skyfaller's recent activity
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Comment on Are there any guides that properly explains the crypto space? in ~finance
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Comment on How are you dealing with mosquitoes and flies? in ~life
skyfaller LinkIn general, I trust anti-mosquito tips from this guy local to me: https://colinpurrington.com/fighting-mosquitoes/ In specific, I started using autocidal gravid ovitraps, which attract mosquitoes...In general, I trust anti-mosquito tips from this guy local to me: https://colinpurrington.com/fighting-mosquitoes/
In specific, I started using autocidal gravid ovitraps, which attract mosquitoes trying to lay eggs in water and both prevent successful egg-laying and capture/kill the female adults: https://jawns.club/@skyfaller/112922774998077733
They got off to a slow start, I thought they weren't working, then they picked up speed and I now consider them a success. Possible causes of the slow start include the new plastic smell repelling the mosquitoes at first, or the weather (perhaps once we hit a dry spell my traps were the only water left). Contrary to expectations, the trap I put in the barren back alley was much more successful than the one in the front where my garden is, perhaps because the alley is on the shady side of the house. I don't really understand it because I get bit just as often in the front of my house, the mosquitoes are clearly present in the front/garden.
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Comment on In-flight canoodling: is it ever acceptable to spoon at 40,000ft? in ~travel
skyfaller Link ParentThe real alternative is radical action to stop emissions immediately! Perhaps occupying the nearest fossil fuel infrastructure or billionaire's estate. We all generally know where the biggest...The real alternative is radical action to stop emissions immediately! Perhaps occupying the nearest fossil fuel infrastructure or billionaire's estate. We all generally know where the biggest sources of emissions are, and we could shut them down right now if we treated the climate crisis like a crisis. Knock doors for progressive candidates and pass a Green New Deal, do something, anything. Organize, because you can't accomplish much alone.
But for people who aren't able to take serious action to actually avert the climate crisis, I think the principle of "first, do no harm" should apply, and they should consider not doing things that cause significant emissions, like long-distance travel. If all of your travel options involve fossil fuels, like gas cars, then airplanes in some circumstances can be competitive in terms of emissions per mile; but one problem is airplanes encourage you to fly around the world on longer journeys that you would never attempt through other methods, resulting in higher emissions even if the per-mile emissions are similar. And of course we need to stop using fossil fuels entirely, so if you must travel, finding options that do not rely on fossil fuels should be a priority.
Once again, our primary efforts should go towards taking action to actually address the climate crisis, but I really do think that avoiding making the problem worse is a bare minimum moral obligation, and "I'm too busy to take action" doesn't get you off the hook.
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Comment on In-flight canoodling: is it ever acceptable to spoon at 40,000ft? in ~travel
skyfaller Link ParentI'm willing to believe that airplanes are well-ventilated in-flight; although if nobody checks and keeps them accountable, airlines and companies like Boeing could cut corners with ventilation...I'm willing to believe that airplanes are well-ventilated in-flight; although if nobody checks and keeps them accountable, airlines and companies like Boeing could cut corners with ventilation systems too, just like they cut corners on other vital safety systems.
But air filtration systems are not always turned on while the plane is on the ground — that's why planes can feel quite stuffy while they're parked at the gate. I haven't flown since before the pandemic, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I saw many people on my social networks post photos of alarming CO2 concentrations measured by e.g. Aranet4 while waiting on the ground, often for depressingly long periods of time.
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Comment on In-flight canoodling: is it ever acceptable to spoon at 40,000ft? in ~travel
skyfaller (edited )LinkIt's unacceptable to spoon at 40,000 feet because it's unacceptable to use airplanes, given the climate crisis. https://flightfree.org/ (Also given the continuing pandemic and slow collapse of...It's unacceptable to spoon at 40,000 feet because it's unacceptable to use airplanes, given the climate crisis. https://flightfree.org/
(Also given the continuing pandemic and slow collapse of public health, which is exacerbated by people flying around packed tight in poorly ventilated containers, and carrying diseases rapidly between continents.)
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Comment on Decent Android mobile phones with good audio (and has a 3.5mm jack) recently released? in ~tech
skyfaller LinkHere was my recent (August) Mastodon thread on the subject: https://jawns.club/@skyfaller/110872297757734308 The Samsung XCover6 Pro was very tempting to me, as it's "ruggedized" and has...Here was my recent (August) Mastodon thread on the subject: https://jawns.club/@skyfaller/110872297757734308
The Samsung XCover6 Pro was very tempting to me, as it's "ruggedized" and has replaceable batteries as well as a headphone jack. https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-xcover6-pro-review-3270687/
In the end I gave up and decided to focus on the camera instead, ordering a Pixel 7 Pro. I'm not as upset about buying a camera without a headphone jack, that was never an important feature on non-video cameras, so what if it happens to have a phone attached?
