pumpkin-eater's recent activity
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater Link ParentIf they actually believe what they're wishing for, it seems awfully philanthropic...If they actually believe what they're wishing for, it seems awfully philanthropic...
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Comment on Tilde is kill? in ~tildes
pumpkin-eater Link ParentWhat I do with DNS challenge is run cert renewal scripts via cron on a different machine, and then rsync the certs over to the webserversWhat I do with DNS challenge is run cert renewal scripts via cron on a different machine, and then rsync the certs over to the webservers
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Comment on ‘Don’t ever assume there’s anything to eat!’ Twenty-nine tips for perfect vegan holidays, from where to go to how to order. in ~food
pumpkin-eater Link ParentJainism takes more of this approach of respecting all life rather than just animal life, worrying about the impacts of their actions (e.g. about harming insects in the soil, even avoiding killing...Jainism takes more of this approach of respecting all life rather than just animal life, worrying about the impacts of their actions (e.g. about harming insects in the soil, even avoiding killing entire plants). I've always thought it a fascinating philosophy.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentThis is just standard epidemiology... these sorts of events cause both excess mortality (people who die now who would otherwise have died much later) and displaced mortality (moving forward deaths...This is just standard epidemiology... these sorts of events cause both excess mortality (people who die now who would otherwise have died much later) and displaced mortality (moving forward deaths that would otherwise have happened in the near future).
It's bad (useless, really) reporting not to go into detail. The answer is air conditioning (long-term it's emissions controls, but we all know how that's going...). How do you overcome our European bias against AC? Show people that they are in danger from these events. If you don't give people the information they'll just handwave it away and not take any action.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentI think that's a very uncharitable interpretation of what I said. What exactly makes you think I am wanting to shrug off deaths? edit to expand on this: Reuters is quoting scientists, but the...I think that's a very uncharitable interpretation of what I said. What exactly makes you think I am wanting to shrug off deaths?
edit to expand on this: Reuters is quoting scientists, but the information in the story is abstract and limited: in particular it's not actionable. Everybody knows that heat waves kill people. The models the scientists are using will take into account who is most at risk. Those people need to see that so that they have a reason to buy air conditioning units that overcomes their bias against it.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater LinkWhat isn't clear from this reporting is how many of these are excess deaths, vs just moving forward deaths that would have happened in the next few weeks/months anywayWhat isn't clear from this reporting is how many of these are excess deaths, vs just moving forward deaths that would have happened in the next few weeks/months anyway
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Comment on Apple overhauls EU App Store rules following penalty in ~tech
pumpkin-eater (edited )LinkAs a heavy Apple user for most of my life, my view of the company has significantly changed because of this - the level of constant petty malicious compliance makes them look weak (and tasteless)As a heavy Apple user for most of my life, my view of the company has significantly changed because of this - the level of constant petty malicious compliance makes them look weak (and tasteless)
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Comment on What are your favorite vegan pre-packaged foods? in ~food
pumpkin-eater LinkIn the UK/Ireland, Marks & Spencer do a really good vegan "no chicken kyivs", they've got a really nice texture and a fantastic garlic flavour - I prefer them to chicken kyiv.In the UK/Ireland, Marks & Spencer do a really good vegan "no chicken kyivs", they've got a really nice texture and a fantastic garlic flavour - I prefer them to chicken kyiv.
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Comment on I think I’m done thinking about genAI for now in ~comp
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link Parent"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.", as Blaise Pascal so beautifully put it.Unfairly, those of us with ADHD can write walls of text and often struggle to read a few paragraphs unless highly motivated.
"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.", as Blaise Pascal so beautifully put it.
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Comment on Ukraine destroys more than forty military aircraft in a drone attack deep inside Russia in ~news
pumpkin-eater Link Parent(as you no doubt already know) they don't even have the option to replace them because they don't have any active production bombers (aside from technically the Tu-160). Reducing air-launched...I think the Russian’s likely counter would be to ramp up the use of drone warfare rather than attempting to replace very expensive bombers.
