pallas's recent activity
-
Comment on The Just World Cultural License—a copyleft license to make the world a better place in ~creative
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas Link ParentI'm not really sure. A fund itself becoming insolvent is bad, and is something that wouldn't be covered by any insurance, including SIPC. But I'm not sure the extent to which funds created by a...I'm not really sure. A fund itself becoming insolvent is bad, and is something that wouldn't be covered by any insurance, including SIPC. But I'm not sure the extent to which funds created by a larger company are affected by the larger company's insolvency: I think that there is a separation of assets or potentially legal entities involved such that the fund's assets would not be part of the insolvency.
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas Link ParentThat doesn't appear to be the case. The legal claim to pass through the FDIC insurance was valid. See here, or here, for example. The coverage would have covered the bank (Evolve) becoming...the legal basis of their claim to pass through the FDIC insurance from the partner banks was invalid.
That doesn't appear to be the case. The legal claim to pass through the FDIC insurance was valid. See here, or here, for example.
The coverage would have covered the bank (Evolve) becoming insolvent, and would have done so using Synapse's records of the balances for each customer (since the accounts were pooled). In principle, Synapse becoming insolvent would have no effect on customer assets, and would not need insurance, because Synapse would be depositing the entirety of customer deposits into Evolve, and those assets would not be Synapse's or vulnerable in insolvency. But what was not covered was the case where Synapse didn't actually deposit the entire amount into their account at Evolve, and didn't keep good enough records of what amount actually belonged to each customer in the pooled account.
I came into this thinking that it was a set of completely sketchy companies making fraudulent or at least very misleading claims about FDIC coverage, with the FDIC having no involvement. Instead, it appears that while the FDIC may be legally correct here, it may be the FDIC that allowed their insurance to be both handled and advertised by intermediaries in unsafe and misleading ways.
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas (edited )Link ParentYotta might not have directly, but it appears that Synapse was pooling money into a (potentially single) FBO / for-the-benefit-of account with Evolve. This post seems to suggest that, as does this...Yotta might not have directly, but it appears that Synapse was pooling money into a (potentially single) FBO / for-the-benefit-of account with Evolve. This post seems to suggest that, as does this one. Thus Evolve, at least, did not have accounting of what money was in the account of which end-user: Synapse was supposed to keep track of that, and that seems to be a major part of the problem.
Edit: Hmmm... after looking at this a bit more, I'm not entirely convinced that this situation is as it seems, and that the FDIC has no involvement or responsibility at all. It appears that the FDIC has a pass-through system such that it does cover deposits of customers of non-banks that the non-banks put in FDIC-insured FBO accounts at banks, and that coverage is per-customer, even when the accounts pool customer assets (see here and here). That coverage would be based on which assets in the covered account belonged to which individual customers, according to the records of the fintech/non-bank. This would mean that both Synapse and its clients like Yotta were not lying, or even being misleading, when they said the accounts were FDIC insured.
The problem here is that because Synapse's records didn't make sense and didn't have the same total as the amount in the FBO account, that's a specific failure mode that isn't covered by the FDIC, even though the FDIC did nominally cover those accounts, using Synapse's records, not Evolve's. It appears that the FDIC recognizes this is a problem, and is making rules changes to ensure banks have direct access to non-bank records of individual customers.
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas Link ParentIt's worth noting that FDIC insurance is actual insurance, not a government-funded coverage program. Member banks pay insurance premiums. Synapse was not a member, and it appears that they didn't...For FDIC to say it's not their problem seems crazy to me.
It's worth noting that FDIC insurance is actual insurance, not a government-funded coverage program. Member banks pay insurance premiums. Synapse was not a member, and it appears that they didn't actually put all their customer deposits into the bank accounts they were supposed to put them in (where they would have been FDIC-covered). So the FDIC has a reasonable argument that they shouldn't be expected to cover the failure of a non-bank that wasn't paying premiums.
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas Link ParentIt appears that, as often happens with these non-banks, what they were saying was perhaps technically true, but extremely misleading. There was FDIC insurance involved: for Synapse's accounts at...But it sounds like it was actually being applied fraudulently, here.
It appears that, as often happens with these non-banks, what they were saying was perhaps technically true, but extremely misleading.