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Comment on What are your predictions for 2024? in ~talk
skyfaller (edited )LinkTechnology: Google releases a new chat product / messaging app Google shuts down an existing chat product, or removes chat features from an existing product YouTube, with the help of Google...Technology:
- Google releases a new chat product / messaging app
- Google shuts down an existing chat product, or removes chat features from an existing product
- YouTube, with the help of Google Chrome, successfully blocks most third party clients and browsers running ad-blockers from accessing its videos. As a result, video hosting alternatives such as Peertube briefly get a large influx of users, but they aren't ready for prime time, so while Peertube and other alternatives have a permanent increase in use, uptake plateaus and does not snowball. At least one new YouTube competitor is launched by some startup bro, but gets no traction and either limps along with a tiny userbase or shuts down.
- Apple removes some feature (software or hardware) from its smartphones, tablets or laptops that was previously considered essential. Nerds like me are furious, but the computing industry realizes they can make more money this way, and soon everyone else copies Apple and it becomes almost impossible to buy a computing device with this vital feature. If I have to guess, I bet they eliminate all external ports & openings, resulting in an iPhone that is a smooth featureless block, and go all-in on wireless charging and data. (Would this violate the EU's law requiring USB-C charging? If yes, then please ignore that prediction and assume some other important feature is eliminated.)
- A (previously) respected figure in tech, such as Linus Torvalds, abruptly begins publicly promoting right-wing conspiracy theories and absurdly harmful ideologies, such as "effective accelerationism". They were previously thought to have left-wing views, or were considered apolitical.
- LLMs lose steam as a fad, like NFTs before them. Because people still need a way to use the hardware they bought for cryptocurrency and LLMs, some new fad using the same hardware becomes popular and VCs require all tech companies to include this fad in their products.
- The GHG emissions of the tech sector continue to increase.
Health:
- COVID deaths in the United States continue to average at least one thousand (1000) deaths per week, according to official statistics. The average may be much higher if a nasty variant gets out of control. The same is true in almost every other country in the world, COVID deaths remain steady or increase when averaged over the year. There continue to be indications that official death counts from COVID are a severe undercount, as the Economist pointed out actual COVID deaths may be double or quadruple the official number, but it becomes increasingly difficult to demonstrate this as mass death from COVID continues to be normalized and ignored, and governments continue to refuse to collect or release data.
- Some previously defeated infectious disease, like polio or measles, becomes a major threat again in developed countries including the United States, due to the rise of anti-vaxxers and the decline of public health. The disease achieves unchecked community spread, authorities shrug and give up, this death toll also becomes normalized & ignored. In 1952, one of the worst polio outbreaks in the US killed 3,145 people. If our society does nothing the face of an illness that continuously kills more than that every month, and also disables people through long COVID, what hope do we have for addressing lesser diseases?
- A novel disease, something like monkeypox, achieves unchecked community spread in developed countries including the USA. No effective policies are put into place to prevent this, the harm from the new disease is normalized & ignored.
- Life expectancy in the USA continues to decline.
- A major technological advancement for preventing infectious disease is made available to the US public, perhaps a vaccine that addresses all COVID variants or an MRNA vaccine for a different disease. Few people take advantage of it, partly because many people cannot easily access it (probably due to affordability, but maybe due to e.g. shortages) and the gov't does not do enough to help them, partly because of general disdain for public health. The technological advancement has little real effect on death tolls life expectancy, or quality of life of the population as a whole, even though it greatly helps the people who use it.
- Some public health infrastructure we take for granted, such as clean drinking water without pathogens in it, or maternity wards in hospitals, suffers catastrophic failure in a major US city. No effective policies are put into place to remedy this, and people just live without that infrastructure for the rest of the year.
Environment:
- Global temperature briefly reaches more than 2.5°C above 1850-1900 (or pre-industrial) levels. (The world already briefly exceeded the 2°C limit in 2023.)
- A major coral reef is discovered to be completely, 100% dead. Attempts to reintroduce coral in that location do not succeed in 2024.
- At COP29, the president-designate of the climate talks spews blatant fossil fuel propaganda that has no basis in reality. The number of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29 once again increases from the previous year. COP30 is planned to be held in yet another petrostate that is hostile to meaningful climate action.
