pumpkin-eater's recent activity
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Comment on The destruction of the soft power of the United States in ~society
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Comment on Mexico’s snub to King Felipe rekindles colonialism row with Spain: President-elect refuses to invite Spanish king to her inauguration after lack of apology for crimes of conquest in ~news
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI don't know whether it would be unpopular in Spain, but I don't think monarchs are well situated to do unpopular things: I suspect them going with the tides of public opinion are why the public...I don't know whether it would be unpopular in Spain, but I don't think monarchs are well situated to do unpopular things: I suspect them going with the tides of public opinion are why the public permit them to continue in their positions - an unpopular figurehead monarch without dictator power under a democracy is likely to be ousted (and of course, even in the past with dictator powers, unpopular monarchs tended to have a shortened life expectancy)
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Comment on NSA releases footage of Rear Admiral Grace Hopper speech from the 1980s in ~tech
pumpkin-eater LinkSo much of what she talked about in this lecture still seems highly relevant to this day - in particular "what is the value of your information", which is a question people still don't consider...So much of what she talked about in this lecture still seems highly relevant to this day - in particular "what is the value of your information", which is a question people still don't consider (especially the cost of incorrect data)
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Comment on What advantages does Linux have over other operating systems? in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI think that's maybe focusing too much on the "I'm too dumb" part and not the "don't understand what's happening" part - there's plenty of stuff in Linux that's...I think that's maybe focusing too much on the "I'm too dumb" part and not the "don't understand what's happening" part - there's plenty of stuff in Linux that's bad/dumb/ancient-decision-no-longer-fit-for-purpose that you can navigate and work around if you understand it... but often that is not the case with Windows/macOS
(I caveat this response saying that I use macOS on desktop with gnu commandline tooling, and Linux only on servers - used to use Linux desktop for work but that was a long time ago)
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Comment on What would it take for a soup to be exciting? in ~food
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI really like this take on it, "soup" as a word does have a branding problem. I wonder if it's also to do with it often being a course rather than a main component of a meal in western dining...I really like this take on it, "soup" as a word does have a branding problem. I wonder if it's also to do with it often being a course rather than a main component of a meal in western dining tradition?
I'm a soup naysayer myself, and don't get excited by the prospect of a meal consisting entirely of soup (even delicious flavoursome soups, or noodle soups like ramen), they read as drinks to me. That said, I don't like thinner sauces either (generally not a fan of anything that's likely to splash when I eat too much too fast) so I might just be odd.
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Comment on How do you feel about it/its pronouns? in ~lgbt
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentI use "human" here and I think it works really well - everybody I have used it with has immediately understood that it means "I am not willing/able to specify a gender, or don't think it's...Missing singular 3rd, genderless
I use "human" here and I think it works really well - everybody I have used it with has immediately understood that it means "I am not willing/able to specify a gender, or don't think it's relevant" (or marked me down as a weirdo to avoid in the future, which is fine too if gender is that important to them).
I think where it comes from is that I don't think "No thanks, I opt out of the concept" needs a dedicated gender word, and that the only people it helps are taxonomists who want neat little boxes to sort everybody into.
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Comment on Elon Musk threatens to ban iPhones and MacBooks at his companies after Apple announces OpenAI partnership in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentThat's right, although they have some interesting and verifiable approaches to let the queries that run in Apple's cloud be a private extension of your devicesThat's right, although they have some interesting and verifiable approaches to let the queries that run in Apple's cloud be a private extension of your devices
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Comment on AMD officially confirms no more Windows 10 chipset driver and support for next gen Ryzen in ~tech
pumpkin-eater Link ParentThey're both arbitrary names that you must memorise, though: sitting in front of a terminal neither will come to you naturally, even for native English speakers. Personally, I prefer it be called...grep vs Select-String
They're both arbitrary names that you must memorise, though: sitting in front of a terminal neither will come to you naturally, even for native English speakers.
