thecakeisalime's recent activity
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Comment on How can one determine "true" sentiment? in ~society
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How can one determine "true" sentiment?
In an age of increasing misinformation and division, I've found that it's increasingly easy to find yourself in an echo chamber of opinions (of people and/or bots). And when I go searching outside...
In an age of increasing misinformation and division, I've found that it's increasingly easy to find yourself in an echo chamber of opinions (of people and/or bots). And when I go searching outside that echo chamber, I usually don't find well reasoned discussion, but a different echo chamber with the opposite opinion.
This is especially true on sites like Reddit and Twitter, but also applies to pretty much every website (including Tildes) to some extent. Even newspapers aren't helpful as they are all largely owned by a handful of billionaires with an agenda. And real life isn't much better. My friends and family all share similar values and ideals, which is great for getting along, but it doesn't help me figure out how many people actually support something in particular.
The closest thing I've found to objective polling are elections. Unfortunately, they largely group everything into one of two buckets and don't have room for nuance on individual topics. Also, a lot of people don't even vote, which doesn't necessarily muddy the data, but it does leave out the opinions of a lot of people.
Is it even possible to determine this without an individual referendum on each topic? Am I worrying too much about something unknowable?
Some example issues
(copy/pasted from my reply to chocobean)
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Belief in annexation of Canada as the 51st state. Most people (that I've seen) are not in favour of this, but some people are super gung-ho about this. Is this bot-led behaviour, or is there really such a large number of people that want to invade Canada? And how many Canadians want to become a state? Is it any, or are they all bots? How can I tell if it's 10%, 1%, or 0.1% of the population that actually wants this? A gut feeling from everything I've seen online tells me that more Americans want this than Canadians, but that doesn't really mean much without an anchor point.
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Similarly, trampling individual rights (especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ policies). The current US administration is doing everything they can to destroy this. I've seen similar sentiment in Canada, but I don't know how much this is supported by either population. Does everyone who didn't vote or who voted Republican hate queer people? Hopefully not. But there's no way to separate (in the data) a Republican full of hatred from a Republican who thought that Trump would fix the economy and prioritized that above all else. So how many people hate "the gays"? How many people say they don't hate gay people, but also don't care if they're collateral damage in a fight against "transgender indoctrination"? Maybe nuance like that doesn't actually matter, but assuming it does, the nuance disappears in any online discussion and can't be properly observed.
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Sentiment about [country]'s position in Palestine/Israel. Everything I've seen leads me to believe that almost every politician supports Israel, and almost every non-politician supports Palestine. Obviously there's a lot more nuance to "support" than I'm giving here, but it's hard to actually believe that the divide is so stark and well-defined.
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Comment on For Severance fans: The You You Are by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD in ~tv
thecakeisalime This looks interesting. I have a lot more time for reading than watching TV these days. If I haven't seen season 2 yet, does this contain spoilers?This looks interesting.
I have a lot more time for reading than watching TV these days. If I haven't seen season 2 yet, does this contain spoilers?
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Comment on Commander Brackets - beta test of a matchmaking system for assessing decks in ~games.tabletop
thecakeisalime Other than the list of game changers, I'm not sure how this is significantly different than the previous system of "my deck is a 7". It's slightly more formalized, but probably 90% of decks are a...Other than the list of game changers, I'm not sure how this is significantly different than the previous system of "my deck is a 7". It's slightly more formalized, but probably 90% of decks are a 3 or a 4, and this still doesn't solve the problem of comparing power (or salt) levels.
I'm sure over time this will get better, and maybe they'll include a new tier between 3 and 4, but so far, it doesn't seem like it's going to simplify any pregame conversations.
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Comment on The American physicians are healing themselves with Ozempic in ~health
thecakeisalime Thanks for your response. I think I agree with everything you've said. Except: To be clear, I don't think semaglutide is bad. And after this discussion, I no longer think it's conditionally bad...Thanks for your response. I think I agree with everything you've said. Except:
I think your position is that semaglutide is bad because people are ill (but not dead) after taking it
To be clear, I don't think semaglutide is bad. And after this discussion, I no longer think it's conditionally bad (i.e. without addressing the underlying eating issues). I do still worry that some number of people are going to use it without changing anything else and think that's good enough (maybe it is), but I mostly worry about those who use it and change their eating habits for the worse.
Overall though, I think people in that last category are not in the majority. Even if they make up 49% of users (and I don't think it's nearly that high) it seems like the overall population (as a whole) would be healthier by taking semaglutide to lose weight rather than avoiding it because of potential future adverse outcomes.
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Comment on The American physicians are healing themselves with Ozempic in ~health
thecakeisalime Apologies, I didn't mean offence by using the example of mozzarella sticks and cookies - that's just what tyrny (at the top of this thread) said her husband eats. I was not generalizing it to...Apologies, I didn't mean offence by using the example of mozzarella sticks and cookies - that's just what tyrny (at the top of this thread) said her husband eats. I was not generalizing it to everyone, but I was specifically talking about the group of people who use semaglutide and are eating less healthily than they did before.
