sweenish's recent activity
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Comment on Why x86 doesn’t need to die in ~comp
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Comment on Florida latest to restrict social media for kids as legal battle looms in ~tech
sweenish Link ParentWhat regulations would be better? I've stated as much already. I think they get reiterated throughout this post. The law is not in favor of parents. It tells parents what to do. There is a huge...What regulations would be better? I've stated as much already. I think they get reiterated throughout this post.
The law is not in favor of parents. It tells parents what to do. There is a huge difference there. If parents didn't care before, this law won't get them to care. It's an extra step, and all you have to do is consent to share your identifying information to a central authority in order to use a web site. Not just kids. Everyone. That sounds nothing like Big Brother at all! By the terms and conditions of most social media sites, they are allowed to create an account when they're 13. Now the state has come in and said "No, you have to be 16."
Libertarian? How? Because I think the government intervention is aimed at the wrong group? All regulations are not equal, and the fact that I have to point this out seems ludicrous. Is your opinion of left vs. right in the US so reductive that you think I'd be for any and all regulations? And then the rest of that paragraph is taking my specific argument and straw-manning and generalizing it until it fits your rebuttal. Do you honestly think I don't know that industries are regulated? What is the point of pointing that out?
Then you just keep going off with your off-base assumption about me being a libertarian. Let me be clear. There is a huge difference between regulating an industry (what I want) and regulating the people. One is generally done to ensure a greater good is met and that wholesale harm is not done to communities (don't dump your waste into the water supply, etc.). The other is to ensure proper behavior of individuals in order to reduce harm to other members of the community (don't do murders, etc.).
This law only wants to stifle individuals to try and protect them from themselves. It limits the freedom of the individual for no real purpose. The government trying to protect you from yourself is generally a bad thing. The regulations I want would serve to better the community by stopping the flow of outrage to get clicks.
I'm essentially arguing that companies should not be allowed to dump their waste into the water supply. This law just is essentially equivalent to making you register your identify before you can drink the water. The problem is that if the water supply is still toxic, who are we helping?
And here is the issue. You think this age-verification can be handled well. I do not. At all. Aside from the data leaks waiting to happen, there is the eventual abuse by officials with this information who will target groups of people. Republicans are already going after minorities, women, the LGBTQ community, and drag queens. You think giving them more ammo to up their discrimination game is a good thing.
The companies need to be made accountable. Here's an anecdote. Here's a rundown of Snapchat that literally states "Snapchat is the preferred app of sexual predators.". Here's an application of that statement. But you're saying the companies should continue to be allowed to do as they please, and the laws should instead regulate the people. It's backwards.
Consider all the big regulations that have been coming from the EU lately. They haven't targeted individuals, but have instead targeted companies in order to provide more freedoms to the people.
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Comment on Florida latest to restrict social media for kids as legal battle looms in ~tech
sweenish Link ParentWhy is the choice binary? That's artificial. And toxic sludge need not be in quotes. I regularly block at least half a dozen pages every time I check in to my Facebook. I've had to cull people...Why is the choice binary? That's artificial. And toxic sludge need not be in quotes. I regularly block at least half a dozen pages every time I check in to my Facebook. I've had to cull people because of the literally batshit stuff they spew.
Seeing things as "good" or "bad" only and refusing to acknowledge the massive chasm of grey in between is disingenuous. It also ignores my point that this law is going after a symptom, allowing the disease to continue unabated.
So I have to ask what the point of this question is? If I say it's a good thing, I go against the empirical data of how awful social networks are, especially for young people. If I say it's a bad thing, I'm going against my earlier point. This just seems like a poor trap.
For example, should a kid be thrown blind into the deep end of anything? I imagine the answer to that is 'No.' Now, say the kid has had a couple conversations with their parents about what to look out for on a social network, and an open invitation to ask the parents about anything that seems shady. Say you even get the kid to agree to audits. What's the answer then? It's not a 'yes' or 'no,' it's still a maybe. No one could say for sure except the parents, and even that's prone to error.
