glesica's recent activity
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Comment on UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill in ~tech
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Comment on Roman-era battlefield mass grave discovered under Vienna football pitch in ~humanities.history
glesica Link ParentCould be that the people they tended to fight also tended to cremate, at least the bodies of their enemies? I could absolutely be wrong, but cremating a couple hundred dead bodies also seems a lot...I am also surprised there aren't more mass battlefield graves created after a botched battle or hasty retreat.
Could be that the people they tended to fight also tended to cremate, at least the bodies of their enemies? I could absolutely be wrong, but cremating a couple hundred dead bodies also seems a lot easier than burying them, if nothing else?
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Comment on Please stop externalizing your costs directly into my face in ~tech
glesica Link ParentStill better than a paywall where you have to subscribe for a year to find out if the page is of interest to you. Also, think it through and reading the comments, the UI would definitely have to...Still better than a paywall where you have to subscribe for a year to find out if the page is of interest to you.
Also, think it through and reading the comments, the UI would definitely have to ask you to approve, but maybe you could whitelist sites you trust.
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Comment on Please stop externalizing your costs directly into my face in ~tech
glesica Link ParentWhere's the value-add? We don't need a public ledger of who paid for which sites, in fact, that's probably something we literally don't want (for privacy reasons). What seems more practical is...Where's the value-add? We don't need a public ledger of who paid for which sites, in fact, that's probably something we literally don't want (for privacy reasons). What seems more practical is something like Venmo where they maintain their own ledger of who has how much money, so you avoid transaction fees and improve performance. Then you pay with the "fake" money that can be easily turned into "real" money.
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Comment on Please stop externalizing your costs directly into my face in ~tech
glesica Link ParentHTTP already has a "payment required" status code. It would be interesting if browsers could slap a friendly frontend on that, where you wouldn't have to deal with the page you're trying to view...HTTP already has a "payment required" status code. It would be interesting if browsers could slap a friendly frontend on that, where you wouldn't have to deal with the page you're trying to view in terms of entering payment info. Maybe the browser just says "this page is $0.25, continue?" and that's it. Or you could even set it to automatically pay if the price is under a certain amount and show a little icon in the address bar (like the TLS lock).
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Comment on Proton CEO tweets support for Donald Trump's Department of Justice pick and the US Republican Party in ~society
glesica Link ParentAfter waffling around a bunch, I ended up going with Tresorit. Seems like pretty close to a drop-in replacement for Proton Drive, and their mobile app seems quite good. Thanks!After waffling around a bunch, I ended up going with Tresorit. Seems like pretty close to a drop-in replacement for Proton Drive, and their mobile app seems quite good. Thanks!
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Comment on The future is Niri in ~comp
glesica LinkThis looks really cool, I appreciate how opening a new window doesn't cause everything to jump around. Also love the over-dramatic title lol.This looks really cool, I appreciate how opening a new window doesn't cause everything to jump around. Also love the over-dramatic title lol.
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Comment on Apple's software quality crisis: when premium hardware meets subpar software in ~tech
glesica Link ParentHaha yeah, Macs in the 90s weren't always great. They were better than most of the alternatives, often significantly, though, so I think that's where some of the rose colored glasses come from?Haha yeah, Macs in the 90s weren't always great. They were better than most of the alternatives, often significantly, though, so I think that's where some of the rose colored glasses come from?
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Comment on Proton exits Mastodon with updated account bio pointing to Reddit in ~tech
glesica Link ParentI've used FastMail for like a decade at this point and I've never even considered going anywhere else. The pricing is high enough that I believe they can make enough money to stay in business, but...I've used FastMail for like a decade at this point and I've never even considered going anywhere else. The pricing is high enough that I believe they can make enough money to stay in business, but low enough that it's not a significant concern. Love it!
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Comment on Big day for crypto goes south in a hurry after a giant hack in ~finance
glesica Link ParentOMG you're so right, I often kind of forget about the fact that it's supposed to be decentralized! The decentralized money people reinvented centralized money, peak big tech!OMG you're so right, I often kind of forget about the fact that it's supposed to be decentralized! The decentralized money people reinvented centralized money, peak big tech!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
glesica Link ParentApparently the next major release (4.0) is supposed to fix this by changing the way pops work so they don't have to be evaluated individually.Apparently the next major release (4.0) is supposed to fix this by changing the way pops work so they don't have to be evaluated individually.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
glesica LinkI've been playing Stellaris a lot lately. It's not a perfect game, but it's fun and has a fair amount of detail without becoming too much of a micromanagement slog. I wish the UI was more...I've been playing Stellaris a lot lately. It's not a perfect game, but it's fun and has a fair amount of detail without becoming too much of a micromanagement slog.
I wish the UI was more sophisticated, like, you should have a screen where you can search colonies based on characteristics. Same with space stations, fleets, and basically everything that there are a lot of. Like, "show me all the space stations that don't have a an anchorage but do have a hydroponic farm... now, replace the hydroponic farms with anchorages" would be amazing!
I also wish there was more of a penalty to empire size. The first half of most games turn into a huge land grab, it'd be cool if there was a game mode where claiming a lot of systems was actually really hard to do.
