qob's recent activity
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Comment on Where is the programmer inspo? in ~comp
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Comment on IVF alone can’t save us from a looming fertility crisis in ~health
qob Link ParentIt's not that simple. The issue isn't that there are not enough people overall, it's too many old people. Too many old people means less people who can (or are willing to) work and more people who...It's not that simple. The issue isn't that there are not enough people overall, it's too many old people. Too many old people means less people who can (or are willing to) work and more people who need some sort of care. Who's going to take care of them? Younger people who would otherwise provide goods and services for other young people.
If this keeps getting worse, people will eventually keep working until they slowly die where fell and can't get up by themselves. This is probably an exaggeration, I don't know, but that's the gist of the issue.
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Comment on Announcing the Ladybird Browser Initiative in ~tech
qob Link ParentIf the goal is market share, then I agree with you. But I disagree that market share is viable or that it even should the goal. Google will always have the resources to copy every feature Ladybird...If the goal is market share, then I agree with you. But I disagree that market share is viable or that it even should the goal.
Google will always have the resources to copy every feature Ladybird has or just kill Ladybird with their pocket money. And even if Google doesn't compete or mess with Ladybird, users won't switch as long as Chrome is good enough.
The goal should be to provide a free (libre) alternative. If the alternative is as free as Chromium, the only reason to switch is technical, and they won't be able to compete with Google on a technical level.
If companies are afraid of free software, that's their problem. Some hobby project trying to steal Google's users is just laughable, and no license will change that.
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Comment on Announcing the Ladybird Browser Initiative in ~tech
qob Link ParentWell, if their goal is to take on Google, sure, the license doesn't matter. But that won't happen, at least not because they make a better browser. And could you explain why you think a copyleft...Well, if their goal is to take on Google, sure, the license doesn't matter. But that won't happen, at least not because they make a better browser.
And could you explain why you think a copyleft license would prevent forks? There are plenty of forked copyleft projects out there.
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Comment on Announcing the Ladybird Browser Initiative in ~tech
qob LinkI wonder why they chose a BSD license if that's their goal.The software and its source code will be available for free, forever.
I wonder why they chose a BSD license if that's their goal.
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Comment on ChatGPT is bullshit in ~tech
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Comment on Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the US, allowing him to go free in ~news
qob Link ParentI don't have a detailed timeline of the events. I assume they wanted to question him after he offered to answer their questions and they refused to guarantee not to extradite. Another detail I...I don't have a detailed timeline of the events. I assume they wanted to question him after he offered to answer their questions and they refused to guarantee not to extradite.
Another detail I remember now is that Assange offered to answer their questions via phone or video call, and they didn't want that either. Doesn't make sense to me. According to Nils Melzer, "no extradition" guarantees and video calls were normal back then.
BTW, this is also a quote from the article you linked:
Stephens also said neither he nor Assange "have ever received a single written word, at any time, in any form, from Swedish authorities on the Swedish investigation against our client."
At that point unless I can see those documents myself, it's a question of who to believe.
Do you have a theory why a UN official would lie about this? And why wouldn't the Swedish authorities expose his lies, which they could easily do since they have the best proof possible?
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Comment on Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the US, allowing him to go free in ~news
qob Link ParentAFAIR, they actually questioned him about the rape and let him go. Assange was about to go speak on a conference in the UK and he asked the Swedish police if that's ok and they said yes. Only...AFAIR, they actually questioned him about the rape and let him go. Assange was about to go speak on a conference in the UK and he asked the Swedish police if that's ok and they said yes. Only after he left the country did they put a warrant on him. He offered to go back to Sweden if they guaranteed that they won't extradite him to the US and they said no, which is is weird since the US had nothing to do with this case at that time.
This comes from an Interview with Nilz Melzer (in German), who was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture which gave him the opportunity to read all the first-hand documentation from Swedish autorities.
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Comment on The effect of therapeutic doses of culinary spices in metabolic syndrome in ~health
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Comment on Your favorite deeply unpopular music in ~music
qob LinkDarth Vegas Found them on reddit many years ago and was instantly blown away. It's goofy, insane butcher music with stupid heavy metal elements and it makes me wanna jump and laugh like a...Found them on reddit many years ago and was instantly blown away. It's goofy, insane butcher music with stupid heavy metal elements and it makes me wanna jump and laugh like a stereotypical crazy person.
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Comment on What could be Microsoft's larger game plan or agenda with CoPilot? in ~tech
qob Link ParentI'd be surprised if they wouldn't find a way to work ads into the answers. And as long as they don't manually review the input, people will mess with the output, just like they do with search...In an age where search engines are vomiting up sponsored results, or you have to dig through passive aggressive and out of date tech forum answers, having a system that doesn't judge you and will attempt to answer ANY question, with a decent level of accuracy, is huge.
I'd be surprised if they wouldn't find a way to work ads into the answers. And as long as they don't manually review the input, people will mess with the output, just like they do with search engine results.
The basic priniple hasn't changed. We are building machines that answer questions. The service who runs the machine is still trying to maximize profits and third parties are still trying to influence those answers. The cat-and-mouse game is just burning more energy.
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Comment on The Slack controversy has opened a whole new can of worms in ~tech
qob Link ParentTotally agree with this. Maybe you have to use Slack for some reason, but don't be surprised if they do what companies are supposed to to: Turn a profit by any means they think they can get away with.Totally agree with this. Maybe you have to use Slack for some reason, but don't be surprised if they do what companies are supposed to to: Turn a profit by any means they think they can get away with.