But my point is that for the question "Should the government be the decider and gatekeeper in this," my answer is a hard no.
Consider other things that are empirically bad for people. Like lead, asbestos, or CFCs. In those cases, the right thing was done and the use of the "bad things" was regulated, not the people who used them. Now, I'm not advocating that social networks cease to exist. I'm advocating that the intentional rage-baiting and (in the case of Snapchat) connecting of predators to minors be regulated.
This is a problem I will be facing myself in a few years. My take is that this is a parenting issue, and the solution must be a suitable one for each family. I want some government intervention, but absolutely not like this.
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Comment on Florida latest to restrict social media for kids as legal battle looms in ~tech
sweenish LinkI've honestly been shocked at how many people are okay with these laws. They are a privacy nightmare, and people are freely welcoming the government into their lives. Note that I say that as a...- Exemplary
I've honestly been shocked at how many people are okay with these laws.
They are a privacy nightmare, and people are freely welcoming the government into their lives. Note that I say that as a "The Squad"-supporting leftie. This is also a law treating a symptom and not the root-cause, which is the modus operandi of social networks. Social networks are awful because it's profitable to be so.
Instead of regulating citizens and diminishing their freedoms, the government should regulate the "social network industry." There has got to be a way to codify some guidelines that make the promotion of hateful and divisive content for the sake of "engagement" illegal or at least subject to heavy fines.
My most recent personal example was a YouTube search. They know my political leanings. I had some channels floated to me recently that demonstrate this. I wanted to watch some Ted Lasso clips. And they wanted to serve me Matt Walsh. Every now and again they try to sneak some far-right drivel or other conspiracy-theory BS into my feed and I end up having block more channels and ads. It's not that I want to shut out other viewpoints. But they're never good faith arguments, it's rage-bait. And YouTube goes out of its way to show me content they know I will have a strong reaction to. They want that "engagement."
So, take a kid that doesn't have much experience, generally speaking, throw them on a social network that was designed to feed them toxic sludge (even without a precursor), and bad things will happen. And people are celebrating laws that restrict the kid? That's backwards.
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Comment on It annoys me that so many PC games feel like they're intended for consoles in ~games
sweenish LinkI was trying to remember the mouse-driven games I've played, and I can only think of top down isometric games like Diablo or Neverwinter Nights. And in the case of NWN, they provided the option,...I was trying to remember the mouse-driven games I've played, and I can only think of top down isometric games like Diablo or Neverwinter Nights. And in the case of NWN, they provided the option, everything I was doing with the mouse could have been done with the keyboard. Most RTSs can be played primarily with the mouse, but if you want to be competitive, you learn the keyboard shortcuts. Sure, shooters make good use of both, but I wouldn't call them mouse-driven in the context of the situation presented here.
This game is definitely on the line where more mouse support would be welcome, though. Given the perspective, having a more functional mouse makes a lot of sense.
I've never understood the derision of controllers for PC gaming. That's a last-decade hot take from people actively choosing to ignore reality and trying a create a feeling of superiority. I can't stand PCMR gate-keeping. I have fond memories of my Sidewinder controllers and joysticks before DirectInput was a thing. I choose the input method that feels best for a given game.
Are sim-gamers not playing PC-first games? The generalizations made here are pointing in this direction. What about the Steam Deck?
As for the difference between PC games and console games? The platform you play on, and that's it. Why does there have to be such a strong line in the sand? Simply the fact that there was in the past?
At the end of the day, I want to have fun playing a game. The 'how' and 'where' are details, and small ones at that.
