Grumble4681's recent activity
-
Comment on How do I trick my brain into accepting eating less? in ~health
-
Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI do because it matters to the person I'm judging or defining in that way. I think it is a net negative to society to not account for this, because it leads to misunderstandings about each other...I don't distinguish sexism as only conscious acts.
I do because it matters to the person I'm judging or defining in that way. I think it is a net negative to society to not account for this, because it leads to misunderstandings about each other and what people should be more aware of or more knowledgeable about.
If people commonly perceive being accused of racism, sexism etc. as something that is made up of conscious thoughts and acts, but that is not what I am meaning to convey when I define their thoughts or behaviors, then it's a breakdown of communication that will almost certainly not lead to a positive outcome.
Perhaps some may not intend to have a channel of communication when they say it, but then I'm not sure what the goal in saying it is and even those who are not the target for the accusation are still likely to misinterpret or understand the meaning and alter their own thoughts and judgements based on that misunderstanding.
-
Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentThis seems very odd to call out my comment for being insulting to a whole demographic of people as within context of the comment I replied to, it should be fairly reasonable to see that it's...This seems very odd to call out my comment for being insulting to a whole demographic of people as within context of the comment I replied to, it should be fairly reasonable to see that it's speculation of reasons why a subsection of the group being discussed are voting for a person who is very anti-immigration, and that comment I replied to mentioned what people may commonly assume about that group and their perspectives of immigration and how voting for Trump seems to run counter to those assumptions.
It seems you chose the most unfavorable interpretation you could come up with and I just don't think that's a fair way to reply to the comment I made.
-
Comment on Perplexity CEO offers AI company's services to replace striking New York Times staff in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentI think the general public has less qualms about using AI than they do about AI taking their jobs anyhow. The average person wants to use AI. It's why it's becoming one of the most booming...I think the general public has less qualms about using AI than they do about AI taking their jobs anyhow. The average person wants to use AI. It's why it's becoming one of the most booming industries right now, why Nvidia is becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. Investors are seemingly lining up to have their money thrown into this deep money pit of AI where money just keeps going in at a massive scale and not nearly as much is coming out, because they expect huge demand will eventually lead to huge profits.
It matters whether it was sincere or not because if it was sincere, it's misreading the room in terms of AI taking jobs and looks bad because they were offering to take over jobs of people who were striking, but when it is insincere, it means that they didn't believe they could actually take over that job or didn't have any belief that NY Times would take them up on it, and instead intended for it to be conveyed as advertising to consumers who would use AI, rather than AI taking someone's job directly. So in this context, it's reading the room just fine, the general public I do not believe is that against using AI themselves.
-
Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI thought this at the time with Hillary, but after this and just the more I reflected on it, I do think some voters were possibly drawn to Trump or away from Harris in part because she is a woman....I thought this at the time with Hillary, but after this and just the more I reflected on it, I do think some voters were possibly drawn to Trump or away from Harris in part because she is a woman.
These are all just my thoughts and opinions and I'm not trying to convey it as fact or expert opinion.
More specifically, I think Trump does really well against women because he has this faux Strongman persona, he mentions Putin a lot and I think sort of wants to project a similar strength that someone like Putin does. I think there are certain kinds of voters that are possibly more lured in by this when the opposing candidate is a woman, because women may be unfairly judged when competing with men using similar behaviors or characteristics. I've seen it mentioned many times that women in the workplace are treated more unfairly because if they're assertive people see it as a negative trait where as for men it's often seen as a positive trait, and I don't think that's just exclusive to assertiveness either.
I think some people want to believe that Trump has all the answers and can do everything needed to turn things around or change things in ways they think are better and they're influenced more easily by strong male types. I also recognize Harris did not just lose because tons of people voted for Trump instead of her, but also because tons of people just didn't vote at all rather than vote for her over Trump. I still see some of this as an extension of the above, I think to some people women will look weaker against Trump because of those flaws in people where they see negatives in women that are positives in men, and even people who don't like Trump are susceptible to this, so the result may be that they just won't vote for either.
Not saying that's the only reason, I do think there's TONS of other reasons why people wouldn't vote for either, or would vote for Trump over Harris, and I don't even see it as sexism necessarily. I distinguish sexism and racism as more intentional or done with awareness, as I think that's how a lot of people perceive it when accused of being sexist or racist, whereas in this case I think it's more specifically an unconscious bias. I believe the former is considered conscious bias.
