Englerdy's recent activity

  1. Comment on Chat control 1.0 passes even though majority actually voted against in todays vote in ~society

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Thanks for clarifying this. I was getting hung up on the other details that I didn't catch that this was an existing temporary measure.

    Thanks for clarifying this. I was getting hung up on the other details that I didn't catch that this was an existing temporary measure.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Chat control 1.0 passes even though majority actually voted against in todays vote in ~society

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    I too am struggling to understand how something can pass by default for not having enough votes to turn it down (coming from a US perspective). Usually something needs votes to pass for good...

    I too am struggling to understand how something can pass by default for not having enough votes to turn it down (coming from a US perspective). Usually something needs votes to pass for good reason. So what weird bureaucractic circumstances allow for this chinanagin?

    13 votes

  3. Comment on Thunder mug and tea voider: understanding the chamber pot in early America in ~humanities.history

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    That was kind of you to investigate on my behalf. I figured there was some bit of context or nuance getting glossed over, but I still I feel like the way it's written here is a bit outrageous....

    That was kind of you to investigate on my behalf. I figured there was some bit of context or nuance getting glossed over, but I still I feel like the way it's written here is a bit outrageous. Still, fascinating how this bit of culture has evolved with the advent of indoor plumbing.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Thunder mug and tea voider: understanding the chamber pot in early America in ~humanities.history

    Englerdy
    Link
    I know times change, but I'd like to see a few sources to back a claim like this up. Like, there is no way that the common behavior was for people to take a piss or shit in the corner of the...

    Nowadavs, people wish for privacv when the
    need for a bathroom break arises. By
    contrast, in the 18th century, chamber pots
    were frequently used and stored in bed
    chambers and dining rooms in both private
    homes and public taverns. They were at-the-
    ready for easy access during a meal or a
    gathering.
    ...
    In a dining room, one might find a chamber
    pot in the corner of the room or under a side
    table. When the need arose--even in mixed
    company-a diner could retreat to the
    corner, answer nature's call, and return to
    the table.

    I know times change, but I'd like to see a few sources to back a claim like this up. Like, there is no way that the common behavior was for people to take a piss or shit in the corner of the dining room while other people were eating. I can certainly see the case for some people doing that, but it feels like a stretch to make the claim that it was the norm for most. Especially when there are so many historic and contemporary examples of places where people could go do their business with some distance and privacy. And I'll recognize my own modern bias and that I'm wrong, but boy this seems like an extreme claim.

    That said, "thunder mug" is a top tier name. I bet these are a lot more resonant than a modern toilet!

    7 votes

  5. Comment on Tildes Survey #10: How often do you visit/read Tildes? (Results) in ~talk

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Oh that's fun, thanks for clueing me in.

    Oh that's fun, thanks for clueing me in.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Tildes Survey #10: How often do you visit/read Tildes? (Results) in ~talk

    Englerdy
    Link
    What's up with the response about A D Filomen? I can't find anything about anyone, let alone an author with that name after some searching. I feel like I'm missing out on a joke or something, but...

    What's up with the response about A D Filomen? I can't find anything about anyone, let alone an author with that name after some searching. I feel like I'm missing out on a joke or something, but the blurb about them sounds pretty intriguing if it's a real person.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Test your medical knowledge with daily clinical scenarios in ~health

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    I mean, I thought it was kind of fun to play Google medical-diagnosis by making an initial guess and then researching the symptoms. I don't think you have to try to push through completely blind.

    I mean, I thought it was kind of fun to play Google medical-diagnosis by making an initial guess and then researching the symptoms. I don't think you have to try to push through completely blind.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Test your medical knowledge with daily clinical scenarios in ~health

  9. Comment on Test your medical knowledge with daily clinical scenarios in ~health

    Englerdy
    Link
    I managed to get there in four guesses and wasn't in the top 50% of players? Are actual doctors playing this? I felt so proud of actually figuring it, still do I suppose, just surprised so many...

    I managed to get there in four guesses and wasn't in the top 50% of players? Are actual doctors playing this? I felt so proud of actually figuring it, still do I suppose, just surprised so many people got it faster!

    6 votes

  10. Comment on ‘Backrooms’ sends Hollywood running to Reddit for new ideas in ~movies

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Not necessarily, at least not full exploration of well established lore that shows up in the wiki. The issue is because of the wiki license that a lot of those ideas are published under. Any of...

    Not necessarily, at least not full exploration of well established lore that shows up in the wiki. The issue is because of the wiki license that a lot of those ideas are published under. Any of these internet lore fandoms with a wiki released under a creative commons share alike license is something a lot of production companies don't want to touch.

    This short video has a pretty good explanation of the naunce about why Kane Parson's work specifically could be picked up: https://youtu.be/n8y626Uc_nU?si=UZwnSQre3cl-SDbk

    6 votes

  11. Comment on How did Atari apply side art to Arcade Cabinets? in ~games

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    I think this method of printing color layer by color layer is still used quite a bit in manufacturing. It's obviously improved and I think even more automated now, but still basically the same...

    I think this method of printing color layer by color layer is still used quite a bit in manufacturing. It's obviously improved and I think even more automated now, but still basically the same idea. I think it's the only way to get those really sharp lines on edges. I also think there's a speed benefit compared to ink jet, but I'm not as positive on that. But if you're printing hundreds of thousands of the same thing, it would make sense to tool your machines to print that one thing really fast.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Came through the comments to see who else said Psychonauts! It's a little heart warming to see someone else mention it. <3 It's fascinating because it sounds like we came from two different places...

