikipedia entries recently? I'd say, (probably through my own bias), it coincides with the rise of LLM and I wonder if that attributes to it.
As an example of what I'm talking about, the entry about Gary Plauche completely ignores the perspective his son had that he felt his father's actions actually ruined his life, iirc, because it was all anyone could ever talk about and how his father was a hero. He talked at length about how this traumatized him and he could not move on from it. Even now, it is hard for me to find articles that talk about this, and the best I can find is from New Zealand, which includes lines such as:
"He does not agree with those who think of his dad as a hero for his act of vigilante justice."
"The killing of Doucet damaged the relationship between Jody and his dad, Gary, for a while."Which I feel is quite the different story from how Wikipedia currently ends his story, with:
" he stated that he was happy with his life and regarded his father as 'the greatest dad of all time'"
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Comment on Copyright abuse is getting Luigi Mangione merch removed from the internet – artists, merch sellers, and journalists making and posting Luigi media have become the targets of bogus DMCA claims in ~tech
Carrie Link ParentThat is a very good point, and reminds me of the Macaque selfie imbroglio from 2011. I’m glad that the outcome of most of this is that the images just become Streissand-effected, or hydra-effected...That is a very good point, and reminds me of the Macaque selfie imbroglio from 2011.
I’m glad that the outcome of most of this is that the images just become Streissand-effected, or hydra-effected —take one down, a million other pop up.
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Comment on Copyright abuse is getting Luigi Mangione merch removed from the internet – artists, merch sellers, and journalists making and posting Luigi media have become the targets of bogus DMCA claims in ~tech
Carrie LinkI’m curious how the security footage could be owned by anyone but the city/state/whomever literally owns the cameras who captured the footage. If my understanding of copyright is accurate,...I’m curious how the security footage could be owned by anyone but the city/state/whomever literally owns the cameras who captured the footage.
If my understanding of copyright is accurate, copyright exists the moment something is created, so it belongs to whomever owns the cameras. These rights can be registered to help you defend against infringement, but this is not required. It would be bizarre for the copyright of the security footage to belong to United healthcare, or anyone else besides security, in any capacity, unless the rights were transferred to them. DMCA is strange in that it seems too easy to bring frivolous takedowns.
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
Carrie Link ParentI like it ! As an anti-materialist myself, it’s cool to see someone point out an experience they enjoy! I personally like baths and showers and will say they almost always bring me delight to take.I like it !
As an anti-materialist myself, it’s cool to see someone point out an experience they enjoy!
I personally like baths and showers and will say they almost always bring me delight to take.
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Comment on Chrysler only sells a minivan. The iconic brand’s days could be numbered. in ~transport
Carrie LinkI see the biggest use case scenario of the minivan in the disability sector. Currently where I live, there is subsidized non-emergency medical transportation that takes the form of outsourcing to...I see the biggest use case scenario of the minivan in the disability sector.
Currently where I live, there is subsidized non-emergency medical transportation that takes the form of outsourcing to rideshare services. More and more frequently I see most of these vehicles are minivans. I think this makes a lot of sense since they are some of the only consumer operated vehicles (perhaps only ?) that have power operated doors for the passengers. They are also spacious and seem to be able to accommodate mobility and assistive devices (though I do not use these, so I have no idea of the convenience factor).
A strange niche, for sure, but I suppose that’s the healthcare system we live in.
I have been curious if automated drivers could be a good use case here as well, but all of this is just a way to circumvent good urban planning and public transportation. I used to live in a city that had several methods to get to hospitals and doctors offices (shuttles, trains, busses, foot, etc.) and that is what everyone used, so it’s frustrating to now live in a city/state where we would rather individualize and privatize everything inefficiently and expensively.
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Comment on Ten years ago, one of the uber-wealthy predicted "the pitchforks are coming for us" in ~society
Carrie Link ParentSadly, I don’t think anything will change much until citizens of the United States stop considering themselves “temporarily embarrassed millionaires”. For as much as people are currently united...Sadly, I don’t think anything will change much until citizens of the United States stop considering themselves “temporarily embarrassed millionaires”.
