gary's recent activity
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Comment on The real problem with toilet paper: Where it comes from in ~enviro
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Comment on San Francisco jails are packed for the first time in decades in ~society
gary Link ParentYou're making an assumption that the use of incarceration didn't receive scrutiny first. San Francisco, as a very liberal part of the country, did take a very forgiving approach to crime. How do...You're making an assumption that the use of incarceration didn't receive scrutiny first. San Francisco, as a very liberal part of the country, did take a very forgiving approach to crime. How do you know that the previous incarceration levels were the correct levels?
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Comment on The real problem with toilet paper: Where it comes from in ~enviro
gary Link ParentI hate that I'm linking to this source, but I only found this when trying to fact check. The Federalist: No, The Average American Doesn’t Use Three Rolls Of Toilet Paper Per Week I had also gone...I hate that I'm linking to this source, but I only found this when trying to fact check. The Federalist: No, The Average American Doesn’t Use Three Rolls Of Toilet Paper Per Week
I had also gone through this link, found the link to the NRDC paper, and from there found that their number was from a Statista graph (which they link), which has a note "Assuming one roll of toilet paper weighs 90g". I have Charmin Ultra Soft (2-ply) at home and a roll weighs 141g with 4g of it being the cardboard tube. So I didn't get to 227g like the Scotts brand supposedly is, but density per brand being different makes sense. Charmin and Scotts being common brands though, 90g seems very weird.
And according to the same graph that has Americans at 141 rolls, then Germans are at 134 and Brits at 127. Japan, with its high usage of bidets, comes in 4th at 91 rolls.
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Comment on Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users in ~tech
gary Link ParentThanks, I wasn't aware that each iOS version was bringing in new support for carriers. Wonder what the hold up was for these MNVOs. Visible is an MNVO and has had RCS support for a while now, so...Thanks, I wasn't aware that each iOS version was bringing in new support for carriers. Wonder what the hold up was for these MNVOs. Visible is an MNVO and has had RCS support for a while now, so is it down to each carrier to add support?
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Comment on Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users in ~tech
gary Link ParentIs your carrier listed as supported, but it's not working for you? I haven't hit many bugs with RCS after the first month, but Apple has a list of carriers and whether or not iPhone can use RCS on...Is your carrier listed as supported, but it's not working for you? I haven't hit many bugs with RCS after the first month, but Apple has a list of carriers and whether or not iPhone can use RCS on that carrier.
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Comment on US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to vote yes on GOP spending bill in ~society
gary Link ParentI've come back to re-read these sentences multiple times! I'm uncertain averting if a shutdown was right or not, but I'm more frustrated that the Democrats still look leaderless. Even if the...Voting to advance the CR might be the right call given the situation the Dems find themselves in. But they don't have to be in this exact situation.
I've come back to re-read these sentences multiple times! I'm uncertain averting if a shutdown was right or not, but I'm more frustrated that the Democrats still look leaderless. Even if the Republicans won this fight, can I at least get some assurance that the Dems have rallied around a strategy?
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Comment on Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users in ~tech
gary Link ParentRCS updating to have encryption (as a standard via GSMA) is a direct result of Apple though. They were the ones that made a big push for it, even if they had to be forced into adopting RCS.RCS updating to have encryption (as a standard via GSMA) is a direct result of Apple though. They were the ones that made a big push for it, even if they had to be forced into adopting RCS.
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Comment on Dollar General warns low-income Americans' finances are getting worse in ~finance
gary Link ParentOh thanks! That reminded me I have an extension to do this (StopTheMadness) but hadn't enabled it on Google.Oh thanks! That reminded me I have an extension to do this (StopTheMadness) but hadn't enabled it on Google.
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Comment on USA asks Sweden for help in the egg crisis in ~food
gary Link ParentThat's the healthiest, smartest thing consumers could be doing. Eggs are great nutrition! But also just buy eggs when they're available and reasonably priced in your budget. It's all a...That's the healthiest, smartest thing consumers could be doing. Eggs are great nutrition! But also just buy eggs when they're available and reasonably priced in your budget. It's all a disproportionate fuss. You see people hoarding eggs which is just crazy.
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Comment on Dollar General warns low-income Americans' finances are getting worse in ~finance
gary Link ParentAmp was a bigger problem before but hasn't been controversial since they took away the Amp carousel (unless my browser hid it?). I couldn't quickly get a non-Amp version on mobile and it was...Amp was a bigger problem before but hasn't been controversial since they took away the Amp carousel (unless my browser hid it?). I couldn't quickly get a non-Amp version on mobile and it was enough to prove a point.