Personally, I prefer it be called 'grep' over something generic like search because it's not a built-in language feature, it's a separate tool. My feeling is if it was called search people would see it as the one way & be less replace it with better tools (for instance, I use 'rg' instead of 'grep').
P.S. in a vacuum, I think both are bad names: Select-String implies you're selecting a (single) string, rather than finding matching substrings/lines. Will Microsoft fix that bad naming, or will they stick with it until powershell is replaced with something else?
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Comment on War safety - Home assistant config by Denys Dovhan in ~tech
pumpkin-eater (edited )LinkThis sort of trick is exactly the sort of thing I hope I'd be doing in their position, and it's simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. What a dystopian reality Ukrainians have to live in....This sort of trick is exactly the sort of thing I hope I'd be doing in their position, and it's simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. What a dystopian reality Ukrainians have to live in. You're at war, but don't forget there's work in the morning. Safety or sleep.
The absolute waste of such ingeneous minds - whether to combat, to Russian missiles targeting civilians while they visit a hardware store, or to the effects of PTSD long after they defeat Russia... and it's being prolonged by our obsession in the west with escalation management, tiptoeing around hoping Russia doesn't escalate to nuclear war just because they got punched in the nose for the first time and don't get to add yet more territory to their failure of an empire.
...On a lighter note, I couldn't help but think of this XKCD when reading the scraper configuration https://xkcd.com/208/
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Comment on Return to Senua: Hellblade's Melina Juergens on reprising a role she never thought she'd play in ~games
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentI realise it's not for everybody, but I actually really enjoyed the game's length - I thought it got in, told a story, and got out. I played it in two sittings, which was great: I have difficulty...I realise it's not for everybody, but I actually really enjoyed the game's length - I thought it got in, told a story, and got out. I played it in two sittings, which was great: I have difficulty finding the time to finish a lot of games nowadays. The production quality was amazing.
As a caveat, I'm more into story than combat in games (e.g. I just love a TTRPG session where weapons aren't drawn), so I like that companies occasionally release games that are more like interactive movies.
It definitely felt weaker than the original game, IMHO:
- My main complaint is that overall it felt safer (e.g. the voices felt more supportive than intrusive - I really liked the original's representation of intrusiveness... but at the same time on this, her character has grown so it's hard to knock them not choosing to have her stuck in the same emotional hole as the original)
- The combat felt simultaneously more intense and less interactive than the original, and wish they had some thumping Heilung-backed powerful combat moments (maybe that speaks more to my skill in button pressing of course... it almost had some of that near the end)
- It felt a little thin in the back 1/3rd, like they were pushed to get it out the door
- I don't think it stuck the ending like the 1st game did (in particular, I found the final boss battle frustrating rather than challenging - and that made the ending fall a little flat because I wanted to do something completely at odds with the character)
That said, $10/hour (assuming 1 playthrough, which I assume is all most people will do) strikes me as quite reasonable given the production standard (throughout the first half of the game the voices are nearly constantly talking, and the image quality was breathtaking all the way through). I also don't know emotionally that I could have managed a 10 hour game at the level of intensity of the 1st half... they could have made combat longer, I'm kinda glad they didn't use that to pad the length.
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
pumpkin-eater Link ParentLEGO® for all 😹 Now we just need a signed affidavit that you're an American and that's the issue put to bed!LEGO® for all 😹
Now we just need a signed affidavit that you're an American and that's the issue put to bed! -
Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
pumpkin-eater Link ParentThat's weirdly blunt/rude phrasing... are you trying to imply that Americans only talk about American companies or something? Starting to regret posting comments on Tildes now :-/That's weirdly blunt/rude phrasing... are you trying to imply that Americans only talk about American companies or something?
Starting to regret posting comments on Tildes now :-/
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
pumpkin-eater Link ParentA fair point, I don't think I've heard any US folks talk about the company itself!A fair point, I don't think I've heard any US folks talk about the company itself!
