nocut12's recent activity
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Comment on Reddit will lock some content behind a paywall this year, CEO says in ~tech
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Comment on Framework (2nd gen) event: 25th February in ~tech
nocut12 Now that Linux on aarch64 is legit usable, I kinda wish there had been an πͺ in there...Now that Linux on aarch64 is legit usable, I kinda wish there had been an πͺ in there...
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Comment on Bluetooth receiver with a sane low-battery warning? in ~tech
nocut12 Huh, I guess the software must be pretty different between their models, that's annoying. I've been happy with mine, but yeah, it is kinda pricey β a BTR5 might be pretty overkill depending on the...Huh, I guess the software must be pretty different between their models, that's annoying.
I've been happy with mine, but yeah, it is kinda pricey β a BTR5 might be pretty overkill depending on the headphones you were gonna use it with...
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Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech
nocut12 That's really slick β the searching and filtering looks awesome and I love the idea of blurring the line between open tabs and bookmarks. Personally, I prefer sticking to open source stuff when I...That's really slick β the searching and filtering looks awesome and I love the idea of blurring the line between open tabs and bookmarks. Personally, I prefer sticking to open source stuff when I can, but this looks really well done.
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Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech
nocut12 I haven't tried it β I guess haven't had enough issues with TST to look for an alternative. Really the only thing that bugs me is that the sidebar isn't open by default when you open a new private...I haven't tried it β I guess haven't had enough issues with TST to look for an alternative. Really the only thing that bugs me is that the sidebar isn't open by default when you open a new private browser window, though I think that's just an issue with how firefox handles sidebars in general.
Looks nice though, might be cool to check out.
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Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech
nocut12 Pretty close to the default settings. I do prefer the "Promote all children to the parent level" option when a tab with children is closed, and I like the option to always add new independent tabs...Pretty close to the default settings. I do prefer the "Promote all children to the parent level" option when a tab with children is closed, and I like the option to always add new independent tabs at the end.
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Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech
nocut12 If an add-on counts, I'd say Tree Style Tabs for Firefox. The nesting makes it way more useful than other vertical tab things and has totally changed the way I organize my web browsing, especially...If an add-on counts, I'd say Tree Style Tabs for Firefox. The nesting makes it way more useful than other vertical tab things and has totally changed the way I organize my web browsing, especially for more researchy/reference-y things.
Since this thing has made my browsing so much better and I have a browser open basically 100% of the time, I don't think it's a stretch to say that add-on changed my computing life more than anything else.
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Comment on Bluetooth receiver with a sane low-battery warning? in ~tech
nocut12 I use a Fiio BTR5, which seems pretty close to what you want. There's a noise that plays once when the battery is low (I think at like 15%? not really sure...) with no other alerts until the...I use a Fiio BTR5, which seems pretty close to what you want. There's a noise that plays once when the battery is low (I think at like 15%? not really sure...) with no other alerts until the battery dies. IIRC the volume of the alerts is kinda loud if it's connected with the SBC codec, but I use LDAC or APT-X pretty much exclusively and it's fine on those.
The amp in it is surprisingly nice too and it can drive beefier headphones than you might expect.
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Comment on Bluesky advertises itself as an open network, they say people won't lose followers or their identity, they advertise themselves as a protocol ("atproto"). These three claims are false. in ~tech
nocut12 You can write other "app views" in ATProto, and some exist (here's one: https://frontpage.fyi/). I think that's really the key difference in design here: you could think of Mastodon as a network...You can write other "app views" in ATProto, and some exist (here's one: https://frontpage.fyi/). I think that's really the key difference in design here: you could think of Mastodon as a network of peers exchanging messages, while you could think of Bluesky/ATProto as an architecture for building social networks in public with composable/replaceable parts.
As for the blockchain mention, I was specifically talking about identity. As far as I know, Mastodon identities and content are tied to the instance, and account redirects and moves are effectively relying on whoever operates that instance to cooperate. Account migration seems like the big sticking point for both ActivityPub and ATProto β ActivityPub seems to basically not have a solution for the data part, and ATProto's is hamstrung by the DID thing...
They both have kind of the same goal (be a better, more open twitter). IMO, they're both close to that goal, but both have roadblocks stemming from their respective designs.
