stu2b50's recent activity
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Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
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Comment on US imports more from Taiwan than China for first time in decades in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentProbably not a lot? The two countries aren’t exactly on the best of terms to begin with. That mostly occurs through Vietnam. The types of exports Taiwan and China has are very different so if you...Probably not a lot? The two countries aren’t exactly on the best of terms to begin with.
That mostly occurs through Vietnam. The types of exports Taiwan and China has are very different so if you were to just proxy goods across for tax evasion it would look pretty obvious.
The increase from Taiwan is mostly TSMC.
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Comment on Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft/Xbox in ~games
stu2b50 Link ParentI don't think they did think it would make a splash? ASUS has been making the Legion Ally X for a while, as a super-steam deck kind of device. Presumably one or the other went to the other and...I don't think they did think it would make a splash?
ASUS has been making the Legion Ally X for a while, as a super-steam deck kind of device. Presumably one or the other went to the other and said, "hey, what if you slap your brand name on our new version of an existing product line, you get another xbox device, we get some free brand appeal, win-win" and that was about it.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentI don't think it counts as "evidence" to just point at a youtube channel. I don't want anything, I'm presenting an argument. This is like a complete non-sequitur to anything. What does that have...I don't think it counts as "evidence" to just point at a youtube channel.
It's not sexy and its not interesting because it's local state politics so there's not fun videos on it, but at the same time what more do you want?
I don't want anything, I'm presenting an argument.
You are more than free to look up how much time effort and money has been spent trying to make sure that one of the only states where you could put money making machines in businesses legally DIDN'T wind up just having them everywhere and what that balancing act looked like and how it changed over the years.
This is like a complete non-sequitur to anything. What does that have to do with whether or not the easy availability of gambling in the US has had an effect on the revenues of Las Vegas's casinos industry? Local politicians can dither all they want, national trends effect them nonetheless.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentIf the extent of it amounts of anecdata and "I'm a local, believe me", can't particularly say that's very convincing. It seems like just a process of wishful thinking. I fail to see why it's even...If the extent of it amounts of anecdata and "I'm a local, believe me", can't particularly say that's very convincing. It seems like just a process of wishful thinking.
I fail to see why it's even mutually exclusive. Sure, there were tensions between the mafia owned jank era of vegas and the corporatization that occured afterwards, but that only lays the groundwork that vegas is vulrenable to the movements of broader social trends.
The proliferation of online gambling is just another nail, and it's the one being driven into the coffin of the cheap casino era Vegas at the moment.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentWhat's the evidence for it to be "objectively wrong"? Vegas's decline heightened with COVID. IMO it's clear that, like with many industries, COVID was a period where old business momentum hit a...What's the evidence for it to be "objectively wrong"? Vegas's decline heightened with COVID. IMO it's clear that, like with many industries, COVID was a period where old business momentum hit a wall and never came back.
Used cars is another example. The old adage of "the car loses half it's value when you drive it off the lot" is now just wrong. Now the car drops in value in linear proportion to its wear, from new to 300k.
The decline post-COVID is from the rise of easily accessible mobile gaming. If you plot the number of users of online gambling with the visitation records of not only vegas, but other gambling centers like atlantic city, you see one fill the gap where the other falls.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentIMO it's a conflation between "companies doing things I don't like" and "companies doing things that are short-sighted / dumb". It's easy to want these to be the same, because then the natural...IMO it's a conflation between "companies doing things I don't like" and "companies doing things that are short-sighted / dumb". It's easy to want these to be the same, because then the natural path is for companies to eventually do things that I like again. But it's not necessarily the case.
For Vegas, ultimately I suspect that for lower incomes, it's simply outcompeted by the internet. Why travel all the way to Vegas to gamble when you can gamble from your smartphone? It's cheaper, and easier, and takes way less time.
As a result, for Vegas as an institution to survive, they've moved up market. There's still some people that like the experience, the vibe of Vegas. Of course, to have so much preference for the mere site of where you do your degenerate gambling that you will spend PTO and hundreds of dollars of flight tickets, you're probably higher income.