I have also struggled with eating issues throughout my life. I've eaten incredibly unhealthy for most of my life, and until a few years ago, it was mostly hidden and unaddressed because I didn't look fat. So from that perspective, I'm worried that people who use these drugs to lose weight without addressing eating habits are just going to go through the same issues I did. Is it better than being obese? I have no idea - I've never been obese. But I do know that having a "normal" weight can still come with countless health problems when the underlying issue is ignored.
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Comment on The American physicians are healing themselves with Ozempic in ~health
thecakeisalime Eating nothing but mozzarella sticks and cookies also creates a large amount of long term harm. I'm certainly not qualified to say which is worse - it's just a different type of harm. In theory,...Eating nothing but mozzarella sticks and cookies also creates a large amount of long term harm. I'm certainly not qualified to say which is worse - it's just a different type of harm. In theory, semaglutide on its own could be a form of harm reduction (assuming malnutrition is less harmful than obesity).
Like you said, semaglutide should be used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan including a dietitian. While that would be great, I haven't seen any evidence (or anecdotes) indicating that's happening. I also haven't seen evidence the other way, but I have seen a bunch of anecdotes (including this thread). If it's happening on a large scale and I'm just ignorant to that, great! But if, like all the anecdotes I've seen, it just results in worse eating patterns, then that's a much bigger problem in the long term that needs to be addressed.
Mostly I'm worried that we're doing the easy first step of harm reduction without caring about what comes next (because it's hard, time consuming, and/or expensive), and (like many other forms of harm reduction) someone will point to this in 5-10 years and say "see? It doesn't work", because no one put in the effort of fixing the overall issue(s) while the harm was being reduced.
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Comment on The American physicians are healing themselves with Ozempic in ~health
thecakeisalime I don't think it's correct to compare obesity and paraplegia. One is curable, the other is not. And while losing weight has inherent health benefits, someone eating a diet consisting solely of...I don't think it's correct to compare obesity and paraplegia. One is curable, the other is not. And while losing weight has inherent health benefits, someone eating a diet consisting solely of mozzarella sticks and cookies isn't going to be significantly healthier than an obese person who eats a more balanced diet.
I agree that we can't shame away obesity, but we should also consider why these medications are being prescribed for weight loss in the first place - a desire to improve the health of patients. If that's the goal, and the patient starts eating less healthily when taking the medication, is the medication really achieving it's goal?
We don't cure anorexia or bulimia by giving them a pill that makes them fatten up. Mostly because it doesn't exist, but also because it wouldn't actually solve the underlying issue.
Obesity isn't the actual problem, it's just a very obvious symptom of the problem (unhealthy eating habits) that has yet to be addressed. And by comparing obesity to paraplegia, you're ignoring the underlying issue that can still be fixed. I can't speak to how to actually fix it, but I'd imagine it requires a lot of mental health professionals and a lot of time and money that individuals and insurance companies don't want to pay for.
(This comment does not apply to those who are taking it for diabetes, as there is a different primary goal for that use case.)
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Comment on Donald Trump directs US Treasury to stop making pennies in ~society
thecakeisalime I have a simple three step plan to deal with this: Eliminate all cash denominations smaller than a quarter. Legislate that all stores must post after-tax and after-fee prices. No extra fees when...I have a simple three step plan to deal with this:
- Eliminate all cash denominations smaller than a quarter.
- Legislate that all stores must post after-tax and after-fee prices. No extra fees when ringing up - everything is included in the price of the item.
- Legislate that if a customer wishes to pay cash and the price is not a multiple of 0.25, it rounds down. (Alternatively, it rounds to the nearest $0.25.)
Realistically, this will result in all posted prices being a multiple of 0.25, and we won't actually have to perform any rounding. There are a handful of things that cost less than a quarter right now, but I think it would be easy enough to allow a mandatory minimum purchase, simply so that people aren't pumping 12 cents of gas at a time into their car.
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Comment on Donald Trump directs US Treasury to stop making pennies in ~society
thecakeisalime I think you misplaced a decimal somewhere. Silver quarters contain about $4 - $5 worth of silver.I think you misplaced a decimal somewhere. Silver quarters contain about $4 - $5 worth of silver.
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Comment on Donald Trump directs US Treasury to stop making pennies in ~society
thecakeisalime Canada eliminated the penny in 2012. It's about time that the US did away with it as well. Due to inflation, a penny is beyond useless these days. The US half-cent was discontinued in 1857 because...Canada eliminated the penny in 2012. It's about time that the US did away with it as well.
