mild_takes's recent activity
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Comment on A fluid can store solar energy and then release it as heat months later in ~science
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Comment on archive.today is directing a DDOS attack against my blog in ~tech
mild_takes Link ParentSnippet from the Ross Ulbricht Wikipedia article under "arrest and trial". I find the whole story of his arrest pretty interesting. Also the fact that he got pardoned.I'm pretty sure I remember that being behind the Silk Road guy and a stack exchange post or something like that.
Snippet from the Ross Ulbricht Wikipedia article under "arrest and trial".
The connection was made by linking the username "altoid", used during Silk Road's early days to announce the website, and a forum post in which Ulbricht, posting under the nickname "altoid", asked for programming help and gave his email address, which contained his full name
I find the whole story of his arrest pretty interesting. Also the fact that he got pardoned.
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Comment on Need a replacement for my old macbook pro, should I just get another one? in ~comp
mild_takes Link ParentYikes. You have other more modern machines though right?I've got a 20 year old PC with Windows XP
Yikes.
You have other more modern machines though right?
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Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
mild_takes Link ParentI thought I'd add a new comment with new details. Official report from the RCMP was that two guns were involved; a long gun (so maybe still a shotgun?) and a "modified" handgun. Handguns are...I thought I'd add a new comment with new details. Official report from the RCMP was that two guns were involved; a long gun (so maybe still a shotgun?) and a "modified" handgun.
Handguns are restricted in Canada so you need to jump through more hoops to buy one AND theres some sort of ban on the purchase of handguns as of a year or two ago. This ban basically means you can own one and take it to the range (like before) but you can't buy one or transfer ownership of one.
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Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
mild_takes Link Parent@unkz links some relevant news clips below but beyond that I can only give you rumor, mainly from Facebook (barf). The shooter was 17 or 18 year old (??) trans woman. I don't know tumbler ridge...I would still like to know more about the event itself and the leadup to it - was this school specifically targeted, why was it done, did the shooter use a banned firearm, etc, but it's too early to ask for that info and this article did all the rest right.
@unkz links some relevant news clips below but beyond that I can only give you rumor, mainly from Facebook (barf).
The shooter was 17 or 18 year old (??) trans woman. I don't know tumbler ridge but I'm fairly certain theres only one high school so the shooter was either a current student or recent graduate of that school.
Two family members were found dead in the alleged shooter's house.
The weapon was supposedly a shotgun (nothing more specific) so very unlikely to be banned or restricted. The use of a shotgun would kind of explain some of the reports of people being injured by "shrapnels" on the news so I think this is likely.
Theres no word on motivation but there is going to be some wild culture war shit happening because the alleged shooter was trans (especially male to female because the culture war is only worried about male to female) and RUMORED to be on a heavy dose of anti-depressants. Also their YouTube and reddit accounts were already both found, shared, and now scrubbed.
Also speaking to culture war and political reprecussiom... after the last mass shooting in Nova Scotia (2020) then PM Trudeau banned a bunch of military style rifles and other semi automatic rifles and was SUPPOSED to implement a gun buy back that is only just sort of starting to happen right now. There is a whole other discussion to be had about this but I'll keep it short and say gun owners aren't happy and they aren't exactly lining up to hand in their now prohibited guns.
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Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
mild_takes Link ParentThey used the emergency alert system thing for phones. I guess that's poasibly tied to Google maps somehow as well.They used the emergency alert system thing for phones. I guess that's poasibly tied to Google maps somehow as well.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump’s stifling of dissent reaches a new level: The editorial board tracks twelve markers of democratic erosion (gifted link) in ~society
mild_takes Link ParentThats good to hear, but at the same time I would expect them to limit it to specific poling locations that lean more Democrat. You just need to scare enough people into not showing up to vote....Thats good to hear, but at the same time I would expect them to limit it to specific poling locations that lean more Democrat.
the districts and precincts most targetable would likely be the ones most determined to fight back.
You just need to scare enough people into not showing up to vote.
