gary's recent activity
-
Comment on Lawsuit alleges that WhatsApp has no end-to-end encryption in ~tech
-
Comment on Gold tops $4,900/oz; silver and platinum extend record‑setting rally in ~finance
gary Link ParentThe paycheck to paycheck thing is a misleading stat that keeps getting repeated but it's not true. It's true if you discount all the savings that they have in the form of home equity, retirement...The paycheck to paycheck thing is a misleading stat that keeps getting repeated but it's not true. It's true if you discount all the savings that they have in the form of home equity, retirement accounts, and other forms of investments. And then pretend that preferring to pay with a credit card means that they couldn't pay an expense otherwise. Seriously, that's how the articles always frame it if you dig enough. Check the median net worth of an American and see how it couldn't possibly jive.
-
Comment on Where to buy mp3s legally? in ~music
-
Comment on Where to buy mp3s legally? in ~music
gary LinkApple iTunes/Music has an alright selection of Chinese songs for my parents. Maybe they do well with Swedish music too? The files come DRM-free. I'm not sure any source sells popular audiobooks...Apple iTunes/Music has an alright selection of Chinese songs for my parents. Maybe they do well with Swedish music too? The files come DRM-free.
I'm not sure any source sells popular audiobooks DRM-free.
-
Comment on Curl will end its bug bounty program by the end of January due to excessive AI generated reports in ~comp
gary Link ParentYes, this was my experience with H1 reports as well. It's a lot more work than most people expect. There's also the back-and-forth with reporters because they have a financial incentive to push...Yes, this was my experience with H1 reports as well. It's a lot more work than most people expect. There's also the back-and-forth with reporters because they have a financial incentive to push for their report to be accepted and paid out. That exchange takes a while because you're also trying to not piss them off. If they are a legitimate reporter that happened to just have a bad report, you want to be polite enough that they don't withhold a real vulnerability in the future. One report/day would have made me very miserable and I was paid to work on that stuff (not as my main work).
-
Comment on Why everyone is suddenly in a ‘very Chinese time’ in their lives in ~tech
gary Link ParentJapan mentioned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might end up causing Japan to be drawn into a war, this is a security issue, and China is now withholding rare earth metals from Japan. This...Japan mentioned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might end up causing Japan to be drawn into a war, this is a security issue, and China is now withholding rare earth metals from Japan. This threatens to crush entire industries. This happened in the early 2010s too. Or that time when Sweden didn't turn over a Chinese dissident to the Chinese government, so China quietly stopped issuing export licenses of graphene to a Swedish battery company, shuttering its doors. One way or another, if you want to do business with the Chinese, you'll need to bend to their politics eventually.
-
Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
gary Link ParentOh hey, I'm one of those that dropped out because they taught Java and C first! I came back after self-studying Ruby; everything started clicking once I started thinking about logic rather than...Oh hey, I'm one of those that dropped out because they taught Java and C first! I came back after self-studying Ruby; everything started clicking once I started thinking about logic rather than implementation details. The school did try building blocks first, but when I came back, I saw through the veil and understood that they were really bad at it, thus laying a poor foundation. I'd guess at least 2/3 of all professors are not very good at teaching programming.
-
Comment on Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products in ~transport
gary Link Parent2026 RAV4s are only in hybrid now and starting at $32k. Sure, used RAV4s are really expensive, but that's because purchasers are baking in the expectation that a RAV4 will run reliably for the...2026 RAV4s are only in hybrid now and starting at $32k. Sure, used RAV4s are really expensive, but that's because purchasers are baking in the expectation that a RAV4 will run reliably for the next two decades. But for a new RAV4, around the $30k-$40k range, I cannot make the math work out where an EV saves any money. YMMV, but in Chicago, I think the two are breakeven if calculating costs over a ten year period. In the Bay Area, you're probably losing money by getting an EV.
EDIT: I'll say, if the Ariya drives like an ICE, that would put it on my radar for a 2027+ model year then!
