qob's recent activity
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Comment on What's an opportunity that you missed? in ~talk
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Comment on What if we made advertising illegal? in ~tech
qob LinkAnother aspect of making ads illegal is limiting consumerism. Western societies consume so much more than they really need, and that won't work for much longer, especially because non-western...Another aspect of making ads illegal is limiting consumerism. Western societies consume so much more than they really need, and that won't work for much longer, especially because non-western societies are catching up. If we keep consuming at this pace, we'll crash hard in a few generations even if we somehow manage to mitigate climate change. There are only so much resources our little planet has to offer.
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Comment on Are you tech-savvy enough? in ~tech
qob Link ParentThere's your problem. nVidia is notorious for bad Linux support and always has been. I've been running AMD APUs for many, many years now and the last time I had any graphics issues probably was...The only “less common” thing I’m running is a dual 3090
There's your problem. nVidia is notorious for bad Linux support and always has been. I've been running AMD APUs for many, many years now and the last time I had any graphics issues probably was when I had to mess with X11 modelines to get my CRT monitor working correctly. I bought the first AMD APU when it was brand new in 2011 and I got it working on Debian (of all distros) by installing a newer kernel from backports.debian.org.
It's definitely possible to get into all kinds of hairy problems in Linux, but that's because you are in control. You can compile your own kernel, install software from other distros and mess with boot parameters that are supposed to be used by kernel developers. And it's easy to avoid this: Stick to packages from your distro and do your research before you run sudo commands and edit configuration files.
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Comment on What are some good stories told from non-human perspectives? in ~books
qob (edited )LinkGotta plug "The Things" by Peter Watts. It's a short story that tells the events of the movie "The Thing" from the alien's (or aliens') perspective.Gotta plug "The Things" by Peter Watts.
It's a short story that tells the events of the movie "The Thing" from the alien's (or aliens') perspective.
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Comment on Back to cash: life without money in your pocket is not the utopia Sweden hoped in ~finance
qob LinkAnother issue with cashless societies is privacy. That's not much of an issue in most western democracies right now, but I'm not so sure it'll stay like that. Imagine you're a jew in nazi germany...Another issue with cashless societies is privacy. That's not much of an issue in most western democracies right now, but I'm not so sure it'll stay like that.
Imagine you're a jew in nazi germany and you want to leave the country. You can't cross the border legally, and you can't pay someone to smuggle you because every payment is monitored by the authorities.
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Comment on Repeatedly upvoting violent content on Reddit can now get you flagged in ~tech
qob Link ParentThere are plenty of social media sites that moderate very little. 4chan, X and Truth Social are probably the most prominent, and with projects like Mastodon and Lemmy, you can relatively easily...There are plenty of social media sites that moderate very little. 4chan, X and Truth Social are probably the most prominent, and with projects like Mastodon and Lemmy, you can relatively easily create your own. But I'm sure there are plenty of existing instances.
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Comment on Repeatedly upvoting violent content on Reddit can now get you flagged in ~tech
qob Link ParentI think you are off topic: I was talking about flagging supporters of unwanted content (and not just the creators) as a way to find unwanted users. You are talking about how unwanted users are...I think you are off topic: I was talking about flagging supporters of unwanted content (and not just the creators) as a way to find unwanted users. You are talking about how unwanted users are detected, e.g. by looking for certain words. But you can implement stupid word filters without flagging supporters and vice versa.
But to answer your comment: Every time large social sites let their users talk about what they want to talk about, they are turning into a cesspool of hate and garbage. Of course, it's easy to overdo. Moderation is hard, and I suspect it gets exponentially harder with more users. And of course there are bad moderation tools. But no moderation is not the answer.
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Comment on Repeatedly upvoting violent content on Reddit can now get you flagged in ~tech
qob Link ParentI haven't felt like reddit had the good of the community in mind for years now, but I fail to see an issue with this new rule. If I don't want a certain type of content on my site, I don't just...I haven't felt like reddit had the good of the community in mind for years now, but I fail to see an issue with this new rule. If I don't want a certain type of content on my site, I don't just want to remove the users who post that content, but also the users who endorse and support it.
I'm not at all surprised about the Luigi thing someone else mentioned, and I'm sure reddit will find more ways to fuck this up and screw good users. But the rule in general sounds like a good idea to me.
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
qob Link ParentThe trick is to give users what they want and run the site at a loss for a few years, then slowly dial the enshittifaction up to increase profits and hope the whole project becomes net profit...The trick is to give users what they want and run the site at a loss for a few years, then slowly dial the enshittifaction up to increase profits and hope the whole project becomes net profit before it dies.
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Comment on Everything is Chrome in ~tech
qob Link ParentIf you prefer Chrome because of the UX, you may have a point. But moving from Firefox to Chrome for privacy reasons or because you want to be in control as a user is just stupid. It's like jumping...If you prefer Chrome because of the UX, you may have a point. But moving from Firefox to Chrome for privacy reasons or because you want to be in control as a user is just stupid. It's like jumping into the pacific to avoid a bit of rain.
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Comment on Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working in ~finance
qob Link ParentYes, but you're forgetting the house, which can easily be worth 50 million. And billionaires will find more loopholes. My point is that you can have a caste of filthy rich brats, even if you take...Yes, but you're forgetting the house, which can easily be worth 50 million. And billionaires will find more loopholes. My point is that you can have a caste of filthy rich brats, even if you take almost all of a billionaire's inheritance from them.
