post_below's recent activity
-
Comment on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 labels common beliefs as terrorism “indicators” in ~society
-
Comment on Disney decides it hasn’t angered people enough, announces Disney+ price hikes in ~tv
post_below Link ParentDon't feel bad you're not alone, as I write this your whoosh has twice the upvotes compared to the joke you missed. Great illustration of internet discourse :DDon't feel bad you're not alone, as I write this your whoosh has twice the upvotes compared to the joke you missed. Great illustration of internet discourse :D
-
Comment on Wallet voting in ~life
post_below Link ParentYour reading is fair, it's not much different from my own. To simply the difference as much as possible it comes down to the opening: To me that's an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary...Your reading is fair, it's not much different from my own. To simply the difference as much as possible it comes down to the opening:
You cannot vote with your wallet. Or rather, you can, but you will lose that vote. Wallet-votes always go to the people with the thickest wallets, and statistically, that is not you.
To me that's an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence. I don't think it gets paid off in the post. People's collective buying decisions are part of the core of capitalism. Bigger wallets have vastly more influence but I don't think any economist has made a serious case that the collective buying power of small wallets isn't a powerful economic force
And without paying off that opening, and instead seemingly countering it, the whole thing feels... I'm not sure if it's baity like I said before, or manipulative, or maybe just not thought out all the way.
Whereas I think the conversation about economic power is something we should be leaning into at this point in history, with our options to make an impact shrinking.
-
Comment on Wallet voting in ~life
post_below Link ParentGenerally I agree with you, we shouldn't burn ourselves out taking on too much responsibility for large scale issues. But it's not binary, the ultimate conclusion isn't: If the original post was...Generally I agree with you, we shouldn't burn ourselves out taking on too much responsibility for large scale issues.
But it's not binary, the ultimate conclusion isn't:
You cannot vote with your wallet
If the original post was more measured and honest, less engagement bait, and it talked about putting down some of the weight we pick up on while still being conscious of our impact, then I'd completely agree.
As it is I think we should be paying more attention to what we financially support, rather than less.
-
Comment on Wallet voting in ~life
post_below LinkThe post feels kinda haphazard to me. To boil it down: "Your consumer decisions don't matter, but here are a variety of examples of ways they actually do matter." Why can't buying choices be...The post feels kinda haphazard to me. To boil it down: "Your consumer decisions don't matter, but here are a variety of examples of ways they actually do matter."
Make individual choices that make your life better. Take collective action to make society better.
Why can't buying choices be collective? If a bunch of people hear that X company does Y evil thing and some percentage of them decide not to give X money anymore, isn't that collective action based on shared values? Or, less abstract, the post mentions boycotts as being effective collective action but somehow magically categorizes that as something other than wallet voting.
It sounds like the real, though less clickbaity, point of the post is actually: don't shame people for their buying choices. I can agree with that.
Wallet voting (let's think of a better term) is hugely valuable in a capitalist economy. Sure, your personal buying choice isn't going to move the needle, any more than your vote in a national election will, but it borders on asinine to suggest that means it doesn't matter at all.
Similar to voting, your choice not to spend money on a national brand won't hurt them, but your choice to vote with that money on a local company absolutely will help them. And if other people decide to make the same choice, even the national brand will eventually see it in their metrics.
I don't think it makes sense to try to convince people that an objectively valuable way they can express their values and impact society doesn't matter. Or at least, if you're going to make that case, make it compelling.
-
Comment on Musings on "Developer Mode" in ~comp
post_below LinkI think I can clear it up pretty simply: Developers actually need and use a lot of tools you'll find in developer modes. There's no scam. It also makes non developer but tech inclined people feel...I think I can clear it up pretty simply: Developers actually need and use a lot of tools you'll find in developer modes. There's no scam.
It also makes non developer but tech inclined people feel cool, and what's wrong with that? And it hides actions that most people don't want or need behind an extra step.
In short, it makes sense. The alternative, a separate version of applications with developer features, is clunky and inefficient. But I suppose you could suggest the same interpretations about classes and power there too. Personally I don't see it in either case.
Finally, in a tech world where giving users less choice and granular control is the norm, I think we should celebrate choice and control under any name.