There was FDIC insurance involved: for Synapse's accounts at Evolve Bank and Trust, an actual bank. Synapse operated by having their own accounts at a real bank, pooling customer assets in them, and (supposedly) keeping track of how much was associated with each customer. If Evolve Bank and Trust had failed, there would have been FDIC coverage (though it's not clear to me whether the $250k limit there would have been per Synapse customer, or for the entirety of Synapse). But Evolve didn't fail: instead, the actual balance Synapse put in their own accounts was less than the amount of customer deposits they were supposed to put in those accounts, for whatever reason.
If someone tells you, "Give me $1,000, I'll put it in my account, and it will be FDIC-insured when in my account", the FDIC insurance part is not technically a lie. In this case, it was the "I'll put it in my account" that was a lie.
-
Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
pallas Link ParentBrokerage/retirement accounts are somewhat different than bank accounts in terms of safety, and coverage is somewhat less important so long as the firm is legitimate. For a bank account, you give...- Exemplary
Brokerage/retirement accounts are somewhat different than bank accounts in terms of safety, and coverage is somewhat less important so long as the firm is legitimate.
For a bank account, you give your assets to the bank, and they use them for lending/etc, keeping some amount in reserve. A legitimate bank, which hasn't broken any laws, can end up no longer having enough assets to cover customer accounts, which is why FDIC insurance is important. If the bank becomes insolvent in a normal way, customer assets can be lost. But this is why you can get interest. The money is, in some sense, not yours.
For a brokerage account, the broker holds the assets for you; while there are some complexities, like lending shares to short sellers, the broker largely can't use your assets for their own benefit, and FINRA requires that customer assets and broker assets be kept separate, rather than commingled. If a broker becomes insolvent, that should have no effect on the customer assets. Those should all be there: they are still 'yours'. Usually, the resolution, from a customer side, is that the account assets are just transferred to another broker, potentially with the SIPC coordinating that. This is why you don't get interest on cash balances in a brokerage account, unless you have a sweep feature that moves that cash into an interest-bearing product, in which case that product may be insured (and may actually be FDIC-insured). If you have cash in a brokerage account, the broker actually needs to have that cash, and have that cash separate from their own assets.
The actual SIPC insurance becomes important when the broker has broken laws, and hasn't kept client assets separate. This was the case for, eg, Madoff, where he wasn't actually purchasing the securities he said he was purchasing for his clients, and wasn't keeping assets separate (because he was running a Ponzi scheme).
So the difference here is that, if you have an account with a reputable bank, you can still lose assets if the bank fails even through no fault of its own, and FDIC insurance is important in that case, whereas if you have an account with a reputable broker, you shouldn't need to rely on SIPC insurance unless the broker turns out to have been criminally disreputable.
-
Comment on Google's new app will help warn you about nude images in Messages in ~tech
pallas Link ParentWhat was perhaps more horrifying about that article than just the criminal investigation was Google seemed to suggest that its view was above that of law enforcement. The police investigated,...What was perhaps more horrifying about that article than just the criminal investigation was Google seemed to suggest that its view was above that of law enforcement. The police investigated, determined the situations were not crimes (and thus presumably not CSAM), and closed the investigations. Yet, when presented with the cases, by the NY Times, and asked for comments, Google not only didn't back down, or, as might be expected, say they couldn't comment on the cases: their spokesperson disagreed, gave private details of the users' content suggesting they thought the images were CSAM and were not as described, and said Google stood by their decisions to permanently ban the users and deny access to any of their content. That the police disagreed did not matter. That the NY Times was writing an article with details about the cases did not matter. Google's scanning, in Google's view, was right.
-
Comment on What To Use Instead of PGP in ~comp
pallas (edited )Link ParentSigstore, as used by PyPI and PEP 470, which is what the author gives as an example, is even worse. It's not just that your web of trust must include big corporations. In order to use it, you must...I don't know the exact details of sigstore, but the initial pitch sounds a lot like 'Let's Encrypt certs, but different for the sake of being different.'
Sigstore, as used by PyPI and PEP 470, which is what the author gives as an example, is even worse. It's not just that your web of trust must include big corporations. In order to use it, you must delegate package uploads and your binary package build process to one of four, for-profit companies: Microsoft, Google, ActiveState, or GitLab. Proponents will argue that, in principle, other organizations could be added, and these are only the initial ones, but in practice, that often amounts to nothing.
It's a bit odd to see someone start out their post with vaguely anti-capitalist, or at least anti-corporate, comments, and then proceed to promote a process that moves control of signed packaging entirely into the control of a handful of companies.
