thecakeisalime's recent activity
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
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Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health
thecakeisalime Link ParentThat's interesting. I didn't know anti-virals had gotten to that point that they could be used almost preemptively. I'll need to investigate this further, but my first quick look has found a...That's interesting. I didn't know anti-virals had gotten to that point that they could be used almost preemptively.
I'll need to investigate this further, but my first quick look has found a surprising lack of side effects, which is actually kinda worrying, because if they're that safe and effective, I'd assume everyone would know about them already.
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Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health
thecakeisalime Link ParentMy sleep tracker (smart ring) is pretty accurate in how it tracks my sleep, but in general, I usually sleep pretty well, so it's not actually that useful. On the nights when I don't sleep well,...My sleep tracker (smart ring) is pretty accurate in how it tracks my sleep, but in general, I usually sleep pretty well, so it's not actually that useful.
On the nights when I don't sleep well, it's interesting to look at why it thinks I didn't sleep well. Usually it's either because I ate/exercised/drank alcohol too close to bedtime, or because I was sick, or because I had a newborn and woke up a lot. Each of these things were expressed with different parameters (respectively: heart rate, body temperature, and wake ups). It does occasionally tell me I'm sick about a day before I'm aware of it, and while that's interesting, it's not particularly useful or actionable.
Ultimately, it's not that useful for sleep tracking, because I could easily figure these things out on my own. Mostly I just use it as an easy way to track the data. When my ring battery eventually degrades too much, I probably won't replace it.
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Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
thecakeisalime Link ParentOlder TV shows and movies used to have a lot more time spend on establishing shots. So the shot of the Enterprise moving through space or orbiting a planet would just take a lot more time in older...Older TV shows and movies used to have a lot more time spend on establishing shots. So the shot of the Enterprise moving through space or orbiting a planet would just take a lot more time in older shows.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture starts with 3 full minutes of moving through a field of stars. Like the screensaver, but slower. Then the title cards and credits, and then another full minute of establishing shots of ships before we even see a character. The first line of dialogue isn't until 5:50 into the movie, and it's a single word. The second line (word) is 20 seconds later.
If you started a movie with 3 minutes of stars and music today, the theatre would be empty before the title screen.
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentNot much, like you said. But there is also a touchscreen monitor, which isn't just a $2 off the shelf component. Largely though, my complaint is just that I don't like the trend of smashing two...What's the difference between built-in electronics, and a built-in computer?
Not much, like you said. But there is also a touchscreen monitor, which isn't just a $2 off the shelf component.
Largely though, my complaint is just that I don't like the trend of smashing two completely unrelated things together, making them dependent on each other, more expensive, and worse than if they were just separate. My fridge doesn't need to show me my calendar.
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentThat's fair, though I think there are still some problems, even in the idealistic world you describe. A built-in computer means that when your fridge dies, you're throwing out a fully functional...That's fair, though I think there are still some problems, even in the idealistic world you describe.
A built-in computer means that when your fridge dies, you're throwing out a fully functional computer and monitor, because it's built into the fridge. It's pretty wasteful. And yeah, you can probably rip it out and have an functional computer (with exposed wires and circuit boards), but most people aren't going to do that. Especially not the type of person who is buying these fridges in the first place.
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Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentWhat settings do you need on your fridge? My "dumb" fridge lets me change the temperature from cold to colder, and has some knobs that ostensibly control the humidity in the drawers, but other...What settings do you need on your fridge? My "dumb" fridge lets me change the temperature from cold to colder, and has some knobs that ostensibly control the humidity in the drawers, but other than that, I can't think of any more settings I need or want.
And yeah, a calendar and reminders and such might be nice, but it would be much better for that to be a standalone device so that you're not tied into the Samsung ecosystem, and so that you have much more control over it.
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Comment on Rust protection spray services question in ~transport
thecakeisalime LinkSome people think the coating helps extend the lifetime of your vehicle, though I'm not convinced it's a significant enough difference to be worth it. In Canada, your car will rust regardless of...Some people think the coating helps extend the lifetime of your vehicle, though I'm not convinced it's a significant enough difference to be worth it. In Canada, your car will rust regardless of coating, but maybe you'll get an extra 1-5 years after applying it for a decade. Or maybe not. There's a lot of factors at play here.
You mention sea air, so I'm assuming you live near one of the coasts. Living in southern Ontario, I don't have experience with that, but my intuition tells me that it would make cars fall apart faster than just road salt, and I'm not sure that a spray would get to all of the areas that the salty air can. Hopefully you get a better response from someone on the coast.
Generally, people don't clean their cars before application. A little bit of dirt and grime should be fine, but if you had a lot of caked on mud it could be problematic. It's an oil-based spray that "penetrates" into the exposed metal components and repels moisture, which supposedly helps prevent rust.
Anecdotally, I've only owned two vehicles, and I've never done a spray since it feels like a waste of money, and despite the claims, I don't think spraying a vehicle with a oil-based product is particularly environmentally friendly. My first vehicle lived to the ripe old age of 14, and had a little rust around the wheel wells, but also had significant and unrelated engine issues, which was the reason I replaced it. My current vehicle is about 6 years old and has no rust.
