Fiachra's recent activity

  1. Comment on Ed Sheeran concerts at Robert Kraft stadiums cancelled over weather in ~music

    Fiachra
    Link
    There was a time when armies would alter their marching plans over omens like this.

    There was a time when armies would alter their marching plans over omens like this.

    14 votes

  2. Comment on OpenAI hacked Australia's Medicare portal in ~tech

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    My prior assumption is that if I personally accessed a sensitive government database I would go to jail regardless if I did damage or not. And so doing so through negligence wouldn't be treated...

    My prior assumption is that if I personally accessed a sensitive government database I would go to jail regardless if I did damage or not. And so doing so through negligence wouldn't be treated very differently.

    7 votes

  3. Comment on OpenAI hacked Australia's Medicare portal in ~tech

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    If you're responsible for a piece of machinery, or an animal, or whatever, you're legally on the hook for safely containing it. If you're negligent in that duty you get punished.

    If you're responsible for a piece of machinery, or an animal, or whatever, you're legally on the hook for safely containing it. If you're negligent in that duty you get punished.

    12 votes

  4. Comment on I'm not sure disinfo campaigns on X still work in ~tech

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    "we now go live to the official spokesperson for the liberal agenda... the dumbest tweet our intern could find"

    "we now go live to the official spokesperson for the liberal agenda... the dumbest tweet our intern could find"

    15 votes

  5. Comment on In fighting for every black child, did I forget my own? in ~life

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    Ive heard that going to a school where you're treated as an outsider by your peers has a negative effect on educational outcomes, and can obviously be traumatic as well.

    Ive heard that going to a school where you're treated as an outsider by your peers has a negative effect on educational outcomes, and can obviously be traumatic as well.

    8 votes

  6. Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    I'm kind of surprised more people haven't tried this same tactic: announcing the status quo as though they're new concessions. All he wants is the press release anyway, so even if he knows what...

    I'm kind of surprised more people haven't tried this same tactic: announcing the status quo as though they're new concessions. All he wants is the press release anyway, so even if he knows what you're doing he might still play along to get a perceived win.

    12 votes

  7. Comment on Brad Pitt returning for ‘World War Z’ sequel at Paramount with Edward Berger to direct in ~movies

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    The film gives the impression that it was an original unrelated script that just had the name slapped on it for marketing reasons. There's actually very little relation to the book at all, except...

    The film gives the impression that it was an original unrelated script that just had the name slapped on it for marketing reasons. There's actually very little relation to the book at all, except I suppose the specific countries that he visits. The starkest difference is that the book was good and the movie fucking sucked.

    7 votes

  8. Comment on Zack Snyder's ‘The Last Photograph’ is getting destroyed at TIFF: “Unabashedly sh*t on every level” in ~movies

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    Yeah but the bad guy had that cool shifting metal armour thing

    Yeah but the bad guy had that cool shifting metal armour thing

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom in ~society

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    In a way, this may be the closest thing they have to undoing that referendum. UK has been integrated into the EU since the seventies, the lifetime of many of its population. Maybe rejoining that...

    In a way, this may be the closest thing they have to undoing that referendum. UK has been integrated into the EU since the seventies, the lifetime of many of its population. Maybe rejoining that is closer to the familiar status quo than being chained to the post-brexit reality of Reform/Restore/whoever else.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom in ~society

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    Especially when the only movement in northern Ireland seeking independence from the UK is the one that wants to reunify with Ireland anyway.

    Especially when the only movement in northern Ireland seeking independence from the UK is the one that wants to reunify with Ireland anyway.

    10 votes

  11. Comment on Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom in ~society

    Fiachra
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    You have a lot more confidence in the modern IRA's resources and competence than most. In reality even if they could do that, it wouldn't serve their interests as well as just waiting for the...

    You have a lot more confidence in the modern IRA's resources and competence than most.

    In reality even if they could do that, it wouldn't serve their interests as well as just waiting for the clear transparent referendum win. It's been looking quite likely since brexit that the winds are blowing that way in the long term and it's more a matter of patiently awaiting the right moment to call the vote.

