papasquat's recent activity
-
Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Trailer in ~movies
-
Comment on Elon Musk’s attack on F-35s fuels debate over expensive fighter jets in ~society
papasquat Link ParentIt's been operational for quite some time, and is the most capable multirole combat aircraft ever built. Musk has no experience in defense whatsoever, and is just repeating things popular...It's been operational for quite some time, and is the most capable multirole combat aircraft ever built. Musk has no experience in defense whatsoever, and is just repeating things popular (uninformed) military articles were saying five years ago.
His idea of replacing all combat aircraft with drones any time within the next 20 years is just complete fantasy, and people using Ukraine as an example of how modern combat works are completely leaving out the point that both countries are broke and at their absolutely military industrial limit. A war between the US and China would look far different than Ukraine does.
Musk is, as usual, pretending to be an expert on something he hasn't got the first clue about, and relying on his army of midwit fanboys to elevate his wild guess opinion to the standard of "fact'.
-
Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Trailer in ~movies
papasquat Link ParentI agree with you in theory, especially as someone who is a fan of both voyager and enterprise, two shows that were rightly derided for not living up to their potential when they aired. The main...I agree with you in theory, especially as someone who is a fan of both voyager and enterprise, two shows that were rightly derided for not living up to their potential when they aired. The main difference is that I don't think I've ever run into a fan of Discovery or Picard.
Star Trek regularly produces a lot of bad content. In fact, I think the franchise has had far more bad episodes and movies than good ones. That's totally fine and easy to accept. They can't all be winners. The one unforgivable sin for me is completely missing the point and central themes of the show. Optimism, a spirit of cooperation and competence, and assuming good faith from others until otherwise shown.
Discovery and Picard both fail miserably on that point (so do a few of the TNG movies). Both shows aren't even bad by modern television standards. They're totally competent, if a bit forgettable Sci Fi action shows.
I really don't see them gaining a cult following though, because their themes just aren't unique or interesting, like most of the rest of Star Trek is.
It's not about being new. SNW and LD are also both new shows and I think they're mostly great. They hit the themes of Star Trek though.
I think there are a lot of great shows you could do in the Star Trek universe that haven't been explored. What was the federation equivalent of the Marine Corps doing in the dominion war?
What was being a maquis like?I wouldn't mind seeing those stories told as long as the themes are kept intact, especially when you base a whole show around Starfleet, who are still ostensibly the good guys.
-
Comment on Elon Musk’s attack on F-35s fuels debate over expensive fighter jets in ~society
papasquat Link ParentI think they were using "fuel" as a verb there rather than actually talking about aviation fuel.I think they were using "fuel" as a verb there rather than actually talking about aviation fuel.
-
Comment on Elon Musk’s attack on F-35s fuels debate over expensive fighter jets in ~society
papasquat Link ParentYeah, unfortunately, there's really not a whole lot we can do to easily cut the military budget based on what we ask it to do. Politically, the commander in chief likes being able to park carriers...Yeah, unfortunately, there's really not a whole lot we can do to easily cut the military budget based on what we ask it to do. Politically, the commander in chief likes being able to park carriers off the coast of multiple conflict areas at once for some good old fashioned gunship diplomacy. You can't do that and fight a war at the same time and provide assurance of defending the homeland without an absolutely massive military budget.
Like it or not, much of the political, economic, and cultural strength of the US comes from the strength of its military, and having a military that powerful comes with a huge price tag, that "get rid of the f35" won't even begin to impact significantly.
-
Comment on What have you spent "too much time" trying to fix or streamline? in ~talk
papasquat LinkI used to do this kind of stuff with wayyyy too many things. It resulted in 20 years of half finished projects, and even the projects I did finish resulted in being quickly abandoned for the next...I used to do this kind of stuff with wayyyy too many things. It resulted in 20 years of half finished projects, and even the projects I did finish resulted in being quickly abandoned for the next interesting version of that project.
I pretty much gave all of that up and it's been way better for my mental health. I use the default version of basically everything, and if I have a question of what app, or tool, or solution to whatever my problem is, I just find out what everyone else is doing and do that. It may not be the cheapest, or most optimal, or most ideal solution, but I've found my time and mental energy is more valuable than would be gained by dedicating the research, planning, building, and learning anymore.
Simpler is almost always better for me.
