MimicSquid's recent activity
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
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Comment on California Gov. Gavin Newsom commutes all 548 death sentences in ~society
MimicSquid LinkGavin Newsom is a weathervane, always blowing in whichever wind he thinks will steer his career towards the White House. Note that he could have done this at any time, but just happened to do it...Gavin Newsom is a weathervane, always blowing in whichever wind he thinks will steer his career towards the White House. Note that he could have done this at any time, but just happened to do it as soon as there was a strong, fresh signal that people want more left-leaning politicians. He has no standards or morals other than "will this help my political career?" Appreciate the act, but recognize that this is not an expression of any actual moral stance on his part. It gives no signals regarding what he'd do in the future if it looked like tacking to the right socially or economically would serve him best.
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Comment on Cyberattack disrupts blood storage refrigeration systems in France in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentCatching is before hanging, and a potential cost in the future is better than an actual cost now, when all you care about is this quarter's numbers.Catching is before hanging, and a potential cost in the future is better than an actual cost now, when all you care about is this quarter's numbers.
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Comment on US Democrats win enough seats nationwide to (potentially) end Electoral College via the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentThe grounds, yes. But with the previous/current Republican Congress sitting around flogging their flaccid ideas and groveling in front of the rotten tangerine-in-chief it wasn't going to happen....The grounds, yes. But with the previous/current Republican Congress sitting around flogging their flaccid ideas and groveling in front of the rotten tangerine-in-chief it wasn't going to happen. There's a chance for something different now.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentFast and wrong is still wrong.Fast and wrong is still wrong.
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Comment on Binance suspends withdrawals after crypto hackers steal $6.3 billion in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentIt's from XKCD.It's from XKCD.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentYou can think that if you want, and your confidence says as much as your words. It hasn't been my experience.You can think that if you want, and your confidence says as much as your words. It hasn't been my experience.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentIt is also still prone to confabulations, wild misstatements that it will double down on when questioned, and say that the things at the sources say things entirely counter to what they actually...It is also still prone to confabulations, wild misstatements that it will double down on when questioned, and say that the things at the sources say things entirely counter to what they actually say. It's like if an intern on their first day half-assed the research assignment and then acted very confident. Someone who proudly states that they listen to and believe what's said is saying as much about themselves as they are about LLMs.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
MimicSquid Link ParentAnd likewise data centers aren't a monolith, as the builders have a wide variety of options regarding how much water they're using. Full recirculation systems do exist and work, they're just more...And likewise data centers aren't a monolith, as the builders have a wide variety of options regarding how much water they're using. Full recirculation systems do exist and work, they're just more expensive than using the local water supply.
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Comment on itch.io reveals just how much AI slop is flooding gaming storefronts in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentI think the Needle in a Haystack game clone problem makes it clear that lots of people will pump out quick, barebones games on any concept that seems to be catching the public awareness. And they...I think the Needle in a Haystack game clone problem makes it clear that lots of people will pump out quick, barebones games on any concept that seems to be catching the public awareness. And they don't have to hold up for more than a few hours; if they just stop making sense in hour three, you're past the refund window and that's that. Who cares if they're rated poorly and no one buys them in a few months? They didn't take significant effort to make.
I think you're right that there are people out there making passion projects. But finding those gems in a giant pile of junk is going to be harder and harder unless some solution is found to the discovery problem.
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Comment on Amazon Grocery introduces a Thanksgiving meal for $25 in ~food
MimicSquid LinkI'm sure everyone is happy big daddy Bezos is going to give them a discount on one meal a year. Thank you, Bezos!I'm sure everyone is happy big daddy Bezos is going to give them a discount on one meal a year. Thank you, Bezos!
