plutonic's recent activity
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
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Comment on The lucrative world of literary scams in ~books
plutonic Link ParentOh, definitely. I'm not blaming the internet directly, it has just globalized scamming and turned it into a huge industry.Oh, definitely. I'm not blaming the internet directly, it has just globalized scamming and turned it into a huge industry.
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Comment on The lucrative world of literary scams in ~books
plutonic LinkEverything is a scam now, open fraud occurring across many industries, it's really sad and I hate it. Goodbye high-trust society, welcome to a life of questioning everything and assuming the worst...Everything is a scam now, open fraud occurring across many industries, it's really sad and I hate it. Goodbye high-trust society, welcome to a life of questioning everything and assuming the worst always. The internet has ruined everything.
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Comment on Ukraine accuses SpaceX of crippling drone missions as ties with US worsen in ~society
plutonic LinkMusk's Reply:Musk's Reply:
Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.
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Comment on Anne Carson is (yet another) perfect Nobel literature laureate in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI can't say at all if she is right or wrong as I have never read any Carson but I have been repeatedly unimpressed with the opinions of Emily Wilson, especially recently where she appears to me to...I can't say at all if she is right or wrong as I have never read any Carson but I have been repeatedly unimpressed with the opinions of Emily Wilson, especially recently where she appears to me to be 'attention whoring' around Nolan's Odyssey movie.
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Comment on Those viral claims about plummeting Russian ‘bot’ activity have no basis in fact in ~society
plutonic Link ParentPopular science articles are terrible, ironically what I've found works great is dropping a PDF of the paper into an AI and asking it to write an article about said paper at whatever education...I don't even trust news articles on scientific studies without going and reading the actual study.
Popular science articles are terrible, ironically what I've found works great is dropping a PDF of the paper into an AI and asking it to write an article about said paper at whatever education level you choose.
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Comment on Software developers are not okay in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI wonder if we will see a flip of wages where technical work becomes nearly worthless and manual labour becomes very expensive. As long as Western countries are using cheap imported labour or even...I wonder if we will see a flip of wages where technical work becomes nearly worthless and manual labour becomes very expensive. As long as Western countries are using cheap imported labour or even illegal immigrants to do all the manual labour that seems unlikely. There is a common argument in Canada that 'Kids these days don't want to do manual labour and work the fields'. They are somewhat right, but I don't think it's the work that is the problem, it's the wage. I would have gone to work the fields in my youth, hell I might even do it now, but it's brutal work so I expect at least $100/hr and I want to be able to retire before 50.
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Comment on Denmark tests humanoid robots in supermarkets to help to ease staff workload at night in ~tech
plutonic LinkSo they ease your workload and you get to play a video game of your own job instead, then after they are done having you train the robot they ease your workload to zero. But why should a human...So they ease your workload and you get to play a video game of your own job instead, then after they are done having you train the robot they ease your workload to zero. But why should a human waste their time stocking shelves? But who pays the rent? I wish we were intelligent enough as a species to really figure this out, but I don't see that happening.
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Comment on Unofficial Linux app for music streaming service Qobuz QBZ shut down after receiving cease and desist letter in ~music
plutonic Link ParentI listen to all my Audiobooks through Spotify and I have been pretty happy with it, never really run into any problems. It keeps your spot for you properly, offers a replay function, page...I listen to all my Audiobooks through Spotify and I have been pretty happy with it, never really run into any problems. It keeps your spot for you properly, offers a replay function, page matching, and lets you control the speed of playback.
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Comment on The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson in ~books
plutonic LinkAs a Canadian this is great news! I can't say I have ever read anything by her, I don't tend to read much poetry because life is short and there are many, many great novels. Her work on Greek...As a Canadian this is great news! I can't say I have ever read anything by her, I don't tend to read much poetry because life is short and there are many, many great novels. Her work on Greek translation sounds interesting and maybe I'll get to reading one of those one of these days.
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Comment on Given everything we know about AI so far, what do you think it can or cannot be good for? in ~tech
plutonic LinkJust a random usage of AI: Tonight I used it to help me decide between 2 strata management companies as I am Vice President of my strata council and we are looking to switch managing companies. I...Just a random usage of AI:
Tonight I used it to help me decide between 2 strata management companies as I am Vice President of my strata council and we are looking to switch managing companies. I fed GPT the contracts from each company
and had it do internet searches and analyze their websites and give me a comparison summary and then a few questions about some details. Many hours of work completed in 1. -
Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI agree with you on this for sure. Dan Carlin does good work and has done a lot for the popularity of history, I'm particularly geeky and really like dry lectures but I understand that isn't for...I agree with you on this for sure. Dan Carlin does good work and has done a lot for the popularity of history, I'm particularly geeky and really like dry lectures but I understand that isn't for everyone. Dan Carlin is a great resource for your average person interested in history and a lot better then some random youtuber or even worse some terrible youtube AI video.
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Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentPersonally I think those academics are right, they are the ones who hold the Ph.D's and went to school for 8+ years learning their usually very niche subject. That process is all about learning...Personally I think those academics are right, they are the ones who hold the Ph.D's and went to school for 8+ years learning their usually very niche subject. That process is all about learning how to do serious publishable research. I have a lot of respect for that.