-
Comment on Borderlands 4 | Official first look in ~games
papasquat Link ParentI really loved borderlands and borderlands 2. I started the third one with a friend of mine, we made it about fifteen minutes in when we decided we couldn't deal with the constant, incessant...I really loved borderlands and borderlands 2. I started the third one with a friend of mine, we made it about fifteen minutes in when we decided we couldn't deal with the constant, incessant cringey dialog. Uninstalled and refunded.
-
Comment on Why US Democrats got the politics of immigration so wrong for so long in ~society
papasquat LinkI've always had a really hard time with the cognitive dissonance seeming to come from the Democratic party's policy positions and rhetoric with regard to immigration. I think immigration is...I've always had a really hard time with the cognitive dissonance seeming to come from the Democratic party's policy positions and rhetoric with regard to immigration.
I think immigration is largely a good thing for a country, and legal barriers should be removed, but I don't know why defending illegal immigration is the hill that Democrats so badly want to die on. Efforts to mince words and rebrand illegal immigrants as "undocumented workers", endorsing sanctuary cities, and going out of the way to provide for outreach and services to illegal immigrants, while citizens of the country are facing an unprecidented wealth gap and housing shortage seem like a very obvious way to shoot yourself in the foot in the eyes of the average voter.
The argument that "our economy needs undocumented workers to stay running" may also be functionally true, but it also reads like you're blatantly endorsing indentured servitude and modern slave labor, because you effectively are.
The response to the conservative argument of "these foreigners are coming and taking our jobs" can not be "well no, because those jobs are dirty, hard, and dangerous, and they pay below minimum wage, so they're not the jobs you'd want anyway and this situation is totally ok" can NOT be the official answer.
If you just want cheap labor, let's stop pretending, open up the borders, and get rid of minimum wage laws.
Otherwise, you have to do the hard thing, increase legal immigration, and have a coherent policy position that actually protects human rights and provides a realistic, streamlined legal pathway for people who want to get into this country, whole preventing those who try to subvert that pathway.
The defacto official position of tolerating illegal immigration makes no sense, and just makes you look like fools.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentNo, but I also don't think the killer being at large would have any effect on healthcare, even if you could isolate and measure the impact of some tiny individual action like that. My point is...No, but I also don't think the killer being at large would have any effect on healthcare, even if you could isolate and measure the impact of some tiny individual action like that.
My point is that cheering this guy as some hero of the people that's going to kick off healthcare reform is really misguided. He's just a random murderer. Maybe he felt that he had good reasons for why he did it, and maybe he did, but I think many murderers would say they did too.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentUnfortunately that's the main thing you're evaluated on as a CEO. Being afraid of dying doesn't change that. You could hire a battalion of private mercenaries to protect you for less than the cost...Instead of profits going way down, they just don't go up as quickly.
Unfortunately that's the main thing you're evaluated on as a CEO. Being afraid of dying doesn't change that. You could hire a battalion of private mercenaries to protect you for less than the cost of a 1% decrease in profits for these large companies.
What do you think the actual chances of something like that happening within the next couple of decades are?
I don't know, it's impossible to predict what large groups of people will do. I would hope that greater exposure to the realities of the American healthcare system and what the alternatives to it are become popular enough to get candidates in office that want to fix the system. The ACA was a fantastic step in that direction, and is still broadly popular, even among many conservatives. It's happened in many other countries and there's no reason that it can't happen in the US also.
We live in a really, really complicated world. If the solutions to our problems were just killing people, we'd be living in a utopia by now.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentRealistically, for the most part, careful, thoughtful people don't commit capital crimes. If you filter for people who commit murder, you're already preselecting for a group of people who tend to...Realistically, for the most part, careful, thoughtful people don't commit capital crimes.
If you filter for people who commit murder, you're already preselecting for a group of people who tend to be more impulsive, with less inhibition and executive control, because killing someone virtually never improves your life in the long run. It's almost always an inherently irrational act.
So you'd expect most murderers to be sloppy. They murdered someone, which is a sloppy thing to do. It shouldn't be surprising that they did it sloppily.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentHow would that work though? Logically in the real world. A CEO would go before his board and say "yes, I know that profits are down 230% this quarter, but that's because we're no longer denying...How would that work though? Logically in the real world.
A CEO would go before his board and say "yes, I know that profits are down 230% this quarter, but that's because we're no longer denying any claim because if we don't, I may be murdered", and then the board and all the shareholders they represent just say ok?
