hairypotter's recent activity

  1. Comment on The sham legacy of Richard Feynman in ~science

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    100%. As someone who read Surely You're Joking and What Do You Care What Other People Think as a teen, my memories of these books are not at all "what an aspirationally brilliant asshole" and more...

    100%. As someone who read Surely You're Joking and What Do You Care What Other People Think as a teen, my memories of these books are not at all "what an aspirationally brilliant asshole" and more "this guy tested human scent by smelling old books" and "this guy took apart old phones" and "this guy realized that internal counting is more consistent for people who visualized a counter in their head rather than heard a counter go up in their head". Also "this guy disparages the concept of doing things just for getting awards". This is me reflecting on them over a decade later.

    It's possible I just forgot many stories where he's a "brilliant asshole", but my teenage takeaways from those books were "wow, I should really follow my interests and curiosities" and "science is more approachable and relatable than is often presented in school".

    Edit: reading https://tildes.net/~science/1kda/the_sham_legacy_of_richard_feynman#comment-e8bl, it seems like I definitely forgot about some of the more problematic stories. It would be interesting to re-read as an adult and gain a more complete understanding of Feynman as a person. It's helpful to take people off of their pedestal sometimes.

    14 votes

  2. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    hairypotter
    Link
    I've been working on a terminal based log viewer for kubernetes: https://github.com/robinovitch61/kl It's been super fun and is feeling more polished and finished, although I have a lot more I...

    I've been working on a terminal based log viewer for kubernetes: https://github.com/robinovitch61/kl

    It's been super fun and is feeling more polished and finished, although I have a lot more I want to do with it. I use it daily in my work which is satisfying.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on Community Check-In: How is everyone doing? in ~life

  4. Comment on webtoon-dl: a cli for downloading webtoons as pdfs in ~comics

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Many moons later, I have added a cbz output format option :)

    Many moons later, I have added a cbz output format option :)

    7 votes

  5. Comment on Lighthearted movie about someone finding a new direction? in ~movies

  6. Comment on ‘Andrew Tate greeted us by his pool bare-chested’: Dan Reed on his pursuit of the misogynist in ~tv

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    I think this is spot on. The Behind the Bastards episodes on him talk about how if nothing else, he presents a view of what it means to be a modern man within a space lacking coherent positive and...

    I think this is spot on. The Behind the Bastards episodes on him talk about how if nothing else, he presents a view of what it means to be a modern man within a space lacking coherent positive and actionable definitions. His definition is ethically awful and will lead to unnecessarily worse lives for many boys, men and those of all genders that they interact with, but it's coherent, clear and actionable.

    14 votes

  7. Comment on Brain tissue on a chip achieves voice recognition in ~tech

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Yep, I think we all should be way more cognizant of its progress and scrutinize it. From first hand experience a lot of people in this industries' primary concern is "we are not moving fast...

    Yep, I think we all should be way more cognizant of its progress and scrutinize it. From first hand experience a lot of people in this industries' primary concern is "we are not moving fast enough". Facebook-style move fast and ("try not to but it's worth it to compared to going too slow") break things. But with the human mind. Animal testing outrage is pennies compared to the potential societal harm here.

    On the other hand, it has some amazing upsides. Restoring motion, sight, hearing, and movement/touch to those currently without. Just like, plz no ads or political messaging or social media in our brains.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Read and loved scholomance last year and just getting started on murderbot this month, so this is encouraging to read :)

    Read and loved scholomance last year and just getting started on murderbot this month, so this is encouraging to read :)

  9. Comment on webtoon-dl: a cli for downloading webtoons as pdfs in ~comics

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Thanks for checking it out and for the helpful feedback! I did pdfs as I built this at first to put some comics on my reMarkable eink reader. I wasn't aware of cbz - I'll look into supporting that...

    Thanks for checking it out and for the helpful feedback!

    I did pdfs as I built this at first to put some comics on my reMarkable eink reader. I wasn't aware of cbz - I'll look into supporting that with this tool, too.

    Good note about separating build from install. I have another project's README I should do that to as well :)

    5 votes

  10. Comment on webtoon-dl: a cli for downloading webtoons as pdfs in ~comics

    hairypotter
    Link
    I made this! Try it out and request features if you'd like.

