psi's recent activity
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Comment on The America Party in ~society
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June/July 2025 in ~games
psi Link ParentI'll take Busy Beaver š¦«. He wants to be a mathematician, and in fact he had a good lead on solving Goldbach's conjecture! But that would require him to be able to count to 27, and right now he...I'll take Busy Beaver š¦«. He wants to be a mathematician, and in fact he had a good lead on solving Goldbach's conjecture! But that would require him to be able to count to 27, and right now he only knows how to count to 5.
Thanks as always for running the giveaway!
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
psi Link ParentI agree that everything should not be in service of democracy, but I would disagree that democracy exists to optimize freedom of action and speech. Such a political philosophy describes literal...I agree that everything should not be in service of democracy, but I would disagree that democracy exists to optimize freedom of action and speech. Such a political philosophy describes literal anarchy.
Rather, democracy exists to balance individual freedoms without intruding on the freedoms of others (as the saying goes, "your right to swing your arms ends just where the other manās nose begins"). Speech is not inherently valuable because it is speech; otherwise spam filters would be an assault on principled discourse. Indeed, many types of speech are considered inherently harmful (slander, piracy, CSAM, etc), so I don't find it useful to throw all types of speech into the same bucket. Clearly one can and should distinguish between, e.g., academic inquiry and hateful misinformation.
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
psi Link ParentThis is a good observation and worth highlighting. If Lins intentionally wrote his act to run afoul of the law, then it's not as if there's some good-faith explanation for his behavior, e.g....An important piece of context is that LĆ©o Lins was employed by Danilo Gentili's talk show, a comedian who was the target of many lawsuits himself, paying large sums. So it is entirely possible that LĆ©o Lins wrote his show counting on the attention of authorities as a way to boost his profile. He posted his special on YouTube in 2022. The show feels like an exercise to hit on every note possible in order to get in trouble in Brazil.
This is a good observation and worth highlighting. If Lins intentionally wrote his act to run afoul of the law, then it's not as if there's some good-faith explanation for his behavior, e.g. wanting to make pointed criticisms of Brazil and accidentally overstepping some invisible line. No, he poked the bear and the bear ripped his damn arm off. If you insist on reattaching the arm, then you're just teaching people that it's okay to poke bears.
Right-wing politics rise and fall on the ability to construct straw men from imaginary enemies. Speech, like anything else, is just a tool in a democracy -- a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. If we allow someone to spew baseless, defamatory speech without recourse, then we will ultimately undermine democracy in a misguided effort to protect democracy.
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Comment on Donald Trump deploys Marines to Los Angeles in ~society
psi (edited )Link ParentI'm not sure there's anything legacy media could do to right this ship, so to speak. If someone already considers The New York Times mendacious, that person certainly isn't going to engage...I'm not sure there's anything legacy media could do to right this ship, so to speak. If someone already considers The New York Times mendacious, that person certainly isn't going to engage constructively with the non-sane-washed framing.
But that issue is marginal compared to the prevailing lack of media literacy. We could spent all day hypothesizing on what should be best practices for journalists, but I doubt most people even read newspapers -- they scroll through their social media feeds, watch some reaction clips, and maybe skim the headlines while leaving the details to their imagination. They'll see a video of a burning car and extrapolate that scene to a city on fire.
I don't really see a solution here. The obvious one would be to penalize social media companies for allowing misinformation to be disseminated, but that proposal is a non-starter in our current political environment, and even if such a law were implemented, it could easily be exploited to worsen our misinformation crisis.
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Comment on What is a non-problematic word that you avoid using? in ~talk
psi Link ParentOf course it isn't. The correct word is irregardlessly.I refuse to believe that irregardless is a real word.
Of course it isn't. The correct word is irregardlessly.
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Comment on What is a non-problematic word that you avoid using? in ~talk
psi Link ParentI'd only ever say fortnightly if I were feeling particularly cheeky.I'd only ever say fortnightly if I were feeling particularly cheeky.
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Comment on What is a non-problematic word that you avoid using? in ~talk
psi (edited )Linkbiweekly. As Merriam-Webster explains, the word initially meant once per two weeks, but it is also frequently used to mean twice per week, so the meaning of the word is now totally ambiguous....biweekly. As Merriam-Webster explains, the word initially meant once per two weeks, but it is also frequently used to mean twice per week, so the meaning of the word is now totally ambiguous. Merriam Webster suggests that when using the word biweekly you should also specify which meaning is intended, e.g.: "We should meet biweekly, starting this Monday and meeting again in two weeks."
But a word that needs to be defined every time it's used is not a useful word!
inflammable. Does this mean unable to catch on fire or capable of catching on fire? Spoiler: inflammable means flammable. There are few pairs of English words that have exactly identical meanings and connotations. Inflammable belongs to one of those pairs. Just use flammable instead.