A scenario like you're saying is something that only happens in movies. If a very rich person is afraid of getting shot, they just hire security (Brian Thompson wasn't a billionaire, that's a whole other class of people living a whole other type of life). That's what's going to happen here. Another line item will be added to the budget of insurance companies for CEO security detail, that cost will be passed onto policy holders, and life will resume as normal.
If you want to change the healthcare system, lobbying, voting, and communication about real policy proposals are how you do it, not murder.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentI don't necessarily think it's about the victim as much as it's about the spectacle and motivation. If Brian Thompson had been killed during a drug deal gone wrong, or a botched home invasion, do...I don't necessarily think it's about the victim as much as it's about the spectacle and motivation.
If Brian Thompson had been killed during a drug deal gone wrong, or a botched home invasion, do you think the story, and police effort would have been nearly as large? Maybe, but probably not.
This was clearly a political killing from the beginning, with motivations stemming from a problem that affects lots of people and is regularly reported on (healthcare accessibility).
The crime was a national spectacle, and so the police are going to be pressured, even if not directly, to devote far more resources towards solving it than they naturally would.
-
Comment on Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO is ordered held without bail after brief court appearance in Pennsylvania in ~news
papasquat Link ParentIt's really, really disheartening. There's a base human reaction to forms of injustice and suffering that makes people feel that "if just we killed the right people, we could solve this problem"....- Exemplary
It's really, really disheartening. There's a base human reaction to forms of injustice and suffering that makes people feel that "if just we killed the right people, we could solve this problem".
The truth is that violence rarely; I won't say never, but really exceedingly rarely solves problems.No matter how many times we learn this lesson, it never seems to take. Insurance companies operate the way they do, not because of any individual, or even groups of people.
If that were the case, there would be some benevolent insurance company out there run by a great guy who everyone would love.
There isn't. People hate all of them, because they're not doing cruel things because they're run by some uniquely bad apples.
There are systemic issues at play which allow healthcare to be yet another market to maximize profits in. The solution to that problem is the the only solution to all systemic problems we have; policy.
We can't murder our way out of a bad healthcare system. Literally the only change that will result from this killing is increased protection for healthcare CEOs, which will, yet again, increase the cost of healthcare.
I wish humanity as a whole could move past reveling in moments of cathartic bloodshed. That base instinct has only ever caused mountains upon mountains of despair and suffering.
-
Comment on Your partner asks for your phone, you refuse over privacy, they tell you they don't trust you. How do you respond? in ~talk
papasquat Link ParentI don't have a boundary that my partner can't see my phone. That said, if she asked for my phone to look through it because she doesn't trust me, I'd still hand it over, but she would have some...I don't have a boundary that my partner can't see my phone. That said, if she asked for my phone to look through it because she doesn't trust me, I'd still hand it over, but she would have some serious explaining to do. I've never given her a reason not to trust me, so as soon as her fears are assuaged, she'd have to explain why the sudden suspicion, and I could see it seriously damaging our relationship.
I think having a boundary of "my partner is not allowed to see my phone" within a committed relationship is weird, but specifically snooping through my phone is also weird, and far more concerning.
-
Comment on New website shows you how much Google AI can learn from your photos in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentIt guessed I was 10 years younger than I am, so I say that this technology is amazing and should be implemented everywhere, ASAP.It guessed I was 10 years younger than I am, so I say that this technology is amazing and should be implemented everywhere, ASAP.
-
Comment on Teen creates memecoin, dumps it, earns $50,000 in ~finance
papasquat (edited )Link ParentThe story could just as easily been "thousands of people collectively lose $50,000 due to teen scammer.", and it would be every bit as valid. It's not like he created anything of value, these...The story could just as easily been "thousands of people collectively lose $50,000 due to teen scammer.", and it would be every bit as valid. It's not like he created anything of value, these ephemeral memecoins are purely a zero sum game, yet somehow, people on pumpfun and similar spaces keep falling for the same grift over and over.
The fact that these kinds of stories are reported this way is no coincidence, and just helps to set the stage for the next scam.
edit: Before I forget, I just want to point out here that the real "winners" in this story isn't even this kid. It's the operator of pumpfun who make 1% on every transaction through the site, which translates to multiple millions of dollars per day, by running an unregulated casino. For children. That is regularly flooded with CSAM and other highly questionable content.
The crypto space seems to be in an all out competition to out-slime each other and continue to expose the absolute worst parts of human nature.