    I made this! Try it out and request features if you'd like.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Your organic, eco-friendly lifestyle isn't as green as you think in ~enviro

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    This nonprofit does some great analysis on the widespread issues with carbon offsets. I don't know of any that are the "real deal" with a high degree of individual confidence:...

    This nonprofit does some great analysis on the widespread issues with carbon offsets. I don't know of any that are the "real deal" with a high degree of individual confidence:

    This post explains why an investor in public markets today cannot adequately characterize most companies’ use of carbon offsets, and by extension the adequacy of their net-zero transition plans, on the basis of existing public information. We explain how straightforward, company-level disclosures about offset use could close this information gap.

    https://carbonplan.org/research/offset-disclosure-needs

    Only slightly related speculation, GiveWell used to set the donation price of saving a human life at around $3k, and now it's around $5k. I don't think it's because organizations got worse at what they do or all the "low hanging fruit" lives got saved already. Doing good reliably at scale with high confidence is hard and usually costs a lot. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

    6 votes

  13. Comment on Your organic, eco-friendly lifestyle isn't as green as you think in ~enviro

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    This takes it further than what my philosophical argument is, which goes something like "my partner and I have strong environmental values, so it's high likelihood my kids will as well, which is...

    Philosophically, I think you could make an argument for that particular one, something about birthing a great scholar who discovers nuclear fusion and cures cancer etc. etc., but the opportunity cost of not creating a person who might theoretically solve a set of undefined problems in an undefined way is pretty quantitatively difficult to measure, so it isn't reflected in this data. Probably worth investigation in general, i.e. what is the most optimal population size to support innovation, but out of scope right now.

    This takes it further than what my philosophical argument is, which goes something like "my partner and I have strong environmental values, so it's high likelihood my kids will as well, which is desperately needed" as @teaearlgraycold's comment lays out. You don't have to invent fusion -- just make an incremental (or larger) change to a system that negates more than your own lifetime impact in carbon. That level of impact, while difficult/impossible to quantify precisely, is being made by a number of systems engineers, data analysts, physicists, teachers, etc. who are working on building and promoting a more sustainable future throughout their careers. Of course, you can't control your kids' lives, values, or career focus. But it's not a binary between "Newton or Leech".

    6 votes

  14. Comment on Scientists are researching a device that can induce lucid dreams on demand in ~tech

  15. Comment on What is your preferred VPN? in ~comp

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Anywhere I can find out more about the unfriendliness to bittorrent users? This thread was making me interested in mullvad but that makes me hesitate

    Anywhere I can find out more about the unfriendliness to bittorrent users? This thread was making me interested in mullvad but that makes me hesitate

    3 votes

  16. Comment on What silly thing do you argue about with your significant other? in ~talk

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    I built https://colorcontroversy.com/ a while back to settle this once and for all! Or, you know, probably just create further arguments like yours :)

    I built https://colorcontroversy.com/ a while back to settle this once and for all! Or, you know, probably just create further arguments like yours :)

    18 votes

  17. Comment on Stack Overflow didn’t ask how bad its gender problem is this year in ~tech

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    Honestly same! I have had some questions answered in very helpful, constructive ways there. Maybe I'm just lucky though given the common perception.

    Honestly same! I have had some questions answered in very helpful, constructive ways there. Maybe I'm just lucky though given the common perception.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, an icon to many, to step down in ~news

  19. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (November 2022) in ~health.mental

    hairypotter
    Link Parent
    I wonder if it's possible you're swimming in water and have forgotten about the existence of water, or something like that :). In no way do I mean to invalidate your experience here, but it sounds...

    I wonder if it's possible you're swimming in water and have forgotten about the existence of water, or something like that :). In no way do I mean to invalidate your experience here, but it sounds like you're a very accomplished person doing amazing stuff right now day to day! You feel tired and it may be easy to focus on the large list of further cool things you could be doing instead, but I have deep respect for folks who take on just a bit more than they can chew in order to grow (your learning), contribute (your job), and give back (your teaching) all at once :). I have a coworker like you and think she's awesome. I hope you can get some rest on a regular basis and also find some moments to appreciate your amazing-ness in the here and now.

    3 votes