Requirement's recent activity
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Comment on USB hub with a detachable cable? in ~tech
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Comment on Weird Al Yankovic 2026 tour of ninety cities in ~music
Requirement LinkThis is truly a weird list of cities. I don't envy that tour schedule myself!This is truly a weird list of cities. I don't envy that tour schedule myself!
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Comment on How to brew solar powered coffee in ~food
Requirement Link ParentI thought there was no way they would make something that actually involved electricity. I imagined it would be a solar reflector, similar to how we "cooked" solar hot dogs in boy scouts. I would...I thought there was no way they would make something that actually involved electricity. I imagined it would be a solar reflector, similar to how we "cooked" solar hot dogs in boy scouts. I would think a well-focused device would get water plenty hot enough for a pour-over or french press to make acceptable coffee, even for us more-picky consumers. If I wasn't super busy this weekend I would think about trying something out this weekend.... perhaps sometime in the near future.
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Comment on I think nobody wants AI in Firefox, Mozilla in ~tech
Requirement Link ParentI also imagine, as someone who messed about with Firefox's "AI integration," that it didn't take much time to implement. My complaint is that the feature actually seems kinda half-baked or without...I also imagine, as someone who messed about with Firefox's "AI integration," that it didn't take much time to implement. My complaint is that the feature actually seems kinda half-baked or without the ability to change how it's implemented in any real way. The AI slideout window isn't persistent enough so you have to continually log in to your chosen AI service. It's a separate window/instance so the magic login links from email don't work correctly. Every time you highlight something a dumb AI logo pops up, blocking the right-click context menu. Click-and-hold to generate an AI overview isn't terrible until you have to click and hold something that you don't want an AI overview for.
I imagine it took relatively little time to implement the feature and I feel like it shows in the poor implementation. -
Comment on Is 67 just brain rot? in ~humanities.languages
Requirement Link ParentThis is maybe the most honest "the way." If you want the youth to stop doing something, genuinely engage with it and join in, it immediately becomes the most lame thing in the world. (While, I've...This is maybe the most honest "the way." If you want the youth to stop doing something, genuinely engage with it and join in, it immediately becomes the most lame thing in the world. (While, I've found, also getting you some small amount of credit with the youths for at least genuinely approaching their culture without overtly belittling it.)
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Comment on Grieving family uses AI chatbot to cut hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 — US family says Claude highlighted duplicative charges, improper coding, and other violations in ~tech
Requirement Link ParentYeah, it gets... confusing. Two types of codes/coders! I forget that I am used to having both in a paragraph but others aren't, so you're pretty spot on on where at least one miscommunication...Yeah, it gets... confusing. Two types of codes/coders! I forget that I am used to having both in a paragraph but others aren't, so you're pretty spot on on where at least one miscommunication happened.
You're also generally pretty close to how medical coding works. A medical coder reads the visit note/surgical note/related documents and pieces together what happened. Then they translate that into standardized codes based on what the provider wrote. Then billing uses those codes to bill, either insurance or the patient. -
Comment on Grieving family uses AI chatbot to cut hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 — US family says Claude highlighted duplicative charges, improper coding, and other violations in ~tech
Requirement Link ParentThe good news is that both AIs in this case would probably be wrong, so nothing would get accomplished. At a conference last year, I talked with a vendor of AI medical coding software who,...The good news is that both AIs in this case would probably be wrong, so nothing would get accomplished.
At a conference last year, I talked with a vendor of AI medical coding software who, obviously, made it sound like the best product ever, super accurate. I then got to talk to one of his customers immediately after, by chance. Their department had to hire additional coders because the AI output was so wrong that it took more manhours to correct the coding errors than to human code. But the c-suite was all in on AI and didn't want to be embarrassed by their choice to go with AI coding.
I don't imagine the combative AI would be any better at detecting coding errors. Though I do fully support using AI to battle AI. -
Comment on Grieving family uses AI chatbot to cut hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 — US family says Claude highlighted duplicative charges, improper coding, and other violations in ~tech
Requirement Link ParentI have to jump in here as well, as a person who works in this world at the intersection of healthcare information management and technology. This article is bullshit. This is an unvalidated story...I have to jump in here as well, as a person who works in this world at the intersection of healthcare information management and technology.
This article is bullshit. This is an unvalidated story from a person online who's identity is unknown. This isn't a "sources close to the story say" deal where Tom's Hardware is protecting the identity of a source, this is just a guy online saying that Claude AI (who definitely didn't pay anyone involved in this story) totally solved his problems. Without looking at the person's medical record and subsequent bills, I can't say if Claude actually did discover anything and I suspect that Claude did not discover much, but did do a good enough job at drafting a letter to the hospital requesting financial assistance that the bulk of the bill was written off, especially since the patient was uninsured. This is par for the course without AI and could have been done without needing to bust out jet engines to generate electricity for the AI farms.