Putting on my evil facist hat... I would:
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collect info on and infiltrate the communication networks people are using to track ice agents
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trump starts talking about how corrupt this election is going to be and how many undocumented people will be illegally voting
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pause ice raids between when mail in ballots start and when the deadline is.
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after mail in deadline passes start ramping up rhetoric again
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do aggressive crackdowns leading up to the election
ON election day
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use ICE to try scaring people away from some key voting locations
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flood social media and the previously mentioned communication networks with fake news/images/reports of ICE agents cracking down at ALL of the relevant voting locations that they would need to supress to do it correctly
Thats just my half thought out process for what I expect to see.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump’s stifling of dissent reaches a new level: The editorial board tracks twelve markers of democratic erosion (gifted link) in ~society
mild_takes LinkI think the midterms is where we will see if they go full autocracy using ICE to influence voter locations or not.I think the midterms is where we will see if they go full autocracy using ICE to influence voter locations or not.
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Comment on Bethesda X Nintendo Switch 2 | Reveal trailer in ~games
mild_takes LinkI guess New Vegas is too risque to port?I guess New Vegas is too risque to port?
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Comment on Wired vs. wireless mouse and keyboard? in ~tech
mild_takes LinkI've been using a Logitech G305 for my mouse. It has some dongle so it's not on Bluetooth and it's pretty responsive and it's cheap. It uses a single AA battery that lasts months. I'll never go...I've been using a Logitech G305 for my mouse. It has some dongle so it's not on Bluetooth and it's pretty responsive and it's cheap. It uses a single AA battery that lasts months. I'll never go back to wired, screw that.
As for the keyboard... I do need an upgrade but I find the wire to be such a mild inconvenience that I havent bothered looking at wireless options.
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Comment on AntiRender: remove the glossy shine on architectural renderings in ~tech
mild_takes Link ParentAnd the electrical boxes. So many electric boxes on that bridge.And the electrical boxes. So many electric boxes on that bridge.
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Comment on Best gas masks in ~society
mild_takes Link ParentHow about just... Google?How about just... Google?
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Comment on Lifetime Windows user seeking feedback for improvements on my Linux setup in ~tech
mild_takes (edited )LinkSeriously just dual boot. 30+ seconds is meh. Just start it and walk away for a minute. I don't think linux ever really booted very fast for me but booting windows and then screwing around with a...Seriously just dual boot. 30+ seconds is meh. Just start it and walk away for a minute. I don't think linux ever really booted very fast for me but booting windows and then screwing around with a VM just to have crap performance because its a VM doesn't sound appealing to me.
I wonder if I could/should use SteamOS or stick with Kubuntu or something else?
Stick with Kubuntu. It just really is whatever. Edit: I don't know what I meant by saying it's whatever? But I doubt SteamOS vs Kubuntu will affect gaming performance much or at all so just use what you know.
Side note, make sure your steam install is from the steam website and NOT from going "sudo apt install steam"
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Comment on San Francisco parents are letting teens ride in Waymos without an adult in ~transport
mild_takes Link ParentI would say the risks of an uber are less than the risks of a taxi. I havent taken that many ride shares but they usually seem not that sketchy. On the other hand I have had some extremely sketchy...I would say the risks of an uber are less than the risks of a taxi.
I havent taken that many ride shares but they usually seem not that sketchy. On the other hand I have had some extremely sketchy cabbies. Thats maybe just my experience though.
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Comment on Gold tops $4,900/oz; silver and platinum extend record‑setting rally in ~finance
mild_takes Link ParentI'll share this video along similar lines. https://youtu.be/L_zlYjjtNPM?si=tEofDtGWH0IHin_fI'll share this video along similar lines.
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Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
mild_takes Link Parent"Can't" is maybe a poor choice of words on my part. I would say either its unlikely or it would be way less effective."Can't" is maybe a poor choice of words on my part. I would say either its unlikely or it would be way less effective.
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Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
mild_takes Link ParentI was about to come back and edit my post to add; you only need permits to buy legal guns. I'm in canada (like a lot of tilderinos), I do my best to not associate with criminals, and I have no...At the point where armed groups roaming the streets in necessary, permits are not going to be relevant
I was about to come back and edit my post to add; you only need permits to buy legal guns.
