cycling_mammoth's recent activity
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Comment on Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU’s Digital Markets Act in ~tech
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Comment on US Department of Justice again files demand to break up Google’s search monopoly in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI feel like I agree with the route the EU took with the DMA since non-tech savvy people are not necessarily aware of all the options made available to them. Having an onboarding screen showing...I feel like I agree with the route the EU took with the DMA since non-tech savvy people are not necessarily aware of all the options made available to them. Having an onboarding screen showing providers in a randomized order is a good idea.
The other half of my issue however stems from a severe lack of digital literacy education, something that can and should be emphasized in curriculums. It isn't just a question of tech savvy or not, it's a question of fundamental digital literacy that is lacking even in the youngest generation.
In terms of speech patterns, some countries (the US included) have the ability to annul trademarks that have been genericized. I don't believe it's ever been applied to a software offering, but it has been applied to things like Asperin in the US.
A relevant link for the DMA: Android.com DMA Choice Screen
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI know this might be veering off-topic somewhat, but I found one of the best ways to combat this was the promotion of essay competitions and the possibility of having your work be published in a...One sad commonality I've found in student work is an utter lack of pride. It's so beaten into students that the purpose of work is to be graded, that the concept of putting in effort for their own self-value is completely foreign.
I know this might be veering off-topic somewhat, but I found one of the best ways to combat this was the promotion of essay competitions and the possibility of having your work be published in a student journal. I recognize that this perhaps is not useful for secondary school pedagogy, but at a university level this really can encourage students to at least think of their work as more than something to be graded. Likewise, I guess it can still be seen as reductive in that it is now equating a monetary (prize) value to the paper. But I still feel like one takes more pride in writing a course paper if it is also going to be submitted for competitions / publication opportunities.
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI do think this is important. Some of the most influential classes on my intellectual development within my university career were seminar classes — predominately focussing on individual seminar...More emphasis on discussions in class. Ask the students questions about what they've written. Class participation becomes a bigger part of the grade.
I do think this is important. Some of the most influential classes on my intellectual development within my university career were seminar classes — predominately focussing on individual seminar presentations that led to group class discussion of the material afterwards.
Regarding your other points, I think I mostly agree with you. Evaluating what students have learned can easily be shifted to more in-class assessments, and is becoming pedagogically necessary. I guess my concern more so stems from the critical thinking and reading skills that library / online database research provides, as well as the argumentative processes involved in creating an argumentative essay. If we really have to shift away from traditional essay writing, how do educators preserve the skills developed from writing and research?
Shouldn't they be learning effective use of these research tools during university?
I actually agree with you here as well, but sadly academia is a slow moving institution. I actually could see these tools becoming used during university — but they would need access to the corpus of scholarly articles that universities subscribe to, with proper citations for where it is getting information from. As it stands, the main use of AI that seems undeniably effective in a university context is grammar editors that integrate AI for reformulating sentences (removing passive voice, change of register, or improving your second language grammar).
P.S. As I stated in another reply, it is a little late, so I apologize if my thoughts are not 100% cohesive. There are just so many great responses to this post, and I really wanted to get to some of them before I forget. Also, I am quite aware that I am a Luddite when it comes to AI, I do want to emphasize that I am genuinely grateful for comments like yours that are challenging my perspective.
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI have found the same in my literature courses, at this point it is frankly difficult to delegate most of the work to AI, as it cannot feasibly integrate enough textual evidence or valid secondary...In my courses, the assignments a designed in a way that would make it hard to outright delegate all or most of the work to AI.
I have found the same in my literature courses, at this point it is frankly difficult to delegate most of the work to AI, as it cannot feasibly integrate enough textual evidence or valid secondary criticism to support an argument. I guess part of my “fear” is how we go forward as large language models become more capable in this regard.
Then I engage each of them in a regular, asynchronous dialog throughout the semester in which I try to get them to reflect on their views in the context of things discussed in class. They then revise this twice, during midterms and finals.
Furthermore, I do think this is a good method, however, as it ensures there is some form of continuity based on prior work in the course. I have seen plenty of educators create new assessments to combat the use of AI, but lack the continuity that you have achieved with this.
Finally, making them “show their work” when researching and writing may also help.
To what extent should they show their work? I have seen some variations of this throughout my university life, and I have found it quite helpful, but as a future educator I do not want to have “show your work” steps that just seem like a means to 'prevent procrastination'. Ideally, I would want to have steps that actually contribute to the development of their argumentative skills and writing capability.
P.S. Sorry if some of my thoughts are not perfectly clear, I am writing this a little late, but I really wanted to respond to some of the lovely feedback here before I forget
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
cycling_mammoth LinkAs someone who is pursuing a career in education—what options do educators even have that preserve writing as an important skill? Depriving students of the experience of researching, creating an...As someone who is pursuing a career in education—what options do educators even have that preserve writing as an important skill? Depriving students of the experience of researching, creating an argument, and developing said argument into a concrete and well thought paper feels wrong. Is this more so a question of institutions providing the necessary tools to students? For example, larger libraries with computers that have access to academic databases, a word processor, and nothing else. A sort of "semi-closed-book" environment to prevent AI usage. But even then, policing AI usage like that just feels frankly wrong and unfair to students who would not partake in such behaviour.