And income inequality is easily fixed if you give hard cash to poor people, because they immediately buy stuff, from local shops. Shoes, clothing, furniture, a mattress, etc. So those businesses will hire more workers and pay them better. Which means those workers can buy more stuff to support other businesses. That is what money is supposed to do. Hoarding money should be criminal abuse of the monetary system.
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Comment on Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working in ~finance
qob Link ParentThe comment I replied to was worried that one death could lead to poverty, and I wanted to show that, no, even if most of your riches cannot be inherited, you can still make sure your kids can...The comment I replied to was worried that one death could lead to poverty, and I wanted to show that, no, even if most of your riches cannot be inherited, you can still make sure your kids can live a spoiled and useless life.
Personally, I think the limited should be much lower.
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Comment on Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working in ~finance
qob Link ParentThe general idea when this topic comes up is to limit inheritance, not to completely abandon it. A limit of one million + one house per inheritor, for example, would still mean the kids of wealthy...The general idea when this topic comes up is to limit inheritance, not to completely abandon it. A limit of one million + one house per inheritor, for example, would still mean the kids of wealthy people never have to work for a second in their whole life, but it would also open up incredible opportunities for less fortunate kids.
Even if the complete inheritance would be gobbled up by the state, the real question is what we do with all that money. Do we socialize it or do we use it for subsidies that eventually go to the likes of Elon Musk? If we do the latter, you are completely right and the death of one person would be financially devestating for many. But there is also the idea of a universal inheritance, a fairly big chunk of money everyone gets at a certain age, so money would be much less of an issue for most people.
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Comment on Antiaging pill for dogs clears key US Food and Drug Administration hurdle in ~life.pets
qob Link ParentBut isn't it too late at that point? It's anti-aging, not reverse-aging or magically-cure-any-illness. Once a dog is obviously suffering, it is really sick and needs medical treatment.But isn't it too late at that point? It's anti-aging, not reverse-aging or magically-cure-any-illness. Once a dog is obviously suffering, it is really sick and needs medical treatment.
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Comment on I've been enjoying a few tropes in 1970s TV shows in ~tv
qob LinkThe knockout trope was still very popular way past the 70s. It's probably still happening. And they always pass out for the right amount of time. No need to be worried about them waking up early...The knockout trope was still very popular way past the 70s. It's probably still happening. And they always pass out for the right amount of time. No need to be worried about them waking up early or being seriously hurt, because that's not in the script.
Another one is that pointing guns at people is like a remote control. Even if it's perfectly obvious that the gun will not be fired, the person at gun point is completely under the power of the person who holds it.
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Comment on Tildes homepage is down? (2025-02-25 4pm UTC) in ~tildes
qob Link ParentThis is not your fault! You weren't trying to break anything and used the site normally. I got a good laugh out of this, so thank you for that. Also many thanks to everyone who doesn't post an...This is not your fault! You weren't trying to break anything and used the site normally.
I got a good laugh out of this, so thank you for that. Also many thanks to everyone who doesn't post an article about SQL injection. :)
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Comment on US farmers feel painful impact of new policies in ~society
qob Link ParentYeah, I have to admit, I had to think a lot harder to come up with good aspects of capitalism compared to good aspects of socialism. Maybe I'm wrong and socialism is good all the way, and...Yeah, I have to admit, I had to think a lot harder to come up with good aspects of capitalism compared to good aspects of socialism. Maybe I'm wrong and socialism is good all the way, and capitalism is bad all the way. I would actually love that!
But it's like taking shrooms and telling everyone they should be bees. Could be pure and objective truth, but nothing is gained from that if you are institutionalized for not taking yer damn pills.
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Comment on US farmers feel painful impact of new policies in ~society
qob Link ParentThe whole socialism vs capitalism thing is so stupid. Nobody wants privatized roads, electricity or firefighters and nobody wants socialized farms, corner shops or startups. The terms "socialism"...The whole socialism vs capitalism thing is so stupid. Nobody wants privatized roads, electricity or firefighters and nobody wants socialized farms, corner shops or startups.
The terms "socialism" and "capitalism" are almost exclusively used to divide and entrench. Anyone who wants to abolish one of them completely has obviously never thought this through, because it would be a dystopian nightmare.
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Comment on Can you recommend tv shows with themes of grit, endurance, survival under hostile circumstances? in ~tv
qob Link1883 is a western miniseries about US settlers who are making their way across the great plains to find a better life and a young city woman who falls in love with the unforgiving harshness of the...1883 is a western miniseries about US settlers who are making their way across the great plains to find a better life and a young city woman who falls in love with the unforgiving harshness of the American wilderness.
I'm usually annoyed by too much drama, but I sucked this one up for some reason I can't put my finger on.
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Comment on Nepenthes: a tarpit intended to catch AI web crawlers in ~tech
qob Link ParentIt's easy for an LLM crawler to identify itself as a search engine crawler or a normal browser. The web service has no way to tell the difference.It's easy for an LLM crawler to identify itself as a search engine crawler or a normal browser. The web service has no way to tell the difference.
I got 0.02 BTC for free at that time. Donated it when it was worth $100. No regrets. Can't wait for the whole crypocurrency bubble to die, but I'm not holding my breath.