I'm in canada (like a lot of tilderinos), I do my best to not associate with criminals, and I have no reason TO associate with criminals so I don't. I am pretty certain it would only take me a few days to locate and buy a prohibited weapon.
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Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
mild_takes (edited )LinkI keep thinking: when will this lead to open armed conflict in the streets? I think the reality is that it basically can't. From comments on Reddit (sorry I didn't do tons of research) MN requires...I keep thinking: when will this lead to open armed conflict in the streets? I think the reality is that it basically can't.
From comments on Reddit (sorry I didn't do tons of research) MN requires a permit for open or conceal carry (same permit I believe). Commenters also mentions that classes were completely full so you can't even get a permit. It looks like you can buy a gun without that permit (just a background check) but guns intended for hunting are basically exempt from all that.
For an effective deterrent you would need a decent sized group of people, ideally with semi autamatica and maybe something that could defeat basic armor. They would also have to be trained to some degree. Also willing to face the consequences.
The other thought I have is that communication to organize is risky and so is physical movement now. ICE is adding photos of people to their terrorist database or whatever just for protesting and there are flock cameras all over minnesota. I'm just going to guess they have stingrays deployed to gather info on people. Reddit is censoring a lot of comments as soon as they get a bit too violent. I wouldn't trust SMS to be secure. I wouldn't trust FB messenger or WhatsApp. Basically you'd need or want to have secure communication strategies setup ahead of time.
What it comes down to is the fact that to effectively deal with tyrany like this you would have to have been planning and training for this prior to current events... and the kinds of people who did are probably working for ICE or are very small fringe groups.
Edit: clarify and formatting
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Comment on Gadgets for people who don't trust the government in ~tech
mild_takes Link ParentThought I'd post an update on this for me personally at least. When I looked online there were no nodes near me but I bought a single device anyways and posted on my city's subreddit about it......Thought I'd post an update on this for me personally at least. When I looked online there were no nodes near me but I bought a single device anyways and posted on my city's subreddit about it... turns out there are already a couple of people with some nodes in pretty decent places. Huge win.
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Comment on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to World Economic Forum in ~society
mild_takes Link ParentThe middle powers are basically everyone thats not the USA, China, and maybe a few other major powers. Its basically everyone in the room that is going to need to stand up to the USA for their...What is the WEF really, and why is he addressing middle powers at an econ event?
The middle powers are basically everyone thats not the USA, China, and maybe a few other major powers. Its basically everyone in the room that is going to need to stand up to the USA for their belligerence.
Or am I being naive and states are run by economic forces more so than political? How did alliances work before the idealism we have currently, or is there no parallels at all because the world was never this interconnected before?
The USA has gained massively over the last 100 years by ruling over economic forces and projecting power globally to strengthen their economic power. I don't know how alliances worked in the 1800's but we're so interconnected now that more than ever this stuff matters. By alienating basically all of their trading partners the USA is now living on borrowed time economically. Without that economic power they will eventually cease to be a global superpower.
I'm in an average coldish part of Canada (sorry don't want to be more specific than that). My gas bill for December said it was 8.9 GJ or 8900 MJ. Let's round that to 10 GJ or 10,000 MJ. They say they got 1.65 MJ per kg let's round that to 2.0. So my house would take 5000 kg of this stuff. Let's assume it has the same density as water so 1kg = 1L, thats 5000 L or 5m cubed or (easier for me to visualize) a cube that's 16.4 feet on each side. THATS FOR ONE MONTH.
Obviously I'm making some assumptions here and really ballparking this but it's a LOT of whatever this is.
Ballparking it some more, I think if I had an imaginary tank that was the same footprint as my house (imagine underneath the basement floor) then it would need to be 1 foot deep to heat my home for the whole winter. That doesn't feel right (like I made a mistake) but I have a hard time visualizing area and volume, also the error bars on that guess are pretty big. Also my hot water tank is powered by gas so keep that in mind.
Edit: please don't trust my math either