crowsby's recent activity
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Comment on Finland has remained the happiest country in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to the annual World Happiness Report published on Wednesday in ~life
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes: App updates and feedback (March 2024) in ~tildes
crowsby LinkAmazing work! I'm really impressed by how polished everything seems. I'd been waiting for topic sort options, so that's a welcome addition.Amazing work! I'm really impressed by how polished everything seems. I'd been waiting for topic sort options, so that's a welcome addition.
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Comment on The decline of username and password on the same page in ~tech
crowsby LinkWorse yet is when you first have a prompt for username, taking you to a second page that defaults to "send me a magic link", requiring you to hunt down the hyperlink that will open the actual...Worse yet is when you first have a prompt for username, taking you to a second page that defaults to "send me a magic link", requiring you to hunt down the hyperlink that will open the actual password page.
Sometimes I feel like user-centric internet design peaked around 2012-2014.
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Comment on I can't get my head around US President Joe Biden polling poorly and Donald Trump polling well in ~talk
crowsby Link ParentWhile voting rates for younger voters have traditionally lagged behind other cohorts, recent years have seen some of the highest levels of engagement in decades. Young voters showing up at the...While voting rates for younger voters have traditionally lagged behind other cohorts, recent years have seen some of the highest levels of engagement in decades. Young voters showing up at the polls is basically why the vaunted "red wave" of 2022 turned into a trickle.
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Comment on Firefox will support at least 200 new extensions on Android this December in ~tech
crowsby Link ParentThis is the one I'm most interested in. I've had to install KiwiBrowser to get it working on mobile. I wish there was a way to get it working on Firefox Mobile.This is the one I'm most interested in. I've had to install KiwiBrowser to get it working on mobile. I wish there was a way to get it working on Firefox Mobile.
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Comment on Mark Zuckerberg delivers on promise to pour 'gasoline' on Threads growth as the platform regains users while X shrinks in ~tech
crowsby Link ParentThe default Threads experience might be like that, but it's a platform that benefits greatly from heavy-handed gardening. The first couple weeks I was on it, I was slapping that mute button like I...The default Threads experience might be like that, but it's a platform that benefits greatly from heavy-handed gardening. The first couple weeks I was on it, I was slapping that mute button like I was playing hungry hungry hippoes, and now I don't see any of that stuff.
My challenge is I'm not sure what it's supposed to be used for. I do not want to use it for news or politics, since I don't believe the format is helpful for those topics. So basically right now half the conversations I'm seeing are meta-conversations about twitter or threads, which is equally useless to me. I don't consider a platform dedicated to platformchat a good use of my time.
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Comment on Costco clothing is cheap. But is it good value? in ~life.style
crowsby LinkEvery time I go there I'm struck by how low their clothing prices are. For sure, it's generally not the best textiles nor the best construction, but they're functional and come with price tags...Every time I go there I'm struck by how low their clothing prices are. For sure, it's generally not the best textiles nor the best construction, but they're functional and come with price tags which have somehow managed to ignore the last three years of inflation. I have noticed that their merino socks have steadily become less and less merinoey as the years have gone by to the point that I started to seek out alternatives a couple years back.
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Comment on Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s job is at risk after US House of Representatives votes to move ahead with hard-right effort to oust him in ~misc
crowsby LinkI'm curious about the political calculus of the Democrats here. While Kevin Mccarthy was no prize, it's key to remember that his ouster came about specifically because of his willingness to work...I'm curious about the political calculus of the Democrats here. While Kevin Mccarthy was no prize, it's key to remember that his ouster came about specifically because of his willingness to work with Democrats. My assumption would be that whomever succeeds him is going to be even less inclined to compromise, especially after seeing how this scenario played out.
