post_below's recent activity
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Comment on Confused, uncool, and nowhere to scroll: The internet has become hostile for millennials like me in ~tech
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Comment on Neeva.com is shutting down in ~tech
post_below Link ParentGoogle makes almost 60% of their revenue from search ads, it's easily one of the largest single revenue sources anywhere.Makes you wonder how much money Google makes from ads on search, or if it’s just a loss leader.
Google makes almost 60% of their revenue from search ads, it's easily one of the largest single revenue sources anywhere.
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Comment on Bernie Sanders is right, billionaires shouldn’t exist in ~misc
post_below (edited )Link ParentYou're exactly right that, to a large degree, it's a cultural problem. Yeah it's a catch-22. You fix it with education and a better social safety net. That gives you more open-minded, secure...You're exactly right that, to a large degree, it's a cultural problem.
I don't know how to fix that, or at least not on any sensible time-scale.
Yeah it's a catch-22. You fix it with education and a better social safety net. That gives you more open-minded, secure people who then naturally create a culture with more rational values and priorities. Which then elects different legislators.
But of course you can't do that when capitalism has created so much opposition, in both legislation and culture, to those ideas.
So instead I think the practical solution is for government to reign in capital a bit. That's still politically imaginable, for now. I think the first step there is already happening in terms of changing perspectives about wealth and corporate power driven by the slow disappearance of the middle class.
It's anyone's guess whether it will be too little, too late, or not. The Market is a large beast.
Edit: typo
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Comment on Am I having a discussion with an AI? If not am I an idiot? A mean person? in ~humanities
post_below LinkThis, to me, is trolling. Whether that's good/bad/right/wrong is a personal judgement call I suppose. Definitely not an AI.As a note, I will often assume a "devil's advocate" role in these kinds of discussions even (sometimes especially) against positions I actually do hold.
I occasionally like to take discussions like these all the way to the mat.
This, to me, is trolling. Whether that's good/bad/right/wrong is a personal judgement call I suppose.
Definitely not an AI.
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Comment on Bluesky is Jack Dorsey’s attempt at a Twitter redo and it’s already growing fast in ~tech
post_below Link ParentHow did you manage to interpret what I'm saying as "we should stop holding each other accountable"? I can't speak for the popular discourse, my point is that we should look for solutions that will...How did you manage to interpret what I'm saying as "we should stop holding each other accountable"?
I can't speak for the popular discourse, my point is that we should look for solutions that will have an impact on the world we live in, and the people we live in it with. I'll be amazed if Mastodon is that.
But don't feel like that means you should defend mastodon, I'd love it if the old school web for the tech inclined and intellectually curious came back.
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Comment on Bluesky is Jack Dorsey’s attempt at a Twitter redo and it’s already growing fast in ~tech
post_below Link ParentSomewhere in the middle ground between giving up and unrealistic asks is where change actually happens, usually much more slowly than we'd like, but it happens nevertheless.Somewhere in the middle ground between giving up and unrealistic asks is where change actually happens, usually much more slowly than we'd like, but it happens nevertheless.
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Comment on Bluesky is Jack Dorsey’s attempt at a Twitter redo and it’s already growing fast in ~tech
post_below Link ParentNot fatalistic, pragmatic. Humanity is both noble and apathetic at once. The best way to make the world better is to first accept humanity for what it is, rather than imagining replacing it, in...Not fatalistic, pragmatic. Humanity is both noble and apathetic at once. The best way to make the world better is to first accept humanity for what it is, rather than imagining replacing it, in some magical way, with a new version.
We could also get rid of mass social media. That is an option.
I wouldn't be opposed... but how, realistically, would that happen? By realistically I mean, not in an ideal world, but in the one we occupy.
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Comment on Bluesky is Jack Dorsey’s attempt at a Twitter redo and it’s already growing fast in ~tech
post_below Link ParentYou're absolutely right that a lot of what gets channeled through social media is bad for society. I say channeled because of course technology doesn't create the problems inherent to human...You're absolutely right that a lot of what gets channeled through social media is bad for society. I say channeled because of course technology doesn't create the problems inherent to human nature, it just amplifies them.
And that's the thing, human nature. People, speaking of the masses, will ultimately end up using low friction solutions. First, because adoption rates are far higher, and then because of network effect.
So, while it's no doubt true that a slightly higher intellectual (or motivational) barrier to entry would create better online spaces, it just doesn't matter. It's not what's going to happen, at least not when we're talking Twitter (or IG, or TikTok) scale.