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Comment on itch.io reveals just how much AI slop is flooding gaming storefronts in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentI'd like to challenge that assertion. Here's a guy that's having Claude make a new incremental game every day. He says he does some light tweaking to balance the numbers, and that's it. Music,...I'd like to challenge that assertion. Here's a guy that's having Claude make a new incremental game every day. He says he does some light tweaking to balance the numbers, and that's it. Music, art, game design, theme, it's all automatic. They aren't large games, but it's not like it would be hard to make them bigger. There's not really any cost to the prompter to make it hold up for four hours instead of a half hour. They aren't great games, but they're trivial to make now. Someone could be literally pumping out a dozen+ a day easily, and if each one made fifty bucks off of curious people who would drop a couple dollars on an interesting premise thats $600 gross profit each day. I find it totally believable that a few people are flooding the market with low effort games, and that some others are watching all the demos and putting out cheap copies to be first to market.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentThere's a great brewing mod already out there for batch brewing and a whole lot more drinks, and the corporate presence mod includes teaching you how to can food as well as smith ingots into...There's a great brewing mod already out there for batch brewing and a whole lot more drinks, and the corporate presence mod includes teaching you how to can food as well as smith ingots into billets and billets into blades.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentYeah, I'm kinda enjoying finding a game where the modding scene isn't in a language I read. Lots of hoping for a word or two in English or meaningful pictures, and then combining that with a...Yeah, I'm kinda enjoying finding a game where the modding scene isn't in a language I read. Lots of hoping for a word or two in English or meaningful pictures, and then combining that with a Google translate of the first paragraph or two of the mod description. Even ones that have been 100% Chinese in description have mostly worked in game showing English text, but a few haven't set the text strings properly to hook into the games translations. It's adding to the fun in its own way. I'm a shopkeeper buying a machine the seller swears up and down will measure out the right amount of acid to neutralize the proteins in this fluid, but all the instructions are totally illegible.
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Comment on The American suburbs are better than you think in ~life
MimicSquid Link ParentHeck, as a Bay Area resident there are lots of areas that have been consumed by the urban sprawl that are still basically suburban. Lots of single family houses with yards outside of a few...Heck, as a Bay Area resident there are lots of areas that have been consumed by the urban sprawl that are still basically suburban. Lots of single family houses with yards outside of a few hotspots along major roads, difficult public transportation, car-focused culture, minimal commercial business within walking distance... It doesn't have the cul de sac so popular in the modern suburbs, but much of the East Bay is fundamentally suburban-esqe despite having been built a century ago.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid (edited )Link ParentThe brewing system mod is excellent, as is the one that adds corporate presence to the station. The art on both of them is obviously AI, smooth and anime-esque as compared to the baseline art, but...The brewing system mod is excellent, as is the one that adds corporate presence to the station. The art on both of them is obviously AI, smooth and anime-esque as compared to the baseline art, but the content they add is very good. One other mod I can't compliment enough is AutoStorage. It lets you set up custom white/blacklists and sorting priorities for all of your containers, and then sort everything with one button press, respecting contraband and stolen item restrictions as well. A particularly fun option I've set up is that all stolen food immediately gets sent to the grinder to feed the fish. I now appreciate the small-scale food thieves that come by. What, you have one pack of ramen and one of Peat? That's fine. I don't need to wait 4 days for that heat to wear off, I can just grind it up immediately.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentRight? It's remarkably good, and I've been enjoying it. One note of caution if you get into the mod workshop: the maximum permissions allowed by the game for mods is the ability for the mod to...Right? It's remarkably good, and I've been enjoying it. One note of caution if you get into the mod workshop: the maximum permissions allowed by the game for mods is the ability for the mod to read or write data anywhere on your computer, which is an absolutely wild level of trust to have in some random mod. It's insane to me that the game even allows it. It does say outright that it's what you're agreeing to, but it's putting a huge burden on the player to know what they're agreeing to.
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Comment on Google receives response from Project Suncatcher prototype satellite in space in ~space
MimicSquid Link ParentThere's a variety of non-kinetic options for downing or disabling a satellite, though. The USA has outright announced they have that capability, though they were mum regarding what methods they...There's a variety of non-kinetic options for downing or disabling a satellite, though. The USA has outright announced they have that capability, though they were mum regarding what methods they had in their pocket.
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Comment on Life of the Victorian elites in ~humanities.history
MimicSquid LinkIt's an interesting article, and it does speak to something I do think about a decent bit. The ways that we in the modern world are all so atomized and prone to social disconnection. Why would the...It's an interesting article, and it does speak to something I do think about a decent bit. The ways that we in the modern world are all so atomized and prone to social disconnection. Why would the wealthy and powerful feel an alliance to their country of residence when their social network isn't connected to it and doesn't reward good behavior? When I think of Musk's obsessive need to be liked, and how he depends so much on X to praise him, and compare that to what he might have been like in the context described in this article... He might have been much the same man, but perhaps put to better ends.
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Comment on Supermarkets freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attack in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentGiven that the first known target was US Army commissaries? Absolutely.Given that the first known target was US Army commissaries? Absolutely.
Which states would matter more in a way that isn't just saying that they have more population, and if everyone has an equal voice the big states would "matter" more? The whole point is that all electors regardless of state would vote for the candidate that won the popular vote, and so the states individually wouldn't matter at all, the people in those states would.