kjw's recent activity

  2. Comment on "People are turning themselves into lab rats" – the injectable peptides craze sweeping the US in ~health

    kjw
    Link Parent
    It's not dead. It's just your sources of information. After I've started to use RSS more often, I'm getting more investigative journalism. I'm not tied anymore to what people usually upvote/share...

    It's not dead. It's just your sources of information. After I've started to use RSS more often, I'm getting more investigative journalism. I'm not tied anymore to what people usually upvote/share - which is almost always some bland mainstream media.

    5 votes

  3. Comment on Fairphone released the industry’s first ever nature report - The impact of consumer electronics on nature and biodiversity in ~enviro

    kjw
    (edited )
    Link
    "We’ve been optimising for carbon while ignoring the systems that actually keep the planet alive. This report is a first but crucial step in understanding the full extent of the negative impact...

    "We’ve been optimising for carbon while ignoring the systems that actually keep the planet alive. This report is a first but crucial step in understanding the full extent of the negative impact that tech manufacturers make during the production process."

    Link to the report itself: https://www.fairphone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-impact-of-consumer-electronics-on-nature-and-biodiversity.pdf

    The global economy is intrinsically linked to nature, with over half of the world's GDP estimated to be moderately or highly dependent on natural capital. The electronics industry negatively impacts this natural capital through resource depletion, freshwater use, and biodiversity loss, particularly in mining areas. Wildlife populations have declined by 73% the past fifty years and parts of our planet are approaching dangerous tipping points driven by nature loss and climate change. This poses significant threats to humanity, nature and our economies.

    By sharing this report, outlining our analysis and the (public) sources we used, we want to help move the electronics industry forward faster, driving a much-needed focus on nature and biodiversity beyond climate and taking positive action immediately. The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) framework offers a solid foundation for a holistic environmental due diligence and impact assessment, including biodiversity. The assessment highlights Fairphone's impact and dependencies on nature across our value chain, focusing on manufacturing stages and the mining of minerals present in our products.

    5 votes

  5. Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    At the same time not giving a shit about such app as Facebook on their Google Play Store, proxykilling societes in Asia and Africa, e.g. Myanmar. For me this move is just greenwashing, pretending...

    At the same time not giving a shit about such app as Facebook on their Google Play Store, proxykilling societes in Asia and Africa, e.g. Myanmar. For me this move is just greenwashing, pretending they want to do anything good for the vulnerable, while allowing much more of vulnerable people suffer because of their greed. It's overkill in my opinion, it's definitely not aimed to help elder, it's only $$$ talking here, to get the noncorporate apps hell out of their ecosystem, to be able to do business in dictatorships by playing by their rules.

    10 votes

  6. Comment on I hope you don't use generative AI - an essay about my experience offering an open-source tool in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    I see an issue here - even if open models will eventually become good enough, I'm afraid that hardware will be expensive enough not to be affordable. Don't have data on this, but afair there's not...

    I see an issue here - even if open models will eventually become good enough, I'm afraid that hardware will be expensive enough not to be affordable. Don't have data on this, but afair there's not enough hardware for current demand (made by ai companies), not speaking about replacing and adding more hardware in the future. On one hand, throughout times hardware has been becoming more affordable, but we've never seen such spike of demand for it from corporations as nowadays.

  7. Comment on I hope you don't use generative AI - an essay about my experience offering an open-source tool in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    I can't accept this argument. People find lots of harmful stuff useful for them, I think that people generally can't think and plan longterm, we don't have means, knowledge and nowadays patience...

    I don't see what that has to do with whether other people find the tools useful though?

    I can't accept this argument. People find lots of harmful stuff useful for them, I think that people generally can't think and plan longterm, we don't have means, knowledge and nowadays patience to investigate if say that it really is useful in the long run.

  8. Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    Yes, however we have Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, Twitter etc. I think that election manipulation tactics are easier done using these nowadays. You don't need Russian...

    I honestly think the future is that the internet will eventually be restricted on a country by country basis. I don't see how it will continue to be justified to allow countries like North Korea or Russia etc. to launch attacks and election manipulation tactics with impunity because they are outside of any jurisdiction that matters.

    Yes, however we have Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, Twitter etc.
    I think that election manipulation tactics are easier done using these nowadays. You don't need Russian propaganda be sent straight from Russia. It will be proxied by corporate social media. People will go on streets if you try to take their favourite drugs apps away. The Rich will be laughing and continue to put money to influencers and ads on theses platforms, while having parties on various islands. And people will be protesting against blocking their favorite apps.
    Slightly offtopic, but I felt that I need to write it.

  9. Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    Good point. When and why people started calling installing software "sideloading"? Language matters, the more strange and unfamiliar words we use to describe a thing, the more strange and...

