papasquat's recent activity
-
Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | Teaser in ~movies
-
Comment on She fell in love with ChatGPT. Then she ghosted it. in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentIt's an innate need, but that need is loneliness. That means that the hole people feel is missing in their lives doesn't need to be filled with a romantic partner, but with some sort of intimate...It's an innate need, but that need is loneliness. That means that the hole people feel is missing in their lives doesn't need to be filled with a romantic partner, but with some sort of intimate human connection. Western society has gotten increasingly isolated, and the remedy for that is commonly accepted to be a romantic partner who you share everything with. That's the expectation part. There's no reason you can't be perfectly happy and content with close friendships, family connections, and so on. Most people just need something.
-
Comment on I traveled above the Arctic Circle to find out whether the town of Sommarøy really can live free from the clock in ~life
papasquat LinkInteresting article. I've often thought about similar ideas based on extended travel in places that are less... let's say punctual than typical American culture. I'm what the author would call an...Interesting article. I've often thought about similar ideas based on extended travel in places that are less... let's say punctual than typical American culture.
I'm what the author would call an event timer myself. I struggle to be on time for things, and often am stressed out because I get things planned for me back to back, and making all of those appointments is hard.
Places with more "laid back" cultures are often put on a pedestal as less stressful, more in tune with what really matters in life, and less preoccupied with the silly little ideas of punctuality and efficiency like most industrialized Western cultures are.
However, if you spend a lot of time in places where time is just sort of a suggestion instead of a rule, you quickly realize that especially as someone who has a hard time being on time, it causes you more stress, not less.
If you have a doctors appointment you need to get to, you show up to the train station, and the train is 40 minutes late, because whatever. That causes you to get to the Dr's office late, but he took off early to go to a festival, so you have to reschedule, so you get on the train back home which is late again. You just spent 3 hours doing essentially nothing. Then you have to take another day off of work and reschedule, this time you'll show up to the station two hours earlier for the earlier train and hope it arrives.
It's just an enormous waste of time, and the idea that "oh well, it's just time, you can do it another day" results in you just frivolously spending the one resource we have no way of getting back sitting around, waiting in lines, and rescheduling stuff instead of actually doing things you want to do.
I can see how a life like that is livable in a very rural area where you don't have to interact with other people much, but in a modern lifestyle where everyone depends on everyone else, it's just a constant exercise in frustration.
-
Comment on The truth about AI (specifically LLM powered AI) in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI'll just say that if I were a student, I would have been told over and over and over that getting an LLM to do my homework is cheating, unethical, and screwing myself out of an education. If I...I can imagine it being TA level competent at grading for example, especially with prior art as guidance.
I'll just say that if I were a student, I would have been told over and over and over that getting an LLM to do my homework is cheating, unethical, and screwing myself out of an education. If I then found out the university I was paying a lot of money to attend was feeding the work I slaved over for weeks into an LLM to be graded, it wouldn't only be hypocritical. It would feel like an absolute slap in the face.
You're asking students to do quite a lot of work to pass a class while taking quite a bit of their money. You should at least have a pair of human eyeballs look at it.
-
Comment on Leave the phone, take a camera in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentThere really is not a great reason to have a separate camera unless you're really, really serious about photography as a hobby. Flagship phones will take better pictures than basically any camera...There really is not a great reason to have a separate camera unless you're really, really serious about photography as a hobby.
Flagship phones will take better pictures than basically any camera unless you invest a lot of time into learning what you're doing, and even then, it will still take pretty damn good pictures.
I'm generally an advocate of owning fewer things, carrying fewer things, and having fewer things around me in general, so even if my phone can only do 90% of the quality of a reasonably priced camera, that's a fine price to pay for not owning an extra expensive thing.
-
Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentYeah true. But lets be real. The VAST majority of congress watches porn too.Yeah true. But lets be real. The VAST majority of congress watches porn too.
-
Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentSomething like 70% of Americans view porn. It's almost everyone you meet on a day to day basis. The issue is that almost everyone is ashamed of it to some degree, so we have these weird Mexican...Something like 70% of Americans view porn. It's almost everyone you meet on a day to day basis. The issue is that almost everyone is ashamed of it to some degree, so we have these weird Mexican standoffs regarding it, where everyone pretends they don't watch it, and thus are ok with legislation that puts porn users at risk.
It's a really weird situation where everyone votes to do things that hurt themselves, but they pretend they won't actually be effected by it.
-
Comment on Meet the biggest heat pumps in the world in ~engineering
papasquat Link ParentWell, the bigger a pipe is, the more efficient it is. As the diameter goes up, the volume increases far higher than the surface area of the pipe where you experience losses. Bigger heating systems...Well, the bigger a pipe is, the more efficient it is. As the diameter goes up, the volume increases far higher than the surface area of the pipe where you experience losses.