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Comment on I spent months living with smart glasses. People talk to me differently now. in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentA HUD for navigation would be pretty nice sometimes. As would (near) real-time translations if speaking to someone in a different language. Even "subtitles" for talking to someone in the same...A HUD for navigation would be pretty nice sometimes. As would (near) real-time translations if speaking to someone in a different language. Even "subtitles" for talking to someone in the same language might help fill in missed words in a noisy environment.
A smart phone can do all these things, but to me, that feels like it would be more intrusive. Though based on the author's experience, maybe it's still better to do these things deliberately and be obviously "intrusive" when using technology in this way.
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Comment on Slash pages: common root-level web pages in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentThis is one of the few things they mentioned that I wouldn't care was public or if strangers knew it about me. But overall, this just seems like a fairly normal way to structure a website. I'm not...You don't want strangers to know your preferred Chipotle order?! /s
This is one of the few things they mentioned that I wouldn't care was public or if strangers knew it about me.
But overall, this just seems like a fairly normal way to structure a website. I'm not sure what's new or innovative about having
/contactor/aboutpages on your website. The slightly less common ones are kinda neat in a weirdly personal way, but without an index (i.e. their/slashespage), this isn't something you're just going to randomly stumble into, and with an index, this is just a list of various pages you can have on a personal website (which isn't necessarily a bad thing to have a list of, but it's a little odd in the way they presented it).I think the worst one though, is the guy/girl/bloke/pronoun one. With the other pages, if you browse personal websites under the (likely incorrect) presumption that they all implement slash pages, you can navigate to them by name, even without an index, and potentially find some of the pages. But if you don't already know someone's pronouns (or if they chose to go under guy/girl instead), you'll have to try a dozen different permutations before figuring out they don't have such a page.
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Comment on As religion wanes, how do we replace it? in ~humanities
thecakeisalime Link ParentAfter reading your post, I had pretty much the same reaction/response as Weldawadyathink. You started off your post with the premise that religion needs to be replaced, then listed all the things...a lot of people seem to be fans of your rewrite, which I'm not sure what to do with.
After reading your post, I had pretty much the same reaction/response as Weldawadyathink. You started off your post with the premise that religion needs to be replaced, then listed all the things that religion gives us in a way that seems like religion does it best and that there aren't any other great options.
If that wasn't your intent, then your post needs a rewrite. It seemed well written, but paired with this reply, it seems like it's not conveying the information in the manner or tone that you had intended.
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Comment on Marvel plans to recast the X-Men and (eventually) Tony Stark after ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ but ‘reboot is a scary word,’ says Kevin Feige in ~movies
thecakeisalime Link ParentMost (maybe all) Marvel films are still big blockbusters and are profitable. So from that perspective, Marvel and Disney are doing fine. But very few of them are reaching the same heights of...It feels like everything I read about Marvel is how it's going downhill but that's clearly not the case, and I just don't get how.
Most (maybe all) Marvel films are still big blockbusters and are profitable. So from that perspective, Marvel and Disney are doing fine. But very few of them are reaching the same heights of popularity or gross income as in the pre-covid era. Looking at the top-50 grossing superhero films, only three of them were released in 2023+, and only seven Marvel films if you go all the way back to 2021, with the "post" covid peak (of three) in 2022. But in the lead up to Infinity War, there's six top-50 grossing Marvel films in that list every year.
From that perspective they're way downhill from the peak of Infinity War. But it's still profitable, so does it matter if it's good or if you and I like it? Maybe we're not the audience they care about anymore. I saw every MCU movie in theatres for a long time. Maybe they're now trying to appeal to the new generation. If they can get that market, then great. They can just keep cycling through the same old stories and characters and sell them to another generation. They can keep doing that generation after generation like they've done with actual comic books. And that's fine, it seems to be profitable for now and might be sustainable over time. But I think they're going to struggle to create another Infinity War-level run of shows or movies, and I think that's what people are talking about when they say it's going downhill.
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Comment on Potentially autistic and frustrated in ~health.mental
thecakeisalime LinkYou're overthinking it. What would it mean to you if your doctor said you were "officially diagnosed with ASD"? What would it mean if they said you don't have autism? I am all but officially...You're overthinking it.
What would it mean to you if your doctor said you were "officially diagnosed with ASD"? What would it mean if they said you don't have autism?
I am all but officially diagnosed with ASD. I'm mostly high-functioning/high-masking, though there are aspects of life that I struggle with. But it doesn't matter if the things I'm struggling with are due to autism or not, the important thing is that I can get help for it. For me, an official diagnosis wouldn't change anything. Of course, if insurance or some program you want to enrol in requires an official diagnosis, that's different, and you should bring that up specifically with your doctor.
If it's important to you to have the "autism" label, then just claim it. No one is going to accuse you of "faking autism", and if they do, they're probably not worth talking to anyway. Like, what's the benefit of faking autism?
