nacho's recent activity
-
Comment on Anyone here familiar with Scotland? in ~hobbies
-
Comment on Thoughts on brinkmanship with the US national debt? in ~finance
nacho LinkI think it's extremely dangerous and misplaced that these debates are coming now, not around budgets and measures that increase spending. However, the debt ceiling debacles are a necessary evil...I think it's extremely dangerous and misplaced that these debates are coming now, not around budgets and measures that increase spending.
However, the debt ceiling debacles are a necessary evil that follow from the outdated rules of governance from parliaments both on the federal and lower levels throughout the US.
Deficit spending has to come to an end, or be much, much more tightly managed. It's not sustainable. The issue is that he money is being thrown away on causes there's no room to prioritize.
In a democracy, you can't leave your population to die on the streets. This simple truth in combination with demographic outlook means that spending has to be seriously reigned in and repurposed toward taking care of the elderly as that group grows.
Cutting spending won't be enough. It's a mathematical truth that taxes have to rise. Substantially. As folks are used to getting more than they should through deficit spending, that becomes harder and harder to get through. We have to be weaned at some point or other.
It looks like that process isn't going to happen politically unless it is to avoid a massive disaster. Lawmakers won't remove their tools for exerting influence voluntarily. Especially not as dysfunctional and hamstrung they are in the arenas where they should be politicking.
-
Comment on This is why Toyota isn't rushing to sell you an electric vehicle in ~tech
nacho Link ParentThe energy loss of hydrogen fuel cells is between 40 and 60 percent. (This is getting better). Electricity production isn't keeping up with demand, especially as more and more fossil-fueled...The energy loss of hydrogen fuel cells is between 40 and 60 percent. (This is getting better).
Electricity production isn't keeping up with demand, especially as more and more fossil-fueled activity transitions to grid-run.
This is something we can overcome, but it's a significant challenge with hydrogen that needs to be solved before things can work at scale.
-
Comment on Elon Musk said Thursday that Twitter is getting a new CEO and that he will move to a product and technical role in ~tech
nacho Link ParentBeing a bad CEO is a part-time job. Being a CEO is also like being the head of a board: performance doesn't necessarily improve with time invested. There are other qualities that factor in much...Being a bad CEO is a part-time job.
Being a CEO is also like being the head of a board: performance doesn't necessarily improve with time invested. There are other qualities that factor in much more, like strategic abilities and leadership.
The greatest measure of a successful leader is making yourself close to obsolete in the day-to-day because that means the business isn't dependent on you as a point of failure. Yes, performance should be even better when you're around, but that's about it.
-
Comment on We asked the Olympics why their official esports are so weird in ~games
nacho Link ParentI think esports is a typical industry that has thrived in a money-rich economy. Now that things are tightening, it'll be interesting to see whether it's anything but a short hype/bubble with the...I think esports is a typical industry that has thrived in a money-rich economy.
Now that things are tightening, it'll be interesting to see whether it's anything but a short hype/bubble with the VC's footing the bill.
I expect eposrts will be way less lucrative for the next several years as advertising/sponsorships will be down everywhere for quite some time.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
nacho LinkThe Nazis: A Warning from History by Laurence Rees. It's a 1997 book after Rees and a BBC documentary team had spent 16 years interviewing nazis and those who'd experienced nazis. There's a tv...The Nazis: A Warning from History by Laurence Rees.
It's a 1997 book after Rees and a BBC documentary team had spent 16 years interviewing nazis and those who'd experienced nazis. There's a tv series too, that I haven't seen.
This work explains the brutality, the dysfunction, the racism, discrimination and horrors we often forget and often don't tell in the history of the German nazi party and Second world war.
It's harrowing and extremely worth a read. Especially today where right wing extremism is on the rise many places, and authoritarianism is threatening the liberal democracy as the type of government many states aspire to.
It's only around 250 pages, so it's not one of these impenetrable war histories either. Highly recommend. I've got maybe the last quarter left.
-
Comment on For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to World Happiness Report rankings in ~life
nacho Link ParentIt leaves suicide as the largest or second largest cause of death for a number of young age groups. Those people are then not part of the population for many decades later impacting happiness...It leaves suicide as the largest or second largest cause of death for a number of young age groups.
Those people are then not part of the population for many decades later impacting happiness stats cumulatively.
The whole index is based on an "average live evaluation" on a 1-10 scale. The difference in scores between the top countries is small. With averages above 7.0, one person scoring a 1 or 0 in the nationally-representative sample lowers the average in ways that would take several people to balance out.
The national health focus on suicides also means that those with suicide attempts get significant support, which will again influence ratings considerably reducing scores from very low numbers in a number of people. Many times the number of people who manage to take their lives get help after attempts on their lives.
It's hard to estimate the compounding factor there.
-
Comment on For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to World Happiness Report rankings in ~life
nacho Link ParentThere are a number of different theories. Suicides increase across the globe when you have a dark season of little or no sunlight during winter. That could be one factor. Another possible factor...There are a number of different theories. Suicides increase across the globe when you have a dark season of little or no sunlight during winter. That could be one factor.
