sparksbet's recent activity
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Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
sparksbet Link ParentThere's actually a lot of work on "please" and its distribution in various English dialects, and I highly recommend this blog post from Separated By A Common Language (run by a linguist) about...There's actually a lot of work on "please" and its distribution in various English dialects, and I highly recommend this blog post from Separated By A Common Language (run by a linguist) about saying "please" in restaurants. It points out how use of this particular word in that context differs between US and UK English in ways that correspond to our different underlying notions of what constitutes politeness -- my feelings on "please" match up with yours, but this post goes into why that differs between different groups of English speakers. Genuinely a fascinating topic imho.
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Comment on An update in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI'm rooting for you. Glad things have improved.I'm rooting for you. Glad things have improved.
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Comment on Anyone read "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents"? What was your experience with it? in ~health.mental
sparksbet LinkMy ex started reading this book shortly before we broke up and seemed to be getting a lot out of it, though I never saw if that culminated in anything. She read me one of the heuristics from it...My ex started reading this book shortly before we broke up and seemed to be getting a lot out of it, though I never saw if that culminated in anything. She read me one of the heuristics from it and it didn't resonate much with me, but I'd generally consider my parents pretty emotionally mature so that makes sense.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
sparksbet Link ParentEnglish's do-support makes this weirder, though.English's do-support makes this weirder, though.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
sparksbet Link ParentMandarin has something similar with the difference between 不 and 没, though it's not precisely the same distinction.Mandarin has something similar with the difference between 不 and 没, though it's not precisely the same distinction.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
sparksbet Link ParentHaving a word for "yes" isn't nearly as universal as many people think. Many languages answer yes/no questions by repeating the verb, either with or without negation, which is more or less what...Having a word for "yes" isn't nearly as universal as many people think. Many languages answer yes/no questions by repeating the verb, either with or without negation, which is more or less what Mandarin does. This type of response, sometimes called echo answers, is even sometimes employed heavily by languages that do have distinct words for yes and no.
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Comment on Solo developer rebuilds Adobe Creative Suite in Rust using Claude, releases it free to all in ~tech
sparksbet Link ParentTrademarks probably won't protect anything functional or even the general look of the UI. That comes closer to what is covered by trade dress or a design patent, but those come with much more...Trademarks probably won't protect anything functional or even the general look of the UI. That comes closer to what is covered by trade dress or a design patent, but those come with much more limited protection than a trademark. Trademarks are intended to make the source of a product clear to consumers, so it would only apply to something like your product's UI if it were so unique that it immediately identified your product, which is not the case here afaik.
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Comment on Man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in New York City's Marble Hill, authorities say in ~society
sparksbet Link ParentWhile this is not what is grammatically considered passive voice (it's actually straight-up active voice here), people who complain about "passive voice" in newspaper headlines and articles tend...While this is not what is grammatically considered passive voice (it's actually straight-up active voice here), people who complain about "passive voice" in newspaper headlines and articles tend to actually be complaining about a whole swath of different structures that are used to more or less subtly remove any implications of agency on behalf of the agent in a particular action. This especially occurs with law enforcement-related pieces. It's worth engaging with that criticism without nitpicking their imprecise use of grammatical terminology (which annoys me as much as it does you, I promise). In this case I suspect that they're complaining about the indirect language as opposed to saying "The ICE agent shot him X times."
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Comment on Someone ‘torturing’ LLMs in a robot prison has triggered the dumbest debate in AI yet in ~tech
sparksbet Link ParentI haven't looked deeply into this particular case, so I'm willing to be corrected if I'm wrong, but most LLMs aren't operating using that type of simple reinforcement learning, especially not...I haven't looked deeply into this particular case, so I'm willing to be corrected if I'm wrong, but most LLMs aren't operating using that type of simple reinforcement learning, especially not after training. I was under the impression the "torture" here was deliberately activating particular combinations of nodes in the neural network associated with expressions of pain rather than directly manipulating a simple reward function like that. The rewards for the reinforcement learning involved in LLMs are pretty tailored to generating the right response given the prompt, in my understanding. But again, I haven't looked deeply into this particular case, so I may be conflating it with something else.
