infpossibilityspace's recent activity
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Comment on RIP Cybertruck. You were unloved, unwanted, and utterly absurd. in ~transport
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Comment on Cyberattack disrupts blood storage refrigeration systems in France in ~tech
infpossibilityspace (edited )Link ParentPCI-DSS, the governing regulations for safe usage of cardholder data, do not mess around with this. If a company is required to comply with PCI, storing cardholder data unencrypted holds a fine of...PCI-DSS, the governing regulations for safe usage of cardholder data, do not mess around with this. If a company is required to comply with PCI, storing cardholder data unencrypted holds a fine of between 5k-100k per month until the problem is fixed.
Which doesn't sound like a lot for a massive company, but repeated/persistent violations can lead to legal penalties or being dropped by banks as a safe payment processor.
I don't know the specifics of this example, and the standards have changed over time, but I would be running to the CIO if I saw something like that today.
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Comment on Cyberattack disrupts blood storage refrigeration systems in France in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentAs someone working in security, it's frustrating that this is a solved problem and has been recognised for years if not over a decade, but it hasn't received the attention it deserves. The problem...As someone working in security, it's frustrating that this is a solved problem and has been recognised for years if not over a decade, but it hasn't received the attention it deserves.
The problem is, for the longest time working in IT was a case of "make it work" and putting security in place is literally putting things in place which make "making it work" harder and take longer, so it didn't happen.
I do security for one of these old-school industries and it really has been a wake-up call in the past couple of years to get on top of this stuff.
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Comment on itch.io reveals just how much AI slop is flooding gaming storefronts in ~games
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI don't think you need to ban it, per se, but you could put a nominal fee on every submission to discourage mass uploads. Something small enough that a kid putting up their first project won't...I don't think you need to ban it, per se, but you could put a nominal fee on every submission to discourage mass uploads.
Something small enough that a kid putting up their first project won't have an issue getting their parents to pay, say £3, but it adds up for anyone wanting to submit dozens or hundreds of slop games.Plus with that volume of submissions, you could easily pay for a few full-time staff to moderate them.
If part of that design ties the payment details to the user account then it also add a layer of burden on people who spam uploads across multiple accounts. -
Comment on Andromeda in southern spring in ~space
infpossibilityspace LinkI feel like (or hope) astronomy is one of those rare things that can elicit a childlike wonder in almost anyone. Maybe it's the physics nerd in me talking, but even thinking about how our puny,...I feel like (or hope) astronomy is one of those rare things that can elicit a childlike wonder in almost anyone. Maybe it's the physics nerd in me talking, but even thinking about how our puny, imperfect eyeballs can witness the moon in any notable detail still feels kinda insane.
Great picture, thanks for sharing OP!
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Comment on If you use your computer in a dark environment, buy a monitor light! in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkI haven't found the need to use one, but I've set the Night Light feature in Windows (I forget what it's called on Linux/Mac), it shifts the screen colour to mimic sunset so you get less blue...I haven't found the need to use one, but I've set the Night Light feature in Windows (I forget what it's called on Linux/Mac), it shifts the screen colour to mimic sunset so you get less blue light exposure.
Reducing blue light close to bedtime has shown to improve your sleep. There's a similar setting on Android/iOS too. Highly recommended.
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
infpossibilityspace LinkI struggled with not having a passion for many years, but currently I've settled on a passion for finding new ways to express my strongest-held values. While most of my interests wax and wane...I struggled with not having a passion for many years, but currently I've settled on a passion for finding new ways to express my strongest-held values.
While most of my interests wax and wane (though discovering new music is evergreen), I have always cared deeply about trust and what it means to be trustworthy. Something I like is it's a statement about the future: A trustworthy person is someone you believe will act a certain way in the future.
Finding ways to impart that feeling about you onto others cascades into a lot of other values, like consistency, honesty and humility.
In part, it stems from seeing how trust cascades upwards into the structure of our society, the role of institutions, what living in a low-trust society is doing to the way we go about our lives and having a desire for something better.
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Comment on Looking for advice: How do I find out what stocks to invest into? in ~finance
infpossibilityspace LinkTaking a different route than the other replies, which I mostly agree with, what's your investment horizon? When do you plan to convert your investments back into cash? If you're planning for...Taking a different route than the other replies, which I mostly agree with, what's your investment horizon? When do you plan to convert your investments back into cash?
If you're planning for retirement you're in luck, because sending money into your pension and directing that cash into indices/ETFs is probably the most tax-efficient way to build an investment portfolio. In many countries, pension contributions come out of your paycheque before the state takes income tax because they want you to invest in your future.
If you're looking to exit sooner (more than 10 but before retirement) some countries have tax-free savings accounts (ISAs in the UK) which you can use for indicies/ETFs. Generally you won't pay tax on the returns you make, but your input money is still going in after income tax so you don't get that sweet pension benefit.
Another investment strategy is "dollar-cost averaging" which takes advantage of the old adage: Time in the market beats timing the market. Essentially you don't try to anticipate a dip/rally, you just put some money in on a regular basis and don't worry about the short-term fluctuations as, in the long run, they average out. Trying to anticipate just delays the investment.
