ewintr's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on Feeling weird about my career with respect to AI in ~life
ewintr Link ParentI never understood this reasoning. The fact that AI can do some things does not make every problem magically solvable by AI. Some problems will disappear, others will pop up. Because the following...If they're not overstated, human beings have lost the competitive edge to do be given any sort of actual, rewarding work.
I never understood this reasoning. The fact that AI can do some things does not make every problem magically solvable by AI. Some problems will disappear, others will pop up. Because the following is never going to happen:
User: "Make me a useful product"
AI: alright. Here are the 10 most profitable ideas I have. Which would you like to pursue?
User: whatever. The one that will make me the most money.For a very short period of time this might have worked, but soon all your competitors have learned to ask the same question to their models and now suddenly the AI is unable to execute on it, because it did not factor in that everyone would jump on the same idea. In other words: AI ideas are worthless, everyone can generate them in the blink of an eye. What is left is actual problem-solving and actual care about a solution.
I don't exactly know what that will look like, but I am certain humans will be needed for a long time. If anything we are making the world more complicated with it and thus we will need more brains to steer it in the right direction.
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Comment on YouTube is awful. Please use YouTube, though. in ~tech
ewintr LinkWell, it is a tough message, but my personal answer to the question posed at the end of the post is: Then I guess their videos should not exist. Sorry, but I will not give an evil behemoth like...Well, it is a tough message, but my personal answer to the question posed at the end of the post is:
All of this is to say: if you suggest that content creators should not use YouTube, you're effectively saying that their videos should not exist, because there is no YouTube competitor to switch to. It's a monopoly.
Then I guess their videos should not exist.
Sorry, but I will not give an evil behemoth like Youtube even one inch of room. I thoroughly despise everything that is infected with ads, opaque algorithms and now AI. I try to do my part, by paying for Nebula and sponsoring a couple of creators on Patreon, but I will not for one second turn off my ad blocker.
If that means that fewer videos will be made, then so be it. There already is far too much media to consume anyway. Subjecting yourself to Youtube's antics is not the solution.
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Comment on Strange YouTube watch-tracking behavior in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentYou can turn that off? Oh, thanks for that! I am so used to not be able to influence anything on Youtube that I didn't even think about looking it up.You can turn that off? Oh, thanks for that!
I am so used to not be able to influence anything on Youtube that I didn't even think about looking it up.
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Comment on Strange YouTube watch-tracking behavior in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentI experience this a lot. It is tied to one of the many annoyances of YouTube: there are only little space in the interface where one can rest the mouse pointer without something starting to...There's one that's somewhat infrequent, but sometimes YouTube seems to track how long a video plays when I hover over a thumbnail.
I experience this a lot. It is tied to one of the many annoyances of YouTube: there are only little space in the interface where one can rest the mouse pointer without something starting to play/animate.
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Comment on Microsoft is adding AI facial recognition to OneDrive and users can only turn it off three times a year in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentYeah, I must say I have watched his videos with actual interest on a couple of occasions. And that is because I really admire the mental gymnastics and skill with which he can turn the most...Yeah, I must say I have watched his videos with actual interest on a couple of occasions. And that is because I really admire the mental gymnastics and skill with which he can turn the most obvious non-issues, or otherwise idiotic statements, into such a rage-inducing video based on such flimsy evidence in a seemingly objective but actually very one-sided presentation. It really is hard to pull off, and he does it so effortlessly. It is mesmerizing.
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Comment on This site is fast in ~tildes
ewintr LinkNice to know there are more people that notice it. For me, speed is a (mostly) subconscious indicator of quality and trustworthiness, and I think it is sad that for most it is not a strong enough...Nice to know there are more people that notice it. For me, speed is a (mostly) subconscious indicator of quality and trustworthiness, and I think it is sad that for most it is not a strong enough factor to encourage websites to pay more attention to it.
At the same time, developers may not be encouraged to actively work on speed by their bosses, but I am regularly surprised how little intuition some have for what is achievable with modest means. We have been sending text and other data around the world for decades now and sure it looks a lot prettier these days, but if you take a moment to appreciate the huge improvements in hardware and connectivity that were made, you cannot be baffled by how little of that progress we get to enjoy on a day-to-day basis.
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Comment on What's a product or service that you use but don't want to pay for and why? in ~life
ewintr Link ParentI want a lot more: basic respect for the user. The fact that I have to install a browser extension just so I can view video titles in their original language is insane. The fact that a...The only thing I want is for ads to be non invasive. Midroll ads are disgusting and the default number they put in is only a net negative for the viewing experience.
I want a lot more: basic respect for the user. The fact that I have to install a browser extension just so I can view video titles in their original language is insane. The fact that a multibillion-dollar company can roll out such an utterly stupid feature and make it mandatory destroys all hope that anything good can come out of this.
