ispotato's recent activity

  1. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    ispotato
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    I'm about to finally graduate physical therapy after 6 months. My physical therapist told me to start trying to go back to normal gym activities, so they could help me work through any issues I...

    I'm about to finally graduate physical therapy after 6 months. My physical therapist told me to start trying to go back to normal gym activities, so they could help me work through any issues I still have there...so I went and did barbell squats today, which I totally expected to go terribly, and it actually went alright!* And I can run again, for a short period, very slowly. So I can start over with c25k soon, I guess.

    *Of course, it remains to be seen how alright I feel tomorrow morning getting out of bed and putting weight on the bad leg.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on Modem help in ~tech

    ispotato
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    I'm not even 30 ;~; I just work for an ISP and have spent too much time arguing with gamers about how ping spikes over wifi are inevitable to a certain extent, and trying to convince them that...

    I'm not even 30 ;~; I just work for an ISP and have spent too much time arguing with gamers about how ping spikes over wifi are inevitable to a certain extent, and trying to convince them that ethernet cables are the solution to their complaint.

    8 votes

  3. Comment on Modem help in ~tech

    ispotato
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    DOCSIS 3.0 does still support 1gig download, so I wouldn't think that would be the issue. I wonder if Comcast does some kind of traffic prioritization to make speeds to their own modems faster, to...

    DOCSIS 3.0 does still support 1gig download, so I wouldn't think that would be the issue. I wonder if Comcast does some kind of traffic prioritization to make speeds to their own modems faster, to justify the rental prices.

    I think OP's problem is probably a combination of:

    1. Wireless speeds at a gig just don't happen in the real world. The maximum data rates for wifi 5/6 will say otherwise, but in reality you're just not going to see that. No one is making phone/laptop/etc wireless adapters that have the capability, even if you have a top of the line router. So there's a level of adjustment of expectations that has to take place. Nothing you do is going to get you a gig over wifi, trust me.
    2. It sounds like OP is actually using two wifi routers - the Netgear c7000v2 is a router and does wifi, and there's also the Google Mesh system. This is probably resulting in being double NAT'd, which can cause some problems. It also probably means the two wifi broadcasts are interfering with each other. I'd recommend getting a modem that's just a modem, then hooking the Mesh up to it if you're going to use it.
    3. 2.4ghz vs 5ghz wifi - if devices are connecting to the 2.4ghz, connections are going to be much slower and more intermittent. It can be a good idea to, instead of having just "MyWifi" you connect to, to set it up so that you have "2.4 MyWifi" and "5 MyWifi" so that your devices only connect to the 5ghz. I believe the Google Mesh doesn't let you separate them, so it's possible that OP's seeing devices roam to the 2.4 and not realizing.
    4. Cable networks are generally pretty oversubscribed, so the "up to" in "up to 1000mbps" does a lot of heavy lifting. Comcast has been doing work to try to make this less so, especially in markets where they're now facing competition from smaller local fiber providers, but it still holds true for a lot of areas.

    Also, I'm not that old, but boy do people talking about their internet issues make me feel old...no ethernet cables "because it's 2023"...

    12 votes

  4. Comment on Night-shifters of Tildes, what tips do you have? in ~life

    ispotato
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    As a corrolary to try not to shift schedules too often, on your days off, protect your sleeping hours as much as you humanly can. You'll inevitable have some 2pm doctor appointment that messes you...

    As a corrolary to try not to shift schedules too often, on your days off, protect your sleeping hours as much as you humanly can. You'll inevitable have some 2pm doctor appointment that messes you up, but try not to be awake in the middle of the day when you don't have to be. The more routine you keep your sleep/wake cycles, the better you'll feel.

    4 votes

  5. Comment on A new bill would force internet companies in the USA to spy on their users for the Drug Enforcement Administration in ~tech

    ispotato
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    There are a lot of countries with laws about what you can and can't share online...CSAM is obviously the big one, but there are rules in Germany about Nazi speech, and in Australia about the...