- A US state that votes for the Democratic nominee in the 2024 election widens a freeway (adding lanes intended for car traffic), even though it is well-known that induced demand prevents this from improving traffic.
- The US federal government approves a major project increasing fossil fuel production.
- A major piece of fossil fuel infrastructure in the USA fails catastrophically, resulting in something like an explosion, oil spill, or toxic gas requiring the evacuation of a town.
- The USA continues fossil fuel subsidies. Globally, fossil fuel subsidies increase.
US Democracy:
- Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for president. None of his criminal prosecutions have any significant effect on his ability to run for president (although they may influence public opinion).
- Donald Trump does not accept the results of the 2024 election. Even if he wins the presidential election, he cries voter fraud, and asserts that election results were rigged, including his own. He also campaigns to overturn other election results throughout the USA.
- Win or lose, Donald Trump encourages violence, either through his followers or through the state apparatus. Either he and his followers attempt a coup, or he issues orders to brutally repress protesters and kill or jail people he dislikes.
- A US journalist employed by a mainstream news organization is killed by a representative of the state on US soil (most likely police, but I also include military, intelligence agencies, etc.). The killer(s) suffer(s) no significant repercussions, and remain(s) employed in the same or a similar role.
- A violent attack on a piece of electoral infrastructure (such as people waiting in line to vote) is successfully carried out by a self-described fascist / white supremacist. At least one person is killed.
- SCOTUS continues to advance a blatantly right wing agenda, disregarding precedent. SCOTUS actively harms fair elections in at least one US state, such as by approving a blatantly racially motivated gerrymander. It overturns at least one government function or civil right previously taken for granted, such as the ability of the federal government to charge income tax, or no-fault divorce. The Democrats continue to have no plan for dealing with SCOTUS, aside from waiting for the Republican justices to die.
- Republicans regain control of the Senate, so if a Supreme Court justice does die, even if the president is a Democrat, they will never be able to seat the justice of their choice. This means that the Democrats' only "plan" for dealing with the stolen seats on SCOTUS will not work.
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Comment on Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive in ~tech
skyfaller Link ParentI wonder if Oxide Computer servers would be interesting to Signal. They seem too expensive for many non-profits, but Signal seems big enough to use Oxide servers to run their own cloud. Locating...I wonder if Oxide Computer servers would be interesting to Signal. They seem too expensive for many non-profits, but Signal seems big enough to use Oxide servers to run their own cloud. Locating your own cloud in major metropolises seems like a plausible approach, even if you want to continue to use other people's clouds in other situations.
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Comment on What to do if I've lost my 2FA? in ~tildes
skyfaller Link ParentI actually was using Aegis Authenticator, and I would have sworn I had backed up my accounts. I think what must have happened was I backed up my accounts to my laptop, because I remember doing...I actually was using Aegis Authenticator, and I would have sworn I had backed up my accounts. I think what must have happened was I backed up my accounts to my laptop, because I remember doing that, and then for some reason I decided this was not sufficiently secure, and deleted the backup.
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Comment on What to do if I've lost my 2FA? in ~tildes
skyfaller Link ParentThank you for the suggestion, I emailed password@tildes.net. I think in the future I will put backup codes in a safe or something, but I'm reminded of the discussion at...Thank you for the suggestion, I emailed password@tildes.net.
I think in the future I will put backup codes in a safe or something, but I'm reminded of the discussion at https://tildes.net/~tech/11s8/ive_locked_myself_out_of_my_digital_life ... anything secure risks locking you out of your life, and what's the point of security measures that aren't secure?
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Comment on How to move your Instagram feed to Pixelfed, the photo app that doesn't track your every move in ~tech
skyfaller Link ParentThe good news with the Fediverse is that it makes it much easier to start new platforms. You aren't completely starting from scratch: If you're compatible with the Fediverse, you benefit from the...The good news with the Fediverse is that it makes it much easier to start new platforms. You aren't completely starting from scratch: If you're compatible with the Fediverse, you benefit from the entire existing Fediverse. Starting new platforms and dealing with the network effect is still difficult, but starting from something rather than nothing is a good start.
I would also submit that people who liked the old Instagram, focused on photos, may like PixelFed better than what Instagram has become, focused on reels.
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What to do if I've lost my 2FA?
My phone abruptly died, and it turns out I did not back up my 2FA codes. I have 2FA turned on for Tildes, and while I am still logged in, I can't turn off 2FA without 2FA, so if I ever have to log...
