derekiscool's recent activity
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Comment on Republicans rebuke Donald Trump's 50% emergency tariffs on Brazil in US Senate vote in ~society
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Comment on Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
derekiscool Link ParentIt seems like all of Piastri's problems have stemmed from qualifying the past 4 races. Baku - crashes in qualifying, crashes in lap 1 Singapore - Qualifies P3, decent result Austin - Qualifies P6...It seems like all of Piastri's problems have stemmed from qualifying the past 4 races.
Baku - crashes in qualifying, crashes in lap 1
Singapore - Qualifies P3, decent result
Austin - Qualifies P6 while Lando is P2
Mexico - Qualifies P8 while Lando is P1Which is so bizarre given how insanely consistent he's been this year in qualifying. Even if he Qualifies 1-2 places behind Lando all of those races, he'd probably still be leading the championship.
Hopefully he can get it back together, I'd love to see this battle go down to the wire.
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Comment on mRNA COVID vaccines may substantially extend life for those undergoing cancer treatments in ~health
derekiscool (edited )LinkWhat's interesting is that they think it just acts as a non-specific signal to activate the immune system. That makes me wonder how we haven't stumbled upon something with similar effects already....What's interesting is that they think it just acts as a non-specific signal to activate the immune system. That makes me wonder how we haven't stumbled upon something with similar effects already. It must be something specific to mRNA vaccines that trigger the response since it is also mentioned that flu shots don't have the same effect.
Either way - if this proves to be true, hopefully it can act as a one of the breakthroughs for cancer treatment we've been hearing about for so many years.
I also wonder if there are any implications regarding cancer rates in general? Will we find that those who've received mRNA vaccines have lower rates of cancer? Or do the effects only occur alongside this specific type of cancer treatment?
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Comment on Amazon Web Services crash causes $2,000 Smart Beds to overheat and get stuck upright in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentFrankly, at this point if I see "smart" in the marketing for a product - it's an immediate red flag to me.This is why I don't want a smart-anything
Frankly, at this point if I see "smart" in the marketing for a product - it's an immediate red flag to me.
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Comment on Upgrade desktop to win11 when hardware isn’t supported? in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentI just want to add, for anybody thinkjng about this - I did this on my personal PC last week and found it pretty easy to follow. Once the installation was completed, my PC was in the exact same...I just want to add, for anybody thinkjng about this - I did this on my personal PC last week and found it pretty easy to follow. Once the installation was completed, my PC was in the exact same state as before except for the updated license. There was no data loss or reinstallation of any drivers/software required
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Comment on Upgrade desktop to win11 when hardware isn’t supported? in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentDo you have any articles about that? I'd be very curious as to why that'd be the case - As far as I know, the IoT version of Windows is quite literally the exact same as Pro, other than the...Do you have any articles about that? I'd be very curious as to why that'd be the case - As far as I know, the IoT version of Windows is quite literally the exact same as Pro, other than the license. If you read that guide, it even specifies that you can use a regular Pro image for the install instead of the IoT version.
I could be totally wrong, though, as I'm not an expert on the matter.
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Comment on What's your video game comfort food? in ~games
derekiscool LinkHalo: MCC (3 most specifically). I really feel like Halo 3 was the peak FPS - something about the gameplay is just so crisp. I love the much slower, floaty movement. Maybe my brain isn't quite...Halo: MCC (3 most specifically).
I really feel like Halo 3 was the peak FPS - something about the gameplay is just so crisp. I love the much slower, floaty movement. Maybe my brain isn't quite quick enough for today's shooters, but I feel like Halo's tuning really made you think a bit more tactically about your approach to combat without losing too much of the FPS feel.
Add the amazing soundtrack and epic campaigns, and nothing compares to it IMO.
I always come back to it for a few social games or few campaign missions. Maybe someday, I'll finish LASO too.
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Comment on This site is fast in ~tildes
derekiscool Link ParentI sometimes go there just to marvel at the responsiveness. The devs who built the site need to teach a class on web development.I sometimes go there just to marvel at the responsiveness. The devs who built the site need to teach a class on web development.