Meanwhile, Signal, while I use it extensively, would seem quite limited for security reports. It's essentially a phone instant messenger. It doesn't have any of the features that might be needed for something beyond a small personal project with one maintainer.
-
Comment on How do I know if a USB-C PCIe card supports 4k video output? in ~tech
pallas Link ParentTo put it another way: DisplayPort alternate mode literally sends DisplayPort signals through some pins on a Type C cable, instead of normal USB signals. So you need that DisplayPort signal to get...To put it another way: DisplayPort alternate mode literally sends DisplayPort signals through some pins on a Type C cable, instead of normal USB signals. So you need that DisplayPort signal to get to the port somehow.
I've more commonly seen Type C ports on GPUs themselves.
-
Comment on Wikipedia article blocked worldwide by Delhi high court in ~tech
pallas LinkTo give some more context: Jimbo Wales made a comment explaining some of the WMF's reasoning here. It appears the decision here was to remove the page temporarily in order to comply with the legal...To give some more context: Jimbo Wales made a comment explaining some of the WMF's reasoning here. It appears the decision here was to remove the page temporarily in order to comply with the legal process and ensure Wikipedia continued to have a chance of winning a case they see as winnable, rather than losing on a technicality.
-
Comment on Did you live in a city then move out? How was it? Did it change your energy towards the day-to-day? in ~life
pallas (edited )LinkI would suggest that, while there are some practical differences that create some tendencies in various directions, experiences are likely far more influenced by the specifics of the places...I would suggest that, while there are some practical differences that create some tendencies in various directions, experiences are likely far more influenced by the specifics of the places involved and your preferences and personality, rather than a general urban/rural divide. I also think on Tildes you'll often find people with particular preferences toward particular urban and town environments, which might not be the same preferences as yours.
Driving is not necessarily a burden or an impediment to spontaneity, depending on the area. It can also have the advantage of letting you choose when to be around or not be around people, both those who are your friends and those who are not, and which people to be around. Or it can, depending on the area, be completely isolating and burdensome. A heavily walkable area, meanwhile, can actually be surprisingly unpleasant and isolating if you don't enjoy the people there, or even if a relatively small number are hostile. If you do enjoy the people, it can be wonderful.
I'd also largely disagree with people saying that rural areas are generally not cheaper than urban areas: I think this is heavily dependent on the areas being compared. I think, too, that there can be a tendency, for people who moved to the countryside, to think about what prices had been when they were in a city, when prices have increased everywhere.
-
Comment on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ to lose $150 million to $200 million in theatrical run after bombing at box office in ~movies
pallas (edited )Link ParentI'm not a fan of the entire genre, and so am perhaps not the best person to comment, but reading the Wikipedia summary of critical reviews, the suggestion seems to be that rather than making fans...I'm not a fan of the entire genre, and so am perhaps not the best person to comment, but reading the Wikipedia summary of critical reviews, the suggestion seems to be that rather than making fans of the first movie feel insulted because it was written with a different audience in mind, the film feels written specifically to resonate with those fans by criticizing them and their perspectives (justifiably!) and making them uncomfortable. Thus, people who hated the first movie might be more likely to simply find the second movie uninteresting.
If the goal of the films was to do something like Lolita, presenting the perspective of a monster who is still clearly a monster, then I feel like the first film needed to do a better job making a character who wasn't just consistently off-putting to a wide audience, while also consistently having points where even specific narrower audiences would find the character horrible and be made uncomfortable by any sympathy they had. Doing the latter in a second film, years later, after that narrower audience celebrated the first, seems ineffective.
Or perhaps, with the way our connected society enables the formation of niche subcultural groups with closely shared and extreme views, such a work is now simply bound to find people who simply celebrate the monster, and then have them become ardent and vocal enough fans that they define the work's wider reception.
-
Comment on Advice for dealing with racist/pro-Donald Trump family? in ~health.mental
pallas Link ParentI realize that I am often not the majority view here, and that I certainly often feel unwelcome, but on this I would like to comment: there seems to be a tendency in online communities, especially...- Exemplary
I've noticed there's (mostly) a combination of takes suggesting to 1) just not talk about politics or 2) lean towards cutting off contact.
