sunset's recent activity
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? (trial giveaway: round #2) in ~tech
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Comment on YouTube Premium Lite: Ad-free viewing for $7.99/month in ~tech
sunset Link ParentIt's stupid because it's like having a hen that lays golden eggs and deciding to sell the hen instead of the eggs. Having all that data is precisely what gives google competitive advantage and why...It's stupid because it's like having a hen that lays golden eggs and deciding to sell the hen instead of the eggs.
Having all that data is precisely what gives google competitive advantage and why they can make so much money through targeted advertising, which is their main cash cow. And it helps them teach their algorithms and develop AI, which is extremely important for their future. Even if we ignore the massive fines they'd be risking due to GDPR and other privacy laws, it would be ridiculously stupid to give that data to anyone from business perspective.
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Comment on John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein to write Monopoly movie in ~movies
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Comment on YouTube Premium Lite: Ad-free viewing for $7.99/month in ~tech
sunset Link ParentGoogle isn't selling your data, that would be pretty stupid. They are selling targeted advertising using your data, which you aren't seeing because you adblock.Google isn't selling your data, that would be pretty stupid. They are selling targeted advertising using your data, which you aren't seeing because you adblock.
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Comment on YouTube Premium Lite: Ad-free viewing for $7.99/month in ~tech
sunset Link ParentYup, I adblock and pirate plenty of stuff, so I don't pretend to have the moral high ground. But it really annoys me how often people come up with excuses or act like they are Robin Hood just...Yup, I adblock and pirate plenty of stuff, so I don't pretend to have the moral high ground. But it really annoys me how often people come up with excuses or act like they are Robin Hood just because they are doing the online equivalent of dine and dashing.
They keep saying that it's better to support creators directly on patreon, but I bet they don't support 90%+ of the creators they watch. Many don't support anyone at all.
Also, why does the cute chick that makes the videos deserve to get paid, but the software engineers that make that possible don't? 518,400 hours of content gets uploaded to YT daily, you think maintaining and hosting that is free? But I guess people deserve to get paid only if you have a parasocial relationship with them.
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Comment on John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein to write Monopoly movie in ~movies
sunset Link ParentYup. Playing DnD is fun. Engaging story-telling is literally the core of the game. Of course you can translate that into a fun movie with good story. Playing Monopoly is boring at best,...Yup. Playing DnD is fun. Engaging story-telling is literally the core of the game. Of course you can translate that into a fun movie with good story.
Playing Monopoly is boring at best, infuriating at worst. I guess you can use it as a spring board to tell a completely different story that doesn't have much to do with the game or its mechanics.
Having a cool fight against an evil wizard is just a lot easier to translate to the big screen compared to "you passed go, receive $200"
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Comment on Digg is relaunching under Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian in ~tech
sunset Link ParentWhen you look at the biggest and most profitable social media websites, how many of them fit what you are describing? And how many are "giant one size fits all" sites? Comments like yours remind...When you look at the biggest and most profitable social media websites, how many of them fit what you are describing? And how many are "giant one size fits all" sites?
Comments like yours remind me of cinephiles claiming that for movie theaters to be profitable again, they need to stop doing big IP movies, sequels and remakes, and instead show obscure indie films from bumfuck nowhere. I find the whole thing pretty silly. Maybe that's what would personally make you happy, and that's fine, but unless you are obscenely wealthy and willing to throw lots of money at it just for the heck of it, it's obviously going to be a financial failure.
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Comment on Everything is Chrome in ~tech
sunset Link ParentGoogle doesn't own Chromium, it's an open source project. And after Firefox has been fumbling the bag for more than a decade, it's perfectly rational for people to get tired of the BS. You can...Google doesn't own Chromium, it's an open source project.
And after Firefox has been fumbling the bag for more than a decade, it's perfectly rational for people to get tired of the BS. You can roll your eyes all you want, you don't drop from being the biggest browser on the market to having ~2% market share by doing things people like.
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
sunset LinkIf you make 13 year old read stuff about ethics, nutrition and finance, the only thing you'll achieve is ensure they dislike reading and not read as an adult. You should give them books that are...If you make 13 year old read stuff about ethics, nutrition and finance, the only thing you'll achieve is ensure they dislike reading and not read as an adult.
You should give them books that are fun for their age and their interests, not books that teach them finance. This is the age when you should be teaching them that reading is fun.
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Comment on Movie recommendations? in ~movies
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Comment on How often do you replace your phone? in ~tech
sunset LinkLast one lasted ~5 years, this one is 2 years old and I feel zero need to replace it. IMO 5-6 years is reasonable considering how mature phone tech is these days.Last one lasted ~5 years, this one is 2 years old and I feel zero need to replace it.
IMO 5-6 years is reasonable considering how mature phone tech is these days.
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Comment on Reddit will lock some content behind a paywall this year, CEO says in ~tech
sunset Link ParentI think the twitter situation was different. They were replacing a functioning authentication system (where people had to actually prove who they are) with a system where you can pay to seem...I think the twitter situation was different. They were replacing a functioning authentication system (where people had to actually prove who they are) with a system where you can pay to seem authentic. Of course that would just increase and empower bad actors. For just a few bucks you can appear like you are the real Bill Gates or something and scam people.
