raze2012's recent activity
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Comment on US appeals court rejects net neutrality: The internet cannot be treated as a utility in ~tech
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Comment on US appeals court rejects net neutrality: The internet cannot be treated as a utility in ~tech
raze2012 Link Parentyou're making the bold assumption that this ruling will somehow get congress out of this deadlock its had for decades at this point. Administrations took this to themselves precisely because...A silver lining to the otherwise gloomy prospects from overturning Chevron is that it might put a stop to some of the legal whiplash created when administrations turn over
you're making the bold assumption that this ruling will somehow get congress out of this deadlock its had for decades at this point. Administrations took this to themselves precisely because Congress couldn't or didn't get to it. Especially in regards to something moving as fast as the tech industry.
"State's rights" seems to be the theme of the next administration, but I don't think that's for the overall betterment of society. There's a very good reason the U.S. historically held federal control of aspects like telecommunications, things that cease to be effective if there's 3 private middlemen and a mess of landlines to manage as opposed to one unified resource divied out by the government. The Internet is much closer to that ideaology than being some sort of good to produce.
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Comment on US appeals court rejects net neutrality: The internet cannot be treated as a utility in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentYup, just the start of many aftershocks of Chevron; not even years, months. It's amazing how fast the law can blitz through when it comes to benefitting the powerful. All I can say is that I'm...Yup, just the start of many aftershocks of Chevron;
they said the court no longer had to give "deference" to the FCC's reading of the law...will be used to weaken regulation in the years ahead.
not even years, months. It's amazing how fast the law can blitz through when it comes to benefitting the powerful.
All I can say is that I'm glad California has gotten ahead of this and already has Net Neutrality in its laws.
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Comment on Poll results show the percentage supporting the position 'let them burn' regarding American institutions in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentI still vote. I don't truly believe my vote matters much in national matters. But I still vote. I am relatively happy with how my state policies go, though. So that's a nice repreive in these...that relieves them of the need to engage with a complex reality.
I still vote. I don't truly believe my vote matters much in national matters. But I still vote.
I am relatively happy with how my state policies go, though. So that's a nice repreive in these times. Too bad I can't say the same about the Job market. I know most job statistics are national, but it really does feel like Los Angeles is a ghost town. Everyone says "be willing to work in office", and I am. I just haven't had even a recruiter call for a local job in 2 years.
For instance, keeping money out of politics. Guess which SCOTUS members supported Citizens United, and which party has supported/opposed legislation (e.g., Democracy for All Amendment) to retract that multiple times.
The judicial system is the best example of this, to be fair. Out of "our" control, 3 justices died during Trump's first administration. Anyone not living under a rock understands the immediate impact from this, all out of their control because of an election where the president didn't even win the popular vote. Now he's back and there's a non-zero chance Clarence (the oldest member) dies and Trump secures another seat.
Can I really blame people for feeling discouraged over that? I should not that discouraged does not mean "want to opt out of voting". But it still sucks.
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Comment on Poll results show the percentage supporting the position 'let them burn' regarding American institutions in ~society
raze2012 Link ParentWe haven't had a proper riot yet. But when you see the show of force used even on peaceful campus protests, I can understand the discouragement.Protesting and even rioting doesn't seem to lead to significant change.
We haven't had a proper riot yet. But when you see the show of force used even on peaceful campus protests, I can understand the discouragement.
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Comment on One state tried eighth grade algebra for all. It hasn’t gone well. in ~society
raze2012 LinkIf that's the biggest barrier I guess the entire education system is in danger. And always has been for as long as we had structured education. But I digress. It's an interesting idea, but...“Eighth grade, they’re just in full-on puberty, hormones,” said Zach Loy, another math teacher at the high school, an hour’s drive from Minneapolis. “Are they capable of sitting down and focusing on one thing for two, three minutes at a time without getting distracted? I see that as being the hardest barrier.”
If that's the biggest barrier I guess the entire education system is in danger. And always has been for as long as we had structured education. But I digress.
It's an interesting idea, but mathematics is an area where fundamentals are everything. if you're 1st-7th graded mathematics aren't rock solid, you're going only see an amplification of struggles for algebra. I'm sure there's a myriad of factors that can improve in this regard, but it ultimately comes down to each individual everyone has different proficiencies, and rushing them is the last way to help here.