Another possible factor is that you have a homogenous society where there are large costs associated with being outside relatively strict behavioral norms. Once you're out, you could be out.
Some also point to cultures where men can be expected to drink considerably while alone.
As with most things in society, there are probably many different contributing factors and circumstances. To some extent it's probably also a cultural thing that self-reinforces.
I'm sure a Finn could shed more light. These trends are similar in other Nordic countries too, with variations of different factors from country to country.
-
Comment on For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to World Happiness Report rankings in ~life
nacho LinkIt's always as morbid, but I expect that the results are skewed in favor of the Nordic countries because higher suicide rates than many other countries reduce the number of people who're unhappy...It's always as morbid, but I expect that the results are skewed in favor of the Nordic countries because higher suicide rates than many other countries reduce the number of people who're unhappy rather effectively.
The difference between countries at the top of the rankings is so low that these demographic factors probably change ranking orders quite a bit.
-
Comment on What are the potential negative consequences of open-sourcing the Twitter recommendation code? in ~tech
nacho Link ParentYou have to have very sophisticated anti-cheat systems to avoid gamification of user behavior though: Try enough times and you'll succeed in making something go viral because the snowball got...You have to have very sophisticated anti-cheat systems to avoid gamification of user behavior though:
- Try enough times and you'll succeed in making something go viral because the snowball got rolling quick enough at the start.
I expect Twitter doesn't have this, and have fired the people who could potentially have set something like this up. That's based on all the information about twitter and its code-base that's been given publicly and how poorly the company has handled things over time.
Even just knowing that something doesn't impact the recommended formula will let those with bot farms not waste time on something meaningless.
Security though obscurity can be extremely effective when there are potentially a huge number of variables. Isolating a few of those variables lets you test hypotheses oh so much more effectively. There are many of us who can easily spin up some thousand virtual machines to test stuff. To me that's been extremely useful in seeing how rudimentary reddit's anti-spam systems have been, and how extreme the improvement has been the last maybe 3-4 years have been.
-
Comment on What are the potential negative consequences of open-sourcing the Twitter recommendation code? in ~tech
nacho LinkIt becomes easier to optimize/manipulate the recommendation feature. Competitors know what they're doing and can make Twitter less competitive. People discover huge bugs/issues/exploits in...It becomes easier to optimize/manipulate the recommendation feature.
Competitors know what they're doing and can make Twitter less competitive.
People discover huge bugs/issues/exploits in Twitter's code.
There are surely many other things that can also go wrong.
-
Comment on Why most gun laws aren’t backed up by evidence in ~misc
nacho LinkThe issue at hand is that (Republican) lawmakers didn't want research. So they ensured there wouldn't be any for decades. Now we're playing catch-up. It's a start, but research in the field is...The issue at hand is that (Republican) lawmakers didn't want research. So they ensured there wouldn't be any for decades.
Now we're playing catch-up. It's a start, but research in the field is still woefully underfunded compared to how extremely costly gun violence is to society.
-
Comment on An AI generated version of Seinfeld is running on Twitch non-stop in ~comp
nacho Link ParentIt's way more fun than Seinfeld ever was at least, but that bar is really low in my opinion. The stand-up bits with the microphone scene especially.It's way more fun than Seinfeld ever was at least, but that bar is really low in my opinion.
The stand-up bits with the microphone scene especially.
-
Comment on Some CA cities to lose zoning powers in two days in ~design
nacho Link ParentThis is housing. Can you imagine if there were similar situations for green power generation or any number of other things where the "you're screwed if you don't do something"-factor is high? This...This is housing.
Can you imagine if there were similar situations for green power generation or any number of other things where the "you're screwed if you don't do something"-factor is high?
This is a policy window of a lifetime. This is what politics is supposed to be about all the time: everyone working together to find solutions to problems as they arise, to plan ahead, to at least do the bare minimum and make things gradually better.
-
Comment on Some CA cities to lose zoning powers in two days in ~design
nacho LinkThis is it. When local politics cannot boil down to Not In My Back Yard, the results are predictable. Laws that require reasonable planning or the local politicians have to accept what others put...It is a perfect example of a substandard zoning code creating housing shortages.
This is it. When local politics cannot boil down to Not In My Back Yard, the results are predictable.
Laws that require reasonable planning or the local politicians have to accept what others put forth is a necessary evil for those local politicians to do their jobs.
If only there could be federal rules the same way to force federal US politics to deal with issues rather than just electioneering.
-
Comment on Norway's sovereign wealth fund reported a record loss of $164 billion for the whole of 2022, citing 'very unusual' market conditions in ~finance
nacho Link ParentThe fund still increased in value in NOK last year due to the crazy oil and gas prices. That's probably the craziest part of it all. There's no wonder the rest of Europe expects solidarity and...The fund still increased in value in NOK last year due to the crazy oil and gas prices.
That's probably the craziest part of it all.
There's no wonder the rest of Europe expects solidarity and contributions when the war profiteering is so large.
