skybrian's recent activity
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Comment on 100,000,000 crowpower and no horses on the moon in ~humanities
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100,000,000 crowpower and no horses on the moon
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Comment on California Governor Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Democrats do more of their own in ~society
skybrian LinkI’m not sure there’s anything technically wrong with what he said, but it sure seems like Newsom likes to troll?I’m not sure there’s anything technically wrong with what he said, but it sure seems like Newsom likes to troll?
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian LinkUpdate: it turns out I don’t need to buy a router at all. The mesh network consists of two Google WiFi units, ac-1304 I believe. It’s from 2016 and somewhat outdated (no WiFi 5 or 6e), but it...Update: it turns out I don’t need to buy a router at all. The mesh network consists of two Google WiFi units, ac-1304 I believe. It’s from 2016 and somewhat outdated (no WiFi 5 or 6e), but it should do the job.
There’s an ethernet cable going to one of them that I can connect to the modem, and a spare ethernet port that could be connected to an unmanaged switch for more ports, so that’s what we will get.
Amusingly, it looks like you can install OpenWRT on it, but I don’t think I will unless I see a need.
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Comment on More US employers fire workers over Charlie Kirk posts as pressure from right mounts in ~society
skybrian Link ParentThe trouble is when people are inspired to do things that are worse than useless.The trouble is when people are inspired to do things that are worse than useless.
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Comment on Waymo has received their permit to operate at San Francisco International Airport in ~transport
skybrian Link ParentThey did something similar at the Phoenix airport at first. I imagine it’s either Waymo or the airport being conservative about their impact on traffic.They did something similar at the Phoenix airport at first. I imagine it’s either Waymo or the airport being conservative about their impact on traffic.
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Comment on More US employers fire workers over Charlie Kirk posts as pressure from right mounts in ~society
skybrian (edited )Link ParentYes, that's part of it becoming normalized. Instead of it being "we're not like them" it's "they're doing it, so why shouldn't we?" This works both ways. It's how gang violence escalates. "They go...Yes, that's part of it becoming normalized. Instead of it being "we're not like them" it's "they're doing it, so why shouldn't we?"
This works both ways. It's how gang violence escalates.
"They go low we go high" is on its way out.
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Comment on More US employers fire workers over Charlie Kirk posts as pressure from right mounts in ~society
skybrian Link ParentI imagine that some people have been exposed to so many hot takes on social media (and maybe on college campuses?) that calling for violence has become normalized, at least in their own minds, and...I imagine that some people have been exposed to so many hot takes on social media (and maybe on college campuses?) that calling for violence has become normalized, at least in their own minds, and they forgot that professionals aren’t supposed to do that publicly. Meanwhile, management remembers how it used to be.
You have to actually explain why it’s wrong nowadays, which is a sign of an old taboo breaking down.
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Comment on More US employers fire workers over Charlie Kirk posts as pressure from right mounts in ~society
skybrian LinkFrom the article: … … … … … … Here is her substack post. In the article, she posts the tweets that apparently got her fired. They seem fairly mild as these things go, so I don’t know what’s going...From the article:
Several U.S. airlines, Office Depot, and Nasdaq said they were among more than 30 employers that have sanctioned or fired employees in reaction to their statements about Kirk’s killing. Roughly three dozen workers are reported to have been suspended or fired over their responses to Kirk’s killing, including employees of Clemson University, MSNBC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Carolina Panthers. Several local fire departments and school districts said they had also suspended or terminated employees over their remarks.
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A website, which calls itself the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation, went viral on social media after publishing a searchable list of thousands of people accused of posting critical messages of Kirk after his killing. On Sunday it said the list, which it subsequently took down, had grown to more than 63,000 people. The backers of the website did not identify themselves and declined to comment when contacted via a message on X.