I don't know if it will work for reddit. To be honest I think this probably has more to do with monetizing content than fighting bots. Think about all the OnlyFans girls that post samples on NSFW subreddits to get free publicity and then redirect people to their OF page. Reddit makes nothing out of it. If instead the coomers get redirected to a paywalled section on reddit, then reddit can make a percentage out of every sale.
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Comment on Reddit will lock some content behind a paywall this year, CEO says in ~tech
sunset LinkI know this will be a controversial take, but IMO this is a very smart move. Reddit at this point is completely riddled with bots and trolls, to the point of being unusable, especially the bigger...I know this will be a controversial take, but IMO this is a very smart move.
Reddit at this point is completely riddled with bots and trolls, to the point of being unusable, especially the bigger subs. And there is nothing you can do about it because even if you start banning accounts, setting up new ones is so trivial.
A paywall will significantly limit that problem. Is a bot runner just gonna purchase entry for another 500 accounts to spam with, if they just got banned for the third time? Is a troll gonna keep paying a fee every time they get kicked out, which could be several times per day if they keep trolling?
I know people on the internet demand everything to be free, but frankly that's not sustainable.
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
sunset Link ParentThe Discworld isn't your typical long fantasy series telling one big story, where you have to read everything in order, or be worried about spoilers. It's really a bunch of loosely interconnected...The Discworld isn't your typical long fantasy series telling one big story, where you have to read everything in order, or be worried about spoilers.
It's really a bunch of loosely interconnected books that happen in the same world.
Some of them are loose sequels to each other because they follow the same group of characters, but frankly even for those it's not a big deal if you don't start with a specific book or if you don't read them all.
Every Discworld is a good starting book. And it's OK if you only read one or two.
To answer your question - Yes, Going Postal is a good starting point.
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Comment on Tildes feels like the last bastion of the Information Superhighway in ~tildes
sunset LinkI think it lacks variety of people. I just read the topic about what programs people use on daily basis, and 90% was linux command tools lol. This is obviously not representative of the average...I think it lacks variety of people. I just read the topic about what programs people use on daily basis, and 90% was linux command tools lol. This is obviously not representative of the average person.
On the plus side, people are respectful and genuinely interested in having a discussion instead of being assholes to each other, which is certainly a plus in today's social media landscape.
I do hope future growth comes from people who aren't IT dudes in their 30s/40s though, or this will just end up being another internet echo chamber.
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
sunset Link ParentThat's an intriguing recommendation! I love fantasy but stopped reading it because it's always some overly-serious 16 tome sprawling epic. In many cases it's not even finished yet, so you don't...That's an intriguing recommendation!
I love fantasy but stopped reading it because it's always some overly-serious 16 tome sprawling epic. In many cases it's not even finished yet, so you don't even know when (or if) it's getting concluded. Most of the famous ones have some interesting ideas, or fascinating magic systems.. but I just can't dedicate the next 3 years of my life reading the same thing.
Something more light-hearted that doesn't overstay its welcome (and is mostly stand-alone) sounds exactly like what I need to get back into the genre!
Which book of the series do you recommend to start with?
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
sunset LinkTry Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Anything from the Discworld series really. Just pure fun and joy!Try Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.
Anything from the Discworld series really. Just pure fun and joy!
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Comment on App/browser extension idea if it doesn't already exist: likely bot database in ~tech
sunset Link ParentIf the text generated by AI looks exactly like something a regular person would write, then there is no way to distinguish it from a person, since it looks the same. It doesn't matter whether you...If the text generated by AI looks exactly like something a regular person would write, then there is no way to distinguish it from a person, since it looks the same. It doesn't matter whether you use AI to detect it, or other tools, or even crowdsourcing it to actual people to check - if it looks the same, it looks the same.
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Comment on App/browser extension idea if it doesn't already exist: likely bot database in ~tech
sunset LinkIt's a terrible idea. I've been called a bot on reddit a number of times, even though I never post low-effort content, I just happen to sometimes openly disagree with the circlejerk. The internet...It's a terrible idea. I've been called a bot on reddit a number of times, even though I never post low-effort content, I just happen to sometimes openly disagree with the circlejerk. The internet already has a problem with echo-chambers, tools like the one you propose will just quadruple the effect by strongly disincentivizing (and straight up hiding) disagreement. Every Trumpist who dares post in r/politics will be marked as a "bot".
Long term any automated checking will become useless. Completely copy-pasted comments are mostly a thing of the past, nowadays bots are using LLMs more and more. All efforts to detect whether text was generated by AI is riddled with false positives and false negatives. There already exist tools in academia to detect for ChatGPT and they are performing laughably bad. And that's with today's AI, I can only imagine how effective you will be able to distinguish it once the models improve and become even better.
All the tech I've bought has either broken down or become obsolete so I've gotten rid of it. I don't like hoarding old stuff "just in case", I never end up actually needing it and it just takes space.
The oldest is probably my fridge or my oven, both about a decade old. Maybe one of my old hard disks?