Bigger heating systems in general are a lot more efficient than smaller ones, so while you will lose some energy delivering heat to houses, in many cases you make up for that loss by having one big, efficient furnace that stores heat very well, and eliminate the need to go door to door to deliver fuel.
-
Comment on EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban as global electric vehicle shift faces reset in ~transport
papasquat Link ParentThe thing that pisses me off about EVs is that they're considered "tech" at all. Auto makers act like electric motors and batteries are some new, cutting edge fancy technology that requires...- Exemplary
The thing that pisses me off about EVs is that they're considered "tech" at all. Auto makers act like electric motors and batteries are some new, cutting edge fancy technology that requires extremely expensive computer boards, an internet connection, constant software updates, and specially certified experts to maintain.
They're not. At all. They're far less complicated than an ICE engine. Wind some wire around a stator, slap some magnets on a rotor, apply voltage and you get locomotion.
It's dead simple technology that's been in use for literally over 200 years. We never needed to send golf carts back to their manufacturers to get fixed, or required always on internet connections or constant software updates, so why do we need them for EVs.
That's not at all inherit to the technology, it's just that any time "new" technology comes out, the manufacturers that make it get horny about requiring a companion app, ads, tracking, and all kinds of other garbage.
It makes me wonder what's going to happen when someone invents a warp drive. You're going to have to sign up for 10 years of a subscription account that beams ads directly into your brain to use it.
-
Comment on Jeffrey Epstein emails show close connection with MIT's Noam Chomsky in ~society
papasquat Link ParentIronically, I think Chomsky would say the same thing.Ironically, I think Chomsky would say the same thing.
-
Comment on Jeffrey Epstein emails show close connection with MIT's Noam Chomsky in ~society
papasquat Link ParentIt's slightly more complicated than that. His work as a linguist kind of inheritely bled into politics. He developed a lot of theories and research about how the human mind inheritely shaped the...It's slightly more complicated than that. His work as a linguist kind of inheritely bled into politics. He developed a lot of theories and research about how the human mind inheritely shaped the development of language based on its biological structure, and vice versa, how language shapes human perception. There's significant bleed over into politics there by default. He then wrote manufacturing consent, which introduces the propaganda model. That book posits that most democracy under capitalism is mostly just a way to get people to be ok by being ruled by corporate interests who use language to shape people's perceptions. A lot of his work since then has concerned those ideas surrounding mass media.
I think he'd be more accurately described as a political philosopher and cognitive scientist rather than just a linguist, especially towards the latter part of his career. After manufacturing consent, he's just "famous leftist guy" to most people though.
-
Comment on I don't care much for symbolism in ~creative
papasquat Link ParentIs that symbolism, or is that just leaving detail to the readers imagination? I remember in the empire strikes back, Lando tells Han that the millennium falcon used to be his ship. Neither of them...Is that symbolism, or is that just leaving detail to the readers imagination?
I remember in the empire strikes back, Lando tells Han that the millennium falcon used to be his ship. Neither of them expanded on this and it let you as a viewer imagine this wild and rich history between the two of them, colored by your own experiences (I guess Disney later walked everyone through this story letter by letter eventually, but that's besides the point). That's not really symbolism though, it's just the implication of a richer world.
-
Comment on Your phone is a fake house in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentHah, I came straight to the comment section to say the same thing. Halfway through the article where he compared phone=home versus computer=work was an instant giveaway that the author was very...Hah, I came straight to the comment section to say the same thing.
Halfway through the article where he compared phone=home versus computer=work was an instant giveaway that the author was very young.
The kind of relationship he has with his phone is the relationship techy millennials, and gen Xers had (have?) with their computers.
I use my phone as a tool in my pocket, nothing more. If it got destroyed, I'd get a new one and not miss this one, even if all of its settings went back to default.
When I sit down at my computer, it feels much more like coming home. There's more of a ritual involved, it's more immersive, I can do more engaging and entertaining things on it.
More importantly for me, my computer doesn't nag me every ten minutes because some horrible app decided I wasn't engaged enough.
Pretty much all of the domestic metaphors he cites in phones came from prior computing anyway. Unix had the concept of home directories long before anyone ever thought putting a computer many times more powerful than contemporary supercomputers in your pocket was possible.
-
Comment on The iconic ‘Home Alone’ house is being renovated by its new owner (The interior is being restored to match its appearance in the original 1990 film) in ~movies
papasquat Link ParentYeah. I've heard the same. Makes sense I guess. Still makes me sad though.Yeah. I've heard the same. Makes sense I guess. Still makes me sad though.