    There are a lot of countries with laws about what you can and can't share online...CSAM is obviously the big one, but there are rules in Germany about Nazi speech, and in Australia about the posting of the Christchurch shooting, and so on. But I can't think of any even close to the level of vague as this one is. No one is out there being like, "I'm selling fentanyl, 100 bucks", it's all vague implications and coded language. I'm sure every trust and safety department in the US is looking at this and praying that it dies in committee, this would be a nightmare to write moderation policy on. Also, I think it'd be terrible for morale for front line moderators. Having to enforce a wide reaching and vague policy about something that I think a lot of people just don't really have a problem with - I could not care less about people DMing each other to buy drugs, personally, I wouldn't recommend it but that's up to you - would definitely make most moderators I worked with tired very quickly. Especially knowing that the DEA's getting the information you provide.

    15 votes

  6. Comment on Wildlife experts seek to capture 'surfing' Santa Cruz sea otter, deemed public safety risk in ~enviro

    ispotato
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    It devastates me that animals pay the consequences for humans not leaving them alone. The animals have no idea that taking advantage of the opportunity for food will result in what it does, but...

    It devastates me that animals pay the consequences for humans not leaving them alone. The animals have no idea that taking advantage of the opportunity for food will result in what it does, but humans should know by now with all the headlines like this that come out. I love to watch the squirrels and geese and so on in my town, but that's all anyone should do, watch. Leave them alone and enjoy their antics from a distance.

    16 votes

  7. Comment on Dumb internet ideas in ~tech

    ispotato
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    This already happens, to some extent, via peering agreements. Your ISP may peer with services like Netflix, in order to provide a direct connection to Netflix content for its users. However, your...

    This already happens, to some extent, via peering agreements. Your ISP may peer with services like Netflix, in order to provide a direct connection to Netflix content for its users. However, your ISP (typically) pays for that. If they don't pay for peering services, the traffic has to go out over an internet exchange (IX). Connections to an IX are limited to 10 Gigabit links, so it is to an ISPs advantage to pay for peering. Another option is for an ISP to pay a large provider like AT&T or Comcast for access to their networks, and rely on that provider's peering agreements with service providers, but again that still involves money changing hands.

    (If you have Comcast or AT&T as your ISP, these are generally considered "tier 1" ISPs, who don't pay for peering. They have effectively become so large that Netflix/Google/etc realize it would hurt their business to not peer with them.)

    However, I don't know that a direct pay-per-view for every website would be practical or a good experience for end users. For one, what happens if you want to go to a website that you ISP doesn't have a contract with to pay them? Does your ISP just block you from going there? Do you have to petition your ISP to add that website to their service? Would the ISP be obligated to do so, or could they say it doesn't fit in their business model and say no?

    So I don't think a model where the ISPs gate content in that way is really a good idea. I think that platforms should find their own way to monetize, but try to do so on a way that aligns their goals with their user's goals.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Elon Musk announces new daily Twitter limitations as thousands of users report problems accessing site in ~tech

    ispotato
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    I don't believe for a second that this is because of data scrapers and the like, personally. I think the choices Elon has made, like shutting down a core data center and laying off the vast...

    I don't believe for a second that this is because of data scrapers and the like, personally. I think the choices Elon has made, like shutting down a core data center and laying off the vast majority of Twitter's SREs, have caught up with the platform and Twitter no longer has the ability to handle the normal amount of daily traffic it receives.

    Also, for all the new CEO is supposed to be attempting to rehab the company's image with advertisers, I can't believe the first move wasn't to remove the poop emoji auto response from the press email.

    100 votes

  9. Comment on Antitrust case - Will the US Microsoft Activision merger go through? in ~tech

    ispotato
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    Even if the US doesn't block it, they can't merge unless everyone approves it, unless they wanted to pull out of those markets. Which seems unlikely. I am kind of surprised how much of the various...

    Even if the US doesn't block it, they can't merge unless everyone approves it, unless they wanted to pull out of those markets. Which seems unlikely.

    I am kind of surprised how much of the various cases against the merger have been focused on cloud gaming, though. Cloud gaming for all the investments from big companies is still not very popular and not a great user experience in most cases, and that doesn't seem likely to change. It doesn't seem like the market that the FTC and its foreign equivalents should be most concerned about in this.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on SiriusXM is shutting down Stitcher only three years after buying it in ~tech

    ispotato
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    I don't know that I'd consider it a competitor, unless SiriusXM service has changed a lot from what I remember? Paid radio and podcasts doesn't seem to overlap a lot.

    I don't know that I'd consider it a competitor, unless SiriusXM service has changed a lot from what I remember? Paid radio and podcasts doesn't seem to overlap a lot.

