norb's recent activity
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Comment on The US Democrats need to start acting like an opposition party in ~society
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Comment on Is Donald Trump playing for keeps? Can his US coalition between labor and capital last? in ~society
norb LinkNot a lot of substance to this article, but this line did jump out at me: This sums up the conservative position quite clearly vis a vis governing vs ruling. They do not want to govern (which, in...Not a lot of substance to this article, but this line did jump out at me:
Compromise is not a good per se, but, if you want to win, you sometimes have to stoop to it.
This sums up the conservative position quite clearly vis a vis governing vs ruling. They do not want to govern (which, in my opinion, should push for compromise as much as possible) but would rather dictate from on high their preferred social and economic positions. They prefer kings to democracy, and they tell us that every chance they get.
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Comment on Elon Musk’s attack on F-35s fuels debate over expensive fighter jets in ~society
norb Link ParentThis page has an extensive explanation of the parallels DOGE might have to previous groups like it. It also goes into funding, what other structures it might take, how group members might be...This page has an extensive explanation of the parallels DOGE might have to previous groups like it. It also goes into funding, what other structures it might take, how group members might be vetted, and what DOGE will be looking into.
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Comment on Russian jokes about Vladimir Putin and the war in ~society
norb Link ParentI liked the one in the commentsI liked the one in the comments
A man is waiting in a bread line and, after hours of waiting, gets to the front, only to discover they’re all out. Frustrated, he loudly curses the government. A retired KGB officer hears him and says, “In my day, if you had said that, we’d have you shot!”
The man goes home, and when his wife sees that he’s empty handed, she asks, “Did they run out of bread?”
The man shakes his head and says, “It’s worse than that. They’ve run out of bullets.”
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Comment on Top US senator calls Salt Typhoon ‘worst telecom hack in our nation’s history’ in ~tech
norb LinkAbusing an intentional "backdoor" setup for law enforcement is not really "hacking." I tend to have an issue with the way the media describes these types of incidents. I get that I am in a...Abusing an intentional "backdoor" setup for law enforcement is not really "hacking." I tend to have an issue with the way the media describes these types of incidents. I get that I am in a minority in that I understand these technical concepts and issues better than most but at the same time by reusing terminology across multiple outcomes ("hacking" in and of itself is not good or bad - it can be used for both) muddies the water and makes it harder for regular people to understand the issues at large.
For example, the phrasing in this particular instance shifts the blame from choices we make as a society (providing backdoors for the "good guys") to an external entity (Chinese "hackers") and makes normal people think that this took some herculean effort when in reality they just stole some credentials to a system to request this type of access, then abused it for their own purposes. The discussion we should be having is if providing this level of access at all is a good thing or not. Instead it'll get spun into a diplomatic issue between the Chinese and the US without any of the underlying discussions about why this could happen in the first place.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
norb Link ParentBasically the outcome of this election. We might have already killed it. Only time will tell, now. As to your other point about defeatism, I think a lot of people are still in...Democracy dies when participants check out.
Basically the outcome of this election. We might have already killed it. Only time will tell, now.
As to your other point about defeatism, I think a lot of people are still in shock/mourning/distress based on this outcome. People need varying amounts of time to process and move forward. I think attitudes will change over time. For every defeatist post you see, there's possibly 1 or more people that have been spurred into action as the result as well.
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Comment on The English Paradox: Four decades of life and language in Japan in ~humanities.languages
norb Link ParentMy university education required a year (3 courses) of foreign language as a GEC (general education credit).My university education required a year (3 courses) of foreign language as a GEC (general education credit).
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Comment on Routine dental X-rays are not backed by evidence—experts want it to stop in ~health
norb (edited )Link ParentFirst off let me preface all of what I'm about to say that these are just my observations. I do not work in dentistry (have worked in optometry before and it's a similar situation to dentistry)...First off let me preface all of what I'm about to say that these are just my observations. I do not work in dentistry (have worked in optometry before and it's a similar situation to dentistry) and only have my own personal knowledge of insurance and laws, etc.
That said, I would agree with you, but the nature of our (USA) current healthcare system puts this much power in the hands of private insurance companies.
Dentistry as a medical practice is itself in a weird place (see this NBC News article for a bit of background) - probably due to lobbying by the dental and insurance industries in addition to any historical holdovers from where the practice of dentistry comes from.
I am not trying to denigrate dentists or say they are incompetent or have anything but the best in mind for their patients - however they operate in a system that gives them somewhat contradictory goals - make money AND provide a robust medical service. I think if you look at the way dentist's offices are setup (think basically they are all individual small businesses vs. a large hospital system or medical practice conglomerate) and they are working more in the margins where profit becomes more important. I also think this shows why you can find dentists that do what I call "ancillary" medical things like Botox and non-medically necessary cosmetics (veneers - and probably to a lesser extent braces and invisalign). This is to help keep their practices (i.e. their business) afloat and profitable. Dental school is not cheap, and neither are the required medical devices, training, insurance, staff, etc.
I tend to take a bit of a realist view of these things, and for now that means to adjust how some medical businesses are run (or in other words, to insure that we as patients get the best care) you have to adjust the flow of the money. Some people would call it a cynical view, I'm sure, but I think it is the most realistic today. If we "took the money out of" medical care, then I think the entire ecosystem would look much different and probably be better overall for us as patients. But that's not the society we have today, unfortunately.
But at the end of the day do I want a for profit insurance company throwing it's weight around to change the way medicine is practiced? Absolutely not! That should be up to medical professionals and their professional organizations, not bean counters.
