gary's recent activity
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Comment on Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures in ~finance
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Comment on How funerals keep Africa poor in ~life
gary Link ParentYou mean this statistic? It conflates aid with debt repayments and business profits. Okay, what is the solution? 1) No countries are allowed to make loans to African countries/business/entities....You mean this statistic? It conflates aid with debt repayments and business profits. Okay, what is the solution? 1) No countries are allowed to make loans to African countries/business/entities. 2) Non-African companies are not allowed to operate in Africa. Cool, you've wrecked the economy and destroyed free trade. I thought Tildes was very much for free trade when the US tariffs were being enacted..
To reply to myself:
No countries are allowed to make loans to African countries/business/entities.
If a loan is made, the loaner expects to be repaid and with interest. Otherwise, there wouldn't be many loans being made. Few people are willing to flip a coin where heads they break even, and tails they lose their money.
Non-African companies are not allowed to operate in Africa.
Part of the complaint in the link is that companies made profits and brought them back to their original countries. If you prevent this, then foreign companies will not invest. This is fine, but goes against the grain of the last few decades of liberals pushing for free trade (see Krugman). If we now think that we should keep American dollars in the US and British pounds in the UK, then an isolationist policy from America would be in line with this.
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Comment on Finland tears up nuclear weapons ban in NATO shift – decision clears way for Helsinki to receive, transport and facilitate movement of nuclear weapons on its territory in ~society
gary Link ParentI agree in general that a weakened NATO results in increased nuclear proliferation, but in this case with Finland having just joined NATO 3 years ago, this move feels justified and would have...I agree in general that a weakened NATO results in increased nuclear proliferation, but in this case with Finland having just joined NATO 3 years ago, this move feels justified and would have happened (IMO) regardless of Trump or Harris as president. Even if the US hadn't gone down this dark path, any sane country bordering Russia should be thinking hard about deterrence.
By the way, one thing I forgot to mention is that this change, IIUC, also allows for the transport of nuclear material through Finland as well as into Finland. As part of NATO, there could be reasons for this in the future. Perhaps a submarine needs to stop by a port. This was signaled back in early 2024.
Stubbs' view is that, as Finland has joined NATO without any limiting conditions, it should be a full member. To him, that means not excluding NATO's preventive protection, which includes nuclear deterrence. He also states that “transport [of nuclear weapons] through Finland is not the same as permanent stationing,” which can indicate a willingness to alter Finland's' current legislation on nuclear energy, which forbids the transport, manufacture, possession, and detonation of nuclear charges in Finland.
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Comment on Finland tears up nuclear weapons ban in NATO shift – decision clears way for Helsinki to receive, transport and facilitate movement of nuclear weapons on its territory in ~society
gary Link ParentThis move has nothing to do with proliferation of nuclear weapons due to US actions. The move was made not so that Finland could build nukes; it was to allow NATO allies (aka the US in this case)...This move has nothing to do with proliferation of nuclear weapons due to US actions. The move was made not so that Finland could build nukes; it was to allow NATO allies (aka the US in this case) to be able to move nukes into Finland if Russian aggression necessitated it later. I say this is for the US specifically because Finland joining NATO was a clear indicator that it had no faith in the EU mutual defense treaty, instead opting to join a US-backed one. This move happened during the Biden years and the Finnish push towards increased defense spending was a direct result of Russia invading Ukraine. Finland also shares a border with Russia and has a history of being aggressed upon by Russia.
All of this was in the makings before Trump's second presidency. The uptick in spending happened immediately after the invasion of Ukraine. You could absolutely point out that Finland is now interested in the UK's and France's nuclear umbrellas as a result of Trump's erratic actions, but this move specifically that we're commenting on, in addition to the increase in military spending, has nothing to do with America-bad and all to do with Russian action. To say something like "Russia as the catalyst, but the US as the real cause" is not accurate.
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Comment on Iran war live: US, Tehran confirm ‘peace deal’ reached in ~society
gary Link ParentSearch the quotes and the hits are this "drop site news" and Facebook.Search the quotes and the hits are this "drop site news" and Facebook.
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Comment on Did wokeness leave us worse off? (gifted link) in ~society
gary Link ParentUh, I only brought it up because Drewbahr mentioned that they spent over an hour to write their comment. If they want to complain about the length of it, then I will point out that it was...The ongoing debate about how other people are writing their comments and whether they should or shouldn't is exhausting too.
Uh, I only brought it up because Drewbahr mentioned that they spent over an hour to write their comment. If they want to complain about the length of it, then I will point out that it was self-inflicted. Otherwise, I left the comment in peace until then.