My phone abruptly died, and it turns out I did not back up my 2FA codes. I have 2FA turned on for Tildes, and while I am still logged in, I can't turn off 2FA without 2FA, so if I ever have to log in again I'm screwed. I didn't save backup codes, of course, because I'm a fool (and I never figured out a good/safe way to store backup codes somewhere different than my password manager). What should I do?
I went into "Set up account recovery" in my personal settings, and I entered in my email address there. It says that if I can send and receive email from that address, I will be able to reset my password. But I already have a working password, what I don't have is working 2FA. Would a password reset do anything useful in my situation?
If there is nothing anyone can do at this point, how should I use my remaining time on this doomed Tildes account?
UPDATE: Admin turned off 2FA for me, so this account is no longer doomed. Thank you!
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Comment on Which web browser do you use? in ~tech
skyfaller Link ParentWhat was the point of writing this comment?What was the point of writing this comment?
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Comment on Which web browser do you use? in ~tech
skyfaller Link ParentI'm very excited about Ladybird, and impressed that hobbyists have proved it is possible to write a browser from scratch, despite the absurd complexity of the modern web that lead some to declare...I'm very excited about Ladybird, and impressed that hobbyists have proved it is possible to write a browser from scratch, despite the absurd complexity of the modern web that lead some to declare that it is impossible to build a new web browser.
Still, the OP asked "Which web browser do you use?" and I do not believe that you use Ladybird. It is not usable yet. I tried to load this page in a recent build of Ladybird, and I couldn't even view the page title, let alone any of the comments.
Relatedly, the strength and weakness of SerenityOS in general, and Ladybird in particular, is that it is made for tinkerers by tinkerers. They do not produce ready-to-use binaries, they require anyone who wants to use the browser (or OS) to compile it themselves. This complete impracticability is what allowed them to build a community of hackers to do the impossible, as any serious or commercial venture would run screaming from the challenge, while these hackers are willing to do it for fun. Nevertheless, it's a significant barrier to entry for any computer user who has not reached the level of being able to compile their own software. Ladybird cannot be recommended to anyone as a browser they should actually use for web browsing, but rather as an invitation to tinker and experience the joy of coding.
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Comment on World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency 2022 in ~enviro
skyfaller Link ParentIf this is your real position, then you're my enemy and I am going to look for a way to screw you over before you can screw other people. Let you receive injustice first. Pulling together as a...At this point with how bad the situation is for climate change, injustice is inevitable.
If this is your real position, then you're my enemy and I am going to look for a way to screw you over before you can screw other people. Let you receive injustice first.
Pulling together as a world civilization is the only way to prevent the climate crisis from getting worse, we must all cooperate, nowhere is safe if fossil fuel industries can just move to a friendlier jurisdiction and continue with business as usual. Abandoning efforts to achieve justice means anyone suffering under the current system has no reason to cooperate, they will instead build infrastructure to become more comfortable so they can emit like we do. Climate justice is literally the only path towards meaningful climate change mitigation.
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Comment on World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency 2022 in ~enviro
skyfaller Link ParentFirst, we need to talk about climate justice. Because Canada has the most historical emissions per capita (or 2nd behind NZ depending on how you count), Canadians are in a way more responsible for...First, we need to talk about climate justice. Because Canada has the most historical emissions per capita (or 2nd behind NZ depending on how you count), Canadians are in a way more responsible for the climate crisis than anyone else on earth. If other countries are submerged by rising seas or flooding from extreme weather, or suffering from drought and fires, it is a moral necessity to take refugees from the crisis Canada created.
Second, note that these are historical emissions. A big chunk of Canada's emissions are in the past, building the infrastructure that Canadians enjoy today. Transitioning to renewable energy could be done using existing Canadian infrastructure that developing nations would have to build from scratch (which would release massive carbon emissions using today's tech). Assuming we don't want people to suffer and die, it could be easier to provide them with a reasonable standard of living at an acceptable carbon price in Canada than elsewhere.
Third, why would you treat the high emissions lifestyle of Canadians as fixed but not immigration policy? This seems like choosing ecofascism over trying to make Canada sustainable. If you don't make Canadians' lifestyle less carbon-intensive, the planet will probably burn with or without a few more Canadians.
Ultimately worrying about overpopulation is a bad plan, that way lies eugenics and genocide. Instead, recognize that inequality is the real enemy, we need to end billionaires and their private jets and yachts with helipads, and share our resources with others instead of living in decadent extravagance that will doom us all.
