raze2012's recent activity
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Comment on Apple set to become third-biggest laptop maker this year in ~tech
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
raze2012 Link ParentLess about "durable", but I don't think "cheap" is what people optimize towards either. The cheapest good, by simple supply and demand, will do well in supply. But it won't always be the most...Just because humans have other animal desires (sweet/fat, convenience, convenience, status) doesn't mean that they don't prioritize cheap goods over durable goods.
Less about "durable", but I don't think "cheap" is what people optimize towards either. The cheapest good, by simple supply and demand, will do well in supply. But it won't always be the most profitable venture. We shouldn't confuse "there's a lot of cheap stuff out there" with "people prefer cheap stuff".
Regardless, that was a big tangent for my main point. There's no true "customer choice" if customers aren't given choice to begin with. This whole point is moot if we're not in anything resembling a proper free market. .
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
raze2012 Link Parent"mostly non-violent protests". And we know how that ended. I won't say that non-violent protests aren't effective; they very much are often the most effective form of upheaval when enough people...The color revolutions in post-Soviet regimes come to mind. Also, many nonviolent changes of government due to elections.
"mostly non-violent protests". And we know how that ended. I won't say that non-violent protests aren't effective; they very much are often the most effective form of upheaval when enough people amass. But there's always some underpinnings of violence alongside the non-violent majority. It's already a Herculean effort gathering thousands or millions of people under one cause. Making sure they are all on their behavior despite heightened emotions is nearly impossibe.
In many cases, lone wolves attempting assassinations are neither necessary nor sufficient.
No, not at all. But we've seen enough of the last few decades of lone shooters in the US to know they certainly don't go ignored.
And that's the main goal with many of these people; not to enact radical change with one big action, but to get people talking. And it works everytime because every incentive these days revolves around some sort of news cycle.
I'm here and not on Reddit/Intagram/Twitter, so I despise this current societal structure rewarding big, shocking actions rather than steady progressive change. But I don't see such incentives changing anytime soon
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Comment on The people do not yearn for automation in ~society
raze2012 Link Parentif you change the cause you change the entire context. "I was being attacked and killed in self-defense" "well yes. But if you weren't in danger, wouldn't it be murder?" violence is less effective.... Like, if you saw someone saying these things about some other cause, would you view this speech as a problem?
if you change the cause you change the entire context.
"I was being attacked and killed in self-defense"
"well yes. But if you weren't in danger, wouldn't it be murder?"
In any event, your entire argument rests on violence being necessary to resist tyranny. There are two problems with this:
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violence is less effective than non-violence. However, there's never been a 100% purely non-violent protest. You can't control every person's actions and not everyone is in the same state of mind.
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tyranny isn't purely governmental, it is simply "a rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force". And I'd say AI qualifies at this point. It's trying to unregulate itself. It's sucking up signifigant resources, it's being forced down our throats everwhere. Maybe it's not the same tyranny as ICE violence, but it meets the definition.
iolence begets violence. It always grows, and innocent people are always victimized.
There is no bloodless revolution. Even if we somehow went 100% peaceful right now, blood has already been spilt. I don't say this as endorsement so much as cold, historical, statistical, fact. People have, are, and will be hurt.
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Comment on New AI data center in Utah will generate and consume more than twice the amount of power the entire state uses in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, we'll see what the people on the ground think of that. Never took Utah to be the kind of state to just casually allow such stuff in their backyard. But they'd also be the kind of people to...but already having the permission to expand is valuable.
Yeah, we'll see what the people on the ground think of that. Never took Utah to be the kind of state to just casually allow such stuff in their backyard. But they'd also be the kind of people to be convinced that this current administratinon is "on our side"
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
raze2012 Link ParentI used "planned" a more colloquially, here. Are they literally planning around the car failing after 100k miles? Maybe. I don't think they're unaware of certain parts breaking down fast. But it's...I think planned obsolescence is too conspiratorial an explanation.
I used "planned" a more colloquially, here. Are they literally planning around the car failing after 100k miles? Maybe. I don't think they're unaware of certain parts breaking down fast.
But it's not the primary objective of bulding a new car. It's simply a convenient side effect of reducing R&D time and speeding up production. In that lens, it still is "planned" in some way. Planning around worse QC and parts that can't keep up with the rest of the car.
A machine with 100 moving parts has 95 more ways to break than a machine with 5.
Yes, and that's one of the more exciting parts about EV's. Much less parts to break down. But with current trajectories we sure aren't taking advantage of that in the US for some reason...
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
raze2012 Link ParentI'm not even sure I agree with this philosophically. If customer's only wanted the cheapest goods, entire industries would collapse overnight. No dessert industry, no indoor dining experiences, no...Customers, on the whole, want cheaper now, not better longer.
I'm not even sure I agree with this philosophically. If customer's only wanted the cheapest goods, entire industries would collapse overnight. No dessert industry, no indoor dining experiences, no diet supplement industry, no luxury industry.