For reference, I did do an accelerated track and I'll admit that I struggled a bit in the hybrid Algebra II/Calculus A course. You know what helped the most in Calc B/C? The teacher took 2 weeks to reinforce our trigonometry . I can't really explain what "clicked" that 2nd time, but seeing trig again after that exposure to how growth and limits work kinda just did something. I suppose the first time through I was relying a lot on rote memorization (and tbf, a good part of trig is just accepting seemingly random identities). The 2nd time I could understand more of the why's and how's behind how the curves are modeled, and received more pratical applications of what they are used for besides triangles.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentYean, the law's always behind on tech, and The Wire Act's weakening was the biggest victory for video game gambling. All that is more or less state by state and I wouldn't be surprised if many...Yean, the law's always behind on tech, and The Wire Act's weakening was the biggest victory for video game gambling. All that is more or less state by state and I wouldn't be surprised if many states just don't have regulation for that. The only technicality there is that the ESRB makes all games with real gambling AO (i.e. you cannot sell on consoles), but that's gotten around by... not caring about ratings and just being unrated.
I thought you were just talking about lotteries with gas stations, but I didn't realize there were literal slot machines. I haven't seen that in California, so I suppose that's another state-by-state case.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link Parentwell, to be more precise, the federal government in general: more or less handles all inter-state disputes, including between the US and native territories and various offshore activity while not...Given the plethora of sports betting ads and half the restaurants and more of the gas stations in town having slot machines, I'm not sure that's accurate?
well, to be more precise, the federal government in general:
- more or less handles all inter-state disputes, including between the US and native territories and various offshore activity
- while not banning internet gambling, regulates it to the point where it makes it very hard to accept payment from internet gambling.
- Has a number of rulings on specific forms of gambling, especially in regards to sports betting.
I will also note that a relatively recent ruling more or less weakened the wire act, basically saying that it does not cover non-sports betting
Everything else is, as you guessed, down to the states. including more specific regulations of internet gambling within state borders, and even casino and lottery rules. Technically there's no age limit for entering a casino, but something like 40+ states have those typical rules in place. And I believe the rest only go down to 18 in specific contexts (e.g. no alcohol or sports betting in the establishment). On the other hand, I'm pretty sure almost all states allow State lotteries, for obvious reason.
Or is Illinois just an outlier.
Unless there was a very recent bill passed, I don't think so
States also decide whether to legalize and how to regulate internet gambling within their borders. States that allow online gambling include New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
But YMMV immensely and this is always a hot topic. That sports betting prop tries to pops up every 2 years in California, and so far it's rejected everytime. in 2024 it just missed being on the ballot.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, that's the part I don't trust. There's still bad actors to this day doing this even though my state has a GDPR-equivalent law against it. And you'd think I'd trust a porn site which already...then throwing away everything except a bit on the account that says "over 18."
Yeah, that's the part I don't trust. There's still bad actors to this day doing this even though my state has a GDPR-equivalent law against it.
And you'd think I'd trust a porn site which already has pretty uphill ways to monetize to do this? Not particularly.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link Parentwe don't have a "well regulated gambling" industry. Gambling is de factor banned in pretty much on all US soil. Natives have a loophole own their land (with a bunch of astereisks, I'm sure) and...we don't have a "well regulated gambling" industry. Gambling is de factor banned in pretty much on all US soil. Natives have a loophole own their land (with a bunch of astereisks, I'm sure) and not the US. Hence, Casinos.
where most people don’t interact with it, some number do, and a worryingly large number of those who do end up engaging with it to an extremely problematic extent to the point where it destroys their families’ lives and visits severely negative consequences on society as a whole as a result.
Sounds like Alcohol (except I will admit it's an uphill battle for me to prove "most don't engage with it"). That didn't seem to workout for whatever reason when the US tried banning it. the balanced ended up with a bunch of regulations to sell it, but still being able to sell it. Yes, there's still small and large scale illegal operations around it. Yes, there are some manipulative behavior towards it.
If we allow ourselves to destroy our liver, I don't see much difference with how humans choose to transaction sex.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentThat's really all there is to it. No politician is gonna risk the slander for arguing aginst such laws, no matter the learning. "Think of the Children" is effective like that. If they really...As much as there's a very nasty/puritan component to it
That's really all there is to it. No politician is gonna risk the slander for arguing aginst such laws, no matter the learning. "Think of the Children" is effective like that. If they really wanted this solve, we'd copy some parts of the EU and pretty much all of Asia and enforce ID on a pretty much global scale. Anything not whitelisted would be subject to ID checks, from the kinkiest websites to a Wal Mart online vender to Reddit. (and anything whitelisted basically has a gigantic laser of regulations on them).
But I don;t think the US's thoughts on national ID (the only way to enforce this unless somehow all 50 states agree) has shifted that far in these decades.
Thankfully some states are challenging these laws as we speak.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentPorn is a high motivator, and I don't think we should underestimate the youth's tech saavy. It's a bit scary how easily my baby brother can navigate a tablet, searching for what videos to play...Most people, kids included, are not technically inclined enough, or just not motivated enough to go through the trouble of installing a VPN to access porn.