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Comment on Alabama worker says Immigration and Customs Enforcement dragged him from job despite being US citizen: āColor of our skin has become a crimeā in ~society
psi (edited )Link ParentU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was only founded after 9/11; it's not like it's some agency deeply rooted in our country's "history and traditions". Burn it down. Replace it with...U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was only founded after 9/11; it's not like it's some agency deeply rooted in our country's "history and traditions".
Burn it down. Replace it with something non-fascist. Or better yet, leave immigration enforcement to the normal judicial process, in which Article III judges sign warrants and badge-carrying officers make arrests.
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Comment on Thomas Keller asked me to leave the French Laundry. It turned into my most extraordinary night as a critic. in ~food
psi (edited )Link ParentI think people read that the chef comped the meal but missed all the subtext that made the experience uncomfortable, so thanks for making it explicit. However, even in your framing I think you're...I think people read that the chef comped the meal but missed all the subtext that made the experience uncomfortable, so thanks for making it explicit.
However, even in your framing I think you're being too charitable to Kellner regarding the free meal. Kellner has been in this industry for decades; certainly he knows the rules of ethics for critics. And more to the point, it doesn't seem that he comped the meal as a reconciliatory gesture but instead to preclude her from writing about her experience. From the article:
Weeks later, after I had told Keller I was writing this piece, his publicist contended to my editor via email that the meal was āfree of charge.ā
Mind you, this statement came after she had begged them to allow her to pay for the meal, after she had admitted the possibility of losing her job if she didn't.
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Comment on They donāt read very well: A study of the reading comprehension skills of English majors at two midwestern universities in ~humanities.languages
psi Link ParentI think it would have been more useful if the authors had released problematic/proficient/competent answers for the same question. As it is, the conclusions entirely depend on the authors'...I think it would have been more useful if the authors had released problematic/proficient/competent answers for the same question. As it is, the conclusions entirely depend on the authors' assessment of the subject's reading comprehension, but there's little in here that lets us assess the authors' assessments.
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Comment on They donāt read very well: A study of the reading comprehension skills of English majors at two midwestern universities in ~humanities.languages
psi Link ParentI had the same thoughts reading examples 1 & 3. Regarding the it's-real-foggy passage: The criticism about not understanding the symbolism of the fog doesn't make sense in context. Why would...I had the same thoughts reading examples 1 & 3.
Regarding the it's-real-foggy passage: The criticism about not understanding the symbolism of the fog doesn't make sense in context. Why would anyone expect the student to interpret the fog as an analogy for "the confusion, disarray, and blindness of the Court of Chancery" when the Court of Chancery had, up to this point in the text, only been mentioned obliquely in the second sentence?
But I think you missed the most egregious exchange of them all.
Original Text:
On such an afternoon, if ever, the Lord High Chancellor ought to be sitting hereāas here he isāwith a foggy glory round his head, softly fenced in with crimson cloth and curtains, addressed by a large advocate with great whiskers, a little voice, and an interminable brief, and outwardly directing his contemplation to the lantern in the roof, where he can see nothing but fog.
Subject:
Describing him in a room with an animal I think? Great whiskers?
Facilitator:
[Laughs.]
Subject:
A cat?
No doubt that the student is struggling here, but unless the student is in on the joke, laughing at them is pretty disrespectful. I'm not sure how unbiased this assessment can be if the facilitator is nearly mocking them for incorrect readings.
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Comment on Not content to just be the highest-rated game of 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has seemingly broken a Metacritic record in ~games
psi (edited )Link ParentI'll give a mild defense of the game (not that I'm trying to invalidate your opinions!) and maybe also some recommendations. Questionable lore aside, the lack of a mini-map is intentional, as it...I'll give a mild defense of the game (not that I'm trying to invalidate your opinions!) and maybe also some recommendations.
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Questionable lore aside, the lack of a mini-map is intentional, as it forces player to explore the environment instead of playing the mini-map. Personally, I have accepted that I will probably miss things, but I'm fine with this arrangement because:
- Enemies also sometimes drop weapons/pictos. So if I missed them in the level, there is still a chance that I will find them later.
- I can always backtrack. For now I'm just playing the game mostly blind, but once I get near the end I intend to do some theory crafting. If it turns out that I missed some important gear, I'll hunt for them then.
But I realize none of this really addresses your central concern, which is that sometimes you can't spot the main path. Unfortunately, I think this is probably a limitation of the Steam Deck -- the visual fidelity on the Deck is pretty poor even compared to the Xbox Series S version.
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The mod that makes parrying/dodging easier is a godsend (as I'm sure you're aware). Initially I was a bit hesitant to use it because I thought it would cheapen the experience, but enabling the mod made parrying so much more consistent (and that's despite me only using the "slightly easier" version). Which brings me to my third point...