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I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats.
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Comment on Posteo.de or Mailbox.org - Struggling to find an alternative to Proton in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentThe lack of zero-knowledge encryption is a little disappointing and definitely renders them a worse option, the lack of E2EE however is not a big deal to me as I can just use PGP in my email...The lack of zero-knowledge encryption is a little disappointing and definitely renders them a worse option, the lack of E2EE however is not a big deal to me as I can just use PGP in my email clients and not have to depend on a server implementation. At the end of the day however, email is quite flawed, and I don't use it really as a primary or essential means of E2EE communication. I would much rather use an app built from the ground up for encrypted communication (e.g. Signal among others) or an app built from the ground up for encrypted file sharing (to replace email attachments)
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Comment on Posteo.de or Mailbox.org - Struggling to find an alternative to Proton in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentWhat seems particularly of interest to me is their support of the JMAP protocol, a seemingly good new option (at least in terms of how fast email protocols change). Notably better support for push...What seems particularly of interest to me is their support of the JMAP protocol, a seemingly good new option (at least in terms of how fast email protocols change). Notably better support for push notifications on mobile clients, and an alternative to existing solutions for contacts / and soon to be calendar sync. Given the state of clients right now, I doubt I would use it as of now, but it is nice to see them working towards better open protocols for the future.
Thank you very much for the suggestion :)
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Comment on Posteo.de or Mailbox.org - Struggling to find an alternative to Proton in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentTuta at this point is a tertiary option for me if I decide against these two, but still desire to move away from Proton. My main qualms with Tuta would be lack of PGP support lack of IMAP support...Tuta at this point is a tertiary option for me if I decide against these two, but still desire to move away from Proton. My main qualms with Tuta would be
- lack of PGP support
- lack of IMAP support (even just for data export, although they do support data export on the site itself on a by-folder basis, so not the biggest of issues)
However, I do appreciate that it would allow me to keep encrypted calendar / contacts which I have with Proton. It would definitely be more of a "drop-in replacement" in those regards.
I will have to get back to you on Zoho, as I have not heard of it (and I need to get back to some work right now), but I really appreciate you suggesting a service I have not come across before.
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Comment on Posteo.de or Mailbox.org - Struggling to find an alternative to Proton in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI have always wondered if it is worth getting a custom domain, but I just don't know what I would use as a name on my more "professional" things (resumes, banking, etc.) . I don't have a small...I have always wondered if it is worth getting a custom domain, but I just don't know what I would use as a name on my more "professional" things (resumes, banking, etc.) . I don't have a small business, so I can't just use the business name, and ideally I would want something that works in English and French, which further complicates things.
Given your experiences with them, do you have any thoughts on what I could use instead of just cycling_mammoth(at)business-name.com?
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
cycling_mammoth LinkMany of these suggestions are superb, and frankly overlap with what I was likely to suggest anyway. Consequently, I am going to give some other advice on this topic. I think it is important that...Many of these suggestions are superb, and frankly overlap with what I was likely to suggest anyway. Consequently, I am going to give some other advice on this topic.
I think it is important that you still give him the opportunity to seek out novels himself. Sure, some YA is absolute garbage, when I look back at some books that I read like the Divergent series I CANNOT for the life of me understand how I liked them - but it is important to let him nurture his interests himself. This is not to say that you should NOT give him suggestions on what to read, you definitely should, but being able to nurture interest in reading around that age in an independent manner (e.g. through a local library) is really important.
I do think there are plenty of great options in this thread for you to choose from, though!
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI would definitely agree with this! I vividly remember picking up LOTR from the store as a child - and recently got a hardcover one-volume edition to re-read. Furthermore, I think at least for me...I would definitely agree with this! I vividly remember picking up LOTR from the store as a child - and recently got a hardcover one-volume edition to re-read. Furthermore, I think at least for me as a kid It was also just quite inspiring to see a story focussing on the impacts of "little" (both figuratively and literally lol) people. It is so easy to write a convincing narrative of the impacts of a larger (in terms of power) figure on the world, but having a frankly unexpected person be required to partake in such an arduous quest is quite inspiring and endearing.
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI would have to agree with you on the age limit. Although, if the child seeks out the non-fiction material themselves at that age, I feel like that acts as a good sign that perhaps they are ready...I would have to agree with you on the age limit. Although, if the child seeks out the non-fiction material themselves at that age, I feel like that acts as a good sign that perhaps they are ready for it even if they are 'young' for it.
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Posteo.de or Mailbox.org - Struggling to find an alternative to Proton
Hello everyone! I have been currently debating switching email providers. I have been with Proton for a few years now (free user), but I have become increasingly disappointed. Firstly, I am not...
Hello everyone! I have been currently debating switching email providers. I have been with Proton for a few years now (free user), but I have become increasingly disappointed. Firstly, I am not exactly a fan of the “we have apps for everything” model, particularly the integration of a password manager is just strange and the crypto wallet feels a bit nauseating, as I have my reservations about cryptocurrency. Consolidating all of my services in a company such as Proton feels misguided if the goal is to avoid walled gardens from the tech giants. There are also some other more recent things that have come up in relation to Proton that just make me question the legitimacy of Proton's “guiding moral imperative” as a privacy focussed company.