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Comment on Dollar General warns low-income Americans' finances are getting worse in ~finance
gary Linku/Jase do you mind not posting from this source? The author "Silly Ninja" (that should have given pause) rewrites existing articles and posts to their Substack. Here's the original article they...u/Jase do you mind not posting from this source? The author "Silly Ninja" (that should have given pause) rewrites existing articles and posts to their Substack. Here's the original article they ripped off:
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/03/13/business/dollar-general-shoppers-inflation
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Comment on Spotify paid out a record £7.7bn in royalties in 2024 – debate continues about how much money artists and songwriters receive in royalties in ~music
gary Link ParentI think it's hilarious that you're only the second person to have told me this story about Babymetal. It's great for consumers today to have a way to steadily patronize musicians and then...I think it's hilarious that you're only the second person to have told me this story about Babymetal. It's great for consumers today to have a way to steadily patronize musicians and then selectively enjoy them in person. Kudos to you for living as the pirates pre-Spotify predicted how the music industry would eventually turn out.
This model works well for music, but will it work well for movies? The demise of movies hasn't come about just yet, since building a great pirating solution is slightly harder than it was for music (movies being so much larger), but it is moving in that direction. The non-tech folks in my life continue to surprise me when they mention some niche piracy services for movies. But movies don't have live performances like concerts. So I wonder how the streaming model for movies will work out for actors 5, 10, 15 years from now.
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Comment on New policy changes for Southwest Airlines in ~travel
gary (edited )Link ParentWe must fly from very different airports. The last Southwest flight (Boston) I took, there were so many preboarders that by the time I got on the plane with B7, I was 2/3 to the back of the plane...We must fly from very different airports. The last Southwest flight (Boston) I took, there were so many preboarders that by the time I got on the plane with B7, I was 2/3 to the back of the plane before I found an aisle or window seat. I passed by many rows where people were "saving" a seat. One person saved two seats. Southwest's policy was that they wouldn't intervene in that situation and to figure it out yourself.
My front rows are now always full with families or people saving seats and the best I can get, even if A30, would be a middle seat around the 6th or 7th row. I live near a SW hub though and my experiences match yours pre-COVID. It's only the last few years that any sense of decorum on SW has been dropped.
Edit: removed an unimportant portion that I don't feel the desire to litigate. Also changed halfway to the back to 2/3 after finding my texts at the time.
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Comment on Spotify paid out a record £7.7bn in royalties in 2024 – debate continues about how much money artists and songwriters receive in royalties in ~music
gary Link ParentConsumers are free to give more money to artists, but they consistently vote with their wallets to give as little as possible. How many people on Tildes bitch about price increases on streaming...Consumers are free to give more money to artists, but they consistently vote with their wallets to give as little as possible. How many people on Tildes bitch about price increases on streaming services even though today's consumer has access to a far wider pool of content, on demand, and at higher quality for a lower cost than they've paid in absolute and adjusted dollars than in the past?
In order for Spotify to pay individual artists "enough", there would have to be a drastic price increase. Double, triple, maybe quadruple. Spotify passes on a percentage of revenue; if they gave up their entire cut, which is completely unrealistic, it would still not be "enough". That's the economics of art in a digital age.
Alternatively, you could convince artists to leave the music publisher system that's reigned supreme all these years, but there's clearly an economic benefit for artists to sign these deals.
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Comment on Michelle Obama launches podcast with her brother Craig Robinson in ~life
gary Link Parent+1 that Harris losing is not an indicator on whether America is ready to elect a female president yet. Maybe it's not, but Harris didn't prove that. Nor did Clinton. As for Warren, she wasn't even...+1 that Harris losing is not an indicator on whether America is ready to elect a female president yet. Maybe it's not, but Harris didn't prove that. Nor did Clinton.
As for Warren, she wasn't even that liked in the 2020 primaries. She came in third in her own home state.
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Comment on Live updates on Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia - Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepts US' thirty-day ceasefire proposal in ~society
gary Link ParentThe US immediately un-paused aid and military intelligence for Ukraine so that seems like an indicator to Putin to come to the negotiation table or else Ukraine doesn't need to respect the ceasefire.The US immediately un-paused aid and military intelligence for Ukraine so that seems like an indicator to Putin to come to the negotiation table or else Ukraine doesn't need to respect the ceasefire.