-
Comment on Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products in ~transport
gary (edited )Link ParentYou're comparing a discontinued car (Ariya) that can only be bought used to a brand new RAV4. The Ariya being used and discontinued is going to be cheap for those reasons. When a decade passes,...You're comparing a discontinued car (Ariya) that can only be bought used to a brand new RAV4. The Ariya being used and discontinued is going to be cheap for those reasons. When a decade passes, what will repairs to the Ariya look like? The RAV4, on the other hand, is one of the best selling vehicles on the planet and every shop is going to have cheap and abundant parts for it. MSRP for the Ariya was ~$40k for the base trim and up to $56k for the top trim. and the reason it's discontinued is because for that price, it was not good and no one bought it.
-
Comment on Wyoming high court rejects state abortion ban with thoughtful opinion in ~society
gary Link ParentOh I know people are still homophobic. But there's no serious threat of a nationwide repeal of gay marriage and that's a big step up from when I was growing up and "gay" was a casual insult you'd...Oh I know people are still homophobic. But there's no serious threat of a nationwide repeal of gay marriage and that's a big step up from when I was growing up and "gay" was a casual insult you'd hear thrown around in a blue city.
-
Comment on Apple to partner with Google for Gemini access on iPhones, Apple Intelligence to power on device assistant in ~tech
gary Link ParentI'll never forget the time I said "Siri, call FIRST_NAME" and it replied "Sorry, couldn't find a phone number for LAST_NAME". It had clearly found the contact info since it found the last name of...I'll never forget the time I said "Siri, call FIRST_NAME" and it replied "Sorry, couldn't find a phone number for LAST_NAME". It had clearly found the contact info since it found the last name of that contact, but then it just broke. Could never repro it again.
-
Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
gary Link ParentYes, I got that. I'm saying that's not enough. By bringing up oil prior to that sentence but not communism, the sentence still serves to imply that it was oil that made the US get involved. It...Yes, I got that. I'm saying that's not enough. By bringing up oil prior to that sentence but not communism, the sentence still serves to imply that it was oil that made the US get involved. It doesn't matter that you add communism "respectively" because you had already set the tone to be oil. Furthermore the context of this whole thread is about Venezuela with implications of oil as motivation. The reality is that you wrote the original paragraph with oil in mind. Shoehorning communism in doesn't help when the US didn't belong in the Iran oil conversation to begin with. To make it accurate, just remove all traces of the US.
-
Comment on Wyoming high court rejects state abortion ban with thoughtful opinion in ~society
gary LinkA ray of sunshine. Are we getting to the inflection point on abortion where, like gay marriage, it was villainized, accepted in blue states, before it suddenly became universally* accepted? A...A ray of sunshine. Are we getting to the inflection point on abortion where, like gay marriage, it was villainized, accepted in blue states, before it suddenly became universally* accepted? A panel of five Republican judges striking down an abortion ban is extraordinary.
* Well, as universal as anything can realistically get.
-
Comment on ‘Sell America’ returns to Wall Street after Donald Trump ups the ante against Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve in ~society
gary Link ParentYeah it happens a lot with breaking news on the markets tbh. They know it gets clicks so they'll never stop. My rule of thumb is if the market doesn't move at least 3%, I don't think it's a big...Yeah it happens a lot with breaking news on the markets tbh. They know it gets clicks so they'll never stop. My rule of thumb is if the market doesn't move at least 3%, I don't think it's a big deal. Fluctuations happen and trying to divine the reason will drive one mad. If it's at night, I take a look at S&P 500 futures for a rough idea of what to expect and it was barely moving yesterday.
-
Comment on ‘Sell America’ returns to Wall Street after Donald Trump ups the ante against Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve in ~society
gary Link ParentWhere did CNN get this data? Did they hop on the trading floor and interview a significant number of traders who mentioned they would "Sell America"? Did they look at the market and see there was...Investors took one look at the Trump administration’s criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and decided to resuscitate the “Sell America” trade, selling off US stocks, bonds and the dollar.
Where did CNN get this data? Did they hop on the trading floor and interview a significant number of traders who mentioned they would "Sell America"? Did they look at the market and see there was basically no movement (including pre-market)? No. CNN and almost every single breaking financial news article makes a wild guess as to what's happening. Short-term analysis is almost all worthless.
What's happening with Powell is a travesty and may have long term ramifications, but CNN is just making shit up right now.