I also think women can be just as guilty of this bias in some cases as men. I also think that this bias isn't just against women, but frail old men that can barely speak at a debate wouldn't likely fare so well either. Unfortunately Trump somehow still has a loud mouth and can cover up his decline from aging still.
I don't think a more attractive woman would necessarily fare better against Trump unless she had a totally separate persona and platform and basically ran on celebrity status more than being a professional politician. Even then it's questionable.
-
Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentPossibly even they do care, just not in the way people thought. The classic pull the ladder up behind you once you're up. For a lot of people, it's a great way to get ahead and stay ahead.Immigration policy is becoming less relevant to them: why should they care when they're already here?
Possibly even they do care, just not in the way people thought. The classic pull the ladder up behind you once you're up. For a lot of people, it's a great way to get ahead and stay ahead.
-
Comment on Perplexity CEO offers AI company's services to replace striking New York Times staff in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentSeems less like a sincere offer and more like a publicity generating maneuver. They want more people to know Perplexity exists in the hopes that it can be mentioned more and more along with...Seems less like a sincere offer and more like a publicity generating maneuver. They want more people to know Perplexity exists in the hopes that it can be mentioned more and more along with ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude etc., basically all the other big names.
In this way, I highly doubt they care about a small subset of NY Times workers or even people who already have negative feelings about AI/LLMs, and more so want a larger share of population from people who are excited about or in some way value or are seeking out AI/LLMs. This is basically like advertising to them.
-
Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentWith regards to his explanation of the timing being bad, he said this: This is the primary point that bothers me, and this type of action happens in myriads of areas of life where it's like, these...With regards to his explanation of the timing being bad, he said this:
I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy.
This is the primary point that bothers me, and this type of action happens in myriads of areas of life where it's like, these problems could so easily be avoided by just acknowledging that if you delayed the implementation beyond a point where it impacts people now, the problem wouldn't even exist anymore. It's sort of like the idea of politicians voting for pay raises, it gets heavily distorted these days by how many of those positions are basically lifetime or as long as they want, but in theory if the system worked more ideally, them voting for pay raises is heavily solved by voting for pay raises that happen in future sessions of Congress rather than in their current one. When it works as expected, people who actually have to earn their jobs in Congress and aren't just their for life are more likely voting for the good of the job and not for themselves. There's so many areas of government and life in general where these potential conflicts of interest can be avoided by considering the longer scale of things.
In this way, what Bezos did is make an important decision at the last minute and if you look at the overall arch of what he's trying to impact, it is completely irresponsible. The WP and many other news organizations have been doing endorsements for decades now. Allowing them to continue this practice for one more election is rather irrelevant in the large scope of things. If he is to be believed that it's really a principled decision on his part and something that is ethically better in the long run for organizations like this and for this industry, then in the long run it would prove out just as well by implementing it later when its not as dramatic of a change of practice at a key moment in time. What is one more election endorsement after decades of them? This only further indicates a motivation other than what he is publicly claiming. He could have easily let the endorsement go through, and also said it would be the last endorsement that the WP would do and that is it. Then most of the controversy of the immediate future anyhow just goes away, and it looks less like he's trying to influence what happens in this election by letting them continue it for this election. If he wanted to avoid the controversy and not have an endorsement this election, then the bottom line is that he should have made the decision much earlier.
He even acknowledges in the part you quoted, the conflicts of interest potential or the bulwark against intimidation angle, and says that only his principles can tip the balance from one to the other. So if his principles are so important to whether or not his ownership of this organization is affected by his wealth and business interests in a positive or negative way, then he should have taken far more care for how his principles are conveyed and perceived. He basically just acknowledged that the Washington Post's integrity is dependent on his principles and says "Trust me", after making a decision that makes it very easy to question his principles and motives. How can anyone trust that?
-
Comment on The misogynistic, bigoted and crude US rally remarks Donald Trump hasn’t disavowed in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentRCV is probably an inferior option, but STAR or just some type of score voting would be good, but also I think that needs to be combined with some proportional representation method. It's not...RCV is probably an inferior option, but STAR or just some type of score voting would be good, but also I think that needs to be combined with some proportional representation method.
