gary's recent activity
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Comment on Googlebook revealed and ready for pre-order in ~tech
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Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society
gary Link ParentAnyone who framed this deal as the "status quo" as the implication is that it's denying Trump anything new?Anyone who framed this deal as the "status quo" as the implication is that it's denying Trump anything new?
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Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society
gary LinkUntil the full text is released, it cannot be confirmed, but if the anonymous US official is accurate, then this does have big changes to the 1951 treaty. 1) this cements the treaty with Greenland...- Exemplary
Until the full text is released, it cannot be confirmed, but if the anonymous US official is accurate, then this does have big changes to the 1951 treaty. 1) this cements the treaty with Greenland involved, which was previously unclear if Greenland declared independence and 2) the US gets to block Russian/Chinese investments. For 2, it's quite clear that's a big deal even if Greenland wouldn't have opened Chinese military bases. As we've seen from South America, small countries are happy to open up to Chinese investments and Chinese businesses often have military ties. Eventually, the desire will be there.
Be careful not to celebrate so quickly that it's Denmark and Greenland pulling the wool over Trump's eyes by giving him the "status quo". To me, it feels like people are so eager to make fun of Trump that they're unable to see when he has success. This is a successful Trump maneuver. Ask for something outrageous, get a concession for free. That's been his modus operandi for both of his terms now and you're still celebrating the surface win of the US not invading Greenland.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
gary Link ParentThat's better than I thought and if all of the failures are like that, then that's good, but still not anything I'd want to risk. In your case, would you have known there was an issue if you'd...That's better than I thought and if all of the failures are like that, then that's good, but still not anything I'd want to risk. In your case, would you have known there was an issue if you'd missed the pop due to loud music or something? I have a friend who dragged a piece of his bumper for miles and just only mildly questioning why there was a scraping sound.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
gary Link ParentA car that loses ability to accelerate while driving is dangerous to the driver and those around. It worked out for you, but what if it had happened on a busy freeway? It's very bad that Hyundai...A car that loses ability to accelerate while driving is dangerous to the driver and those around. It worked out for you, but what if it had happened on a busy freeway? It's very bad that Hyundai and Kia cannot (or will not) solve this problem that is inherent in every ICCU they've put in their Ioniq/Ioniq-equivalent.
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
gary Link ParentGreat question! I typically do work just from a laptop but lately I've been feeling some back pains, so on this trip I want to have a better setup. I'll be working for a week from Chicago. The...Great question! I typically do work just from a laptop but lately I've been feeling some back pains, so on this trip I want to have a better setup. I'll be working for a week from Chicago. The travel setup is about as small as I can get it; the stands that keep me using the laptop keyboard while elevating the screen end up flexing my wrists unnaturally.
Here's what I'm bringing:
Of these, the keyboard is just okay, the trackpad would be perfect if it had multiple connections, and the stand is awesome. I use the stand semi-permanently in the office.
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
gary Link ParentReplying to self: I am packing for a flight right now, but this is my first time traveling with a CPAP and it's taking up a lot of space. I have to remove my personal laptop to get everything to...Replying to self: I am packing for a flight right now, but this is my first time traveling with a CPAP and it's taking up a lot of space. I have to remove my personal laptop to get everything to fit (I also have my work laptop). I would love a large screen with me on this trip because I have some real estate crap to deal with. A Duo would be perfect here. I already travel with a Roost V3, folding bluetooth keyboard, and trackpad for use with the work laptop; could easily use the same setup with a Duo.
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
gary Link ParentBad premises extrapolate to bad conclusions.Bad premises extrapolate to bad conclusions.
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
gary LinkI don't quite mind you posting your blog posts here, but this one was kind of reaching to the point that it feels like bait rather than sincere. The most obvious customer is the one with...The piece that doesn’t fit, in this case, is the price. Someone who only has a phone to handle the digital demands of modern life, almost by definition, doesn’t have more the money to spend on a foldable phone, no matter how good it is. If they had that, they would have bought a laptop or tablet long before.
The question remains: who are foldable phones for? The only profile left is that of show-offs. Which might even be a good thing — the iPhone Duo as an identifier of unpleasant people. See one in someone’s hands? Run, it’s a trap!
I don't quite mind you posting your blog posts here, but this one was kind of reaching to the point that it feels like bait rather than sincere. The most obvious customer is the one with disposable income who's willing to pay more for some additional convenience.
I had an iPad Mini that I gave away because I never used it. Every time I wanted to use it, like when I spontaneously found myself enjoying some quiet time at a cafe, it was never on me. So when I go to buy a new phone and tablet, which will cost ~$1000+$600, I'll find myself wondering why I don't just pay another $400 and get something more usable.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
gary Link ParentI'm not white; I'm Asian. There's some chatter in the last decade about Chinese Americans having stolen wealth from Black communities. There's some amount of talk creeping in putting us into the...I'm not white; I'm Asian. There's some chatter in the last decade about Chinese Americans having stolen wealth from Black communities. There's some amount of talk creeping in putting us into the category of the oppressor. Defining what systemic racism is and being able to identify it is important. Using it as a way to rationalize blanket racism is not.
Everything else is a distraction: I don't care who came up with systemic racism. I don't care what your race is. I don't care what your response is.
- Systemic racism is bad.
- Racism at all is bad.