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Comment on Bluesky advertises itself as an open network, they say people won't lose followers or their identity, they advertise themselves as a protocol ("atproto"). These three claims are false. in ~tech
nocut12 I agree that calling Bluesky "decentralized" is be a bit much β and I don't think it's great to pitch it that way β but I think there's some good stuff about it in important places. It isn't...I agree that calling Bluesky "decentralized" is be a bit much β and I don't think it's great to pitch it that way β but I think there's some good stuff about it in important places. It isn't really decentralized, but there are some pretty good off ramps built into it. Another company, motivated group of users, or even publicly funded service provider could step in and provide a replacement. You probably couldn't do it yourself though.
The PDS idea and supporting domains as user IDs helps make it easier to take your content elsewhere while keeping your identity consistent. The feed generator and content labeler ideas make it pretty doable to replace important chunks of the functionality, which helps with the "CEO goes crazy" situation Twitter had. I think those are both real benefits over the usual approach to building this kind of thing. The DID issue is real though, and I hope they can improve things there. It honestly seems hard to come up with an actually decentralized solution that doesn't involve some blockchain stuff, which I suspect the userbase would find distasteful. Even with the DID caveats, I think this kind architecture is pretty good step forward β sure, it's not really decentralized, but you aren't so locked in.
I think this kind of semi-centralized approach has come out on top in other areas too. Truly decentralized file sharing schemes exist (GNUtella, DHT peer exchange stuff, etc), but regular BitTorrent uses centralized trackers. Even though trackers are a little more fragile, they're a lot more convenient, and it's not like the actual data is lost when they go down. Guess which scheme people use more?
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Comment on With Core One, Prusa's open source hardware dream quietly dies in ~tech
nocut12 I agree that it doesn't mean this is suddenly an evil company or something, but "being open source" is a feature and changing that is eroding one of their big differentiators. It's not making the...I agree that it doesn't mean this is suddenly an evil company or something, but "being open source" is a feature and changing that is eroding one of their big differentiators. It's not making the product better for the people buying it β it's not really better for anyone but the company. The sky isn't falling, but I don't think this is the right direction to be moving.
I work at a company that has been making dubious changes to our (formerly) open source offerings, and let me tell you, it doesn't feel great. It's hard for me to imagine this kind of decision coming from a company with a healthy decision making process and a pro-customer point of view.
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Comment on Seeking an Android podcast app without subscription. Impossible? in ~tech
nocut12 I think it's automatic, but you only get the web/desktop client if you bought specifically the web app back when they were selling it. You don't get that if you just bought one of the phone apps....I think it's automatic, but you only get the web/desktop client if you bought specifically the web app back when they were selling it. You don't get that if you just bought one of the phone apps.
https://support.pocketcasts.com/knowledge-base/lifetime-access-to-pocket-casts-plus/ -
Comment on The Brutalist | Official trailer in ~movies
nocut12 There's also a 70mm screening in Boston soon. https://iffboston.org/screening/the-brutalistThere's also a 70mm screening in Boston soon.
https://iffboston.org/screening/the-brutalist -
Comment on Box office: βMegalopolisβ bombs with D+ CinemaScore, βWild Robotβ soars to no. 1 in ~movies
nocut12 I think the people seeing Megalopolis opening day is a pretty different group that than ones seeing Spiderman opening day. And besides, Cinemascore does market research β it's not really intended...I think the people seeing Megalopolis opening day is a pretty different group that than ones seeing Spiderman opening day. And besides, Cinemascore does market research β it's not really intended to be a "how good was this movie" thing, it's more of "how good was your product/market fit and release strategy" thing. It's pretty common for poorly reviewed movies to have a great Cinemascore ratings (notably faith-based movies regularly get A+ ratings but poor reviews from critics).
I think that's also why the opening weekend thing makes sense for them β after a week or two, the distributer already knows (more or less) how the movie is going to do. But good info on the opening weekend could give them useful information about if/how/where to expand, how to play things in the marketing campaign, etc. while there's still time to adjust things.
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Comment on You're a cyclist who was just struck by a car driver. Here's why it was your fault. in ~transport
nocut12 A variation on the "going through lights" thing (treating red lights as stop signs and stop signs as yields) is explicitly allowed in some places and has been associated with less accidents (sort...A variation on the "going through lights" thing (treating red lights as stop signs and stop signs as yields) is explicitly allowed in some places and has been associated with less accidents (sort of controversially). It's called an "Idaho stop".
