first-must-burn's recent activity
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Comment on Opinion piece: I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day. in ~life.women
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
first-must-burn Link ParentThey are super fun, so maybe someday! I think a house with all those big animals would be pretty stressful for them, so it's probably for the best for now.They are super fun, so maybe someday! I think a house with all those big animals would be pretty stressful for them, so it's probably for the best for now.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
first-must-burn Linkhttps://imgur.com/a/d7s4iqZ Meet Crumb (all black), Mallow (gray with the white tummy), Pickle (White/light gray) and Cocoa (black with the white tummy) Pickle and Cocoa are new, and we have been...Meet Crumb (all black), Mallow (gray with the white tummy), Pickle (White/light gray) and Cocoa (black with the white tummy)
Pickle and Cocoa are new, and we have been integrating them with Crumb and Mallow over the last two months. We had added the second level to the cage, and last night we were finally able to open up the expanded levels.
They are all super sweet and each has her own personality and quirks. It's super fun to see them all exploring their new place. It really highlights their curious nature.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
first-must-burn Link ParentI'm so sorry for your loss. Sounds like she was the best of the bestest girls.I'm so sorry for your loss. Sounds like she was the best of the bestest girls.
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Comment on My personal AI assistant project in ~tech
first-must-burn LinkHonestly, this is the kind of thing I've been looking for. A smarter (smartish) personal assistant with some persistent memory seems like a great use case for LLMs. Hooking it up to a messaging...Honestly, this is the kind of thing I've been looking for. A smarter (smartish) personal assistant with some persistent memory seems like a great use case for LLMs.
Hooking it up to a messaging interface is an interesting idea, since it would open up the collaborative aspect (anyone in the chat can request an addition, and see others' requests).
The extra piece I want is a "live mode" (I have not used it, But I think gemini pro is this) that I can activate through android auto or my phone for conversational interface. Use cases:
- Advanced calendar management - looking at all our calendars for context so I can say things like "add an appointment for me to take my daughter to X" and have it say, "you have basketball/chess/whatever" scheduled for time X, which only leaves you X time to get there/eat dinner/etc"
- General knowledge lookup with conversational followup
- List / notes management - being able to enumerate existing notes, find the relevant one, add or edit it, etc (basically a generalization of to the grocery list use case)
- Multichannel messaging - more advanced capability to write and revise messages and approve then to be sent to the appropriate text group, email, etc.
Archiving the live mode as that history and being able to go back and forth between the live and chat modes for the same conversations seems like a great way to manage the interface.
I just need a week (or seven) where the world is on pause. Also, while I'm asking, a warm bed, a kind word, and unlimited power.
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Comment on Slop and guilt in ~talk
first-must-burn Link ParentThe hilariously practical reason why He-man rides a tiger -
Comment on Slop and guilt in ~talk
first-must-burn LinkI will say, I went back to watch He-Man and Thundercats, and I was like, "wow, I must have been trash as a 6 year old for liking this." It has many of the things you described. Really though, I...I will say, I went back to watch He-Man and Thundercats, and I was like, "wow, I must have been trash as a 6 year old for liking this." It has many of the things you described.
Really though, I think there's probably something comforting about the predictability. Kids (and maybe adults too) want to know what to expect. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. You can't challenge your brain 24-7. Sometimes you just gotta watch the clouds go by.
In the end, if you like it, and you are otherwise functioning at an age-appropriate level, I think it's okay. I don't know if it helps for a random internet stranger to give you permission not to feel guilty, but here I am.
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Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
first-must-burn Link ParentI'm glad everyone's not like me. We'd be insufferable with just ourselves.I'm glad everyone's not like me. We'd be insufferable with just ourselves.
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Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
first-must-burn LinkI dislike tudor-style houses. They are too busy and the details don't seem well connected. Every time I see one, I think "ugh".I dislike tudor-style houses. They are too busy and the details don't seem well connected. Every time I see one, I think "ugh".
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Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
first-must-burn Link ParentI think I'd feel differently about it if the "look" was tied to a real community or cultural heritage, but here in the US, we have miles of suburban development that are basically the "mcdonalds"...I think I'd feel differently about it if the "look" was tied to a real community or cultural heritage, but here in the US, we have miles of suburban development that are basically the "mcdonalds" of neighborhoods - mediocre, safe, and predictable. Unfortunately unless you happen to be particularly wealthy or particularly handy, there are not many alternatives.
Also, it makes me think of: Malvina Reynolds
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Comment on Flu shot: US Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, company says in ~health
first-must-burn (edited )Link ParentI spent some time listening to a podcast called American Prestige. It's political history with the view of America as waning empire. Them did some great series on Afghanistan, Vietnam, even...I spent some time listening to a podcast called American Prestige. It's political history with the view of America as waning empire. Them did some great series on Afghanistan, Vietnam, even Israel. It was very eye opening. Most of my history classes stopped at the civil war, but I think a clear eyed overview of reconstruction to the present would be good. I have s coy of Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States but so little time to read these days.
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Comment on Flu shot: US Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, company says in ~health
first-must-burn Link ParentUndoubtedly they could have gotten plenty of money for it, but I don't think it was a question of money. They recognized the strategic potential of the mRNA technology for future vaccines and...Undoubtedly they could have gotten plenty of money for it, but I don't think it was a question of money. They recognized the strategic potential of the mRNA technology for future vaccines and beyond. Them chose that over saving millions of lives. I suppose that's not the first time, and won't be the last.