Due to inflation, a penny is beyond useless these days. The US half-cent was discontinued in 1857 because it wasn't worth enough to be of any practical use. With inflation, that half-cent is now worth more than a 2025 US dime. Let's just get rid of everything smaller than a quarter.
Personally, I haven't carried coins in over a decade. I always have a few bills in my wallet in case I need to spend cash, but as soon as I get home, the coins just go straight into a coin jar, from where (in theory) I'll take them to the bank one day. Maybe it'll just end up being a really expensive heirloom.
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Comment on Tildes feels like the last bastion of the Information Superhighway in ~tildes
thecakeisalime Hopefully we get the results of the demographics survey soon. Then we'll for sure know that 90% of users are north american IT dudes between the ages of 20 and 40.Hopefully we get the results of the demographics survey soon. Then we'll for sure know that 90% of users are north american IT dudes between the ages of 20 and 40.
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Comment on Are LLMs making Stack Overflow irrelevant? in ~tech
thecakeisalime There's a nonzero cost to starting up a new website or business. If LLMs kill StackOverflow, it may be that no one wants to risk the capital to start a new version. Or that 5 different clones...There's a nonzero cost to starting up a new website or business. If LLMs kill StackOverflow, it may be that no one wants to risk the capital to start a new version. Or that 5 different clones appear and none of them hit the critical mass to be useful.
This happens occasionally in physical spaces, where a Walmart will kill all the local businesses, shut down, and then the town just dies. It's probably less likely with online services, but it's certainly still a risk.
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Comment on What is your weirdest kitchen appliance and what do you think of it? in ~food
thecakeisalime We own two Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I don't know how weird this is, but it's gotten the most in-person comments of all our kitchen appliances, so I guess it must be a bit weird. We wanted a...We own two Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I don't know how weird this is, but it's gotten the most in-person comments of all our kitchen appliances, so I guess it must be a bit weird.
We wanted a second mixing bowl, and the brand name ones are ~$90 CAD new. Or... hop on marketplace and buy a used stand mixer for $100 and it comes with the bowl, and all the attachments (which we didn't think we cared about, but having a second set of attachments is a lot more useful, especially when you have a second bowl).
We very frequently use both bowls, though I think we've only had both mixers going at the same time shortly after we bought it. Our kitchen isn't quite big enough for that, and we really haven't found any need to mix things simultaneously in separate bowls.
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Comment on Kids at-home science experiments (of the less tame variety) in ~science
thecakeisalime Magnets and electricity in general are pretty neat. Most of it requires math beyond what a 5 year old will understand, but there's a bunch of easy things that can be done. Build a potato battery...Magnets and electricity in general are pretty neat. Most of it requires math beyond what a 5 year old will understand, but there's a bunch of easy things that can be done.
- Build a potato battery
- Build an electric motor out of a battery, magnets, and wire
- Build a rail gun using beefier versions of everything you needed for the motor. Please use good judgement here - I don't actually know if this is appropriate for a 5 year old.
- Then put it all together and build a rail gun powered by potatoes! (If you do this, please post the results here. I suspect you'll need an absurd number of potatoes, and I want to see it in action.)
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Comment on Buying a game from a director that you really have problems with (Kingdom Come) in ~games
thecakeisalime To be clear, I'm not saying don't draw an ethical line. For instance, I personally try to avoid buying Nestle products. But draw that line knowing that sometimes you may cross it (intentionally or...To be clear, I'm not saying don't draw an ethical line. For instance, I personally try to avoid buying Nestle products. But draw that line knowing that sometimes you may cross it (intentionally or not), and that crossing it doesn't make you a bad person.
At the same time, it's still good to acknowledge that every company with 10+ employees on the "good" side of the ethical line is also unethical in some way, even if it's just that some of your money going towards them pays the salary of a low-level employee who harasses celebrities on twitter.
To use OP's question as an example, of the $60 you pay for it, how much actually goes to Daniel Vavra? Steam takes 25% off the top (side note: Gabe Newell owns the largest yacht fleet in the world), and then the remaining $45 gets split between the developer and the publisher. Notably, Vavra owns neither of those - he's simply an employee and gets paid a salary whether the game is successful or not. He likely has some sort of bonus tied to the success of the game, and success here probably means future employment opportunities, so in that sense, by buying the game, you're contributing to Vavra's future career. But you're also supporting the careers of ~250+ other employees at Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver, many of whom are probably ethical people.
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Comment on Buying a game from a director that you really have problems with (Kingdom Come) in ~games
thecakeisalime To offer another view, I don't believe ethical consumption is possible for anyone in the working class - there's just not enough time to research (if that information is even available) where all...To offer another view, I don't believe ethical consumption is possible for anyone in the working class - there's just not enough time to research (if that information is even available) where all your money is going. If you don't buy this game, what are you going to spend your money on? Chances are, some portion of that money is going to go to someone with awful views - potentially worse than Vavra.