It's not enough to just say whoever gets 1st with some better voting system is the only one that gets representation. Just because you aren't part of the most popular bloc of voters doesn't mean you shouldn't have representation or have a voice. Of course at a certain point it does mean that you may not have much influence over things, but to me the whole point of a representative system is that you elect someone else to do the day-to-day work of fighting to have your perspectives considered within government because most people don't have the time, education or resources to fight those battles all the time while living their lives. You elect someone else whose job is to fight them for you. If you have reasonable perspectives your representatives may often work in coalitions to build support for things you care about.
The difference between that and how we currently operate is that every single person has to constantly fight to have their voice heard because they rarely ever get someone who has an aligned set of values or perspectives to represent them since there are so few representatives to the overall population and because there's only one winner over a district etc. So at best they're just a set of functioning ears for which you have to scream non-stop and hope they eventually hear you.
I don't think we personally need to decide or be knowledgeable enough to know what the optimal voting setup for us is to move the needle, but we do need more and more people to be aware of the problem until they're receptive to a solution, that way we can get more experts and resources devoted to evaluating the optimal voting systems for us.
-
Comment on ‘I grew up with it’: readers on the enduring appeal of Microsoft Excel in ~tech
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentIt's modularity to the extreme. The top comment as of writing my comment mentions it being referred to as "the second-best tool for everything" which does indicate people recognize modularity has...It's modularity to the extreme. The top comment as of writing my comment mentions it being referred to as "the second-best tool for everything" which does indicate people recognize modularity has its flaws and thus not being the best tool for anything, but it makes sense why everyone wants to use it. Not only is it modularity to the extreme, it manages to keep it relatively simple considering taking anything to the extreme generally doesn't stay simple.
It's interesting for me to think about more purpose-built software that is more specific to a particular situation, because often times I just find myself wishing it was more modular. Even though its specificity is its advantage in some regards, it's also its Achilles heel at times. Mostly I'm thinking of software I encountered working for different businesses. It seems to be true with a lot of software, many times something starts out specific and is really good at the one or two things it does, but then people want more and the tool tries to become a multi-tool and then it often is lackluster at many things, and it seems to be really just because people want modularity like in Excel. In some cases people end up hating the software because it becomes bloated and unwieldy. Yet somehow Excel manages to thread this needle perfectly.
-
Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI'm suspecting this as well. There have been some notable people coming out against him very recently, specifically John Kelly, but also 13 former Trump administration officials who signed an open...I'm suspecting this as well. There have been some notable people coming out against him very recently, specifically John Kelly, but also 13 former Trump administration officials who signed an open letter backing John Kelly's remarks.
But we've seen that in this bizarre reality, these types of warnings don't seem to resonate with people who haven't already decided against Trump.
-
Comment on Anthropic announces New Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Haiku and the Computer Use API in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentSeems like there's a time and a place for HID automation solutions and perhaps it's planning to slot into that? It's not seemingly substantially different than a bunch of the other macro programs...Seems like there's a time and a place for HID automation solutions and perhaps it's planning to slot into that? It's not seemingly substantially different than a bunch of the other macro programs out there before it, or what people use AutoHotkey for, except with an LLM attached it might have someplace to go beyond where those could not.
Microsoft's PowerAutomate is/was extremely powerful for an HID automation (I haven't used it in awhile because seemingly at some point they put it behind another gate that make it inaccessible to me). You could set it to look for certain pictures on the screen, or sets of pixels really, and it would follow commands based on recognition of that.
To me it seems like they're basically trying to cross the barrier between developer and power user, an API is more of a developer layer and where the power user wants to automate is not likely going to have an API because they would ordinarily have no use for it.
Rather than equating this to making a car out of train parts, I see it as more like making autonomous cars work on roads and systems built for humans. It's rather asinine in one perspective that a car is trying to interpret visual elements meant for humans when humans could build the equivalent of an API for autonomous cars to use on the roads, except I'd say it's fairly understandable why that doesn't happen in the short term for various reasons. You work with what is available now, not what is on your wishlist to be available for things you have no control over.
-
Comment on Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound in ~health
Grumble4681 Link ParentWill any of the actual features work or are they basically just overpriced bluetooth earbuds at that point?Will any of the actual features work or are they basically just overpriced bluetooth earbuds at that point?
