indirection's recent activity
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Comment on Wallet voting in ~life
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Comment on Samification of the current Web in ~design
indirection LinkToday most mainstream sites look similar, but there are plenty of oddly-formatted niche sites. There's the "indie web" (ex: indieweb.org, neocities.org, melonland.net) which emphasize Web 1.0...Today most mainstream sites look similar, but there are plenty of oddly-formatted niche sites. There's the "indie web" (ex: indieweb.org, neocities.org, melonland.net) which emphasize Web 1.0 style, and old sites that are still updated and haven't been redesigned. There are also new-style sites that still do something to try and "stand out", like hermes4.nousresearch.com, although they get lots of criticism (ex: that site for hogging memory, other sites for scrolljacking or being hard to read, generally along "just show me the content").
I think it's unfortunate that mainstream taste is what I'd call "bland", but if most people prefer that, I think it's not worth caring about. What we should care about is finding our own groups with interesting taste. The nice thing about the web is that random people can publish almost anything they can create, and you can visit almost any site. There's nothing really stopping groups like the indie web from becoming mainstream except that the mainstream audience doesn't notice them, and when it does doesn't find them worthy of attention/contribution.
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Comment on Sydney Sweeney’s Hollywood career just got a whole lot more complicated in ~society
indirection Link ParentThis is spot-on:This is spot-on:
While everyone argues about whether blue eyes constitute Nazi imagery, real fascists implement actual policies: detention centers where people drink from toilets, mass deportations to foreign countries, systematic capture of independent agencies. The cultural grievance theater serves oligarchic interests perfectly because it keeps democratic resistance focused on symbolic battles rather than material power.
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Comment on predawka - quasiorganic [full album animation] (2025) in ~music
indirection LinkAn electronic/IDM album with a full-length music video. I thought it was incredibleAn electronic/IDM album with a full-length music video. I thought it was incredible
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predawka - quasiorganic [full album animation] (2025)
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Comment on The terribly tragic, totally avoidable, absolute collapse of the gaming industry in ~games
indirection (edited )Link ParentMy understanding is: Games produced today are generally better than ever. The game developer career is worse than ever. Getting into a big company is hard and you'll be overworked, underpaid, and...My understanding is:
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Games produced today are generally better than ever.
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The game developer career is worse than ever. Getting into a big company is hard and you'll be overworked, underpaid, and assigned projects that get cancelled. As an indie, you have an astronomically low chance of making profit (factoring in living expenses during development), because games produced today are generally better than ever. Working for a small company is in-between; you may or may not have better working conditions (although you're probably still not paid well), and you risk the company going bankrupt.
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Some AAA franchises and companies produce bad games: uninspired, buggy, and with microtransactions that affect gameplay. Not all though, e.g. some of Nintendo's recent games. However, some of the best games produced today are by AA studios, whose capabilities are comparable to AAA thanks to better tooling like Unreal Engine 5.
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Comment on Everyone is crazy now in ~society
indirection LinkI think the author suffers from the availability heuristic. They notice famous people who have lots of money and power because famous people are, well, noticeable. They don't notice people with...I think the author suffers from the availability heuristic. They notice famous people who have lots of money and power because famous people are, well, noticeable. They don't notice people with money and power who have obtained it the old-fashioned way and don't explicitly seek attention; for example, those born to wealthy families, or the CEOs of "boring" companies like finance, insurance, etc. I'm confident that the latter far outnumber the former.
Their examples also don't really help their case:
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Tesla was not "just a meme"; it was the first company to really popularize the electric vehicle, which is a genuine good thing because it helps the environment. It's also suffering financially despite constantly being in the news, possibly more than ever and/or because of it's (negative) publicity.
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Meme stocks like GME have seen occasional success, but are dwarfed by real companies. Even Bitcoin's market cap (~$2.3 trillion last I checked) is dwarfed by the S&P 500 (~$49.8 trillion). One exception: you can get far richer investing in a meme cryptocoin than a reliable stock or government bond, if you're lucky (or in on the grift). But only if; most people statistically would be better off with the "boring" reliable stocks.
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VCs like Y Combinator support the author's argument the most, because their entire function is investing in companies based on their appearance. And indeed, YC has invested in some companies which put all effort into appearance and none into content, like PearAI, the company which simply cloned an OSS project and rebranded it. However VC isn't the only way for startups to succeed, and directing all energy towards marketing isn't the only way to appeal to VCs. There are a lot of AI companies in YC's 2025 batch, but how many will still be around in 5-10 years? I can't say, but suspect those who remain will be those with real engineering talent, not the shiny ChatGPT wrappers.
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Donald Trump didn't only win because of social media. While nobody can quantify how much it contributed, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had many vocal online supporters themselves, and their campaign failed for other reasons (among them: Biden dropping out late, and incumbent governments (including right-wing ones) lost almost everywhere).
Lastly, Elon Musk is the "richest" man in the world (as in, he is the single person with the highest net worth according to Forbes), but he isn't the most powerful. There are families with more combined net worth, people in government positions, and sometimes both (for example, the royal family of Saudi Arabia). Also, Elon Musk's xAI and Sam Altman's OpenAI aren't the only leading AI companies, there's also Anthropic (whose CEO isn't nearly as well-known), Google, DeepSeek, and others.