-
Comment on Would someone be willing to help me with a Godot project? (4.4.1) in ~games
post_below Link ParentJPEG isn't a bad choice, one thing you may want to try is tweaking the compression. Depending on which image editor you're using there might be good options in the save/export process....JPEG isn't a bad choice, one thing you may want to try is tweaking the compression. Depending on which image editor you're using there might be good options in the save/export process.
Alternatively you could try an app dedicated to lowering image file sizes. To give you an example of what that looks like, put one of your images through an online image shrinker like: Tiny JPG
At the end of the day, though, the file size on a package of photo quality images is always going to be pretty big. It's going to feel clunky having to load everything in advance, an in Godot, no matter how much compression you do.
One option might be to trim it down to a smaller selection of only your best work and then link out to a more traditional website for the rest.
-
Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below Link ParentThat's reasonable, each new person who saw it because of you can never go back. Well deserved. I'm only familiar with goatse from your list, which is enough to quell my urge to google any of the...I don't know why, but I feel more than a hint of shame about that.
That's reasonable, each new person who saw it because of you can never go back.
She probably bumped me 20 points for gumption alone
Well deserved.
I'm only familiar with goatse from your list, which is enough to quell my urge to google any of the others.
-
Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below Link ParentSpeaking of gaming memes... Leeeroy JeeenkiinsSpeaking of gaming memes... Leeeroy Jeeenkiins
-
Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
post_below LinkThis thread wouldn't be complete without some of the first memes: Dancing baby dates back to the mid 90's. One of the first internet memes, definitely the first one to make a giant impact on...This thread wouldn't be complete without some of the first memes:
-
Dancing baby dates back to the mid 90's. One of the first internet memes, definitely the first one to make a giant impact on culture. Most famously featured on Ally McBeal.
-
Hamster dance, also from the 90's. Early mashup and pop culture reference with a sample from Disney's Robin Hood cartoon. Why was it so popular? Like many of the best memes no one will ever truly know.
-
I Can Has Cheezburger? The link goes to the wiki article about the blog but I'm referring to the captioned image that started the site in the first place. Early example of a pet meme, image caption meme, pet speak, and part of the beginning of the image macro phenomenon.
I highly recommend looking up the original memes for the above, not because they're that good, but because they're the the progenitors, crawling out of the primordial soup and blinking, unknowingly, in the light of what would become a new world.
A new world that would eventually become a corporate hellscape of course, but first, and for a long time, it was innocent, weird, dumb and beautiful.
Also, shoutout to the original coining of the concept of the meme from 1976.
-
-
Comment on Is the concept of debate completely useless? in ~talk
post_below Link ParentWow that's a good point, I realize now that I was wrong.- Exemplary
P.P.S. Everyone who disagrees with what I've written here is wrong.
Wow that's a good point, I realize now that I was wrong.
-
Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentI don't know where mercury comes into it, but the research shows very clearly that microplastics are cumulative and build up in tissues and organs, including the brain. The body can't break down...I don't know where mercury comes into it, but the research shows very clearly that microplastics are cumulative and build up in tissues and organs, including the brain. The body can't break down microplastics and excretion can't keep up.
When we're being exposed to it from so many sources, including just breathing, one source may not be enough to accumulate to a problematic level over the course of a life, but taken together it's become clear that it does. Which means all sources bear investigation.
-
Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentThe problem isn't acute poisoning, at least not in the way you mean. Here's a paper from 2023, quite a lot of shocking new findings have been made since then. One of the concerning impacts of...The problem isn't acute poisoning, at least not in the way you mean.
Here's a paper from 2023, quite a lot of shocking new findings have been made since then.
Experiments show that the exposure to microplastics induces a variety of toxic effects, including oxidative stress, metabolic disorder, immune response, neurotoxicity, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity.
One of the concerning impacts of microplastics that has been more strongly established by newer research, in addition to cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders, is infertility in both men and women.
-
Comment on Probiotics: hype or helpful? An interview with Professor Jens Walter. in ~health
post_below LinkThis is a great interview, thanks for posting! One thing that wasn't covered in depth: Fermented foods. Eating fermented foods can increase microbiome diversity and improve other markers of gut...This is a great interview, thanks for posting!