-
Comment on Intuit asked us to delete part of this Decoder episode in ~finance
Grumble4681 LinkI'm less surprised they would ask for that and more surprised they agreed to an interview that would allow for coverage of those topics to begin with, as they had to know those types of questions...I'm less surprised they would ask for that and more surprised they agreed to an interview that would allow for coverage of those topics to begin with, as they had to know those types of questions would be asked. Intuit is well known for lobbying against government simplifying taxes and also that settlement for lying about free filing. Of course those would be topics of interest.
This is why you largely don't have these kind of interviews anymore, because most people know better than to engage in them because there's no reasonable way out of the uncomfortable parts. The interviewer has a responsibility to bring them up and try to get a real answer because otherwise it looks like they're a shill, and the interviewee has to perfectly recite canned answers that evade the question because there's no honest answer they can give that won't be egg all over their face.
-
Comment on Moving wikis away from Fandom in ~tech
Grumble4681 Link ParentIt seems like they're doing a little more than just "we promise", but the issue that I was concerned about that they didn't address is that sometimes people get too much of an ego or like being in...It seems like they're doing a little more than just "we promise", but the issue that I was concerned about that they didn't address is that sometimes people get too much of an ego or like being in control and makes me wonder when they empower the community to make decisions on the wiki, who is it they are empowering? This is kinda similar to some issues with reddit moderators in various subreddits, where there were some moderators that did nothing anymore but they were higher on the list and couldn't be removed by current active moderators and essentially could do whatever they wanted with impunity so long as it wasn't enough to make the reddit admins step in.
Here's what Weird Gloop said in this post about how they would avoid becoming Fandom:
So we’ve been voluntarily entering into agreements with the wikis we host (here’s an example) where we set very clear obligations for what happens if the wiki community wants to go somewhere else (hint: it’s all about the domain).
So within that text, the first thing that is made clear is "it's all about the domain". How is a community of strangers basically, going to control a domain? Someone, somewhere, is going to have to control.
Now about the promise thing, in the example they gave, it actually is pretty much just a 'promise' initially it seems, because it says it's not legally binding, but it does say it can become legally binding if the community forms a 'corporate entity'.
Also in that example, it basically seems like if there were community division, WeirdGloop sorta acts as the arbitrator of sorts, because they're the ones that determine who is validly representing the community. If I wanted to take over the Minecraft wiki and terminate the agreement, at what point am I the community? If I make 90% of the edits? Never?
I'm not saying it's bad on their part or that because there's a different potential pitfall that it's not worth doing, just saying that I don't think the only concern in this case is whether they become another Fandom, but rather that this type of setup does create some other issues that I could see happening in unlikelier cases.
-
Comment on The bill finally comes due for Elon Musk in ~transport
Grumble4681 (edited )Link ParentAs we are noticing with the autonomous systems that have already been developed or are in development, in many cases they may able to automate a large share of the work, but the edge cases are...As we are noticing with the autonomous systems that have already been developed or are in development, in many cases they may able to automate a large share of the work, but the edge cases are where it gets tricky and often still requires a human to deal with. Waymo is dealing with this too with remote interventions and having to dispatch a person to actually go out and physically drive the vehicle in some cases to address a problem.
So especially true when as you mentioned, the operator of a train being a minority of the costs, any system they likely could come up with would likely still have edge cases that require a human to intervene. It really just doesn't make sense to remove the relatively low cost of the human, and then still have a system where you likely will need a human to deal with edge cases. Considering the amount of distance covered by rails, that would make it even harder to introduce a solution like Waymo is using of dispatching a human when needed, and so far anyhow they're mostly just using a stock vehicle which millions of people are trained to operate. Compare that to trains and it's perhaps not as feasible you'd just have train operators/engineers available all over the country ready to step in during an edge case nearby in the middle of nowhere.
To be fair, that last circumstance is perhaps quite likely to be a big problem for autonomous semi-trucks, but it goes back to there being a stronger portion of costs to driver labor to increase the pool of resources available to spend to solve that problem.
-
Comment on USA: Kyle Rittenhouse's texts pledging to ‘murder’ shoplifters disillusion his ex-spokesperson in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentSo how are they mostly useless and not completely useless?So how are they mostly useless and not completely useless?