Porn is a high motivator, and I don't think we should underestimate the youth's tech saavy. It's a bit scary how easily my baby brother can navigate a tablet, searching for what videos to play despite their reading being extremely simply.
Plus there's more than enough ads about VPNs and decades of forums to show them how to set that up. I wouldn't be surprised if in 5 years he could do all that and surpass my tech saavy at that time.
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Comment on Pornhub is now blocked in almost all of the US South in ~tech
raze2012 Link Parentthe same way my mom did it 20-30 years ago? parental controls on the phone and computer. Does about 190% of the job these regulations are doing, and it's customized to their parental style. Those...-
the same way my mom did it 20-30 years ago? parental controls on the phone and computer. Does about 190% of the job these regulations are doing, and it's customized to their parental style.
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Those communities aren't the ones being targeted. That's the other crux of these laws that are showing that these are ideological rather than effective. Facebook doesn't need ID, Reddit doesn't , Tiktok doesn't (though that may soon solve itself, for all the wrong reasons), discord doesn't unless the channel is marked as such, Roblox isn't. these all have that content, and worse: the predators are almost guaranteed to be there compared to an 18+ site.
Hence the extra 100%, parent's can control these within their household. I only chipped off 10% because this does make it slightly harder for kids to use their friends devices. But only slightly.
The last time I mentioned parental controls on Tildes was inundated by "trust and educate your children instead"
That's the ideal solution in my head, because if a kid really wants to find something they will find it. Treating them maturely and teaching them the dangers and fake depictions will help in shaping how they choose to interact with that content.
But every parent is different, as is every child. If those are tools a parent wants to utilize, that's on them. There's no harm to the child (at least not directly), so I see no reason to judge their parenting.
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Comment on GOG reportedly suffering from staff turnover and poor management: “Current business model is likely running out of steam” in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, pretty much. They don't have the same blueprint of corporate greed as the rest of the modern world, and the modern world has stopped even trying to hide such greed under the veneer of "It...Yeah, pretty much. They don't have the same blueprint of corporate greed as the rest of the modern world, and the modern world has stopped even trying to hide such greed under the veneer of "It helps our customers (customer satisfaction has plummeted)".
Valve is a bit old school in that regard, funnily enough. But search a bit below the surface and you see similar moves. Very few will, though. Those who might might not even care and just doesn't want their convenience impacted. But ideally such regulations and measures are taken before it's too late, not afterwards when Gabe is dead and his protoge does a full heel turn on the goals and ideals.
At least the law is slowly catching up to Valve so best of luck there.
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Comment on Making America healthy again - Bernie Sanders in ~society
raze2012 LinkIt's a real shame these all come down to "stop ripping off Americans and pay them what they owe for making America Great", and that has to be "controversial" because a dozen rich guys disagree....It's a real shame these all come down to "stop ripping off Americans and pay them what they owe for making America Great", and that has to be "controversial" because a dozen rich guys disagree. Healthcare is a bi partisan issue until a name appears on the bill, the vast majority of the working class would only benefit from working less hours and earning more money (and importantly, energy. Physical and mental).
As a slight reservation:
A good place to start would be to ban junk food ads targeted to kids and put strong warning labels on products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.
It's a good start, but historically these warning labels haven't had huge effects. My knowledge may be a bit outdated, but attacking this at the source would be much more effective. Slash the subsidies put in corn syrup (used in so many processed foods) and add subsidies for various greens and fruit products with less than x added sodium/sugars. That will go a long way to making the right foods cheaper and the guilty ones more costly.
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Comment on Pornhub to block access in thirteen states as age-verification laws expand across US in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentI see. Perhaps my statistics are outdated or I over generalized them. It might have been something more specific like domestic violence or child abuse that had such decrease. Rather than sexual...I see. Perhaps my statistics are outdated or I over generalized them. It might have been something more specific like domestic violence or child abuse that had such decrease. Rather than sexual violence as a whole.
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Comment on The ugly truth about Spotify is finally revealed in ~music
raze2012 Link ParentGiven the tends I see over the years, "easily" isn't enough for the common person. We could have easily moved off Facebook, reddit, Twitter, and Instagram as well. But instead 2 of those raised a...people like me can fairly easily go to an alternative platform or avoid using the algorithmic features.
Given the tends I see over the years, "easily" isn't enough for the common person. We could have easily moved off Facebook, reddit, Twitter, and Instagram as well. But instead 2 of those raised a trillion dollar empire, one of them burned all the community goodwill it was founded on to go public, and one is owned by the richest man in the world who decided that rebranding the biggest website in the world was a good call.