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Comment on I found Frank Herbert’s Dune script. It’s hard to imagine a weirder film version of Dune than the one David Lynch released in 1984, but Frank Herbert found a way. Dune: Part Two is better. in ~movies
sweenish Link ParentThe end of Messiah Paul never left Dune. He wandered off into the desert, and people assumed with his blindness and speaking of how he had reached the end of his path, that the desert took him....The end of Messiah
Paul never left Dune. He wandered off into the desert, and people assumed with his blindness and speaking of how he had reached the end of his path, that the desert took him. But he just lived out there, and was eventually captured and forced to see the future for a group. I'm getting a bit hazy on those details, as some time has passed since reading the series.My understanding of Paul post-water of life was that his life was no longer his own. He saw a path to victory, and your point of who's victory is interesting, and from then through the end of the film and even through Messiah, he's merely going through the motions. He's no longer free, but he's a puppet to an outcome he desires.
Although there are implications in Children of Dune
...that Paul saw the Golden Path but refused to take it himself, instead forcing Leto to do it. Which I guess further cements the notion that Paul was not to be thought of as a hero. -
Comment on What is your preferred VPN? in ~comp
sweenish Link ParentI think the rub here is that the statement is still true. They don't keep any logs. When they were compelled, they started logging and turned that information over. I assume they didn't keep the...I think the rub here is that the statement is still true. They don't keep any logs. When they were compelled, they started logging and turned that information over. I assume they didn't keep the switch toggled, and I would also guess it was only for that account.
It's possible I'm being too generous with Proton, but their clarification on the page I linked seems to indicate that email and VPN fall under different regulations, and because Proton does not log by default, they'd have nothing to turn over in the case of the VPN, and even if compelled, I'm not sure they could turn over anything actionable.
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Comment on What is your preferred VPN? in ~comp
sweenish (edited )Link ParentCiting their email product and not their VPN makes little sense. EDIT: For my part, it helps when I read articles. I still see the distinction here from the email product and VPN as behaving...Citing their email product and not their VPN makes little sense.
EDIT: For my part, it helps when I read articles. I still see the distinction here from the email product and VPN as behaving differently enough that I'm still not so concerned about the VPN product. In my link, they do differentiate the different requirements of the products.
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Comment on Martin Scorsese says ‘fight back’ against comic book movie culture by supporting directors like Christopher Nolan: ‘We’ve got to save cinema’ in ~movies
sweenish LinkFeel free to mark this as noise, but reading this comment section was Reddit deja vu. While a few posters did decent jobs trying to dig into the topic, most were too busy trying to dismiss...- Exemplary
Feel free to mark this as noise, but reading this comment section was Reddit deja vu. While a few posters did decent jobs trying to dig into the topic, most were too busy trying to dismiss Scorsese's opinion on film as if he's some kind of has-been or were otherwise using poor analogies that gloss over and don't allow any nuance.
I'm not against comfort cinema, but his main points have only gotten truer as the MCU and DCEU have gotten progressively worse. Flip side is that people are seeing that now, and Barbenheimer was a thing.
I generally read a refusal to take other points into consideration or to dig into the finer details of the points being made. I don't know that it's worth trying to salvage this particular discussion as it's pretty rampant. If it were just in a thread or something, maybe the vibe from just a couple months ago could still be found. But this is for all intents and purposes a Reddit comment section.
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Comment on Martin Scorsese says ‘fight back’ against comic book movie culture by supporting directors like Christopher Nolan: ‘We’ve got to save cinema’ in ~movies
sweenish Link ParentIs it possible that it's "now popular to hate them" due to your last paragraph? The one that (effectively, to me) says they've sucked for years now? Which would mean it's not "popular to hate...Is it possible that it's "now popular to hate them" due to your last paragraph? The one that (effectively, to me) says they've sucked for years now? Which would mean it's not "popular to hate them," but it's more that they're being hated because they've been bad?
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish Link ParentYou’re blending two separate things into one. The toxic masculinity issue I pointed out was just that.You’re blending two separate things into one. The toxic masculinity issue I pointed out was just that.
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish Link ParentI must admit that I find these assumptions about my naïveté a bit insulting. "Can't handle the Internet" is very akin to people shouting "meritocracy" to justify their awful behavior in Linux...I must admit that I find these assumptions about my naïveté a bit insulting. "Can't handle the Internet" is very akin to people shouting "meritocracy" to justify their awful behavior in Linux kernel mailing lists.
