nerb's recent activity
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Comment on Worlds hardest jigsaw (all white) vs. puzzle machine in ~comp
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Comment on Does anyone know of alternative Spotify client options to reduce the algorithmic clutter in ~tech
nerb LinkPlex Amp is really quite nice but you mostly still have to have a collection of your ownPlex Amp is really quite nice but you mostly still have to have a collection of your own
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Comment on Suggestions for wholesome alternatives to doomscrolling? in ~life
nerb Link ParentYeah, this is The Way and it has been since RSS came out. Nothing's changed, except for the concerted effort to kill RSS. Curate your blogs and news sources down to just the authors you respect or...Yeah, this is The Way and it has been since RSS came out. Nothing's changed, except for the concerted effort to kill RSS. Curate your blogs and news sources down to just the authors you respect or that put out high quality stuff.
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Comment on Alphabet’s drone delivery service Wing hits 100,000 deliveries milestone in ~tech
nerb Link ParentI'm not worried. Now that it's hit a milestone of some sort Google will get bored and launch a disruptive competing drone delivery program from another division and then in 3 years they'll both...I'm not worried. Now that it's hit a milestone of some sort Google will get bored and launch a disruptive competing drone delivery program from another division and then in 3 years they'll both show up on https://killedbygoogle.com/
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Comment on Donald Rumsfeld, influential but controversial George W Bush defense secretary, dies at 88 in ~news
nerb LinkIt's rude to celebrate a death, best to mourn the life.It's rude to celebrate a death, best to mourn the life.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~misc
nerb (edited )LinkSeems like the author has zoomed out and discovered that the enemy is everywhere (except where Israel just so happens to be bombing and displacing people most actively?) Saying "please disregard...Seems like the author has zoomed out and discovered that the enemy is everywhere (except where Israel just so happens to be bombing and displacing people most actively?)
Saying "please disregard the actual actions you just don't or couldn't understand. There's a big picture here for why I'm doing something terrible" is a very weak argument.
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Comment on Are there any gender-neutral or non-binary honorifics? in ~humanities
nerb Linky'all and buddy kinda work. Mr/Ms when used as form of respect for a person though don't have much of a replacement in English. I think that particular custom may just die out over time, but that...y'all and buddy kinda work. Mr/Ms when used as form of respect for a person though don't have much of a replacement in English. I think that particular custom may just die out over time, but that would probably take generations.
I'd suggest just continuing to use it, but only when addressing older individuals (who expect it). For others, y'all (directed towards an individual and used in the singular) has a bit of formality to it that you could use. This isn't common in the south, but the singular y'all might be an option.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
nerb LinkI'm reading Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. It's told from the perspective of those living through evictions, but the author weaves in how policies and incentives drive the...I'm reading Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. It's told from the perspective of those living through evictions, but the author weaves in how policies and incentives drive the system that we see in America now. A few things I've learned:
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Police departments, when called by those renting, will often demand that landlords resolve nuisances with tenants (even if the tenants were victims). They will fine landlords or require a landlord to file an eviction if a tenant has called the police one too many times.
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Blacklists and tenant screening tools drive homelessness. One eviction can dog a renter for decades and those most in need may have to apply to hundreds of apartments to get an opportunity to rent a unit. The units that they find will be more expensive, less transit/job accessible, and less well maintained, creating a cycle where too much is paid on housing and further evictions.
The book is from 2009, so a lot has changed since then (much for the worst). We're likely to see a dramatic surge in homelessness and foreclosures within the next year or so.
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Comment on Tesla recalls 135,000 cars after pushing back against regulators in ~transport
nerb Link Parentheh, I like that "issues with build quality, software quality, and automated driving" (you know, most of the selling points of the car) aren't considered to be related to the safety of the car...heh, I like that "issues with build quality, software quality, and automated driving" (you know, most of the selling points of the car) aren't considered to be related to the safety of the car itself.
Also, Tesla was caught submitting inaccurate data to the NHTSA and also ended up getting cease-and desist letters from the agency around their use/marketing of NHTSA's initial (wrong) evaluation of that data on the Model 3. I'll back-off a bit though, because folks here are right at least in term of the flippancy of my post.