If you choose not to call out the latter because of the former, that's your prerogative, but stop advocating for it.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
gary Link ParentYou don't get to speak for all white men though, and that attitude pervaded enough such that my race is now sometimes included with this idea that people can't be racist towards us. It's the...You don't get to speak for all white men though, and that attitude pervaded enough such that my race is now sometimes included with this idea that people can't be racist towards us. It's the epitome of the white man's arrogance to believe that their tolerance for racism out of some feeling of guilt should allow them to then redefine what racism means, impacting everyone else and depriving them of a say in it. Keep your "systemic racism" definition to yourself. If you're okay with someone being racist to you, fine, but don't put that on me.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentYes that particular use of Siri is crazy. But I think the point it's trying to make is that Siri has improved a lot. Try to read less into the specific situation and more into the possibilities...Yes that particular use of Siri is crazy. But I think the point it's trying to make is that Siri has improved a lot. Try to read less into the specific situation and more into the possibilities beyond that use. I also tried the new Siri recently because I wanted to try a different coffee shop this past weekend. I remembered my friend had suggested a spot we ended up not going to, but I forgot the name. I tried searching "coffee" in my texts. I tried searching the name of the city (I remembered the wrong name). I considered scrolling up, but it was a long time ago, we had talked a lot since then, and I didn't remember the exact date. Then I asked Siri to do it and it did it.
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Comment on New label suggestion: a removable "One-sided" label that gradually reduces the comment's visibility in ~tildes
gary LinkHuh, I'm curious how many of my comments would get mislabeled as misinformation. A large chunk of what I comment is refuting something that I am sure is incorrect. Frequently, through the number...Huh, I'm curious how many of my comments would get mislabeled as misinformation. A large chunk of what I comment is refuting something that I am sure is incorrect. Frequently, through the number of votes, I gauge that what I write is not very popular. Would that mean that what I write is likely to be labeled misinformation? These labels are a proxy for popularity, sad as it is to say.
I'm sure I'm not always right, but from reading this thread I get the sense that the people most likely to use this feature are the people I see frequently holding absolutist views that are based on feels.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentI'm guessing an IDE? What do they have you use? Or is it something else? I think an employer should consider letting their employee use up to 5% of their annual salary on tools if the tools are...I'm guessing an IDE? What do they have you use? Or is it something else? I think an employer should consider letting their employee use up to 5% of their annual salary on tools if the tools are going to make them move faster. More than 5% if it can be defended. Most employers are too penny pinching on tooling.
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Comment on Is it time to include pronouns? in ~tildes
gary LinkI like how on forums I don't have an image of what a person is. Eventually I pick up on someone's gender over time but for the most part, I have no idea what someone is. Like you, @NaraVara, and I...I like how on forums I don't have an image of what a person is. Eventually I pick up on someone's gender over time but for the most part, I have no idea what someone is. Like you, @NaraVara, and I don't care because your gender to me doesn't change how I consider your ideas. I wouldn't use the feature, but I wouldn't oppose it either.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentOkay, maybe not, but who cares what Josh Miller thinks? If we don't reach 24/7 use of agentic AI use, it doesn't mean it can't still be an important part of our lives. The dismissals of AI in this...Okay, maybe not, but who cares what Josh Miller thinks? If we don't reach 24/7 use of agentic AI use, it doesn't mean it can't still be an important part of our lives. The dismissals of AI in this thread aren't scoped to just what Josh Miller is saying, but agentic AI in general.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentI don't feel like you're really disputing anything I said, but maybe I'm misunderstanding? I've been using the $20/month plan for agentic use, coding on the side at home for fun every few days....I don't feel like you're really disputing anything I said, but maybe I'm misunderstanding? I've been using the $20/month plan for agentic use, coding on the side at home for fun every few days. I've also been having it do deep research reports for me ("how much is my condo worth?") once in a while. It's been more than adequate for my use. The really long, detailed report about my condo which included a list of comparable properties and analysis on those used 10% of my weekly usage budget.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link Parent$800/month is too expensive for sure, but some of the Chinese models are pretty solid now and 1-2 orders of magnitude lower in pricing. That gets it to where $10-20/month is a feasible price,...$800/month is too expensive for sure, but some of the Chinese models are pretty solid now and 1-2 orders of magnitude lower in pricing. That gets it to where $10-20/month is a feasible price, especially when you consider that the average person will use far, far fewer tokens than what I or @teaearlgraycold use.
The features themselves aren't very compelling for a normal person yet, but stuff like Apple's password reset feature for leaked credentials being agent-driven will become the norm. Truly consumer-focused experiences will eventually be built. Can we look at the technology and really think no one's going to find a way to incorporate a natural-language interfaced computing environment? We've only just begun to build out the next generation of interfacing, but it's been a dream for decades.
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentIt depends on their agent setup but Safari exposes an MCP server and if the agent runs locally, it's effectively "free". Maybe it runs in PCC though. Still, as capabilities get better, why...It depends on their agent setup but Safari exposes an MCP server and if the agent runs locally, it's effectively "free". Maybe it runs in PCC though. Still, as capabilities get better, why wouldn't what runs in PCC today run on-device in X years?
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Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech
gary Link ParentI wasn't trying to debate anything. Genuinely just curious! I've only started looking at my usage numbers and was fascinated by it. I think it's still possible for agentic use by normal consumers...I wasn't trying to debate anything. Genuinely just curious! I've only started looking at my usage numbers and was fascinated by it. I think it's still possible for agentic use by normal consumers some day. The $20/month plan at OpenAI has given me a lot more usage than I'd think for personal use. My cousin sent me a screenshot of a Chinese model with 100 million tokens used for $0.85 (heavily cached). Apple's building in agentic support in Safari, which would make basic use free for hundreds of millions. I see no reason the cheap end of the market can't develop.
EDIT: I'm using Opus 4.6/4.8/5 and Sol. Both are stupidly expensive compared to the "open source" options.
iPhone 17 now starts at $900 and MacBook Neo at $700.