pumpkin-eater's recent activity
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Comment on What is one of the coolest museums you've visited? in ~travel
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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.
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Comment on What long book series is worth its page count? in ~books
pumpkin-eater Link ParentI actually think the series improves upon the books. It was written by the authors, and from interviews they explain that they took the opportunity to edit and improve story & characters. Camina...I actually think the series improves upon the books. It was written by the authors, and from interviews they explain that they took the opportunity to edit and improve story & characters. Camina Drummer, for instance, is an amalgamation of a few book characters to create a much stronger character (although a lot also comes down to the great performance).
I think you could probably pick up and start on the last three books - there's a 30 year time jump, so I don't think it will be too confusing going in straight from the show.
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Comment on You can watch a 1982 lecture by Grace Hopper in ~comp
pumpkin-eater LinkComments from the last time this was posted to Tildes: https://tildes.net/~tech/1igo/nsa_releases_footage_of_rear_admiral_grace_hopper_speech_from_the_1980sComments from the last time this was posted to Tildes: https://tildes.net/~tech/1igo/nsa_releases_footage_of_rear_admiral_grace_hopper_speech_from_the_1980s
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Comment on The destruction of the soft power of the United States in ~society
pumpkin-eater LinkI 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...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.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
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 US National Security Agency 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 :-/
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.