stu2b50's recent activity
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Comment on Mount Fuji view to be blocked as tourists overcrowd popular photo spot in ~travel
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Comment on The tech baron seeking to “ethnically cleanse” San Francisco in ~life
stu2b50 Link ParentProbably much the same. The hackernews crowd is much the same as the one that browses /r/technology, for better or for worse.Probably much the same. The hackernews crowd is much the same as the one that browses /r/technology, for better or for worse.
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Comment on Posting photos of acquaintances on social media in ~tech
stu2b50 LinkThat feels like overcorrecting. I wouldn't really say posting pictures of other people is an "SEA thing" either, that's an everyone thing. If anything it's more of a generational/online thing as...That feels like overcorrecting. I wouldn't really say posting pictures of other people is an "SEA thing" either, that's an everyone thing. If anything it's more of a generational/online thing as opposed to culture. Either way I would say that "Had a good dinner with Sarah and Jane!" pictures on FB or instagram are absolutely normal, and doubly so if they weren't even public.
I don't feel like you need to mention it.
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Comment on Towers of silence in ~humanities.history
stu2b50 Link ParentSure. Back to the original subject, I don't think there was much out an outcry over that episode in general. That's what, a handful of comments in a whopping 25 reply thread on a pretty dead sub?...Ultimately, we're free to have differing opinions of what we listened to.
Sure.
Back to the original subject, I don't think there was much out an outcry over that episode in general. That's what, a handful of comments in a whopping 25 reply thread on a pretty dead sub? Not to mention podcast subs tend to be, uh, "concentrated" - if the general audience to Serial had the same opinion as /r/serialpodcast I'm pretty sure Koenig would have been publicly executed by now.
So there hasn't been a comment, no, and there probably won't be one.
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Comment on Towers of silence in ~humanities.history
stu2b50 Link ParentI feel like that's mixing reporting on actual, observable happenings and the podcast's opining on the subject itself. It's a fact that many, if not the majority at this point, of people who own...I feel like that's mixing reporting on actual, observable happenings and the podcast's opining on the subject itself. It's a fact that many, if not the majority at this point, of people who own chick tracts do so ironically - they're so over the top, they're considered unintentional parodies of themselves, by the people that own them.
The episode is about why these have a continual legacy where innumerable other pieces of Evangelical work from that era have faded into oblivion. You can't talk about that without talking about how people view them as weird, quirky curiosities.
In terms of "hand-waving", I don't see that at all in the episode. They say it innumerable times in the 30 minute episode that they are hateful and bigoted. The episode spends much of its time describing how its author is disturbed.
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Comment on Towers of silence in ~humanities.history
stu2b50 Link ParentWhat was wrong about their episode on chick tracts? As far as I know, there was no controversial reaction to it, so I doubt they have or will ever specially comment on it?What was wrong about their episode on chick tracts? As far as I know, there was no controversial reaction to it, so I doubt they have or will ever specially comment on it?
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Comment on San Francisco office sells for a stunning 90% discount from 2016 price in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentWell, this is just where trying to put politics on a dimensional scale comes has issues. On some aspects, they are quite far to the left. On others, not so much. But also, it’s not an agreed upon...Well, this is just where trying to put politics on a dimensional scale comes has issues. On some aspects, they are quite far to the left. On others, not so much. But also, it’s not an agreed upon position either. I think the left position against housing development is something along the lines of it’ll “they’ll just make luxury condos, which will increase housing costs even more, and destroy historic neighborhoods/gentrify areas”.
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Comment on New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial [he will remain imprisoned in California and the court has ordered a retrial] in ~news
stu2b50 LinkIs what it is. Hopefully this encourages future judges and prosecutors to be dot their i’s and cross their t’s. Rules and laws need to be followed, in be end, no matter the criminal.Is what it is. Hopefully this encourages future judges and prosecutors to be dot their i’s and cross their t’s. Rules and laws need to be followed, in be end, no matter the criminal.
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Comment on New Jersey is motivating telecommuters to appeal their New York tax bills. Connecticut may be next. in ~finance
stu2b50 Link ParentWouldn't really say it's hypocritical. The toll is to discourage people from coming into the city by car, specifically. Secondly, the "convenience of the employer rule" encourages people to be in...Wouldn't really say it's hypocritical. The toll is to discourage people from coming into the city by car, specifically.
Secondly, the "convenience of the employer rule" encourages people to be in New York. After all, if NYC is going to charge you taxes anyway, may as well be there.
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Comment on US Congress approves bill banning TikTok unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells platform in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentI mean both votes are bipartisan. If it passes into law, Democratic president Biden needs to sign off on it. The idea that it’s a Republican plot of some kind doesn’t really make sense. Is the...I mean both votes are bipartisan. If it passes into law, Democratic president Biden needs to sign off on it. The idea that it’s a Republican plot of some kind doesn’t really make sense.
