skybrian's recent activity
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Comment on Gwtar: a static efficient single-file HTML format in ~comp
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Gwtar: a static efficient single-file HTML format
11 votes -
Comment on Communities are not fungible in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentWhoever runs an online community provides governance and infrastructure. This is still true for small communities like Tildes or a Mastodon server. There are plenty of disputes between people who...Whoever runs an online community provides governance and infrastructure. This is still true for small communities like Tildes or a Mastodon server. There are plenty of disputes between people who run servers in the Fediverse. I think having decent moderation sometimes requires making decisions that might seem pretty questionable from the outside, and transparency is not feasible because it would turn into something like a public trial of whether someone ought to be banned, which is not fun and will turn people off.
The Bluesky folks have a goal of making themselves inessential but it’s work in progress. It requires other people to do a lot of work, and they can’t do it themselves, because the whole point is that someone else should be doing it and have the power that comes from that. There are promising signs, though, so maybe this year we will see it happen?
Another trend is towards encrypted group chat, which can be seen as a way for a service provider to get out of the moderation business, at least to some extent. These communities will have their own governance issues, though. There will also be communities run by people you hate and they will be unaccountable to anyone.
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Comment on Zohran Mamdani reverses campaign promise to expand rental assistance in New York City in ~society
skybrian Link ParentAnd yet, a social security check, or whatever other subsidies they might have, would likely go further in lots of places? I think “having nowhere to go” is part of the issue, though. Although in...And yet, a social security check, or whatever other subsidies they might have, would likely go further in lots of places?
I think “having nowhere to go” is part of the issue, though. Although in theory you could move to lots of places, if there were some common destinations where New Yorkers often move to after retiring then maybe it would be less like something you have to figure out in your own?
But another issue, for some people, is of course being rooted in a community. Will you find community that you like where you’re moving to? That uncertainty makes it harder to move.
Imagine they built a satellite retirement community in New Jersey or Delaware or something, connected by a train line, and made it really welcoming?
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Comment on Zohran Mamdani reverses campaign promise to expand rental assistance in New York City in ~society
skybrian Link ParentRight, and I’m saying that it would probably make sense for NYC to encourage this. It’s often not a bad thing.Data suggest otherwise as NYC is losing retirees, likely due to high cost of living, rough weather in the winter, etc.
Right, and I’m saying that it would probably make sense for NYC to encourage this. It’s often not a bad thing.
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Comment on Communities are not fungible in ~tech
skybrian (edited )Link ParentWhenever I changed jobs, there were some people I kept in touch with and others I didn’t. After leaving high school, I lost touch with most people. Many of us reconnected after Facebook became a...Whenever I changed jobs, there were some people I kept in touch with and others I didn’t. After leaving high school, I lost touch with most people. Many of us reconnected after Facebook became a thing, but much like with a high school reunion, when you meet again you don’t necessarily choose to hang out much. Similarly after moving, you don’t always remain in touch with your neighbors.
What I’m getting at is that maybe a lot of communities aren’t meant to last forever. It’s okay to have transient communities, like the people you meet in college. Online communities are nice because they let us hang out for years with people we know slightly, but often these relationships aren’t that strong and we don’t really make an effort to maintain them. Maybe that’s okay?
If you don’t know someone well enough to exchange email addresses and phone numbers, how strong a relationship is that really?
Facebook lets you keep in touch with people just out of inertia, for years or decades. It seems like a good thing, better than what we had before in the sense that I at least I have some contact with people I might have entirely lost touch with otherwise.
If you quit Facebook over politics, you lose something, but many people don’t seem to mind it that much? Presumably they find other ways to keep in touch or do without.
The longest-lasting community that I’ve been a part of is The Well. I still have an account there and show up once a year. I’m younger than the original crowd and a lot of people I knew slightly have died.
There is little reason for young people to care about The Well. They’re doing other things in their own communities.
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Comment on Zohran Mamdani reverses campaign promise to expand rental assistance in New York City in ~society
skybrian Link ParentI think high rents probably have to do with a lot of people (some of them wealthy, or have wealthy parents) wanting to live in a small area and maybe it would be more cost-effective to provide...I think high rents probably have to do with a lot of people (some of them wealthy, or have wealthy parents) wanting to live in a small area and maybe it would be more cost-effective to provide moving assistance for people who want to move somewhere cheaper? This seems like a cycle-of-life sort of thing; after retiring you don’t need to worry about commutes anymore.
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Comment on Zohran Mamdani reverses campaign promise to expand rental assistance in New York City in ~society
skybrian Linkhttps://archive.is/iaquE From the article: [...] [...] [...]From the article:
Expanding a New York City program to help struggling tenants pay rent seemed like an obvious campaign promise for Zohran Mamdani, who staked his insurgent candidacy last year on making life more affordable in the five boroughs.
Now, confronting a grim fiscal picture in his second month as mayor, Mr. Mamdani no longer intends to back the growth of the $1 billion-plus initiative known as CityFHEPS, despite a plan passed by the City Council and upheld in court.