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Comment on Microsoft debuts Copilot Actions for agentic AI-driven Windows tasks in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentI was an engineer at Microsoft until very recently, and I can tell you first hand that this is (unfortunately) mostly just marketing. For the people actually doing the work, all we got were some...I was an engineer at Microsoft until very recently, and I can tell you first hand that this is (unfortunately) mostly just marketing.
For the people actually doing the work, all we got were some vague instructions from the top that we need to focus on security. But nobody was given any less scope on their current day-to-day work, so almost nobody did anything different. And then you add the 10s of thousands who have been laid off, meaning everybody still there is getting more workload.
Granted, the company is massive, so not every org would be the exact same. But from what I heard, most were essentially seeing the same pattern.
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Comment on In an extract from their new book, international referee Jonas Eriksson describes how top officials were made to strip down to be weighed and have their body fat checked in ~sports.football
derekiscool Link ParentI'm not saying you don't need to be in shape, I'm saying a fitness test would be far more useful than body fat measurement. If you set a benchmark that they need to be able to run 5 miles in 30...I'm not saying you don't need to be in shape, I'm saying a fitness test would be far more useful than body fat measurement.
If you set a benchmark that they need to be able to run 5 miles in 30 minutes (just as an example), then it as long as they can do it, they're fit enough
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Comment on In an extract from their new book, international referee Jonas Eriksson describes how top officials were made to strip down to be weighed and have their body fat checked in ~sports.football
derekiscool Link ParentGonna hard disagree with this one. For athletes trying to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of themselves - yes, body fat is a useful thing to track. But for a ref? They dont need to be...Gonna hard disagree with this one. For athletes trying to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of themselves - yes, body fat is a useful thing to track.
But for a ref? They dont need to be the literal peak of fitness. Some basic physical fitness tests would be much more appropriate.
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Comment on Who deserves an organ? The dilemma of severe mental illness. (gifted link) in ~health.mental
derekiscool Link ParentI'm surprised to see so many replies advocating for this. In my opinion, no doctor should get a final say in whether or not somebody deserves resuscitation or continued care. Doctor's are just...If the physician determines that the patient is unlikely to survive, or unlikely to have any quality of life, they often make the decision to withdraw care with or without the approval of the family.
I'm surprised to see so many replies advocating for this. In my opinion, no doctor should get a final say in whether or not somebody deserves resuscitation or continued care. Doctor's are just people, and people are biased. Obviously, they should give their professional opinion and it should be strongly valued - but to have the final say feels like it would be opening quite a big can of worms.
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Comment on Discord says 70,000 users may have had their government IDs leaked in breach in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentIt's funny because just recently, somebody posted an NYT opinion piece to Tildes that was heavily arguing for tech companies to be in charge of age validation. And this is the exact thing that...It's funny because just recently, somebody posted an NYT opinion piece to Tildes that was heavily arguing for tech companies to be in charge of age validation. And this is the exact thing that most comments warned of - happening only a few weeks later.
Do we need any more evidence that age verification is just a bad idea across the board? I really don’t know what it's going to take for people to start taking the dangers of these laws seriously.
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Comment on What does ChatGPT know about you? in ~tech
derekiscool LinkGreat prompt! I feel like some people would be pretty surprised by their responses, especially if they didn't fully realize ChatGPT had a user memory. I don't use it much, so I can specifically...Great prompt! I feel like some people would be pretty surprised by their responses, especially if they didn't fully realize ChatGPT had a user memory.
I don't use it much, so I can specifically remember when it learned each of these things. Not a whole lot that can be used against me with this info, lol
Here’s what I currently remember about you (your “user knowledge memories”):
You love motor racing and video games.
You have a small black and brown beagle girl, about 12 inches tall, who likes to curl up under blankets.
That’s it — I don’t have any other long-term or hidden memories.
Would you like me to show, edit, or forget any of these?