Is the Zuck a conservative? While I wouldn’t call him bleeding heart liberal, seems a bit strong to say it’s “in the hands of a conservative”?
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Comment on The beautiful dissociation of the Japanese language in ~humanities.languages
stu2b50 LinkSomething that's interesting in general is the disassociation between phonetics and meaning in written Chinese. Like most know, Mandarin and Cantonese are different languages - although some may...Something that's interesting in general is the disassociation between phonetics and meaning in written Chinese. Like most know, Mandarin and Cantonese are different languages - although some may not know the extent. Even the grammar is different, it's just masked by the fact that many written works in Cantonese areas are in the Mandarin style. Both use the same written system.
In general, written Chinese has little to do with the phonetics of the writing system. There are hints, as most compound characters are phonetic-semantic compounds. But with the passing of time, many of those no longer make any sense on their own. Nor is it all that consistent. 完了 = wanle, 了解 = liaojie. So 了's pronunciation just depends on what's around it (not a context free grammar, I suppose).
This makes learning it a bitch, but does have some interesting properties. Someone who can read chinese can read everything from 600s Tang dyansty poems, to Heian era Japanese poems, to local Fujianese literature, to standarin modern Mandarin, to limited modern Japanese (I can mostly get the gist of the insurance brochure that came with a lens I bought in Japan, for instance, because it's so Kanji heavy).
This wouldn't be possible in a phonetic language. You can't read Beowulf if you know modern English, because the sounds are completely different. A mandarin speaker today would pronounce a Tang dynasty poem completely different than a contemporary 600s reader, but because the language is divorced from phonetics, that's doesn't impede your understanding of it.
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Comment on Spotify lowers artist royalties despite subscription price hike in ~music
stu2b50 LinkI think it's important to note that in terms of music streaming, it is not just that it has replaced traditional music ownership for most people, but also radio. The "buy music you like" model...I think it's important to note that in terms of music streaming, it is not just that it has replaced traditional music ownership for most people, but also radio. The "buy music you like" model does not encompass much of how people use music streaming. I listen to a lot of songs on Spotify or YTM that I wouldn't really buy, because I don't love them like that, but I like enough to listen to for variety's sake. So the "you should just buy music from artist" is not really a 1-1 mapping - most people just aren't going to. Exposure is important, in the end.
For the smaller artists, the only thing I'd like to see Spotify do is offer a way for customers to make direct payments - basically, patreon within Spotify (and the incentive for them is that they would get a cut, of course). I don't think small artist are ever going to make their fortune from casual listeners like I described - but it'd be nice if they had a way to more heavily monetize hardcore listeners.
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Comment on Instagram's Nudify [non-consensual fake nude photo generator] ads in ~tech
stu2b50 Link ParentNot really an important conversation, but just curious, have you never heard of drawn porn? Or can you really distinguish with just a glance that something is a “deepfake”? I can’t imagine most...Not really an important conversation, but just curious, have you never heard of drawn porn? Or can you really distinguish with just a glance that something is a “deepfake”? I can’t imagine most people really care if their porn is “real” or not, that’d be pretty low on the porn priority list.
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Comment on Where are you on the spectrum of vacation planning? Detailed to the hour or floating like a leaf in the wind? in ~talk
stu2b50 Link ParentI wouldn’t really phrase it like that. IMO contrast with the daily grind is what I look for in vacations. Working a 9-5 desk job means not a lot of physical exertion, not a lot of unique events,...I wouldn’t really phrase it like that. IMO contrast with the daily grind is what I look for in vacations. Working a 9-5 desk job means not a lot of physical exertion, not a lot of unique events, and a lot of more menial anxiety. I have no issue with vacations being event filled, physically exhausting, but immensely rewarding in contrast.
I’ve done “relaxation” vacations and they’ve left me not particularly refreshed - if anything I dread going back to work more, and have no lasting memories of said vacation either. It’s like I just ate some greasy fried chicken - yeah it felt nice while I was eating it, but now I just feel empty.
Or another way to put it is that I look for type 2 fun most of the time. I can remember the time I went on a 9 hour hike from Zermatt to the Matterhorn, a hike which goes from the sleepy alpine village to a glacier and ascends 3000 meters, like it was yesterday. Meanwhile I can’t even tell you what I did at work last week.
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Comment on Where are you on the spectrum of vacation planning? Detailed to the hour or floating like a leaf in the wind? in ~talk
stu2b50 LinkI do both, but allow for unplanned activities. But it's good to never be in a situation where you're in your hotel and just have no idea what to do. I usually have things planned, esp. with regard...I do both, but allow for unplanned activities. But it's good to never be in a situation where you're in your hotel and just have no idea what to do. I usually have things planned, esp. with regard to things that need to be booked, and have "stretch" goals depending on tiredness. But things that aren't booked I swap around, so I never feel "tied" to a schedule. But I want to be doing something whenever I can.