One thing that wasn't covered in depth: Fermented foods. Eating fermented foods can increase microbiome diversity and improve other markers of gut health.
-
Comment on We tested Radius beef for plastic chemicals in ~food
post_below Link ParentI appreciate your attention to detail. In that spirit: In a vacuum. In real life, exposures to many compounds are cumulative because the body can't get rid of them quickly. We are getting...I appreciate your attention to detail. In that spirit:
As a general rule of thumb, whenever you see something measured in parts per billion or nanograms per kilogram, you can safely assume that it won't have any negative effect on you.
In a vacuum. In real life, exposures to many compounds are cumulative because the body can't get rid of them quickly. We are getting microplastics and related chemicals from a lot of different sources that add up to concerning levels of exposure. The idea that a particular source doesn't have a enough to be a problem is very misleading.
The research on the negative health effects of plastics in the environment is only just beginning and already it points to a public health crises.
-
Comment on What is a business/org that is great and ethical in so many aspects that everyone should consider using? in ~life
post_below LinkCompanies that have transitioned to employee ownership and other alternative models rather than sell out to wallstreet or conglomerates deserve a shoutout. It's a great anti-enshittification...Companies that have transitioned to employee ownership and other alternative models rather than sell out to wallstreet or conglomerates deserve a shoutout. It's a great anti-enshittification strategy that often leads to more ethical business practices.
Two great examples of large companies like this are Bob's Red Mill and Patagonia.
Here's to this trend growing!
-
Comment on Presenting... PrizeForge: a novel crowdfunding model for sustainable open-source and fighting enshittification in ~tech
post_below Link ParentThat's true, so I'd be content with something like "Right now we want to see if this is a viable idea so we're going to launch without taking the time to setup a board and apply for nonprofit or...Being a non-profit usually subjects you to reporting requirements and red tape. I think it's just way harder and would tie one's proverbial hands.
That's true, so I'd be content with something like "Right now we want to see if this is a viable idea so we're going to launch without taking the time to setup a board and apply for nonprofit or public benefit status. Later we'll convert because we believe this service is a benefit to the world rather than an opportunity to make profits and eventually become what we claim to be against."
But from what they're saying it sounds like they're all in on for-profit and want us to belive that's the ethical choice.
I'd even be ok with "we want to make some money from this but we'll open source the core software at some point because our whole thing right now is open source". Instead they're very clear, with more sketchy logic, that they won't be open sourcing.
It's important from my perspective that they're targeting the open source community for funding but seem to be rejecting the community's values. That's going to make it a tough sell.
It's the idea that matters, not the specific company.
If only history wasn't littered with great ideas brought to market in the wrong way or at the wrong time. You can take a killer idea and set it back by decades by associating the wrong things with it.
Note that I appreciate your support for their goals, I agree with you in principle, and I'm glad you posted. It's an interesting idea even if their implementation has (maybe fatal) flaws.
-
Comment on Presenting... PrizeForge: a novel crowdfunding model for sustainable open-source and fighting enshittification in ~tech
post_below LinkI support what it seems like they're trying to do, alternative crowdfunding options are good. This is a dealbreaker for me. First because nty Google. But no less because auth really isn't that...I support what it seems like they're trying to do, alternative crowdfunding options are good.
password login is still in development, so you have to login via Google SSO
This is a dealbreaker for me. First because nty Google. But no less because auth really isn't that hard. You can find perfectly good auth systems already built in pretty much any language and building your own is really not difficult. Some quick searching will get you comprehensive information about vulnerabilities to avoid but if you don't have someone that already knows how to do it you're a long way from running a software company. Especially a financial service. To me that's a red flag, is this going to be a vibe coding thing? If not, where are the experienced engineers? Skipping auth to do the "fun stuff" first feels first timey.
I want my software made by people who took the time to do it right. It shows good faith.
Here's something else that felt a little off:
Why not a non-profit?
PrizeForge users rightly expect to benefit from the creation their contributions encourage. That kind of contribution is not a pure charity. Our services to enable these transactions to happen are likewise inherently commercial in nature.