Any solutions to our mass social media problems are going to have to be low friction, otherwise they'll remain niche (which is a sort of solution for some).
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Comment on Looking for non-actiony, non-competitive Android games with regular new content in ~games
post_below Link ParentBoth great suggestions! Two of my favorite genres so I'll add a few more... In the same vein as Slay The Spire (rogue-like card game), check out Night of the Full Moon. Totally different feel and...Both great suggestions!
Two of my favorite genres so I'll add a few more...
In the same vein as Slay The Spire (rogue-like card game), check out Night of the Full Moon. Totally different feel and balance but it's a lot of fun. Huge amount of content after a couple recent releases. Somehow the (sometimes) hilariously bad translations combine with the whimsical art and storyline to make it charming rather than annoying. Mobile only.
Closer to StS, relatively new and in active development: Dawncaster. Really solid roguelike, good art, great UI on mobile.
For 4x like: Battle of Polytopia. Simpler than Civ, but enough depth to be entertaining for a while, and less of the "one more turn" problem. There might be a PC version of this one.
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Comment on AMC theatres to change movie ticket prices based on seat location in ~movies
post_below Link ParentI think the key difference is that movie theaters are in bigger trouble, due to declining sales (currently about half of what they were in 2003), than things like music concerts or live theater....I think the key difference is that movie theaters are in bigger trouble, due to declining sales (currently about half of what they were in 2003), than things like music concerts or live theater.
It might be a bad idea to add a new pain point. Or maybe not, perhaps the best move (from a purely cynical perspective) is to wring as much cash as possible from the theater-goers that haven't given up yet.
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Comment on Developers/sysadmins: What marketing terminology do you find most enraging? in ~comp
post_below Link ParentSometimes the contemporary use of most of the terms you mentioned is annoying to me too. They're useful terms, though. As always, people looking for cool sounding vocabularly to help them sell...Sometimes the contemporary use of most of the terms you mentioned is annoying to me too. They're useful terms, though. As always, people looking for cool sounding vocabularly to help them sell things (sometimes themselves) eventually suck the usefulness out of terms.
Experience: It's a filler word at this point, but it was once an attempt to communicate that there's a difference between what we think users want and what the experience actually feels like to someone going through it. It was a call for empathy.
Conversion: This is actually a specific term that comes from the earlyish days of internet advertising. Rather than refering to a sale, it refers to the point in the process where a user transitions from being a lead/visitor. So it refers not just to sales but to any action that is the ultimate goal of the process (download, signup, list subscription, etc.). It's useful shorthand in metrics that anyone involved is going to understand, in lieu of a bunch of extra words
Historical aside: conversion tracking, on top of PPC advertising, changed the world. It feels like it was for the worse at this point, but that's how capitalism is, early on the market does a lot of good things, later it becomes increasingly evil.
Engagement: A useful shorthand term for the whole bucket of ways to measure user interaction with an application. See above about capitalism :)
Impressions: Here again the term has a useful meaning. In the early internet the units most advertising were sold in were impressions (views). Then pay per click (per visitor) came along and made things far better for advertisers, drawing in all sorts of new advertising dollars and funding a huge part of the innovation that has happened on the internet since.
The term also has value in metrics. It distinguishes a page load from other measures of user interaction.
Side note: A good ad blocker should stop the request from happening, so it wouldn't be recorded as an impression. Maybe some ad blockers don't do that, but they'd be wasting bandwidth and compromising privacy if so.
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Comment on ProPublica reporting on the newly released congressional report about COVID origins in ~health
post_below Link ParentGain of function researchers attempt to tweak existing viruses to make them more dangerous. The theory is that they might manage to make them more dangerous in a way that they could become more...Gain of function researchers attempt to tweak existing viruses to make them more dangerous.
The theory is that they might manage to make them more dangerous in a way that they could become more dangerous naturally, and then we'll be better prepared.
GoF research did not help us create COVID vaccines. I imagine previous genome research on coronaviruses did help.
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Comment on ProPublica reporting on the newly released congressional report about COVID origins in ~health
post_below Link ParentWhat we gain, were it to turn out to be a lab leak, would be an increase in public skepticism and awareness about GoF research. We already know labs leak bugs, despite their best efforts. It's...What we gain, were it to turn out to be a lab leak, would be an increase in public skepticism and awareness about GoF research.