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Comment on Major League Baseball's 2023 postseason matchups are set in ~sports.baseball
crowsby LinkIt's insane to see the Orioles sitting there with a first seed slot. That AL East division is a meatgrinder, and I'm happy for their fans to see them back in the postseason.It's insane to see the Orioles sitting there with a first seed slot. That AL East division is a meatgrinder, and I'm happy for their fans to see them back in the postseason.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
crowsby LinkI just finished The Fable, a manga (and soon-to-be anime) about a professional hitman who has to lay low and live a normal life in a new city for a year. I really enjoyed it, particularly since it...I just finished The Fable, a manga (and soon-to-be anime) about a professional hitman who has to lay low and live a normal life in a new city for a year. I really enjoyed it, particularly since it seemed to have a cohesive and fulfilling narrative flow from start to finish. A lot of manga seem to fall into a pattern of abruptly switching directions and trying something new just for the sake of it, and it leads to a very herky-jerky narrative experience.
There's also a second part to it which isn't quite as good imo, but is still pretty enjoyable.
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Comment on Philips Hue will force users to upload their data to Hue cloud in ~tech
crowsby LinkI've got a bunch of Hue bulbs and have been pretty happy with them, so I was alarmed when I first saw this headline. But upon reading into it a bit, I'm not really certain what I'm supposed to be...I've got a bunch of Hue bulbs and have been pretty happy with them, so I was alarmed when I first saw this headline. But upon reading into it a bit, I'm not really certain what I'm supposed to be alarmed about.
They want users to create an account? Is that requirement really that big of a deal that people would leave the whole ecosystem over it?
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Comment on You can tell how bad Google Searches are now when you try to search for "Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki" and it pushes you a single outdated wiki and a bunch of posts telling you to use bg3.wiki in ~tech
crowsby Link ParentAnd for comparison's sake, here's Kagi.And for comparison's sake, here's Kagi.
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Comment on Anime/manga that inspired you to pick up a new hobby or something similar? in ~anime
crowsby Link ParentRemarkable! Yakitate started me into baking as a lifelong hobby, and the Bread Baker's Apprentice sealed the deal. It's still one of my favorite animes of all time, and it still holds up well...Remarkable! Yakitate started me into baking as a lifelong hobby, and the Bread Baker's Apprentice sealed the deal. It's still one of my favorite animes of all time, and it still holds up well today imo.
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Comment on Toyota takes its biggest US port off the grid with hydrogen system in ~enviro
crowsby Link ParentNot at all. At least not loud enough to be heard over ambient forest noise.Not at all. At least not loud enough to be heard over ambient forest noise.
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Comment on Toyota takes its biggest US port off the grid with hydrogen system in ~enviro
crowsby LinkToyota actually had a hydrogen generator at Pickathon, a music festival I went to earlier this year that prioritizes sustainability. Apparently it was powering multiple stages. I had no idea. I...Toyota actually had a hydrogen generator at Pickathon, a music festival I went to earlier this year that prioritizes sustainability. Apparently it was powering multiple stages. I had no idea. I walked past the thing dozens of times and assumed it was just some big piece of promotional collateral, I didn't know it was actually, like, the thing.
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Comment on What are the best resources for finding work in today's climate? in ~life
crowsby LinkNetworking by a country mile. Up until recently, I worked for a staffing company as a data analyst, and had some really entertaining insight into the chaos behind the modern hiring process,...Networking by a country mile.
Up until recently, I worked for a staffing company as a data analyst, and had some really entertaining insight into the chaos behind the modern hiring process, including what ATS's are doing, how matching algorithms work (or don't), and how strong candidates are floated to the top. Tl;dr: Basically it's a huge shitshow and luck is a massive part of the process. And now that we're seeing 1200+ candidates applying for roles on LinkedIn, it's even moreso.
- Your resume has to be tailored to the job posting. Don't lie, but be sure to hit as many beats as possible regarding their need & nice-to-haves.
- On the 1200+ candidates: these numbers are inflated. I could tell with our LinkedIn posts that we'd have maybe half of what LinkedIn would show on the posting page, which is silly because it discourages people from posting.
- Of those, easily 70% of the candidates are simply non-viable. Resumes/cover letters are covered in typos, there's no relevant work experience, or it's just someone applying because they have to because of unemployment requirements.