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Comment on The America Party in ~society
indirection Link ParentI really want to see more third-parties in general. I don't trust Elon Musk, but even a third party launched by him could have good outcomes. Both the Democrat and Republican parties are widely...I really want to see more third-parties in general. I don't trust Elon Musk, but even a third party launched by him could have good outcomes.
Both the Democrat and Republican parties are widely seen as out-of-touch. Politicians don't accurately represent their voters, but get re-elected anyways because they're better than the other party's candidate. Even if they get zero seats, just by running, AP candidates pressure the Democrat and Republican candidates to align closer with their voters. Plus, one third-party getting any success will inspire others.
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Comment on The rise of Whatever in ~tech
indirection Link ParentIn fairness, I attended some hackathons before LLMs. Most of the projects followed the current hype (blockchain, early ML, and VR) so they were similar. They also "kinda sorta did the job and only...An intern asked me 'What were hackathons like before LLMs' and I nearly cried.
In fairness, I attended some hackathons before LLMs. Most of the projects followed the current hype (blockchain, early ML, and VR) so they were similar. They also "kinda sorta did the job and only broke 10% of the time" and boasted during the presentation (some presentations I couldn't even tell if the app worked). I'm sure the main part (crypto/ML/VR) was provided by a library, in some cases the demo team wouldn't have needed to understand any of the underlying technology to integrate it, and the rest was boilerplate that could've been taken from a "starter project".
Also, if it's a work hackathon and the projects are work-oriented, they're almost guaranteed to be uninspiring. If there are expensive prizes, many people will be competing and aiming to show off, not to make something interesting and have fun. Even with total creative control and no prizes, hackathon quality can vary significantly; some hackathons just have a much better culture, they are more fun and motivational and inspire more original projects.
I will say that not every hackathon project was uninspiring and buggy; some were very creative, impressive, and (as evidenced by the demo) functional. I doubt there was much hand-written code since most hackathons are ~24 or ~48 hour coding marathons, but some projects did complex things that wouldn't have come from a library. Especially in some hackathons, in particular game jams, more projects were like this. But in every hackathon I went to (even company-focused ones) there were teams that didn't compete for the prizes, but made whatever they felt was cool in order to have fun and learn something useful themselves.
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Comment on America’s incarceration rate is about to fall off a cliff in ~society
indirection Link ParentOn second thought I think you're right. In theory we could regulate and incentivize to try and fix those things, but in practice it would be whack-a-mole, and less efficient than the government...On second thought I think you're right. In theory we could regulate and incentivize to try and fix those things, but in practice it would be whack-a-mole, and less efficient than the government running the entire prison themselves.
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Comment on America’s incarceration rate is about to fall off a cliff in ~society
indirection Link ParentMy main issue with private prisons is that they get paid for every prisoner, so they're incentivized to have more prisoners. If they were paid a fixed rate regardless of prison population, and...My main issue with private prisons is that they get paid for every prisoner, so they're incentivized to have more prisoners. If they were paid a fixed rate regardless of prison population, and given a bonus for every former prisoner who stays out of future prison for N years (maybe another if the prisoner has a job), they would be incentivized to have as many empty beds as possible, and lower recidivism.
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
indirection (edited )LinkA big issue I have with jailing people for hate speech is second-order effects*. In summary, you can't hurt your enemies without your friends getting hurt by retaliation or crossfire. Perhaps a...A big issue I have with jailing people for hate speech is second-order effects*. In summary, you can't hurt your enemies without your friends getting hurt by retaliation or crossfire.
Perhaps a ideal world, nobody would be allowed to make these "jokes". However, we don't live in an ideal world, and when someone gets jailed for hate speech, it creates factors that make it more likely for someone else to be jailed for something mundane or even good. Violence must be punished because it can't be ignored, but nobody was forced to watch the YouTube video this man was convicted for.
A good counter-argument is that hate speech encourages targeted harassment and violence, and this is true. However, I still believe that prosecuting it leads to more harassment and violence overall. I can't prove this, and maybe I'm wrong, but the rise of far-right in the past decade strengthened this belief (are there other, historical examples of such a resurgence?). Also, my experience and looking at world history and events, most people are passive unless they feel threatened (or that their friends or family are threatened); taking away freedom from someone for saying horrible things would threaten others who think and say the same things, but are otherwise too comfortable to act them out.
Remember that war puts everyone at risk within a large vicinity, and usually both sides end up worse overall. That doesn't mean always choose pacifism, sometimes you must war, but only for self-defense. Similarly, I believe we should lock up some people, but only to prevent them and others from committing similar crimes in the future. The problem with this conviction is that I fear it straight-up won't work, and in practice cause more harm than good.
* I also don't believe he or anyone deserves jail time for speech (with exceptions like hiring a hitman or revealing secrets to an enemy at war). I believe "live and let live", and speech generally doesn't prevent others from living. But the idea that this man's conviction and related ones could hurt others in particular is what makes me feel the need to post something.