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Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
ewintr LinkI went through a phase like this around ten years ago. At the time I wanted my living room to be completely disconnected from the internet. I am old enough to have started collecting music on...I went through a phase like this around ten years ago. At the time I wanted my living room to be completely disconnected from the internet. I am old enough to have started collecting music on physical media, so music-wise I had a good start, and at the time secondhand CDs and even vinyl were cheap.
But what I did miss was listening to my collection of concerts and DJ mixes ripped from YouTube, Soundcloud, etc. So I did the other thing I knew from my youth, and that was recording them on cassette tapes. I was able to score a couple of ridiculously expensive blank tapes. (5 euros for a normal Type I 60 min tape. Type I! My younger self would never forgive me for that.) The first one I opened was a magical experience. It was like my hands suddenly found an old lost friend again. I am not kidding, the physical sensation of opening the case felt exactly like that.
But alas, it did not stick. I recorded about ten tapes and occasionally listened to them, but it took too long to make new ones. On one hand I miss it, on the other hand I know that digital music is simply too convienient. I still am in control of my soundtrack though. I rebought the Logitech Squeezebox Duet I once had, installed Lyrion on my NAS and installed squeezelite on all my computers. Now I have a seamless, unified listening experience everywhere, free from the internet and algorithms. And the quality... well, even with Type II tapes it is simply no match.
I kept the cassette player. I looks cool next to my other stereo equipment.
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Comment on The video-game industry has a problem: there are too many games in ~games
ewintr Link ParentYou can also flip this around and conclude that, no matter how much you read, or how old you will become, there will always be something interesting and beautiful to read, watch or play. Yes, you...I remember being younger and being hit with this realization that not only are there more books than I could read in a lifetime, but more excellent books than I could ever read, even if I had a perfectly curated-to-me list (and mind you at this age we didn't have "the algorithm" to dictate such suggestions). And at the time, this filled me with great dread -- a certainty that I will be missing something beautiful and worthwhile.
You can also flip this around and conclude that, no matter how much you read, or how old you will become, there will always be something interesting and beautiful to read, watch or play.
Yes, you will not be able to consume it all. But that goes for countless things that are enjoyable. You cannot eat all the candy in your supermarket, let alone the candy of all the supermarkets. No-one is bothered by this.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentI am. There is no need at all to play into that human psychology, other than trying to sell more stuff. As a Linux user, I can afford myself the luxury to not change anything about my UI, and I...I get the need to periodically refresh any UI. Frankly it sucks but it is a response to real human psychology. I’m not going to complain about that.
I am. There is no need at all to play into that human psychology, other than trying to sell more stuff. As a Linux user, I can afford myself the luxury to not change anything about my UI, and I have been enjoying that for more than a decade now.
This might sound boring to some, but it is not. It simply shifts the focus from the window borders to what is inside those windows, and that can be as new and exciting as you want it to me. But one never has to wonder how that device that you have been using for years now suddenly works different from what you expect.
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Comment on Microsoft testing new AI features in Windows 11 File Explorer in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentI think the part of human nature that makes us get excited about shiny new things is more to blame.I think the part of human nature that makes us get excited about shiny new things is more to blame.
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Comment on Where's the Shovelware? in ~comp
ewintr Link ParentThen you would be wrong. I have over 25 years of experience and these days I use Claude Code almost full-time. That is because I am currently working in languages that I don't really know, but...I don’t think a developer with over 20 years experience is using it much for these things, the things that its good at.
Then you would be wrong. I have over 25 years of experience and these days I use Claude Code almost full-time.
That is because I am currently working in languages that I don't really know, but that are related to languages/technologies that I do know. Last week I spent two days setting up a (for me) complicated cloud configuration on GCP with Terraform. I have experience with Pulumi, I have experience with configuring those types of environments on GCP and AWS, but I had actually never used Terraform before. I can explain in clear terms what I want from Claude and I know which questions to ask when I read the code it spits out. In addition it turns out Claude is incredibly fast at writing gcloud commands that help debug something that isn't quite right. Really, if I had had to learn all that from the documentation, it would have taken me days extra, if not a week.
The weeks before that I was writing web services in Python. Same thing. I have over two decades of experience in writing internet backends, but somehow I have never done one in Python. I know how to ask for what I want and I know how to test and debug what I get back. Of course, I could have written it all by myself, and it would not have taken me months or weeks. But simply not having to worry about the exact syntax, or figuring out what the standard libraries for X or Y are, is a massive timesaver.
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentWell, there is also this: Trump administration weighs sanctions on officials implementing EU tech law, sources say So they are already bullying the EU out of that idea.Well, there is also this: Trump administration weighs sanctions on officials implementing EU tech law, sources say
So they are already
preparing forbullying the EU out of that idea. -
Comment on Spotify is adding direct messaging to their music streaming app in ~tech
ewintr Link ParentDon't worry. Soon they will release an AI music companion, so you have something to talk to.I can't see a reason to get DMs on a music sharing platform.
