Greg's recent activity
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Comment on No one likes it, but I have to admit that unexpected, hardcore adversity is a feature not a bug in ~talk
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Comment on No escape, no control: there's a Severance keyboard group buy coming soon in ~tv
Greg Link ParentI'm typing this on a Keychron Q6, as it happens! All round great keyboard, I've been really happy with it.I'm typing this on a Keychron Q6, as it happens! All round great keyboard, I've been really happy with it.
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Comment on No escape, no control: there's a Severance keyboard group buy coming soon in ~tv
Greg Link ParentYeah, other than getting into the BIOS on desktops/servers I don't think I've used an F-key for its intended purpose in... decades? But I guarantee my muscle memory would have me trying to press...Yeah, other than getting into the BIOS on desktops/servers I don't think I've used an F-key for its intended purpose in... decades? But I guarantee my muscle memory would have me trying to press above the top row for the media controls and screen brightness that are bound to the F-row now if I didn't have them physically there!
I'm also so used to using
cmd-`andcmd-shift-`to cycle back and forth through open windows within an application that I'm forever tethered to ISO layout at this point. I'd be hitting the end of the shift key and wondering why nothing happened at least every 20 minutes otherwise. -
Comment on No escape, no control: there's a Severance keyboard group buy coming soon in ~tv
Greg Link Parent70% is a standard-ish layout; there are a few relatively common keymaps for smaller mechanical keyboards, and the more restricted ones use chords to access characters that aren’t physically there....70% is a standard-ish layout; there are a few relatively common keymaps for smaller mechanical keyboards, and the more restricted ones use chords to access characters that aren’t physically there. Not my preference, admittedly, but I don’t think they’re totally reinventing the wheel here either.
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Comment on No escape, no control: there's a Severance keyboard group buy coming soon in ~tv
Greg LinkThat design is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve been thinking for a while how cool it would be to have an old 60s monochrome text terminal as a retrofuturistic interface to a locally hosted LLM, and this...That design is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve been thinking for a while how cool it would be to have an old 60s monochrome text terminal as a retrofuturistic interface to a locally hosted LLM, and this fits into that aesthetic perfectly. In reality I don’t have the space and don’t really like sub-100% layouts anyway, so I’m not realistically going to buy one, but I’m still glad it exists.
I haven’t actually seen the show yet either (people keep telling me I’d love it, I just haven’t had the chance), so I’m taking this as yet another prompt that I should make the time for it.
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Comment on Smartphones and tablets in the EU to get a new label in June in ~tech
Greg Link ParentI don’t really see 1 & 2 being an issue, unless I’m missing something. The requirements don’t seem particularly onerous or unnecessary, they pretty much just coincide with “make and support a good...I don’t really see 1 & 2 being an issue, unless I’m missing something.
The requirements don’t seem particularly onerous or unnecessary, they pretty much just coincide with “make and support a good device” - if a new company doesn’t have the capital to do that, are they really a viable competitor in the first place? I do understand that sometimes bureaucracy can act as an unnecessary barrier to entry, especially in situations where a single person could otherwise start small, but in an already highly regulated market (RF transmission compliance is a bitch) with an already high inherent setup cost (hardware manufacturing is expensive as hell) I doubt this would tip the balance.
Seven years of parts availability also doesn’t mean they’ve got to keep the manufacturing lines active or anything - just order some extras up front and keep them in a warehouse with a basic ordering page. It’s not zero overhead, but it’s pretty close to it; I’d guess single-digit euros per device in added costs if it were 100% passed through.
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Comment on Why are integrated batteries so accepted? in ~tech
Greg LinkThe functional advantages for the user tend to be better waterproofing and/or smaller, less bulky devices. I don’t think that’s why they’re the default - I think it’s the manufacturers’ interests...The functional advantages for the user tend to be better waterproofing and/or smaller, less bulky devices. I don’t think that’s why they’re the default - I think it’s the manufacturers’ interests first and foremost, with those being nice side effects - but there are at least some genuine benefits. I’d still prefer an actual focus on replacement and repairability if it were an option, though!
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Comment on What it would take for Donald Trump administration to change Harvard’s US tax status in ~society
Greg Link ParentThat’s a good point actually, squeezing individuals with personal consequences to pressure the institution as a whole unfortunately seems like very much their style. And yeah, regardless of the...That’s a good point actually, squeezing individuals with personal consequences to pressure the institution as a whole unfortunately seems like very much their style.
And yeah, regardless of the mechanics of this situation you’re absolutely right that we need to center the fact that the rules no longer apply beyond “will anyone physically prevent them?”.
