spctrvl's recent activity
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Comment on The woman bulldozing video games’ toughest DRM in ~games
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Comment on The woman bulldozing video games’ toughest DRM in ~games
spctrvl Link ParentI don't see how I'm putting words in your mouth? Putting "male-socialized" in quotes wasn't me quoting you, it was me framing the phrase with the derision I think it deserves, and you're digging...- Exemplary
I don't see how I'm putting words in your mouth? Putting "male-socialized" in quotes wasn't me quoting you, it was me framing the phrase with the derision I think it deserves, and you're digging in on the transracial comparison, which most people consider extremely transphobic and insulting. If it needs to be explained, there's no biological basis for race in the same way there is for sex and gender, where regardless of genetics, any individual human has the potential to develop an either male or female-typical body, including sex organs, dependent entirely on timeframe of hormone exposure. The same is not true of race since it's just a vague collection of phenotype features plus typically an associated culture, not all societies have a concept of race, and self-described transracial people are viewed as, at best, not playing with a full deck of cards. The comparison is invalid and insulting. If that's how you talk about transgender people, nobody is going to want to discuss gender issues with you even if you think you have a valid point to make; I'm certainly bowing out of this thread after I leave this comment.
The fact that you don't support criminalizing the existence of trans people doesn't stop you from coming off as a transphobe who's Just Asking Questions, and it's not much of a defense against being called one either. Racists can still be racist while supporting equality under the law, if anything, that's the most common type these days. If you consider yourself an ally of the trans and broader LGBTQ+ community, I would recommend in the strongest possible terms, to trot out a cliche, educating yourself, reading some books like Whipping Girl, watching videos on the subjects from decent producers like Contrapoints, and maybe browsing through more trans-centric forums, because I guarantee this stuff has been discussed to death in interesting and productive ways, and I think that learning a little more about both common trans peoples' positions on topics such as socialization as well as common transphobic tropes and talking points will help you engage with these topics with the nuance that you want.
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Comment on The woman bulldozing video games’ toughest DRM in ~games
spctrvl Link ParentI don't think you're likely to participate in such a discussion if you're going to lead with with comparing transgender to transracial. Even if you're intending to act in good faith and don't...I don't think you're likely to participate in such a discussion if you're going to lead with with comparing transgender to transracial. Even if you're intending to act in good faith and don't realize this, statements like that are more a transphobic whistle than a dogwhistle, and I highly doubt anyone is going to want to discuss the highly fraught topic of gender socialization in that context, especially considering that calling all transfeminine people "male-socialized" is one of the classic TERF dogwhistles and rhetorical bludgeons. These discussions absolutely do happen, it's an interesting topic, but they only happen productively in places that are thoroughly vetted to keep TERFs and other bad faith actors out, if you're interested I'd highly recommend the Contrapoints video Gender Critical, she delves into it a bit in one of the subsections.
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Comment on Worried that technology is ‘breaking your brain’? Fears about attention spans and focus are as old as writing itself in ~creative
spctrvl LinkI can't help but feel that for something written in 2023, the article has missed a massive qualitative difference between increasingly easy access to passive sources of information, like books and...I can't help but feel that for something written in 2023, the article has missed a massive qualitative difference between increasingly easy access to passive sources of information, like books and eventually (more or less) static websites like wikipedia, and lightning paced media platforms that were designed with the express intent of being as psychologically addictive as possible. It's like saying ultra-processed foods, also designed to be addictive by adding gobs of salt, refined sugar and oils, are nothing to worry about because they're still just food, and of course we've been eating food for all of history, so it's fine. Even if you don't think the dominant social media paradigm is a collapse-of-civilization level problem (which some people in fact do), it's at the very least one of the defining public health issues of our time.
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Comment on Forks Over Knives - A documentary about whole food plant based diets in ~movies
spctrvl Link ParentThat's a good point! I love cooking, but I stopped preparing any meat dishes years before I stopped eating meat altogether. Even without having to see the animals themselves, raw cuts of meat were...That's a good point! I love cooking, but I stopped preparing any meat dishes years before I stopped eating meat altogether. Even without having to see the animals themselves, raw cuts of meat were just like, this offputting, visceral reminder of what I was about to eat.
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Comment on Forks Over Knives - A documentary about whole food plant based diets in ~movies
spctrvl Link ParentI'm not sure the moral arguments are falling by the wayside so much, I think it's more that, now that they're widespread, people find environmental or health arguments less likely to start tedious...I'm not sure the moral arguments are falling by the wayside so much, I think it's more that, now that they're widespread, people find environmental or health arguments less likely to start tedious and repetitive arguments with meat eaters. I'm vegan for a lot of reasons but I typically leave morality out of the discussion in mixed company.
