PuddleOfKittens's recent activity
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Comment on You should own your games in ~games
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Comment on Electrostatic motors reach the macro scale in ~engineering
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThere's been some progress in using PCBs for copper windings, maybe they could so something similar for electrostatic?Extremely tight tolerance, delicate, large moving parts are very difficult and expensive to manufacture.
There's been some progress in using PCBs for copper windings, maybe they could so something similar for electrostatic?
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Comment on “Disenshittify or die” a rant about the history of tech, how it is bad and how it might get better in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentHow do Spotify and Amazon double dip? Do they both do a subscription and ads?I'm only worried about subscription services when they double dip like Spotify and Amazon.
How do Spotify and Amazon double dip? Do they both do a subscription and ads?
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Comment on "You give out too many stars" (2008) in ~movies
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThis whole thing sounds a lot like the Newgrounds rating system. IIRC Newgrounds specifically added the faces thing because with just unemotional numbers, people would tend to just mash 0 or 5 as...Here in Norway we rate things on a scale from 1-6
This whole thing sounds a lot like the Newgrounds rating system.
IIRC Newgrounds specifically added the faces thing because with just unemotional numbers, people would tend to just mash 0 or 5 as a crude upvote/downvote, which made nuanced reviews statistically useless. And youtube had a similar problem, but responded by instead just replacing the rating system with an explicit like/dislike.
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Comment on What is the motivation to keep sending Benajmin Netanyahu military aide while the Gaza crisis continues? in ~talk
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentLet's say the quiet part out loud: It's because Israel isn't muslim. We're all thinking it. It's not good logic, but it's what everyone's thinking.Let's say the quiet part out loud: It's because Israel isn't muslim. We're all thinking it. It's not good logic, but it's what everyone's thinking.
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Comment on “Disenshittify or die” a rant about the history of tech, how it is bad and how it might get better in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentMeaningless. They subsidized Uber drivers with investor cash, it wasn't a real business. In fact, arguably none of them were real businesses. If they're not making money, and they don't have a...Uber used to be cheaper than a taxi and pay the driver more than a cabbie made.
Meaningless. They subsidized Uber drivers with investor cash, it wasn't a real business.
In fact, arguably none of them were real businesses. If they're not making money, and they don't have a business plan (that's not enshittification) that will make them money, then they're not a real business.
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Comment on Ukraine's Kursk offensive: The lessons and risks of Ukraine's push into Russia in ~misc
PuddleOfKittens LinkWilliam Spaniel has been covering similar things, but I think the most interesting takeaway of this video is that it undercuts the Russian threats of escalation that they've been using to stall...William Spaniel has been covering similar things, but I think the most interesting takeaway of this video is that it undercuts the Russian threats of escalation that they've been using to stall more powerful western aid to Ukraine.
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Comment on Form Energy to build world’s largest battery energy storage system in Maine in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentAIUI the iron-air needs a ton of plastic membranes to keep the iron separated from the air (a membrane which wears out and needs to be replaced), so its inputs aren't as environmentally friendly...AIUI the iron-air needs a ton of plastic membranes to keep the iron separated from the air (a membrane which wears out and needs to be replaced), so its inputs aren't as environmentally friendly and long-term replaceable as you'd think.
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Comment on I worked for Mr Beast, he's a sociopath in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link50min video - tl;dw. Does anyone want to summarize it?50min video - tl;dw. Does anyone want to summarize it?
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Comment on How much space do you need to live comfortably? in ~talk
PuddleOfKittens LinkConverting to metric:Converting to metric:
I thought of this question as we're spending three weeks in an RV with two adults and two large dogs. Its working but there are times when we're tripping over each other, even though this is a 12.2m long vehicle, there just isn't a lot of floor space for a couple of very lazy hounds. But its adequate.
But that got me thinking about living in small spaces. Over the years my living space has varied a great deal. The smallest was three months living out of a Toyota Previa minivan. The Previa has exactly 1.2m x 2.4m of room behind the front seats which was enough for a bed with some bins underneath and not much more. But since it was just me, it was fine, but not luxurious.