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Comment on What it would take for Donald Trump administration to change Harvard’s US tax status in ~society
Greg (edited )Link ParentMy first thought was the same, but this being a tax dispute does make it a bit more interesting. It’s inherently the domain of bureaucracy and paperwork, so I don’t really know what “ignoring the...My first thought was the same, but this being a tax dispute does make it a bit more interesting. It’s inherently the domain of bureaucracy and paperwork, so I don’t really know what “ignoring the courts” would look like in this situation.
Most of the other illegal acts the administration has taken so far involve agencies under the direct control of the government and/or situations with inherent physical force - the question is “how are the courts going to enforce their ruling that says stop?”. With this one it’s the opposite: the government has to convince the banks to freeze assets, and if the courts say not to I don’t see the banks doing it.
The government could physically seize property, of course, but that’s an extreme step. I wouldn’t put it past them, but if there are soldiers breaking into Harvard and stealing things it’s probably a reasonable sign that the US is no longer the place for the institution or its funds.
[Edit] Typo
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Comment on Russia seeds chatbots with lies. Any bad actor could game AI the same way. in ~tech
Greg Link ParentFrom what I’ve seen, accuracy (particularly when it comes to news) doesn’t contribute that strongly to hitting profit-related targets. That holds even in traditional media: just look at Murdoch’s...From what I’ve seen, accuracy (particularly when it comes to news) doesn’t contribute that strongly to hitting profit-related targets. That holds even in traditional media: just look at Murdoch’s outlets, for example.
There’s definitely market pressure to avoid laughable mistakes that undermine the public perception of the model, but when it comes to info that even some humans will have trouble judging the veracity of, it’s a trickier technical task and one that the market is less likely to reward if it is solved. There may even be some level of incentive against fixing it if it increases engagement, or gives the model a better ability to “agree” with users already too far down the misinformation pipeline.
All of which is to say that I think we’d need some decent regulation to be confident that there was an actual reason for companies to filter out this specific kind of misinformation, because I don’t think they will expect enough difference in their bottom line to make it a priority otherwise. I can see the EU managing it, but I wouldn’t expect it to be done quickly and I’d give it at best a 50/50 chance of being written in a way that understands the tech enough to achieve what it intends to.
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Comment on Kagi Assistant is now available to all users in ~tech
Greg Link ParentI always find numbers like this fascinatingly unintuitive - I think we tend to assume our own use of whatever service is somewhere nearish the average; maybe up to double if we consider ourselves...I always find numbers like this fascinatingly unintuitive - I think we tend to assume our own use of whatever service is somewhere nearish the average; maybe up to double if we consider ourselves a heavy user, down to half as a light user, but all within the same ballpark. Actually looking at the data rarely matches up to that, in my experience!
I distinctly remember a while back when they published search volume statistics and it turned out my fairly standard Tuesday was above the average monthly usage, for example. Equally, I don’t use their AI tools at all, so that’s at least one user’s worth of tokens back in the pool to pad the margins a bit.
I do wonder about those ten people using 50M tokens each though! Part of me thinks they’ve got to be deliberately doing something “unreasonable” specifically because there’s an unlimited resource, but equally I guess if you find it does a good job of, say, parsing entire GitHub repos to find bugs maybe you could hit those levels without intentionally doing anything wildly out of scope for the tool.
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Comment on 'politics.usa' tag proposal in ~tildes
Greg LinkOn board with this. I find myself getting drawn into a lot of the discussions, and it’d almost definitely be better for my state of mind to disengage from the topic, at least temporarily.On board with this. I find myself getting drawn into a lot of the discussions, and it’d almost definitely be better for my state of mind to disengage from the topic, at least temporarily.
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Comment on Whistleblower on US Department of Government Efficiency actions at National Labor Relations Board in ~society
Greg (edited )Link ParentMy thoughts, which are not at all positive… The underreaction from the traditional “ruling class” has been the biggest shock to me. You’re absolutely right, the US government in the way it’s been...My thoughts, which are not at all positive…
The underreaction from the traditional “ruling class” has been the biggest shock to me. You’re absolutely right, the US government in the way it’s been understood for the last century or two is gone - it might be possible to revive it, especially while memories of stability and relative prosperity are still fresh, but the idea that US democracy still exists at this moment or can be brought back without a serious fight seems utterly unrealistic.
Things are quite literally at the “black bag disappearances of dissidents in broad daylight” stage and it’s only been three months. People are already being sent to prison camps with no due process and no prospect of return. Pandering to Russia makes clear that this isn’t even some misguided “strongman” attempt to advance the US’s interests. The economy and currency being utterly tanked make clear that this isn’t China-style calculated, Machiavellian, ends-justify-the-means authoritarianism. It’s an uneasy coalition of unstable and destructive narcissists, ideological true believers with genuinely terrifying goals, and amoral opportunists who see which way the wind is blowing.