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I'm playing this game via moonlight, streaming from my pc to my (docked) Steam Deck. I spent hours trying to figure out how to improve the streaming performance -- turns out the problem is the game itself. PC performance for this game is not great, with constant stuttering and frame drops. For most RPGs this would be merely annoying, but in this case the parrying mechanic makes proper frame timing essential. I would highly recommend this mod, which mitigates some of the camera stuttering issues, and also a performance mod such as this one (and yes, these two mods are compatible).
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Similarly, this means you should also strive to find a setup that targets a specific fps. For me, this meant setting my TV & monitor refresh rate to 50 Hz, and then using an Nvidia utility to force a 50 fps cap on the game, as my setup struggled to get a consistent 60 fps.
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Comment on XKCD 3081: PhD timeline in ~society
psi (edited )Link ParentI share your worries, but they also aren't incompatible with a dual state model. People in dual states are often moved arbitrarily from the normative state (to which due process applies) to the...I share your worries, but they also aren't incompatible with a dual state model. People in dual states are often moved arbitrarily from the normative state (to which due process applies) to the prerogative state (to which it does not), which appears to neatly albeit terrifyingly describe how America children were deported without any meaningful process.
I think @skybrian's point is that immigrants are already in the prerogative state. I wrote about this in more detail here.
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Comment on Larry David: My dinner with Adolf Hitler in ~society
psi Link ParentI once heard Maher described something like this:I once heard Maher described something like this:
Bill Maher is proof that you don't have to be regressive to be conservative; you can instead freeze your liberal beliefs from forty years ago and refuse to adapt them to modern times.
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Comment on Astronomers detect a possible signature of life on a distant planet in ~space
psi (edited )Link ParentI'm not an expert (maybe @gpl knows more), but I'm not sure that their modeling software makes any assumptions about the composition of the planet (other than the atmosphere). From what I gather,...I'm not an expert (maybe @gpl knows more), but I'm not sure that their modeling software makes any assumptions about the composition of the planet (other than the atmosphere). From what I gather, they consider a set of candidate models (consisting of sets of molecules that may or may not exist in the atmosphere), compute the hypothetical spectra for these candidate models (fig 4), and then compare these models with the observed spectrum (fig 6).
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Comment on Astronomers detect a possible signature of life on a distant planet in ~space
psi LinkThe publication is now available.The publication is now available.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of April 14 in ~society
psi Link"Judge Threatens Contempt Proceedings Over Deportation Flights to El Salvador." The New York Times. (gift) The ruling is available here.- "Judge Threatens Contempt Proceedings Over Deportation Flights to El Salvador." The New York Times. (gift)
[Judge Boasberg] said that if the White House did not come up with some way of giving the Venezuelans an opportunity to contest their deportations, he would order sworn declarations from Trump officials in an effort to determine who in the administration was responsible for disobeying his instructions.
If that failed to turn up the culprit, Judge Boasberg said he would then require depositions from officials or hold āhearings with live witness testimony under oath.ā
If that technique was unsuccessful, too, Judge Boasberg said he would refer the case to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
And given the unlikelihood that the department under Mr. Trumpās control would bring charges, Judge Boasberg said he would avail himself of one final gambit: using a special provision of criminal contempt law that permits him, as the judge overseeing the matter, to appoint a lawyer from outside the department to prosecute the contempt.
The ruling is available here.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~space
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Comment on El Salvador wonāt return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongly deported Maryland resident; Department of Justice will leave it up to El Salvador in ~society
psi (edited )Link ParentI'm leaning towards @skybrian's take. No courts have yet ruled on whether it's even lawful to send people to CECOT, but surely Bukele's comments are a massive strike against its legality. From...I'm leaning towards @skybrian's take. No courts have yet ruled on whether it's even lawful to send people to CECOT, but surely Bukele's comments are a massive strike against its legality. From Sotomayor's additional statement to the order:
Moreover, it has been the Governmentās own well-established policy to āfacilitate [an] alienās return to the United States if . . . the alienās presence is necessary for continued administrative removal proceedingsā in cases where a noncitizen has been removed pending immigration proceedings. See U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Directive 11061.1, Facilitating the Return to the United States of Certain Lawfully Removed Aliens, Ā§2 (Feb. 24, 2012).
But if Bukele were to preemptively blocks such requests, that would preclude possible relief.
This party is only centrist insofar that Elon considers himself the center of the universe.
More seriously: Setting the stated ideals of the "America Party" aside, I don't see how it will distinguish itself from the Republican party. Other than their disagreement over the budget, Musk has been a vocal supporter of nearly all of Trump's policies; indeed, Musk himself was personally responsible for perhaps this administration's least popular initiative so far, the so-called "Department" of Government Efficiency. So what's the appeal here? It's a copycat populist party but without the strongman.