stu2b50's recent activity
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Comment on Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and Mexican retail group for $6.25B in ~finance
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Comment on ‘Hedgehog’ still has upper claw over ‘Mufasa’ with $62M+ in pre-Christmas frame as ‘Lion King’ prequel loses crown in ~movies
stu2b50 Link ParentCan’t speak for anyone else, but I keep tabs on it for fun as a harmless horse race.Can’t speak for anyone else, but I keep tabs on it for fun as a harmless horse race.
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Comment on Christopher Nolan’s next film is an adaptation of Homer’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Universal reveals in ~movies
stu2b50 LinkIt’s going to have a runtime of 5 hours and it’ll be beautiful. I’ve yet to be seriously disappointed by a Nolan movie, and an odyssey adaption seems like a great fit for his style.It’s going to have a runtime of 5 hours and it’ll be beautiful.
I’ve yet to be seriously disappointed by a Nolan movie, and an odyssey adaption seems like a great fit for his style.
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Comment on Engineers achieve quantum teleportation over active internet cables in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentI wouldn't go as far as "lost their damn minds", but there's several parts which seem either just wrong, or very misleading. For instance ??? How is it any faster, or more secure than classical...I wouldn't go as far as "lost their damn minds", but there's several parts which seem either just wrong, or very misleading. For instance
Quantum teleportation, a process that harnesses the power of quantum entanglement, enables an ultra-fast and secure method of information sharing between distant network users.
??? How is it any faster, or more secure than classical communication? It doesn't justify that statement at all.
Unlike traditional communication methods, quantum teleportation does not require the physical transmission of particles. Instead, it relies on entangled particles exchanging information over great distances.
Well, except for the part where quantum teleportation requires classical information to be sent as a pre-requisite. Which, y'know, requires the physical transmission of particles. I guess that can be technically correct, but it's really misleading when the information you sent with quantum teleportation actually cannot be used without sharing classical information.
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Comment on Engineers achieve quantum teleportation over active internet cables in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentThe last part is wrong, or at least misleading to the point of being wrong. Quantum teleportation requires that classical information be sent between the two parties per the No-communication...“The photon itself does not have to be sent over long distances, but its state still ends up encoded onto the distant photon. Teleportation allows the exchange of information over great distances without requiring the information itself to travel that distance.”
The last part is wrong, or at least misleading to the point of being wrong. Quantum teleportation requires that classical information be sent between the two parties per the No-communication Theorem, and classical information needs to have a physical medium.
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Comment on Honda and Nissan announce plans to merge, creating world's third-largest automaker in ~transport
stu2b50 Link ParentThe Japanese government pushed for this merger because Nissan is on the verge of death and they’d rather keep the assets, customers, and employees in Japan and making cars. If nothing else, the...The Japanese government pushed for this merger because Nissan is on the verge of death and they’d rather keep the assets, customers, and employees in Japan and making cars.
If nothing else, the alternative is not that Nissan continues to run, but that Nissan dies and is sold off piecemeal to people with claims.
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Comment on The science of “ultra-processed” foods is misleading in ~food
stu2b50 LinkAt the heart of it, this definition of "ultra processed foods" is just absurdly broad to the point of being useless Lumping everything from TOFU to hot pockets together is just pointless. And...At the heart of it, this definition of "ultra processed foods" is just absurdly broad to the point of being useless
Group four, or ultra-processed foods, defined as “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes,” including dyes, flavors, emulsifiers, certain sugars like fructose, and other ingredients rarely or never found in home kitchens.
Lumping everything from TOFU to hot pockets together is just pointless. And that's the highest categorization of "processed"!
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Comment on As the European Jewish Association’s first diplomatic envoy, Michael Freilich will go to battle as Jews’ and Muslims’ religious freedoms are systematically shrunk in the EU in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentOr, like with everything, it's an incremental process. The overall meat industry can be cruel, and legislation can be passed to help makes various parts less cruel. It's a false equivalence to...Or, like with everything, it's an incremental process. The overall meat industry can be cruel, and legislation can be passed to help makes various parts less cruel. It's a false equivalence to make it all or nothing.