I have zero faith that any of these people will allow elections to be conducted fairly or relinquish power peacefully.
And against that backdrop, the political opposition are by and large still acting as though this is partisan disagreement within the bounds of the existing system. The wealthy are acting as if they win by being part of the in-group, as though that ever protected Russia’s oligarchs from unfortunate accidents around open windows. The press, by and large acting as a mouthpiece for the wealthy, minimise and sanewash and pander as though keeping the population calm and accepting will maintain a status quo that’s already been torn to shreds.
The people who have, one way or another, ended up on top of the heap within the bounds of the last 70 or so years of stability - the ones who have by far the biggest vested interest in maintaining that stability - don’t seem to really understand that it’s already gone, and that every day passing makes it less likely that any part of it can be salvaged.
[Edit] Clarity
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Comment on Whistleblower on US Department of Government Efficiency actions at National Labor Relations Board in ~society
Greg LinkThe whole thing is a horror show - turning off 2FA, turning off logging, exposing endpoints to the public internet, accessing huge amounts of protected data and then shuttling it out over an...The whole thing is a horror show - turning off 2FA, turning off logging, exposing endpoints to the public internet, accessing huge amounts of protected data and then shuttling it out over an unsecured connection - but this part seems particularly important:
In fact, in the minutes after DOGE accessed the NLRB's systems, someone with an IP address in Russia started trying to log in, according to Berulis' disclosure. Those attempts were blocked, but they were especially alarming. Whoever was attempting to log in was using one of the newly created DOGE accounts — and the person had the correct username and password, according to Berulis.
Either the computers DOGE are using are so hilariously compromised that Russia are copy-pasting credentials from them as soon as they're generated, or the account was deliberately given to a hostile foreign state. Who in turn apparently don't have good enough procedures in place to ensure the VPN is turned on before accessing private US government data.
The data in question is the kind of stuff that would be considered too on the nose as a target for the evil corporate overlord in a cyberpunk novel:
It houses information about ongoing, contested labor cases, lists of union activists, internal case notes, personal information from Social Security numbers to home addresses, proprietary corporate data and more information that never gets published openly. Access to that data is protected by numerous federal laws, including the Privacy Act.
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Comment on There must be Nazis in the White House. EO 14188 -> 14/88. in ~society
Greg Link ParentYup, absolutely agreed. The analogy that’s floated into my mind would be to imagine if they were preparing an executive order telling the DEA to bulldoze a bunch of cannabis farms and someone...Yup, absolutely agreed. The analogy that’s floated into my mind would be to imagine if they were preparing an executive order telling the DEA to bulldoze a bunch of cannabis farms and someone somewhere along the chain noticed that the last order signed ended in 415. They would absolutely shuffle the order of the next five so it ended in 420, and I doubt anyone would be questioning the fact it was deliberate. “Why use the weed number on an anti-weed bill? Lol weed number funny fuck those woke criminals in California and fuck your feelings lib.”
It could in theory be deeper: a nod to basically tell the actual full blown neo-nazis not to worry because the intent of the “antisemitism” bill is absolutely nothing to do with protecting Jewish people. But yeah, I think the more likely series of events is that some group of white supremacist assholes in the administration are just chuckling to themselves that they got the nazi number pinned to a bill about Israel.
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Comment on There must be Nazis in the White House. EO 14188 -> 14/88. in ~society
Greg Link ParentYeah, you’re probably right about that, there isn’t much for us to gain by focusing on this in particular amongst everything else they’re doing. I don’t really know why I am dwelling on it, to be...Yeah, you’re probably right about that, there isn’t much for us to gain by focusing on this in particular amongst everything else they’re doing. I don’t really know why I am dwelling on it, to be honest, I’m already exhausted from hearing updates on all the more direct acts of destruction they’re pushing through each day.
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Comment on There must be Nazis in the White House. EO 14188 -> 14/88. in ~society
Greg Link ParentI think you’re quite drastically underestimating how much the plausible deniability is part of the playbook. The whole concept of a dog whistle is based on it, and that’s a known and frequently...I think you’re quite drastically underestimating how much the plausible deniability is part of the playbook.
The whole concept of a dog whistle is based on it, and that’s a known and frequently used racist tactic. It’s also a deliberate foundation for gaslighting (actual, dictionary definition gaslighting - not the misuse of the term that seems fairly prevalent), because yeah, we sound crazy for having confidence that this was intentional. I am literally questioning whether I’m chasing shadows here, worrying that I’m seeing things that aren’t there thanks to the constant stream of more provable abhorrent shit seeping into my brain. The more I assert confidence, the more I sound crazy to you and to myself.
