MimicSquid's recent activity

  1. Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    As long as there are more people than last year the housing market won't do the same thing. Even during the biggest housing crashes of the last few decades the Bay Area housing prices dipped all...

    As long as there are more people than last year the housing market won't do the same thing. Even during the biggest housing crashes of the last few decades the Bay Area housing prices dipped all of 2-3%, not even enough to balance out the increases of the few years before.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on New Jersey is motivating telecommuters to appeal their New York tax bills. Connecticut may be next. in ~finance

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Yes. "home office" rules haven't really been updated for 100% telecommuting, but if the company has an NJ office they could claim that the employees were centered there. It would entail keeping...

    Yes. "home office" rules haven't really been updated for 100% telecommuting, but if the company has an NJ office they could claim that the employees were centered there. It would entail keeping track of and managing that fragment of their office by NJ law, which would be a hassle, so there's little incentive for the corporation to do so.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on Instagram's Nudify [non-consensual fake nude photo generator] ads in ~tech

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    The fact that we may need private verification marks to secure our images is one of those hyper-dystopian ideas that somehow makes perfect sense in the current zeitgeist.

    The fact that we may need private verification marks to secure our images is one of those hyper-dystopian ideas that somehow makes perfect sense in the current zeitgeist.

    6 votes

  4. Comment on Instagram's Nudify [non-consensual fake nude photo generator] ads in ~tech

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    The illegality of simulated material is variable by jurisdiction as far as I know.

    The illegality of simulated material is variable by jurisdiction as far as I know.

    5 votes

  5. Comment on Steam refund policy update - "Advanced Access" now counts towards refund window in ~games

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Not Early Access, but Advanced Access, though I'm with you that I had to re-read it to be sure. This is for games that ask people to shell out extra money for access before the normal release, not...

    Not Early Access, but Advanced Access, though I'm with you that I had to re-read it to be sure. This is for games that ask people to shell out extra money for access before the normal release, not for people who're paying for a game still under development.

    16 votes

  6. Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Right, but there are large areas of the world that don't have those sorts of places. At some point the cost for the transmission infrastructure starts to drag down the efficiency of the larger...

    Right, but there are large areas of the world that don't have those sorts of places. At some point the cost for the transmission infrastructure starts to drag down the efficiency of the larger wind turbines. Trading absolute efficiency in an inefficient location for lower efficiency at the location of energy consumption can be a reasonable tradeoff.

  7. Comment on Instagram's Nudify [non-consensual fake nude photo generator] ads in ~tech

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Given that underaged people have been prosecuted for having made pornography of themselves without having distributed it to anyone, it being consenting is unlikely to be a defense.

    Given that underaged people have been prosecuted for having made pornography of themselves without having distributed it to anyone, it being consenting is unlikely to be a defense.

    4 votes

  8. Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    If an area doesn't have the kind of wind that those wind farms need, are they really the most suitable for the situation?

    If an area doesn't have the kind of wind that those wind farms need, are they really the most suitable for the situation?

  9. Comment on Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies in ~games

  10. Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    There's been new innovations in urban wind generation that take advantage of the choppy urban breeze and building design that might do a good bit to make it more effective in the next 3-5 years.

    There's been new innovations in urban wind generation that take advantage of the choppy urban breeze and building design that might do a good bit to make it more effective in the next 3-5 years.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem. in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Or switch some of the incentives to distributed storage as was as distributed generation. It's less efficient than large scale storage, but means we all have to depend on the grid less.

    Or switch some of the incentives to distributed storage as was as distributed generation. It's less efficient than large scale storage, but means we all have to depend on the grid less.

    17 votes

  12. Comment on Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies in ~games

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    They'll be separate corporations, yes, but I'm not sure why you're saying "independent." Their own PR release makes clear that shares in the the two that are being spun off are going the be...

    They'll be separate corporations, yes, but I'm not sure why you're saying "independent." Their own PR release makes clear that shares in the the two that are being spun off are going the be distributed to the existing shareholders of Embracer. Beyond shareholding...

    The largest shareholder, Lars Wingefors AB, intends to form a new long-term ownership structure, including the current holdings in Embracer Group (approximately 20% of capital and 40% of votes), and will remain a long-term, active, committed and supportive owner of all three entities.

    So the C suite will be running individual companies, but the person who led Embracer to such massive losses is still going to be the "long-term, active, committed and supportive owner of all three entities."

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies in ~games

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Ok, but there wasn't anything stopping them from finding the right level of management for all of their many, many subsidiaries when they were still one company. Splitting in three forces a higher...

