gary's recent activity
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
gary Link ParentThis doesn't work if the key can't be tied back to your identity because then the generated keys could be sold. If the keys can be tied to your identity, then a government actor could subpoena...This doesn't work if the key can't be tied back to your identity because then the generated keys could be sold. If the keys can be tied to your identity, then a government actor could subpoena corporations and get an idea of what services you're using; not something people here would like, I imagine. To mitigate the black market of keys, you need to tie it to hardware attestation with in-person verification and short TTL for keys.
Apple/Google need to build out support for this to have a chance at privacy-preserving vouching.
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Comment on Need a replacement for my old macbook pro, should I just get another one? in ~comp
gary LinkAre you in the US? The MacBook Air 13 often goes for $850, but $750-$800 should be possible for it too at this point in its lifecycle. I'd check SlickDeals (set a deal alert to trigger). At $750,...Are you in the US? The MacBook Air 13 often goes for $850, but $750-$800 should be possible for it too at this point in its lifecycle. I'd check SlickDeals (set a deal alert to trigger). At $750, I just don't see there being a comparable Windows machine. The nice thing about the Apple Silicon series is that they're set-it-and-forget-it in a way I've never experienced before with computers. I'm running an M2 with 16gb of RAM and have not felt any desire to upgrade. I also have a gaming pc with a 5080 and 64gb of RAM and I'd rather use the Mac.
The M5 should release soon (iPad Pro already has it) and if it helps reassure you to have the extra year of improvements, it could be worth the price difference.
Oh yeah, you have to be okay with the stingy amount of storage Apple gives. While 16gb of memory works fine, 256gb of storage is kind of lame.
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
gary Link ParentI'm a software engineer working on a social platform that is not Discord, but their engineers and our engineers have crossed paths before. There is some overlap in thought, is my guess, as I'm not...I'm a software engineer working on a social platform that is not Discord, but their engineers and our engineers have crossed paths before. There is some overlap in thought, is my guess, as I'm not in leadership and just drawing my own conclusions.
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
gary Link ParentI'm not in disagreement with you, but whenever news of a child predator chatting with a child on a messaging/social platform hits, the general reaction is "how dare the platform not have caught...I'm not in disagreement with you, but whenever news of a child predator chatting with a child on a messaging/social platform hits, the general reaction is "how dare the platform not have caught this". The conversation isn't about the relatively low incident rate. It's not about educating parents to look after their children more. It's about blaming the platform. And again, I'm not saying platforms can't be more responsible. It's just that if the platform is confronted by this, the logical solution from their POV is to build age controls into their platforms.
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
gary Link ParentI work in the industry and this shit affects my livelihood. I almost lost my job because of this fear. I'm just describing the reality of the work that my colleagues have been putting in....I work in the industry and this shit affects my livelihood. I almost lost my job because of this fear. I'm just describing the reality of the work that my colleagues have been putting in.
Eventually, only children and trusted adults (parents, relatives, etc) will be able to talk with children. Random adult strangers will not be able to. This will be common across social platforms. This is my belief, anyway.
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Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech
gary Link ParentIt's not just pornography that they're worried about. It's child predators. Social platforms are racing now to get ahead of the looming threat of an outright ban from governments worried about...It's not just pornography that they're worried about. It's child predators. Social platforms are racing now to get ahead of the looming threat of an outright ban from governments worried about child predation. The public outrage when pedophiles groom children over the internet has reached a point that it is impossible to ignore. Something must be done; at least, that's the increasing sentiment.
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Comment on Alternative to Spotify? in ~music
gary Link ParentIIRC, all except one of the major streaming services (Deezer?) pay out a percentage of the revenue they make from you. Spotify and Apple Music pay out the same* percentage, but Spotify has a free...IIRC, all except one of the major streaming services (Deezer?) pay out a percentage of the revenue they make from you. Spotify and Apple Music pay out the same* percentage, but Spotify has a free tier that Apple doesn't, dragging down the revenue/stream numbers. As a paying user though, you wouldn't be impacted by that.
* I had heard Spotify added podcasts and audiobooks specifically to carve out a user's monthly payment into non-music so they could say less of the $12/month or whatever is earmarked for revenue sharing with artists.
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Comment on Lawsuit alleges that WhatsApp has no end-to-end encryption in ~tech
gary Link ParentIf 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?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?
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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.
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Comment on Where to buy mp3s legally? in ~music
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
And you would just sell a service that automates generates a key code right before use.