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Comment on A deep, nuanced Tumblr discussion about trans-exclusionary beliefs and how they come to be in ~lgbt
spctrvl Link ParentI think I got the latter vibe from a couple of posts in the thread. It could also be that the core beliefs of radical feminism, i.e. the fundamentally patriarchal nature of society, its role in...Has the consensus changed, or is this a sign that this thread is mostly led by libfems who have an un-nuanced understanding of radfem?
I think I got the latter vibe from a couple of posts in the thread. It could also be that the core beliefs of radical feminism, i.e. the fundamentally patriarchal nature of society, its role in all manner of oppressive hierarchies, and the need to reform it on a fundamental level, are basically the default on that corner of the Internet, so they don't register with people as radical, and they look for other things to distinguish their picture of radical feminism from their own, which lands them on minority viewpoints like those.
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Comment on Dungeons & Dragons’ new license tightens its grip on competition in ~games.tabletop
spctrvl Link ParentI dunno that it would even take 20 years, I could see it happening in less than 5 under the right circumstances. D&D dominates for two reasons, cultural inertia, and breadth of supplementary...I dunno that it would even take 20 years, I could see it happening in less than 5 under the right circumstances. D&D dominates for two reasons, cultural inertia, and breadth of supplementary material, and they're fucking directly with the latter in a way that's gonna weaken the former, which I think is the dominant effect.There are many different systems more suitable to the kinds of games most people want to run, and most of the people that I start out on non-d20 systems go on to prefer them and keep playing them, even people who I suspect would've long since fallen out of D&D. If they incentivize people to branch out even for their first RPG experiences, I think that might finally let the RPG Cambrian explosion of the last ten years start to percolate into the minds of the general public, which is not a good thing at all for their market share.
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Comment on Kevin McCarthy fails on first US House speakership vote in historic loss in ~news
spctrvl Link ParentFunny headline, and they're definitely not the worst satirists in the world, but I'd be leery of linking to that particular site. Babylon Bee is a far right website with a history of intense...Funny headline, and they're definitely not the worst satirists in the world, but I'd be leery of linking to that particular site. Babylon Bee is a far right website with a history of intense transphobia among other things.
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Comment on As e-bike fires rise, calls grow for education and regulation in ~transport
spctrvl LinkI'm not sure if something more than a technical fix is needed, but I think it'd be great for safety and sustainably if there was a shift towards lithium iron phosphate batteries in ebikes. I built...I'm not sure if something more than a technical fix is needed, but I think it'd be great for safety and sustainably if there was a shift towards lithium iron phosphate batteries in ebikes. I built one for my ebike, and they're way safer than traditional lithium batteries since they don't really do thermal runaway, they last for way more charge cycles, and they lack a bunch of the rare metals that make lithium problematic, like cobalt.
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Comment on These are my old PC spare parts. I wanna build a new PC. What's the best I can do with those? (details in the post) in ~tech
spctrvl Link ParentOh wow, I didn't even know they made 4GB 5600s, I thought they were all 6GB. 4GB is definitely pretty bad these days. And I'd for sure say to avoid any *500 series cards from AMD, they're pretty...Oh wow, I didn't even know they made 4GB 5600s, I thought they were all 6GB. 4GB is definitely pretty bad these days. And I'd for sure say to avoid any *500 series cards from AMD, they're pretty crap. Too bad then, but I'm sure the 2060 will do the job fine if you can't find anything decent for cheaper.
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Comment on These are my old PC spare parts. I wanna build a new PC. What's the best I can do with those? (details in the post) in ~tech
spctrvl Link ParentDepends on what supply is like where you're at, but I imagine you could save a lot of money by getting an RX 5600 or 6600 and end up with an equivalent or more powerful card. $340 is way more than...Depends on what supply is like where you're at, but I imagine you could save a lot of money by getting an RX 5600 or 6600 and end up with an equivalent or more powerful card. $340 is way more than I paid for my 5600 brand new, and it sells for like $100-150 on eBay these days. 2060 can't really do ray tracing anyway, so I dunno that there's anything that recommends it over the 5/6600. Maybe RAM quantity on that particular model but I dunno that it'll really make use of it.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
spctrvl Link ParentIt's a little involved and it'll be a best guess since I didn't measure anything while making it. Requires a Dutch oven. 400g bread flour 100g rye flour 100g sourdough starter 20g chia seeds 20g...It's a little involved and it'll be a best guess since I didn't measure anything while making it. Requires a Dutch oven.
400g bread flour
100g rye flour
100g sourdough starter
20g chia seeds
20g ground flaxseed
30g nutritional yeast
10g salt
10g MSG (optional)
10g brown sugar
~300ish g water, that's the one that'll need a little experimentation, I'd say just add water until you get the consistency you're looking for and then a touch more for the chia seeds to absorb.Feed the starter at least five hours or so before making the bread. Mix flours, chia, flax, and nutritional yeast together with water, let it sit covered for an hour to autolyse. During that hour, measure out your starter, mix it with the sugar and an extra 20g each of rye and white flour and enough water to bring it to about the consistency of your dough, probably about 30g, keep it in a warm but not hot place if possible.