I realize that I am often not the majority view here, and that I certainly often feel unwelcome, but on this I would like to comment: there seems to be a tendency in online communities, especially those like reddit and tildes, to argue for abandoning relationships and cutting off contact when those relationships aren't built around an idealistic and unrealistic perfect concordance of views and behavior, or approaching the handling of relationships by presenting absolute, non-negotiable demands. The vast online population, and potential for filtering of views that allows for niche spaces of extreme agreement, perhaps creates a skewed sense of what local and family relationships should be like. There is an online admiration of isolationism and hostility that is dismaying: as you note, it seems like something that makes problems worse and at a societal level leads toward increasing strife; I'd add that it tends toward the encouragement of some form of online dependency.
Personally, in relating to people whom I think are good in some deeper sense, but also have views I find horrible, especially around Trumpism, when they want to discuss those topics, I try to seek out and focus conversation onto the points where we can find common ground and interest. It is in those spaces where we can relate amicably, and in those spaces where I can hope to have some influence on their views of the world. They are usually not impossible to find. Even if Trump himself is largely politically incoherent, for example, Trumpism is built on some real problems and discontent, with absurd and hateful answers and explanations for them. Focusing on those problems can be an area of agreement, and an opportunity to discuss different ideas around them. Within Christianity, the kindness, the charity, the forgiveness and understanding, the acceptance of imperfection, can be potential points of agreement, veering away from narrow specific quotations for particular hostile views. With your brother, what is behind those views on women, or a racial other? What is it he fears about them? Is it some sense of precarity or vulnerability that he feels? Are there ways to relate through those?
I am reminded in these matters of my mother's childhood friend, whose father was a conservative, fire-and-brimstone Baptist minister. Two of his children were gay, something he just couldn't see or relate to. He was at first oblivious in his patriarchal domination, then, when they were older and out, was for years horrified and angry about their sinfulness. But I never knew him that way: by the time I was a child, I saw only the thoughtful, kind, elderly theologian who was an assistant minister for his son at his son's inclusive church, officiated the wedding of his son and son-in-law, and was deeply reflective about his past mistreatment of his own children. When he died, he was remembered primarily by a community he would, many years before, have been willing to crusade against. I have to think that, had his children, and anyone who had a different view of the world, simply cut off contact with him entirely, and cut off that exposure to other perspectives, he would never have changed, and that his not changing, more than people associating with him despite (but mindful of) his views, would have ultimately been a disservice.
-
Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
pallas Link ParentThe example is even less typical than that. The author appears to have been specifically teaching English courses for (presumably incoming) international students (at the New Jersey Institute of...The author is teaching doctoral students, not undergrads. A technical PhD student is working 60+ hour weeks on research, classes, and TA responsibilities combined. I can easily see how they just do not give a shit about the writing class they're being forced to take.
The example is even less typical than that. The author appears to have been specifically teaching English courses for (presumably incoming) international students (at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, also oddly not mentioned). So these were likely writing classes that students were being required to take while others in their cohort were not, and were likely entirely outside of their department's program and normal requirements.
There could be significant motivation to cheat or cut corners in that context, and the students' departments might not care, or might even unofficially encourage it. The author could well have been caught more in inter-departmental drama than a breakdown of student behavior.
-
Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
pallas (edited )Link ParentI was perplexed by the statements like these about doctoral students, and a sense of vagueness about the university and the course, so I looked it up. The author taught for the English Language...She comments that her students were not "developed enough" to recognize the nuances between their original writing vs. the generated writing:
I was perplexed by the statements like these about doctoral students, and a sense of vagueness about the university and the course, so I looked it up. The author taught for the English Language Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology; it appears she was specifically teaching English courses for international students and non-native speakers. It does not appear that she was teaching a general technical writing course. Here is a syllabus she had, for example.
That context considerably changes my interpretation of her comments about her students' comprehension. I feel it also makes understanding the students' choices more difficult without knowing more about the organization of the program: this could well have been a course all international students were forced into regardless of English proficiency, for example, and seen more as a busy-work impediment to their actual program more than an opportunity for learning.
It's not clear to me why the author chose to be vague about this context.
-
Comment on Clean, crisp bedding brings comfort like nothing else. Research shows fresh sheets improve sleep (and even our romantic lives). in ~life.style
pallas (edited )LinkThis article does not, of course, actually give a direct citation to the supposed research it references. In reality, the work it refers to appears to be a 2012 market research telephone poll, the...- Exemplary
This article does not, of course, actually give a direct citation to the supposed research it references. In reality, the work it refers to appears to be a 2012 market research telephone poll, the 2012 Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation. The National Sleep Foundation is a controversial, industry-funded non-profit that has over the years been criticized for using sleeping pill manufacturer funding to push an "insomnia awareness day" and promotion of insomnia as an epidemic, endorsing bedding product companies, and at one point actually selling MyPillow pillows on its website.