    Good point. When and why people started calling installing software "sideloading"? Language matters, the more strange and unfamiliar words we use to describe a thing, the more strange and unfamiliar it becomes in people's minds.

    11 votes

  10. Comment on I hope you don't use generative AI - an essay about my experience offering an open-source tool in ~tech

    kjw
    Link Parent
    Yes, and usually they are people financially tied to tech startups and corporations which create LLM products. Me and most of my professional friends complain on having to review bad llmgenerated...

    Yes, and usually they are people financially tied to tech startups and corporations which create LLM products.

    Me and most of my professional friends complain on having to review bad llmgenerated code sent by our workmates.
    Also, CEOs demand from us much faster work and more productivity because yOu CaN uSe Ai and don't understand that we want good quality code (well they have no competences regarding programming) and it takes time. This affects us psychologically very negatively.

    Also, this shit kills our planet. Period. Very energy demanding billionaires' dream.

    8 votes

  12. Comment on Pace of global warming has doubled since 2015 in ~enviro

    kjw
    Link Parent
    It's VERY, VERY dry here in Poland. Winter was very cold, unusually cold for last 10 years, however there was not much precipitation, not much snow. So the earth is too cold to get soaked by this...

    It's VERY, VERY dry here in Poland. Winter was very cold, unusually cold for last 10 years, however there was not much precipitation, not much snow. So the earth is too cold to get soaked by this small amount of snow and ice melting. All the water goes into the rivers and down to the sea, it's not getting into the soil. And currently there's been week without rain and probably next week without rain.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on I don’t know if my software engineering job will still exist in ten years in ~comp

    kjw
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    To be honest, since a year or two I've started to ditch many apps or other software I'd been using before. Because I've noticed the more ease in doing stuff without human intervention I have, the...

    To be honest, since a year or two I've started to ditch many apps or other software I'd been using before. Because I've noticed the more ease in doing stuff without human intervention I have, the more lonely and depressed I feel.
    And so I've removed most of my corposocial media accounts. I've asked for an analog watch for my Birthday. I've removed lots of apps from my phone. I've stopped reading casual mainstream internet media articles. I've started reading physical newspapers and came back to books. I've turned off message notifications on my phone. I've exited many group chats. I've also lowered my podcast consumption, when I realised I don't remember most of stuff I've listened to. And more actions, which I can't recall now.
    Thanks to this, even though I have less frequent contact with people, I feel more connected and less lonely. I try to meet people the most, if not I just call. It's harder, less frequent, but more bonding.
    Saying all of above, I don't feel we need so much more software. I, personally, enjoy less software in my life than before.

    [edit]
    added „internet" to „... media articles.“

    13 votes

  14. Comment on [PL] Brutal selection on the front lines. Study: War rapidly changing Ukraine's dog population in ~life.pets

    kjw
    Link Parent
    I've added it. Sorry, no idea why I posted without a link.

    I've added it. Sorry, no idea why I posted without a link.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on [PL] Brutal selection on the front lines. Study: War rapidly changing Ukraine's dog population in ~life.pets

    kjw
    Link
    Translated using deepl.com.

    Translated using deepl.com.

    Researchers—thanks to data collected by Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines and volunteers in other parts of Ukraine—have examined how the population of wild dogs in frontline areas has changed. The scale of the changes is enormous. Mainly small, healthy dogs with “wild” characteristics survive.

    “Our study clearly shows that war affects not only humans but also other species, primarily by accelerating and directing natural selection,” commented Prof. Marija Marciw from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the lead author of the study described in the journal Evolutionary Applications, to PAP.

    In areas affected by warfare, animals face not only explosions during shelling, bomb and mine blasts, noise, and constant stress. They also face the challenge of rapid changes in the population of such areas: there are fewer people feeding the animals, there is a lack of food scraps, agriculture is disappearing, and with it, additional sources of food.

    “In terms of its impact on animal populations, war is a man-made disaster that has very long-term effects on the entire natural world,” said Dr. Małgorzata Pilot from the University of Gdańsk in an interview with PAP.

    The research was conducted between March 2023 and January 2024. The data was obtained thanks to the involvement of volunteers – soldiers stationed on the front line. The initiative was launched by Dr. Ihor Dykyj from the University of Lviv, who, after the outbreak of the war, spent over a year on the front line as a soldier and organized a data collection campaign among soldiers there.

    In regions far from the front line, information about wild dogs was also collected by civilians, including people working in shelters. If the dogs approached people, volunteers recorded their size, weight, and health, photographed them, and collected hair samples. The project collected information on more than 760 dogs. Obtaining data from dogs did not require specialist knowledge or equipment, making it possible to conduct research using the opportunities offered by citizen science and without exposing people or animals to additional danger.