The neat thing about pensions in you get this averaging for free whenever you get paid, but it's easy to replicate with a direct debit into your investment account.
For a non-professional, if your time horizon is less than 10 years, I'd be more cautious in investing as you're more exposed to volatility like a bubble or crash and have less time to see the eventual upside.
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Comment on Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentNeither are car companies until it costs them billions in damages, and I'm willing to bet quite a few of them changed their tune pretty quickly afterwards. Maybe this will be the wake-up call for...Neither are car companies until it costs them billions in damages, and I'm willing to bet quite a few of them changed their tune pretty quickly afterwards. Maybe this will be the wake-up call for their sector.
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Comment on Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentEither way it's nothing new. Servers have had remote management ports on them for years (e.g. Dell's iDRAC system) and are notoriously vulnerable to being hacked. Any company that takes...Either way it's nothing new. Servers have had remote management ports on them for years (e.g. Dell's iDRAC system) and are notoriously vulnerable to being hacked.
Any company that takes cybersecurity seriously knows that these kinds of management systems should be split away from any internet facing connectivity using VLANs and jump servers and VPNs (though I'd lean more towards CannibalisticApple's argument not to use it at all).
That said, the blame isn't one sided. It's also a failure of the manufacturer to not forsee this issue and plan accordingly.
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Comment on Our minds aren’t equipped to handle AI in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkI think the author's point is more subtle than statements about whether AI in a good thing and the problems with using it too much, but their viewpoint isn't being communicated well enough. I...I think the author's point is more subtle than statements about whether AI in a good thing and the problems with using it too much, but their viewpoint isn't being communicated well enough. I think they're framing AI as a cultural technology rather than a purely technological one - a framing which I believe is also true - and which explains the seemingly haphazard article.
The video below does a better job of communicating the issues with AI within this framing (though is quite long). I'll stick with discussing the article here, and the author's point about language being lossy compared to thought is crucial. Much in the same way that different media like text or art communicate ideas in their own lossy way.
One of the values of cultural technologies is how it allows us to propagate knowledge through time - memory is fickle, text and art lasts generations. But what happens when there is so much information that even cataloguing it becomes a challenge? Where do you even start?
AI has the potential to be that starting point and let us grow our society to new heights, but there are also risks and downsides to using it inappropriately. Like if students lose their capacity for complex thought, are we risking a society-wide cognitive decline in favour of lazy answers? Like the hot-dog example, will we retain our discipline of healthy food or fall into obesity and malnutrition? What about bias?What systems do we need to put in place to prevent us making these mistakes? That question ties in with cybernetics, which the author starts their thesis with.
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Comment on Keeping (longer) hair in place without it being stiff? in ~life.men
infpossibilityspace LinkI find styling mousse works pretty well, it's firm enough without being heavy or greasy, and doesn't give that wet gel look. I have long curly hair (3A) and use VO5 Curl Defining Mousse, but...I find styling mousse works pretty well, it's firm enough without being heavy or greasy, and doesn't give that wet gel look. I have long curly hair (3A) and use VO5 Curl Defining Mousse, but there's so many to choose from.
You could also consider different hairstyles like braiding/plaiting?
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
infpossibilityspace LinkAre there any Renault 5 in your area? I don't have one but it's the one I've got my eye on. It's an EV hatchback that's reviewed very well, but it's only a couple years old so there might not be...Are there any Renault 5 in your area? I don't have one but it's the one I've got my eye on. It's an EV hatchback that's reviewed very well, but it's only a couple years old so there might not be many used ones around just yet.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life
infpossibilityspace Link ParentUnless you're confident in buying a house in the next 12 months, look into opening a LISA while you still can. If you're not familiar with LISAs check out the guide on moneysavingexpert. I'd...Unless you're confident in buying a house in the next 12 months, look into opening a LISA while you still can. If you're not familiar with LISAs check out the guide on moneysavingexpert.
I'd second the advice to move out even if it means renting somewhere for a little while. I know Bristol rent is terrible, but since you only need to go in once a week, you could probably manage living a bit further away for less rent and get public transport to the office (or get an ebike if your office has safe bike parking, I can't tell you how much I've saved on train tickets and the fitness boost is awesome, but they are also a thief target).
You say you don't want to bother your brother, but having family you get along with and can help with difficult situations is massive. Even if he's not in a position to help you right now, consider building more of a bridge with him, just hang out and chat now and then. If nothing else, you're gonna need each other's support as your parents continue to age.
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Comment on How to find a new calling in life? in ~life
infpossibilityspace LinkI was in a similar position in my late 20s. I'd achieved my degree in physics and I had a job in the industry, but I wasn't enjoying the work and I knew I'd never afford a house doing that job....I was in a similar position in my late 20s. I'd achieved my degree in physics and I had a job in the industry, but I wasn't enjoying the work and I knew I'd never afford a house doing that job. Here's what I did and maybe the experience I had will help in some way, and I'm happy to answer questions.