    Came through the comments to see who else said Psychonauts! It's a little heart warming to see someone else mention it. <3 It's fascinating because it sounds like we came from two different places in life to play it. I think it got it in a humble bundle sometime in high school and played it around the same time after seeing Notch post about it on Twitter. I didn't play a ton of games as a kid (I had kind of a strict dad so I was mostly limited to online browser games), so it slotted in as a relatively early gaming experience for me and I adored every janky platforming second. It's bright, goofy, weird, and as you touch on had a phenomenal voice cast. It's one of the few games I went back to 100% in order to see what I might have missed the first time through.

    The sequel was obviously never going to live up to the experience of the first, but I was so relieved that it was such a faithful follow-up to the first game.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Four things to know about the newly approved US sunscreen ingredient in ~health

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Yeah same, if I'm going on a hike or going to be out in the sun a long time I also use a mineral sunscreen on the rest of my body. The thinner Asian sunscreens just feel so much better on my face...

    Yeah same, if I'm going on a hike or going to be out in the sun a long time I also use a mineral sunscreen on the rest of my body. The thinner Asian sunscreens just feel so much better on my face and neck though and that's still a huge improvement. Just need to be better about reapplying it later in the day tbh.

    But if people are interested in foreign sunscreens, there's a lot of good resources to import them (and I don't think the import tax is SUPER bad). I'm also happy to ask my spouse for the link to the Korean website she orders through. Sunscreen should be relatively easy to pick, but it looks like cosmetics are a deep rabbit hole with lots of good YouTube content that reviews the products. So it takes some time, but the research barrier isn't too steep if you want to try a face wash, sunscreen, and a cream or two.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Four things to know about the newly approved US sunscreen ingredient in ~health

    Englerdy
    Link
    It's a big win in my book even with a company getting 18 months of exclusive rights for domestic sale. I've been using Korean face sunscreen for a couple years after my spouse started looking into...

    It's a big win in my book even with a company getting 18 months of exclusive rights for domestic sale. I've been using Korean face sunscreen for a couple years after my spouse started looking into Korean cosmetics. We've tried a few brands to see if I find a favorite. In general I like how much lighter they are on the skin and that I can't feel it after applying it. Not a fan of how greasy typical american sunscreen feels and I haven't used it as much as I should have. The Korean stuff is great though! So I'm hopeful this change means more comfortable sunscreens are about to become a lot more accessible for Americans.

    7 votes

  15. Comment on The user is visibly frustrated in ~tech

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Lol, absolutely. I'm certainly not suggesting typing angry things at the AI is the only reason they'd behave in a way that would make them frustrating. Just that I wonder if it pushes it into even...

    Lol, absolutely. I'm certainly not suggesting typing angry things at the AI is the only reason they'd behave in a way that would make them frustrating. Just that I wonder if it pushes it into even more frustrating territory.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on The user is visibly frustrated in ~tech

    Englerdy
    Link
    I wonder if using angry or aggressive langauge with LLMs is actually resulting is worse output. Negative and emotionally charged language in the training set is obviously never going to be closely...

    I wonder if using angry or aggressive langauge with LLMs is actually resulting is worse output. Negative and emotionally charged language in the training set is obviously never going to be closely associated with good decision making or quality work. While I know LLM agents can be frustrating to work with when they make the same mistakes repeatedly, I personally think it's actually pushing the conversation in a worse and less productive direction. It potentially also causes the model to get stuck there.

    I don't argue with LLMs while working on projects (though one iteration of ChatGPT about a year ago developed an extremely combative personality which was a bizarre experience), and try using language that's still positive when correcting a direction the model has gone. I try to point out what they're doing that's working well and a good solution, and then address what isn't working or where it's making a mistake without trying to take out my frustration in the text.

    It would be kind of funny if people who find LLMs frustrating to work with are creating their own hell by taking out their frustration on them resulting in worse model output. I'd be curious to hear about folks annecdotal A/B testing of the kind of language they use with the model (positive reinforcement vs angry rebukes) with how easily the model is able to work through a problem.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk

    Englerdy
    Link
    Obviously it's always hard picking a favorite for a question like this, but Psychonauts consistently floats to the top of my mind every time I confront this question. I still find it so delightful...

    Obviously it's always hard picking a favorite for a question like this, but Psychonauts consistently floats to the top of my mind every time I confront this question. I still find it so delightful and charming and really liked the sequel.

    Portal 2 takes a close second, but they're two of the only games I've ever completely played through a second time. I played both as a teenager and they both left deep impressions and kind of set that bar for what I like in a video game.

    Minecraft is the game I've played the longest and I still boot it up with friends from time to time, but it's hard to say it's my favorite. Definitely one of the GOATs though.

    5 votes

  18. Comment on The US Supreme Court's Republican appointees end civil rights redistricting protections in ~society

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    I agree she should have resigned. Still, she was principled and level headed. My thoughts are in regards to her record and the effect that her replacement is having on the court.

    I agree she should have resigned. Still, she was principled and level headed. My thoughts are in regards to her record and the effect that her replacement is having on the court.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on The US Supreme Court's Republican appointees end civil rights redistricting protections in ~society

    Englerdy
    Link
    Rest in peace RBG. :/ sorry things are going to shit so fast without you.

    Rest in peace RBG. :/ sorry things are going to shit so fast without you.

    7 votes

  20. Comment on ‘Backrooms’ stuns with $81 million debut, ‘Obsession’ has another unprecedented jump, ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ suffers 70% drop in ~movies

    Englerdy
    Link Parent
    Fair. I suppose we can hope to get some good hidden gems in there that make for good "bad" horror movies. And genuinely I do hope we see more independent creators break through with new and...

    Fair. I suppose we can hope to get some good hidden gems in there that make for good "bad" horror movies.

    And genuinely I do hope we see more independent creators break through with new and original stuff. 🤞