And Ive lived in a couple of small homes, including a cabin that was 3.7m x 6.1m for quite a few months. I built a tiny home on the same yard that was only 3m x 3m inside and was very efficient with a cantilevered queen size bed protruding out the back of the main living area and an outdoor bathroom beside it. It was in a warm climate so a lot of time was spent outdoors.
Raised three kids in a 83.6sqm house that had the basement rented out so that was kind of tight. But with a backyard with the kids to run around in, it was livable. I think the biggest house we've ever lived in had about 185.8sqm of total living space, up and down.
Im a proponent of living small though. I think in general, many people buy far or rent far more space than they need - when I look back at the homes of the 40s and 50's parents raised 6 kids in houses that would be considered tiny homes by today's standards. Not sure how we got to "need" so much space.
How much space do you need to live comfortably? Curious to know the difference between north American standards and other places besides the fact we use metric.
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Comment on Nuclear breakthrough (laser excitation of nuclei) could improve clocks/measurement and detect variance in currently-believed fundamental constants in ~science
PuddleOfKittens LinkAstonishing Nuclear Breakthrough Could Rewrite the Fundamental Constants of Nature
Using a laser to raise the energy state of an atom’s nucleus, known as excitation, can lead to the development of the most precise atomic clocks. This process has been challenging because the electrons surrounding the nucleus are highly reactive to light, necessitating more light to affect the nucleus. UCLA physicists have overcome this by bonding the electrons with fluorine in a transparent crystal, allowing them to excite the neutrons in a thorium atom’s nucleus using a moderate amount of laser light. This achievement paves the way for significantly more accurate measurements of time, gravity, and other fields, far surpassing the current accuracy levels provided by atomic electrons.
For almost half a century, physicists have envisioned the possibilities that could arise from elevating the energy state of an atom’s nucleus with a laser. This breakthrough would enable the replacement of current atomic clocks with a nuclear clock, the most accurate timekeeping device ever conceived. Such precision would revolutionize fields like deep space navigation and communication.
It would also allow scientists to measure precisely whether the fundamental constants of nature are, in fact, really constant or merely appear to be because we have not yet measured them precisely enough.
Now, an effort led by Eric Hudson, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, has accomplished the seemingly impossible. By embedding a thorium atom within a highly transparent crystal and bombarding it with lasers, Hudson’s group has succeeded in getting the nucleus of the thorium atom to absorb and emit photons like electrons in an atom do. The astonishing feat is described in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Enhanced Measurement CapabilitiesThis means that measurements of time, gravity, and other fields that are currently performed using atomic electrons can be made with orders of magnitude higher accuracy. The reason is that atomic electrons are influenced by many factors in their environment, which affects how they absorb and emit photons and limits their accuracy. Neutrons and protons, on the other hand, are bound and highly concentrated within the nucleus and experience less environmental disturbance.
Using the new technology, scientists may be able to determine if fundamental constants, such as the fine-structure constant which sets the strength of the force that holds atoms together, vary. Hints from astronomy suggest that the fine-structure constant might not be the same everywhere in the universe or at all points in time. Precise measurement using the nuclear clock of the fine-structure constant could completely rewrite some of these most basic laws of nature.
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Hudson said the new technology could find uses wherever extreme precision in timekeeping is required in sensing, communications, and navigation. Existing atomic clocks based on electrons are room-sized contraptions with vacuum chambers to trap atoms and equipment associated with cooling. A thorium-based nuclear clock would be much smaller, more robust, more portable, and more accurate.
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Nuclear breakthrough (laser excitation of nuclei) could improve clocks/measurement and detect variance in currently-believed fundamental constants
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Comment on YouTube without a working ad blocker in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentPersonally, I subscribe to Nebula and then end up watching its videos on youtube anyway - I use Freetube for youtube channels but it can't play Nebula videos, so I don't. Nebula can't replace...Personally, I subscribe to Nebula and then end up watching its videos on youtube anyway - I use Freetube for youtube channels but it can't play Nebula videos, so I don't.