As for the circumcision, that thread doesn't really change my mind. There's no actual rationale there other than cultural legacy. We don't allow any other kind of mutilation of children for non-essential reasons. If a parent went, can you chop off my baby's pinkie? I want him to be have an assassin's knife installed. You'd rightfully be turned to child protection services.
You should not be able to mutilate the body of a human who can't consent, except for essential medical reasons. Full stop. Religion is nice and all, but religion freedom stops where the law begins.
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Comment on As the European Jewish Association’s first diplomatic envoy, Michael Freilich will go to battle as Jews’ and Muslims’ religious freedoms are systematically shrunk in the EU in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentIs it aimed at making things more difficult for Muslim immigrants? The law is at least ostensibly for animal cruelty reasons And I find that a reasonable enough rationale. I’d imagine if I were...Is it aimed at making things more difficult for Muslim immigrants? The law is at least ostensibly for animal cruelty reasons
In 2019, Belgium enacted animal rights legislation in its Flemish and Walloon regions requiring that animals must be stunned before they can be slaughtered for food.
And I find that a reasonable enough rationale. I’d imagine if I were livestock I’d rather be stunned then executed, rather than have some guy slit my throat from the get go.
The part in the article about circumcision doubly so. Circumcision at birth is mutilation. It should be very much illegal. No ifs or buts about it.
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Comment on Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots in ~health
stu2b50 Link ParentIMO it’s about class identity more than anything. Nurses are closer to working class than white collar. Someone else in this thread mentioned the stereotype of the “cop husband and nurse wife”....IMO it’s about class identity more than anything. Nurses are closer to working class than white collar. Someone else in this thread mentioned the stereotype of the “cop husband and nurse wife”. Members of the working class are much more likely to be skeptical of vaccines.
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Comment on The US Democrats need to start acting like an opposition party in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentBecause there isn't an alternative, at least one in a similar vein. What alternative do you want? Democrats can't just will things into existence. That doesn't mean there's nothing that can be...Because there isn't an alternative, at least one in a similar vein. What alternative do you want? Democrats can't just will things into existence. That doesn't mean there's nothing that can be done, but you have to view it through the lens of pragmatism. It's not even necessarily about legal or not, it's about, if I do X, will it actually accomplish Y?
If Biden just declared with no legal backing that he is pardoning anyone who befell Texas's abortion law: first of all, there wouldn't be anyone, because no one has been charged or arrested for it yet. And you can't pardon people in the future. Second, no one in the Texas prison statement would release anyone, because it's obviously unbacked. Third, it would be a huge scandal, and Democrats would lose more power. So by doing X, you are not only not achieving Y, are you pushing Y further away.
Here's something practical that I think Democrats should have done, and did not, for instance: force Sotomayor to retire in the last few months. The fact that she's still a justice is insane. Democratic voters should be (metaphorically) banging on her door to get with the show.
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Comment on Why I am pursuing a life, professionally and personally, of Christian Virtue in ~humanities
stu2b50 Link ParentNot OP, but I'm confused why you're confused. If you're asking why they cares despite being a non-believer, they said as much: because after decades of Christian indoctrination and propaganda,...Not OP, but I'm confused why you're confused.
If you're asking why they cares despite being a non-believer, they said as much: because after decades of Christian indoctrination and propaganda, there's a part of their brain that unwillingly entertains the idea that Christianity is real. They didn't grow up in India, so they don't have the same cultural baggage towards Hindu texts.
If you're asking why they cares as a believer, or in moments when they believe - because it indicates that God is a huge raging asshole. Maybe he got therapy in between the old and new testament, but it doesn't bode well that the supposed all-power entity has untreated bipolar disease. The god of the judaistic religions reminds me more of donald trump than a supposed omni-potent source of all-goodness. Maybe that's why evangelicals like him so much.
