gary's recent activity
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Comment on Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies
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Comment on How Wall Street ruined the Roomba and then blamed Lina Khan in ~tech
gary LinkSkimmed the piece, so maybe it got addressed, but it seems like a bit of yes and no. Stripping down the company and neglecting research was bad, but a lot of that research was for robot usage in...- Exemplary
Skimmed the piece, so maybe it got addressed, but it seems like a bit of yes and no. Stripping down the company and neglecting research was bad, but a lot of that research was for robot usage in the military. I think the idea was that you can't focus on both military applications and vacuum appliances simultaneously and do both that well, so the investors aggressively wanted iRobot to focus on vacuum appliances. Which isn't that unreasonable of a direction either.
That pivot might have gone alright, but here's where the article neglects to mention that iRobot spent a long time not innovating. There were cheaper competitors that had LiDAR mapping out floorplans for efficient vacuuming while, at the same price point, your stupid Roomba would just randomly run in a direction until it bumped into something and repeat. It fucking sucked. My parents had a Roomba and I had a Roborock. Worlds apart in functionality despite being about the same price.
No, Lina Khan did not kill iRobot, but it's not totally fair to pin the blame on the investors either. iRobot seemingly rested on their laurels as first-movers and stopped adding real value over the years.
Research that, according to an iRobot spokesman, was intended “to spur innovation in robotics and robotics-related areas.” Mesdag argued that the money should have been used for share buybacks to boost the stock value instead of for research…
“In my trips to Wall Street,” Dyer told the panel, “one of my analyst friends took me to lunch one day and said, ‘Joe, you have to get iRobot out of the defense business. It’s killing your stock price.’ And I countered by saying ‘Well, what about the importance of DARPA and leading-edge technology? What about the stability that sometimes comes from the defense industry? What about patriotism?’ And his response was, ‘Joe, what is it about capitalism you don’t understand?’”
The above is about the defense side of research. I don't see where this stopped iRobot from focusing on the most obvious of obvious which is: make the vacuum cleaner not just bump into shit randomly as your best algorithm for cleaning. They eventually added it.. late and more expensive.
EDIT: The first Roomba with LiDAR was released this year. The first Roborock with LiDAR was released in 2019. Roborock wasn't even the first to do it.
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Comment on Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies
gary Link ParentDo you happen to remember roughly when you tried it? I heard a rumor that the recipe changed but I can't tell if that's true or I just got used to it. I agree that it's not as bad as people say it...Do you happen to remember roughly when you tried it? I heard a rumor that the recipe changed but I can't tell if that's true or I just got used to it. I agree that it's not as bad as people say it is though; we just like scaring people.
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Comment on Twenty years of digital life, gone in an instant, thanks to Apple in ~tech
gary Link ParentSynology, Hyper Backup to an S3-compatible destination. Automated to run once a day with incremental uploads. Can set backup retention period. It's a set-it-and-forget-it solution.Synology, Hyper Backup to an S3-compatible destination. Automated to run once a day with incremental uploads. Can set backup retention period. It's a set-it-and-forget-it solution.
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Comment on Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options. in ~tech
gary Link ParentI'm no fan of Rokus but the example doesn't prove that apps can use the internet at any time. Maybe they can! But one way that the protocol could work is the device wakes the app with the stream...I'm no fan of Rokus but the example doesn't prove that apps can use the internet at any time. Maybe they can! But one way that the protocol could work is the device wakes the app with the stream url when casting locally. Apple TV doesn't support that same cast protocol, so the only way for YouTube to work with "casting" on Apple TV is for the app to be active and listening. Again, I've never looked into the protocol, but there are reasonable ways to have it work without running the app 24/7 on Roku.
Roku makes a ton of money on ads and selling data so that's reason enough for me to avoid them!
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Comment on China’s growth is coming at the rest of the world’s expense in ~society
gary Link ParentI read this a few days ago and remember the takeaway being that China's increasing share of exports is causing other countries' exports to drop. In the past, China's increasing exports would still...I read this a few days ago and remember the takeaway being that China's increasing share of exports is causing other countries' exports to drop. In the past, China's increasing exports would still lead to some positive growth in exports for other countries because China needed to import machinery and raw materials, but as China has become more self reliant, that has decreased. This is the first time where an increase in Chinese exports leads to a decrease in rest-of-world exports.
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Comment on Rapid Support Forces massacres left Sudanese city ‘a slaughterhouse’, satellite images show in ~society
gary Link ParentFrom my understanding, the RSF have intentionally been targeting the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa tribes, driving them away from their land or killing them. The same victims and perpetrators as...From my understanding, the RSF have intentionally been targeting the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa tribes, driving them away from their land or killing them. The same victims and perpetrators as during the Darfur genocide.