I don't think it's ridiculous. Getting going on a bike takes more effort than a car, and the slight delay at stop signs can end up really pissing off drivers. An angry driver trying to overtake when they shouldn't could be more dangerous than bending the rules at some intersections. Especially because you generally have better awareness of traffic on a bike than in a car. Definitely depends a ton on the intersection and situation though.
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Comment on History book recommendations in ~books
nocut12 Does anyone have any recommendations for overview-ish books about non-European/non-American history? I read 1491 and liked it, but I'd be okay with something a more academic if it's relatively...Does anyone have any recommendations for overview-ish books about non-European/non-American history?
I read 1491 and liked it, but I'd be okay with something a more academic if it's relatively accessible. I'd love to read more about pre-Columbian America, but might want something with a bit narrower of a focus β maybe just about one culture or time period or something. I'd also be especially interested in recommendations for books about Imperial China or Polynesia if anyone knows anything good like that. Or anything really...
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Comment on BenQ W1110 3D DLP in ~tech
nocut12 I have the same projector. It's not super quiet, but it's not too bad β the fan noise isn't a problem for me, but the color wheel on mine can be a little noisy. It's noticeably louder when running...I have the same projector. It's not super quiet, but it's not too bad β the fan noise isn't a problem for me, but the color wheel on mine can be a little noisy. It's noticeably louder when running at 24hz because it spins the color wheel faster to reduce the rainbow effect you get from DLP projectors. If those artifacts don't bother you, you could set your Blu-ray player to only output at 60hz to make it a bit quieter. I personally prefer to run it at 24hz β the noise gets drowned out pretty easily and it looks significantly better in some scenes. If noise is a big concern for you, you could look at LCD based projectors, but at that price range I think you'd get worse contrast, so it's a bit of a tradeoff.
There are cheaper 3rd party bulbs available online. I bought my projector used, and I'm pretty sure the guy who had it before me used one of those bootleg bulbs. People say the 3rd party ones look worse, but honestly it looks fine to me so I just left it. Maybe the quality of those varies though, so it might be a bit of a roll of the dice.
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Comment on "No CGI" is really just invisible CGI in ~movies
nocut12 Something I've noticed recently is that in a lot of shots where I think CG "looks bad," I'm really reacting to the camerawork. I think we've all built up a pretty solid subconscious sense of what...Something I've noticed recently is that in a lot of shots where I think CG "looks bad," I'm really reacting to the camerawork. I think we've all built up a pretty solid subconscious sense of what kinds of camera movements and positions are physically possible for a real camera, and shots that violate those feel a lot less real.
Not that a whooshing CG "camera" is always bad, but I think you tend to notice...
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Comment on Tiny undervalued hardware companions in ~tech
nocut12 They're super convenient, and I use stuff like them for a few devices, but some of the USB-C things they're suggesting are explicitly disallowed by the spec β any adapter with a USB-C receptacle...They're super convenient, and I use stuff like them for a few devices, but some of the USB-C things they're suggesting are explicitly disallowed by the spec β any adapter with a USB-C receptacle isn't compliant (page 32 of this PDF). Realistically, they should be fine on A-to-C cables, and there's a decent chance you wouldn't be able to use them on a C-to-C cable anyway because random aliexpress manufactures forget the pulldown resistors all the time...
Not that the non-compliant adapters don't have their uses, you should just know what you're getting into a little I guess.
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Comment on Disney Movie Club closing after twenty-three years in ~movies
nocut12 I don't think movies on discs are going to go away completely or anything β physical collections are always going to be important to people who are seriously into movies. There's the permanence...I don't think movies on discs are going to go away completely or anything β physical collections are always going to be important to people who are seriously into movies. There's the permanence aspect you mentioned, but I think another big element is social signalling; a shelf full of blu-rays is a lot more useful for telling people about yourself than your netflix queue.
I'm pretty convinced UHD Blu-ray is going to be the last ever format for home video though. As the market dwindles to enthusiasts only, all the work to put together a new standard just doesn't seem worth it. It's a bit of a bummer that we'll probably never be able to play 4K 3D or 3D HFR movies at home, but it could be a lot worse.
I sort of suspect this is less of a "parts of Reddit that are free now will become paid" and more of a competitor to the "join my Patreon to get access to my Discord" type of thing.
Probably less bad for users, but I'm not sure I think that fits the relatively impersonal model of Reddit-like sites. On a Discord server I find myself recognizing usernames pretty fast. On a site like Reddit (or this one) I never really notice usernames and think more about "posts" and "comments" than people. Feels like a weird fit for that monetization model to me...