To be fair, I "vacation" somewhat intensely. Especially if I'm on my own, I usually do 12-16 hours of activities per day. Sometimes even more, like when I went to sleep at 10pm, woke up at 3am for a famous sunrise shot, then hiked for 5-6 more hours, did 3-4 hours of traveling to my next destination, and then did more exploration (it's a city famous for nightlife) until 1am.
True, it's tiring, but I want vacation time to be different, and a daily 9-5 creates little novel memories and is toilsome and tiring in a different way than running around on an "adventure". The feeling of having done a full day of activity and going immediately to sleep after taking a shower is refreshing to me. Two weeks of traveling can feel like 4 months of 9-5 time to me, and that's a success.
By the end of the vacation, I want to feel so physically depleted that I'm ready for a slow 9-5 again. In that way, my travels and daily life feed back into each other.
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Comment on US House approves $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (gifted link) in ~news
stu2b50 Link ParentI'm not really sure I understand the "but" there. They weren't allowed to build up arms, and it would look very, very bad look for their new governments to have ANYTHING to do with the hyper...They didn't build up arms because it wasn't allowed, but adopted pacifist strategies (it was Japan's official stance) until recently.
I'm not really sure I understand the "but" there. They weren't allowed to build up arms, and it would look very, very bad look for their new governments to have ANYTHING to do with the hyper militaristic atrocities their predecessors committed to the international community. So... they didn't.
I can see it somewhat with Germany, they're more insulated from their past at this point, and are surrounded by other powers, and Russia has been a concern. But for Japan, US involvement in the east never really subsided, with the Vietnam War, Korean War, and the very uneasy but steady peace with the CCP in the 80s (remember, the USSR collapsed, but the CCP never did!). It would make other Eastern allies very uneasy for Japan to remilitarize - South Korea, another important ally in the region, still bitterly remembers Meiji Japan, especially since unlike Germany, Japan hasn't really, like, apologized for much of it.
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Comment on Help me ditch Chrome's password manager! in ~tech
stu2b50 LinkBitwarden is the usual suggestion. It does most of those, although it might be a bit clumsier than Chrome's on Chrome itself, since it's 3rd party, especially on mobile. But it does work in more...Bitwarden is the usual suggestion. It does most of those, although it might be a bit clumsier than Chrome's on Chrome itself, since it's 3rd party, especially on mobile. But it does work in more contexts as well, for example you can store and retrieve passwords for apps on mobile, not just websites.
The free plan does most of what you want, so you can try it out.
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Comment on San Francisco sues Oakland over proposed airport name change in ~transport
stu2b50 Link ParentNot sure that safe is the word I’d use to describe BART.Not sure that safe is the word I’d use to describe BART.
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Comment on Tokyo starts ride-hailing service — but it may not be what you expect in ~transport
stu2b50 Link ParentCalling a taxi sucks. Describing where you are sucks. Not having an ETA sucks. Cabbies ghosting you after you call them and you being stuck sucks (at least on Uber you know when they cancel). Not...Calling a taxi sucks. Describing where you are sucks. Not having an ETA sucks. Cabbies ghosting you after you call them and you being stuck sucks (at least on Uber you know when they cancel). Not knowing how much the ride will cost sucks.
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
stu2b50 Link ParentTaiwan is nice. It’s like China with Japanese manners. In terms of comparisons with Ukraine, Taiwan has two advantages: they’re much better prepared, and they’re an island. Ukrainians thought the...Taiwan is nice. It’s like China with Japanese manners.
In terms of comparisons with Ukraine, Taiwan has two advantages: they’re much better prepared, and they’re an island. Ukrainians thought the US was making shit up literally up to the night before Russia invaded. Taiwan has mandatory conscription and has thought about an invasion from mainland China basically from when the KMT took it over.
Secondly, being an island means that US naval and air support is substantially more effective even if there aren’t American boots in Taiwan. The US is also ready and positioned to defend, whereas with Ukraine there was always the awkwardness of not escalating.
Well, it's probably only going to get "worse". With the Yen falling quickly (it's at 1 to 158 right now!), tourism is going to be off the charts, with everything being significantly cheaper for foreign tourists.
That's, in some sense, a good thing - this is part of the natural, and beneficial, for Japan's economy, market forces when your currency loses value in forex - your exports get a hearty boost, including tourism.
But can also be grating for the locals. But so is being in an economic malaise for 30 years - there's a reason economist say there's four kinds of economies: developed, underdeveloped, Japan, and Argentina.