People really won't move unless the site itself implodes. And these days companies don't care about imploding as long as they get their billions and jump off the ship in time.
m not sure K-pop would've ever taken off via traditional radio for example.
We're more connected than ever and we didn't need streaming to do That. As long as some form of social media was alive thst fame could spread.
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Comment on The ugly truth about Spotify is finally revealed in ~music
raze2012 Link ParentI guess that's the part of the issue (I'll skip my rant on government functionality today vs. 80 years ago). We're tamed by choice and convinience even when borderline illegal stuff arises. Radio...seems like less of a problem when I can still create my own playlists and give my listens to whoever I want.
I guess that's the part of the issue (I'll skip my rant on government functionality today vs. 80 years ago). We're tamed by choice and convinience even when borderline illegal stuff arises. Radio was your only "convinient way" to listen to music if you weren't investing in a record player and vinyls.
The second underlying issue here is how we think of "platforms". a radio station took a bit of effort and regulation to maintain, since the government "owned" (well, not quite. But I don't know the proper term) the radio waves and provided a range for public use. I could theoretically spin up a "platform" tomorrow by making a website and uploading music to listen to. that distinction moved a lot of liability off of companies since "it's just a private server from a private company. Use it or don't".
I understand your perspective, but I think a part of my cynicism comes from the historical network effects of platforms and how common it is to quickly turn that into monopoly effects without calling it a monopoly. Because "it's just an app". As apps become more and more of a cornerstone of society, that old assossiation of "quick thing to play with on the toilet" needs to subside.
These software platforms should be monitored and observered just as much as we would do to any brick and mortar setup which can also be argued as "private companies", from groceries to steel mills. It being digital only means its reach and effects on society are multiplied, not mitigated.
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Comment on The ugly truth about Spotify is finally revealed in ~music
raze2012 Link Parent@dynamosunshirt on a micro level, no, but if we're talking the ol' "piracy is a service problem", and that "spotify won by being convinient". Then we can easily conclude that those taking the...You may feel guilty and contribute, but I don't think that's typical for piracy.
on a micro level, no, but if we're talking the ol' "piracy is a service problem", and that "spotify won by being convinient". Then we can easily conclude that those taking the effort to pirate are statistically putting more effort and awareness into what they are listening to. Awareness of the industry, or a specific kind of genre or artist, and then taking that inconvinient time to find a proper site and search for that specific kind of song.
Nearly objectively speaking, pirates are less likely to be passive listeners if they are taking those steps to begin with (even if the steps aren't "hard". But we gotta realize how few people ever leave the bastions of the top 20 websites to begin with). Therefore, more likely to partipate in buying merch, concerts, participate in social media for that artist, etc.
It's probably not even anything close to a majority, but 1% these days is pretty big engagement when thinking on the scale of tens of millions of potential listeners. Companies would pay billions if they could guarantee 1% engagement artificially.
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Comment on The ugly truth about Spotify is finally revealed in ~music
raze2012 (edited )Link Parentsadly enough, people don't wanna pay for media anymore. Tangent, but that's why I cynically believe that AI will more or less win the current "war" we're in. People gotta put their money where...nd the value of their work is whatever people are willing to pay... Listeners aren't that picky as the algorithms show. Good luck convincing people to go back to paying more for individual tracks.
sadly enough, people don't wanna pay for media anymore. Tangent, but that's why I cynically believe that AI will more or less win the current "war" we're in. People gotta put their money where their mouths are, and if coporate can instead just target the casual consumers who just see/hear "good enough", then we see the endgame right there
I'm not saying any subjects in this article are using AI, just expanding on this mentality. This merely feels like a stopgap until they can take out the middleman for this bespoke music. The pipeline described here is simply the blueprints on how they will start to automate this process. Producers producing for passive listeners without a need for a pesky artist, arguably by stealing centuries of media and condensing it through its own algorithm.
EDIT: just an observation from reading the rest of the article:
They called it payola in the 1950s. The public learned that radio deejays picked songs for airplay based on cash kickbacks, not musical merit.
Music fans got angry and demanded action. In 1959, both the US Senate and House launched investigations. Famous deejay Alan Freed got fired from WABC after refusing to sign a statement claiming that he had never taken bribes.
I forget how big a deal Payola was. It's so funny how we have access to more information than ever and can find muckracking in real time, but from that we turned more passive than ever whenever we see these trends repeat.
pretty crazy take given that televised news was one of the quickets ways to provide news to the populace. And utilized for presidential addresses for decades by the 90's.
But I guess that "basic package" deal was a loophole to get around that. One that mostle provided news channels .