My struggle (as an American) is that we were taught growing up about what an amazing country America is, and the reality is a rug pull that I do not know how to recover from.
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Comment on Flu shot: US Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, company says in ~health
first-must-burn LinkThe irony of this is that, during the pandemic, the US held on to the mRNA technology because it represents a strategic advantage. At that time we could have "open sourced" the technology which...The irony of this is that, during the pandemic, the US held on to the mRNA technology because it represents a strategic advantage. At that time we could have "open sourced" the technology which would have greatly expanded access to COVID vaccines across the globe.
Now we are squandering that "advantage" in order to pander to the anti-science brigade. What a world.
Aside: I don't agree with either move, but the inconsistency is an added layer of WTF that makes the world feel surreal.
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Comment on Joy of sharing a creation replaced by a longing sadness in ~talk
first-must-burn LinkKind of a noob question here (noob with respect to internet censorship), if someone were to run a server with Hetzner that you could use as a proxy, would that open things to for you? I imagine...Kind of a noob question here (noob with respect to internet censorship), if someone were to run a server with Hetzner that you could use as a proxy, would that open things to for you? I imagine that isn't a large scale solution, but would it work on an individual/small-scale basis?
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
first-must-burn LinkI watched In The Lost Lands (Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista). Think Resident Evil meets Mad Max. Nothing earth shattering, but a fun watch. My head-canon theory... (spoilers) ... Is that Gray Alys...I watched In The Lost Lands (Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista). Think Resident Evil meets Mad Max. Nothing earth shattering, but a fun watch.
My head-canon theory... (spoilers)
...
Is that Gray Alys is actually Alice from the Resident Evil movies, living long into the future due to the T virus, and that the fall of civilization was due to the T virus outbreak. -
Comment on Bad Bunny Superbowl LX halftime show in ~music
first-must-burn Link ParentGreat point. Now that you mention it, I do remember that. It's all a change in direction from the way they locked out Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem. That, with the...Last year's half-time show, starring Kendrick Lamar, was political as well. It even featured Samuel L Jackson as America's "Uncle Sam," with some sarcastic quips about the country.
Great point. Now that you mention it, I do remember that.
It's all a change in direction from the way they locked out Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem. That, with the concussion stuff, had made me mostly post-
footballhandegg. This was the only game we watches this year (or last year).But still I'm glad to see the change. I'll take it from any quarter.
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Comment on Bad Bunny Superbowl LX halftime show in ~music
first-must-burn LinkI have to say, I think this is the most interesting super bowl half time performance I've ever watched. I don't speak spanish, and I didn't know who Bad Bunny was ahead of time, but I really...I have to say, I think this is the most interesting super bowl half time performance I've ever watched. I don't speak spanish, and I didn't know who Bad Bunny was ahead of time, but I really enjoyed the little narrative touches and the music overall.
I thought the stage setup and the props were really interesting. I'm searching for the right words ... maybe simple (in a good way) and authentic and charming. It was a refreshing change from animated, motorized stages, crazy light shows, and pyrotechnics.
I don't know if I should read too much into it as a political message, but it's hard to see it as anything other than political. I know he's Puerto Rican, which is a territory of the US, but I don't think that kind of nuance matters to the racist Trump supporters. So to see an organization like the NFL make a statement like this good, I think? Watching the show felt like a small sparkle of hope.
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Comment on What do dreams mean? in ~science
first-must-burn Link ParentI'm glad you got out, and hope you are happy doing whatever you're doing now. I was in grad school for 9 years. It was Not Good for my mental health at all. I stayed in toward the end due to the...I'm glad you got out, and hope you are happy doing whatever you're doing now.
I was in grad school for 9 years. It was Not Good for my mental health at all. I stayed in toward the end due to the difficulty of explaining the resume gap if I didn't finish. But also, my advisor had a great deal of empathy, even setting up 2 semesters of medical leave so I could deal with the depression stuff. Without that, I might not have finished anyway.
It's hard to say I wish I had done it differently because it had such a profound effect on my life and career that I can barely imagine my life otherwise. I met my wife here, and I would not have had the connections / qualifications for what I did for the first 15 years of my career.
But I definitely try to paint a realistic picture of the true cost of a phd program for people who ask.
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
first-must-burn Link ParentI mean, holy shit, that's a hell of a throwaway line in an already interesting post. I suppose you can't talk about it, but that's really cool.I'm currently helping with Brandon Sanderon's upcoming book, The Fires of December.
I mean, holy shit, that's a hell of a throwaway line in an already interesting post. I suppose you can't talk about it, but that's really cool.
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Comment on What do dreams mean? in ~science
first-must-burn Link ParentI actually had the "forgot about the big exam" one happen to me in real life. I thought the test was a week away, so I had only sort of started studying. Fortunately, I had already updated my...I actually had the "forgot about the big exam" one happen to me in real life. I thought the test was a week away, so I had only sort of started studying. Fortunately, I had already updated my formula sheet, so at least I had that ready.
I'm curious where you grew up, because where I grew up (East Texas), it never even progressed past that. Sexism and misogyny deeply pervade the culture. Women are held to an impossible standard: be beautiful, but not slutty. Be thin, but not too thin. Don't be picky about food, but don't like it too much. The double standard around sex and virginity is very damaging. It did number on my sister, and I definitely would not raise my daughter there. I know there's nothing I can do to protect her from it except to prepare her to believe that it's wrong and believe that she deserves better.
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