patience_limited's recent activity

  1. Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news

    patience_limited
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    McDonald’s debuts one-finger gadget that lets you move your character to 'keep you in the game' while you chow down — Pro Gamer Menu's ‘Archie’ designed to keep you from being kicked for...

    McDonald’s debuts one-finger gadget that lets you move your character to 'keep you in the game' while you chow down — Pro Gamer Menu's ‘Archie’ designed to keep you from being kicked for inactivity

    Nice to see that human ingenuity is being applied to meaningful and significant problems.

  2. Comment on The best way to protect your phone from a warrantless search in 2026 in ~comp

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    For Pixel users, would back up --> wipe --> cross border --> restore be a sufficiently secure strategy?

    For Pixel users, would back up --> wipe --> cross border --> restore be a sufficiently secure strategy?

    3 votes

  3. Comment on Improving my focus by giving up my big monitor in ~tech

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    Definitely - I'm on the hyperfocused end of the attentional spectrum, not the "every train of thought derails if I see an e-mail notification" end. To be effective, most people arrive at something...

    Definitely - I'm on the hyperfocused end of the attentional spectrum, not the "every train of thought derails if I see an e-mail notification" end. To be effective, most people arrive at something that works for their level of focus.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on Falling demand for cardboard boxes — long a proxy for consumer spending — is raising concerns about the US economy in ~finance

    patience_limited
    Link
    From the article: More evidence that the AI-driven stock market indicia fall to disclose serious weaknesses in the U.S. economy. The accuracy of Bureau of Labor Statistics job numbers is under...

    From the article:

    The cardboard box industry has long served as a barometer to measure real-world demand. Everything from big appliances to frozen pizzas is shipped in these boxes. When factories ramp up and businesses expect higher sales, they order more boxes. If they think demand is falling, box orders go down.

    The current situation is increasingly concerning. U.S. containerboard production capacity has fallen by about 9% in just eight months — a decline double the rate experienced during the 2009 recession. International Paper reported that U.S. box shipments fell 5% year-on-year in the second quarter, marking its fourth consecutive quarterly decline. Similarly, Smurfit Westrock saw a 4.5% slide in North American corrugated cardboard volumes.

    More evidence that the AI-driven stock market indicia fall to disclose serious weaknesses in the U.S. economy. The accuracy of Bureau of Labor Statistics job numbers is under threat. The article mentions that the cardboard box statistics have been used as a leading indicator for recessions since at least Alan Greenspan's era in the Federal Reserve, and it's not dependent on a potentially politicized or hype-driven measure.

    27 votes

  6. Comment on Sam Altman may control our future—can he be trusted? in ~tech

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    Oh, perhaps as far as I could throw Sam Bankman-Fried. Really, the whole pattern of "please regulate our industry" public statements and private deregulatory lobbying gives the game away for me.

    Oh, perhaps as far as I could throw Sam Bankman-Fried.

    Really, the whole pattern of "please regulate our industry" public statements and private deregulatory lobbying gives the game away for me.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on Software job openings surge this year, defying AI fears in ~tech

    patience_limited
    Link
    The key word in that chart is "globally". U.S. tech hiring might be down dramatically, and openings in cheaper labor markets might have made up the rising line. The article doesn't identify job...

    The key word in that chart is "globally". U.S. tech hiring might be down dramatically, and openings in cheaper labor markets might have made up the rising line. The article doesn't identify job markets or provide any information about where the computer science student boom is located.

    14 votes

  8. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    It really depends on the person reaching out. I genuinely enjoy hearing other people talking about themselves and their lives, but it can be a strain to reciprocate when I'm a little embarrassed...

    It really depends on the person reaching out. I genuinely enjoy hearing other people talking about themselves and their lives, but it can be a strain to reciprocate when I'm a little embarrassed about my peculiar niche interests, don't want to be the old person moaning about health stuff, and so on.

    There are actually a couple of people I trust enough to discuss some politics, but again, there are topics I'm quite guarded about in the workplace. Generally, "bringing my whole self to work" is not on the table, and that may be another cause for people to feel isolated.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Business adores insecure overachievers, the people who "have whips in their heads", to quote Pratchett. We don't say "no", we're always available, trying to fill every paying minute of the day...

    Business adores insecure overachievers, the people who "have whips in their heads", to quote Pratchett. We don't say "no", we're always available, trying to fill every paying minute of the day (and then some) with work to justify our existence. We're never personnel problems until we're collapsing from burnout.

    Needless to say, this is a shitty way to live, and it can take years of therapy to get rid of generations of religious or capitalist propaganda damage.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    It's really a matter of temperament. I'm enough of an introvert that the socializing I have to do for work can drain my desire for more time with people outside of work. I'd imagine this affects...

    It's really a matter of temperament. I'm enough of an introvert that the socializing I have to do for work can drain my desire for more time with people outside of work. I'd imagine this affects many of the people the article describes.

    If I didn't have the option of remote days to recharge my social batteries, I expect I'd spend all my weekends in a chair with a book or on the computer, instead of seeing friends.

    4 votes

  11. Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 6/4/26 in ~hobbies

    patience_limited
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    It's really reassuring to hear that at least one other person is just starting seeds now. I'm two weeks behind my planned schedule (because life), but Zone 6 and a recent history of late frosts...

    It's really reassuring to hear that at least one other person is just starting seeds now. I'm two weeks behind my planned schedule (because life), but Zone 6 and a recent history of late frosts has me disinclined to plant out anything before June 1 hereabouts.

