merry-cherry's recent activity
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
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Comment on Repeatedly upvoting violent content on Reddit can now get you flagged in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentThe bigger problem is the chilling effect it can have. If people are worried something might get them banned then they may avoid interacting with it. This nebulous reasoning allows Reddit to...The bigger problem is the chilling effect it can have. If people are worried something might get them banned then they may avoid interacting with it. This nebulous reasoning allows Reddit to passively supress loads of content.
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom "completely aligns" with Charlie Kirk on trans athlete issue, and agreed about restricting gender affirming care for prisoners and youths, in podcast in ~lgbt
merry-cherry Link ParentI agree it's largely a non issue. Intersex has always been around and mingled in women's sports. The push to make transgender a protected class does mean the topic has to be settled on the legal...I agree it's largely a non issue. Intersex has always been around and mingled in women's sports. The push to make transgender a protected class does mean the topic has to be settled on the legal field though. If trans are protected, then they must be allowed to compete. There could possibly be a carve out made to protect them in all but a few cases but that legislation goes nowhere. Neither Dems nor GOP will accept middle ground proposals. So their sports committes are forced to accept trans players or trans have all of their protections removed. It's cruel and completely overblown, but that's the state of things in the legal/legislative world right now. And the GOP currently has the tempo so I expect we'll see a incredibly sharp rebuke of trans rights as we already see in Texas.
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom "completely aligns" with Charlie Kirk on trans athlete issue, and agreed about restricting gender affirming care for prisoners and youths, in podcast in ~lgbt
merry-cherry Link ParentThey more complain about the civil rights of trans overall and seek to make trans a completely protected class. That would forbid discrimination in women's sports and in other women's groups. So...They more complain about the civil rights of trans overall and seek to make trans a completely protected class. That would forbid discrimination in women's sports and in other women's groups. So while they may not call it out directly, the goal of absolutely no discrimination covers that case which means it must be legislated.
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Comment on Spotify down? No, your Spotify mod was just blocked—here's why it won't work anymore. in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentOk, I didn't realize the issues with their compression. I never subscribed to their lossless tier anyway as my main goal was escaping Spotify, so they've served me well in that sense.Ok, I didn't realize the issues with their compression. I never subscribed to their lossless tier anyway as my main goal was escaping Spotify, so they've served me well in that sense.
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentComplex numbers the concept is not basic arithmetic. It's perfectly valid to learn of the concept via a teaching source. What would be an issue is if you never handled any math problems involving...Complex numbers the concept is not basic arithmetic. It's perfectly valid to learn of the concept via a teaching source. What would be an issue is if you never handled any math problems involving complex numbers yourself and relied on tools to do it for you. You'd never learn how to handle complex numbers as you'd never experience the struggle necessary to learn them.
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom "completely aligns" with Charlie Kirk on trans athlete issue, and agreed about restricting gender affirming care for prisoners and youths, in podcast in ~lgbt
merry-cherry Link ParentPeople on the left want to legislate it too though. Trans allies are not happy when sports organizations discriminate against trans women by excluding them. So everyone is riled up which has...People on the left want to legislate it too though. Trans allies are not happy when sports organizations discriminate against trans women by excluding them. So everyone is riled up which has caused a wave of elected officials to legislate on this very topic. It was a cornerstone platform topic on both the right and the left this election. We aren't getting out of this now without government interference.
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Comment on Self-diagnosed cases of dissociative identity disorder on social media: conceptualization, assessment, and treatment in ~health.mental
merry-cherry Link ParentThose people can simultaneously have accurate diagnosis and present they're lives differently than you. Your personal experience is not the only true form of it. You may also conceptualize it...Those people can simultaneously have accurate diagnosis and present they're lives differently than you. Your personal experience is not the only true form of it. You may also conceptualize it differently than others who suffer the same, causing them to present a different viewpoint on the matter.
That said, just because someone has something in common with you, it doesn't mean they can't also be grifters about it. In the world of social media, the presented persona doesn't have to match reality. Plenty of people over and under represent their conditions in attempts to gather fame and fortune. You'd be best served by not trying to compare yourself to social media personalities. This applies to all types of situations, not just those with mental disorders.
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Comment on Spotify down? No, your Spotify mod was just blocked—here's why it won't work anymore. in ~tech
merry-cherry (edited )Link ParentI moved to Tidal after the Rogan deal and haven't had any issues with discovery or library breadth. I'm not sure what you meant by folding and why you don't trust them.I moved to Tidal after the Rogan deal and haven't had any issues with discovery or library breadth.
I'm not sure what you meant by folding and why you don't trust them.