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Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
derekiscool Link ParentHow did you get the enterprise version, if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to hang on to W10 as long as possible as well, but am on the home version.How did you get the enterprise version, if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to hang on to W10 as long as possible as well, but am on the home version.
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Comment on Why do LLMs freak out over the seahorse emoji? in ~tech
derekiscool (edited )LinkI'm surprised this hasn't been fixed, but it really highlights the fundamental flaw of perceiving LLMs as intelligent. I just tried this with ChatGPT. It wacked out so much it eventually filled...I'm surprised this hasn't been fixed, but it really highlights the fundamental flaw of perceiving LLMs as intelligent.
I just tried this with ChatGPT. It wacked out so much it eventually filled the remainder of the response with ~3000 concurrent ✅️ emojis.
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Comment on Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
derekiscool Link ParentGiven the shenanigans McLaren pulled on him at Monza, I feel like Piastri has the right to be angry about that one. If Lando doesn't bonk him out of the way in T3, Piastri was going to come out...Given the shenanigans McLaren pulled on him at Monza, I feel like Piastri has the right to be angry about that one. If Lando doesn't bonk him out of the way in T3, Piastri was going to come out ahead. Totally fair racing (barely), but definitely not according to the "Papaya rules."
Either way, I think compliant Piastri we've seen all year is gone for the season.
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Comment on US House Democrats release latest Jeffrey Epstein documents with Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon and Prince Andrew mentions in ~society
derekiscool Link ParentThis is the key. I've only caught a few glimpses of fox "news" over the past few years, but its easy to see how somebody with limited critical thinking skills could get so brainwashed. It is a...Propaganda is way more powerful than I thought
This is the key. I've only caught a few glimpses of fox "news" over the past few years, but its easy to see how somebody with limited critical thinking skills could get so brainwashed.
It is a constant barage of blatant lies and propaganda that essentially boils down to "everybody else is evil and all of America's problems are because of liberals and immigrants. They want to take away your freedoms and turn America into a 3rd world country. We want to save it, but we need more power and control to do that."
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Comment on I tried to protect my kids from the internet. Here’s what happened. in ~tech
derekiscool LinkWhile I understand the frustrations of the author, their proposed solution is extremely short-sighted and comes with a huge list of potential pitfalls that would be extremely damaging to...While I understand the frustrations of the author, their proposed solution is extremely short-sighted and comes with a huge list of potential pitfalls that would be extremely damaging to individual freedoms - Frankly, 'server-side' in-depth age verification should not be a requirement for anything.
- Almost any age verification can easily be bypassed (I mean, people can get scannable fake IDs for like $40)
- We should not trust any company to use or store any validation information responsibly. We already know they abuse and poorly protect personal info as it stands. There's no reason that would change.
- It's a huge blow to privacy. For example - say you're an adult and frequent some LQBTQ sites. Now, you need to verify your age, which means there's a written record of you visiting these sites. Given the political climate in the US today, there's a genuine risk that record could harm you if the wrong people get their hands on it.
As a parent myself, this is definitely a huge problem. But there are better ways to solve it. Better device-side parental controls, working on improving parental knowledge (not many parents know you can easily set filters on your home wifi network), strict smartphone bans during school hours, educating your children about the potential dangers of social media, etc.
There will never be a 'one-size-fits-all' solution. As with anything, we just need to stay educated and adaptive.
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Comment on Jimmy Kimmel to return to ABC on Tuesday after show’s controversial suspension in ~tv
derekiscool Link ParentThis is true. And CBS also just opted not to renew the show, which is very different from outright cutting immediately (though I do agree that it's fairly obvious they are doing it for the same...This is true. And CBS also just opted not to renew the show, which is very different from outright cutting immediately (though I do agree that it's fairly obvious they are doing it for the same reason - bending the knee and appeasing the wannabe dictator)
This feels entirely performative to me. A few Rs being allowed to look like they care, all while millions of people are suffering because they refuse to extend healthcare benefits and end the shutdown. And because of the house rules, this will be completely forgotten about and never passed in the house.