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Comment on Routine dental X-rays are not backed by evidence—experts want it to stop in ~health
norb LinkDentists won't change their tune until insurance companies stop paying out for non-medically necessary x-rays.Dentists won't change their tune until insurance companies stop paying out for non-medically necessary x-rays.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - Small Gods by Terry Pratchett in ~books
norb Link ParentI had this same option paralysis myself and just decide to read them in published order. I figured if I wanted to I could go down any of the “paths” of connected books but never did. I read back...I had this same option paralysis myself and just decide to read them in published order.
I figured if I wanted to I could go down any of the “paths” of connected books but never did.
I read back to back up to Hogfather and took break. I will def pick them back up soon though.
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Comment on Looking for some Switch recommendations in ~games
norb Link ParentCame here to recommend Balatro and Slay the Spire! Both "indie" games that people usually associate with PCs/Steam but run great on Switch.Came here to recommend Balatro and Slay the Spire! Both "indie" games that people usually associate with PCs/Steam but run great on Switch.
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Comment on Is Google training AI on YouTube videos? in ~tech
norb LinkI have not watched the video yet, however I think it is fairly safe to say that "Yes, [AI Company X] is training AI on [any or all publicly accessible information]."I have not watched the video yet, however I think it is fairly safe to say that "Yes, [AI Company X] is training AI on [any or all publicly accessible information]."
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Comment on Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France in ~tech
norb Link ParentOn that front, a hacker group claims there is an undocumented API that allows for any and all chats to be exfiltrated if there’s a bot in the channel. They claim this is explicitly for the FSB....I wouldn't be surprised if Telegram is fully compromised by the Kremlin.
On that front, a hacker group claims there is an undocumented API that allows for any and all chats to be exfiltrated if there’s a bot in the channel.
They claim this is explicitly for the FSB.
It’s an interesting series of events to be sure.
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Comment on The golden age of US reality TV might be changing, possibly declining in ~tv
norb Link ParentAlone is by far my favorite reality TV show. At it's heart, it is a competition for who can stay out in the wilderness by themselves for the longest, but the participants don't actually interact...The thing is, I wouldn't mind most reality TV if it wasn't about interpersonal drama
Alone is by far my favorite reality TV show. At it's heart, it is a competition for who can stay out in the wilderness by themselves for the longest, but the participants don't actually interact with each other. They just film themselves while they find food, build shelter, and just try to live alone as long as possible.
It's fascinating to watch people and how they deal with the mental strain. Many of the contestants are pretty open about the toll the entire thing takes on them. I find it quite refreshing from a lot of other, more contrived, reality competitions.
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Comment on Recreational marijuana sales in Ohio can start Tuesday at nearly 100 locations in ~society
norb Link ParentIt was passed by people getting signatures and a popular vote after a previous amendment failed due to it putting a monopoly on growers in to the state constitution. This one is a standard law...It was passed by people getting signatures and a popular vote after a previous amendment failed due to it putting a monopoly on growers in to the state constitution.
This one is a standard law which let the state congress bloviate and the typical nuts to try to change it before it went into law (which hasn’t happened so far).
There was A TON of messaging against it but it still passed by 60+%.
My point is that I don’t think the pharmaceutical industry had much say one way or another.
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Comment on Airlines are running out of flight numbers, and they don’t know what to do about it in ~transport
norb Link"They don't know what to do about it" seems patently false based on the article. They already know what to do, and based on a quote there are already doing it (reusing flight numbers for return..."They don't know what to do about it" seems patently false based on the article. They already know what to do, and based on a quote there are already doing it (reusing flight numbers for return flights, for example).
On top of that, the CEO states clearly that this is only a problem for about 3 of the largest carriers. Future expansion will require them to come up with other solutions, which is also stated in the article.
I found this fascinating as numbering for flights isn't something I've personally thought much about, but this is not some kind of dire scenario where flights are about to be grounded worldwide or something.
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Comment on US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals further narrows Voting Rights Act’s scope in ~society
norb Link ParentJokes on us. Ohio legislature just ignored the court’s ruling until the clock ran out and used the illegal maps anyways. Ohio has a citizen led anti-gerrymandering issue on the upcoming ballot....Jokes on us. Ohio legislature just ignored the court’s ruling until the clock ran out and used the illegal maps anyways.
Ohio has a citizen led anti-gerrymandering issue on the upcoming ballot. Also surprise surprise this will be the second time an anti-gerrymandering bill like this has been voted on (first one passed and I expect this one will too)!
In addition to that, the governor has recently said that he will put something in front of the legislature to pass a system like Iowa has that puts map drawing in the legislature’s hands instead - since they are “beholden to the people”. Absolute joke since the GOP has a supermajority in the state that is mathematically impossible given voting data (meaning GOP holds more seats in state government than they should if all seats were given by proportion of vote for D or R).
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Comment on Friend: a new digital companion for the AI age in ~tech
norb Link ParentOh I think you will love/be heartbroken by this story then!Oh I think you will love/be heartbroken by this story then!
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Comment on Friend: a new digital companion for the AI age in ~tech
norb Link ParentI'd never heard of Chobits, but your comment reminded me of the short story "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang. In this story, people get virtual pets that they raise. The pets have...I'd never heard of Chobits, but your comment reminded me of the short story "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang.
In this story, people get virtual pets that they raise. The pets have intelligence and begin to grow smarter over time. The story covers a number of years and examines what happens when the service your pet lives on goes away, and the fad begins to fade and people abandon their pets.
It's in the collection Exhalation: Stories (which might be one of my favorite short story collections ever - some really, really good ones in there)
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Comment on Southwest Airlines says 'assigned and premium seating' will replace open seating plan in ~transport
norb LinkAll I can see coming from this is increased prices across the board and less legroom overall due to the "premium seating options." It's not like they make planes magically bigger to give more...All I can see coming from this is increased prices across the board and less legroom overall due to the "premium seating options." It's not like they make planes magically bigger to give more legroom up front...
BINGO! It's all billionaires on the back end.