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Comment on Finally, the uncut version of The Muppet Christmas Carol is back in ~movies
skyfaller LinkBut it's on a streaming service, so you only can access it so long as you are subscribed, and they could arbitrarily remove it again for any (or no) reason at any time. If you want to archive...But it's on a streaming service, so you only can access it so long as you are subscribed, and they could arbitrarily remove it again for any (or no) reason at any time. If you want to archive stuff like this song, either it must be possible to buy physical media that you own, or resort to piracy. Given declining interest in / capacity for either solution, I guess we're probably just going to lose access to a whole lot of media. It's all going to fall down the memory hole!
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Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities
skyfaller Link ParentI was being sloppy, I was using socialism as shorthand for socialist democracies, as opposed to communist totalitarian states run by dictators or a Party oligarchy. You are correct that leftist...I was being sloppy, I was using socialism as shorthand for socialist democracies, as opposed to communist totalitarian states run by dictators or a Party oligarchy. You are correct that leftist economics alone will not protect egalitarianism or equality, and that many communist countries are/were well known as places where "some animals are more equal than others". Some actual power of the people over their government is also necessary.
The best way I can put it is Wilhoit's formulation of conservatism: "There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." And his inverse statement: "So this tells us what anti-conservatism must be: the proposition that the law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone, and cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone."
If you think that capitalist societies have the same law for the rich and the poor, well, it sure isn't that way in the USA. And as the climate crisis progresses, I predict that all countries will either fall to fascism or rise to meet the mounting danger with socialism; they must eventually choose to sacrifice some portion to steal luxury for the remainder, or deliver climate justice for all and protect the vulnerable. The middle ground will vanish under the rising waters. Capitalism without at least some Green New Deal-style socialism lacks the will or ability to protect its people, there is no pure capitalist solution without human sacrifice. And none of the other aspects of the law matter to people left to die.
Distributing resources more evenly is tricky when the people with the most resources also have the most power, and getting to a more egalitarian place while preserving democracy isn't easy. Fascists hate democracy, and capitalists will cheerfully destroy democracy (or allow it to be destroyed) if they think that's required to continue making their profits, even if they don't think of themselves as fascists. And of course if you have a revolution, there's a high chance that coup-plotters will never give power back to the people. But preserving the neoliberal status quo is truly not an option. Change is coming, one way or another.
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Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities
skyfaller Link ParentFrankly I think the drive to "optimize" inherent to "effective altruism" will tend to create other utility monsters, even if longtermism is somehow excised from the movement. Using utilitarianism...Frankly I think the drive to "optimize" inherent to "effective altruism" will tend to create other utility monsters, even if longtermism is somehow excised from the movement. Using utilitarianism as a guide to try to do more good than harm can be troubling but is probably harmless in most real world situations. Trying to optimize utils is a disaster because the units are made up and can't actually be compared apples to apples, you can't do math with them. You will find any utility monster and feed it everything you can, becoming a paperclip maximizer.
I hesitate to speculate as to other realistic short-term utility monsters, but an obvious one is just conventional eugenics and/or racism. If you convince yourself that, say, people who have had genetic treatments to increase intelligence just matter more than other people (perhaps because you believe they're more likely to create better intelligence-enhancing treatments), you could pour all your resources into creating Gattaca. If there are only a handful of genetically engineered children, they could be classic utility monsters.
One of the best defenses against utility monsters is making egalitarianism a fundamental principle, which is what the "Defective altruism" article is arguing for. Socialism is the best way to guard against, well, fascism, despite the scoffing of many in this thread.
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Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities
skyfaller LinkI think the simplest takedown of "effective altruism" is that it can essentially turn the potentially infinite people of the future into a "utility monster" whose interests can massively outweigh...I think the simplest takedown of "effective altruism" is that it can essentially turn the potentially infinite people of the future into a "utility monster" whose interests can massively outweigh the interests of everyone alive today, even though those future people are only theoretical as of now.
Certainly protecting future people is vital, and our current civilization tends towards dangerously short-term thinking, but one question is, how much do you discount the interests of the future people, and when? What is the discount curve? Refusing to discount them at all could result in mass death and horrifying conditions for the very real people of today.
And since we suck at predicting the future, making decisions about theoretical futures based on almost certainly flawed predictions is an ethical nightmare.
In video form, this is an older but well respected explainer of underlying concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g
I recommend reading anything Molly White writes:
Cryptocurrency is complex and hard to understand to make it easier to hide the scams.
I recommend avoiding cryptocurrency.