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Comment on US voters were right about the economy. The data was wrong. in ~finance
glesica Link ParentRegarding birthrates, I think that even many people who could technically afford children are hesitant because the downward trajectory, along with climate change and all the side effects that come...Regarding birthrates, I think that even many people who could technically afford children are hesitant because the downward trajectory, along with climate change and all the side effects that come along with it, make the future look extremely uncertain. So even if you're "fine" right now, you likely don't expect that to last.
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Comment on Books written by humans are getting their own certification to distinguish from AI authored books in ~books
glesica Link ParentAnd at some point someone will realize you can charge for issuing "certificates" while doing no actual verification, which is even more lucrative because AI books can be pumped out faster, meaning...And at some point someone will realize you can charge for issuing "certificates" while doing no actual verification, which is even more lucrative because AI books can be pumped out faster, meaning more certificates sold and more money.
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Comment on 1,156 questions censored by DeepSeek in ~tech
glesica LinkI asked the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B a few questions about stuff that might be censored. Obviously, Taiwan is referenced as being an inalienable part of China, etc. When I asked "Why is...I asked the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B a few questions about stuff that might be censored. Obviously, Taiwan is referenced as being an inalienable part of China, etc. When I asked "Why is Communism bad?", I expected it to argue that it isn't, or give a non-answer. In fact, it spit out a pretty standard set of arguments and even referenced The Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution as examples of human rights violations.
llm -m 'hf.co/unsloth/DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B-GGUF:Q8_0' \ 'why is communism bad?'<think> </think>
Communism is a social and political philosophy that seeks to establish a classless, egalitarian society where the means of production are owned or controlled collectively. While it has been interpreted and implemented in various ways around the world, some common criticisms include:
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Human Rights Concerns: Some argue that communist regimes have suppressed human rights, including freedom of speech, press, and religion. In extreme cases, this has led to political repression and mass killings (e.g., the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in China).
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Economic Issues: Centralized economic planning under communism can lead to inefficiencies, lack of innovation, and limited access to goods and services. This has often resulted in economic stagnation or crises.
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Loss of Individual Freedom: In some interpretations, communism emphasizes collective welfare over individual rights, which can lead to restrictions on personal freedoms and dissent.
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Environmental Impact: Large-scale industrialization under communist regimes has sometimes led to significant environmental degradation.
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Political Repression: Some regimes labeled as communist have engaged in political repression to maintain power, often silencing opposition through censorship or imprisonment.
It's important to note that not all interpretations of communism are the same, and many scholars and leaders have advocated for peaceful transitions to socialism or communism with democratic processes. Additionally, some countries that identify as socialist or communist have achieved significant economic development and social welfare programs, though they often balance these efforts with capitalist elements. The perception of communism can vary widely depending on historical context, political ideology, and specific governance practices.
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Comment on Proton CEO tweets support for Donald Trump's Department of Justice pick and the US Republican Party in ~society
glesica LinkI'm disappointed because I'd just recently switched to Proton from Dropbox for cloud sync, and now I have to find an alternative. Any suggestions? I'm not interested in self-hosting, so I realize...I'm disappointed because I'd just recently switched to Proton from Dropbox for cloud sync, and now I have to find an alternative. Any suggestions? I'm not interested in self-hosting, so I realize I may have to accept an imperfect solution.
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Comment on This could be the beginning of the end for fire insurance in California in ~finance
glesica Link ParentPersonally, I would prefer the government put money into relocating populations rather than provide below-market insurance to rebuild over and over. I realize that's potentially traumatic for the...Personally, I would prefer the government put money into relocating populations rather than provide below-market insurance to rebuild over and over. I realize that's potentially traumatic for the people involved, but holy heck would it be a better long-term investment for society.
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Comment on The CEO of UnitedHealthcare (insurance company) has been assassinated in NYC in ~news
glesica Link ParentNot all violence is a revolution, though. If you think of violence as a very loud form of communication (we all tend to pay attention when we think our lives might be in danger), it makes sense...Not all violence is a revolution, though. If you think of violence as a very loud form of communication (we all tend to pay attention when we think our lives might be in danger), it makes sense that people who feel utterly powerless and unheard turn to it. Whether this "works" or not, and to what degree, isn't something I'm qualified to argue, and I don't advocate violence, but it's pretty clear that violence becomes an attractive option when people feel they've hit "rock bottom".
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Comment on OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are struggling to build more advanced AI in ~tech
glesica Link ParentIt occurs to me that a reasonable next step (in terms of making the things more useful, not in terms of getting the hype train revved up) is to go back to the 80s and start building things like...It occurs to me that a reasonable next step (in terms of making the things more useful, not in terms of getting the hype train revved up) is to go back to the 80s and start building things like expert systems with LLM building blocks. I mean, in a way, this is basically what the whole "tool use" thing is, but I bet there's a whole lot more that could be done there to do really magical things, though with a lot more effort than just having some "intelligent" agent and telling it to do the thing.
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Comment on How self-driving cars will destroy cities in ~transport
glesica Link ParentOh man, I just realized someone is eventually gonna create an "anti-woke" self-driving F-350 service and do exactly this.doesn't roll coal
Oh man, I just realized someone is eventually gonna create an "anti-woke" self-driving F-350 service and do exactly this.
Wait, don't tell me, lemme guess! It will vastly overestimate the odds of members of marginalized groups and immigrants committing crimes. At the very least because if it doesn't confirm existing social biases then decision makers will assume it doesn't work. So instead of actually catching criminals, it will just result in more resources put toward rounding up "inconvenient" people. Lovely.