I overstated the issue a little, but I think your post really highlights what the real issue is: Autopilot.
It's called autopilot. People should be expected to treat it like that. It's a marquee feature of the product. It's part of the entire vision and philosophy of the car. It's also the most dangerous feature and it's contribution to accidents and deaths cannot be overstated enough and most of the safety ratings bodies are only just beginning to factor that into their methodologies for analyzing vehicle safety.
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Comment on What's hard about being a man? in ~talk
nerb (edited )LinkThe reason that men don't have an immediate answer to the question posed in the OP is because there's a hierarchy and power structures purposely make themselves invisible to those in the structure...The reason that men don't have an immediate answer to the question posed in the OP is because there's a hierarchy and power structures purposely make themselves invisible to those in the structure above. It's like a pyramid. The block at the top of the pyramid doesn't feel the weight. It's baked in. Gender is a construct that's used to exercise power, so it's more distinctly felt and internalized by those who are being governed using that idea.
I would say that the "hard thing" in that respect then fall into two categories:
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Having your position threatened (any time someone criticizes a man for not acting manly, it's a threat that the tools used to oppress others could be turned against you too, but they haven't been yet.) Any man who wants to facilitate in changing the power structure will have this threatened against him - often by those who understand and see gender power structures most clearly (often women, surprisingly - but not always.)
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When those who live with gender constantly (non-male) won't move from a gendered perspective. It's "hard" to understand and live in the experiences of non-male individuals and it can be frustrating when things seem very simple from your perspective. IE: "why don't you just talk up more" might be advice you would want to give to someone who's complaining about being ignored at work. They say "no, that won't work." and you're frustrated because you're blind to what they face.
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Comment on Rethinking votes in ~tildes
nerb LinkRight now the sort-algorithm that's used by default on comments is "relevance." I think labels like "best" and "relevance" silently hide systemic sorting and deceptively make users think that...Right now the sort-algorithm that's used by default on comments is "relevance." I think labels like "best" and "relevance" silently hide systemic sorting and deceptively make users think that whatever's at the top is actually what they (personally) want or would choose to be the best or relevant. I would rename "relevance" to a made-up word (call it a tilde or something) rather than one that people already associate with a bunch of other stuff. I also think that "vote" does this same thing.
I would also look into UX changes that make the "mode of conversation/forum" chosen much more prominent. Sorting by order posted/votes/activity already exists - it's just not obvious or built into the default way of approaching these forums. This is how all the forums on the internet work right now. They don't ask you first what type of conversation you're interested in having - they just dump you straight into a mode and try to steer everyone into that mode too.
Here are a couple other modes I was thinking about:
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"Attention" - Give higher rankings to posts where most users are spending their time in a thread. If a browser window sits over a particular posts for a longer time that post "accrues" a higher score than its surrounding posts.
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"Effort" - Sort posts by those that took the longest time for a user to compose
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"User newness" - Posters who are posting for the first time or who have posted rarely have their contributions highlighted (useful as long as user account creation is restricted).
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Primary Content type filter (img, link, video, text)
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"anti-viral"/"help this conversation" - sort by threads that haven't been commented on or engaged in
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Comment on What were the best games you played this year? in ~games
nerb LinkDisco Elysium was a late 2019 release, but I didn't play it until 2020. I haven't played a game with such good story-writing and dialogue for a decade+. Really really incredible game.Disco Elysium was a late 2019 release, but I didn't play it until 2020. I haven't played a game with such good story-writing and dialogue for a decade+. Really really incredible game.
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Comment on What issues or aspects of life are largely one's personal responsibility to deal with? in ~talk
nerb Link ParentI'll also add that even the examples that you laid out are not true for many many people. Many elderly individuals must rely on others to keep themselves hygienic. Personal motivation is deeply...I'll also add that even the examples that you laid out are not true for many many people. Many elderly individuals must rely on others to keep themselves hygienic. Personal motivation is deeply connected to what's happening around you and what needs to be done. Being good at socializing requires someone other than you to help you see yourself and empathize with others.