If just giving a negative reward to a reinforcement learning model until it stops doing unwanted behavior is causing pain, this is the opposite of news because it's not novel. I don't think it makes sense to equate a reward function for models like these to human qualia even if they sometimes serve a similar function on a behaviorist level, but if we do equate them then we've been torturing these types of models to train them for, like, decades now.
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Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI've been doing better on that front lately, but I feel this with my soul. I hope you get to feel rested soon.I've been doing better on that front lately, but I feel this with my soul. I hope you get to feel rested soon.
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Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
sparksbet (edited )Link ParentIt is a huge pain, but tbqh I do think this comment reads like using the annoyances of getting prescribed ADHD medication as an excuse to not even try to get on medication. You can make your own...It is a huge pain, but tbqh I do think this comment reads like using the annoyances of getting prescribed ADHD medication as an excuse to not even try to get on medication. You can make your own decisions, ofc, and if medication isn't right for you, then go ahead, live your life. But this rationale reads like the way my brain thinks when I'm trying to convince myself that it's not worth doing something difficult that I know I should do, and I think sharing my own experiences here might help others in these comments who are hesitant to try to start on the bullshit involved in getting medicated for ADHD and feeling the same way.
When I lived in Germany, I lived an hour train ride from my pharmacist and I had to take off work once a quarter to physically go there and pick up my prescription for my ADHD meds (and while we were first adjusting dosage, I did indeed need to visit a bunch in quicker succession). Not sure why you'd need to include another doctor if you already have a psychiatrist though, as they can handle prescribing and finding the right dose themselves, but in Germany GPs never prescribe ADHD meds whereas in the US they often do, so that may be a factor -- but that's a factor that likely it more convenient for you once you've found a dose that works for you, because it doesn't require you to continuously see a psychiatrist alongside your GP for this one medication like I had to. I also had to get my heart checked, but that involved one doctor's visit to get an EKG after the two hour-long sessions with a therapist in which I got officially diagnosed. It wasn't trivial, but compared to more serious medical procedures with lots of bureaucracy, it was a breeze. There are ofc struggles like those you mentioned -- in Germany I had to get a new prescription several times because of weird rules about how quickly you had to fill your prescription, and I had to get a physical paper prescription unlike the electronic kind you can get in the US. I had situations where I went without my medication for a short period because either I fucked up or there was a shortage. It can be a huge pain in the ass.
But the degree to which this was a pain in the ass -- and it's a bigger pain in the ass in Germany than here in the States for sure -- was so far outweighed by the degree to which it improves my life when I take it regularly. My ability to take care of household chores, do anything that requires sitting down and focusing on something not super fun (desk-job work, applying for jobs, etc), keep up with refilling other medications that severely impact my health? It's like night and day when I'm on my ADHD medication, and that difference is worth every stupid hoop I need to jump through to stay on that medication. I would never have gotten all the bureaucratic nonsense needed for my top surgery together and actually gotten it done while I was able to on public healthcare if I hadn't been on ADHD medication -- if you think getting ADHD meds is hard, look into the process of getting approved for gender-affirming surgery in any country without informed consent clinics. My ADHD medication has also had a stabilizing effect on my mood, to the extent that I was able to go off the SSRI I was on because between my ADHD medication, my thyroid medication, and some lifestyle changes (go outside regularly if you can guys), my depression symptoms were largely gone and I didn't need that added treatment. The benefits from being on my meds have been so stark that there has never been a moment where I thought that they were not worth all the faff involved in getting prescribed them in the first place. My only regret has been not getting medicated earlier.
Yes, the system makes it hard to get medicated and is deliberately hostile to those trying to get stimulant medication in ways that are especially hard for those of us with ADHD. That doesn't give you an excuse to not even try. Sometimes you have to do hard things that suck. That's just life. Medication makes that a lot easier once you're on it, but it never becomes sunshine and rainbows. I would be hesitant to label anyone who has successfully forced themselves to endure that hardship to get and stay medicated as having less severe ADHD than you -- that feels like another excuse to let yourself write off medication as a possibility. If you haven't even tried and failed, then you're the real barrier here.