- That still leaves dozens of highly-qualified candidates, many with very good pedigrees due to tech industry layoffs this year
So yeah, networking. Over the past few months, I've applied to about 20 positions I was pretty well qualified for, using what I know about hiring practices and how skillmatching data works behind the scenes, and of those, I received a total of zero interviews. Of the positions where I had an inside referral, I've gotten interviews for 3 out of 4.
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Comment on Reddit faces content quality concerns after its Great Mod Purge in ~tech
crowsby Link ParentI'm inclined to agree. I've got an extensive list of blocked subreddits I've relied on to keep the main feeds remotely useful, but even with those, the content coming up is questionable at best....I'm inclined to agree. I've got an extensive list of blocked subreddits I've relied on to keep the main feeds remotely useful, but even with those, the content coming up is questionable at best.
You want a real eye-opening experience, visit stock reddit.com in an incognito desktop browser and check out a real horrorshow. It is unrecognizable in format, tone, and content compared to the site I used to spend way too much time on.
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Comment on Reddit faces content quality concerns after its Great Mod Purge in ~tech
crowsby LinkI certainly felt that the overall tone and quality of posts on Reddit had dropped after the initial round of protests. Regardless of whether someone was pro- or anti- the API changes, the conflict...I certainly felt that the overall tone and quality of posts on Reddit had dropped after the initial round of protests. Regardless of whether someone was pro- or anti- the API changes, the conflict seemed to drive levels of animosity higher across the board, to the point where it just isn't the kind of community I want to spend a lot of time around.
That being said, there's really no replacement for it at this point. Lemmy & kbin are a bit of a shitshow right now since they don't have the critical mass for most interesting niche subs, and any "All/Hot/Top" sorting will show the same story repeated multiple times in not just multiple subs, but multiple subs across multiple instances, which sure, is how federated content works, but doesn't make for a great user experience. Tonewise, it seems to be trending a bit downward as well, with people jockeying for internet points by posting short impactful hot takes, followed by other users inevitably clapping back. Add in a couple of troll instances essentially dedicated to disrupting good faith discussion, and it's clear that the Fediverse is not going to be without its challenges.
As of right now, I've found the healthiest online community (aside from Tildes) to be Threads. I'm not sure why that is, or if its going to change in the future (I suspect it is), but at least for this point in time they seem to be doing something right.
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Comment on Burning Man attendees advised to 'shelter in place,' conserve food and water due to heavy rain in ~enviro
crowsby LinkI'm curious what the plan is for the private planes at the airfield. I'd have to suspect that all that muck and mud would keep anything from coming or going for quite some time even after the...I'm curious what the plan is for the private planes at the airfield. I'd have to suspect that all that muck and mud would keep anything from coming or going for quite some time even after the roads open up, which would make for some ironic poetic justice.
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Comment on Iceland allows whaling to resume – activists say that whales will still suffer agonising deaths despite new regulations and monitoring in ~enviro
crowsby LinkI suspect part of this is due to how the whaling ban was implemented. The Minister of Food unilaterally implemented the ban just one day before the whaling season was due to start, and the single...I suspect part of this is due to how the whaling ban was implemented. The Minister of Food unilaterally implemented the ban just one day before the whaling season was due to start, and the single remaining company with a whaling permit will see that permit expire in December. So I wonder it this a compromise letting them have one last go of it since the company already had so many resources committed to the hunt. As far as cultural elements of the hunt go, my understanding is that the whale meat is almost entirely shipped overseas with only a small amount reserved for (generally) older Icelanders eating it on occasion, and tourists eating it because they think Icelanders do.
There is an excellent (and short) Icelandic podcast called The RÚV English Podcast, and they had an episode just after the ban was imposed with Valur Grettison, the former editor of the Reykjavik Grapevine talking about how it all went down.
As I recall reading about this the last time this survey floated around, the Finns have a different definition of "happiness", leaning closer to balanced contentment than how other folks might interpret it more as a continual state of euphoria.