After the hour passes, incorporate the starter, salt, and MSG into the dough, and work it into a ball. Let it rise, covered, until doubled in size, typically overnight, but if you can keep it around 85F/30C it should only take four hours or so. An hour in you'll want to do some stretch and folds where you just stretch out the side of the dough and fold it on top of itself, turn 90 degrees and repeat 3 times. I like to do this two or three times, an hour between, but that's probably not necessary.
After it doubles, turn it out gently on to a floured surface and shape it again into a ball, again gently so as not to pop too many bubbles. Let it rise again for an hour, or overnight (or for up to two days) in the fridge, the longer, the sourer. If you do the final rise in the fridge, make sure the dough is covered.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 500F with the Dutch oven inside. After 30 minutes, remove the Dutch oven, place loaf in, cut a line or x in the dough with a sharp knife or razor, put the lid on, and bake at 430F for 25 minutes, then take the lid off and bake for another 20 minutes at 410F or until golden. Let cool for a painful, painful 3 hours before enjoying, or it'll be a gummy mess when you cut into it.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
spctrvl Link ParentNutritional yeast is purely for seasoning, it's deactivated and doesn't raise bread, and has a consistency more like parmesan.Nutritional yeast is purely for seasoning, it's deactivated and doesn't raise bread, and has a consistency more like parmesan.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
spctrvl LinkI've been baking a lot of sourdough. I finally got my technique dialed in for the most part and I've started experimenting with my own recipes going by feel for hydration. Best so far was a loaf I...I've been baking a lot of sourdough. I finally got my technique dialed in for the most part and I've started experimenting with my own recipes going by feel for hydration. Best so far was a loaf I did with rye, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and nutritional yeast. Absolutely heavenly dipped in olive oil, with a little vegemite, and topped with even more nutritional yeast.
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Comment on Food giant Unilever is planning a dairy ice cream that uses milk that doesn’t come from a cow in ~food
spctrvl Link ParentI think it's more important to have those things when it's still expensive. In the long run, as they get the processes dialed in, plant based substitutes for animal products should be way cheaper,...I think it's more important to have those things when it's still expensive. In the long run, as they get the processes dialed in, plant based substitutes for animal products should be way cheaper, probably an order of magnitude less than the unsubsidized prices of meat and dairy just from trophic efficiency and reduced hassle. I actually expect substitutes would already be cheaper if not for animal agriculture subsidies, considering they aren't a whole lot more now.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
spctrvl Link ParentRec Room is super fun and free, it's a little like multiplayer VR Wii sports, but it's better if you already have people to play with, since the player base has definitely skewed young since the...Rec Room is super fun and free, it's a little like multiplayer VR Wii sports, but it's better if you already have people to play with, since the player base has definitely skewed young since the quest came out. Moss is really good too, haven't played it as much but it's a charming little platformer.
I'll also second that recommendation for prescription lens inserts, I have some too and honestly like them even more than contacts, which were my original solution.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
spctrvl LinkAs a crossover with what I've been playing lately, loaded up my main playlist with music from the cyberpunk OST. I'm not sure which songs were specifically commissioned and which were just...As a crossover with what I've been playing lately, loaded up my main playlist with music from the cyberpunk OST. I'm not sure which songs were specifically commissioned and which were just licensed (I assume there's some since there's an option to disable copyrighted tracks), but there's such a solid variety. Edgerunners had a good sampling (still think I Really Want to Stay at Your House is the best song on the soundtrack), but there's just so much there to love, Likewise, Hole in the Sun, Pain, Violence, Makes Me Feel Better, Chippin In. Great for the atmosphere, decent sample of genres, and great songs.
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Comment on AMD launches EPYC 9004 "Genoa" processors - Up to 96 cores, AVX-512, incredible performance in ~tech
spctrvl Link ParentDefinitely one of the big reasons, we have actually started moving towards 3D chips but on low heat output applications like HBM and flash memory.Definitely one of the big reasons, we have actually started moving towards 3D chips but on low heat output applications like HBM and flash memory.
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Comment on AMD launches EPYC 9004 "Genoa" processors - Up to 96 cores, AVX-512, incredible performance in ~tech
spctrvl Link ParentWhere it's a bigger problem is main memory access, the distance from the CPU to the RAM is at least 5-10cm even on the most compact boards. I suspect that may be a reason cache amounts have gone...Where it's a bigger problem is main memory access, the distance from the CPU to the RAM is at least 5-10cm even on the most compact boards. I suspect that may be a reason cache amounts have gone up so much in the last decade or so, and it's starting to become common practice to solder the RAM chips directly to the CPU in some designs.
Ugh, I know I said I was leaving but...
Nobody is demanding acceptance, I'm just explaining that you're unlikely to be seen as an ally if you constantly bring up talking points that could be on a TERF bingo sheet. I hope your research is enjoyable and productive.