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Comment on Becoming an asshole in ~life
indirection Link ParentThere's the trope of a person who acts nice but betrays others behind their backs (or at best, acts nice but is unhelpful). Others see that and prefer those with "asshole" personalities, because...There's the trope of a person who acts nice but betrays others behind their backs (or at best, acts nice but is unhelpful). Others see that and prefer those with "asshole" personalities, because they don't trust anyone.
Would you rather be hurt by someone who scowls and curses, or hurt just as much by someone who smiles and sweet-talks? Ideally someone would be both nice and honest, but if they're parasitic the next best is for them to still be honest, meaning they are openly mean. It follows that, if you believe most people are dishonest, you want most people to be mean.
I agree with @Greg idea that we should teach people to be nice and trust others who are nice because of "enlightened self-interest". I'll add that we also need to teach people how to spot and prevent deception and betrayal, because that's what eroded the veneer of public "niceness" in the first place.
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Comment on Walmart and Amazon are exploring issuing their own stablecoins in ~finance
indirection LinkAs someone in tech, but not crypto, I don't see the point. Not even from a grifter perspective. These are stablecoins, so they don't gain value. Walmart is unlikely to go out of business, but it's...As someone in tech, but not crypto, I don't see the point. Not even from a grifter perspective.
These are stablecoins, so they don't gain value. Walmart is unlikely to go out of business, but it's more likely than the US dollar collapsing (I think...). Why would I use Walmart coin instead of USDT? Why would Walmart use Walmart coin instead of USDT?
In the article:
Stablecoins could allow merchants to circumvent traditional payment rails, which cost them billions of dollars in fees each year, including the interchange fee they pay when customers make purchases using their cards.
Payments can take days to settle, delaying the time it takes for merchants to receive the proceeds from sales. Stablecoins offer the possibility for a quicker process. They could be of particular interest to merchants with suppliers who are located abroad.
But that doesn't explain why they don't use an existing stablecoin. Later:
The companies have also weighed how to use outside stablecoins, some of the people said, even if they decide not to pursue their own. That could be through a consortium of merchants led by one stablecoin issuer, for example.
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Comment on Donald Trump deploys Marines to Los Angeles in ~society
indirection Link ParentThis is why it's important to diffuse tensions by talking to people who have different views. The US military is full of ordinary people who are raised by and live around citizens, there are...the idea is to increase tensions until he can justify martial law
This is why it's important to diffuse tensions by talking to people who have different views. The US military is full of ordinary people who are raised by and live around citizens, there are conservatives in liberal areas and liberals in conservative areas (California voted ~60/40 for Harris/Trump, Indiana voted ~60/40 for Trump/Harris), there are gay and Latino conservatives and white Christian liberals (and many people don't agree with every liberal or conservative view so even labeling them "liberal" or "conservative" is a big over-generalization). You won't get along with everyone from the other political side, but you're almost certainly getting along with some, even if you're not aware.
Plus, many of Trump's policies are bad because they hurt everyone. I doubt even the ultra-wealthy will avoid consequences (climate change, long-term research cuts, economic uncertainty...), certainly blue-collar Trump voters won't. If you talk with these people especially if things get worse, there's a good chance they will change their mind, some already have.
Also, why it's important to not obstruct, damage property, etc. and even stop others from doing so. Most of the owners of the cars and buildings around protest areas very likely didn't vote for Trump (in California), but even those who had, I don't believe that warrants random property damage.
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Comment on The ideal candidate will be punched in the stomach in ~health.mental
indirection Link ParentI'm younger and fortunately have never worked dangerous jobs. But I also struggled to relate. Maybe it's because I'm hung up on the fact that the narrator has the entire day (after getting...I'm younger and fortunately have never worked dangerous jobs. But I also struggled to relate.
Maybe it's because I'm hung up on the fact that the narrator has the entire day (after getting punched) to do whatever he wants. It would be different if, for instance, he was forced to spend 8 hours pretending to look busy. That would be boring and mentally draining, and he would be wasting most of his life (almost 1/3, with the other 1/3 sleeping, and the remainder including commute, getting dressed, housekeeping, etc.)
But OP could wake up, get punched, then spend the rest of the day working on the hobbies, etc. that he feels deprived of. If he feels it's not fair that they're paying him to do nothing, he can spend his ample free time volunteering and donate the part of his salary that he doesn't need. If he feels Chris is taking advantage of him, can he re-frame it as "the company is paying me an absurd amount of money, all for the privilege of punching me five days a week"?
I'm probably just reading it too literally.
Not just for "mental health". While it doesn't really hurt BigCorp, it really helps the small businesses.
I buy from small businesses, use open-source software, watch indie films, etc. first and foremost, because I like the product. Second, because I want to support the creator and encourage others, partly so they produce more, and partly so they are happier. I don't even think about the negligible impact me not using a bigger service has on their revenue; I don't care that those companies exist, I care that there aren't enough alternatives (...and downstream effects like environment pollution, but as Cory Doctorow says those requires collective action).
For example, Tildes. I doubt most users here are active to spite Reddit, people are active here because of Tildes's intrinsic value: at least I am because I like the community and sometimes find interesting links and discussions