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Comment on Sudan's biggest refugee camp was already struck with famine. Now it's being shelled. in ~news
stu2b50 Link ParentTo some extent. But the situation in Gaza is much more conducive for aid yet. For one, the area is much smaller - Sudan is a massive country. Gaza is barely larger than some cities. That makes the...To some extent. But the situation in Gaza is much more conducive for aid yet. For one, the area is much smaller - Sudan is a massive country. Gaza is barely larger than some cities. That makes the logistics much easier. Secondly, one party of the Gaza conflict is one with the US has diplomatic relationships with. Not so with Sudan. Third, there is a massive imbalance of power in that Israel is much stronger than Hamas.
All this means that it's much easier for the US to give aid to palestinians in gaza directly, and yet like you mentioned, much of Hamas's makeshift weaponry is from humanitarian aid.
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Comment on Sudan's biggest refugee camp was already struck with famine. Now it's being shelled. in ~news
stu2b50 Link ParentThe problem is that it would just end up fueling the war. It's a civil war between two warlords - Sudan was ostensibly about to transition to a democracy, before the commander of the RSF and the...The problem is that it would just end up fueling the war. It's a civil war between two warlords - Sudan was ostensibly about to transition to a democracy, before the commander of the RSF and the Sudanese military coup'd the democratic process, and then promptly entered a civil war.
Any aid would merely be grabbed by the two military forces and used by the military for the military. It wouldn't help any civilians (after all, who's the one starving them to begin with?).
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Comment on The US Democrats need to start acting like an opposition party in ~society
stu2b50 Link ParentIs that an excuse? It’s just not something the president can do. Trump did not pardon any state crimes either. If Biden did do it it’d be overruled by the Supreme Court immediately, and you can’t...Is that an excuse? It’s just not something the president can do. Trump did not pardon any state crimes either. If Biden did do it it’d be overruled by the Supreme Court immediately, and you can’t even call it bias in this case.
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Comment on Journal that published faulty black plastic study removed from science index in ~science
stu2b50 Link ParentThe specific issue in this case was that they quite literally multiplied two numbers wrong - they added a 0 to the result, making it an order of magnitude higher than it should have been. This...The specific issue in this case was that they quite literally multiplied two numbers wrong - they added a 0 to the result, making it an order of magnitude higher than it should have been. This went from “black plastics can leech almost the safe limit of bromine into your food” into “black plastics can leech about 10% the safe limit of bromine”.
If that still sounds bad, I’d note that you’d get about the same amount of bromine from the daily recommended amount of fresh fruit. A risk, nonetheless, but maybe one that looks different in different context.
There’s other issues with the study about the likelihood of these recycled plastics actually being in modern utensils. But the shockingly bad arithmetic is the main one. Like, you can just look the order of magnitude of the numbers and know it’s wrong. It’d be as if I said 24 * 40 = 24,000.
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Comment on Why I am pursuing a life, professionally and personally, of Christian Virtue in ~humanities
stu2b50 Link ParentI think reading putting on a critical, historian lens and just reading the old testament for yourself is a good exercise for that reason. I really doubt anyone with a modern understanding, and...I think reading putting on a critical, historian lens and just reading the old testament for yourself is a good exercise for that reason. I really doubt anyone with a modern understanding, and modern knowledge of ancient religions, could read the old testament in a vacuum and think of it any other way than they would reading about Zeus.
When it's not carefully interpreted by a priest, who is quite literally trained to twist the words of this two millenia old book until it no longer seems insane, it's pretty... insane.
And being able to come to that conclusion without anyone pushing that view is a powerful indication that you're not wrong, it is bullshit. What could be more ironic than becoming a non-believer by reading Christianity's own holiest book?
Is Elaine Paine a non-believer?
I'm not sure, but the work is very much through a historical lens. I don't think you should fear much bias there. If anything, it makes Christianity look pretty bad, although I also don't think that's bias - it's just that objective history naturally makes Christianity look bad.
