Minori's recent activity

  1. Comment on Windows 11 cleanup/configuration script(s)? in ~comp

    Minori
    Link
    Not a script, I followed the tips here to disable some features I hate: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/21/windows_11_productivity_sink/ I refuse to use an online Windows account under any...

    Not a script, I followed the tips here to disable some features I hate: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/21/windows_11_productivity_sink/

    I refuse to use an online Windows account under any circumstances.

  2. Comment on AI isn’t replacing jobs. AI spending is. in ~comp

    Minori
    Link
    The average person doesn't understand the extremely long history of artificial intelligence systems being overhyped. For another infamous quote: AI is a convenient excuse for dishonest executives....

    For decades now, we have been told that artificial intelligence systems will soon replace human workers. Sixty years ago, for example, Herbert Simon, who received a Nobel Prize in economics and a Turing Award in computing, predicted that “machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do.” More recently, we have Daniel Susskind’s 2020 award-winning book with the title that says it all: A World Without Work.

    The average person doesn't understand the extremely long history of artificial intelligence systems being overhyped. For another infamous quote:

    In 2016, professor Hinton stated that “people should stop training radiologists now” and “it is just completely obvious that within 5 years deep learning will do better than radiologists”
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7720669/#r1
    The algorithms are still cool and helpful and improving, but they have not replaced humans, merely made them more productive.

    AI is a convenient excuse for dishonest executives.

    We’ve seen this act before. When companies are financially stressed, a relatively easy solution is to lay off workers and ask those who are not laid off to work harder and be thankful that they still have jobs. AI is just a convenient excuse for this cost-cutting.

    Last week, when Amazon slashed 14,000 corporate jobs and hinted that more cuts could be coming, a top executive noted the current generation of AI is “enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.” Shortly thereafter, another Amazon rep anonymously admitted to NBC News that “AI is not the reason behind the vast majority of reductions.” On an investor call, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy admitted that the layoffs were “not even really AI driven.”

    We have been following the slow growth in revenues for generative AI over the last few years, and the revenues are neither big enough to support the number of layoffs attributed to AI, nor to justify the capital expenditures on AI cloud infrastructure. Those expenditures may be approaching $1 trillion for 2025, while AI revenue—which would be used to pay for the use of AI infrastructure to run the software—will not exceed $30 billion this year. Are we to believe that such a small amount of revenue is driving economy-wide layoffs?

    I've been yelling about this for years. Some businesses have been massively disrupted by "macroeconomic factors" such that they need to cut costs and layoff employees. That doesn't apply to most tech companies that are spending billions on infrastructure with no signs of paying off.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on AI isn’t replacing jobs. AI spending is. in ~comp

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Well that's hardly their only citation: Having been on the receiving end of AI slop, it harms organizational productivity. Same as subtle bugs created by vibe coding.

    Well that's hardly their only citation:

    Yet we remain skeptical of the claim that AI is responsible for these layoffs. A recent MIT Media Lab study found that 95% of generative AI pilot business projects were failing. Another survey by Atlassian concluded that 96% of businesses “have not seen dramatic improvements in organizational efficiency, innovation, or work quality.” Still another study found that 40% of the business people surveyed have received “AI slop” at work in the last month and that it takes nearly two hours, on average, to fix each instance of slop. In addition, they “no longer trust their AI-enabled peers, find them less creative, and find them less intelligent or capable.”

    Having been on the receiving end of AI slop, it harms organizational productivity. Same as subtle bugs created by vibe coding.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on The iPhone 16e is good, actually in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Brazil's massive tariffs are part of why their economy hasn't grown much, especially compared to peers with more trade.

    Brazil's massive tariffs are part of why their economy hasn't grown much, especially compared to peers with more trade.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on The iPhone 16e is good, actually in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Compared to your Pixel 5, the Pixel 10 is 8 mm taller, and the Galaxy S25 is only 2 mm taller: https://www.gsmchoice.com/en/sizeer/google-pixel5-vs-google-pixel-10/...

    Compared to your Pixel 5, the Pixel 10 is 8 mm taller, and the Galaxy S25 is only 2 mm taller:

    They're both a bit heavier which I think is because of the bigger battery and cameras?

  6. Comment on Indie Game Awards rescinds Clair Obscur's GOTY wins over use of generative AI [for now-removed background assets] in ~games

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Vampire Survivors used a bunch of free assets, and it became a massive hit. So much so that the creator was almost embarrassed by its success! Art is hardly the only element of a game. A developer...

    Vampire Survivors used a bunch of free assets, and it became a massive hit. So much so that the creator was almost embarrassed by its success!

    Art is hardly the only element of a game. A developer records silly filler noises with a cheap microphone, and it's creative art. The developer uses a generative tool, and it's devaluing artists??

    5 votes

  7. Comment on Indie Game Awards rescinds Clair Obscur's GOTY wins over use of generative AI [for now-removed background assets] in ~games

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Here's a popular indie RPG called Hylics that predates the modern LLM boom: https://store.steampowered.com/app/397740/Hylics/ The game makes extensive use of machine generated text which is...