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Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI can't say whether you're me, but I'm definitely habitually tired, so make of that what you will.I can't say whether you're me, but I'm definitely habitually tired, so make of that what you will.
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Comment on What single episode of a show would you recommend as a standalone? in ~tv
sparksbet LinkEpisode 3 of Heated Rivalry technically works really well as a standalone. It adapts like 90% of the first book in that author's series, as something that happens at that book's climax (which...Episode 3 of Heated Rivalry technically works really well as a standalone. It adapts like 90% of the first book in that author's series, as something that happens at that book's climax (which occurs in a later episode) is relevant to the overarching story of Heated Rivalry (which adapts a later book in the same anthology). But because the director cut it where he did, Episode 3 introduces us to the characters and ends in a solid-if-bittersweet place that makes sense for the narrative, so it stands alone reasonably well. It's also my least favorite episode of the series, but I'll chalk that up to an overexposure to coffeeshop AUs and investment in the main couple of Heated Rivalry (who barely even appear in that episode), as a lot of the straight dudes I saw reacting to the show really loved that episode.
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Comment on What single episode of a show would you recommend as a standalone? in ~tv
sparksbet Link ParentI don't know the name of this episode, but the episode where Muffin steals her dad's phone is a family favorite. Probably helped by the fact that my sister's four-year-old is definitely Muffin,...I don't know the name of this episode, but the episode where Muffin steals her dad's phone is a family favorite. Probably helped by the fact that my sister's four-year-old is definitely Muffin, but even my dad (who's not really into kids shows) was cracking up at that one.
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Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
sparksbet LinkI'm diagnosed with combined type myself, but both my childhood experiences and my struggles in adulthood reflect that the inattentive-type symptoms are the bigger deal and disrupt my life more....I'm diagnosed with combined type myself, but both my childhood experiences and my struggles in adulthood reflect that the inattentive-type symptoms are the bigger deal and disrupt my life more. Getting diagnosed as an adult changed my life, and a lot of my biggest regrets result from not getting diagnosed and on medication sooner.
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Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentThe squirrel ioke doesn't particularly accurately reflect how inattentiveness from ADHD manifests in my experience (and I have combined type).The squirrel ioke doesn't particularly accurately reflect how inattentiveness from ADHD manifests in my experience (and I have combined type).
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Comment on When do you know that you've found "the one"? in ~life
sparksbet Link ParentAw thanks! I worried that my comment came across as too "divorced-coded", but this is something I really do believe.Aw thanks! I worried that my comment came across as too "divorced-coded", but this is something I really do believe.
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Comment on When do you know that you've found "the one"? in ~life
sparksbet LinkYou are your only "the one". Even in the best case scenario, where you find someone with whom it just clicks and everything feels natural, that's no guarantee that it will stay that way. People...You are your only "the one".
Even in the best case scenario, where you find someone with whom it just clicks and everything feels natural, that's no guarantee that it will stay that way. People change, you'll change, and something that was once beautiful and sweet can turn into poison for both of you. Someone can go from saying they want to grow old together to leaving you alone and penniless within a shockingly short span.
This doesn't mean it's not worth it to look for someone you love and love to be with. But there is no perfect pair for you out there with whom everything is going to magically work. If there were, I'd still be married to mine. Relationships are hard work and it's impossible to guarantee they won't eventually break. Plenty of things like that are worth doing regardless, but don't make them the foundation for your entire life and personality. You need to invest in and protect yourself first and foremost.
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Comment on Spotify now lets parents block kids' music from polluting their recommendations in ~music
sparksbet Link ParentI liked GPM's interface better, but imo YTM's is no worse than Spotify's. They're pretty similar imo. And if you had playlists in GPM, I think those carry over? Mine did, at least.I liked GPM's interface better, but imo YTM's is no worse than Spotify's. They're pretty similar imo. And if you had playlists in GPM, I think those carry over? Mine did, at least.
How are other people being born in years other than 2026? When I've played they're always born right now, but others are mentioning birth years like 1950 and 1985.