This isn't about the thickness of my skin, but me choosing where I spend my time and who/what I associate myself with.
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish Link ParentI do make an effort to not throw terms like dog whistle around lightly. I put the quotes around "nazi bar" because I'm referencing that anecdote that's gone around a bit about good places turning...I do make an effort to not throw terms like dog whistle around lightly. I put the quotes around "nazi bar" because I'm referencing that anecdote that's gone around a bit about good places turning into nazi hangouts because it wasn't nipped in the bud. If people are unfamiliar, I could edit it into the main post.
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish Link ParentI don't think that's what I'm doing. But it's not like a bit of extra introspection hurts. I've enjoyed reading quite a few nuanced conversations here. But these recollections definitely gave me...I don't think that's what I'm doing. But it's not like a bit of extra introspection hurts.
I've enjoyed reading quite a few nuanced conversations here. But these recollections definitely gave me vibes of being just a hair removed from the fourteen words. Another, that I believe I actually commented on, was circling the toxic masculinity drain. The idea being proposed was that to help more women get into tech, we should be helping the men. And while not entirely a wrong statement, that particular person was being pretty dismissive of women generally and using the same tired talking points like women aren't inclined to choose it, too sensitive, etc.
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish Link ParentNo, it's a claim, and one that I admitted might be skewed. A big influx of new users and (AFAIK) a small moderation team can lead to issues. Most of the other comments have pointed that I might...No, it's a claim, and one that I admitted might be skewed. A big influx of new users and (AFAIK) a small moderation team can lead to issues.
Most of the other comments have pointed that I might not have misinterpreted what I read, but also that this site is not (currently) in danger of falling down that slope.
I don't see a need for what I'm interpreting as an antagonistic tone.
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Comment on How is moderation going lately? in ~tildes
sweenish (edited )Link ParentYeah, I realize that no sources puts my claim on shaky ground, but it was a couple months ago and it's easier for me to just stop using a social network. Maybe it's wrong to take past experiences...Yeah, I realize that no sources puts my claim on shaky ground, but it was a couple months ago and it's easier for me to just stop using a social network. Maybe it's wrong to take past experiences from other sites and apply them here, but that downward trajectory is a tough one to correct. It's not as if I need to be on any of these sites.
All the comments have been very reassuring, and maybe I was reading too much into things before.
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Comment on It’s not just ‘The Blind Side.’ In Hollywood, the ‘white savior’ won’t go quietly. in ~movies
sweenish (edited )LinkMaybe it's my ignorance or it's just been too long since I've last seen them, but a couple of these movies don't fall into my definition of the white savior trope. Hidden Figures stands out to me....Maybe it's my ignorance or it's just been too long since I've last seen them, but a couple of these movies don't fall into my definition of the white savior trope.
Hidden Figures stands out to me. Especially when they mention it in the same breath as The Help (which I do count as a white savior movie; who's going to argue with Viola Davis?). In Hidden Figures, we have a group of smart women who received no/little help from the white people in the movie. Janelle Monae's character won her court case through her own fierce determination. I can't remember if she had a white lawyer or if she represente herself. I just remember that she refused to throw in the towel. Octavia Spencer's character wasn't guided to COBOL (or was it Fortran?) by any white person, nor was she ever assisted by any white people. She taught herself the language, then she taught her team and her children. She saw the writing on the wall, took the initiative, saved her team and the mission all on her own merits. Are we counting it because Kevin Costner took down a bathroom sign near the end of the movie? Or because the white astronaut recognized Henson's skill? Henson's character was in stark opposition with the white people for nearly the whole movie and overcame in spite of them, not because of them. I just don't see it for Hidden Figures.