(as you no doubt already know) they don't even have the option to replace them because they don't have any active production bombers (aside from technically the Tu-160).
Reducing air-launched ballistic and cruise missile volume in exchange for more focus on drones seems like a good tradeoff for Ukraine since that means Russia will be using slower-moving drones launched closer to the front-line with smaller payloads.
And, of course, it also increases stress and maintenance burden on the remaining bomber fleet.
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Comment on Ukraine destroys more than forty military aircraft in a drone attack deep inside Russia in ~news
pumpkin-eater Link ParentSounds like a prime target for a drone swarm... either the device first or the power source first. You'll no doubt also need a radar to identify and track the drones, too, so you've introduced a...Heavy, expensive and requires a lot of power
Sounds like a prime target for a drone swarm... either the device first or the power source first. You'll no doubt also need a radar to identify and track the drones, too, so you've introduced a nice strong radiating source...
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Comment on What are some good vegan substitutes for cheese? in ~food
pumpkin-eater LinkI'm not vegan but I know (processed-food type) vegans and I enjoy trying vegan alternatives. I share your experience, there just aren't any good vegan cheese simulacrums yet. Unlike meat, where...I'm not vegan but I know (processed-food type) vegans and I enjoy trying vegan alternatives.
I share your experience, there just aren't any good vegan cheese simulacrums yet. Unlike meat, where (IMHO anyway) the Burger King & McDonalds plant-based patties are superior to their beef patties, all vegan cheese substitutes range from repulsive (for me, it's plant-based Babybel which has the mouthfeel and taste of eating a candle) to simply boring and insipid (Violife). I assume it's just too complicated a combination of flavours to replicate currently.
A friend who enjoys Violife hasn't had cheese for so long that I think he simply doesn't have a point of comparison anymore, and is just enjoying it as a novel non-cheese snack food. I could be totally wrong on that, but hard and mature cheeses are life for me.
He is American and I'm European, so could also be a general difference in cheese cultures (pun neither intended nor regretted). -
Comment on A broken thruster jeopardized Voyager 1, but engineers executed a remote fix in ~space
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI'm sorry to say that (unless you're unlucky) it definitely will be. The team running it are aiming to get it to 2030, but the reality of their dwindling nuclear power source means there's a limit...I'm sorry to say that (unless you're unlucky) it definitely will be. The team running it are aiming to get it to 2030, but the reality of their dwindling nuclear power source means there's a limit on how long it can keep operating.
There's a lovely and sad documentary about this, https://itsquieterfilm.com/trailer
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Comment on What is one of the coolest museums you've visited? in ~travel
pumpkin-eater LinkThe Corning Museum of Glass in New York state - they had so many cool interactive exhibits of optics, beautiful contemporary and historical art pieces, live demos, and hot shops where you can...The Corning Museum of Glass in New York state - they had so many cool interactive exhibits of optics, beautiful contemporary and historical art pieces, live demos, and hot shops where you can participate in doing basic glass-blowing.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentYeah, absolutely - good point. I assume you'd also be paying a lot more for parts/repairs than we would here given that the US market won't have as many front loaders as the rest of the world (and...Yeah, absolutely - good point. I assume you'd also be paying a lot more for parts/repairs than we would here given that the US market won't have as many front loaders as the rest of the world (and I assume they'll require different innards to cope with the lower voltage and that will be lower volume).
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI think front-loaders are actually more energy efficient, as well as being better at washing, and use less detergent & water... so it's entirely possible a front-loader would pay for itself in...I think front-loaders are actually more energy efficient, as well as being better at washing, and use less detergent & water... so it's entirely possible a front-loader would pay for itself in reduced energy/water/detergent bills.
