redwall_hp's recent activity
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Comment on China population set for 51 million drop as pro-birth moves fail in ~society
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Comment on United States Department of Justice will push Google to sell Chrome to break search monopoly in ~tech
redwall_hp Link Parent"Owner of the original Internet Explorer monoculture buys the new equivalent to the Internet Explorer monoculture." Yeah, I lived through the original iteration of that. Let's not allow them to..."Owner of the original Internet Explorer monoculture buys the new equivalent to the Internet Explorer monoculture."
Yeah, I lived through the original iteration of that. Let's not allow them to buy it either.
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Comment on The Game Awards nominees 2024: Controversially, DLCs/expansions can now compete for GOTY in ~games
redwall_hp Link ParentAll of the Final Fantasy XIV expansions are straight up better than the original release, and have had excellent stories. The latest, Dawntrail, isn't quite at the same heights that Shadowbringers...All of the Final Fantasy XIV expansions are straight up better than the original release, and have had excellent stories. The latest, Dawntrail, isn't quite at the same heights that Shadowbringers and Endwalker reached, but it was certainly good and I think it should be eligible for something like that. The expansions are all basically equivalent to a full single player game in terms of scope.
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Comment on AirPods or not? in ~music
redwall_hp Link ParentI personally trust passive concert earplugs more for actual protection than ANC. AirPods are amazing for minimizing distractions at work, and they're great sounding for music. (They're more bassy...I personally trust passive concert earplugs more for actual protection than ANC. AirPods are amazing for minimizing distractions at work, and they're great sounding for music. (They're more bassy than my Sony MDRs, though those are meant to have a flat response for mixing, but the quality is damn close to them, which is impressive for earbuds.)
Passive earplugs rated for a certain amount of reduction, say 15-20db, will do that reliably as long as they're undamaged and inserted correctly...and with concerts pushing 95-100db, you really want to protect your hearing. That really can't be overstated.
ANC's approach has so many moving pieces I only use it as a last resort, and not something I deliberately bring when I know I'll be in a noisy environment. (i.e. the best hearing protection is the kind you have with you.) You have microphones, speakers, a looser rubber seal, and software that have to work flawlessly to hammer down sudden noise with a corresponding inverted signal. If the slight delay is too much, or a high sound you can't hear is getting through, you could still be taking potential damage.
You can sometimes hear that imperfection with ANC: sometimes there's this sort of metallic hum and you can hear the sound bleed through and get partially stomped down.
My personal pick for concert earplugs are the ones from Etymotic Research. They're made much the same way as the IEMs they make, sans speakers, which musicians trust to protect their hearing. (If you ever see a performer up close, they probably have either a blue rubber thing with a clear plastic tip in their ear, or a custom molded one, and a wire going down somewhere. That's physically blocking the noise while playing what they want to hear from the mixing board.)
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Comment on Idea-having is not art in ~tech
redwall_hp Link ParentThis also fits with the software world a lot too. "I have this great idea. I want you to build it for me for a pittance while I profit from having an amazing idea" is a bad meme at this point....This also fits with the software world a lot too. "I have this great idea. I want you to build it for me for a pittance while I profit from having an amazing idea" is a bad meme at this point. Unsurprisingly, said idea is usually N...but for Z! "It's Uber, but for dogs! Never mind the crass underestimation of the complexity, make this thing for free and you can have 1/12 of my amazing company!"
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Comment on In praise of inconvenience: The hidden costs of a convenient world in ~life
redwall_hp Link ParentYep. I trust that I'm getting the product I expect, and that it's far less likely to be subtly hazardous in some way, when I buy in a store. Shipping also sucks. I've had multiple orders from...Yep. I trust that I'm getting the product I expect, and that it's far less likely to be subtly hazardous in some way, when I buy in a store.
Shipping also sucks. I've had multiple orders from Apple in the past year go missing, either an error/not caring on the part of the apartment office or DHL screwing up and losing the device for a solid month. I don't trust that I'll get things in a timely manner or at all. But I can walk into a store and buy something same-day.
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Comment on Wonder announces acquisition of Grubhub in ~food
redwall_hp Link ParentBoston has Quincy Market. A lot of office towers in larger cities have food courts too, with typical mall type stalls, if they're shared complexes. Some companies also have cafeterias for their...Boston has Quincy Market.
A lot of office towers in larger cities have food courts too, with typical mall type stalls, if they're shared complexes. Some companies also have cafeterias for their employees. (Fairly common in the software industry, or for call centers.)