    I am determined to plant my own seedlings this year, though - the market-bought plants from last year didn't have nearly the flavor of the varieties I usually grow.

    6 votes

  12. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    I've looked at contracting and consulting, and it's a rough world if you aren't temperamentally inclined to sell yourself relentlessly. If your partner just wants to do the work in front of her,...

    I've looked at contracting and consulting, and it's a rough world if you aren't temperamentally inclined to sell yourself relentlessly.

    If your partner just wants to do the work in front of her, it may be that she's not interested in that self-promotion aspect, not just a matter of confidence in her skills.

    6 votes

  13. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    Oh, I know this one - I've had an unconventional career path, too, and stumbled into tech roles. But I've also had opportunity to discover that in many ways, the breadth of experience filled in...

    Oh, I know this one - I've had an unconventional career path, too, and stumbled into tech roles.

    But I've also had opportunity to discover that in many ways, the breadth of experience filled in important gaps that a purely technical education would have left untouched. As others have mentioned, I wouldn't call myself "expert" in anything in particular, but it turns out that even mediocre understanding across multiple knowledge domains can achieve results that pure specialists can't match.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Can a country get too rich? Norway shows the potential pitfalls of uncommon prosperity. in ~finance

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    Keep in mind that this is an Economist article. The magazine has an admitted center-right neoliberal bias, with a hefty helping of Anglosphere academic groupthink. You're not going to hear much...

    Keep in mind that this is an Economist article. The magazine has an admitted center-right neoliberal bias, with a hefty helping of Anglosphere academic groupthink. You're not going to hear much about the positives of a generous social welfare system here.

    30 votes

  15. Comment on Used electric vehicles are a bargain right now in ~transport

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    I've got some health concerns that result in tolerating cold very poorly. Whatever vehicle I'm in, I'm going to be running all the available heating components during the winter, in addition to...

    I've got some health concerns that result in tolerating cold very poorly. Whatever vehicle I'm in, I'm going to be running all the available heating components during the winter, in addition to wearing a heated vest and gloves. As you said, the extra weekly charge plug-in isn't much of a problem unless the distance is greater than my short commutes.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    Okay, I'll be the first to admit I'm an odd duck, but I find some meetings enjoyable. I learn about how people's tasks relate to one another, get an overview of the bigger picture and any...

    Okay, I'll be the first to admit I'm an odd duck, but I find some meetings enjoyable. I learn about how people's tasks relate to one another, get an overview of the bigger picture and any obstacles, I can observe the personalities and motivations involved, it helps others understand what use I can be in achieving their goals, and the discussion can aid in establishing accountability.

    A meeting is a social occasion - I wouldn't count on it for forming friendships, but it does work to establish baseline levels of trust.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Improving my focus by giving up my big monitor in ~tech

    patience_limited
    (edited )
    Link
    Counterpoint: A single 43" OLED 4k at home makes me much more productive. I wouldn't mind adding a portrait-oriented monitor, too, but don't feel like paying for it out of pocket. I wear dedicated...

    Counterpoint: A single 43" OLED 4k at home makes me much more productive. I wouldn't mind adding a portrait-oriented monitor, too, but don't feel like paying for it out of pocket. I wear dedicated computer glasses with a 24" focal plane, which is perfect for seeing everything clearly on a single big screen.

    Though I do some work in terminal windows, coding isn't the bulk of what I do. I've more often got to refer back and forth between RDP sessions and CAD or PDF blueprints, keep a Slack, Teams, or WebEx conversation going, refer to and update spec documents, and update a browser-based project management app, all concurrently. Not having to split that activity between screens, and resizing windows without screen size constraints, allows me to prioritize visual real estate for what needs the most attention. There's also some graphics and presentation work that benefits from big windows.

    I've got early cataracts that aren't bad enough for surgery yet, and the higher OLED contrast and brightness helps avoid eyestrain. When I'm working in the field with a dim 14" laptop and external 17" LED screen, it's a miserable experience shuffling windows back and forth, zooming in and out, while squinting at fuzzy text. If I'm working in the office, I've got laptop, portable screen, and two (old, dim) 24" 1080p LED screens going at the same time, with the laptop dedicated to e-mail, calendar, and other notifications. I always have a headache by the end of the day from neck and eye strain, and haven't found any ergonomic tweaks yet that will avoid this.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    I wouldn't say that's "independent" of effort, it's just setting a floor and a ceiling for what's expected of each worker.

    I wouldn't say that's "independent" of effort, it's just setting a floor and a ceiling for what's expected of each worker.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 30 in ~society

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    He persists in making the 25th Amendment not worth the paper it's printed on.

    He persists in making the 25th Amendment not worth the paper it's printed on.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental

    patience_limited
    Link Parent
    It takes time to learn how to ask for some reciprocity. It's not gullibility, it's ingrained Protestant work ethic fear of punishment - joblessness, social judgment, uselessness. But wearing...

    It takes time to learn how to ask for some reciprocity. It's not gullibility, it's ingrained Protestant work ethic fear of punishment - joblessness, social judgment, uselessness. But wearing yourself out being useful serves no one but those exploiting you.

    It's okay to feel unfairly burdened and push back, both with work and with friends. You don't have to justify your existence by carrying a big load. If things would fall apart without what you're doing, maybe let them fall apart, just a little, and see whether anyone steps up to help if you ask.

    3 votes