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Comment on AI ‘street photography’ isn’t photography: What we lose by simulating experience in ~arts
stu2b50 LinkI would mostly agree with the premise, but I am somewhat in doubt that the person the author is talking about actually exists. I've never seen anyone, even the most diehard AI enthusiasts, call...I would mostly agree with the premise, but I am somewhat in doubt that the person the author is talking about actually exists. I've never seen anyone, even the most diehard AI enthusiasts, call themselves a "photographer". I feel like if this was actually common, as the author purports, they could find a written record of at least one person who said this, even if just on social media.
For the rest of it, it just reminds me of a certain type of photographic elitism.
For background context if you don't know, but there's a lot of snobbery and elitism in photography, and the author's main talking points mirror a lot of the common ones a particular type of street photographer likes to have. The author's definition of street photography closely aligns with the (infamous) Bruce Gilden - street photography is about candid moments, in the face of human subjects, shot with a wide lens.
But that really isn't all that's to street photography, and it hasn't been for decades. Pioneers like Saul Leiter crafted a new kind of street photography, for instance, really using lights and perspective as artistic tools to craft abstract images. Recently, there's been a surge in street shot with a longer lens, often 85mm or above, long enough to be classified as telephoto. A lot of Bruce Gilden-types will look down on those types of street photography, because you're not bothering enough people. I think it's pretty silly.
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Comment on Why I am pursuing a life, professionally and personally, of Christian Virtue in ~humanities
stu2b50 Link ParentHonestly, the more you study Christianity through a scholarly, critical lens, the more obvious it's all bullshit. I think a good exercise is to actually just read the Old Testament - like, holy...Honestly, the more you study Christianity through a scholarly, critical lens, the more obvious it's all bullshit. I think a good exercise is to actually just read the Old Testament - like, holy hell, this is so obviously the warrior guardian deity based of off Ba'al for a specific tribe in the ancient middle east. You can hardly find a construct less omnipotent, less a representation of "all good-ness" than the god of the Old Testament.
Compare it to other deities, especially deities of the "Sky-Father" archetype in the near-east, and it's so obvious that this one ain't special in any way.
Reading about early Christiandom is another good exercise. The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Paine is an academic, scholarly work about recent discoveries on early Christianity. And if nothing else, wow, the apostles sure are power-grubbing dicks. In fact, it's really sounds like they made the "revival" of Jesus up to consolidate power amongst the believers after his execution.
How convenient that only THEY met the spirit of Jesus, and they can't even agree on one account without contradicting themselves.
And then they spent the next decades brutally suppressing alternative, now esoteric, branches of Christianity. Certainly makes the current branches, all descended from their formal, hierarchical church, seem like just an exercise in consolidating power, not divine right.
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Comment on Why I am pursuing a life, professionally and personally, of Christian Virtue in ~humanities
stu2b50 Link ParentIf nothing else it’s very western-centric. What does that imply for the cultures of the East? Is China and Japan and Korea and so forth fundamentally unable to be moral, and have been for the...If nothing else it’s very western-centric. What does that imply for the cultures of the East? Is China and Japan and Korea and so forth fundamentally unable to be moral, and have been for the entirety of their history? Or are they all closet Christians?
It's really overblown, especially in the modern day. A famous counterexample is early Amazon. Bezos had very famous shareholder letter in 1997, which basically said, "we're not going to make a profit for a long time, if you buy Amazon shares, know what you're getting yourself into". And they did buy shares, and Amazon indeed did not make a profit for another 15 years. The shareholders sat in 15 years of earnings calls where Amazon had a net loss. And they were fine with it.
There's many public companies like Lyft that have quite literally never made a profit. What else can they be but a long-term bet, considering they're just money burning pits right now?
Or take Facebook. Public company, but Zuckerberg has spent the GDP of several small countries developing the Metaverse. Has that generated a profit? Nope. Are the shareholders happy? Certainly not all of them. Are they going to do anything about it? Nope. They're the Zuck's bitches.