-
Comment on Legacy is a delusion in ~talk
papasquat LinkTo offer a counterpoint, you don't have to be remembered forever to think that being remembered long after your death is worthwhile, in the same way that you don't have to live forever to think...To offer a counterpoint, you don't have to be remembered forever to think that being remembered long after your death is worthwhile, in the same way that you don't have to live forever to think that extending your lifespan is worthwhile.
Personally, I'd much rather be positively remembered for my contributions and positive attributes for two hundred years after I'm dead versus immediately forgotten upon my death, all other things equal.
If we're saying that being remembered doesn't matter at all because eventually we'll be forgotten, we quickly end up in a nihilist death spiral where nothing matters at all because everything will cease to exist at some point.
Even though there's no such thing as perminance, things can still be more or less ephemeral over human timescales, and legacy is the only thing that can offer people a modicum of agency for how the world exists after their deaths.
I do think the pursuit of legacy can be bad, particularly if people are after any legacy at all, not just positive legacies, but that doesn't mean they're delusions.
-
Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life
papasquat Link ParentApologies in advance for the digression. I was reading your comment and felt like "wireless drill and driver" makes it sound like it has wifi and you can watch movies on it. I've always heard them...Apologies in advance for the digression.
I was reading your comment and felt like "wireless drill and driver" makes it sound like it has wifi and you can watch movies on it. I've always heard them called "cordless drills", but then I thought about it, and "wireless drill" is just as valid and probably makes more sense.
Why do we call things without power cables "cordless" and things without data cables "wireless"? Makes no sense at all.
Language is so weird.
-
Comment on History is in the making - It's technology and ideas, not politics, that change our lives the most. History should reflect that. in ~humanities.history
papasquat LinkI have mixed feelings on this, because technology and politics, while heavily intertwined, do not quite function in the same way. Technology is directly enabled by the prerequisite technologies...I have mixed feelings on this, because technology and politics, while heavily intertwined, do not quite function in the same way. Technology is directly enabled by the prerequisite technologies that came before it. In that way, once the foundations for a certain technology are laid, in retrospect, that technology was virtually inevitable. The changes they bring tend to be subtle at first and are only dramatically important in retrospect.
On the other hand, political events, while also very much a product of the conditions that enabled them to come to pass, could have played out quite differently with a few subtle changes. At the same time, their impact tends to be felt immediately and suddenly for people living through it.
As examples, we can look at arguably the two most significant dates over the past 30 years by my estimation in each area.
The first is June 29th, 2007. As the OP notes, it's not a date most people are familiar with, although its arguably the most important date in recent memory in the technology space with regard to the impact to most people's lives. The release of the first iPhone. It's the mark in time when the Internet started becoming a hugely relevant cultural force, instead of a business tool or a niche place to hang out for nerds. Widespread internet availability has a large hand in every major event of the past two decades, from the Arab spring, to the Trump presidency, to brexit and so forth, but that's only obvious in retrospect. Also, most people realize there wasn't really anything particularly special about the iPhone. If apple never existed, someone else would have made a mass market, appealing, easy to use smartphone. Smartphones already existed at thet point after all, they just werent refined to where most people wanted to use them, nonetheless, they're massively important.
Compare that date to 9/11. Even at the time, you knew this was a massively important historical event, such that even months afterwards, there was a stark difference between a pre and post 9/11 world.
The conditions that caused the terrorist attacks on that date may have been inevitable, but there's no reason why sears tower couldn't have been the target, or the White House, or any number of symbolically important targets, and there's also no reason the attacks had to be as successful as they were. If any of those things were different, history would have played out much differently.
I doubt in 1849, most people of the time thought about living in a pre versus post Origin of Species world, regardless of how influential it ended up becoming.
I think if you compare the previous Star Trek shows against other contemporary media of their time, they'd be far more progressive in comparison to the newer shows. TOS aired an interracial kiss in the 60s. TNG created an entire race that exists as a critique of capitalism in the early 90s. I do appreciate the diversity of the characters, but in the two seasons of Discovery I watched, the only one who gets any real air time or plot attention is Michael Burnham. Maybe that changes as the show goes on, I just couldn't watch anymore.
Fair point about the mental struggles though. Most of the Star Trek shows did have numerous episodes about mental health issues, but they were always very after school special in their handling of them, and most of them were neatly wrapped up by the end of the episode, with the notable exception of TNGs locutus arc.
I very often wondered why a group of people who watched their friends die on a regular basis, are regularly almost killed themselves, and who endure some of the absolutely most fucked up torture scenarios of all time are still so normal, friendly and well adjusted.