Even they, however, do not claim what the author of this article is claiming. The two most related questions in the survey appear to be on the perceived importance for (a) "getting a good night's sleep" and (b) "creating a romantic environment" of (a) a "clean bedroom", and (b) "comfortable feel of sheets and bedding" (emphasis mine). While the PDF I found frustratingly does not seem to have searchable text, the 73% number appears to be the response for "creating a romantic environment" and "comfortable feel of sheets and bedding".
This is not at all the same as "sleep better on fresh sheets". And, of course, it is completely inappropriate to claim that a market research survey on bedding products and sleep habits was a study that produced concrete findings on sleep quality.
As an academic, my writing an article centred around intentionally misrepresenting results like this one would be potentially career ending. It is extremely frustrating to see them published with no consequence by journalists, and it is articles like these that make me somewhat disappointed there is no way to downvote or report posts on Tildes, even if I generally like the absence of downvotes, including for posts.
-
Comment on What gay men’s stunning success might teach us about the academic gender gap in ~lgbt
pallas (edited )LinkThis piece starts out with research results, but then, when comparing to straight women, moves toward speculation. And while I don't disagree with that speculation—it's actually something I can...This piece starts out with research results, but then, when comparing to straight women, moves toward speculation.
And while I don't disagree with that speculation—it's actually something I can relate to in a way—another possible factor in the comparative academic success of gay men and straight women could be that there are two separate sets of expectations involved: the cultural pressure of too much interest in intellectual work as being seen as outside of traditional masculinity, and misogynist views of women as being intellectually inferior. While boys are pressured, particularly by their peers, not to apply themselves too much or be too interested in academics, girls are pressured, particularly by teachers and parents, to see topics and academic achievements past certain levels as beyond them, or are kept from classes and experiences that would have given them a chance to become inspired or apply themselves. Gay male students, while facing different challenges in school, perhaps manage to fit in between these two, having the opportunities and encouragement often denied to female students, while escaping the pressures of traditional masculinity that make it harder for straight male students to take advantage of those opportunities.
-
Comment on The Internet Archive lost their latest appeal. Here’s what that means for you. in ~tech
pallas Link ParentTo emphasize this: the entire Anna's Archive torrent list, which is enormously redundant, and contains everything from many different pirate libraries, is around 940 TB. An individual could store...Text is really, really small and compressible. That makes it pretty easy to port around and pop back up. So these shadow libraries are probably even harder to kill than ThePirateBay.
To emphasize this: the entire Anna's Archive torrent list, which is enormously redundant, and contains everything from many different pirate libraries, is around 940 TB. An individual could store the entire collection for ~$5k-$30k, depending on storage medium. AA actively encourages distributed storage and seeding of the collection.
TBP, by comparison, had 2,500 TB seeded in 2020, is likely not the largest pirate non-library site by any means, and is not an arguably close-to-complete collection of the entirety of all piracy of a type of work.
-
Comment on Who here leaves a review? in ~life
pallas (edited )Link ParentWhat frustrates me about small businesses and reviews is that unlike large companies, which might spam requests but won't go much further, I've had experiences with small businesses that seem to...And when a small business is pushy (in person) about asking me to leave a review, that annoys me as well. A sign on your counter or a kind remark in passing is fine. Drilling me before I leave with "you'll leave a good review on Google, right?" is not acceptable.
What frustrates me about small businesses and reviews is that unlike large companies, which might spam requests but won't go much further, I've had experiences with small businesses that seem to outright expect reviews as some sort of social obligation, and actively remember and dislike customers who don't leave them. I don't post public reviews, as a matter of personal privacy; particularly for some small, particularly owner-operated hotels, once the owner finds out that I won't be leaving a review I've gone from enjoying my stay to feeling that I won't be able to return, even if I suggest that I will be privately recommending them.
And even with that one hard question, CC-NC seems like it's a dangerous non-free license, often used by people who want to seem open without being open. I'm reminded of claims like 'ordering a 3d print of my NC model from a printing company rather than printing it yourself is an NC violation'.
This license would be far worse.