If there was code unbundling happening, if there were double-billed procedures, if there was improper coding/upcoding, then the hospital should be reported to Health and Human Services, state Attorney General, the state's HIMA/AHIMA organization. But it really doesn't seem like Threads (holy fuck, we're cooked, we're trusting a Threads user?) user nthmonkey did that. Which really makes me think this whole story is, at best, a misrepresentation of what actually happened. -
Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - October 2025 - The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum in ~books
Requirement Link ParentIt's been over a month since I listened to the book so I have forgotten the specific instances but there were a few things that really stuck out to me as an AI voice. Sometimes when I listen to...It's been over a month since I listened to the book so I have forgotten the specific instances but there were a few things that really stuck out to me as an AI voice. Sometimes when I listen to audiobooks, I notice a word or two mispronounced or pronounced in a way that must be linked to a specific region/dialect. In this book there were a few times that I was like "Surely, the only way you would end up at this pronunciation/pacing of a acronym is if you were a robot."
While I did like the changing of voices, I also felt like maybe there was a bit of an AI tell there... like the accents weren't consistent to characters? Maybe I didn't track them correctly myself. Also, the gruff New York accent was goofily entertaining. -
Comment on Unfuck Google Drive (It's Gemini garbage, of course) in ~comp
Requirement Link ParentYou are right, it was Google removing a guy's access to his entire Google account. Apple flipflopped for years over whether it would be scanning photos/iCloud data but it seems for the time being,...You are right, it was Google removing a guy's access to his entire Google account.
Apple flipflopped for years over whether it would be scanning photos/iCloud data but it seems for the time being, they went with "end to end encryption means it's not our problem" as a solution which is both great and horrifying. -
Comment on Honk your horn in ~health.mental
Requirement Link ParentWhile yours is the more practical, realistic solution, I think there's something so distinctly American in the solution of "gun violence but maybe less lethal" that I just really enjoy. I also...While yours is the more practical, realistic solution, I think there's something so distinctly American in the solution of "gun violence but maybe less lethal" that I just really enjoy.
I also agree that this is coming at some point anyway. I'm sure insurance companies are salivating at the opportunity to have real-time premiums and I'm sure they were unhappy with the reallocation of the radio wave frequency reassignment in 2020. Luckily for us consumers, manufacturers never really got behind vehicle-to-vehicle/everything anyway so we'll just use whatever Elon Bezucks comes up with to both assign a social credit score and remove what little privacy we have remaining. -
Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
Requirement Link ParentYou already have the exemplary label, so I can't give you more official accolades but your comment is incredibly on point. As a former pro/current try-hard home chef, it's incredibly easy to cut...You already have the exemplary label, so I can't give you more official accolades but your comment is incredibly on point.
As a former pro/current try-hard home chef, it's incredibly easy to cut out ultraprocessed foods.... if you have unlimited time and, maybe more importantly, space. I scratch-make an incredible amount of stuff in my kitchen, including many base ingredients (vinegar, clarified/rendered fats), and a lot of preservation of leftover ingredients and ingredients from my garden. It's a big part-time job worth of time, effort, and, again, space! I'm lucky that I have the skills to make it a less time-intensive activity but the space and planning are still borderline overwhelming (especially to my long-suffering wife!) On top of that, the things I make are rarely less expensive that store-bought options.
Finding the balance of time/effort, nutrition, portion size, and enjoyment is probably more important than anything else and I think your stress on that is important. I also really appreciate your pointing out that ultra-processed foods are also not generally all that worse for you than home made counterparts (outside of a couple extremely specific ingredients that I can't remember off the top of my head, though last time I looked, the science isn't definitive there either.) Turns out, pizza is kinda just not that healthy! Who would have thought?! But a proper sized portion of pizza isn't strictly bad for on occasion, it just turns out, especially in America, we're really bad at portion sizes.
I think you also pointed out three great options for approaching a more homemade life. I would also add that a building of knowledge and skill go a long way in helping reach that goal. I think that's a really intimidating concept for a lot of people though. I also speculate that that's why there are so many single-use kitchen items - surely if you want juice, you need a juicer! But I think that taking bite-sized bits out of the mountain of knowledge equates to huge progress. Just your example of salad dressings: knowing the basic composition and having a bit of a daredevil streak to experiment, you can make an insane array of dressings, sauces, and marinades. A few years ago, I challenged myself to a year of basic cooking - really perfecting fundamentals - and I saw notable advances in my knowledge and skills and I think it could really benefit most people to do little personal challenges like that. I find among my friends there is a lack of "basic" recipes to turn to on weeknights to keep things healthy, rather than doordashing an unhealthy meal. I guess I'm kind of stream-of-consciousness typing by this point, but I think "ultra-processed" foods are over-focued on as an easy demon, outsourcing responsibility entirely onto faceless companies (and don't get me wrong, companies are generally evil) instead of additionally or proportionally focusing on the balance of a meal.