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Comment on How do people get over enshittification? in ~life
redwall_hp Link ParentLong shot, but does anyone else remember Rally Racers from one of those shareware compilations? It was basically Pac-Man with little race cars, and various power ups. I spent a lot of time in that...Long shot, but does anyone else remember Rally Racers from one of those shareware compilations? It was basically Pac-Man with little race cars, and various power ups. I spent a lot of time in that game.
And DX Ball 2, but that's one I got from a relative. The theme song still plays in my head sometimes.
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Comment on How do people get over enshittification? in ~life
redwall_hp (edited )Link ParentLanguage gradually evolves, but we must counter it with linguistic rigor, because the ability to reason about and discuss complex things effectively requires specificity and the reduction of...Language gradually evolves, but we must counter it with linguistic rigor, because the ability to reason about and discuss complex things effectively requires specificity and the reduction of ambiguity.
When everything becomes a vague alternative for "thing but more biggerer," we lose the ability to communicate effectively.
Which is more meaningful?
- "This music is uptempo and has a bouncy, syncopated bassline common in Eurodance and Techno."
- "This has a vibey 90s vibe."
Then if people come along and decide they want to misuse "syncopation" to mean "this vibes harder" and not that it's an emphasis on the downbeat, now nobody knows what the hell anyone's talking about anymore.
Language may tend to evolve, but like with pets and livestock, we want to artificially select for our purposes...
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Comment on Taylor Swift fans are leaving X for Bluesky after Donald Trump’s US election in ~society
redwall_hp Link ParentSome of the crowd I follow is starting to move over, and I've been liking it so far. I'm hoping it'll catch on with the JP side more. Twitter is huge there, and disrupting that will be a major...Some of the crowd I follow is starting to move over, and I've been liking it so far. I'm hoping it'll catch on with the JP side more. Twitter is huge there, and disrupting that will be a major success.
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Comment on What is your favorite museum? in ~talk
redwall_hp Link ParentI'm also a fan of BMoS. That big Van DeGraff generator, with the two 15-foot spheres, is actually the largest in the world. For more Tesla coils noise, check out ArcAttack on YouTube. They are...I'm also a fan of BMoS. That big Van DeGraff generator, with the two 15-foot spheres, is actually the largest in the world.
For more Tesla coils noise, check out ArcAttack on YouTube. They are potentially the originator of Tesla coil music (2005). Last time I went to BMoS they weren't doing that yet (just turning them on and letting them whir), so it's cool they've adopted that.
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Comment on A pregnant teenager died after trying to get care in three visits to Texas emergency rooms in ~society
redwall_hp (edited )Link ParentThey arguably have an ethical imperative not to. They're being faced with the very real consequence of a 99 year prison sentence and no longer being licensed to practice medicine. Texas juries...They arguably have an ethical imperative not to. They're being faced with the very real consequence of a 99 year prison sentence and no longer being licensed to practice medicine. Texas juries include the voters who put the people in office who made that a reality.
How many more people will die from not having access to a doctor, when there already aren't enough to go around? It's a tall order to ask someone to futilely throw away their life, and potential others they would have treated, to go against a law that was just now enabled by a packed and corrupt Supreme Court. If their case were appealed that high, which takes a very long time, it would simply be shot down and further entrench the current policy.
This isn't something that civil disobedience is likely to fix, only voting and clearing the trash out of public office. The biggest power medical professionals have is arguably as ethically iffy, but of lower personal risk: leaving the states with these laws and letting the public suffer from a lack of doctors. (Which is already happening, both as a direct choice for OB/GYNs and, for other specialists, simply because anyone with means and job availability tends to not like living in places like that.)
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Comment on ‘Fandom has toxified the world’: Watchmen author Alan Moore on superheroes, Comicsgate and Donald Trump in ~society
redwall_hp Link ParentI want to say that Twilight also started as Harry Potter fanfiction that was meticulously scrubbed from the internet. I dimly remember a conversation about it on PotterCast back before Deathly...Shades of Grey was Twilight fanfic
I want to say that Twilight also started as Harry Potter fanfiction that was meticulously scrubbed from the internet. I dimly remember a conversation about it on PotterCast back before Deathly Hallows came out.
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Comment on AI is killing remote work in ~tech
redwall_hp Link ParentThen their code gets tossed over the fence to you, and their "it's just a job" minded lack of craftsmanship burns you now that you have to maintain it. I'm starting to lean toward liking the idea...Then their code gets tossed over the fence to you, and their "it's just a job" minded lack of craftsmanship burns you now that you have to maintain it.
I'm starting to lean toward liking the idea of professional licensure these days as well. Especially when it comes to things like automobiles, aviation and medicine.