And Cool Runnings. Yes, John Candy is white. Did he do saving, by doing the job that he was hired (by Bannock's character) to do? It might be my nostalgia, but Candy's character (eventually) did what a coach does. And the movie was pretty clearly focused on the team and Bannock's character's goal of being in the Olympics. Does the fact that there literally wasn't (as portrayed in the movie) a POC available to help matter?
It just seems like the provided definition was not evenly applied, and it became overly broad as result.
By the article's logic, Remember the Titans should count. Denzel's character was going to be fired until a white guy stepped in and literally saved his job. It would have been a very short movie otherwise. By the article's logic, any movie with white people and non-white people should count. Especially if they happen to help each other. The Mighty Ducks, The LEGO Movie, Paddington, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, etc. can all be argued to fall under the too-wide umbrella laid out in the article.
Is my definition too narrow? Am I misremembering those two movies?
Please do note that I'm only calling out two films of the many that the author listed. I haven't seen all of them, and have to give credit for calling out others like To Kill a Mockingbird (I adore that movie; it is also a textbook example).
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How is moderation going lately?
I am a reddit refugee and I was drawn to this network by its mission, its decisive rebuff of chasing capital at all costs, and the overall vibe. I lurked for a while before I was invited to join,...
I am a reddit refugee and I was drawn to this network by its mission, its decisive rebuff of chasing capital at all costs, and the overall vibe.
I lurked for a while before I was invited to join, but shortly after joining I noticed something. While a good discussion from opposing viewpoints can help everyone broaden their horizons a bit, it felt like white supremacists were testing the waters. While I can't directly cite any threads, there were a couple instances where I felt one side was seeing just how close they could get without being obvious. But it felt like some of the subtler dog whistles were there.
It felt very similar to how QAnon got a lot of people with the disinformative statistic about child abductions. After all, who's going to be on the other side "child abductions are bad?"
After seeing a few threads and getting the same vibe, I stopped visiting the site for the last couple months. Life getting pretty busy also helped.
I haven't been back long enough to determine for myself whether I'm in a "Nazi bar" or not. I would be happy to admit that it was all in my head. But it is a major concern for any up-and-coming social network. And that's an opposing viewpoint no one needs to take seriously. Was it in my head? Was I reading too much into things? Did all the nazis just go to X? More generally, how has moderation been with the influx of new users? The same, but more? A couple extra reminders doing the trick? Uptick in bans? Is this information already somewhere and I'm a bad user for not having seen it?
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Comment on Black Twitter abandons Musk's X. The influential online community that gave rise to social movements like #BlackLivesMatter is now a ‘digital diaspora’ in search of a new home. in ~tech
sweenish Link ParentWhat gets me the most that his word is apparently enough for so many people. Even when he's repeatedly and publicly been a hypocrite, far too many people fall back on his word, and ignore his...Musk may say he's a free speech absolutist...
What gets me the most that his word is apparently enough for so many people. Even when he's repeatedly and publicly been a hypocrite, far too many people fall back on his word, and ignore his actions. The biggest example of this was what he said about the elonjet account versus how he treated the elonjet account.
Feel free to ignore this next paragraph, it's a mini-rant:
I suppose I know why people fall back to ignoring actions and only citing what a person/company/group says, but it's sad. More so for people who claim to be Christian. James 2:14-20 is pretty clear on the matter. But it's all talk, and active ignorance of actions these days. I suppose there are some actions, but the grander gestures tend to be pretty hateful themselves. Yes, I know that was a bit of a generalization. But I'd say that the "good" Christians are not driving the ship right now. -
Comment on Stack Overflow didn’t ask how bad its gender problem is this year in ~tech
sweenish Link ParentSo we’ve circled back to the solution being that men, not women, need help. Women are excluded and talk themselves out of these fields due to generations of sexism passed down about a woman can...So we’ve circled back to the solution being that men, not women, need help.
Women are excluded and talk themselves out of these fields due to generations of sexism passed down about a woman can and should do, and the solution is to help men.
Worth a note, that last paragraph doesn’t shrink the amount of currently supported CPUs. It only affects people circumventing the hardware requirements.