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Comment on Police are not primarily crime fighters in ~life
qob Link ParentThe fact that no ticket was served doesn't mean the stop wasn't for a ticketable reason. If your left breaklight isn't working, you would probably appreciate getting away with a friendly reminder...The fact that no ticket was served doesn't mean the stop wasn't for a ticketable reason. If your left breaklight isn't working, you would probably appreciate getting away with a friendly reminder to get that fixed ASAP. Antagonizing drivers for small violations like that is counterprodoctive.
I'm sure there are lots of ways to optimize day-to-day police work, and many traffic stops may be for racist and other bullshit reasons. But, in theory at least, I think traffic stops and similar interactions are a good opportunity for police to stay in touch with the rest of society. If you only get into contact wih police if you're in real trouble, those situations are more likely to escalate and everyone involved may overreact.
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
qob Link ParentWhen was the internet not ad-infested? It has always been a cat-and-mouse game between advertising companies and users. The only solution I see is a cultural change. We simply need to pay for...When was the internet not ad-infested? It has always been a cat-and-mouse game between advertising companies and users.
The only solution I see is a cultural change. We simply need to pay for services and make them non-profit. It doesn't have to cost much since websites make fractions of pennies per impression, and if we remove the multi-billion dollar ad industry from the equation, we can save a lot of money. But since everyone thinks ads are a good way to pay for services, we don't have good micropayment solutions to make that happen.
This situation won't change until users realize that paying via ads is more expensive than paying services directly, and I don't see any trend in that direction. Maybe the system needs to crash dramatically first, like it usually does.
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Comment on Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient in ~enviro
qob Link ParentWhat I mean by "play it safe" is to assume that animals can experience joy and pain and treat them as such. It's not always possible to not hurt them in some way. If someone wants to steal my...What I mean by "play it safe" is to assume that animals can experience joy and pain and treat them as such. It's not always possible to not hurt them in some way. If someone wants to steal my wallet or eat me, I'm going to give them a hard time, regardles of the species they belong to. Where to draw the line is an open question and something everyone ultimately has to decide for themselves. In my book, this is true for humans and other animals. In both cases, it's been an debated for thousands of years.
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Comment on Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient in ~enviro
qob LinkWould you make the same arguments regarding human consciousness? Because, scientifically, we don't know humans are conscious. As you said, we don't even know what consciousness physically is. I...Would you make the same arguments regarding human consciousness? Because, scientifically, we don't know humans are conscious. As you said, we don't even know what consciousness physically is.
I assume you treat your fellow humans like they can experience joy and pain even though you can't prove it. Why not play it safe with other animals until we know for sure?
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Comment on TV shows or movies like 1883 or The Last of Us? in ~tv
qob Link ParentOK, it's on my list. Thank you for taking the time to convince me.OK, it's on my list. Thank you for taking the time to convince me.
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Comment on TV shows or movies like 1883 or The Last of Us? in ~tv
qob Link ParentIn my experience, most popular apocalypse movies cover both sides, top-down and bottom-up. There's usually some regular Joe Nobody, sometimes a low-ranking (wannabe) scientist, who is the only one...In my experience, most popular apocalypse movies cover both sides, top-down and bottom-up. There's usually some regular Joe Nobody, sometimes a low-ranking (wannabe) scientist, who is the only one who sees the real threat and has to join up with some other nobodys for the fight for survival while the president and his cronies laugh them off until it's too late.
I really like your "top-down Zombie apocalypse" idea. I think World War Z did this, but we need more of that. There's still some suspension of disbelief because I think zombies, even the running kind, wouldn't be much of a threat to an organised army. But that's an issue with most zombie apocalypse stories and they are still enjoyable.
I generally would like to see more classic stories from a different perspective. For a long time I've had this idea of a classic action movie with lots of gun fights and car chases and general destruction, and part two would cover the legal battles over all the mayhem where our hero and his nemesis would sit in court and face the innocent bystanders whose lives were seriously impacted. It would probably have to dance on a very thin line between serious court movie and comedy to work.
I haven't seen The Mountain Between Us. Sounds interesting. Thanks!
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Comment on TV shows or movies like 1883 or The Last of Us? in ~tv
qob Link ParentSeen that one. Didn't bring me to tears, but I enjoyed it. It's similar to Wayne which I liked a bit more I think.Seen that one. Didn't bring me to tears, but I enjoyed it. It's similar to Wayne which I liked a bit more I think.
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Comment on TV shows or movies like 1883 or The Last of Us? in ~tv
qob Link ParentI didn't like Lost because it had too much artificial drama: Situations that would never happen unless the only goal is a maximized emotional response from an audience. I'm fine with unanswered...I didn't like Lost because it had too much artificial drama: Situations that would never happen unless the only goal is a maximized emotional response from an audience. I'm fine with unanswered mysteries, but I don't understand why the characters themselves aren't even looking for an explanation. Every episode was asking more questions and no question was ever really answered. It's drama that is set in a vacuum. No rules of the real world or an imaginary world stand in the way of drama. Drama is god and it will do anything at any time for no reason at all.
Spoilers
If you find a luxurious bunker in the middle of the jungle on a deserted island, one of your first questions to its inhabitants would be something like "how did you get here?", "where does all this stuff come from?" and "what are you doing here?", etc, but the Lost characters don't care about any of that and because there much more room for drama in the issue of distributing the newly found delicious food, showers, etc among the survivors of the plane crash.But I agree that HBO is better in this regard. I missed that The Leftovers was from them. I should probably check it out.
I don't understand. There's loads of programmer culture out there. We share opinions, jokes and memes, we go to conventions, small and large, we collaborate all the time, we create art like Brainfuck, demos and little games. That's just from the top of my head, and I don't even consider myself a proper programmer.
Sure, there are programmers who are just assembling boring code, but that's probably true for any creative job.