But yeah, also, to paraphrase something I heard somewhere: "You wouldn't sit down and eat 8 apples in a row. Why would you drink 8 apples?" -
Comment on Honk your horn in ~health.mental
Requirement Link ParentI remember this video and have thought about it pretty much weekly for the last 8 or so years since I saw it. I think having additional means of communication between cars would be a net positive....I remember this video and have thought about it pretty much weekly for the last 8 or so years since I saw it. I think having additional means of communication between cars would be a net positive. I have thought it would be nice to have a little electronic message board that could display little messages like "thanks for letting me pass!" would be fun but I also know that immediately the worst things would be written on it.
Driving around is pretty much the only time a social credit score starts to make sense to me though... -
Comment on Tildes Book Club - The Poisoners Handbook by Deborah Blum - How is it going? in ~books
Requirement Link ParentI also listened to it last month but I liked the book so much more than I expected to and think I can retain enough for discussion. I mean, I certainly have some things to say about the audiobook.I also listened to it last month but I liked the book so much more than I expected to and think I can retain enough for discussion.
I mean, I certainly have some things to say about the audiobook. -
Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
Requirement Link ParentLooks like I lucked out yet again by not pursuing personal health.Looks like I lucked out yet again by not pursuing personal health.
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
Requirement Link ParentI carry an Anker 5-foot extension cord when I travel. It's less of a problem these days but for a long time, hotels hadn't updated their rooms to actually have outlets (or more than one available...I carry an Anker 5-foot extension cord when I travel. It's less of a problem these days but for a long time, hotels hadn't updated their rooms to actually have outlets (or more than one available outlet) where I wanted/needed them. It's a little bit of overkill, but I consider it part of my tech travel supplies.
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
Requirement Link ParentThe two suggestions I agree with in the article are: Doing a load of laundry (or pay the hotel for it, I know it's expensive, but you're on vacation, splurge for it) mid-trip helps keep down the...The two suggestions I agree with in the article are:
Doing a load of laundry (or pay the hotel for it, I know it's expensive, but you're on vacation, splurge for it) mid-trip helps keep down the amount of clothes I bring with me and generally I get home with a good portion of those clothes clean. Also throw a garbage bag in your suitcase and put dirty clothes in there.
Getting rid of a bulky laptop charger for a suitably sized GaN charger is a game changer. My tech pouch is about the size of my previous laptop charger now and contains a bunch of handy cables, cords, thumb drives, etc and the power brick can charge three things at once. However, per the article, leave your laptop at home as well, so why would you need to replace your laptop charger? -
Comment on Indecision: Get a camera despite having a phone in ~tech
Requirement Link ParentEspecially considering that OP is looking for a camera for selfies, I would not suggest getting a camera. If you are looking to take selfies, a phone is generally the two things everyone is...Especially considering that OP is looking for a camera for selfies, I would not suggest getting a camera. If you are looking to take selfies, a phone is generally the two things everyone is already mentioning: already in your pocket and plenty good enough. If the front facing "selfie" camera isn't quite cutting it, your phone already has a (generally) better camera attached to the back. Find the setting that lets you push a volume button for shutter and snap away (so you don't look like a doofus trying to push the on screen shutter button.)
The art of a composed self portrait photograph is pretty difficult with a camera... there are lots of settings! If you aren't messing about with those settings... the camera isn't really necessary.
Smart phone sensors are also very good these days, better than lots of camera sensors were in the past. I've won a couple photography contests with a couple well-composed pics from my smart phone. I have printed pictures taken from my (and my wife's) phones hung all over my house. They look great! Just don't do the inexperienced move and blow them up into a pixelated mess (which is also a problem for camera-shot digital photos, but you do get more leeway.) Otherwise, how are you consuming these pictures? On your phone screen? On a computer monitor? Through Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat/whathaveyou? It's a waste of money, in my opinion, to purchase a camera for better photo quality and then consume them via inferior means (or, more likely, never consume them at all! I'm guilty of that too!) -
Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
Requirement Link ParentWoah! Wild song! I both really liked it and felt like I was losing my fucking mind.Woah! Wild song! I both really liked it and felt like I was losing my fucking mind.
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Comment on What is a business/org that's so terrible no one should use if possible? in ~life
Requirement Link ParentI have never felt such a kinship over something so mundane. terr might be technically correct, but I swear I'll murder them in a DQ parking lot on your behalf. (Obviously, I wouldn't murder them,...I have never felt such a kinship over something so mundane. terr might be technically correct, but I swear I'll murder them in a DQ parking lot on your behalf. (Obviously, I wouldn't murder them, as murder is neither Royal or a Blizzard)
While I also use the UGreen KVM (just KM?) switch that u/ShroudedScribe linked, I needed even more USB ports (well, I needed them to be accessible for my standing desk so that my mouse cord length wasn't just randomly changing). I use this Anker USB hub. It works without plugging in the power cord for me, though I run it with the power plugged in. So long as your devices are high power draw, it seems to be fine. Pretty much every USB hub will start to encounter problems without additional power at some number of devices/power draw however.