cdb's recent activity
-
Comment on Will your AI teammate bring bagels to standup? in ~tech
-
Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health
cdb LinkAside from plenty of fluids, especially hot water or soup, I like THC+CBD gummies at night, and coffee during the day. Ibuprofen is good for aches and pains, although that's not really a home...Aside from plenty of fluids, especially hot water or soup, I like THC+CBD gummies at night, and coffee during the day. Ibuprofen is good for aches and pains, although that's not really a home remedy.
The main ingredient in cold medicine that actually does anything for you is usually diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or some other antihistamine, which is mainly to put you to sleep. The other ingredients that purport to help with cough (dextromethorphan) or nasal congestion (phenylephrine) are not really supported by scientific literature. Cannabis helps with sleep and also helps me ignore the discomfort a bit.
The coffee doesn't really help that much, although the caffeine is good for headaches. It's mostly just because if I'm sick enough to take the day off from work, I often forget to drink coffee, but I'm still addicted to caffeine. If I don't have at least a bit of caffeine by mid-afternoon, the mild withdrawal can result in feeling a little worse if I'm already sick. Breaks from caffeine can wait for another day.
-
Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
cdb LinkI'm not sure if this counts, but something that really stuck in my mind was the continuous running water all around Rome. After arriving at the airport, I went to the restroom and saw that the...I'm not sure if this counts, but something that really stuck in my mind was the continuous running water all around Rome.
After arriving at the airport, I went to the restroom and saw that the water was already flushing the urinal. After finishing my business, I looked around for a lever or button or something to shut off the water, but couldn't find one. Turns out all the urinals were just constantly flushing. I thought that was a little weird but moved on with my life. Then it turned out that there were tons of fountains all around the city that just constantly flow into a drain, which made me realize that the urinals weren't broken. They just had that much water to spare. It was mind-blowing for someone like me from California, which is usually in drought conditions (although apparently not this month).
-
Comment on Scientists cast doubt on the discovery of microplastics throughout the human body in ~health
cdb Link ParentTo me, the takeaway is that any news article regarding the results of a single study should usually be ignored. There's a lot of variation in quality of studies, and it takes time to build a...To me, the takeaway is that any news article regarding the results of a single study should usually be ignored.
There's a lot of variation in quality of studies, and it takes time to build a consensus. Making any kind of conclusions on whether a study is valid or not requires a careful reading. For example, in the study about microplastics in bottled water, when skimming through the study I didn't find anything wrong with the methodology. I'm an analytical chemist, and while this isn't my field of study I feel qualified to understand these studies. After reading the criticism about this article, it turns out the issues are detailed in the supplemental information from the appendix, which I usually don't read when I'm just skimming articles in my spare time. So, it's probably better to wait for people working in the field to summarize things as we progress in knowledge.
Plus if you discuss the validity of a given study on the internet, there's an assumption that you're advocating one way or the other for the broader discussion the study relates to, which is hard to get away from.
-
Comment on Scientists cast doubt on the discovery of microplastics throughout the human body in ~health
cdb Link ParentAs the OP article suggests, we're still working on reliable methods for detection, identification, and quantification of microplastics, with contamination and selectivity being the biggest...As the OP article suggests, we're still working on reliable methods for detection, identification, and quantification of microplastics, with contamination and selectivity being the biggest hurdles. If the microplastic quantification isn't reliable, then any studies showing negative effects wouldn't be reliable.
I think a similar recent example is PFAS, which for a time had many news articles about detection.
-
Comment on Data centers are now hoarding SSDs as hard drive supplies dry up in ~tech
cdb Link ParentIs there a specific price point you're hoping for? Anecdotally, I check slickdeals pretty often, and it seemed like there were some pretty good deals over this past summer. I went and looked up...Is there a specific price point you're hoping for? Anecdotally, I check slickdeals pretty often, and it seemed like there were some pretty good deals over this past summer.
I went and looked up some price trends, and it seems like the lowest prices were observed in Aug/Sep of this year, with the average close to 18 month lows as well, although it seems like prices are trending up since Oct.
https://pcpartpicker.com/trends/price/internal-hard-drive/#storage.ssdm2nvme.4000
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 9 in ~sports.american_football
cdb Link ParentPeople keep calling this injury cursed, seemingly attributing it bad luck. While luck is always a factor, to me this was largely a clear failure in training/coaching. You don't stick your arm out...People keep calling this injury cursed, seemingly attributing it bad luck. While luck is always a factor, to me this was largely a clear failure in training/coaching. You don't stick your arm out like that to break your fall if you know how to fall.
It seems like no one is really learning from the mistakes of others. While the injury is different, Tua is a good example of someone who had to learn falling skills to avoid injury. It's silly that others aren't learning from his example and learning proper falling skills. Hopefully Jayden and others will see this incident as a possibly controllable aspect of the game and learn how to better protect themselves.