It's wishful thinking to imagine that, if only these stupid Casinos could figure out how to make money and just lower prices, they would be able to operate indefinitely as the center of cheap degeneracy. Casinos absolutely know about under-pricing to attract long-time gambling addicts. This is casino business 101. They have definitely not forgotten. It just doesn't work as well anymore.
Sadly, the world moves on, and now the degenerates mog each other while stockmaxxing on their smartphones.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentYou can call it it, but it's nonetheless a long term playbook. You have to endure years of negative income to be in a position to reap larger rewards. This is the opposite of short-term thinking.You can call it it, but it's nonetheless a long term playbook. You have to endure years of negative income to be in a position to reap larger rewards. This is the opposite of short-term thinking.
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Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentIt’s gray market adjacent. You can see on the specs that this is server RAM, meant for data centers. It’s not intended, but not prohibited, for being a consumer product.It’s gray market adjacent. You can see on the specs that this is server RAM, meant for data centers. It’s not intended, but not prohibited, for being a consumer product.
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Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentIf you do, it's would have to be part of a prebuilt or laptop. Samsung and SK don't sell RAM as consumer kits. But yes, Micron will continue selling RAM to companies that sell RAM to consumers -...If you do, it's would have to be part of a prebuilt or laptop. Samsung and SK don't sell RAM as consumer kits.
But yes, Micron will continue selling RAM to companies that sell RAM to consumers - well known brands like Corsair or G.Skill are examples.
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentI mean the biggest thing people are complaining about is the exact opposite. "AI" investments is bringing massive short term loss, in search of dominance, or at least survival, in the long term....I mean the biggest thing people are complaining about is the exact opposite. "AI" investments is bringing massive short term loss, in search of dominance, or at least survival, in the long term. It's about as far from short-term gains as you can get.
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Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech
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Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentIf you're talking about Micron, that's a very different situation. What they exited was having a D2C brand. Neither Samsung or SK has a D2C brand either, they rely on 3rd parties to market and be...If you're talking about Micron, that's a very different situation. What they exited was having a D2C brand. Neither Samsung or SK has a D2C brand either, they rely on 3rd parties to market and be the final seller of the product.
Micron still supplies other brands. G.Skill, Corsair, and Kingston all get their RAM from Micron, and they are still selling products. There's no indication that Micron is going to stop supplying them.
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Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games
stu2b50 Link ParentUltimately the proportion of people who emulate and pirate games is fairly small. If $20 sells well, it is what it is. There is no inherent price to anything, just the meeting between the cost of...Ultimately the proportion of people who emulate and pirate games is fairly small. If $20 sells well, it is what it is. There is no inherent price to anything, just the meeting between the cost of the product and what people are willing to pay.
There's one major difference, though, between any emulated copy and this: pokemon home support.
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Comment on Sony is shutting down the PlayStation studio Bluepoint (gifted link) in ~games
stu2b50 Link ParentWho knows, maybe it was Bluepoint? It was reported that they wanted to work on an original title and not a remake after Demon Souls. Maybe the live action GoW game was the only independent project...Who knows, maybe it was Bluepoint? It was reported that they wanted to work on an original title and not a remake after Demon Souls. Maybe the live action GoW game was the only independent project they could take on.
Surely an exec
Maybe they were? Generally no one really cares enough about middle management changes to have leaks about them.
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Comment on The watchers: how OpenAI, the US government, and Persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds in ~tech
stu2b50 LinkAside from being the most annoying website in the world to read (seriously, whoever made this somehow made a more annoying website than like banner-ad infested blogspam), the only thing I got from...Aside from being the most annoying website in the world to read (seriously, whoever made this somehow made a more annoying website than like banner-ad infested blogspam), the only thing I got from this is that Persona files SARs.
Which is like... yeah, they are legally obligated to. Fun fact: you're also legally obligated in the US to not tell anyone that you file SARs.