I didn't mention you at all, so why are you assuming I meant you? For the part about Drewbahr, I mentioned their writing style in the thread that was started by them and I also then added a direct reply to them as well; I don't think it's considered talking behind their back if I do this, but opinions can differ here. Also, isn't this policing how comments are being written?
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Comment on Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures in ~finance
gary Link Parent80x could be possible if all the revenue was forward heavy into 2026. We weren't spending that much at Anthropic in 2025, but in 2026 we've bumped our budget up 2-3 times already and at...80x could be possible if all the revenue was forward heavy into 2026. We weren't spending that much at Anthropic in 2025, but in 2026 we've bumped our budget up 2-3 times already and at $2000/month/engineer now.
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Comment on Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures in ~finance
gary Link ParentPrivate companies don't report GAAP; they usually don't report anything at all.Private companies don't report GAAP; they usually don't report anything at all.
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Comment on Did wokeness leave us worse off? (gifted link) in ~society
gary Link ParentThis comment displays signs that you went into it ready to disagree with it no matter what it said. Not only do I completely disagree with you when you say that the speakers are not addressing...This comment displays signs that you went into it ready to disagree with it no matter what it said. Not only do I completely disagree with you when you say that the speakers are not addressing their stated topic, but some of these criticisms are snarky for no reason whatsoever.
Frat houses, "hotbeds of the R word"? Shocking. That's consistent with literally every frat I've ever known.
That part was merely conveying a description that a college student told them. The description was about a change where more frat houses sprang up post-Trump and what it did to campus culture. To be mad at the speakers here makes no sense. If you choose to be snarky and come in with preconceived notions to respond play-by-play rather than listening to the message first, then you have merely wasted your own time in an attempt to appear to be "fair" to @TreeFiddyFiddy.
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Comment on Did wokeness leave us worse off? (gifted link) in ~society
gary Link ParentThe reason it took Drewbawr an hour to put the post together is because they insisted on writing the response as they read it. They could have instead read the thing in 20 minutes and then...The reason it took Drewbawr an hour to put the post together is because they insisted on writing the response as they read it. They could have instead read the thing in 20 minutes and then responded. In fact, I'm so disappointed by the response to Drewbawr's comments because it shows that few people actually read the damn article. The way Drewbawr's comment reads, it only makes sense if it disregards context which it constantly does since it's responding to sentences without regard for what came before/after. It's a reactionary piece that doesn't manage to first understand what the speakers are saying before responding. It's playing to the audience here at Tildes who like to imagine they're so educated but simultaneously intentionally choosing to not read.
What does the article boil down to? Some of the actions taken in the last decade were performative, not effective at bringing about progressive change, and became mainstream which drove a counter-culture. None of that should be controversial for anyone paying attention unless the reader believes that their black square profile picture was super duper effective.
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Comment on US landlords want to be paid for pandemic losses and hope to reach a deal with the Donald Trump administration in ~finance
gary Link ParentI don't doubt that! It's all over Tildes and Reddit (one of many overlapping opinions). But until people actually sink money into it, I think they're being a bit too dismissive of the costs of...I don't doubt that! It's all over Tildes and Reddit (one of many overlapping opinions). But until people actually sink money into it, I think they're being a bit too dismissive of the costs of providing a rental unit.
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Comment on US landlords want to be paid for pandemic losses and hope to reach a deal with the Donald Trump administration in ~finance
gary Link ParentThis idea that landlords view real estate as risk-free investments is a straw man. I've never heard any landlords claim that; it's almost always the opposite. Otherwise, maybe @Sycamore should be...This idea that landlords view real estate as risk-free investments is a straw man. I've never heard any landlords claim that; it's almost always the opposite. Otherwise, maybe @Sycamore should be throwing every dollar into real estate.
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Comment on US landlords want to be paid for pandemic losses and hope to reach a deal with the Donald Trump administration in ~finance
gary Link ParentThey did! Multiple people I knew got an extra $600/week in addition to the standard unemployment. I think in general trying to make everyone as whole as possible is a good thing. Edit: I don't...due to job loss due to the pandemic but they're not getting taxpayer money in compensation
They did! Multiple people I knew got an extra $600/week in addition to the standard unemployment. I think in general trying to make everyone as whole as possible is a good thing.
Edit: I don't think the average American lost their job either. Unemployment was 14.8% at the peak which absolutely sucked, but isn't the average experience.