He's quite vocal about his views, and depending on your moral stance, that may make him worse than someone with objectively worse views who keeps out of the public eye, but he's certainly not the only shitty person out there. One way or another, someone shitty will end up with your money. There's simply no way to avoid it.
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Comment on Books I read during 2024 that were published during 2024 in ~books
thecakeisalime It really depends on the reader. Some readers read incredibly slowly. My default is 2x for audiobooks and podcasts, but some audiobooks I've pushed all the way to 3x. After a few minutes, I don't...It really depends on the reader. Some readers read incredibly slowly.
My default is 2x for audiobooks and podcasts, but some audiobooks I've pushed all the way to 3x. After a few minutes, I don't even notice it's sped up.
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Comment on What were your favorite books that you read this year, and why? in ~books
thecakeisalime Looking back over my Goodreads list this year, I have read a lot more non-fiction this year than I usually do. Partly in an attempt to just read more in general, but also because I discovered I...Looking back over my Goodreads list this year, I have read a lot more non-fiction this year than I usually do. Partly in an attempt to just read more in general, but also because I discovered I can listen to audiobooks of non-fiction, but when trying to listen to fiction, I just don't absorb any of it.
Out of a total of 48 books read, I gave five stars to 14 of them.
Fiction:
- Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
- A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
- Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
- The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
- Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
- Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
- Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
- Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey
- Strange Dogs by James S.A. Corey
Non-fiction:
- A CIty on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
- Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table by Kit Chapman
- Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ
- What If? 2 by Randall Munroe
- Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish
I'm also in the middle of Wind and Truth (book 5 of the Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson. It will also probably get 5 stars, but there's no way I'm finishing it before the end of the year.
I didn't actually read the Expanse and Discworld series straight through, but it seems I just didn't enjoy the books between them nearly as much. And Terry Pratchett seems to be on a good run through 2024. The two preceding Discworld books (read in 2023) did not earn 5 stars from me.
Next year I'm going to try to finish off Wheel of Time. I finished book 10 this year. I really like the story and the world that Robert Jordan created, but the writing is just such a slog; no book in this series has earned 5 stars from me. One common complaint I've heard about Brandon Sanderson taking over in book 12 is that he didn't match the writing style at all. I'm hoping for me that will be a positive, because I like Brandon Sanderson's style of writing.
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Comment on Are ‘ghost engineers’ real? Seeking Silicon Valley’s least productive coders. in ~tech
thecakeisalime I ended up as a technical team leader. In theory I was supposed to be coding, but largely I just attended meetings that didn't need to happen so that the more junior members of the team didn't...I ended up as a technical team leader. In theory I was supposed to be coding, but largely I just attended meetings that didn't need to happen so that the more junior members of the team didn't have to attend. Even of the important meetings, me or my team were only "needed" about half the time.
This was fine when they let us work from home and I could do other things (many of which were not work related), but as soon as we went back to the office, it was just mind numbingly awful.
I have since found a remote job where they have a much flatter structure, so there's no worry of accidentally becoming a manager, and I'm actually engaged with my work instead of just tuning out. While I suspect they refilled my position at my previous company, the truth is that my role was largely just knowing things, and about 1 hour per week (split into 5 minute increments) of telling other people what I knew.
I avoided giving examples in my post because I thought it wasn't relevant, but I think I'll edit it to add the following examples that I was thinking of:
Belief in annexation of Canada as the 51st state. Most people (that I've seen) are not in favour of this, but some people are super gung-ho about this. Is this bot-led behaviour, or is there really such a large number of people that want to invade Canada? And how many Canadians want to become a state? Is it any, or are they all bots? How can I tell if it's 10%, 1%, or 0.1% of the population that actually wants this? A gut feeling from everything I've seen online tells me that more Americans want this than Canadians, but that doesn't really mean much without an anchor point.
Similarly, trampling individual rights (especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ policies). The current US administration is doing everything they can to destroy this. I've seen similar sentiment in Canada, but I don't know how much this is supported by either population. Does everyone who didn't vote or who voted Republican hate queer people? Hopefully not. But there's no way to separate (in the data) a Republican full of hatred from a Republican who thought that Trump would fix the economy and prioritized that above all else. So how many people hate "the gays"? How many people say they don't hate gay people, but also don't care if they're collateral damage in a fight against "transgender indoctrination"? Maybe nuance like that doesn't actually matter, but assuming it does, the nuance disappears in any online discussion and can't be properly observed.
Sentiment about [country]'s position in Palestine/Israel. Everything I've seen leads me to believe that almost every politician supports Israel, and almost every non-politician supports Palestine. Obviously there's a lot more nuance to "support" than I'm giving here, but it's hard to actually believe that the divide is so stark and well-defined.
There are other examples, but hopefully this illustrates what I'm trying to ask about.