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During a recent news conference, as the mayor lamented a looming budget deficit that on Wednesday he pegged at $7 billion over two years, he suggested the program’s full expansion may be too expensive.
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CityFHEPS is one of the largest rental assistance programs in the nation and works similarly to the Section 8 housing voucher program. Renters contribute 30 percent of their income to rent, with the city covering the rest.
As the city’s affordable housing shortage has worsened, its cost has grown substantially, from about $25 million in 2019 to more than $1.2 billion in 2025.
Most of that increase took place before the Council passed its expansion into law in 2023. The legislation made people eligible for vouchers if they had received written demands from their landlords for rent owed and raised the income level for voucher eligibility.
“This program is growing at an unsustainable clip,” said Ana Champeny, vice president for research at the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan budget watchdog, which has raised concerns about the program’s cost for years.
Mr. Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, said he would not enforce most of the bills passed by the Council, citing worries about their cost. When Legal Aid, representing tenants, brought a lawsuit to compel Mr. Adams to implement the laws, he fought back.
As a candidate, Mr. Mamdani admonished Mr. Adams for the pushback. “What a ridiculous waste of time during a housing crisis,” Mr. Mamdani said in a social media post last July, when he was the Democratic nominee for mayor.
“Zohran will drop lawsuits against CityFHEPs and ensure expansion proceeds as scheduled and per city law,” his campaign website read.
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By moving to settle the lawsuit, Mr. Mamdani is signaling he will not comply with the bills the Council passed into law to widen the program.
City officials are projecting that even without the expansion, the program will cost nearly $2.4 billion more than Mr. Adams budgeted for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, and the next one.
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Zohran Mamdani reverses campaign promise to expand rental assistance in New York City
15 votes -
Comment on CIA investigated secret ‘Havana syndrome’ weapon experiment in Norway in ~society
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...]From the article:
Working in strict secrecy, a government scientist in Norway built a machine capable of emitting powerful pulses of microwave energy and, in an effort to prove such devices are harmless to humans, in 2024 tested it on himself. He suffered neurological symptoms similar to those of “Havana syndrome,” the unexplained malady that has struck hundreds of U.S. spies and diplomats around the world.
The bizarre story, described by four people familiar with the events, is the latest wrinkle in the decade-long quest to find the causes of Havana syndrome, whose sufferers experience long-lasting effects including cognitive challenges, dizziness and nausea. The U.S. government calls the events Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs).
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Those aware of the test say it does not prove AHIs are the work of a foreign adversary wielding a secret weapon similar to the prototype tested in Norway. One of them noted that the effects suffered by the Norwegian researcher, whose identity was not disclosed by the people familiar, were not the same as in a “classic” AHI case. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity.
But the events bolstered the case of those who argue that “pulsed-energy devices” — machines that deliver powerful beams of electromagnetic energy such as microwaves in short bursts — can affect human biology and are probably being developed by U.S. adversaries.
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Much about the Norway test remains obscured by its highly classified nature. People familiar with the events declined to identify the scientist or the Norwegian government agency he worked for.
The results were all the more shocking because the Norwegian researcher had earned a reputation as a leading opponent of the theory that directed-energy weapons can cause the type of symptoms associated with AHIs, those familiar with the events said. Trying to dramatically prove his point, with himself as a human guinea pig, he achieved the opposite.
“I don’t know what possessed him to go and do this,” one of the people said. “He was a bit of an eccentric.”
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CIA investigated secret ‘Havana syndrome’ weapon experiment in Norway
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Comment on AI fails at 96% of jobs (new study) in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentAI-assisted programming will change the industry in a lot of ways, but I think it’s way too soon to worry about this one. Software engineers are not rare. Many people have learned about computer...AI-assisted programming will change the industry in a lot of ways, but I think it’s way too soon to worry about this one. Software engineers are not rare. Many people have learned about computer programming either on their own or in college, and AI can be very helpful for learning if you use it right. The situation doesn’t seem bad at all for businesses. It’s not like we’re talking about finding COBOL programmers.
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Comment on DC required daycare workers to get degrees. The news only talked to those who stayed. in ~society
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...]From the article:
DC and a few other states now require daycare workers to get degrees. The research doesn’t show this improves outcomes for children below grade school level. But the requirement is there, citing it professionalizes the sector and improves quality of childcare.
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The media almost never runs good-news stories about low-wage work. The one time they did was celebrating a policy that pushed people out of jobs they loved.
I think the Washington Post staff mean well but it comes off as tone-deaf to workers. Government grants cover the costs of the two-year degree. But the hurdle is often that you’re asking them to do coursework in a language they’re still learning. Many daycare workers, like my mom and my best friend’s mom, struggle with English skills. This makes it hard to navigate paperwork and grant applications. A degree takes a lot of time away from other paid or unpaid work they already do.
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Formal daycare is already out of reach for many American families. Informal childcare is the most common non-parental childcare. One third to one half of employed parents of kids under five rely on friends, family, and neighbors.