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Comment on Nintendo Music | Announcement trailer in ~games
redwall_hp Link Parentsigh I guess that means my hopes of having the Splatoon soundtracks on Spotify are still out of the question.sigh I guess that means my hopes of having the Splatoon soundtracks on Spotify are still out of the question.
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Comment on WebStorm and Rider are now free for non-commercial use in ~comp
redwall_hp Link ParentIt's great that Rider will be more available, since Microsoft discontinued Visual Studio for Mac (not VS Code), which is usually the recommended IDE for Unity. I do see this as a bit of a...It's great that Rider will be more available, since Microsoft discontinued Visual Studio for Mac (not VS Code), which is usually the recommended IDE for Unity.
I do see this as a bit of a walking-back of JetBrains' previous approach though: IntelliJ and PyCharm both have limited Community Editions that don't have restrictions on commercial use. They just have some features disabled. Philosophically, I feel better about paying for features over restrictions on the sort of activity you can do with a tool.
That said, I really like JetBrains' IDEs, and would pay out of pocket for IntelliJ for work if my employer didn't pay for Ultimate licenses.
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Comment on Lawsuit: City cameras make it impossible to drive anywhere without being tracked | "Every passing car is captured," says 4th Amendment lawsuit against Norfolk, VA in ~tech
redwall_hp Link ParentMaine actually has no camera-based traffic enforcement for this reason. It's expressly illegal due to the right to face an accuser. (I believe it started as a court case, and an explicit law was...Maine actually has no camera-based traffic enforcement for this reason. It's expressly illegal due to the right to face an accuser. (I believe it started as a court case, and an explicit law was later passed, iirc.) The exceptions carved out are toll plazas (automatic billing) and school bus cameras.
https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-a/title29-Asec2117.html
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Comment on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Season 3 NYCC exclusive clip in ~tv
redwall_hp Link ParentYeah, I switched to anime 5-6 years ago and haven't looked back. Plenty of sci-fi and fantasy over there, outside of the Hollywood bubble of bland. Orville was also good. I call it Store Brand...Yeah, I switched to anime 5-6 years ago and haven't looked back. Plenty of sci-fi and fantasy over there, outside of the Hollywood bubble of bland.
Orville was also good. I call it Store Brand Star Trek because of the eerie similarities to TNG set dressing and themes, while not being able to use the same terms.
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Comment on Let's talk 'underconsumption core' in ~life.style
redwall_hp Link ParentThat's because we don't hold retailers accountable in the US. Some countries (Australia and at least parts of the EU come to mind) have a mandatory implied warranty that the retailer is on the...That's because we don't hold retailers accountable in the US. Some countries (Australia and at least parts of the EU come to mind) have a mandatory implied warranty that the retailer is on the hook for, requiring replacement or refund for a product that isn't "fit for purpose," up to something like a year from purchase. If you don't want to eat the costs, you don't sell the product that's likely to incur them.
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Comment on Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound in ~health
redwall_hp Link ParentI've been using my AirPods Pro as fallback hearing protection for a couple of years now. I wear concert earplugs when I go to concerts of course, but sometimes you encounter an unexpectedly loud...I've been using my AirPods Pro as fallback hearing protection for a couple of years now. I wear concert earplugs when I go to concerts of course, but sometimes you encounter an unexpectedly loud environment and...well, the best hearing protection is the one you have with you.
They pair nicely with the Apple Watch, which has a built in decibel meter, passive monitoring that will alert you of dangerous sound levels and will report trends over time and warnings of repeated exposure.
They feel like they attenuate quite a bit, not far off concert earbuds, though they might not be quite as consistent since they depend on generated antinoise instead of passive suppression. It sometimes sounds like I can hear a compressor/limiter engaging and stomping the signal, with a little bit of metallic/humming sounding distortion underneath. Curious about the improvements.
Populations are sigmoid curves: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/ecology-ap/population-ecology-ap/a/exponential-logistic-growth
As the article points out, you'll notice that we're not knee deep in an E. Coli swamp with rabbits running around as far as the eye can see, even through human reproductive rate is minuscule in comparison. Populations receive downward pressure when they reach the carrying capacity of their environment, and can just as easily collapse if they don't remain stable at that point. Essentially, the sigmoid function models multiple phases of a population. You have exponential growth at the start, but that doesn't last.
Humans are no different than other mammals...it's really not a stretch to look at declining birth rates around the world and connect the two concepts.
Anyway, I'll let Khan explain it. It's a Calc II topic and I had to take that twice in college. :)