I've only ever used a top-loading washing machine once, when staying with a friend in the US, and I was pretty unimpressed with the cleaning performance (although, sample size of 1)
That said, modern washers & dryers sure do take a long time - my heat pump dryer is wonderfully efficient but takes 4 hours to run.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
pumpkin-eater (edited )LinkI take photographs with a 1951 Rolleiflex It's a very relaxing, quiet experience. It has two lenses (one for prevewing, one for taking - rather than a single lens with a mirror that moves out of...I take photographs with a 1951 Rolleiflex
It's a very relaxing, quiet experience. It has two lenses (one for prevewing, one for taking - rather than a single lens with a mirror that moves out of the way) so the shutter mechanism is just a soft click. It doesn't take batteries, it's just a clockwork mechanism. The viewfinder is on top and you see the image projected onto a sheet of ground glass, which is just magical.
It also produces 6cm by 6cm negatives, which are really fun (and much more fun to unspool and develop vs 35mm film)
P.S. Technically, the oldest thing I use is a chair from the late 1600s, but I don't think that counts...
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Comment on Amber: a high-level programming language that compiles to Bash in ~comp
pumpkin-eater Link ParentTheir example on the homepage didn't compile for me (type checker said no), but with a little tweak it did. The bash it produced looked more readable than I expected. Minification is a build...Their example on the homepage didn't compile for me (type checker said no), but with a little tweak it did. The bash it produced looked more readable than I expected. Minification is a build option but it doesn't seem to change the output.
Source:
import { join } from "std/text" fun get_weather(cities: [Text]): Null { let temperatures = [Text] for city in cities { const result = $ curl -s "https://wttr.in/{city}?format=1" $ failed { echo "Error: Failed to get weather for {city}" continue } temperatures += [result] } //return temperatures } get_weather(["Mumbai", "Jakarta"])Result:
get_weather__29_v0() { local cities=("${!1}") __AMBER_ARRAY_0=(); local temperatures=("${__AMBER_ARRAY_0[@]}") for city in "${cities[@]}"; do __AMBER_VAL_1=$( curl -s "https://wttr.in/${city}?format=1" ); __AS=$?; if [ $__AS != 0 ]; then echo "Error: Failed to get weather for ${city}" continue fi; local result="${__AMBER_VAL_1}" __AMBER_ARRAY_2=("${result}"); temperatures+=("${__AMBER_ARRAY_2[@]}") done # return temperatures } __AMBER_ARRAY_3=("Mumbai" "Jakarta"); get_weather__29_v0 __AMBER_ARRAY_3[@]; __AF_get_weather29_v0__17_1="$__AF_get_weather29_v0"; echo "$__AF_get_weather29_v0__17_1" > /dev/null 2>&1 -
Comment on TSMC may have approval to create 2nm chips in the US in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI agree, but I suspect Taiwan's loss of leverage is strategic realism on the part of their leaders - they know that if China invades they'll have to flee, and not standing in the way of the US...I agree, but I suspect Taiwan's loss of leverage is strategic realism on the part of their leaders - they know that if China invades they'll have to flee, and not standing in the way of the US securing advanced chip supply chain means they're more likely to have a place to go.
I don't think China's invasion of Taiwan can be realistically stopped. For the US & allies Taiwan is just so far away for force projection on a scale needed to combat the scale of China's military build-up (especially given their much improved energy security: nuclear and solar build-up, and an increase in land-based gas pipelines to reduce vulnerability to a blockade of tankers moving through the Strait of Malacca).
Due to chip sanctions, China have been growing their own chip foundry industry as fast as they can, so there's also a strong economic incentive to invade while the world is dependent on Taiwan: if TSMC foundries are destroyed (or, worst case, under PRC control) that means realistically less competition for Chinese foundries even though they're currently worse than TSMC's state-of-the-art.
A personal ISS with a spin gravity section, a big observation bubble, a telescope+camera, and a lifetime ticket for free rocket journeys for me & my immediate family to it.
Also: R&D on a compact all-terrain poo-locating-and-scooping robot for our dogs