Elastic funding scales up to create cooperation among the largest companies, which benefit from cooperative development of technologies they don't intend to compete on. Serving the B2B market will unavoidably create a huge commercial opportunity, and if we are not a for-profit seeking to realize the potential, then some other entity will out-innovate and out-execute us. Indeed, some of the stagnation of innovation at competitors like Kickstarter may be related to their status as a public benefit corporation that is not motivated to aggressively innovate.
All that said, we can provide streams that directly flow into non-profits, although it may make sense legally to create a pass-through entity so that contributors for such streams can deduct taxes.
Contributors on our platform will potentially get a future product out of their contribution so that's why we have to be for profit. Huh?
If they'd just chosen to be a for profit company I wouldn't have done a double take, it's the weird logic that gives me pause. A nonprofit or public benefit corp will get outcompeted. Why? Kickstarter outcompeted everyone in their niche.
The only way I can think of that a for profit would have an advantage in this space is by accepting angel or hedge fund money and chasing an IPO. Which would be the opposite of the ethos they're claiming.
Caveat: I read a lot of their pitch but I wasn't inspired to really dive in so maybe it's a more exciting idea than I realize. But it's going to be hard to sell to a large market, lots of complication and friction.
I would like very much to believe there's a straightforward solution to corporate control and enshittification, which you seem to see as a possibility here, so I hope I'm wrong.
-
Comment on Pioneering method turns plastic into fuel with 95% efficiency in ~engineering
post_below LinkThe paper is paywalled, but from the abstract it sounds inexpensive and scalable enough to be profitable. Which means no economic barrier, which is usually the problem with plastics recycling. I...The paper is paywalled, but from the abstract it sounds inexpensive and scalable enough to be profitable. Which means no economic barrier, which is usually the problem with plastics recycling.
I feel like I must be missing something though, because that would be miraculous. Front page above the fold level.
-
Comment on Ed Zitron: How to argue with an AI booster in ~tech
post_below Link ParentAI is creating enough new power demand that it is slowing down the green energy transition. The demand is also driving up costs for everyday people. This has been well covered by reputable outlets...AI is creating enough new power demand that it is slowing down the green energy transition. The demand is also driving up costs for everyday people. This has been well covered by reputable outlets if you're curious. The demand is projected to grow dramatically, meaning that we're only at the beginning of its impact. Which is the time to talk about whether or not it's a good idea.
As far as Tiktok goes, and datacenters in general, I'd be excited to see a serious look into the impact on society and the carbon footprint they have. It would be great if they were required to offset their impact, especially in small communities. But AI in particular is causing an explosion in datacenter expansion that makes video delivery look tame by comparison
About the article you linked, it's a bit misleading:
For the human writing process, we looked at humans’ total annual carbon footprints, and then took a subset of that annual footprint based on how much time they spent writing.
So it's not actually a carbon footprint comparison at all. For the human side of the estimate they just looked at how much of a footprint the human has while existing, regardless of what they're doing. They're going to have that footprint either way. It's darkly funny in the sense that the only way AI would offset that footprint is if its use caused the human not to have to exist at all.
Reading the article it sounds like a hype piece, they go off on tangents about how great AI is that appear to have nothing to do with the analysis or the carbon footprint premise. So weird that it's published by the Nature website.
I'm still amazed at each new level of outright bs too, but something that makes it less of a surprise: at each step they're almost invariably accusing the "radical left" of being what they clearly are themselves. Usually precipitated by it becoming popular, or having recently been popular, to call them the thing. Lots of people have been calling the right fascist? Now we'll call the left fascist. Statistics show political violence overwhelmingly perpetrated by right aligned folks? Let's accuse the left of being the violent ones. An unusually high percentage of us are getting caught raping kids? The left is the party of pedophiles!
It's been Trump's playbook since before 2016, starting with "fake news" and it has exactly his level of creativity and emotional maturity.
The other thing that makes it less surprising is that they reliably leave behind ever more of the semblance of truth, no doubt relying on their supporters being increasingly isolated from reasonable sources of information.
Trump speaking at the UN was a bizarre example of the escalation. He talked to world leaders like he talks to his base, as though him just saying a thing is enough for them to believe it. Of course the world leaders didn't buy it, but I imagine Trumpworld saw it as a signal to go to the next level of shameless fabrication.