I'd also put learning when to slide and when to dive in the same bucket. It seems like a lot of QBs slide way too late and get rocked as a result. When i see these kinda of seemingly preventable incidents I think about a Tom Brady rant I heard about how young players aren't learning the skills to protect themselves and their teammates.
-
Comment on How do you survive time change? in ~life.pets
cdb LinkI vary feeding times daily so today wasn't exceptional. My dog gets fed breakfast at roughly the same time on weekdays (sometime between 7-8am), but otherwise he doesn't have a fixed feeding time....I vary feeding times daily so today wasn't exceptional.
My dog gets fed breakfast at roughly the same time on weekdays (sometime between 7-8am), but otherwise he doesn't have a fixed feeding time. He gets his breakfast on weekends after we wake up (whenever that is), and he gets his dinner after we eat our dinner (whenever that is). He also only gets fed if he goes to his dog bed in the dining room, where he goes when given the "spot" command.
So, while he might get a bit antsy during time changes, he'll go to his spot whe he's hungry rather than bothering me. Also, he's used to having some variation to his mealtime, so it's not strange for him to wait a few extra hours for a meal.
-
Comment on Supermarket rewards card- yes or no? in ~finance
-
Comment on The majority AI view in ~tech
cdb LinkIt seems to me that part of the issue here is the inability to have a complex narrative in public discourse. Things are either all bad or all good. Having a "useful with flaws" kind of narrative...It seems to me that part of the issue here is the inability to have a complex narrative in public discourse. Things are either all bad or all good. Having a "useful with flaws" kind of narrative usually just trends towards "bad."
I see some parallels in a discussion about Pro Football Focus (PFF) rating I saw on reddit today. PFF ratings are based on human scoring of videos of the game. The post had some data showing that PFF ratings are more predictive of future results than other stats/results based metrics. There are a lot of people in the comments bashing the PFF ratings saying that they're not representative of reality, pointing to disconnects between PFF ratings and the statistics. There are people defending the ratings saying that although they may have flaws, they measure things in a way that raw stats based on results can't. Some of the responses are some kind of results-oriented thinking or saying that there's no point if there are flaws. It seems like it's hard to get across that this stat might be interesting and useful in certain circumstances, but not the end-all-be-all. People seem to be looking for one stat that is the correct or best one, when the system is complex and such a stat doesn't exist. In a similar way, some of these AI models are far from perfect and far from universally applicable, but they are improvements in certain circumstances or in certain marginal ways.
-
Comment on Not sure if coincidence or I should give up (on USB flash drives) in ~tech
cdb LinkAside from the more reliable alternatives people have already suggested, I still find myself using flash drives occasionally. Since you mentioned Amazon, one possible issue is getting low quality...Aside from the more reliable alternatives people have already suggested, I still find myself using flash drives occasionally. Since you mentioned Amazon, one possible issue is getting low quality fakes, which seems like possible issue when buying flash memory like this drives and sd cards online. I'm still willing to buy from Amazon, but I'll test speed and capacity from at least one of the pack to ensure I've received something that meets the specs of what I ordered. The utility I used to test capacity was "H2testw," which seems to basically write a file taking up the entire space of the drive then check it for validity.
-
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
cdb Link ParentFair enough. I think we're on the same side. I'm just a nerd who likes to argue about technicalities. I hung up some dog leashes and harnesses to dry outside this past weekend and felt grateful I...Fair enough. I think we're on the same side. I'm just a nerd who likes to argue about technicalities. I hung up some dog leashes and harnesses to dry outside this past weekend and felt grateful I wasn't living under that awful HOA agreement.
-
Comment on I could use recommendations for an ultrawide monitor in ~tech
cdb (edited )LinkMy previous setup was two 35" LG ultrawide VA displays stacked on top of each other. I got rid of one of them to use an LG C4 42" monitor as my main display. It looks absolutely amazing for videos...My previous setup was two 35" LG ultrawide VA displays stacked on top of each other. I got rid of one of them to use an LG C4 42" monitor as my main display. It looks absolutely amazing for videos and games, but it's a noticeable downgrade in text clarity. The size is not the issue, as the PPI is nearly the same between displays. I'm kind of regretting the choice of the OLED, because like you one of my main uses is coding. I tried mounting the display on the wall for a farther viewing distance with increased scaling, but it didn't help much.
In the future I'd probably go with an ultrawide IPS for my main display. The Dell UltraSharp U4025QW or LG 40WP95C look like something I would want to buy, but they're quite expensive at $1500+. Although not curved, I was thinking the INNOCN 40C1U might be a good alternative at ~$800. Since you said that you didn't want to spend a ton and also work on photo editing, I guess a decent flat 32" 4k IPS monitor might be the best choice because flat is better for photo editing and they look great for text.
