sqew's recent activity
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Comment on Need help planning a pseudo-upgrade for my computer tower in ~comp
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Comment on US nuclear missile program set the launch code to "00000000" during the cold war in ~engineering
sqew LinkFascinating little dive into the history of the safeguards for US missile systems! Somehow I'm not surprised that there were issues... "hard to launch accidentally or without authorization" and...Fascinating little dive into the history of the safeguards for US missile systems! Somehow I'm not surprised that there were issues... "hard to launch accidentally or without authorization" and "can always be launched at a moment's notice" sounds like a hard combination.
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Comment on Learning new programming languages with limited time: Rust, golang, or otherwise? in ~comp
sqew Link ParentIt's funny, I've been observing Rust casually for years and vaguely wanting to learn it, although I haven't had time or reason yet. So I remember all of that back and forth about async and am...It's funny, I've been observing Rust casually for years and vaguely wanting to learn it, although I haven't had time or reason yet. So I remember all of that back and forth about async and am keeping up with the work on the Polonius update for the borrow checker, but I don't see these day-to-day pain points.
Given what I know about the language, it definitely makes sense that that would be an issue. Thank you for sharing! Maybe I'll finally go give Rust a try one of these days and see for myself.
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Comment on Learning new programming languages with limited time: Rust, golang, or otherwise? in ~comp
sqew Link ParentI’ve been considering learning Rust, and I keep hearing this. I’m curious as to why people think that - did Rust just kinda rush an implementation of it? Would love to hear what anyone might have...I will caution that I’ve heard many terrible things about async/await Rust code.
I’ve been considering learning Rust, and I keep hearing this. I’m curious as to why people think that - did Rust just kinda rush an implementation of it? Would love to hear what anyone might have to say about that.
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Comment on Minimal Linux bootloader debugging story in ~comp
sqew (edited )LinkI'll be interested to see how they fix the issue here (assuming the solution ever pops up here or on Hacker News haha). Seems like the best option is probably to get a new release of the...I'll be interested to see how they fix the issue here (assuming the solution ever pops up here or on Hacker News haha). Seems like the best option is probably to get a new release of the bootloader made or fork it and have it use more than 24 bits, but that might break it on imperfect BIOSes. And most BIOSes are probably imperfect given how many articles I've seen about buggy BIOSes...
Edit: looks like they found a fix! Curious if that will still have the effect of messing things up on buggy BIOSes, and I wonder if he'll be able to get the bootloader author to make a release after so many years!
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Comment on Your security program is shit in ~comp
sqew Link ParentI remember watching some of my friends go into consulting out of college and thinking it was crazy that they were going to be airdropped in to companies as experts at crazy high hourly rates when...I remember watching some of my friends go into consulting out of college and thinking it was crazy that they were going to be airdropped in to companies as experts at crazy high hourly rates when they had zero experience in their industry. Most of them were business majors but going into technology consulting.
I think I blame the consulting companies really. They want to take advantage of the spread between the hourly rate they charge and the salary they pay their 23 year olds, and the 23 year olds don’t even necessarily know how little they know about what they’re doing.
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Comment on G-Sync/Freesync - What's your opinion? in ~tech
sqew Link ParentThank you for that link to Blur Busters! It's wild to me how much arcane knowledge goes into configuring graphics stuff, so it's helpful to have a rundown article to stash away. I guess the...Thank you for that link to Blur Busters! It's wild to me how much arcane knowledge goes into configuring graphics stuff, so it's helpful to have a rundown article to stash away.
I guess the complexity makes sense given that it's governed by the zillion interactions between game engine, drivers, hardware, display, etc., etc., but it's still crazy.
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Comment on Boeing wants US FAA to exempt MAX 7 from safety rules to get it in the air in ~transport
sqew Link ParentI think that things like that would extremely rarely, if ever, be swapped out by the customer airline. The number of exits and their locations is determined by the seating arrangement on the...I think that things like that would extremely rarely, if ever, be swapped out by the customer airline. The number of exits and their locations is determined by the seating arrangement on the plane, and to completely redo the interior layout of the plane and change out sections of fuselage would be a massive change.
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Comment on House hunting tips for a millennial who's never owned one in ~life
sqew Link ParentBuilding inspection TikTok is such a fascinating place. All sorts of problems I would never have even thought of, and they seem to be everywhere. I'm sure lots of the inspectors are showing the...Building inspection TikTok is such a fascinating place. All sorts of problems I would never have even thought of, and they seem to be everywhere. I'm sure lots of the inspectors are showing the worst houses but still...
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Comment on NASA's 3D-printed detonation engine revs up for four minutes in breakthrough test in ~space
sqew Link ParentThat test video you linked is awesome! I remember ~3y ago Scott Manley made a video talking about RDEs and talked about some of the challenges with them; crazy to see only a few years later a real...That test video you linked is awesome! I remember ~3y ago Scott Manley made a video talking about RDEs and talked about some of the challenges with them; crazy to see only a few years later a real long-duration test of one!
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Comment on Browser game recommendations in ~games
sqew Link ParentI took a peek at their careers page at one point and it seems like they're trying to support a real company off of just colonist.io, so it kinda makes sense to me that the subscriptions would be...I took a peek at their careers page at one point and it seems like they're trying to support a real company off of just colonist.io, so it kinda makes sense to me that the subscriptions would be expensive, even if it is unfortunate. Not too many people are going to subscribe to a game like colonist at all, so I guess they figure they need to get as much as they can per person.