-
Comment on Retired NATO general Petr Pavel has been elected as the new president of the Czech Republic, seeing off his populist challenger Andrej Babis in ~news
nacho LinkThe latest polls I heard about had it split pretty evenly around 51/49. The actual result was not even close at over 56 percent. The discrepancy is surprisingly large and that affects how people...The latest polls I heard about had it split pretty evenly around 51/49.
The actual result was not even close at over 56 percent. The discrepancy is surprisingly large and that affects how people vote and how campaigning is done. It'll be interesting to see how experts explain the difference in the next couple of weeks.
-
Comment on Nearly two in five American college graduates regret their majors in ~humanities
nacho Link ParentSociety has a limited amount of resources. I'm not for prioritizing education above all else. I want publicly funded affordable child care, dignified health care and care for those who cannot take...Society has a limited amount of resources.
I'm not for prioritizing education above all else. I want publicly funded affordable child care, dignified health care and care for those who cannot take care of themselves anymore and all sorts of other things that cost a lot of money.
Education is an investment in the development of society like any other public spending. Ignoring that fact would simply be folly. Pumping money into a public postal service is an investment and a priority too: the investment is in a society with access to basic services for all, which naturally should be publicly funded.
It's quite simply irresponsible to leave it up to "the market" to entice students to choose their right subjects of education. The original article this is about precisely outlines why that's a really bad idea: people are choosing the wrong majors for them. At 18 or 20 how in the world could you (with little assistance) be the most qualified to guess at what profession will suit you and you can succeed in?
If say a fifth of youth want to try their hand at becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer, society should not fund classes large enough to take them all at the expense of other programs where society is screaming for qualified people. The market is not the right instrument for allocating degrees or field of study.
-
Comment on Nearly two in five American college graduates regret their majors in ~humanities
nacho Link ParentIf society is set to need a lot of engineers or a lot of doctors, universities need to educate those people. That can't happen in a work place. I agree with most of your opinions regarding general...If society is set to need a lot of engineers or a lot of doctors, universities need to educate those people. That can't happen in a work place.
I agree with most of your opinions regarding general education being there to create good citizens. However, we shouldn't educate 10 times as many Egyptologists or dentists as there's a need for in society. Can't all those students gain the self-realizing experience of upper education through degrees that give valuable specialization needed in the society's job market?
I also want to push back strongly against any view where education programs shouldn't have utilitarian goals, aims and design.
Why can't we have university programs that give the benefits of highly knowledgeable citizens equipped for the 21st century who also leave college fully qualified for running a farm, being a plumber, electrician or other skilled worker of whatever kind?
Many of the things you mention are only relevant for office-style jobs and office-style professions. A society with well-rounded education beyond high school needs to cater not just to those heavily into "booklearning" and theory, but to a much wider segment of the population. That is, if the goal is access to all, not just to one group of the population.
-
Comment on Nearly two in five American college graduates regret their majors in ~humanities
nacho Link ParentThere has to be a limit to where society can pay for my own self-realization. A balance must be struck. To me that balance lies somewhere in the range of tuition-free study through master's...There has to be a limit to where society can pay for my own self-realization. A balance must be struck. To me that balance lies somewhere in the range of tuition-free study through master's degrees.
I'm convinced society should only pay for PhD's and postdoctoral study where there's a need for the research in society for some reason. I'm also convinced society needs to have a plan so people get useful degrees that lead to relevant jobs. Tax payers in some way have to steer investment in education to be useful.
Education needs to lead to society fulfilling its job needs today and tomorrow. The market of individual student's choices of fields will not do so on its own.
You highlight another imperative issue: How to design schooling systems where as many as possible finish school and degrees first. But secondly also to end up with degrees they use and are satisfied with.
I chose a 4 year program for undergrad where I could try a ton of different things my first year before having to specialize and finish in normal time. I met a lot of push-back for not choosing more prestigious programs I was accepted to. The snobbery of the name of the school you go to needs to end. If there's an issue with bad programs existing, those need to be closed instead. A degree needs to be a degree, and you as a package of qualifications as a whole person needs to be determinant for employment and future study.
These are super important issues to solve. The wave of an aging society will hit hard. Things need to change to accommodate that, and also for a green and sustainable future where fewer working people take care of a higher proportion of elderly.
These are generational issues.
I found Rosslyn Castle beautiful and interesting (if you just avoid the Dan Brown Da Vinci Code-nonsense). (I highly, highly recommend living in Landmark Trust historic buildings next time anyone vacations in the UK!)
Just going for a nature walk to see the natural scenery that's inspired golf courses all over the world was very enjoyable. (It's okay to get wet).
There are several Roman history sites and museums that are a lot of fun. An outing to Hadrian's wall near Newcastle could be an outing.
Also just going for a drive to a village of your fancy is fun. Driving on old country roads to see what the UK is like outside of the large cities is a change of pace for sure.
Mat also has a lot of great suggestions. If you don't like touristy stuff, you can definitely do without seeing Edinburgh Castle, The National Museum of Scotland and The Scottish National Gallery. They're okay, but other cities do the same things much better. The English have hoarded most of the best works in London, as one would expect.