qob's recent activity
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Comment on Amazon’s promotion of ‘Melania’ has critics questioning its motives (Amazon has spent 35M on marketing on top of its 40M budget) in ~movies
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Comment on Lawsuit alleges that WhatsApp has no end-to-end encryption in ~tech
qob Link ParentE2EE is pointless if the implementation is a secret. WhatsApp can have perfect E2EE and still send messages (and anything else it has access to) over a completely different channel. Even if you...E2EE is pointless if the implementation is a secret. WhatsApp can have perfect E2EE and still send messages (and anything else it has access to) over a completely different channel. Even if you analyze the traffic, it's probably very easy to disguise the leak as harmless telemetry.
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Comment on Why everyone is suddenly in a ‘very Chinese time’ in their lives in ~tech
qob Link ParentBut why does he want it? Feel free to school me, but as far as I know, a major reason is that Taiwan is so close to the US, and he doesn't want the US military right in front of the heart of...But why does he want it? Feel free to school me, but as far as I know, a major reason is that Taiwan is so close to the US, and he doesn't want the US military right in front of the heart of Chinese business hubs.
It's basically like the US/Cuba situation during the cold war, except that China didn't have the means to put pressure on US/Taiwan in the same way the US could on SU/Cuba.
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Comment on Why everyone is suddenly in a ‘very Chinese time’ in their lives in ~tech
qob Link ParentUnless you are looking for violence you need to regard the (real or imagined) needs of anyone you interact with in any way. This is true on every level, from personal human-to-human to...Unless you are looking for violence you need to regard the (real or imagined) needs of anyone you interact with in any way. This is true on every level, from personal human-to-human to international diplomacy.
The current US administration thinks they can do whatever they want because they don't care if things go violent. Some in the regime would probably even welcome a war because wars give you more authoritarian power over your population and you can funnel money into your own pockets more easily.
China is not looking for a war. That may change in the future (they are massively investing in their navy and may be less hesitant to use it when they can face the US navy head on), but for the forseeable future, you can do regular, boring diplomacy with them, which is impossible with the Trump administration.
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Comment on Why everyone is suddenly in a ‘very Chinese time’ in their lives in ~tech
qob Link ParentThe thing is, it's much, much more difficult to collaborate with a bastard that is completely insane and not embarrassed to show it. You can probably count the countries that wouldn't become...The thing is, it's much, much more difficult to collaborate with a bastard that is completely insane and not embarrassed to show it.
You can probably count the countries that wouldn't become bastards if they had world police powers on a single finger. It's always been like that. Power corrupts. At least for now China wants to do business, which is something you can work with, and not lick the boots of its newfound dear leader.
If the US empire could speed up its decline, maybe China could even be persuaded to leave Taiwan alone. Without the threat of the US navy right on their door step, the downsides of a war could outweigh the benefits.
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Comment on Why we are excited about confessions in ~tech
qob Link ParentI'm still skeptical about the whole sentience thing. I know, it's all just statistics, but what if everything that's going on in our brains is just statistics as well? We know that chemical...I'm still skeptical about the whole sentience thing. I know, it's all just statistics, but what if everything that's going on in our brains is just statistics as well?
We know that chemical processes are just statistics, and we know that the behaviour of complex systems can be ... complex, i.e. hard to understand and predict. What if all that is needed for conscience to emerge is a sufficiently complex system, and whether it is made out of biochemistry or silicon chips doesn't matter at all? Why would it matter?
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
qob Link ParentSounds like he was the best uncle one can hope to have.Sounds like he was the best uncle one can hope to have.
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
qob Link ParentAnything interesting you would like to share about him? Maybe something about his early life as a drag queen and sleazy gangster?Anything interesting you would like to share about him? Maybe something about his early life as a drag queen and sleazy gangster?
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
qob Link ParentThis is a great point. We need more people who are part of two or more (seemingly) conflicting groups. I want more evangelical LGBTQ bikers who teach astrophysics and love monster trucks, crotchet...I appreciate someone being sincerely science positive and also open about their faith, since maybe he can open the minds of people who would not otherwise be persuaded.
This is a great point. We need more people who are part of two or more (seemingly) conflicting groups. I want more evangelical LGBTQ bikers who teach astrophysics and love monster trucks, crotchet and guns, and they host a local prepper book club, but twice a year they read a young adult romantic novel. I can't even imagine how interesting a person like that would be.
It is so sad to me that many people seem to be surprised that someone who believes in science can also believe in god. If you see something you didn't expect, it usually means you found an opportunity to learn something!
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
qob Link ParentDepends on the church. I know there are a lot of religious people who spread hate and fear, but I don't get any of those vibes from Destin. I think he geniuinely loves humans, with all their...Depends on the church. I know there are a lot of religious people who spread hate and fear, but I don't get any of those vibes from Destin. I think he geniuinely loves humans, with all their freakiness and faults. I'd be surprised if he believed in a vengeful god who likes to punish humans.
I'm not religious at all, but I don't mind meeting lovely people, and I know there are a lot of religious people full of love. Nobody has yet converted me, but I'm not going to tell people to fuck off if they want to share that kind of message with me. In my book, that would put me in the same category as those hateful preachers everyone associates religions with.