But the fact of the matter is that 1488 is a nazi symbol just the same as a swastika is - it’s not even a particularly obscure one anymore, the entire page of search results for the term are links explaining its meaning. This is a party that has already publicly embraced nazi symbolism. And it’s a group of people who actively delight in smirking and feigning ignorance as the rest of us are “triggered” by their latest round of cruelty.
I couldn’t tell you whether it was meant as some deep nod to neo-nazi ideology or whether it’s 4chan style shock value trolling, and if I had to guess I’d say it’s the latter, but I would be fucking amazed if this specific group of people put this specific order in this specific position on the stack completely coincidentally.
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Comment on UK takes control of British Steel under emergency powers in ~society
Greg Link ParentI’m not deeply informed on this one, and as I understand it a decent amount of the public info that exists is speculation anyway, but from what I’ve been seeing there seem to be externalities...I’m not deeply informed on this one, and as I understand it a decent amount of the public info that exists is speculation anyway, but from what I’ve been seeing there seem to be externalities involved beyond just the profitability of the plant itself.
My understanding is that that the owners have been refusing a lot of seemingly financially superior bailout options in favour of a shutdown, and executives were actually physically removed from the premises after workers called the police the other day.
Basically, I think the answer to what level of losses are acceptable probably comes from a bigger picture analysis that estimates the economic and strategic value of being able to say “we’ll just make it ourselves if we need to”, and the projected loss to wider economy from a weaker international negotiating position if that’s taken off the table by shutting the plant down.
Now, do I trust the government to accurately project those numbers and make sound decisions about opportunity cost? Ehhh… they’ve got a pretty poor track record, that’s for sure, although most of that in recent memory was a different party. I’m not especially hopeful it’ll be managed well, but the early indications are that this is actually some sensible long term thinking to nationalise it in the first place, so I’ll keep a little bit of tentative optimism alive for now.
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Comment on Do 5g home internet modems get better cell reception than mobile phones? in ~tech
Greg LinkIt’s a tricky one - to the extent that I’d say if you have any way of testing out the actual broadband service for a week or so without being fully tied into the contract that’s by far your best...It’s a tricky one - to the extent that I’d say if you have any way of testing out the actual broadband service for a week or so without being fully tied into the contract that’s by far your best bet.
You’ve got differences in antenna design, which will not only impact signal strength but may have different MIMO capabilities too; those could fundamentally alter the speeds between devices. And then you’ve got the cell towers potentially treating the phone and router differently either based on the device type (identifiable from the IMEI) or based on the whether the SIM is registered for broadband or general use. And on top of that all the power profile stuff that you were already thinking of could absolutely be impacting the phone’s connection too.
I used a 5G router for a few weeks while I was waiting for a fiber install a while back and it got speeds in the hundreds of Mbps without an issue, which was a good 5x or so faster than my phone was getting, although it sounds like your tests were a lot slower on the phone side so I’m not sure if that helps much.
The speed and latency fluctuated enough to be quite annoying on the 5G router - it really made me appreciate that a decent fixed line connection just feels consistently snappy by comparison - but if the alternative were DSL I’d consider it a more than worthwhile upgrade!
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Comment on UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill in ~tech
Greg Link ParentPretty much the only thing I'm thankful for with this government is that I've got reasonable confidence they won't go embracing Trumpism with open arms, and they haven't been co-opted by Russia....Pretty much the only thing I'm thankful for with this government is that I've got reasonable confidence they won't go embracing Trumpism with open arms, and they haven't been co-opted by Russia. Both of those would be a real risk with Tory infighting (and outright Truss-level stupidity) being pulled ever rightwards by Farage and his cronies.
Which is effectively to say yeah, they're no better than Cameron-era Tories, and the closest I can get to a compliment for them is that the "mainstream" right has got so, so much worse by comparison.
This has made me realise that I don’t inherently think of the hardest times I’ve been through - times that did absolutely no good and definitely left lasting harm - as “adversity” because they were coming from inside my own brain.
I don’t really know where I’m going with this, beyond just trying to put a thought into words. The original post resonated because external, tangible crises have in some ways led to personal growth for me. What you’re saying resonated because there have been times I truly didn’t expect to make it through, and I look back at them with no positives to find even in hindsight.
I guess it’s just struck me that I’m intimately familiar with the idea of things being way beyond my capacity to handle, but somehow in my mind those don’t count because there wasn’t an external cause. It’s almost a catch 22 where a situation only gets into the box labelled “real adversity” if there was something of value to be learned from it, but that rules out the most difficult times from being included at all.