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Comment on BairesDev - Palette app in ~arts
gary Link ParentI had never asked to move to another team until we got a BairesDev contractor.I had never asked to move to another team until we got a BairesDev contractor.
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Comment on Rapid Support Forces massacres left Sudanese city ‘a slaughterhouse’, satellite images show in ~society
gary LinkThe satellite imagery evoke a sense of horror, but it still puts great distance between the viewer and the bodies. It's not at that level, but "one death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a...The satellite imagery evoke a sense of horror, but it still puts great distance between the viewer and the bodies. It's not at that level, but "one death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic". If you have the stomach for it, there's many videos out there showing the killing. It is so much worse than the satellite photos.
I read on Tildes and and Reddit semi-frequently that the world would be a better place if the US were not the world police; that it would be better if the world were multi-polar rather than uni-polar. Well, as the US retreats inward, where are these other powers?
Russia: mired in its own immoral war.
Europe: underfunded militaries and economically challenged.
China: they only care about things that directly affect their financial interests, for good and for bad.
United Nations: ... -
Comment on US shoppers, drawn by steep discounts, power through Black Friday in ~finance
gary Link ParentUniqlo's selvedge jeans are around $60 CAD IIRC and they're solid. Would recommend that versus paying $100 for Levi's.Uniqlo's selvedge jeans are around $60 CAD IIRC and they're solid. Would recommend that versus paying $100 for Levi's.
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Comment on Swiss reject millionaire inheritance tax in ~society
gary Link ParentI think it's important to note that while rich people should be taxed more (my opinion), the narrative that they don't pay anything in taxes is also an exaggeration in the opposite direction. Rich...I think it's important to note that while rich people should be taxed more (my opinion), the narrative that they don't pay anything in taxes is also an exaggeration in the opposite direction. Rich people do frequently sell equity, which triggers taxation if they made a profit. If Swiss billionaires/millionaires moved, their stock sales may result in fewer taxes paid to Switzerland.
"Stock market secondary buying/selling" feels to me like you're implying that it's not a useful use of money, at least not in a way to ordinary people, but that's not correct. The only reason that stocks have the value that they do is because a system for resale exists. If stocks could not be resold, then the initial price of a stock would be far, far lower. Kiss goodbye to the concept of a stock market as we know it, driving the amount of money available for investments down by a ton. While the effect of a secondary sale is not felt by the initial seller, the fact that the first sale could even happen is a result of there being the potential secondary sale.
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Comment on Swiss reject millionaire inheritance tax in ~society
gary Link ParentI didn't look too deeply into this, but Norway recently enacted something similar and 105 out of the top 400 richest moved their wealth or left the country. So it seems some will indeed move! Keep...I didn't look too deeply into this, but Norway recently enacted something similar and 105 out of the top 400 richest moved their wealth or left the country. So it seems some will indeed move! Keep in mind that Norway had exit taxes so there was friction. With zero friction, I imagine more than 105 would have left.
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Comment on Swiss reject millionaire inheritance tax in ~society
gary Link ParentIt was a good intention, bad implementation proposal that the voters rejected. It's not clear that voters are totally against an inheritance tax. They might view the threats of rich people leaving...It was a good intention, bad implementation proposal that the voters rejected. It's not clear that voters are totally against an inheritance tax. They might view the threats of rich people leaving and taking their wealth with them as too credible. Switzerland, as I understand it, has no exit tax if a citizen chooses to emigrate. The smarter thing to do would be to implement the exit tax first and then an inheritance tax. Otherwise, rich people could sidestep the whole thing so easily.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentYes I'm aware (and was aware already) that's creesch's argument.Yes I'm aware (and was aware already) that's creesch's argument.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentYou are asking for proof of non-existence. This is a really hard thing to prove, as this thread shows that observers can always interject and say "yeah but like did you really do it properly...This is not how the burden of proof works. Is there a provable scenario that could not be detected server-side? Is it truly impossible to figure out who's cheating without spyware embedded client-side? That claim requires evidence before everyone should accept it at face value.
You are asking for proof of non-existence. This is a really hard thing to prove, as this thread shows that observers can always interject and say "yeah but like did you really do it properly though".
Company provides unlabeled graphs and vague claims about reducing cheater numbers.
One company did, yes, but the other company (Riot) posted graphs with labels. And made very clear claims. You can feel free to dispute the honesty of the claims, labels, and numbers though.
is self-reported and either lazy or obfuscated.
Self-reported, yes. Lazy, in the EA case, yes. In the Riot case, no. Obfuscated, that's up to you to decide, but it's impossible to prove that it's not obfuscated. If your position is that it is, then I'm not sure how anyone can convince you of the opposite of what you believe, as any evidence they show can be claimed to be incomplete.