    Ok, but there wasn't anything stopping them from finding the right level of management for all of their many, many subsidiaries when they were still one company. Splitting in three forces a higher number of administrators, but not in a way that forces better management.

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    Only ants have behavior loops that lead far beyond the point of self-destruction? Ok. Oh, have you heard about GameStop stock? I hear it's going to THE MOON! Diamond Hands! Rocket emoji Rocket...

    Only ants have behavior loops that lead far beyond the point of self-destruction? Ok.

    Oh, have you heard about GameStop stock? I hear it's going to THE MOON! Diamond Hands! Rocket emoji Rocket emoji Rocket emoji!

    I joke, a little bit, but many animals will engage in self-destructive or collectively destructive behavior. We put cones on dogs and cats with an injury because they will worry at it, making it worse. Horses won't hold still if they hurt their leg. Sheep will push each other off of cliffs from bunching up together. We think we're smarter than that, but humans get caught up in collective manias or self-destructive loops all the time.

    8 votes

  15. Comment on Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies in ~games

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    They're splitting up, but notice that they're "...offer[ing] more differentiated and distinct equity stories for existing and new shareholders.” For better or for worse, the people in control are...

    They're splitting up, but notice that they're "...offer[ing] more differentiated and distinct equity stories for existing and new shareholders.” For better or for worse, the people in control are going to stay in control. They're just working to provide a more compelling narrative and tailored investing experience for outside investors who might want to invest in "indie" experiences rather than AAA or board games, or vice versa.

    7 votes

  16. Comment on Amazon grows to over 750,000 robots as world's second-largest private employer replaces over 100,000 humans in ~tech

    MimicSquid
    Link
    Honestly, good for them. If they need robot-like efficiency, let them get it from a labor pool that doesn't need to pee in a water bottle to keep up with the expected rate of packing.

    Honestly, good for them. If they need robot-like efficiency, let them get it from a labor pool that doesn't need to pee in a water bottle to keep up with the expected rate of packing.

    18 votes

  17. Comment on Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies in ~games

    MimicSquid
    Link
    The lists of game IP held by Embracer is kind of sobering. I didn't realize that they'd bought up quite so many studios that had made good things. I knew they were essentially the gaming Borg, but...

    The lists of game IP held by Embracer is kind of sobering. I didn't realize that they'd bought up quite so many studios that had made good things. I knew they were essentially the gaming Borg, but hadn't realized how far it had gone.

    That said, splitting into divisions that can focus more on a given kind of game might be a sensible move. In a giant conglomerate, if you don't have subject matter experts who can keep the new product development going, you're just buying things for them to die on the vine. But if they didn't have the talent to keep things going before there's no reason that splitting in three will make the right staff appear. There's nothing inherently special about splitting into three new companies that'll fix any of their operational woes.

    13 votes

  18. Comment on Residents in southern Illinois county to vote on non-binding referendum to separate state from Cook County in ~misc

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    I'm in the SF Bay Area, and there's been a similar thing here, but I feel like the big change in the last few years has been a shift in who gets victimized. It's no longer as many crimes of...

    I'm in the SF Bay Area, and there's been a similar thing here, but I feel like the big change in the last few years has been a shift in who gets victimized. It's no longer as many crimes of opportunity against other poor people as it is a recognition that it's far more lucrative to steal from people who actually have stuff to steal. With coordination, it's far more profitable to drive for a half hour and steal from a wealthier neighborhood than it is to knock over a tiny corner store down the block, even setting aside the fact that stores don't really have cash anymore.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient in ~enviro

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    It's a lot easier to accept the ways that humans currently interact with animals if you think that way. If they're robots made of meat, no need for self-reflection.

    It's a lot easier to accept the ways that humans currently interact with animals if you think that way. If they're robots made of meat, no need for self-reflection.

    27 votes

  20. Comment on The troubling trend in teenage sex (it's strangulation) (gifted link) in ~life

    MimicSquid
    Link Parent
    You mean the pre-internet days in the 1970's where there were entire libraries of smut as debauched as anything you could find today? Or the pre-internet days of the 1770's when the Marquis de...

    You mean the pre-internet days in the 1970's where there were entire libraries of smut as debauched as anything you could find today? Or the pre-internet days of the 1770's when the Marquis de Sade was writing? Or the pre-internet days when the Romans had a specific word for face-fucking (irrumatio) or the pre-internet days of ancient Greece when Sappho was writing erotic poetry, or the pre-internet days of the Song of Solomon (hung like donkeys and ejaculating like stallions, anyone)?

    People have always been kinky. You're far too young to predate raunchy porn.

    38 votes