    16 votes

  12. Comment on Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom in ~society

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    "Conquered" implies military action. There is an agreed upon legal process for how unification of Ireland would happen and it involves referenda being held in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

    "Conquered" implies military action. There is an agreed upon legal process for how unification of Ireland would happen and it involves referenda being held in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

    24 votes

  13. Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life

    Fiachra
    Link
    I'm expecting my second child in a few weeks now, and the main reasoning was simply that I thought I could give them a good life. Even if the world goes down the tubes in absolute terms, or...

    I'm expecting my second child in a few weeks now, and the main reasoning was simply that I thought I could give them a good life.

    Even if the world goes down the tubes in absolute terms, or relative to the previous century of prosperity, they will be loved and supported and have local and familial ties that will get them through. And society will adapt to crises in surprising ways, as it always does.

    I also know for a fact that if I hadn't had kids, the "what if" would have haunted me.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on UN says world will miss its climate target, warming must be reversed in ~enviro

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    I think there are plenty of clear targets: oil pipelines, data centers, petrol stations, they could just start smashing every non-electric car they see in the street. I don't expect my eco...

    I think there are plenty of clear targets: oil pipelines, data centers, petrol stations, they could just start smashing every non-electric car they see in the street. I don't expect my eco terrorists to be super nuanced.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on UN says world will miss its climate target, warming must be reversed in ~enviro

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    To be honest I'm surprised we're not seeing more eco-terrorism these days, considering the stakes. Maybe the consequences are still too abstract to get people truly angry.

    To be honest I'm surprised we're not seeing more eco-terrorism these days, considering the stakes. Maybe the consequences are still too abstract to get people truly angry.

    10 votes

  16. Comment on Ig Nobel Prize winners 2026 in ~science

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    Splash free urinals have been "ten years away" for decades

    Splash free urinals have been "ten years away" for decades

    12 votes

  17. Comment on Adulting -- what advice or encouragement did you receive / wish you had received when you were just starting out moving out? in ~life

    Fiachra
    Link
    No matter what you do, from housework to home repair to career skills to social skills, you will be bad at it at first. It is a critical life skill for you to feel ZERO shame about this, because...

    No matter what you do, from housework to home repair to career skills to social skills, you will be bad at it at first. It is a critical life skill for you to feel ZERO shame about this, because that is a universal stage in the learning process, it must not deter you, because you will slow the rate of your learning, you must not hide it, because you will miss out on pointers and tips from others.

    Many around you, even people you respect, will see your badness as shameful or embarrassing, and you need to recognise this as their issue, not yours. Only a minority of people are truly comfortable to learn openly without shame, but anyone can be one of them.

    9 votes

  18. Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books

    Fiachra
    Link
    The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester is a Count of Monte Cristo story set in a space faring future where humanity has discovered an innate, teachable ability to teleport. The whole world it...

    The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester is a Count of Monte Cristo story set in a space faring future where humanity has discovered an innate, teachable ability to teleport. The whole world it describes is very fun and bombastic.

    There are gangs of bandits that follow the night side of earth by teleporting, raiding houses and stealing 24/7. The super rich demonstrate their wealth by never teleporting, and instead using the most expensive means of transport they can think of, which in one case means having rails put down specially to allow passage by antique steam train.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Gamergate but actually in ~games

    Fiachra
    Link Parent
    Even more so considering how we've seen the same tactic trotted out in every culture war episode since. People spontaneously developing a passion for historical accuracy in film when it lets them...

    Even more so considering how we've seen the same tactic trotted out in every culture war episode since. People spontaneously developing a passion for historical accuracy in film when it lets them dogpile a black actress, women's basketball when it lets them dogpile trans kids, etc etc etc. After all these years it's just pattern recognition.

    9 votes

  20. Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech

    Fiachra
    Link
    I'm in a years-long trend of the sites I once used getting enshittified one by one and giving them up. I'm getting better at catching myself in the "I'm only logging on out of habit" stage and...

    I'm in a years-long trend of the sites I once used getting enshittified one by one and giving them up. I'm getting better at catching myself in the "I'm only logging on out of habit" stage and just pulling the plug. I'm deliberately not seeking out replacements because I recognise social media is designed to be an addiction. If the addiction naturally ends, why seek out another?

    A few weeks ago the game I was using to kill time, almost my last source of brain rot, started crashing every time I played it and something in my brain finally un-broke. I've read two full books in the last 12 days, a habit I've been trying to build for years, mostly sitting out on my porch after my toddler is gone to bed. Stress-wise I'm feeling better than I have in years.

    10 votes