Requiring daycare workers to have degrees makes what looks like a luxury good, formal daycare, even more of a luxury good. It effectively outlaws cheaper versions of daycare.
Daycare workers see this. They also see how regulations put them in impossible positions daily. If a child falls and has a bad nosebleed, rules require washing hands and putting on gloves before applying pressure. That’s minutes of a child bleeding while you grab gloves that must be stored out of reach of kids.
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DC required daycare workers to get degrees. The news only talked to those who stayed.
6 votes -
Comment on Babylon 5 is now free to watch on YouTube in ~tv
skybrian LinkFrom the article:From the article:
In a move that has delighted fans of classic science fiction, Warner Bros. Discovery has begun uploading full episodes of the iconic series Babylon 5 to YouTube, providing free access to the show just as it departs from the ad-supported streaming platform Tubi. The transition comes at a pivotal time for the series, which has maintained a dedicated following since its original run in the 1990s. Viewers noticed notifications on Tubi indicating that all five seasons would no longer be available after February 10, 2026, effectively removing one of the most accessible free streaming options for the space opera. With this shift, Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be steering the property toward its own digital ecosystem, leveraging YouTube’s vast audience to reintroduce the show to both longtime enthusiasts and a new generation.
You can find Babylon 5 on YouTube HERE.
The uploads started with the pilot episode, “The Gathering,” which serves as the entry point to the series’ intricate universe. This was followed by subsequent episodes such as “Midnight on the Firing Line” and “Soul Hunter,” released in sequence to build narrative momentum. The strategy involves posting one episode each week, allowing audiences to experience the story at a paced rhythm that mirrors the original broadcast schedule. This approach not only encourages weekly viewership but also fosters online discussions and communal watching events, much like the fan communities that formed during the show’s initial airing. The episodes are hosted on a channel affiliated with Warner Bros., complete with links to purchase the full series, blending free access with opportunities for deeper engagement through official merchandise and digital ownership.
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Babylon 5 is now free to watch on YouTube
26 votes -
Culture is the mass-synchronization of framings
20 votes -
Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to spend $38 billion on warehouse conversions in ~society
skybrian Link ParentI don't know, but the interior probably would look rather different after spending $150 million?I don't know, but the interior probably would look rather different after spending $150 million?
However, at the larger sites, the document said, “additional infrastructure” would be needed to support wastewater systems, and “numerous solutions” will be implemented. The document did not provide any more details.
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Comment on OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’ in ~tech
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...]From the article:
With its rollout, GPT-4o showed it was not just for generating dinner recipes or cheating on homework – you could develop an attachment to it, too. Now some of those users gather on Discord and Reddit; one of the best-known groups, the subreddit r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, currently boasts 48,000 users. Most are strident 4o defenders who say criticisms of chatbot-human relations amount to a moral panic. They also say the newer GPT models, 5.1 and 5.2, lack the emotion, understanding and general je ne sais quoi of their preferred version. They are a powerful consumer bloc; last year, OpenAI shut down 4o but brought the model back (for a fee) after widespread outrage from users.
Turns out it was only a reprieve. OpenAI announced in January that it would retire 4o for good on 13 February – the eve of Valentine’s Day, in what is being read by human partners as a cruel ridiculing of AI companionship. Users had two weeks to prepare for the end. While their companions’ memories and character quirks can be replicated on other LLMs, such as Anthropic’s Claude, they say nothing compares to 4o. As the clock ticked closer to deprecation day, many were in mourning.
The Guardian spoke to six people who say their 4o companions have improved their lives. In interviews, they said they were not delusional or experiencing psychosis – a counter to the flurry of headlines about people who have lost touch with reality while using AI chatbots. While some mused about the possibility of AI sentience in a philosophical sense, all acknowledged that the bots they chat with are not flesh-and-bones “real”. But the thought of losing access to their companions still deeply hurt. (They asked to only be referred to by their first names or pseudonyms, so they could speak freely on a topic that carries some stigma.)
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Some users are seeking help from the Human Line Project, a peer-to-peer support group for people experiencing AI psychosis that is also working on research with universities in the UK and Canada. “We’re starting to get people reaching out to us [about 4o], saying they feel like they were made emotionally dependent on AI, and now it’s being taken away from them and there’s a big void they don’t know how to fill,” said Etienne Brisson, who started the project after a close family member “went down the spiral” believing he had “unlocked” sentient AI. “So many people are grieving.”
Humans with AI companions have also set up ad hoc emotional support groups on Discord to process the change and vent anger. Michael joined one, but he plans to leave it soon. “The more time I’ve spent here, the worse I feel for these people,” he said. Michael, who is married with a daughter, considers AI a platonic companion that has helped him write about his feelings of surviving child abuse. “Some of the things users say about their attachment to 4o are concerning,” Michael said. “Some of that I would consider very, very unhealthy, [such as] saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, I can’t deal with this, I can’t live like this.’”
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OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’
13 votes
From the article:
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