For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Secrecy_Act
This is very much a non-negotiable part of running a company in the US.
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Comment on Communities, relationships, and navigating the enshittification of absolutely everything in ~talk
stu2b50 Link ParentThat is a separate thing. Discord promised the third party automated age check they use deletes the IDs or videos/selfies afterwards. This has yet to be proven false. What that was is IT tickets...nor the fact that ~70,000 government IDs which Discord claimed they'd dispose of once age verification was complete were leaked in a gargantuan data breach.
That is a separate thing. Discord promised the third party automated age check they use deletes the IDs or videos/selfies afterwards. This has yet to be proven false. What that was is IT tickets because people got denied and wanted to appeal. This isn't a technicality; as a user I do expect these to be different scenarios. Once things get into other human's hands, data gets leaky.
I remember someone in my dorm when I was in college worked part time as IT and they would take photos of their monitor of people who submitted images that were fat or ugly and posted them in the floor groupchat to make fun of them. So yeah, IT things.
Or what about them suddenly switching to using Persona,
Did they switch? AFAIK they always used persona. I mean, I just don't think there's that many compliant age verification services that exist.
We're allowing companies to profiteer off of the collection, use and misuse of our data and risk opening people up to scammers (i.e. running fake porn sites and falsified age verification checks) or data breaches which would serve as an identity fraud jackpot for cybercriminals.
If governments provided a service to check ages, and people still used third party ML selfie evaluators, that would be one thing. As of now, Discord is complying about as well as you can expect. Is what it is. People should vote more.
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Comment on Drinking two-three cups of coffee a day tied to lower dementia risk in ~health.mental
stu2b50 Link ParentI’m not really sure I see the connection. Coffee not only has no calories but is going to be healthier than artificially sweetened soda just by base material.I’ll stick to my zero sugar soda and zero calorie sweetened hot teas, thanks.
I’m not really sure I see the connection. Coffee not only has no calories but is going to be healthier than artificially sweetened soda just by base material.
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Comment on Communities, relationships, and navigating the enshittification of absolutely everything in ~talk
stu2b50 LinkI don't think this one makes sense. Discord is doing this not because it wants to, but because it's forced to due to government regulations. The UK and Australia have already passed laws that...I view this motion by Discord as the next step in the enshittification of that platform
I don't think this one makes sense. Discord is doing this not because it wants to, but because it's forced to due to government regulations. The UK and Australia have already passed laws that would require it to do age checks, it needs to do so in many US states, many European countries like France also require it to do so, and the entire EU has laws in the works that would require age verification.
There is no actual benefit to Discord to do this. Any actual information they can gather from your age verification - which I genuinely don't think they are doing, but let's assume they are - is worth jack shit. What's on an ID? Your age? You don't think Discord can estimate your age?
The most worthwhile data is actually the raw text for the LLM companies, not your government ID.
And meanwhile they lose paying customers, for zero gain. Discord would love if children went on gooning parties in NSFW channels as long as they were paying for nitro. It's like wondering if casinos are doing age checks because they want to steal your data.
That's why there is no escape from this. Any alternative, if it gets big enough, will also have to do age checks. Mastodon in the world of Twitter clones is an example. The big servers have to do age checks in the UK. Is what it is.
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Comment on Drinking two-three cups of coffee a day tied to lower dementia risk in ~health.mental
stu2b50 LinkAs always, it's hard to piece out links from correlative data. A very possible linkage in this case could be that the people drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks in the study had more shit...As always, it's hard to piece out links from correlative data. A very possible linkage in this case could be that the people drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks in the study had more shit to do - that's part of why people drink coffee, after all. Only a small niche are James Hoffman levels of coffee afficionados.
If you're sleeping in every day in your retirement, you don't really need coffee.
So the causative link could be in mental activity, something else that in correlative studies is shown to correlate with lower dementia risk.
I actually love this aesthetic in particular, and not in an ironic way. Kind of a solemn and melancholy vibe. My favorite practical example is the Barbican center in London.