    “We wanted to see if dogs on the front lines differed from those in safer parts of the country. The results are striking—we observed a drastic decline in morphological diversity,” explains Dr. Pilot.

    Most of the dogs registered are medium and small in size. Scientists believe this is related to the dense mining of the area – smaller animals are less likely to activate mine detonators, which are designed for humans or vehicles.

    • We did not encounter any dogs with flat snouts on the front lines, which is probably due to their lower respiratory capacity. There were also no dogs with short legs, which are unable to move efficiently in difficult terrain. Most of the dogs on the front had straight, medium-length coats. The characteristics typical of decorative breeds disappeared, and the population became more like wild canines, concluded Dr. Pilot. Prof. Marciw added that dogs of the so-called wild type, which are genetically better adapted to harsh environments, cope best in extreme conditions. The researcher also noted that the average life expectancy of animals on the front lines has shortened – old or sick individuals are almost non-existent there.

    Dr. Małgorzata Pilot pointed out that the duration of the war – compared to the scale of evolution – is short, but it forces a “brutal form of selection.” “This is not a gradual process where better-adapted individuals simply have slightly more offspring. Here, weaker individuals die immediately. This is evidenced by the fact that we encountered almost exclusively healthy animals on the front line, except that many of them show signs of malnutrition,” she commented.

    The team managed to examine mainly those dogs that rely on human help. However, recordings from military drones prove the existence of groups of completely independent dogs, living in packs and hunting or feeding on carrion.

    • Reports of dogs eating the bodies of fallen soldiers whose corpses are not removed from the battlefield have been confirmed. Although it sounds drastic, dogs, like wolves, are physiologically adapted to feeding on dead animals and can also feed on dead humans when no other food is available, Dr. Pilot pointed out. Research has not yet determined whether dogs eating human remains is extreme behavior or rather typical in such difficult conditions.

    The researchers also analyzed the diet of dogs approaching humans by studying stable isotopes in their fur. It turned out that animals throughout Ukraine currently consume a lot of plant-based food. "This is a result of the crisis. People are throwing away less meat and feeding it to dogs less often, replacing it with other products: groats, bread, or potatoes," says Dr. Pilot.

    Until now, the impact of wars on ecosystems has usually been studied post factum or in laboratory conditions. This time, science is documenting the changes live. Prof. Marciw emphasizes that dogs, as a species accompanying humans, are a good indicator of the scale of environmental degradation. “The data collected will help to document the drastic environmental changes caused by the war and, in the future, to restore the unique natural habitats that have been destroyed by the Russian occupiers,” concluded Prof. Marciw.

    Ludwika Tomala (PAP)

    13 votes

  16. [PL] Brutal selection on the front lines. Study: War rapidly changing Ukraine's dog population

    ~life.pets Text 56 words
    I've found it interesting to learn how the animal (in this case dog) population is affected by the war. I've attached translation in a comment below. [edit] Link to the article:...

    I've found it interesting to learn how the animal (in this case dog) population is affected by the war.
    I've attached translation in a comment below.

    [edit]
    Link to the article: https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C111358%2Cbrutalna-selekcja-na-froncie-badanie-wojna-blyskawicznie-zmienia-populacje
    I have no idea how I forgot to add it...

    20 votes

  17. Comment on ‘It’s emptiness’: banned Ukrainian athlete accuses International Olympic Committee of fuelling Russia’s propaganda in ~sports

    kjw
    Link Parent
    In my opinion IOC is already overtly political, since it allowed to participate Russia, a country that tries to kill their neighbors (and known of cheating all the time everywhere possible). A...

    In my opinion IOC is already overtly political, since it allowed to participate Russia, a country that tries to kill their neighbors (and known of cheating all the time everywhere possible). A country that kills children, kidnaps children, denies existence of another nation. That fact that IOC allowed such evil country to participate is a clear sign of IOC political point of view - $$. It cares only about money, fair play and honesty doesn't matter, being excellent doesn't matter, only money. It is sad that such entity which should be an example of honesty and fairness allows killers to participate. Such disgusting political expression towards people looking for fair play in this world - banning athlete from invaded country only for showing the truth.

  18. Comment on Joy of sharing a creation replaced by a longing sadness in ~talk

    kjw
    Link
    Fuck Amazon and their Twitch, seriously. If I understand correrctly your post, they block Tor and VPNs. Which are the only way people from dictatures and authoritarian regimes may access the...

    Fuck Amazon and their Twitch, seriously. If I understand correrctly your post, they block Tor and VPNs. Which are the only way people from dictatures and authoritarian regimes may access the Internet and avoid censorship.
    Fuck Amazon, again.

    5 votes