Nebula can't replace Youtube on its own anyway - it's carved out a niche for high quality educational-ish(?) content, so e.g. this, while great, shouldn't be put on Nebula. Point is, Youtube should be replaced by multiple services, and a single app that lets people sloooowly phase out youtube in favour of multiple other services would be the best solution.
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Comment on US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals further narrows Voting Rights Act’s scope in ~news
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentWho decides what the size of the hexagons are and how they're offset (i.e. where the pattern starts)? But even if you solve that, the core problem of gerrymandering is that people want...Who decides what the size of the hexagons are and how they're offset (i.e. where the pattern starts)?
But even if you solve that, the core problem of gerrymandering is that people want representation of their local area, which means you don't want the boundary e.g. splitting a city in half instead of capturing the whole city. In other words, you can't avoid the weird shapes because you need to represent cultural boundaries that already have weird shapes.
In the long term it needs to be mitigated via MMP, but that requires the capacity for political reform, which the US usually lacks.
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Comment on Researchers introduce knitted furniture in ~engineering
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentYou could presumably add redundant loops, so that if one section loses tension it's integrity is maintained by other sections.Making the entire thing out of a single continuous cord means that if it fails anywhere it could fail everywhere.
You could presumably add redundant loops, so that if one section loses tension it's integrity is maintained by other sections.
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Comment on Researchers introduce knitted furniture in ~engineering
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIt might only have one spot that it can be unravelled from, and it's not hard to imagine that spot having a lock or being high up off the floor. Obviously that won't help if it's literal yarn that...It might only have one spot that it can be unravelled from, and it's not hard to imagine that spot having a lock or being high up off the floor.
Obviously that won't help if it's literal yarn that can be ripped by cat claws, but I'm assuming that the yarn is reasonably strong, given that all furniture except beanbags requires structural integrity.
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Comment on Braid: Anniversary Edition "sold like dog s***", says creator Jonathan Blow in ~games
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentPhil Fish did nothing wrong. The common criticisms of him are things he did but taken out of context.Fish levels of entitlement
Phil Fish did nothing wrong. The common criticisms of him are things he did but taken out of context.
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Comment on Activision and Call of Duty have published a paper detailing skill based matchmaking and how its presence or absence affects enjoyment of games in ~games
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentI've never heard of a movement called "the anti-SBMM movement" but I'm anti-SBMM, in the sense that I think everyone is overly focused on SBMM, and it comes down to a simple reason: community...I've never heard of a movement called "the anti-SBMM movement" but I'm anti-SBMM, in the sense that I think everyone is overly focused on SBMM, and it comes down to a simple reason: community servers. Specifically, the community aspect. In 1v1 games this makes no sense, so it's not surprising.
This paper has absolutely nothing to do with community servers (which have features such as moderators and the ability to customize server settings), and proves absolutely nothing about SBMM in comparison to community servers, so my objections remain.
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Comment on Razer's new keyboard is basically cheating in ~games
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThe block on modifications isn't just for anticheat. Most competitive games rely substantially on money for skins, so if you can add any sort of mod that changes your skin to one you "don't have",...The block on modifications isn't just for anticheat. Most competitive games rely substantially on money for skins, so if you can add any sort of mod that changes your skin to one you "don't have", they lose money. So they want centralised servers that they control.
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Comment on FOSS funding vanishes from EU's 2025 Horizon program plans. Elimination of most Next Generation Internet funding 'incomprehensible,' says OW2 CEO Pierre-Yves Gibello. in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens LinkEven if they restored it, it's too late for many projects - government funding is scarce and unreliable, if anyone actually relies on the funding then they're destroyed by the first Politician...Even if they restored it, it's too late for many projects - government funding is scarce and unreliable, if anyone actually relies on the funding then they're destroyed by the first Politician Moment like this one.
This isn't true. From your own link:
And from the 87% link, it says:
I'm pretty sure there was (among others) a 2009 singleplayer game that got the The Crew treatment, it's not a new concept. And that's ignoring e.g. multiplayer games hardcoded to depend on Gamespy or DRM whose servers were shut down without unlocking the games first.
If this seems like a lazy and insufficiently researched post, you're not wrong - I've got to go to bed though.