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Comment on Is British English actually better than American English? in ~humanities.languages
gary Link ParentWhat words do you find are hard for your grandfather or kids to understand in each direction? I'm curious as a biased Midwesterner which of our words are hard to understand!What words do you find are hard for your grandfather or kids to understand in each direction? I'm curious as a biased Midwesterner which of our words are hard to understand!
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Comment on Looking for general monitor advice in ~tech
gary Link ParentJoin us in /r/HiDPI_monitors/ if you're not already! The "barely filtering" part is finally happening. @Tiraon I didn't initially suggest this as ~$1k is a lot for a monitor, but there are options...Join us in /r/HiDPI_monitors/ if you're not already! The "barely filtering" part is finally happening. @Tiraon I didn't initially suggest this as ~$1k is a lot for a monitor, but there are options out there if you're looking for high DPI monitors.
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Comment on Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapse in ~transport
gary Link ParentBut we know that this future resulted in a certainty of less competition. The counterfactual where Spirit and JetBlue merged would have, at worst, matched this reality. At best, it would have been...But we know that this future resulted in a certainty of less competition. The counterfactual where Spirit and JetBlue merged would have, at worst, matched this reality. At best, it would have been better for the consumer. That it's only been 2 years means that Spirit was close enough to the brink in 2024, people working to block the merger could have foreseen this reality.
Companies going under is a sign of (or at least one of the signs of) the market working.
In general, I agree with this sentiment, but it seems wrong to use Spirit going under as an example of the market working when it's a direct consequence of government intervention in the market.
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Comment on Looking for general monitor advice in ~tech
gary (edited )Link Parent1440p at 27" is so low density compared to everything else these days that I can't stand them! 4K costs only slightly more, the extra compute required is basically nil, and rescaling on Windows...1440p at 27" is so low density compared to everything else these days that I can't stand them! 4K costs only slightly more, the extra compute required is basically nil, and rescaling on Windows works very well. I've been operating on 4K scaled down on a $500 Mac for years with zero noticeable impact to performance.
EDIT: I read an article a long time ago that went over this myth that the downscaling has a big impact on compute. It doesn't in my experience and just math'ing it out. It would have an impact if you try to render a game at 4K, but just choose to render at 1440p too.
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Comment on I endured the Apple Watch for four months in ~tech
gary Link ParentI get the same look that you have in your picture when I leave sweat/moisture trapped wearing analog watches too. I have gotten in the habit of taking my watch off any time after I wash my hands...I get the same look that you have in your picture when I leave sweat/moisture trapped wearing analog watches too. I have gotten in the habit of taking my watch off any time after I wash my hands to mitigate the chances. How can you be certain it's a burn?
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Comment on Looking for general monitor advice in ~tech
gary Link Parent4K 27" 144+hz monitors are pretty affordable these days. Here's an LG one for $350. Here's a KTC 4k 27" 160hz for $230 right now.4K 27" 144+hz monitors are pretty affordable these days. Here's an LG one for $350. Here's a KTC 4k 27" 160hz for $230 right now.
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Comment on Apple set to become third-biggest laptop maker this year in ~tech
gary Link ParentThe sleep issue isn't a QA thing. Dell removed the simpler S3 sleep mode from their firmware at a certain point (2018?) because Windows 10 stopped supporting it and the s2idle replacement frankly...The sleep issue isn't a QA thing. Dell removed the simpler S3 sleep mode from their firmware at a certain point (2018?) because Windows 10 stopped supporting it and the s2idle replacement frankly sucked. It's all over Reddit. I'm not sure I've seen anyone say s2idle on XPS is any good. Windows is not good at handling this modern sleep mode.
Sorry, I was away for a while and didn't have time to reply. I was thinking about this over the past month and the answer is that I'm not sure anyone is capable of knowing for sure how much increase in revenue this engineer budget lead to (if any). However, my gut feel says that the $2k/head/month is generally either breakeven or less than the economic value it drives for each individual.
We're seeing projects that are scoped to single engineers now that might have been divvied up between multiple, because LLMs can do a great first pass and then the engineer can polish it up. On the other hand, I also notice a lot of slop being merged to the main branch that would have gotten rejected in code review before. Code that technically works, but contains poorly named variables, poor abstractions, and useless comments. We merge in the name of velocity.
So based on gut-feel, I feel like there is a large enough productivity boost that the cost is worth it. The cost compared to a programmer's salary versus the increase in velocity is still worth it. On a macro level, over the long term, not sure that the code being outputted is maintainable/won't result in tech debt down the line.