I was in a very fortunate position where I was living with parents and I could spend a year or so just trying new jobs and figuring out what I wanted to do. I didn't find it immediately, but I learned what values I wanted my job to have.
First, I wanted to do something that would help people. I have healthcare professionals and teachers in my family and I liked seeing the satisfaction they got even if it didn't always translate to their salary. But I knew I'm not enough of a people-person to do that kind of job.
Second, I wanted to do something technical. As you can guess from my education, I like knowing how things work and solving problems.So now I've get two things I want my job to have, long-term satisfaction and day-to-day interest. Well-paid helps too, but I didn't want to sacrifice my other values for that (no working with military companies, for example).
When I found cybersecurity, I found a free online course to try out first, then when I liked it, I looked up what it took to get into that industry and worked backwards from there. It covers all of the requirements I had, protecting people, being technical, and well-paid, and I can't imagine doing any other job right now.
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Comment on Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison in ~finance
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI'm no expert but from what I understand, property was pretty much the only way for a normal family to build wealth, and it created a classic bubble of people doing anything to buy, even buying...I'm no expert but from what I understand, property was pretty much the only way for a normal family to build wealth, and it created a classic bubble of people doing anything to buy, even buying more than one. The demand was so big that they were willing to purchase sight-unseen. The average price-to-yearly-income of properties in Beijing or Shenzhen was hitting 30x or 40x, compared to 5x-10x here.
It seems like their real estate bubble expanded faster than the laws could keep up, and by the time the 3 Red Lines for limiting company debt were put in place, Evergrande was instantly hitting the limit and fell over.
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Comment on Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison in ~finance
infpossibilityspace Link ParentMake it profitable to do the illegal thing? A lot of western countries do this, the only recent notable law with some teeth I can recall is the EU's Digital Markets Act which can levy a fine based...I think we could learn a thing or two from Australia in this case.
Make it profitable to do the illegal thing? A lot of western countries do this, the only recent notable law with some teeth I can recall is the EU's Digital Markets Act which can levy a fine based on a percentage of worldwide revenue.
I feel like theres already too much government in my life telling me what I can and cant do with my body in the US, I don’t trust them with the power to take down whole companies, even though I wish I could.
I do agree with you here, there's an eerie level of freedom-restricting controls being put in place, digital and physical surveillance being another example, and no sense that it's being done to benefit the general public. Having a powerful government can be great, if it can be trusted to actually serve the people.
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Comment on Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison in ~finance
infpossibilityspace LinkI really feel for the people who put their life savings into a prepurchase flat and lost it all. Hopefully they get some kind of recompense and closure from this. I find it so interesting how...I really feel for the people who put their life savings into a prepurchase flat and lost it all. Hopefully they get some kind of recompense and closure from this.
I find it so interesting how differently China comes down on illegal business practices compared to the west. Not to say they're always right, but when you see the $90M AUD fine the Australian government handed to Qantas airlines last year for illegally firing 1,800 workers and pocketing $500M in savings, for example, I think we can definitely learn a thing or two from China.
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Comment on Order of the Sinking Star | Release date announcement in ~games
infpossibilityspace (edited )Link ParentI understand your reservations due to his political beliefs, but I have some questions: While he's the figurehead of the team, he doesn't work alone. Do you know the opinions of every person who...I understand your reservations due to his political beliefs, but I have some questions:
While he's the figurehead of the team, he doesn't work alone. Do you know the opinions of every person who worked on this game? Would it make it better if they were firm leftists?
At what ratio of right/left people does it become unacceptable to support a team's project, or is it just the studio head that matters?
On a wider scale, do you vet every creator before buying something they made? What about artists who aren't as outspoken, do you err on the side of caution or buy it anyway?
Personally, I think we do a disservice if we write off someone's life work because they have a bad take, it should be taken in context. People still read H.P. Lovecraft even though it was well known at the time he was an awful racist and we don't strive to create a world he'd agree with, but that doesn't mean his art is worthless.
I disagree with his politics, but I don't get the impression he's a die-hard MAGA and I think the work he and his team create is interesting and different enough that I want to see more of it.
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Comment on What server location should I use for a VPN? in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkThe location matters less compared to what logs the VPN provider collects. A provider which doesn't collect any logs and uses ramdisks for their servers (the operating system is stored in RAM and...The location matters less compared to what logs the VPN provider collects. A provider which doesn't collect any logs and uses ramdisks for their servers (the operating system is stored in RAM and is destroyed when turned off) means you don't have to worry about government requests because they don't have anything to give.
For example, Mullvad reportedly fulfils both of these and if you don't want to give them any payment info you can mail them some cash.
I think the issue is more than failing to be a good piece of cyberpunk design/execution though; it's that cyberpunk isn't meant to be flattering.
It's a critique of the hypercapitalist, technocentric endgame, and good explorations point out the flaws in that vision, but it's been a victim of it's own success that pop culture has flattened it into an aesthetic that would be cool if it existed.
That's the audience it feels like the cybertruck was designed for.