For as much as people are currently united around this vigilantism, many people still believe that the ultra wealthy have “earned” their wealth and think “if I were that wealthy it wouldn’t be fair for my wealth to just be taken away”.
Couple that with how poorly most average Americans grasp math and finances, and yeah, I doubt it.
But I’m hoping, regardless.
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Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
Carrie Link ParentTruly, we are entering the “you wouldn’t download a car” era… The acceleration of change seems to be getting faster and faster.Truly, we are entering the “you wouldn’t download a car” era…
The acceleration of change seems to be getting faster and faster.
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Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
Carrie LinkNYT’s on the capture. A 3D printed gun ? Things keep getting more and more interesting.NYT’s on the capture.
A 3D printed gun ? Things keep getting more and more interesting. -
Comment on How to judge relative dangers of chemicals for someone too busy (or lazy) to keep up with the science? in ~health
Carrie LinkThis won’t answer all your questions, but a good place to start is “who or what does this apply to?” And “how close am I to that population ?” (If your concern is assessing the threat level to...This won’t answer all your questions, but a good place to start is “who or what does this apply to?” And “how close am I to that population ?” (If your concern is assessing the threat level to yourself).
Example, if a study shows that X drug reduces hemorrhoids in mice by 50%, you need to ask yourself, how close am I to mice ?
A more nuanced scenario is something like, a study shows that using gaiters to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is ineffective by 90%. You look in the study and find out that this conclusion was based on experiments using simulated models of transmission. A conclusion based on a simulation is only as good as the simulation itself, so as a lay person you should rank this as “lower” veracity than a claim made that studied actual transmission values when people wore gaiters.
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Comment on A ‘yoga pill’ to end anxiety? Scientists find a brain circuit that instantly deflates stress. in ~science
Carrie LinkReading the abstract of the original paper Here, this study was done in mice. I understand the benefits of using mice as a model system, but (without having read the whole journal publication) in...Reading the abstract of the original paper Here, this study was done in mice.
I understand the benefits of using mice as a model system, but (without having read the whole journal publication) in a study about pathways that are involved in conscious breathing to reduce anxiety- I feel the mouse model may be inappropriate.
For starters, mice use their olfactory system in critically different ways than we do - so I wonder how much they can even engage in conscious breathing as a relaxation technique, so why would we assume their breathing pathway purposes are conserved in humans ?
Similarly, how do mice experience anxiety and does conscious breathing work to “calm them down”. Or at least, does this pathway, once activated, cause the same reduction in anxiety as some other activity (such as purposeful breathing) ?
Perhaps this is explained in the methods, but I would still take with a grain of salt that conscious breathing for the sake of reducing anxiety is well studied in mice.
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Comment on "Americans get screwed because they can’t read" in ~society
Carrie (edited )Link ParentFair point regarding jargon and intended audience of academic writing. Though I still feel hyper specificity can be limiting even within a field. edit I also feel the public has a right to...Fair point regarding jargon and intended audience of academic writing. Though I still feel hyper specificity can be limiting even within a field. edit I also feel the public has a right to understand and read the works of the authors they have funded, so while journal articles are mostly for academic peers, they should appeal in some capacity to laypeople. Which some articles do as a summary or big picture overview. Simplification of a concept is a demonstration of mastery.
To point 2, I think physicians have some knowledge of genetics that is applicable to their schooling, but not their practice. For example, a physician struggled to tell me how a SNP (single nucleotide repeat) would affect pharmacology of drugs and drug choice and failed to be able to explain to me how we can use my personal genetic data to make informed drug choices. The best I got was “some people have different genes that make it so that certain drugs won’t work very well on them.”
I concede this may or may not have to do with academic writing.
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Comment on "Americans get screwed because they can’t read" in ~society
Carrie Link ParentIn a gross over-simplification, I was wondering what it would be like if we switched to a “do this” style of rules and regulations instead of a “don’t do this”. Parking regulations is a “simple”...In a gross over-simplification, I was wondering what it would be like if we switched to a “do this” style of rules and regulations instead of a “don’t do this”.
Parking regulations is a “simple” example. Tell me when I can park here instead of when I can’t.
But I agree with you, it’s a grey area for some topics.
