scherlock's recent activity

  1. Comment on Elon Musk says xAI has acquired X in deal that values social media site at $33 billion in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    He used money from investors in xAI to buy Twitter from himself that was financed in part with Saudi loans that used his Tesla shares as collateral. Now the Saudis have a stake in xAI and all it...

    He used money from investors in xAI to buy Twitter from himself that was financed in part with Saudi loans that used his Tesla shares as collateral.

    Now the Saudis have a stake in xAI and all it cost him was other people's money. And he doesn't have to worry about being forced to sell TSLA shares if it gets too low.

    5 votes
  2. Comment on Norwegian man has filed a complaint with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority after ChatGPT falsely told him he had killed two of his sons and been jailed in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    They don't get to have it both ways. If they make a product that defames people because it makes up crap then they have to have a huge disclaimers that it makes up crap, but if they do that, then...

    They don't get to have it both ways. If they make a product that defames people because it makes up crap then they have to have a huge disclaimers that it makes up crap, but if they do that, then what worth is there to it since it makes up crap. You can't have a product that gives you answers that also just makes stuff up. They gotta pick a lane.

    10 votes
  3. Comment on In email, Microsoft suggests Windows 10 users trade in or recycle their PC in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link
    I'll upgrade once the few pieces of software I run on my Windows box stops working. That's is currently only Zwift and TurboTax.

    I'll upgrade once the few pieces of software I run on my Windows box stops working. That's is currently only Zwift and TurboTax.

  4. Comment on WB looking to sell Looney Tunes in ~tv

    scherlock
    Link
    Whoever buys it needs to bring back the Animaniacs for a season just to roast the WB relentlessly.

    Whoever buys it needs to bring back the Animaniacs for a season just to roast the WB relentlessly.

    7 votes
  5. Comment on Philosopher Slavoj Žižek on 'soft' fascism, AI and the effects of shamelessness in public life in ~humanities

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    Yup, the old guard (Pelosi et al) are clutching pearls rather than leading.

    Yup, the old guard (Pelosi et al) are clutching pearls rather than leading.

    6 votes
  6. Comment on US farmers feel painful impact of new policies in ~society

    scherlock
    Link
    Maybe they shouldn't have voted for a known liar and cheat who was allied with techno feudal oligarchs.

    Maybe they shouldn't have voted for a known liar and cheat who was allied with techno feudal oligarchs.

    13 votes
  7. Comment on Do you deliberately overbuy things with the intention to return some of them? in ~life

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    I'm a 6' tall man with a 30" inseam, my torso is longer than average. Rarely do brands list their shirt length but I have 42" chest, so I can wear a medium or large or xlarge or none since the...

    I'm a 6' tall man with a 30" inseam, my torso is longer than average. Rarely do brands list their shirt length but I have 42" chest, so I can wear a medium or large or xlarge or none since the shirt isn't long enough, who knows. Not many brands make tall shirts and even less carry them in store, so I have to buy online, get a few shirts in various sizes, return the ones that don't fit then order more shirts in the sizes that do. Pants aren't too bad, I don't mind getting pants hemmed as long as the waist is good, but shirts are another story

    6 votes
  8. Comment on US voters were right about the economy. The data was wrong. in ~finance

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    I think a lot of voters were thinking "Hey, I'm hurting. This guy be is a liar but says he'll help me and this one says everything is fine so won't make any changes to help me. Do I take a chance...

    I think a lot of voters were thinking "Hey, I'm hurting. This guy be is a liar but says he'll help me and this one says everything is fine so won't make any changes to help me. Do I take a chance on the liar or the one that says everything is fine?".

    7 votes
  9. Comment on US voters were right about the economy. The data was wrong. in ~finance

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    I would say the data is wrong. If the data captured doesn't provided a clear and accurate picture of how Americans are doing, then the data isn't good. The raw numbers that make up the CPI may be...

    I would say the data is wrong. If the data captured doesn't provided a clear and accurate picture of how Americans are doing, then the data isn't good. The raw numbers that make up the CPI may be good, but the items polled and the weights are just wrong. It isn't representative of how most Americans spend their money which then provides a warped index that isn't representative of reality. If it isn't representative then what's the point of it.

    2 votes
  10. Comment on US voters were right about the economy. The data was wrong. in ~finance

    scherlock
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I've been saying for years there are two economies in the US. The economy of the 1% and economy of the 99%. Economists and the government have only measured the 1% economy sine the 70s. It's easy...