-
Comment on Peter Thiel's new model army. The Palantirisation of the UK military is a national security disaster. in ~society
gary Link ParentIt is not the same as the posturing that the US does when it puts a carrier in a contentious region. When the US does it, there is an implied threat. There's the subtlety of teenagers at prom when...It is not the same as the posturing that the US does when it puts a carrier in a contentious region. When the US does it, there is an implied threat. There's the subtlety of teenagers at prom when they do it. There is zero, absolutely zero, threat implied to the US by the proposed European forces. It's currently popular from leftists to frame these European moves as the continent standing up to the US; I saw other similarly bad headlines the other day. The real situation is that Europe is trying to appease Trump on the security posturing that they frankly were warned about two decades ago but did not prepare for, hence the scrambling. They are not implying use of force against the US because it would be the hollowest of threats given their security situation. The only credible threat Europe has are diplomatic and economic.
-
Comment on UK Conservative party would ban under-16s from social media in ~society
gary Link ParentI'm pretty sure secure elements are cheap at this point. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 to be available; Microsoft wouldn't make that move unless it was easily ubiquitous else they would be skewering...I'm pretty sure secure elements are cheap at this point. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 to be available; Microsoft wouldn't make that move unless it was easily ubiquitous else they would be skewering their own market share.
Also, having the token on a phone doesn't really remove the possibility for a black market, only abstracts it.
The way this would work is that your phone/laptop/whatever's secure element would hold a signed verification that you are Tom Scott born 1980 and whenever an age challenge comes up, the secure element would require a biometric check from the known Tom Scott before releasing a token verifying that Tom Scott is 18+. There can't be a widespread black market here because even if Tom Scott sold his phone to someone hoping to pretend to be Tom Scott, the secure element wouldn't release a token without a valid biometric check.
Physical tokens is just adding a human element to the above and leaking tokens into an unsecured medium of exchange. It makes no sense aside from not requiring a phone, but the countries debating these checks are already moved into near-universal ownership of phones so I'm not seeing this to be a huge problem.
-
Comment on UK Conservative party would ban under-16s from social media in ~society
gary Link ParentThis sounds like it would be really easy to develop a black market for. If the tokens are not tied back to the identity of the person (for privacy), then the token could just be sold. Being...This sounds like it would be really easy to develop a black market for. If the tokens are not tied back to the identity of the person (for privacy), then the token could just be sold. Being illegal is not a strong deterrent if the means of detection is basically zero. A better system would be this same token system but rather than buying from a store, have it be tied to your phone's secure element. A government office could verify an ID to a phone, anonymous short-lived tokens are generated against that identity, and the tokens are tied to biometrics. Safe, private, and secure.
-
Comment on Nose dilators in ~health
gary Link ParentI just ordered "Intake Breathing Magnetic Nasal Strips" because of what you wrote here. I had tried Breathe Right strips before but did not keep up with them. I've been using mouth tape lately and...I just ordered "Intake Breathing Magnetic Nasal Strips" because of what you wrote here. I had tried Breathe Right strips before but did not keep up with them. I've been using mouth tape lately and it feels like an improvement, so I'm curious to see if this adds to that. I learned that the Intake strips could potentially work with my mouth tape cut into strips for a cheap alternative to buying refills.
-
Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech
gary Link ParentIn addition to the awesome gestures with a trackpad, I highly encourage getting out of the "tap-to-click" mindset of Windows users coming from shitty trackpads. If you (@first-must-burn) take...In addition to the awesome gestures with a trackpad, I highly encourage getting out of the "tap-to-click" mindset of Windows users coming from shitty trackpads. If you (@first-must-burn) take advantage of the fact that a "physical" click on a Mac trackpad feels the exactly same anywhere on the trackpad, you can save time by just clicking rather than tapping.
Tapping is popular on Windows because most trackpads there physically move, so different points on a trackpad will feel different and have different resistance. On a Mac trackpad, it's a pane of glass mimicking a click by using a vibration upon sensing pressure, thus allowing for a consistent feel anywhere. Adjust the pressure required to click to your preference!
If the intermediary has a copy of your keys, I'd argue it's not E2EE. It's merely E (encryption). How else would you differentiate between encryption and E2EE meaningfully?