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Comment on What issues or aspects of life are largely one's personal responsibility to deal with? in ~talk
nerb LinkI think that this is a topic that to do with power. Responsibility is the wrong framework to answer the question. When conservatives speak about personal responsibility, what I hear is an argument...I think that this is a topic that to do with power. Responsibility is the wrong framework to answer the question. When conservatives speak about personal responsibility, what I hear is an argument that says that the locus of power to make changes exists almost entirely within each and every individual. It has a lot of overlaps with christian belief around personal salvation as well as ideologies of supremacy ("how do you resolve a situation where my power to make change clashes with your power to make change? Whoever is most powerful decides.")
I personally think this is a complete fantasy that falls apart into either incoherence or individualism-destroying totalitarianism under the lightest investigation of its boundaries. We are part of a society. It's something bigger than any one individual.
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Comment on The stock market is less disconnected from the “real economy” than you think in ~finance
nerb Link ParentRemember, I said: I would argue that half of the businesses that you listed meet that definition. Either in practice, or in plan. Adobe, Amazon, Facebook, Comcast absolutely meet that definition....Remember, I said:
" In a couple of rare cases it's about building a monopoly where a business can overcharge, under-deliver, and crowd out any competitors, which is also not healthy."
I would argue that half of the businesses that you listed meet that definition. Either in practice, or in plan. Adobe, Amazon, Facebook, Comcast absolutely meet that definition. Tesla stock is priced on the plan of a hypothetical future monopoly, which is why they get away with accounting gimmicks.
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Comment on The stock market is less disconnected from the “real economy” than you think in ~finance
nerb LinkIf you're losing money on each sale then sales growth is the fastest way to bankruptcy. The entire tech industry is built around sales growth. It's very easy to post growth numbers if you buy them...If you're losing money on each sale then sales growth is the fastest way to bankruptcy. The entire tech industry is built around sales growth. It's very easy to post growth numbers if you buy them or sell your product at a loss...the only type of business logic that makes sense with that strategy is if the business exists only to be inflated and sold as quickly as possible. In a couple of rare cases it's about building a monopoly where a business can overcharge, under-deliver, and crowd out any competitors, which is also not healthy.
This is part of what people are complaining about when they talk about the unmooring of the stock market to the "real economy", especially with respect to tech companies.
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Comment on Credit-based communication platforms? in ~tech
nerb LinkOddly enough I still think that the something awful forums had the right idea on this. Rather than putting in any metrics (which get gamified) there's just a low-barrier flat entry fee. If you get...Oddly enough I still think that the something awful forums had the right idea on this. Rather than putting in any metrics (which get gamified) there's just a low-barrier flat entry fee. If you get banned you have to re-pay that fee.
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Comment on President Trump and first lady Melania have tested positive for coronavirus in ~news
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Comment on Trump campaign is reportedly plotting an election coup to “bypass” a Biden win in ~news
nerb LinkHonestly I believe it. The brazenness of the open electioneering happening in the run-up right now is insane. Like...there are open bribes being offered to federal employees and medicare...Honestly I believe it. The brazenness of the open electioneering happening in the run-up right now is insane. Like...there are open bribes being offered to federal employees and medicare recipients. Manipulation within the USPS has been already shown to be a possibility (getting ballots out late or returned late).
Most of the swing states have republican control as well, which opens up a wide swath of opportunity for voting booth fuckery in the key areas that matter most. If it is anything other than a blowout by biden it's going to be contested and they'll get it to the supreme court...where we know the outcome.
All in all this election is already a miserable affair.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes
nerb LinkEven the best gimmick bots get old and the "utility bots" disrupt conversation or junk up comments. A possible feature that could maybe be built could be a "bot pane" that can be...Even the best gimmick bots get old and the "utility bots" disrupt conversation or junk up comments. A possible feature that could maybe be built could be a "bot pane" that can be enabled/configured by a subreddit moderator. It could be a tab or slide-up chat pane on the right where commands for the sub-reddit could be sent.
I kinda want to see a genre of these kinda of videos but where people do learn to do things that a robot would consider to be incredibly hard. (like folding laundry)