These are all markets that exist by injecting demand for something past the basics. There's a lot of things people don't care about, but there's enough audience to maintain luxury/premium markets.
And back to the automotive industry: cars are more and more expensive than ever with more features.
It's really not just some malicious force that will magically disappear if you just get good people in the right positions.
Magic, no. But it'd be lessened. Power does corrupt, though.
But yes, the big issue here are perverse incentives from decision makers.I don't think I need to preach to the choir about ending citizens united, making stock buybacks illegal, and massively raising capital tax, so I'll keep it brief: change the incentives, change the outcomes. CEO's have no skin in the game to maintain quality, and shareholders in fact drive companies to pursue a long term road to ruin. We need to change that for anything to truly change for the better.
(or somehow we change human nature, or shareholders start demanding long term quality. But I think altering man itself or the stock market's dynamics are much harder endeavors)
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, that might actually be a deal breaker for me. I liked that the old controllers were simply BT controllers with some mousing controls for the touchpad. I don't want my hardware to be tied to...Yeah, that might actually be a deal breaker for me. I liked that the old controllers were simply BT controllers with some mousing controls for the touchpad. I don't want my hardware to be tied to an application as heavy as an entire store launcher; I try to keep steam (and most programs) off except when genuinely needed.
I hope it just means "full functionality with steam" and some basic drivers by itself to function as a generic gamepad/mouse.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentDefaults are strong, though. Especially for smaller devs that won't be able to research pricing cultures in dozens of countries and will simply trust the systems in place. It's like talking about...Steam has a currency calculator, which tries to take into account PPP in addition to the exchange rate, but it is optional and you can change the specific prices afterwards.
Defaults are strong, though. Especially for smaller devs that won't be able to research pricing cultures in dozens of countries and will simply trust the systems in place.
It's like talking about MSRP but blaming WalMart for not making a PS5 cheaper. They trust Sony's researched a lot of that market price, compared it loosely against their own margins, and went with it.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentDepends on the perspective, I suppose. A lot of society got worst at say, a 3x rate this last decade. So valve getting maybe 1.5x worse won't feel as bad. Even if you can argue's Valve's...but they've undoubtedly made a more consumer friendly and frictionless experience for a boatload of people. To say they're perfect is incorrect, but to lump them in with the likes of EA is also not true.
Depends on the perspective, I suppose. A lot of society got worst at say, a 3x rate this last decade. So valve getting maybe 1.5x worse won't feel as bad. Even if you can argue's Valve's contributions are much more significant than EA's.
Also, A lot of Valve's evils are "boring" if you're not directly in that affectetd scene. Because their game dev is much more secondary and they don't actually interface much with players. If you don't play Counterstrike, you don't "feel" the gambling.
EA's evils aren't actually as bad, but much more high profile. And they release dozens of games per year from many popular licenses. They talk about "a sense of pride and accomplishment" and it's a firestorm for months and ears to come.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentI still have 2 steam controllers from the fire sale days, and there really isn't any comparison to them. The entire purpose of this controller was to reconttextuaize a gamepad that can somewhat...I still have 2 steam controllers from the fire sale days, and there really isn't any comparison to them. The entire purpose of this controller was to reconttextuaize a gamepad that can somewhat work for navigating a PC. 99% of other controllers are focused on being similar to the big console gamepads.
if you just need any ol' controller, then of course you can either use your existing console controllers as a BT one or buy any of the hundreds of $20-80 3rd party gamepads out there. But that's not what someone interested in a Steam Controller is looking for.
Also, this kind of controller, if we had to find a competitor, is more looking towards the kinds of people who buy "elite" controllers, or genre dedicated schemes (fight sticks, driving wheels, etc). $100 is very competitive for that market.
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Comment on We must keep age verification from killing anonymity online in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentThey shouldn't, but they absolutely will try. The money is there so there will be pursuers. Personally I'll just keep moving about as I always have. Outside of Youtube, there's no major website I...Not a single third party private company should be tied to a system like this.
They shouldn't, but they absolutely will try. The money is there so there will be pursuers.
Personally I'll just keep moving about as I always have. Outside of Youtube, there's no major website I care enough about to make an account at the cost of tying my ID to them. If it goes beyond social media, then that's more reason to pirate than actually consume (they already have my CC info, so there really is no excuse to age verify me). I've walked away from many sites over much less kerfluffles, so this wouldn't be any different.
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Comment on We must keep age verification from killing anonymity online in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentFrom what I hear (but I haven't looked deeply into the statistics), the most common source of homeless come from orphans who aged out of their orphanage. Not having a familial support network is...I think we have a lot of systems set up for kids that ignore this reality and thats why so many of these kids end up chronically homeless
From what I hear (but I haven't looked deeply into the statistics), the most common source of homeless come from orphans who aged out of their orphanage. Not having a familial support network is that damning on a life.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
raze2012 Link ParentThe thing is "new" and "reliable" have been divorcing each other in the car world for quite a while. Planned obsolescence is too big an incentive.The thing is "new" and "reliable" have been divorcing each other in the car world for quite a while. Planned obsolescence is too big an incentive.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
raze2012 Link ParentIt's really tough being between wanting a car that I can repair myself (or at least, allow for 3rd party repairs), but also wanting to move to an FEV one day. The last few decades made every...It's really tough being between wanting a car that I can repair myself (or at least, allow for 3rd party repairs), but also wanting to move to an FEV one day. The last few decades made every technological push come with some caveat of trying to remove freedom (as in liberty) and I hate it.