Don't worry. Soon they will release an AI music companion, so you have something to talk to.
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Comment on Norwegian prog/metal band Leprous covers "Take On Me" on the spot in ~music
ewintr LinkI have seen more videos from these series and I love them all. It is not often that you can see and follow the creative process before you see the final result. Often I find that process more...I have seen more videos from these series and I love them all. It is not often that you can see and follow the creative process before you see the final result. Often I find that process more interesting and entertaining.
It has something to do with all the possibilities and ideas that are floating around, things that might be. And when you get to the final song, it carries more impact than when you would just casually play it while browsing around.
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Comment on People who contribute to libre projects - how do you find time for this? in ~hobbies
ewintr Link ParentThis poses a conflict for me. I have firsthand experienced that, yes, volunteering can be like extending your workday without any compensation, and I have stopped multiple attempts to contribute...Then don't. Developers are a weird kind, there aren't many people who have a hobby that is identical to their job, and that can be unhealthy. Writing code on the side should be an enjoyable activity, not a chore, otherwise you're just extending your work day without any compensation.
This poses a conflict for me. I have firsthand experienced that, yes, volunteering can be like extending your workday without any compensation, and I have stopped multiple attempts to contribute just because of that.
But at the same time I find free and open software incredibly important for society, I have almost exclusively run free software on my devices for decades, and that includes the software I use to earn my income. In short, free software is a major factor in how I live my life, and I am immensely grateful that it exists.
Currently, I try to help out in other ways. I donate to projects I find important and I try to blog about the subject. On a local level, I try to nudge people around me to free alternative, but not too much as to avoid becoming that annoying 'digital vegan'.
I am confident that that all counts as contributing. But like the OP, knowing that I possess the skills to contribute code, and knowing how much there is to be done, leaves me unsatisfied with myself. After all, software development is generally well compensated. Wouldn't it be fair to do a bit more work without more income?
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Comment on Debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as “ugly and pornographic” in ~arts
ewintr Link ParentI guess it depends on whether the art is any good then. In my mind it was, but a city sponsored gala evening to erect a mural very much doesn't sound like it would produce something good. I...I guess it depends on whether the art is any good then. In my mind it was, but a city sponsored gala evening to erect a mural very much doesn't sound like it would produce something good. I entirely agree.
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Comment on Debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as “ugly and pornographic” in ~arts
ewintr Link ParentIs it? Saying "out loud" what everyone already feels is not a negative. It is getting one step closer to a solution. If anything, that is a useful application of art. Would you rather have...Imagine a mural in a busy downtown underground, where commuters must pass through every day to and from work. If they install something huge that speaks about the depression, pointlessness and monotony of day to day life, that's harmful to the community.
Is it? Saying "out loud" what everyone already feels is not a negative. It is getting one step closer to a solution. If anything, that is a useful application of art. Would you rather have everyone being miserable alone and by themselves?
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Comment on Tech keeps stealing my life, and I want tips on how to make it stop doing that in ~tech
ewintr LinkThe idea that the computer is a tool and that it should simply do what you want it to do has indeed slowly been eroding for years. Decades even. Although I recognize the struggle, I feel lucky...Every day, often 3-4 times a day, it is a regular point of stress, of contention in my life, deciding whether to devote hours (sometimes days) of my life to strong-arming software into working the way it was supposed to work in the first place, or to try my best to accept that we just can't have nice things on our computers, and move on.
The idea that the computer is a tool and that it should simply do what you want it to do has indeed slowly been eroding for years. Decades even. Although I recognize the struggle, I feel lucky that I learned to use computers before this started, because that means that I have a good intuition to discern whether something is hard because it is hard, or because the pile of software I am using is bad and not up to the task. Today, in 90% of the cases, it is the pile of software that is bad.
I think this came to be because, for various reasons, in software it is much easier to paper over problems than to actually solve them. Just add another layer, another app, or another framework, and it is "fixed". Sort of. In a Rube Goldberg machine kind of way. A contraption that grows and grows and becomes more unstable all the time.
There is no easy solution. What works for me, somewhat, is digital minimalism. Cut away as much as you can. Throw away everything that is not absolutely necessary. Try to find a few applications that work for you. Then become a master user of those apps.
Maybe LibreOffice is a good one for you, even though the handling of cell background colors is not (yet) up to par. But if you pick LibreOffice, make it a resolution to use it for at least five years. That way the time you spent on strong-arming it won't feel lost and the knowledge that you gain will compound over time.
Kudos for making it happen. I have dreamed of such a device many times. I have acquired a small collection of PDAs like a Psion Series 5 and an Atari Portfolio with the idea that the limitations of those devices would provide a natural filter to only sync the basics. While at the same time scratching my retro computer itch, of course.
But I never made any serious progress in actually using them. As it turns out, getting them connected to the modern world is not a trivial task. Your solution is for more realistic. Still hoping that one day I will get to it though.