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Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI personally suspect that "Lego" is the most mispronounced brand in the US - I have never heard an American who doesn't call them "Legos" (although I'm sure they exist - even if only those...I personally suspect that "Lego" is the most mispronounced brand in the US - I have never heard an American who doesn't call them "Legos" (although I'm sure they exist - even if only those employed by Lego)
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Comment on What would you recommend for a single, minimal, "overview-of-the-world" news source? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater LinkJust a counter-point: have you considered that if something at that level of important happens, you'll hear about it organically from other people who do keep an eye on the news? Very little of...Just a counter-point: have you considered that if something at that level of important happens, you'll hear about it organically from other people who do keep an eye on the news? Very little of what appears even in reputable global news homepages is actually relevant to your life vs interesting things happening.
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Comment on Dozens of Texas water systems exceed new federal PFAS limits in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater Link ParentCould it be that Texas water systems are mostly pulling from aquifers? We add PFAS to pretty much everything, so even if the soon-to-be-emptied aquifers are pure, nothing else is!Could it be that Texas water systems are mostly pulling from aquifers? We add PFAS to pretty much everything, so even if the soon-to-be-emptied aquifers are pure, nothing else is!
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Comment on Fellow hardline materialists, how do you "enchant" the world? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater Link ParentAhh I think i see what you meant now, that it is life that's cruel and uncaring... that life itself exists is magical, but the realities of predation and parasitism are pretty unpleasant. I'd...Ahh I think i see what you meant now, that it is life that's cruel and uncaring... that life itself exists is magical, but the realities of predation and parasitism are pretty unpleasant. I'd imagine most people get by with ignoring it unless they're confronted with it, and then forgetting about it as soon as they can (whether they're religious or not - perhaps Buddhism has an answer to the awful ways most animals die, but I don't think any other religion does beyond "it must be like this for a reason").
I imagine being a life scientist you're in the tough position of being constantly reminded of those unpleasant realities... what do others in your profession think/do about it, out of interest?
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Comment on Fellow hardline materialists, how do you "enchant" the world? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater LinkYou don't think the structures of the observable universe, both large and small, are infinitely enchanting by themselves? Personally, I am captivated by the beauty of the universe (and yes, its...You don't think the structures of the observable universe, both large and small, are infinitely enchanting by themselves? Personally, I am captivated by the beauty of the universe (and yes, its unfathomable vastness), and find it utterly delightful that such small collections of matter as ourselves are able to self-assemble, and to then have an agency that nothing else we've observed demonstrates.
I find the above much more magical than any attempt to anthropomorphise the laws of physics which are, let's face it, not cruel: simply indifferent to whether some transiently-conscious structure of its particles is created or destroyed.
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Comment on Let's talk about Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in ~music
pumpkin-eater LinkI tend not to listen to the songs until the semi-finals (which I contest are the true Eurovision), but I've been really liking the vibes of the Ukrainian entry this yearI tend not to listen to the songs until the semi-finals (which I contest are the true Eurovision), but I've been really liking the vibes of the Ukrainian entry this year
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Comment on Police bodycam shows sheriff hunting for 'obscene' books at library in ~books
pumpkin-eater Link ParentThey mean "unrelated"They mean "unrelated"
I think much worse than the reputational damage is his replacement of ambassadors and others in the diplomatic corp with people who just seem wholly incapable of real diplomacy and working behind the scenes to avoid crises. Biden had worked to restore some of that, but it would have taken much more time to build that base up again.
Empires die, and I think this is just a rapid accelerator on the demise of the American empire which was already well underway (unfortunately, because I think they have been a net positive for us in the West), and hastening the Chinese empire's ascendancy. I also think half-assed sanctions on China have also accelerated that, since as a result China need to become independent of US/Allied supply chains as a matter of survival, and they are able to do that during peacetime.