    I've been saying for years there are two economies in the US. The economy of the 1% and economy of the 99%. Economists and the government have only measured the 1% economy sine the 70s. It's easy to measure, it's GDP, it's wall street and corporate returns. Super easy to measure. CPI has absolutely bonkers constituents and weights.

    https://www.unitedforalice.org/essentials-index gives a better index for the median American than CPI

    5 votes
  11. Comment on Framework (2nd gen) event: 25th February in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    I'm guessing either a tablet form factor or maybe (complete long shot here) a steamOS deck.

    I'm guessing either a tablet form factor or maybe (complete long shot here) a steamOS deck.

    5 votes
  12. Comment on Bluesky advertises itself as an open network, they say people won't lose followers or their identity, they advertise themselves as a protocol ("atproto"). These three claims are false. in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    Also, now that the protocol has stabilized, it's open. The article is from 2023 when it was still going through major changes, they didn't want people complaining about breaking changes so you...

    Also, now that the protocol has stabilized, it's open. The article is from 2023 when it was still going through major changes, they didn't want people complaining about breaking changes so you need to ask nicely, but now https://atproto.com/ has no restrictions.

    8 votes
  13. Comment on Kids at-home science experiments (of the less tame variety) in ~science

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    Well...um...yes, would have been about 1990. Unless you discharge through the phone you won't have a problem.

    Well...um...yes, would have been about 1990. Unless you discharge through the phone you won't have a problem.

  14. Comment on Kids at-home science experiments (of the less tame variety) in ~science

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    Vandegraaf generators are cheaper and can be a lot of fun. I made one in 7th grade and it was the hit of the school science fair. Kids were lined up waiting to get shocked.

    Vandegraaf generators are cheaper and can be a lot of fun. I made one in 7th grade and it was the hit of the school science fair. Kids were lined up waiting to get shocked.

    12 votes
  15. Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    Unless it's royalty free, I don't see much adoption, Schrader and Presta and so entrenched and patent free at the point. If it's royalty free, then it might catch on, but most tubes are made in...

    Unless it's royalty free, I don't see much adoption, Schrader and Presta and so entrenched and patent free at the point. If it's royalty free, then it might catch on, but most tubes are made in China/Taiwan and they aren't retooling the machines unless it's free.

    6 votes
  16. Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    My family bikes a lot. We have multiple bikes per adult/kid. I have 3 floor pumps, an air pump wired into my truck, a battery powered pump, hand pumps, CO2 adapters and compressor. The tubes and...

    My family bikes a lot. We have multiple bikes per adult/kid. I have 3 floor pumps, an air pump wired into my truck, a battery powered pump, hand pumps, CO2 adapters and compressor. The tubes and stems are least of my concern, if they have cheap shrader adapters, then maybe.

    5 votes
  17. Comment on The day Google killed the Pixel 4a in ~tech

    scherlock
    Link Parent
    I had an issue with their upgrade checker, it wouldn't work correctly with Firefox, but when I switched to Chrome, it said my IMEI was eligible.

    I had an issue with their upgrade checker, it wouldn't work correctly with Firefox, but when I switched to Chrome, it said my IMEI was eligible.

    3 votes
  18. Comment on What contemporary books do you think will still be widely read 100 years from now? in ~books

    scherlock
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    It does for me :-). I think in 100 years Neuromancer will be a required reading to help understand the tech boom that happened in the late 90s through now. Many of the ideas around how we interact...

    It does for me :-). I think in 100 years Neuromancer will be a required reading to help understand the tech boom that happened in the late 90s through now. Many of the ideas around how we interact digitally can be be traced back to Neuromancer and some of Gibson's later works as well as Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Hell, Snow Crash is what inspired Zuckerburg to use "Meta" as the company name and "metaverse". Snow Crash's idea of the "Metaverse" was inspired by Neuromancer's "Cyberspace". It's also why you see "cyber" as used as a prefix in relation to tech from that time period to now.

    8 votes
  19. Comment on What contemporary books do you think will still be widely read 100 years from now? in ~books

    scherlock
    Link
    At least for Sci Fi, I think Neuromancer by William Gibson and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Neuromancer is a genre defining work that still influences tech to this day, and Jurassic Park has...

    At least for Sci Fi, I think Neuromancer by William Gibson and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Neuromancer is a genre defining work that still influences tech to this day, and Jurassic Park has had a huge cultural impact.

    9 votes
  20. Comment on How do you decide when to buy a book? in ~books

    scherlock
    Link
    I buy used physical books. I've tried a variety of e-readers, and I just don't jive with them. I'll use one if I need to travel light, but if I don't need to worry about weight, I buy a physical...

    I buy used physical books. I've tried a variety of e-readers, and I just don't jive with them. I'll use one if I need to travel light, but if I don't need to worry about weight, I buy a physical book. After I'm done I'll either pass it on to friend that reads that genre, put in my neighborhood little library box or donate it to my library.

    1 vote