    5 votes

  11. Comment on Senior doctors back strike action in England in ~health

    ispotato
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    This sort of thing drives me crazy, you see it with nurse and resident strikes in the US too. People in the medical profession aren't required to suffer for the sake of their patients, and it's...

    The Department of Health and Social Care said it was disappointed with the vote.

    A spokesman said: "Strikes are hugely disruptive for patients and put pressure on other NHS staff.

    "We urge the BMA to carefully consider the likely impact of any action on patients."

    This sort of thing drives me crazy, you see it with nurse and resident strikes in the US too. People in the medical profession aren't required to suffer for the sake of their patients, and it's scummy to present this as the staff don't care. In the US, patient safety has been a cause of many of the recent strikes, because staffing levels are so poor that staff can't do their jobs safely. But even if it's just about money, medical staff have bills to pay too...

    8 votes

  12. Comment on What is one food item that you absolutely hated initially but it slowly grew on you? in ~food

    ispotato
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    There's so many people who have that happen, they grow up thinking they didn't like something but it turns out their parents just cooked it weird. Like my husband thought he hated green beans, but...

    There's so many people who have that happen, they grow up thinking they didn't like something but it turns out their parents just cooked it weird. Like my husband thought he hated green beans, but had no idea you could buy green beans that weren't from a can. Bought some fresh ones and roasted them up, and tada, he likes green beans.

    8 votes

  13. Comment on Thoughts on Final Fantasy 16 in ~games

    ispotato
    Link Parent
    Not an indie, but Yakuza 7 is a good one.

    Not an indie, but Yakuza 7 is a good one.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on No vehicles in the park in ~tech

    ispotato
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    This is a thing that I think is much more interesting if you just click the link before you read any comments about it, so I recommend that. With all the debates and blowups about how online...

    This is a thing that I think is much more interesting if you just click the link before you read any comments about it, so I recommend that.

    With all the debates and blowups about how online platforms should be moderated over the last year, I think that this gives an interesting perspective on how rules that seem simple aren't really so simple. I only agreed with the majority 11% of the time.

    49 votes

  16. Comment on The Perseverance Mars rover collected its twentieth sample today in ~space

    ispotato
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    NASA is seriously good at public outreach. Making picking up a piece of rock interesting reading is quite the feat.

    NASA is seriously good at public outreach. Making picking up a piece of rock interesting reading is quite the feat.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Military AI’s next frontier: Your work computer in ~tech

    ispotato
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    I think the tricky part is for workers to know to look. In order to make the argument that you were retaliated against because of creepy software, you have to know about the creepy software, and...

    I think the tricky part is for workers to know to look. In order to make the argument that you were retaliated against because of creepy software, you have to know about the creepy software, and have enough evidence that you could get a court to compel your employer to submit records as evidence. If from an employee's perspective it just comes out of the blue that they were fired, and they don't know or can't prove that their employee did this, then they're out of luck.

  18. Comment on Military AI’s next frontier: Your work computer in ~tech

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    I wonder how much companies spend on this kind of stuff, and if it really costs them less than working with their employees. Can't imagine anything sold by a defense contractor is cheap. The...

    I wonder how much companies spend on this kind of stuff, and if it really costs them less than working with their employees. Can't imagine anything sold by a defense contractor is cheap.

    The expansion of work to include a person's personal life really sucks. I haven't worked for an employer that did this, but I once attended a school that did. If you did something against their rules during the summer break, and they saw it posted about on social media, you'd get punished, which is grossly unfair in my opinion. It's even more unfair when you're talking about someone's livelihood, and what they did outside of work might be as minor as follow someone on Twitter who happens to be pro-union.

    5 votes

  20. Comment on Small tech companies are staying remote to attract workers, while Big Tech goes back to the office in ~comp

    ispotato
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    I mentioned in my other reply, but I think many people who are adamantly for remote work and think that it's not a problem are working somewhat higher level jobs than I have experience with being...

    I mentioned in my other reply, but I think many people who are adamantly for remote work and think that it's not a problem are working somewhat higher level jobs than I have experience with being remote. Some jobs do not have the flexibility to allow for just a daily status update, and people can kind of work as they please. It matters that people are online doing the thing when they're scheduled 100% of the time. And those jobs tend to be kind of boring, repetitive, and not nearly as well compensated as software jobs or similar, so it is very hard to motivate people to reliably do the job to the standard required. Performance monitoring in those cases is very different than for a developer.

    3 votes