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Comment on Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU’s Digital Markets Act in ~tech
gary Link ParentIt did not block their ability to create a good UI. I download it every couple of years in hopes they get their heads out of their ass and, idk, actually make a good browser on iOS. It's better...It did not block their ability to create a good UI. I download it every couple of years in hopes they get their heads out of their ass and, idk, actually make a good browser on iOS. It's better this year than before, but still meh. Up until a year ago, I was a full time desktop Firefox user, so the incentives to switch on mobile were there but still no.
I could not care any less that the engine was not Gecko for the sake of switching. A real adblock would have been nice too, but since I would have been coming from Safari I would not have dinged Firefox for it. My reasons for not using Firefox on iOS were solely UI/UX related.
Chrome understood that and subsequently has 32x the market share of Firefox despite the same engine limitation.
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Comment on Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU’s Digital Markets Act in ~tech
gary Link ParentMost users don't pick a browser based on engine, unless that engine is bad at rendering popular sites. They pick a browser based on UI/UX before they'll pick based on engine.Most users don't pick a browser based on engine, unless that engine is bad at rendering popular sites. They pick a browser based on UI/UX before they'll pick based on engine.
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Comment on YouTube Premium Lite: Ad-free viewing for $7.99/month in ~tech
gary Link ParentYeah but for the price of the family plan for YouTube Premium, that's 23 creators at $1/creator. Is a family likely to only watch 23 creators? If I'm in a family of 6 and I get to save my $4 and...Yeah but for the price of the family plan for YouTube Premium, that's 23 creators at $1/creator. Is a family likely to only watch 23 creators? If I'm in a family of 6 and I get to save my $4 and spend it on Patreon instead, giving $1/month to my top 4 creators, that would be great for that too 4 but at the cost of every other creator I watched that month. That's why creators are okay with this idea; if they can convince someone to do this for them, they've re-allocated another creator's money to themselves. They would not like this if they lost in this scenario.
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Comment on Fearing toxic waste, Greenland ended uranium mining. Now, they could be forced to restart - or pay $11billion investor-state dispute settlement. in ~enviro
gary Link ParentI was, but it was to try to make a point. Your argument throughout the thread mostly hinges on the corporation being able to foresee that. I disagree that that is enough to absolve the government...I was, but it was to try to make a point. Your argument throughout the thread mostly hinges on the corporation being able to foresee that. I disagree that that is enough to absolve the government of responsibility, but for the sake of discussion let's assume that's true.
In the case that being aware of the risks is merely enough, then the government is even MORE aware of the risk of having to pay out according to the laws that the government signed onto. The law, which you so highly touted for binding the corporation, also states that the government cannot arbitrarily destroy a business. This law, which Greenland may be regretting now, exists because over hundreds of years of evolution, serves toward Greenland's benefit as well. Greenland wishes to join the international order on its very own legs. They need a lot more revenue in order to do so. They want to gain revenue by attracting foreign investment, so they explicitly agreed to ensuring a level of predictability in exchange for enticing foreign investment. They cannot have their cake and eat it too.
Focusing too much on the future profits part is unreasonable. First, being compensated for opportunity costs is a very real thing. If someone temporarily deprived me of my ability to work, say through a car crash, I would want something to make up for what I lost out on. The number that the corporation is asking for may be unreasonably high; I do not contest this. But both sides are going to ask for the minimum/maximum amount they can and the arbiter will decide somewhere in the middle.
If Greenland is so sure that its past agreement was not actually a legally binding one, it is their choice to fight this and possibly win. But that they are worried signals that they know what they agreed to. My not-a-lawyer opinion is that their approach was dumb. They could have instead passed legislation to require safe mining procedures in order to get the desired effect. Explicitly campaigning on revoking a specific business's ability to mine shows prejudice and makes it more likely to a court to find them in the wrong.
Edit: when I say law I don't have one specifically in mind. I refer to "law" here as legal system. I base this on Greenland/Denmark being a part of ISDS which apparently was meant to incentivize foreign investments.
Hey, I thought you sharing this article was pretty helpful. Even if the number of rolls is misleading, if the weight of toilet paper used is accurate or if the relative usage to other countries is accurate, then that's a great comparison! Say we compare to Japan. America could potentially use 1/3 less by adopting bidets. That would be a big boon for the environment while improving cleanliness. It's nice to have a number in mind.