-
Comment on The iconic ‘Home Alone’ house is being renovated by its new owner (The interior is being restored to match its appearance in the original 1990 film) in ~movies
papasquat Link ParentI don't think this is that uncommon, but to me it feels almost the opposite. The original home alone house feels like people live there. People with fantastic maids and great organization, but...I don't think this is that uncommon, but to me it feels almost the opposite. The original home alone house feels like people live there. People with fantastic maids and great organization, but people nonetheless. The current interior feels completely staged and sterile. It was designed by someone that feels completely afraid of making any sort of choice. Sort of like people's work personalities versus real personalities. No opinions are expressed, no risks are being taken, and painstaking care is being taken to tiptoe around and avoid possibly offending anyone for any reason. It doesn't really feel like a home to me, or even a house. It feels like a facility.
The home alone house has some clashing or garish choices (personally I think the green tile on the island is kind of bad), but the people that designed it DID make choices.
There's something charming about that sort of authenticity in both people and interior design.
-
Comment on How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI don't know why you're lumping social media age verification with all of these other issues. That feels like painting with a very overly broad brush. There is a lot of age verification...I don't know why you're lumping social media age verification with all of these other issues. That feels like painting with a very overly broad brush. There is a lot of age verification legislation that has been passed in blue states, sponsored by Democrats. It's not always the same people who are voting against LGBTQ rights or child welfare in general.
It makes sense to criticize these efforts because their implementations often compromise privacy, or because you think the issue of childhood exposure to social media algorithms is overblown, or because of other specific issues that make the costs not outweigh the benefits.
Criticizing it just because similar justifications have been used by other harmful laws strikes me as fallacious though.
Passing the ACA and destroying it were both done under the guise of making healthcare affordable, after all. One of those clearly does address the stated goal, and one does not. That doesn't mean that any law with the justification of making healthcare affordable is automatically bad or disengenous though.
-
Comment on The iconic ‘Home Alone’ house is being renovated by its new owner (The interior is being restored to match its appearance in the original 1990 film) in ~movies
papasquat Link ParentI don't know, I was a middle class kid when home alone came out, and it was very obvious to me at the time that there's no way my parents or anyone I knew could afford a house that massive and...I don't know, I was a middle class kid when home alone came out, and it was very obvious to me at the time that there's no way my parents or anyone I knew could afford a house that massive and nice.
I imagine something like that would go for close to a million dollars in 1990 where I lived. I'd never even seen a million dollar house up close until I was an adult.
-
Comment on The iconic ‘Home Alone’ house is being renovated by its new owner (The interior is being restored to match its appearance in the original 1990 film) in ~movies
papasquat LinkThe original interior was, as a kid, what I always imagined the inside of rich people's houses looked like. Even when I was little, I could tell how wealthy Kevin's family was. The interior now...The original interior was, as a kid, what I always imagined the inside of rich people's houses looked like. Even when I was little, I could tell how wealthy Kevin's family was.
The interior now looks like literally every other luxury apartment for sale anywhere. The ultra white minimalist look just won't die. I don't know why so many people apparently want to live inside a cleanroom.
-
Comment on How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentJust because a justification has been used in disingenuous or harmful ways doesn't mean it's always used that way though. Surely there are some laws ostensibly passed to protect children from harm...Just because a justification has been used in disingenuous or harmful ways doesn't mean it's always used that way though.
Surely there are some laws ostensibly passed to protect children from harm that were actually passed to protect children from harm, and there are some proposals that are raised for the same reason.
-
Comment on How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI'd say "authoritarian social control" is a technically correct, but very uncharitable way to put it. Restricting alcohol to over 21, r rated movies, child welfare laws and tons of other things...I'd say "authoritarian social control" is a technically correct, but very uncharitable way to put it. Restricting alcohol to over 21, r rated movies, child welfare laws and tons of other things would fall under that category as well on a technical basis.
Maybe some of these proposals are being brought up because it gives government more control to surveil people for reasons other than what's being publicly stated, but I think most of them are aiming to do just what they're being promoted as; protecting kids from harmful or exploitative content. As far as it being part of project 2025, maybe? But proposals like this in the US have come up before as well, and sometimes by Democrats, so I don't think the argument that in the US it's solely a conservative power grab really holds a lot of water.
I agree though, in practice it would be very difficult to implement without compromising anonymity on the internet.
I think there is a world where the MCU continues to churn out great movies with interesting new directions that attracted new fans. The world where that happens seems way less likely than the one we currently live in though.
The first phase of the MCU was lightning in a bottle. I can't think of any other franchise that had a. such strong movies, b. Such a devoted fan base, and more importantly, c. So much output. The only comparable franchise I can think of is James Bond, but that was 29 films over 60+ years. The MCU has released almost 40 in a third of that time.
It doesn't seem feasible to have it continually to be successful, especially when the studio that owns it is publicly traded and demands bigger and bigger budgets with bigger and bigger returns.
Could it have been done? Maybe. It would have been really, really hard though.