    If you have so little vision for your game that you prefer to resort to having a magic 8-ball make milquetoast visuals for it instead of giving it a go yourself, why even bother?

    Here's a popular indie RPG called Hylics that predates the modern LLM boom: https://store.steampowered.com/app/397740/Hylics/

    The game makes extensive use of machine generated text which is semi-nonsensical to give a particular atmosphere. Part of the game's art and direction is the "empty" writing. Does that make the game less artistic or creative than if they'd hired a professional writer to create reams of nonsense?

    7 votes

  8. Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Step-siblings I better understand for the pseudo-forbidden relationship. It's common in dramas for a reason. Definitely not everywhere. The popularity of the trope in Japan predates that commercial.

    Step-siblings I better understand for the pseudo-forbidden relationship. It's common in dramas for a reason.

    Maybe it all stems from this particularly infamous commercial (technically SFW)?—but it's what I've heard.

    Definitely not everywhere. The popularity of the trope in Japan predates that commercial.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on As a reindeer herder, I am watching Norwegian renewable energy projects threaten our land, livelihoods and an Indigenous way of life the state once tried to erase in ~enviro

    Minori
    Link Parent
    I have fond memories of Spanish windmills on farms in the countryside. They're quaint.

    I have fond memories of Spanish windmills on farms in the countryside. They're quaint.

    6 votes

  10. Comment on Steam Replay 2025 in ~games

    Minori
    Link Parent
    That kind of aggregation and sharing might be difficult with EU data regulations (DMA). They're strict about how data can be collected and shared.

    That kind of aggregation and sharing might be difficult with EU data regulations (DMA). They're strict about how data can be collected and shared.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    As far as I know, it's a common fetish. People explicitly look for it per multiple sites' search statistics. It doesn't appeal to me, so I can only guess why it's popular.

    I'm not sure why, though I suspect it's some sort of kink of the recommendation algo at this point.

    As far as I know, it's a common fetish. People explicitly look for it per multiple sites' search statistics.

    It doesn't appeal to me, so I can only guess why it's popular.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Ukrainian "Sub Sea Baby" drones hit Russian submarine in Novorossiysk for the first time in history in ~society

    Minori
    Link
    This should be in ~news instead, no?

    This should be in ~news instead, no?

    1 vote

  13. Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    If someone's watch history was exclusively incest content, that would definitely earn them a degenerate label.

    If someone's watch history was exclusively incest content, that would definitely earn them a degenerate label.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies

    Minori
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Malört is a spirit from Chicago which has been lovingly described as tasting like, "burnt tires with grapefruit," and "rubber bands and pain." I'd personally say it's extremely bitter, rubbery,...

    Malört is a spirit from Chicago which has been lovingly described as tasting like, "burnt tires with grapefruit," and "rubber bands and pain." I'd personally say it's extremely bitter, rubbery, and a little honeyed. Clips of people trying Malört for the first time are always funny.

    Plex made quite an offer!

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies

    Minori
    Link Parent
    The Saudis are looking for lucrative investment opportunities because they must find new business before their oil reserves run dry. They're kind of like SoftBank. I'd also argue they're less...

    The Saudis are looking for lucrative investment opportunities because they must find new business before their oil reserves run dry. They're kind of like SoftBank. I'd also argue they're less activist than some Chinese megacorps (see Taiwan censorship from major gaming companies).

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Firefox development isn't exactly funded by donations because Mozilla the non-profit is separate from Mozilla the corporation. The comments here explain the nuance better than I can summarise:...

    Firefox development isn't exactly funded by donations because Mozilla the non-profit is separate from Mozilla the corporation. The comments here explain the nuance better than I can summarise: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39346814

    2 votes

  17. Comment on I fixed my lactose intolerance -- by chugging all the lactose in ~health

    Minori
    Link Parent
    Sounds like a classic oral allergy then. If you can safely eat banana bread, it's probably not a true allergy.

    Sounds like a classic oral allergy then. If you can safely eat banana bread, it's probably not a true allergy.

  18. Comment on Crunchyroll to end ad-supported streaming at the end of 2025 in ~anime

    Minori
    Link Parent
    It's largely unrelated to AI: https://daiz.moe/crunchyroll-is-destroying-its-subtitles-for-no-good-reason/ To summarize, Funimation used OOONA because they never truly cared about anime, and it's...

    It's largely unrelated to AI: https://daiz.moe/crunchyroll-is-destroying-its-subtitles-for-no-good-reason/

    To summarize, Funimation used OOONA because they never truly cared about anime, and it's simpler to produce subtitles for every platform with OOONA. Crunchyroll used to use Aegisub because it's designed for anime and handles signs very well. After the merger, the Funimation management is in-charge, and they want to use OOONA again, thus worsening their subtitles for no good reason.

    4 votes

  19. Comment on Other people might just not have your problems in ~life

  20. Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech

    Minori
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    They need revenue that isn't from Google. Creating other product offerings like VPNs and email masking are viable ways for them to monetize without destroying Firefox.

    Just be a good browser. I don't want or need Mozilla integrations into everything.

    They need revenue that isn't from Google. Creating other product offerings like VPNs and email masking are viable ways for them to monetize without destroying Firefox.

    15 votes