We already know labs leak bugs, despite their best efforts. It's happened multiple times in various countries. As a result of lab accidents the US government had a moratorium on GoF research from 2014 to 2017.
I personally don't think GoF research should exist at all. The potential benefits are tiny compared to the downsides. And all of benefits (to the public at large) are theoretical. As far as I know GoF research has never succeeded in preparing us for an organism that existed outside of GoF research. It could, maybe, eventually, but probably not. Which to me isn't a compelling reason to do it.
But most people have no reason to be aware of GoF research, or to care one way or the other if they are. If it was responsible for the pandemic, though, people would care quite a lot.
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Comment on ProPublica reporting on the newly released congressional report about COVID origins in ~health
post_below (edited )LinkThe report notes that there is nothing definitive, instead concluding that a lab leak is "more likely than not". What an interesting ride it's been, for a while the lab leak hypothesis was...The report notes that there is nothing definitive, instead concluding that a lab leak is "more likely than not".
What an interesting ride it's been, for a while the lab leak hypothesis was relegated to conspiracy land. Now it seems to be where many experts are leaning.
Edit: I should probably add, in advance, that the report was released by republican minority members of a bi-partisan group looking into the origins of COVID.
For whatever it's worth, I'm hoping to avoid the politics. It was good enough for me, at least, that ProPublica was able to corroborate the details. Their reporting has always been high quality in my experience.
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ProPublica reporting on the newly released congressional report about COVID origins
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Comment on Lithium removal with household water purification devices in ~science
post_below Link ParentIn fairness to nutjobs... though the conspiracy theories about water fluoridation are far fetched, being concerned about consuming most elements in higher quantities than humans did historically...In fairness to nutjobs... though the conspiracy theories about water fluoridation are far fetched, being concerned about consuming most elements in higher quantities than humans did historically is completely reasonable.
In the case of fluoride, there are established health risks, the only debate is about how much is too much. As a result the PPM guidelines have been revisited and lowered.
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Comment on Patagonia founder gives away the company to fight climate change in ~enviro
post_below LinkI love this. Here's a non-paywalled version: https://archive.ph/OyzyZI love this. Here's a non-paywalled version:
https://archive.ph/OyzyZ -
Comment on The economist who knows the miracle is over in ~books
post_below Link ParentI just don't buy that human life was largely miserable because they didn't have all the amenities and leisure time we do. People still dreamed and loved and wondered. I thought the Franklin quote...I just don't buy that human life was largely miserable because they didn't have all the amenities and leisure time we do. People still dreamed and loved and wondered.
I thought the Franklin quote about Native Americans was apt because it speaks of a way of life people found appealing despite lacking most of the things we think we need.
Meanwhile in modern times, suicide rates keep rising.
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Comment on The economist who knows the miracle is over in ~books
post_below Link ParentI agree. Sidestepping 'quality of life' since it comes with a lot of modern associations, and instead thinking about things like satisfaction, community, love, meaning, accomplishment... of course...I agree. Sidestepping 'quality of life' since it comes with a lot of modern associations, and instead thinking about things like satisfaction, community, love, meaning, accomplishment... of course a lot of people, at any age of human history, achieved those things (or whatever else they wanted).
During most of human history, it really was a nightmare by modern western standards. But that's not a fair way to judge those lives, they had a very different set of expectations than we do, and a different set of skills to go with them
For example, if you expect 50% (or whatever much larger than now percent) of your children to die young, if you grew up witnessing that reality, it hits a lot different than it would for a modern couple.
I think lots of people, during periods that would break many modern humans, lived rich lives they were deeply grateful for.
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Comment on An AI-generated artwork won first place at a state fair fine arts competition, and artists are pissed in ~arts
post_below Link ParentThere's a photoshop plugin for Stable Diffusion in beta. And of course there were already impressive AI upscaling, masking and denoising apps out there. You're absolutely right, the line between...will also start to see it being incorporated into more and more digital art programs
There's a photoshop plugin for Stable Diffusion in beta. And of course there were already impressive AI upscaling, masking and denoising apps out there.
You're absolutely right, the line between human and AI where digital art is concerned is going to get blurry to the point of nonexistent.
You make a great point... so much of the popular media hook of "x is like x for x generation" is essentially just pasting labels on developmental stages that predate mass media.
Not that some things don't change (millenials not skewing conservative as they age so far!) but mostly it's just stages of life.