Lastly, I want to address the burden of proof question. This is on the "server-side and non-invasive client-side is enough" to provide any evidence now. That is because Group A made a claim ("server-side and non-invasive client-side is all that is necessary"). Group B replied with "here's data that shows that after years of server-side and non-invasive client-side, we were able to get cheating down significantly by making our client-side detection more invasive". Group A disputes that the evidence proves it and maintains its original position. At this point, Group B has made a claim with some evidence whereas Group A has only made claims.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentI don't support it! I avoid any games that have it. I do recognize that some gamers want it because they prefer the benefits. If that's what they want, fine, I will just play other games.I don't support it! I avoid any games that have it. I do recognize that some gamers want it because they prefer the benefits. If that's what they want, fine, I will just play other games.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary (edited )Link ParentI do not perceive us as having two different discussions. I saw that you agree that invasive anti-cheat is more effective, but you disagree that it's proven that it's necessary. However, all...I do not perceive us as having two different discussions. I saw that you agree that invasive anti-cheat is more effective, but you disagree that it's proven that it's necessary. However, all available evidence that I'm aware of points to it being necessary. Your rebuttal is that the evidence can be manipulated in order to serve the company's financial interests. Unless there is something else you can point to, you're giving zero way to disprove what you're saying. If a company showed more extensive stats, you could say that they omitted any stats that disprove their idea. If a company showed all their data, you could say that they haven't proven they executed the most optimal server-side detection. And so on and so on.
I am, to be clear, saying that the stance that "we don't know that invasive anti-cheat is necessary" is a wrong stance to hold (unless there can be an example pointed at for the industry to follow). Until then, it looks more like the industry has evolved towards an optimal solution, as unfortunate as it is for gamers like me who detest invasive anti-cheat.
EDIT: reworded a little to be clearer. I think I wrote something the opposite of what I meant.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentYes, when you've stopped cheats from happening, fewer cheaters get banned later because they are unable to cheat. That's how it works. And you advocate for critical thinking, but there's no reason...Funnily enough, that graph proofs they have caught fewer cheaters. Not necessarily that there are fewer cheaters in the game.
Yes, when you've stopped cheats from happening, fewer cheaters get banned later because they are unable to cheat. That's how it works. And you advocate for critical thinking, but there's no reason to believe that the changes at the kernel level mean that they disabled all client-side detection or server-side detection that existed prior to it. Any somewhat competent person would have enabled the new protection rolled out with existing levels to gauge what effect the new protection has*. If none of the prior measures were dropped, then there's no reason to imply that they rolled out an ineffective system that's just letting people cheat at the same/higher rates and getting away with it.
There's being critical at sources and then there's sticking your head in the sand.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentThe way I see it, multiple companies have come out stating that their invasive anti-cheat was necessary. Now the onus is on the group against that to provide any evidence contradicting, but they...The way I see it, multiple companies have come out stating that their invasive anti-cheat was necessary. Now the onus is on the group against that to provide any evidence contradicting, but they have not(?), so what reason is there to doubt these companies? The existence of any singular game that meets the criteria I laid out would refute the claims.
I get you don't like the EA graphs; here's the article from Riot I was thinking of and their graphs at least have labelled axes.
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Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games
gary Link ParentOccam's Razor would be that client-side and server-side anti-cheat detection used in conjunction is more powerful than just either one, so game publishers go for both. I'm failing to see where the...Occam's Razor would be that client-side and server-side anti-cheat detection used in conjunction is more powerful than just either one, so game publishers go for both. I'm failing to see where the disagreement is here and in the other thread. Client-side (provided the boot is secure) will catch a class of problems that server-side cannot, but client-side cannot be perfectly trusted either, thus necessitating that server-side must still exist. I don't see any disconnect here except that there's some strawmen being argued against.. No one is saying that the client-side anti-cheat must be the only solution. But some of us are saying that server-side will miss so much that it makes sense to raise the bar on the cheater by making the client really darn hard to hack.
Imperfect analogy, but a lock will never stop criminals. So we add in the criminal system and law enforcers, but even though those exist, I'm still going to use a hefty lock and maybe a camera system.
EDIT: P.S. I've never played Valorant because I won't use Vanguard. I play League because the macOS League client doesn't use a kernel-based Vanguard, but will drop the game the day it does. I get the arguments out of principle, but I also acknowledge that any game that aspires to a level of competitive integrity needs a way to make cheating really hard and letting clients go wild is not it.
Looks like there was always variance, but that there was a bit of a change in the recipe recently! I wonder if older bottles will become sought after; I sadly only have a new bottle.