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Comment on Browser game recommendations in ~games
sqew Link ParentI love Colonist and enjoy playing the base version of the game with friends, but you're right about how wild the pricing on the memberships is. Almost $200 a year if you want access to the maps...I love Colonist and enjoy playing the base version of the game with friends, but you're right about how wild the pricing on the memberships is. Almost $200 a year if you want access to the maps and expansions...
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Comment on Have we become programmed to be "too materialistic"? in ~talk
sqew Link ParentThat's definitely fair. I guess my counterpoint to that would be that it would be nice if more things with more miniature components properly broke those out as replaceable (and available to buy)...That's definitely fair. I guess my counterpoint to that would be that it would be nice if more things with more miniature components properly broke those out as replaceable (and available to buy) pieces. I sorta get it for things like phones with their waterproofing that it's hard to reseal them properly, but there's no need for things like laptop components to be so hard to replace.
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Comment on Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design in ~engineering
sqew LinkWhile these are centered around space stuff, I think most of them apply well to all fields of engineering. Hope people find it interesting!While these are centered around space stuff, I think most of them apply well to all fields of engineering. Hope people find it interesting!
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Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design
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Comment on Have we become programmed to be "too materialistic"? in ~talk
sqew Link ParentThis is one of the things that really makes me sad about the modern world. I love being able to fix things, but as things get more and more complex it seems like it's becoming harder and harder....You would choose to repair things instead of replace with new
This is one of the things that really makes me sad about the modern world. I love being able to fix things, but as things get more and more complex it seems like it's becoming harder and harder. Yes, companies are making it harder on purpose in some cases, but it also seems like the increasing technical complexity of things is making it harder to determine what's wrong with them and fix it yourself. Everything from phones with their increasing miniaturization and waterproofing to cars with their million black-box electronic systems seem to be becoming like this.
On top of that, I think there's a confounding factor for most people of "what do I spend my time on?". If you've got a stable enough financial basis that you're not forced to fix things, are you going to wade through becoming an AC repair hobbyist or are you going to just pay someone to do it or just replace the thing?
I'd love to see repair become easier (i.e. car companies should be forced to release their repair manuals and maybe diagnostic tools at a reasonable price) and for there to be more societal support for the idea of taking the time to fix things.
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Comment on Why Americans love big cars in ~transport
sqew Link ParentIt's an interesting effect that to feel safe now you need a bigger car, which in turn means that we in our new bigger cars are making people in smaller cars feel even more unsafe. Vicious cycle...It's an interesting effect that to feel safe now you need a bigger car, which in turn means that we in our new bigger cars are making people in smaller cars feel even more unsafe. Vicious cycle that probably does need regulation or at least better incentives to fix...
The thing that makes me feel most unsafe in my ancient Camry these days is pulling out onto busy streets with cars parked alongside. If there's a huge suburban or pickup parked, it's always just best guess whether someone might slam into me.
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Comment on Why Americans love big cars in ~transport
sqew Link ParentMy favorite thing about my family's old minivan has always been that Toyota seems to have designed the bed (with the middle seats out) to be exactly 4'x8'. Not only did it haul kids around for two...My favorite thing about my family's old minivan has always been that Toyota seems to have designed the bed (with the middle seats out) to be exactly 4'x8'. Not only did it haul kids around for two decades, it also served amazingly for all of the tasks like hauling plywood for projects or lugging around big furniture that plenty of our friends' much bigger SUVs or trucks either couldn't handle at all or gave up tons of day to day utility in order to handle the once a month or less task of hauling stuff.
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Comment on Why did you select your username for Tildes? in ~tildes
sqew Link ParentSimilar problem for me with some of mine. My original one was a Trader Joe's purchase that I adopted from my mom, and it was in one of those "plastic insert in a non-draining terracotta pot" ones....Similar problem for me with some of mine. My original one was a Trader Joe's purchase that I adopted from my mom, and it was in one of those "plastic insert in a non-draining terracotta pot" ones. Got root-rot fast, but I was able to save it.
The grow light was definitely a great addition for mine, too, although I did screw up and leave it on too much for the first month or so. Was like "why aren't they growing" until I realized that succulents use CAM photosynthesis and need darkness for a while every day. Oops haha.
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Comment on Is an iPad enough for college students these days? in ~tech
sqew Link ParentI agree that many of the MacBook models do cost a lot compared to similarly powerful devices from other manufacturers, but one thing I've been pointing out to people (especially those who can get...I'd certainly hope so because they cost significantly more.
I agree that many of the MacBook models do cost a lot compared to similarly powerful devices from other manufacturers, but one thing I've been pointing out to people (especially those who can get student/educator pricing) is that at ~$750 (if you can get that pricing) the base-ish M1 MacBook Air is a pretty great deal. Compared to most PCs I've used in that price range and even the $1k range, the build quality is amazing, and the M1 is a great chip.
How’s the CPU during actual gameplay? My intuition would be that CPU usage might actually be higher on the loading screen due to it managing fetching data from disk and getting everything set up for the GPU to start doing its work.