-
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
cdb Link ParentYou have to draw a line to define what you are abolishing. What scale of organization is considered required and understandable, and what scale of organization is not? For a row of townhouses that...You have to draw a line to define what you are abolishing. What scale of organization is considered required and understandable, and what scale of organization is not? For a row of townhouses that share a roof and have a shared yard, can a community designate someone to handle the maintenance? Surely, the residents of all ten units won't simultaneously engage with the roofer and gardener, will they? What if the expenses are high enough that no one really wants to take on the financial responsibility personally, and people want to pool their funds in a consistent and secure way that ensures that people will contribute what they agreed to and doesn't rely on one person's honesty to hold the money? Bam, you have the definition of an HOA.
Sure, a lot of HOAs seem overly restrictive. I rejected the idea of buying one house under HOA in part because the agreement forbade things like hanging up laundry to dry, even in the back yard. However, there clearly is a use for some community agreements which vary based on need. It's easy to point to some agreement that should obviously be allowed and some agreement that seems entirely frivolous, but deciding what is considered an overly intrusive agreement requires drawing a line somewhere in between.
-
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
cdb (edited )LinkWe should vote for ideas, not people or parties. Ballots should just have short lists of bullet points describing position on several topics submitted by the candidate themselves, similar to the...We should vote for ideas, not people or parties. Ballots should just have short lists of bullet points describing position on several topics submitted by the candidate themselves, similar to the blurb that is often included in the voter guide. No names or parties or identifying information would be allowed on the ballot. Maybe with some randomization of order and a few variations in wording so people get slightly different ballots, like when the teacher passes out several versions of a test to reduce cheating. Anyone found posting identifying information matching blurb with candidate outside of the ballot is punished severely, let's say something similar to treason. If you're too lazy to read all that shit, then go away, I don't want your vote.
Don't ask how we'd enforce the rules on the text. That's someone else's job.
-
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
cdb Link ParentI mentally flipped back and forth between "use" and "utilize" in all your examples, and both versions seemed to mean the same thing to me for all examples.I mentally flipped back and forth between "use" and "utilize" in all your examples, and both versions seemed to mean the same thing to me for all examples.
-
Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
cdb (edited )Link ParentOn one hand, I also feel like some HOAs go too far, so I deliberately avoided HOA properties when house hunting. On the other, I feel like this is one of those ideas that sound good until you try...On one hand, I also feel like some HOAs go too far, so I deliberately avoided HOA properties when house hunting. On the other, I feel like this is one of those ideas that sound good until you try to draw a line, and there's no place to draw it that works for everyone. How would you cap "simple organizing," where all organizations above that line would be abolished, and what would you do if certain communities needed organizing exceeding that cap? Maybe something that could work would be requiring a financial justification for each rule, renewed every few years or so, otherwise that rule gets removed. That would incentivize having very few rules, but I feel like this is also only an ideal that's really hard to enforce in practice.
-
Comment on Can we bury enough wood to slow climate change? in ~enviro
cdb Link ParentSure, but that sounds to me like an entirely different discussion. If we would just stop doing the thing that causes the problem, then we'd stop having the problem. While reducing pollution is...Sure, but that sounds to me like an entirely different discussion. If we would just stop doing the thing that causes the problem, then we'd stop having the problem. While reducing pollution is probably the best thing to do, unfortunately there are some competing priorities. These items are presumably created for some benefit, not just to pollute.
Although it could be an interesting discussion whether it's a net positive/negative to bury paper waste instead of recycling it, to relate it to the question in the headline of this article, we probably can't bury enough to slow climate change. It seems like the carbon sequestration of plastic production is similarly insignificant. Based on the article, it does seem like it's also an interesting conversation whether we should be more aggressive with burying waste wood, since it has some potential to be impactful.
-
Comment on Can we bury enough wood to slow climate change? in ~enviro
cdb Link ParentI think the issue here is scale. A quick googling suggests that annual global plastic production is roughly 0.4 billion tons, and paper production is also roughly 0.4 billion tons, while total...I think the issue here is scale. A quick googling suggests that annual global plastic production is roughly 0.4 billion tons, and paper production is also roughly 0.4 billion tons, while total annual carbon emissions are around 40 billion tons.
So all the carbon from plastic and paper combined is only equivalent to about 2% of the problem.
This is just for comparison of scale. Not going into the issues with translating these products to atmospheric emissions, logistics of sequestering, etc.
-
Comment on What's your favorite hobby? in ~hobbies
cdb Link ParentI think this is actually what I wish I would do, assuming there's a focus on doing the actual hobby. Unfortunately, once I get all these ideas rolling around in my brain, what I usually end up...I think this is actually what I wish I would do, assuming there's a focus on doing the actual hobby. Unfortunately, once I get all these ideas rolling around in my brain, what I usually end up doing is getting stuck learning about the hobby rather than actually practicing it. So, I've stuck with relatively fewer activities while I work on my "doing" skills rather than "planning" skills.
No, AI will not bring bagels to standup, because the AI knows that standups are intended to be less than 15 minutes, and adding bagels into the mix will waste a significant amount of setup time. I asked Copilot. It also suggested making food available in some other location after the meeting. So maybe AI would order bagels, but not to be served at the meeting.
Although I'm sure some differently worded prompt could get you the opposite answer.