psi's recent activity
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Comment on US Supreme Court deems half of Oklahoma a Native American reservation in ~news
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Comment on The marijuana superweapon Biden refuses to use in ~misc
psi Link ParentWhile I think this is a fair point, America leans heavily towards individuality on the individualism-collectivism spectrum (as evinced in gun control, freedom of speech, our piss-poor coronavirus...People using drugs is bad for health and huge costs for society.
While I think this is a fair point, America leans heavily towards individuality on the individualism-collectivism spectrum (as evinced in gun control, freedom of speech, our piss-poor coronavirus response, etc). Obviously one could argue that the US has gone too far towards individualism or that we should make a narrow exception for certain drugs in particular, but generally America permits individuals to wittingly partake in activities to their own (and sometimes another's) detriment.
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Comment on US buys up world stock of remdesivir in ~health.coronavirus
psi Link ParentAmusingly (or maybe just depressingly), Yannis Natsis (board member of the European Medicines Agency, the EU equivalent of the FDA) made a similar quip when the CEO of Sanofi (French...Amusingly (or maybe just depressingly), Yannis Natsis (board member of the European Medicines Agency, the EU equivalent of the FDA) made a similar quip when the CEO of Sanofi (French pharmaceutical company) suggested the US would likely receive the vaccine before anyone else.
"Why? Because there, they get the highest price," [Natsis] says. "Because the U.S. doesn't have a health care system, it has a market. And the principle is the sky is the limit — as much as the market can bear."
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Comment on Higher ed: Enough already in ~life
psi Link ParentI agree with much of what you wrote, but I disagree with your conclusion. As a physics (lab) TA during the pandemic, I can attest to the fact that teaching online is awful from both the student's...I agree with much of what you wrote, but I disagree with your conclusion.
As a physics (lab) TA during the pandemic, I can attest to the fact that teaching online is awful from both the student's and instructor's perspective. As an instructor, the rate at which instruction is facilitated is much slower. It feels as though we're tossing them across a canyon and hoping they can find purchase despite the rocks being covered in vaseline. The usual tools we use to anchor ideas in their minds are absent -- there's no physical experiment, and everyone's adverse to the tedium of communicating an equation either vocally or virtually. The latter leads to a catch-22: you can't do physics without math, but you can't communicate math on a zoom whiteboard. Instead we take the path of least resistance, defaulting to half-baked intuitive explanations for experiments the students haven't even conducted.
But despite that, I'd still prefer to teach online. When my school switched to online classes for the Spring semester, the number of active cases in my state (and most states) was much lower than they are currently. Nevertheless, my school continues to maintain the fiction that, by starting and ending the early, we can somehow preempt the second wave, despite the fact that the first wave is still cresting. Administration solely made the decision to reopen for the Fall, consulting neither the grad students nor faculty in the process. We have no choice in the matter.
My university is located in a college town. If/when an outbreak inevitably happens, the fault won't lie with tourists -- it'll lie with students and administration. I believe most students will act responsibly, but ultimately the university's relying on social pressure as the enforcement mechanism. But social pressure doesn't work unless we all share a common set of norms, and as the failure of the American pandemic response has demonstrated, we don't.
So the solution is... for everyone to take a gap year?
If you can, yes. Let the small fraction of students who can manage with online classes take them. The "college experience" will be greatly restricted even for in-person teaching. Outbreaks remain likely, which will revert progress in containing the virus and send us all back to online classes anyway.
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Comment on John Bolton: The scandal of Trump’s China policy in ~misc
psi Link Parent...and watch Republicans explain why another impeachment hearing would be absolutely unacceptable, and watch Republicans claim that Democrats should've done a better job fact-finding, and watch......and watch Republicans explain why another impeachment hearing would be absolutely unacceptable, and watch Republicans claim that Democrats should've done a better job fact-finding, and watch Republicans make excuses for having blocked Bolton from testifying in the first place.
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Comment on Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the latest example of black people being relegated to side stories in games in ~games
psi Link ParentYour concern is misguided. Maybe you can argue that capitalism is the root of racial injustice, but capitalists (in the abstract) aren't impeding social justice -- conservatives are. I wouldn't...What matters is fixing the fundamental power structure
Your concern is misguided. Maybe you can argue that capitalism is the root of racial injustice, but capitalists (in the abstract) aren't impeding social justice -- conservatives are. I wouldn't even say conservatives are particularly concerned with capitalism; for them, capitalism is just a means to an end. At its root, conservatism is about maintaining current power structures, and for Americans, that means a heteronormative, Protestant, white power structure.
Insisting on "political correctness" is absolutely an attack on modern conservatism, which is the de facto antagonist to social progress.
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Comment on Daily thread for news/updates/discussion of George Floyd protests - June 12 in ~news
psi Link ParentAlthough it is, of course, hardly reassuring that Trump has decided anti-fascists are deserving of the label but not the KKK.Although it is, of course, hardly reassuring that Trump has decided anti-fascists are deserving of the label but not the KKK.
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Comment on A hacker is trying to break Ohio’s tool for reporting workers who quit during the pandemic in ~tech
psi Link Parent"Employee fraud" is a gross mischaracterization of people who refuse to work under unsafe conditions. How are people so devoid of empathy?"Employee fraud" is a gross mischaracterization of people who refuse to work under unsafe conditions. How are people so devoid of empathy?