Moving on from that, I have mostly settled on two options due to their
- low cost
- generally adequate security (I understand email's limitations on this front, I just want something to be secure enough)
- transparency reports
- location of operation
The main thing I am struggling with here are the pros and cons between the two platforms.
Posteo seems to be less ideal of an email provider because they do not support ARC and lack a good DMARC policy. BUT they claim to support encryption with their calendars, but does this even matter if you are accessing the calendars with CalDAV (which I do not beliece is an E2EE connection)?
I think I trust Mailbox.org more when it comes to security, but I think their contacts / calendar situation is somewhat worse, and their French translation seems … lacking in spots (not that it matters to me much, but still is somewhat jarring for me).
I could just ignore the contacts/calendar problem, and use something like EteSync, but that would become just another thing to pay for, and another app to operate (if I need to use the WebDav bridge).
Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated, I am really hoping this inspires some interesting conversations! And of course, feel free to tell me about better options if I have overlooked something. Have a lovely day :)
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Comment on Firefox's new Terms of Use grants Mozilla complete data "processing" rights of all user interactions in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI feel like this depends on where you live. I would never leave my car unlocked because it would be stolen, but I've never had to worry about people breaking in just to steal stuff 🤷♂️I feel like this depends on where you live. I would never leave my car unlocked because it would be stolen, but I've never had to worry about people breaking in just to steal stuff 🤷♂️
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Comment on Is it okay to use ChatGPT for proofreading? in ~tech
cycling_mammoth LinkA lot of people have already shared a lot of information on ChatGPT / LLMs, but I do feel like there is one important thing regardless of what you choose. Regardless of what solution you choose,...A lot of people have already shared a lot of information on ChatGPT / LLMs, but I do feel like there is one important thing regardless of what you choose.
Regardless of what solution you choose, you definitely need to be able to tell when a grammar correction tool gives incorrect feedback. Because of this a big criteria for me is that the tool in question can explain why it's suggesting a change. Whether its a specific grammar rule being violated, register of language etc.
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Comment on Is it okay to use ChatGPT for proofreading? in ~tech
cycling_mammoth Link ParentGrammarly pro also frankly seems quite expensive compared to competitors, namely Antidote and LanguageTool The former I hear about a lot more in my day to day IRL life, and is seemingly everywhere...Grammarly pro also frankly seems quite expensive compared to competitors, namely Antidote and LanguageTool
The former I hear about a lot more in my day to day IRL life, and is seemingly everywhere in personal and professional life in the part of Canada I'm in. The latter I see mentioned much more online especially since it integrates natively with LibreOffice.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
cycling_mammoth LinkI picked up a few games on the steam winter sale this year (I've started two of them), and was also gifted a Switch game. So I have started playing some new and some older new to me games over the...I picked up a few games on the steam winter sale this year (I've started two of them), and was also gifted a Switch game. So I have started playing some new and some older new to me games over the holidays / beginning of this year.
Balatro
I am really enjoying this game, the art style is great, music is good, and it just has enjoyable gameplay that allows for short sessions or longer ones (which I do appreciate from a game). I still feel that I have a lot to learn with this one, but it'll probably be my GOTY out of 2024 releases. (I'm a big indie guy and roguelike guy tbf)New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
This one has been on my list for years now, and I'm happy someone bought it for me since I feel like I was too reluctant every time I found it in a store. The Wii and DS 2d Mario games are some of my favourite childhood games, and I am so happy that the sequel to the Wii one is just as good if not better. I am almost done the main campaign, and am really looking forward to the Luigi U part from what I've heard from friends. I seem to have a bit of a soft spot for Wii U and 3ds era nintendo games though, so I might be biased in my opinions on this one!Just a little side note on this game, I do find it interesting that the French Canadian translation is seemingly different in spots than the Euro French one. Not that it matters but these kind of things I always find interesting.
Alien: Isolation
I have wanted to play this game for YEARS. I watched Alien and Aliens at way too young of an age and since then they have become one of my favourites, even well into adulthood. This game really holds up graphically despite somehow already being a decade old now, and while I am still early-ish in the game I am enjoying the stealthy nature of the gameplay and the great Xenomorph ai. I don't want to spoil too much of it, but this is definitely a game that's worth picking up on sale. -
Comment on Private DNS (DoT) on Embedded / IOT Android Devices - Help With Connection Errors in ~comp
cycling_mammoth Link ParentIll have to look into the logs more closely, the generic options like connectivitycheck.gstatic.com are unblocked. So it must be a different domain that isn't being resolved.Ill have to look into the logs more closely, the generic options like connectivitycheck.gstatic.com are unblocked. So it must be a different domain that isn't being resolved.
I'm happy to see that the DMA Choice Screen is actually doing something, although I fear it is perhaps too little and too late.
I wholeheartedly expected more people to stick with the browser they used prior to this change.
I do wonder, if anyone has seen data depicting a similar change regarding search engines?