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Comment on Infinite energy in ~creative
merry-cherry Link ParentYeah, truly unlimited energy means unlimited energy. We can create any element we desire now, but the energy cost is so insane that no one would ever suggest it. A world with unlimited energy can...Yeah, truly unlimited energy means unlimited energy. We can create any element we desire now, but the energy cost is so insane that no one would ever suggest it. A world with unlimited energy can do almost anything they want. If the energy is portable, they could travel at almost light speed. So I think the very first thing an author would need to do is define what they mean by unlimited because one of completely free energy would mean the author would run into many logical traps when trying to create issues.
That said, I did just think of one issue in an unlimited world. Heat. All energy usage outputs heat as a by product because no machine is perfect. So let's say a society discovers the unlimited energy macguffin and begins to do amazing things. They even tackle the causes of global warming today. But generations down the line, they start to run into the issue of global warming again as all their amazing machines release too much heat in mass. The Earth can't radiate enough away quickly enough. So the society would have to struggle with ways in which the could try controlling their heating world. The conflicts would be around how they're machines are needed to build the methods by which they try ejecting heat but using them generates more. Ejecting heat would also require ejecting mass so the world would run the risk of throwing away significant chunks of the planet. Bringing replacement mass in would be a struggle as mass would heat up if dropped onto the planet but also if carried down by rockets. There could be social strife to turn off the machines but society is too dependant on them.
That's the most practical issue I can think of right now in an unlimited energy world.
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Comment on Is it wrong to use AI to fact check and combat the spread of misinformation? in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentSelf hosting an AI doesn't free you from other people's guardrails. You're still beholden to the metrics and data used to create the model. A raw model is more unchecked than using one that...Self hosting an AI doesn't free you from other people's guardrails. You're still beholden to the metrics and data used to create the model. A raw model is more unchecked than using one that someone else is hosting, but that doesn't mean the response isn't biased by the training conditions. The only way you can have control there is by training your own model but you'll definitely end up building in your own bias.
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentThat works for things that have a process but not for work that is produced in few steps. Basic arithmetic learning is not aided by calculators and that's just as true now as it was then. Unless...That works for things that have a process but not for work that is produced in few steps. Basic arithmetic learning is not aided by calculators and that's just as true now as it was then. Unless you're going to force every student to draw 100 circles to prove how they got 10 x 10, you're going to need to accept raw answers.
It's similar with writing. These students need to learn the process of taking ideas and shaping them into thoughts and words. AI is strictly a hindrance to that process at this stage. It bypasses the learning process meaning these students fail to learn the fundamentals of thought. They can have an AI that baby steps them through but they'll be forever shackled to that AI for the rest of their lives for even the most basic tasks. It's not much different than calculator kids that struggle to add basic numbers long into adulthood because they never internalized arithmetic.
There's loads of room for AI and calculators once students are past the fundamentals but you still have to get the fundamentals first without those tools. I can't think of a worse future than one beholden to mega tech stocks for basic functions.
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Comment on I used to teach students. Now I catch ChatGPT cheats. in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentThe new models are easier to use than before but they're no better at producing functional results. The limits of GPTs are starting to show and it's much lower than many thought. So while a...The new models are easier to use than before but they're no better at producing functional results. The limits of GPTs are starting to show and it's much lower than many thought. So while a student can more easily produce AI slop than before, the slop is hardly any better.
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom "completely aligns" with Charlie Kirk on trans athlete issue, and agreed about restricting gender affirming care for prisoners and youths, in podcast in ~lgbt
merry-cherry Link ParentTrans athletes is a bit different though. The entire argument here is whether trans people can participate in women's sports. Not sports in general as there's almost no one talking about men's or...Trans athletes is a bit different though. The entire argument here is whether trans people can participate in women's sports. Not sports in general as there's almost no one talking about men's or coed sports, this is strictly about women's sports.
The issue is that as a society we've long decided to accept and embrace an exclusionary practice, yet are now needing to deal with nuance on that exclusion. The problem is that the exclusion was for a very real and physical reason, women do not perform as well physically as men. Or rather, testosterone is a performance enhancing drug and some people produce much higher amounts than others. It's a very real threat that athletes with higher testosterone levels can more easily dominate the field. It was always a threat as many genetic women also produce higher test, but not one that society was forced to acknowledge.
So we could adopt a testosterone limit, and some sports have, but that requires invasive testing which is infeasible for minor sports groups. It would also cut out many very definitely women from a supposedly women's sports. We could stop caring about the differences like we do with paralympic sports, but that means records and accomplishments are not as prestigious which is demoralizing to many. We could end the segregation but that will leave almost all women out of competition.
None of these solutions are appealing though. That's why the genetic cutoff is so easy to argue for. It aligns with the general idea of the original segregation while still being maximally inclusionary in a strictly exclusionary system. The issues are that people don't fit into that "simple" genetic box as often as high school biology would imply meaning we'd need even more rules and more invasive testing than testosterone testing required. It also means random people yelling at others for not being woman enough to compete as competition causes everyone to seek ultimate fairness. And all of this mentality can occur from even the most trans friendly advocates, once you add in the bigots then the problems all get worse.