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Comment on Framework reveals 13 Pro laptop with 20-hour battery in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentLooking at the ram config prices already gave me a heart attack, so I can't blame them. 1200 for the base chasis and then ram was Heart attack warning439 USD for 32 GB. And 849 USD for 64 GB I'd...Looking at the ram config prices already gave me a heart attack, so I can't blame them. 1200 for the base chasis and then ram was
Heart attack warning
439 USD for 32 GB. And 849 USD for 64 GBI'd definitely hold off any pricing until things stabilize.
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Comment on Apple names insider John Ternus as CEO, Tim Cook to become executive chairman in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentOptimistic for what? I'm not in tune with the Apple environment, so I'm not exactly sure what shortcomings customers have these days. I don't think much will change on the business end, at least.Optimistic for what? I'm not in tune with the Apple environment, so I'm not exactly sure what shortcomings customers have these days.
I don't think much will change on the business end, at least.
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Comment on Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on? in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentThere's a lot more, but that's the bare minimum and most civil approach.There's a lot more, but that's the bare minimum and most civil approach.
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Comment on What are the current channels to find remote work? in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentMore work sadly. I don't want the next inevitable layoff to lack leverage. Time to myself is time to invest in my future self, because my experiences show that the idea of a traditional career for...All of us working remotely just have more time than others because we don't spend that time commuting. What do we use that time for?
More work sadly. I don't want the next inevitable layoff to lack leverage. Time to myself is time to invest in my future self, because my experiences show that the idea of a traditional career for the Gen Z (and I guess "Zillenial", which I fall into) doesn't exist. I don't get to think in "careers" like the other end of Millenials or Gen X. Only in "gigs". Part of this is self inflicted, but I don't think my industry by itself is the problem.
Again, remote positions are only available to those who are selected in highly, highly competitive hiring processes.
Yes, and most of my career was remote. I still have part time contract work, but it's just that; contract ends and I move on. I have to think about tomorrow in terms of work and not leisure because no one else will do it for me.
In my case (regardless of onsite or remote work) I'll likely be focusing on making my own game during the next inevitable game industry bust. May not be livable money, but it will be something I truly own and can't be laid off from.
I'll keep fighting for progressive causes as well, but that's probably more of a 10-15 year goal at this rate, not 3-5.
How could the company expect someone to see if they could shift stuff in their personal life to work early or late due to customer time-zones?
I imagine they ask and we give our schedule. I compromised at times where I talked to teams on the EU side and I end up meeting at 6-7AM while it's 8-9PM on their end. If the mission is important we make the time.
But that seems to run counter to the "I need to take an afternoon off to see a kid's recital", no?
How would our workplace environment be if people didn't share the excitement that they're going to their brother's wedding, or let others know they were feeling down because their dog has cancer?
"Professional", I suppose. There's always exceptions but the "we're a family" illusion broke in the late 2010's (and COVID was the coup d'etat). How can you truly care of your fellow coworker when half of you disappear in 3 years (and perhaps, everyone you know is gone on 5 after rounds of layoffs)?
I'll modify the formula a bit, "make friends, not family'. There's always a few contacts from every job I try to stay in touch with. Even in my non-tech gigs. But only a few out of a group of dozens and maybe hundreds.
This wouldn't work in our high-pressure environment. It'd be impossible and unprofessional to compartmentalize personal life because our personal lives do impact our performance and how our colleagues want to behave.
Of course. And that personal life becomes easy numbers for people 3 levels above your manager (and I'll say I've never had a horrible manager like other second hand experiences) to cross you off a list as an expense instead of as a person.
To not know that is indeed, priveledge.
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Comment on What are the current channels to find remote work? in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentA good indication of privilege, perhaps. I don't know if I assassinate a weekend trip to see my parents as a "vacation" per se. Especially when they are relatively nearby (i.e. in the same few...Again, I sometimes get push-back on that internally, but I believe it's a good indication:
A good indication of privilege, perhaps. I don't know if I assassinate a weekend trip to see my parents as a "vacation" per se. Especially when they are relatively nearby (i.e. in the same few physical locations). And as an American I only have bad experiences trying to talk about my out-of-work schedule to my workplace. So much is used against us to try and justify firings or pay cuts or otherwise guilt trip us into the very thing you penalize prospective employees for.
That's why it seems like this is a mindset more out of the EU with proper workplace protectinons (and likewise, an environment where hiring needs to be considered more carefully).
Everyone's hiking prices up like crazy. Meanwhile, the reputable company known for a premium market is making one of the more affordable options. Seems inevitable, given the state of things.