-
Comment on USA: Kyle Rittenhouse's texts pledging to ‘murder’ shoplifters disillusion his ex-spokesperson in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI agree that it's not an uncommon sentiment in some circumstances, but the big difference is the vast majority of those people don't actually end up in a situation where something like that...It's hard to say whether it's just internet tough guy or an actual hopeful attitude, but the sentiment of "I wish someone would invade my house/tresspass/look at me funny so I have an excuse to shoot them" shows up frighteningly often whenever people talk about guns and why they own them. Ostensibly, it's for self defence, but they're very nonchalant about wanting to take someone's life.
I agree that it's not an uncommon sentiment in some circumstances, but the big difference is the vast majority of those people don't actually end up in a situation where something like that happens because they know better and don't go seeking out such a situation.
Sure, out of all of those cases there could be one here or there where that wish coincidentally comes true and they didn't actually seek it out and having that thought documented out there somewhere can come back on them. But that's a case to be decided, if a person really didn't go seeking it out then presumably they will not be found at fault, but in the case of Rittenhouse, his statements combined with the situation he is in leaves little room for doubt that it was not just an unfortunate coincidence he ended up in that circumstance.
-
Comment on USA: Kyle Rittenhouse's texts pledging to ‘murder’ shoplifters disillusion his ex-spokesperson in ~society
Grumble4681 Link ParentI'd think it would matter some as it illustrates what his true intentions were. Normal people aren't wishing to have their home invaded. That he would wish for it to happen was just pretext for...I'd think it would matter some as it illustrates what his true intentions were. Normal people aren't wishing to have their home invaded. That he would wish for it to happen was just pretext for what his true wish was, murder.
-
Comment on Heavy Is The Crown ft. Linkin Park (Official Music Video) | League of Legends Worlds 2024 Anthem in ~games
Grumble4681 Link ParentI'm not disagreeing with you as the following remarks might seem, because I know you aren't saying anything contrary, I just thought it was relevant to what you said, so more like I'm adding my...I personally don't see how her potentially being a Scientologist really matters either. The Catholic church still does plenty of horrible shit on the regular, as does the Mormon church, and lots of southern Baptists churches, and they're all a lot more harmful on a far larger scale. I'm queer so the beliefs those institutions push regarding LGBT+ rights directly affects me, but I still don't write off every artist of Catholic or Mormon or Baptist faith. If an artist themself does something awful, I totally understand taking a stand against them. I can't separate art from artist either, and have stopped consuming several artist's content in those cases (e.g. most recently with Neil Gaiman). However, guilt by mere association, or disowning an artist purely because of their faith is taking it way too far for me.
I'm not disagreeing with you as the following remarks might seem, because I know you aren't saying anything contrary, I just thought it was relevant to what you said, so more like I'm adding my similar perspective to yours.
I get why Scientology might rate differently than established religions, and some of those religions vary quite a bit in terms of how they are practiced, I just don't know that I would condemn someone for following Scientology without knowing how they actually practice it. I think that's along the lines of what you were saying as well. I don't necessarily even consider Scientology a religion like those other ones, which could be a bias of mine or a misunderstanding of what defines a religion, but I still understand that regardless of how I see it, the other person who is following that sees it that way.
If proof comes out that she goes around doing more of the abhorrent things that other Scientologists are known for, then those behaviors would be unsupportable, but if she somehow manages to otherwise lead a life that isn't personally harming others then I wouldn't hold her religion against her. I don't think people would support that for established religions like Islam or Catholicism, and again I don't even consider Scientology to be as 'legitimate' as those and it does seem more like a cult, but I understand that people who are in it may hold onto it similar to how other people hold onto their established religions.
This doesn't take away from anything you said as that all seems very accurate to me, but it's perhaps worth noting that psyllium husk fiber is also a laxative from what I have read. It may not necessarily produce the same effects as taking something that is specifically meant to be used as a laxative depending on amount taken, but I do believe it increases the number of bowel movements in a day in my experience.
I unfortunately don't really feel any benefit from the psyllium husk fiber with regards to changing my appetite. I take it in capsule form rather than powder form so there may be some differences there, though I would not imagine much since I think its just the powder packed into a gel capsule. I take it pretty regularly, like on a schedule even, but my desire to eat swings wildly between days. Some days I wake up in the morning and I feel like I'm super hungry the moment I get out of bed, other days I can be relatively content with little to eat in the morning and make it to the afternoon. I definitely have a problem with sugar though and I know sugar triggers my hunger more, so it's possible if not for this the fiber would have more of an impact.