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Comment on Google Play Music will shut down later this year - features are now available for transferring history/library to YouTube Music in ~music
psi LinkIt's strange that there are instructions to transfer libraries/playlists/etc when that feature doesn't actually seem to be available yet. That said, there also appears to be a desktop link to...It's strange that there are instructions to transfer libraries/playlists/etc when that feature doesn't actually seem to be available yet. That said, there also appears to be a desktop link to transfer music, but again it doesn't currently work.
Having said that, is anybody actually excited for the transition from GPM to YTM? When I tried using the app a couple years ago, I found it lacking. I suspect that the app has improved since, but currently the only benefit to YTM over its competitors is the inclusion of Youtube premium (which can mostly be obtained with an adblocker). Why shouldn't I just transition to Spotify/Apple Music/Tidal?
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Comment on Final Fantasy VII Remake (dunkview) in ~games
psi Link ParentDunkey certainly has his video game preferences, but it's usually pretty obvious what those are when he reviews a game. And that's for the best; he isn't masquerading his opinion as objectivity. I...Dunkey certainly has his video game preferences, but it's usually pretty obvious what those are when he reviews a game. And that's for the best; he isn't masquerading his opinion as objectivity.
I mean, just watch his videos on video game critics (especially the first video starting at 1:00).
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Comment on Analysis of treatment with hydroxychloroquine for 368 patients in US veterans hospitals shows more deaths, no benefit in ~health.coronavirus
psi Link ParentYeah, I can’t believe reddit was actively promoting that sub. It’s rather irresponsible of the admins.Yeah, I can’t believe reddit was actively promoting that sub. It’s rather irresponsible of the admins.
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Comment on Periodic functions in ~science
psi LinkYou've seem to have missed the trivial example: f(x) = C (though as Wikipedia writes, despite being periodic, it lacks a fundamental period). Wikipedia has an incomplete list of periodic...You've seem to have missed the trivial example: f(x) = C (though as Wikipedia writes, despite being periodic, it lacks a fundamental period).
Wikipedia has an incomplete list of periodic functions, but when rewritten in terms of elementary functions, they seem to reduce to trigonometric functions.
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Comment on Tips for making a first DnD character? in ~games.tabletop
psi Link ParentCould you elaborate on that process? For example, what question would you ask next, once you've established you want to play "a trash bard"? I usually base my character's background off a...Could you elaborate on that process? For example, what question would you ask next, once you've established you want to play "a trash bard"?
I usually base my character's background off a character from some other media, then mold that character to the story and further develop their motives later. For example, I recently watched Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and since I can't Joseph's theme out of my head, I decided to roleplay a flamboyant wizard with a fabulous, technicolor trench coat who holds a grudge against his siblings. Keeping in that spirit, all of his spells are related to color in some way (prismatic, chromatic, etc).
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Comment on Republicans are trying to kick thousands of voters off the U.S. electoral rolls during a pandemic in ~news
psi Link ParentTo wit, Republicans had a majority in the Senate. It's not that the Democrats were being soft; it's that there was no legal mechanism they could use to compel the Republican majority to...To wit, Republicans had a majority in the Senate. It's not that the Democrats were being soft; it's that there was no legal mechanism they could use to compel the Republican majority to acknowledge Obama's nomination.
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Comment on The devastating decline of Lee Holloway, one of the co-founders of Cloudflare in ~tech
psi LinkRadiolab has a really great episode on frontotemporal dementia: Unraveling Bolero.Radiolab has a really great episode on frontotemporal dementia: Unraveling Bolero.
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Comment on House Democrats propose $2,000 monthly payments to Americans in ~finance
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Comment on House Democrats propose $2,000 monthly payments to Americans in ~finance
psi Link ParentOn the other hand, the Labor Secretary has wide latitude on issuing guidance on how to implement the new law, and he's chosen "the narrowest possible definition of who qualifies for pandemic...On the other hand, the Labor Secretary has wide latitude on issuing guidance on how to implement the new law, and he's chosen "the narrowest possible definition of who qualifies for pandemic unemployment assistance".
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Comment on House Democrats propose $2,000 monthly payments to Americans in ~finance
psi Link ParentUnemployment is great, if you can qualify. Of course, the requirements and benefits (notably, the duration) vary significantly by state. My girlfriend's application was denied. Apparently refusing...Unemployment is great, if you can qualify. Of course, the requirements and benefits (notably, the duration) vary significantly by state.
My girlfriend's application was denied. Apparently refusing to martyr herself (retail) counts as leaving for "personal reasons".
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Comment on House Democrats propose $2,000 monthly payments to Americans in ~finance
psi Link ParentJust another example of the President gaslighting us. He muses about how great it would be for his name to be on the checks, then (once it happens) denies that he had anything to do with it. Like...Just another example of the President gaslighting us. He muses about how great it would be for his name to be on the checks, then (once it happens) denies that he had anything to do with it. Like who else would push for this? Joe Schmoe at the Treasury Department?
I realize this particular act is rather inconsequential on the scale of terrible things Trump has done, but it's still upsetting that he can so brazenly lie.
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Comment on Finally we may have a path to the fundamental theory of physics… and it’s beautiful in ~science
psi Link ParentThey get worse yet. Here is a much harsher rebuke.They get worse yet. Here is a much harsher rebuke.
Of course, federal prosecution can also be worse for the defendant -- some federal statutes, eg, have a maximum punishment of death even when the state doesn't (with the caveat that it's been almost 20 years since the last federal execution, and with the second caveat that Barr announced the resumption of federal executions last year).