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Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
plutonic (edited )Link ParentActually I think Dan Carlin is a perfect example :) You will find real historians are not fans of his. /r/AskHistorians/ is probably one of best subreddit's going and there has been lots of debate...Actually I think Dan Carlin is a perfect example :) You will find real historians are not fans of his. /r/AskHistorians/ is probably one of best subreddit's going and there has been lots of debate about him over the years. It's not as simple as Dan Carlin bad, he does some good work, but he doesn't have the background to know what sources are respected and which aren't, he tends to focus on 'cool' history while not painting the proper entire picture.
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Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
plutonic Link Parenthaha, strangely the same (at least used to) applied to AI too. Also that same strange experience where whenever you are involved in an incident that has made the news media all the details are...haha, strangely the same (at least used to) applied to AI too. Also that same strange experience where whenever you are involved in an incident that has made the news media all the details are wrong and at least half the story appears to just be made up, yet I trust the news media right? (This has only happened to me twice, but that's 100% of my experiences with that situation)
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Comment on Was watching a history YouTube video when I realized they are all AI in ~tech
plutonic LinkAs a history lover I avoid youtube and podcasts as much as possible. This will sound snobby buy I don't care: If the person presenting does not have a Ph.D or at least a Masters Degree in the...As a history lover I avoid youtube and podcasts as much as possible. This will sound snobby buy I don't care: If the person presenting does not have a Ph.D or at least a Masters Degree in the topic they are speaking on turn it off, they have no business speaking on the topic. Secondly, if whatever you are watching feels 'entertaining' it is probably crap, history is boring and that is OK.
The best source for good material to consume is either actual university lectures, which you can find but can take some work, the other resource that I really love and have consumed huge amounts of are The Great Courses. These are college level courses on all kinds of subject matters including a ton of stuff on history. Usually 12-24 hours worth of lectures on a topic split into 30 minutes. They are taught by actual university and college professors, usually those known for their teaching ability. They are not crazy advanced, usually start really basic but by the end get advanced enough for a lay-person just interested in the topic.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentMost people really like the translation that you have. If you do feel like revisiting the novel again in the future I would recommend the Michael Katz translation, but it really isn't about...Most people really like the translation that you have. If you do feel like revisiting the novel again in the future I would recommend the Michael Katz translation, but it really isn't about 'better' it is about what works for you, they each have their own problems. Trying a Spanish translation may be interesting but I can't speak to the quality of them.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentBold Statement: The Brothers Karamazov is the greatest piece of art created by a human being in any medium in all of human history. To say I place this book on a pedestal is an understatement, it...Bold Statement: The Brothers Karamazov is the greatest piece of art created by a human being in any medium in all of human history.
To say I place this book on a pedestal is an understatement, it is a true masterpiece. Prepare to read it at least twice, for me it took a second reading to even start to grasp it and I am still far from an expert. I recommend reading a different translation the second time, what translation are you currently reading? They all have plusses and minuses and I don't really believe there is a 'definitive translation'. I have read the whole thing 3 times, 3 different translations. I've probably read 'The Grand Inquisitor' 5+ times.
William Faulkner said he read The Brothers Karamazov once a year over his entire life, he thought it was that important. If I had infinite reading time I would do the same, but alas I have to waste my life working a worthless job to live, even still I'm hoping to read it every 2-3 years. The book gives you so much to ponder and think about and I think it offers so much depth that you can keep getting new things from it no matter how many times you read it. You haven't got there yet, but the speech by Alyosha to the boys at the end is something else, leaves me in tears every time. What a beautiful examination of humanity.
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Comment on Why do we find Tildes (and Lobsters) more interesting than the alternatives? in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentHacker News is strange, sometimes you get some really good threads and some of the best I've come across have been outside of 'tech news', other times it's really bad. Anything politics is to be...Hacker News is strange, sometimes you get some really good threads and some of the best I've come across have been outside of 'tech news', other times it's really bad. Anything politics is to be avoided completely and the place is VERY AI positive. I enjoy the fact that you often run into the actual people the discussion is about in the thread itself. I find myself spending more and more time there compared to Reddit which is getting worse and worse by the day.
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Comment on The new Firefox is so snappy, even with uBlock Origin enabled! in ~comp
plutonic Link Parentoh great! Thank you! I want my browser to be as plain and boring as possible, actually same goes for my OS and any program or app I'm using. If everything could look as plain as Windows NT 4.0 I...oh great! Thank you! I want my browser to be as plain and boring as possible, actually same goes for my OS and any program or app I'm using. If everything could look as plain as Windows NT 4.0 I would be in heaven.
Still reading George Eliot's 'Daniel Deronda' Published 1876. Nearing halfway! I love these giant Victorian tomes so much. The absolute pinnacle of novel writing: extremely high quality prose, deep character building and analysis, huge scopes, dozens of fleshed out characters. Tolstoy is the GOAT but Eliot is right there. Genius.
Still listening to A. B. Guthrie Jr.'s 'The Big Sky' Published in 1947. About halfway through this one too. This book is all about the landscapes and the wildness and freedoms of that land. It reminds me a bit of John Williams 'Butcher's Crossing' in that way, where the land itself is a major character.