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Adam Goldstein, vice president of strategic initiatives at the nonprofit and nonpartisan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which has argued against incursions on free speech, said the pattern of some people facing condemnation for being “mocking or insufficiently sympathetic” plays out “again and again after every tragedy.” He noted similar dynamics played out after 9/11 and the 2024 assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
But with people’s statements after Kirk’s death ranging widely in tone and substance across social media, Goldstein raised concerns about treating all comments critical of Kirk with the same broad brush.
“When we talk about people at this scale, they’re doing very different things, saying different things and saying very different things to different audiences,” he said. “To put them all in the same bucket and say all these people should be canceled, really?”
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In South Carolina, Clemson University said in an X statement that it had terminated one employee and placed two professors on leave pending investigation over “inappropriate social media content.”
The employee had tweeted that people should “be a Tyler Robinson or a Luigi Mangione,” referring to the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. Some Clemson students, alumni, Republican members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation and activists such as Starbuck expressed outrage over the Clemson employee’s actions and called for their firing.
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At Englewood Health, a New Jersey hospital and health care network, a surgeon resigned last week after an investigation into comments he made in front of co-workers immediately after Kirk’s killing, the hospital said in a statement Monday.
“I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it,” the surgeon allegedly said, according to a lawsuit brought by the nurse, Lexi Kuenzle, who reported him. She said on television that she brought the suit because she was briefly suspended during the investigation of the incident. Kuenzle, who had recounted the surgeon’s comments on social media, did not respond to a request for comment.
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In Texas, more than 100 teachers are facing investigation and the possible loss of their certification to teach in the state over social media reactions to Kirk’s killing, Gov. Greg Abbott said in an X post Monday. The state’s education agency sent out a letter late last week warning that it would investigate staff who posted or shared “reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk” that could have violated its code of ethics.
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A columnist for the Opinion section of the The Washington Post, Karen Attiah, said on Monday in a Substack post that she was fired last week over comments she made on the Bluesky social network in the wake of Kirk’s killing. A Post spokeswoman declined to comment on a personnel matter.
Here is her substack post. In the article, she posts the tweets that apparently got her fired. They seem fairly mild as these things go, so I don’t know what’s going on there.
I’m glad the Washington Post at least mentioned it, though they didn’t link. I guess this is how Washington Post covers itself these days.
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More US employers fire workers over Charlie Kirk posts as pressure from right mounts
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Comment on The abundance delusion (gifted link) in ~society
skybrian Link ParentYes, it’s a sign of the times, and not a good one. Populism is popular. Sometimes populism endorses violence. As we saw with reactions to the most recent assassination, it’s not always right-coded.Yes, it’s a sign of the times, and not a good one. Populism is popular. Sometimes populism endorses violence. As we saw with reactions to the most recent assassination, it’s not always right-coded.
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Comment on Is Tildes protected from malicious actors, aka paid trolls, aka bots? in ~tildes
skybrian Link ParentYes, this is why the correct advice is to send whatever evidence you have to Deimos and let him handle it. Doing the equivalent of a public trial would be no fun for anyone.Yes, this is why the correct advice is to send whatever evidence you have to Deimos and let him handle it. Doing the equivalent of a public trial would be no fun for anyone.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentWe will be using Sonic, which is why we need to buy our own router and WiFi. The previous owner used AT&T and the realtor came to take the router back.We will be using Sonic, which is why we need to buy our own router and WiFi. The previous owner used AT&T and the realtor came to take the router back.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentHere’s a Reddit post by someone who installed Ubiquity gear at home and then uninstalled it again. I have no professional reason for learning this stuff and I’d like my wife to be able to manage...Here’s a Reddit post by someone who installed Ubiquity gear at home and then uninstalled it again.
By design, the Unifi Access Points don't seem to be designed for penetrating walls/ceilings, etc. and provide a super strong signal, because that would interfere with other Access Points. This is all great for an open office environment. But it is absolutely NOT GREAT for many home environments!