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
qob LinkI mostly watch Destin because he's the most positive human I can imagine. He's basically a Golden Retriever in human form. I believe he could walk up to almost any stranger in any part of the...I mostly watch Destin because he's the most positive human I can imagine. He's basically a Golden Retriever in human form. I believe he could walk up to almost any stranger in any part of the world and become friends. He always seems genuinely interested in every person he meets, even if it's some grumpy old redneck dipshit with a gun. It's always a joy to watch him meet new people.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentNot sure what you think your comment is adding to the discussion, but I don't have any gripes with Google in particular. I'm against all giant for-profit companies, especially those that have...Not sure what you think your comment is adding to the discussion, but I don't have any gripes with Google in particular. I'm against all giant for-profit companies, especially those that have monopolies and are too big to fail.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentI would say: Don't have heros. Or more specifically: People shouldn't be heros, only some of their actions should be regarded as heroic. I think it is perfectly reasonable to praise rms for his...I would say: Don't have heros. Or more specifically: People shouldn't be heros, only some of their actions should be regarded as heroic.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to praise rms for his contributions to the free software world, but also to call him out and oppose him on his weird unrelated political statements where he seems to have no expertise whatsoever. Nobody is perfect.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentLinus Torvalds, Richard Stallman and many other prominent figures in the FLOSS world are also problematic personas. Mozilla also had a problematic CEO a while ago. You would have a hard time using...Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman and many other prominent figures in the FLOSS world are also problematic personas. Mozilla also had a problematic CEO a while ago. You would have a hard time using any software (or any other type of product) if you would exclude everything that was related to jerks and weirdos.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentI'm aware of all those things. It's a daunting task. The Linux commits are from corporations, even the maintainers are basically payed by corporations, but it's still a community project, even if...I'm aware of all those things. It's a daunting task.
The Linux commits are from corporations, even the maintainers are basically payed by corporations, but it's still a community project, even if the community mostly consists of corporations. We could have something similar with Chromium, but instead Google uses it to maintain control over the web.
Open source doesn't mean anything if the maintainer is Google. If Chromium were maintained by the NSA or a Nigerian prince, you wouldn't say "it's ok because it's open source". Google doesn't have user interests in mind, so it doesn't matter how open the source code is.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentLadybird is a modern browser written from scratch by a relatively small team. It's still possible that it will fail or become another for-profit business, but if you drop all the cruft from the...Ladybird is a modern browser written from scratch by a relatively small team. It's still possible that it will fail or become another for-profit business, but if you drop all the cruft from the 90s, I don't think it's so unfeasable to maintain a browser.
If we can have free+libre software like Linux, VLC, LibreOffice, KDE, etc, I don't understand why we can't have a free+libre browser. We, humanity as a whole, can obviously develop and maintain multiple browsers with no noticable cost to any individual. We just do it against our own interests for some reason.
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
qob Link ParentI wish they would stop competing with Google, et al. They lost the moment Google stepped into the ring. Firefox feels more and more like another corporate browser that only cares about numbers and...I wish they would stop competing with Google, et al. They lost the moment Google stepped into the ring. Firefox feels more and more like another corporate browser that only cares about numbers and not about its users. LibreOffice seems to be able to provide a good Office suite without buying into all the buzz words and corporate bullshit. Mozilla shouldn't have a CEO, it should have a community manager.
Wikipedia makes more money from donations than they can spend. I don't see why a browser that feels like it's a user agent and not a website agent should do any worse. If 8 billion people can't keep a browser alive, that just means there is zero interest and it should die. But I really don't believe that would be its fate.
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Comment on There's a secret version of Windows XP in ~comp
qob Link ParentBut you can at least google what "illegal exception" means. I have no idea how I got things running in pre-internet days. I guess they didn't a lot of time, but it was much less of an issue...But you can at least google what "illegal exception" means. I have no idea how I got things running in pre-internet days. I guess they didn't a lot of time, but it was much less of an issue because the world wasn't so centered on IT.
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Comment on There's a secret version of Windows XP in ~comp
qob LinkThat was a fun nostalgia watch. I wouldn't be messing with IDE cables and Windows drivers again for my life, but watching others do it is definitely great. Kinda like horror films.That was a fun nostalgia watch. I wouldn't be messing with IDE cables and Windows drivers again for my life, but watching others do it is definitely great. Kinda like horror films.
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: how AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
qob Link ParentDepends on how you define capitalism, which nobody can be bothered to do it seems. Worker cooperatives, for example, can participate in capitalism without prioritizing profits over everything else.Depends on how you define capitalism, which nobody can be bothered to do it seems. Worker cooperatives, for example, can participate in capitalism without prioritizing profits over everything else.
I don't think it's about control or power, it's just about the numbers. They are basically playing Cookie Clicker and comparing their scores.
They rationalize this behaviour somehow. They are driving the economy, creating jobs and giving back via fundraisers and donations. They are inspiring millions of people with their awesome ideas, driving humanity into a better future. It's better to put money into the hands of rational futurists with a knack for business than slow and corrupt government bureaucracies.
They clearly don't care about any of this, or they would just give 99% of their wealth away without having to change their life style, but I think they actually believe it. They belive they are the good guys.