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Comment on Book review: Eric Turkheimer's "Understanding the Nature-Nurture Debate" in ~science
Carrie LinkCaveat, haven’t read the article, yet. Epigenetics pretty much added another nail to the coffin for nature vs nurture. It’s both. But I know many geneticists that bury their heads in the sand...Caveat, haven’t read the article, yet.
Epigenetics pretty much added another nail to the coffin for nature vs nurture. It’s both.
But I know many geneticists that bury their heads in the sand regarding epigenetics, as if ignoring it makes it disappear. So it doesn’t surprise me that the white whales of the scientific hierarchy are not ready to let themselves be harpooned.
Nature and nurture are so entwined it seems somewhat moot to try to separate them.
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Comment on "Americans get screwed because they can’t read" in ~society
Carrie LinkA lot of academic and other “intellectual” writing often feels like an arms race where the target is to preempt as many questions and counter arguments as possible. It’s why the pre-amble is so...A lot of academic and other “intellectual” writing often feels like an arms race where the target is to preempt as many questions and counter arguments as possible.
It’s why the pre-amble is so long before they get to the point “let me justify why I’m about to tell you what I’m about to tell you” followed by “this is my point” followed by “I have already thought about your counter argument and here is my counter argument.”
All of which amounts to the massive word counts and lengthy and convoluted sentence structures. Jargon and acronyms, ironically, in their quest to make things less bulky, just add to the mess and further leave the lay person in the dust.
What I’m more afraid of, however, is how far it leaves professionals in the dust. I have met many doctors that have a very limited, if any, understanding of genetics and how it impacts pharmacology, for example. Based on their usage of terminology and other things, I doubt they have understood what they are espousing.
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Two sides of the same coin
I have a quandary. Suppose there is a coin that, when flipped, it lands head’s side up on a table. Without picking the coin up to confirm the side that is down is tails. Could you ever know that...
I have a quandary.
Suppose there is a coin that, when flipped, it lands head’s side up on a table.
Without picking the coin up to confirm the side that is down is tails. Could you ever know that it is tails ?
Assume in this world that the coin has a heads side and tails side when held in your hand.
Assume you cannot view the coin’s two sides in any other way than picking it up.
Is this just a variation of Schrödinger’s Cat ? Or is it more “does a tree make a sound if no one is around to hear it” ?
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Comment on James Webb Space Telescope finds stunning evidence for alternate theory of gravity in ~space
Carrie LinkI love this gem:I love this gem:
“The bottom line is, ‘I told you so,’” McGaugh said. “I was raised to think that saying that was rude, but that’s the whole point of the scientific method: Make predictions and then check which come true.”
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Comment on Graduating college, starting work, and being lonely in ~life
Carrie LinkI have two pieces of advice for you, I’m on mobile so forgive me for poor grammar and such, but I felt moved enough to respond to you with urgency. Open your mind to being friends with people...I have two pieces of advice for you, I’m on mobile so forgive me for poor grammar and such, but I felt moved enough to respond to you with urgency.
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Open your mind to being friends with people outside of your age. Older folks and younger folks than perhaps you’re willing to interact with normally. I am often shocked that I get along with people ten years older or younger than I am. Be willing to look past the surface of things to meet people you’d otherwise miss.
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If your company offers education reimbursement, take advantage of it and take a class in person at a university. School is one of the few places where you can meet diverse ppl, whether it’s from the class itself or all the other resources and opportunities it opens up.
I was in your position almost exactly a couple times in my life. You sound like you know yourself well, so trust your gut. you’re right when you say life is tasteless without the spice of camaraderie or kinship.
More later, if you’re interested. Take care for now.
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“And from my limited view of history, the ideas seem to have originated in the Judeo-Christian line and don’t exist elsewhere.” - I find this line very problematic, and seemingly willfully ignorant.
Is it not your duty to study schools of thoughts outside of Judeo Christianity ? Historically, it is one of the most recent schools of religious thought, and thus the ideas are almost inherently borrowed from many other previous cultures.
I applaud you for finding a purpose and stating it. But it does feel very narrow minded. Even the idea that there is “one single truth, and it is Christian,” is very demeaning to other people.
I hope you continue to grow and find meaning in your studies.