I have no professional reason for learning this stuff and I’d like my wife to be able to manage it, so I think I’d better stick to home networking gear, rather than Ubiquity or Microtek.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentYes, a previous router we had needed to be rebooted every so often and we never figured out why.Yes, a previous router we had needed to be rebooted every so often and we never figured out why.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentGetting security updates might be a good reason to get something running OpenWRT or OPNSense? Or at least going with a company that has a reputation for doing security updates. We are not planning...Getting security updates might be a good reason to get something running OpenWRT or OPNSense? Or at least going with a company that has a reputation for doing security updates.
We are not planning to get rack-mounted anything. Though, since the networking gear is in a closet under the stairs, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.
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Comment on Investment club? in ~finance
skybrian Link ParentYes, that’s usually true. A money market account is appropriate for an emergency fund or if you have a plan to spend the money, such as saving for a down payment. Or just because you don’t like...Yes, that’s usually true. A money market account is appropriate for an emergency fund or if you have a plan to spend the money, such as saving for a down payment. Or just because you don’t like the risk of being all-in. The stock market has been very good to me, but I’ve always had a large cash position as well. (“Cash” speaking loosely; it’s actually in a money market account that invests in US Treasuries.)
For an investment in the stock market, you have to be prepared to wait years for it to come back if it goes down. After the 2008 recession, SPY took until 2013 to come back again. After it went down in 2022, it took a year. And most recently in April, it took two months to come back.
I remember people on Tildes being very worried earlier this year. Few people are willing to buy at times like that, even though in retrospect, it was a good time to buy, not sell.
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Comment on Cash for pregnant moms in Flint led to healthier births and millions in healthcare savings in ~society
skybrian (edited )LinkFrom the blog post: … … … … … GiveDirectly delivers the cash for Rx Kids. It uses funds from both public sources and private philanthropy. A previous study showed that giving cash to pregnant...From the blog post:
A statewide study of GiveDirectly’s Rx Kids program in Flint, Michigan found that giving every pregnant woman in the city $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly postpartum in cash led to healthier births and saved millions in healthcare costs. The findings highlight that poverty itself is a health risk factor for mothers and babies — and show that unconditional cash can work as a universal public health policy.
The study was led by researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, who analyzed more than 450,000 births across the state.
Compared to similar Michigan cities, premature birth rates fell by up to 18% (-2.7pp) and low birth weight births by up to 27% (-4.2pp) relative to Flint’s baseline rates.
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Another new study in the American Journal of Public Health followed more than 1,000 mothers who gave birth at Flint’s public hospital, comparing outcomes before and after the program with a group just outside the city. Researchers found the program nearly eliminated evictions, reduced housing debt, and gave families the security to buy the food they wanted.
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Researchers estimate that fewer preterm births alone saved up to $6.2 million, compared to the $5.8 million in cash distributed to mothers through January 2025.
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Unlike typical research pilots that end after data collection, Rx Kids was designed as a long-term public health policy, with backing from leaders across the aisle. The program is still running in Flint and has expanded to 10 additional Michigan communities, including both urban areas and rural counties.
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While the results in Flint are promising, it’s worth noting that RxKids intentionally targets places with high rates of poverty. Additional research will be needed to confirm if it is as effective in places with more socioeconomic diversity.
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This is also the first time a state has used TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) dollars for unconditional cash for moms and their babies. By treating childbirth as a “short-term episode of need,” state leaders can redirect TANF funds directly to families — without new federal approval or legislation. Any state can adopt this model today.
GiveDirectly delivers the cash for Rx Kids. It uses funds from both public sources and private philanthropy.
A previous study showed that giving cash to pregnant women in Kenya cut infant deaths by 48%, which is obviously a larger effect, but apparently this is still well worth doing in the US.
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Cash for pregnant moms in Flint led to healthier births and millions in healthcare savings
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
skybrian Link ParentLooking at OPNsense, I don’t really see any features I’d need at home? (If I needed a VPN I’d use Tailscale.)Looking at OPNsense, I don’t really see any features I’d need at home? (If I needed a VPN I’d use Tailscale.)
From the article:
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