So it really is an unsolvable problem to have a fair and easily understood competition based on gender exclusivity. The best solution would be not caring so much about fairness but human history has shown that competition sports hold an immense power over society so that's really unlikely to be viable. So we'll rage on about what should be something so minor yet is now dictating countless laws and legal systems. And stuck in the middle are the women who aren't "woman enough" whether they're trans or not.
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Comment on HTTP.sh: a web framework written entirely in Bash in ~comp
merry-cherry Link ParentOne of the main consequences of a small userbase. Its not always a negative as some small communities are propped up by great contributors but it's often abused.One of the main consequences of a small userbase. Its not always a negative as some small communities are propped up by great contributors but it's often abused.
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Comment on Waiting for a book in paperback? Good luck. Publishers increasingly give nonfiction authors one shot at print stardom, ditching paperbacks as priorities shift. in ~books
merry-cherry Link ParentWe'll see how people feel in the long term about losing their rights to preserving media. Movies are a mess right now with a million different competing platforms. It's becoming incredibly hard to...We'll see how people feel in the long term about losing their rights to preserving media. Movies are a mess right now with a million different competing platforms. It's becoming incredibly hard to watch movies you want to because the system is so fractured. Music is doing alright, there's not much exclusivety among services and most people aren't going to miss a song or two. Games are in a potentially disastrous place, the only reason it's not been an issue for the most part of because Gaben is a unicorn billionaire but he won't live forever.
Books have long been a thing people held onto and cherished. Maybe with the absolute glut of new releases available now, reading will become "cheap experiences" like has happened to TV shows. If that's the case, then I don't think society will push back about losing their rights to what they bought as they'll rarely reread anything anyway. Hard to say though, books are a more involved and intimate media to consume than TV and music.
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Comment on Everything is Chrome in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentI would never agree to a closed source government product from any government. It's already sketchy enough to take on closed source corporate software but at least they can't imprison you because...I would never agree to a closed source government product from any government. It's already sketchy enough to take on closed source corporate software but at least they can't imprison you because you bad mouthed them using their software. When I said it should be government funded, what I meant is that government funds should be distributed to open source collectives as another funding source. They should see the complete dependence of society on these key pieces of software and should strive to ensure that there's reliable solutions out there.
The EU should be shitting bricks right now with how much of their key software is US produced, leaving them vulnerable to sanctions from the insanity in chief.
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Comment on The UK and other regions are running suspiciously low on Xbox Series X console stocks, why is PlayStation still widely more available? in ~games
merry-cherry Link ParentI wonder if they'll go the hardware partner route and define a min spec. So people will essentially buy PCs with the Xbox OS installed on it. As long as it has the controller communication chips...I wonder if they'll go the hardware partner route and define a min spec. So people will essentially buy PCs with the Xbox OS installed on it. As long as it has the controller communication chips and the console OS, it'll behave like an Xbox. Partners can build them however they want and Microsoft doesn't have to do the hardware battle anymore.
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Comment on Everything is Chrome in ~tech
merry-cherry Link ParentIt is a completely free product. It should be free and funded by the government just because of how important browsers are to society now. It's a piece of core infrastructure and it's the...It is a completely free product. It should be free and funded by the government just because of how important browsers are to society now. It's a piece of core infrastructure and it's the absolutely most bang for buck we could possibly fund. The handful of millions needed to secure funding for various key open source software projects is less than pennies to a government budget. But alas we don't have that so I suppose selling marketing data is the ok in the meantime.
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Comment on Piglets will be left to starve in a controversial art exhibit in Denmark – Marco Evaristti aims to raise awareness of the suffering caused by modern pig production in ~arts
merry-cherry Link ParentThose piglets don't pointlessly die. They are raised as food and a consequence of ranching is that animals will die, both as part of the process and as the goal of the process. Conditions could be...Those piglets don't pointlessly die. They are raised as food and a consequence of ranching is that animals will die, both as part of the process and as the goal of the process. Conditions could be improved but even the best possible conditions will see babies die. Humans have beyond the best possible conditions nature could provide and we still regularly lose babies.
Disagreeing with eating meat is fine but it's going to happen for the foreseeable future. Torturing a few piglets won't change that, but it will cause an "artist" to grow their own wealth and prestige.
All learning requires some level of struggle to really learn it. No one is ever perfect right out of the gate. They make mistakes or get confused or whatever. I'm not talking about suffering, I'm talking about the learning process. Someone that uses AI as a crutch when learning something new can severely limit their ability to learn. Using it as a learning tool can be fine, but using it as an answer generator that you then copy means you don't actually learn anything, your just a integration tool between the AI and whatever you're pasting into.