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Comment on How did you ruin a game for yourself? in ~games
thecakeisalime Link ParentFor TTR, depending on which version you're playing, longer routes are not always better. Even when longer routes are "better", there are counter strategies. At the risk of ruining it even further...For TTR, depending on which version you're playing, longer routes are not always better. Even when longer routes are "better", there are counter strategies.
At the risk of ruining it even further for you...
Blocking opponent's routes is a viable strategy. Taken to the extreme, you can choose low-point route cards from your opening hand and only block opponent's routes, losing the points from your cards, but making up for it by placing trains quickly and making your opponents fail their higher-point routes.
The counter to that is to take a lot of small, short routes, which are much more difficult to disrupt. And then the counter to short routes is taking long routes (like you've already discovered).
A lot of people don't think purposely blocking is in the spirit of the game, or dislike negative interactions like that, but I think it's actually required. Instead of just "long routes are better than short routes", it sets up a rock/paper/scissors dynamic that might make one strategy dominant for a specific game, but won't necessarily be repeatable in the same playgroup.
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Comment on Project Hail Mary | Official trailer in ~movies
thecakeisalime Link ParentThey spoiled a lot of stuff in the trailers. I think the trailer would have been better if they ended it at 2:15 (after "Oh my God", before they show what he's looking at). But if they really...They spoiled a lot of stuff in the trailers. I think the trailer would have been better if they ended it at 2:15 (after "Oh my God", before they show what he's looking at). But if they really wanted to include the "alien surprise", they could have ended at 2:19 with the external shot of the space ships. Everything after that just seems extra spoilery for very little gain.
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Comment on Is pop culture a form of "model collapse?" in ~tech
thecakeisalime Link ParentI agree about the human portion - humans aren't just photocopiers, they modify and iterate; they see what works and what doesn't; and they try to improve. Right now, AI is basically a photocopier...I agree about the human portion - humans aren't just photocopiers, they modify and iterate; they see what works and what doesn't; and they try to improve. Right now, AI is basically a photocopier that can collate different ideas together, but they are getting better as well.
It's not out of the question for an AI to be able to iterate and improve upon an idea. Where they currently fall short is that they simply haven't contextualized the "experience" of the world correctly, so sometimes their suggested "improvements" get stuck in a loop of switching back and forth between two states, or go off in a weird and unexpected direction. But I think that human-adjacent contextualization is coming, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it within a year. They already have all of the information, they just need to be pushed in just the right way to "figure it out".
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Comment on A nine-week (ongoing) job application has turned into a shitshow. Not sure how I should handle it... in ~life
thecakeisalime LinkAt this point, you still seem to need a job. So hold off on going nuclear for now. If you get an offer, great. Start working. Maybe it's better than they've shown with their first (and second and...At this point, you still seem to need a job. So hold off on going nuclear for now.
If you get an offer, great. Start working. Maybe it's better than they've shown with their first (and second and third) impressions. Most likely, it's not.
So keep applying to other jobs and keep interviewing elsewhere. But until then, this job sounds like it's better than nothing. And if it turns out to be worse than nothing, you can always just quit, and then you're right back to where you are now.
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Comment on Necessities are expensive, luxuries are cheap in ~finance
thecakeisalime Link ParentI don't think this was your intention, but you've highlighted a big part of the problem. So much emphasis is put on being able to drive that cities are unable to properly densify without giving up...where the resident can meaningfully drive to work, school, groceries and doctors
I don't think this was your intention, but you've highlighted a big part of the problem. So much emphasis is put on being able to drive that cities are unable to properly densify without giving up parking spots and driving lanes.
In Toronto, there are currently thousands of unsold shoebox condos that nobody actually wants. For a decade, they've been maximizing unit numbers instead of building housing that people can actually use, and I think it's finally reached a breaking point.
Developers are trying to wait this out instead of undercutting each other in a race to the bottom, but I don't think it'll work this time. No one wanted them in the first place, but they bought because they had no other options. Today, people aren't buying them, and it's not because they (still) don't want them, it's because they can no longer afford them.
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Comment on Everyone in Hollywood is already using AI (and hiding it) in ~movies
thecakeisalime (edited )Link ParentIt depends. If you look at the progression of the music industry, it went from something you needed to pay hundreds of dollars an hour to record in a studio, down to something you can do on a...- Exemplary
It depends. If you look at the progression of the music industry, it went from something you needed to pay hundreds of dollars an hour to record in a studio, down to something you can do on a laptop in your basement.
A lot of the money in music these days is not in the recording, it's the distribution and advertising. You can go the traditional route with the music labels, or you can record it in your basement, and try to get publicity through social media and word of mouth. The music label isn't doing anything you can't do, they just have connections and money that you don't.
I think film is following a similar trajectory. We can already record pretty decent stuff on our phones, but the CGI was out of reach for most people. AI is helping to bridge that final gap. A single person can now film, direct, edit, animate, and release a "blockbuster" sized movie all on their own (though they may want some actors). It still won't get all the marketing and publicity, but it's the next logical step in indie-filmmaking - CGI/animation that was previously only for the big-budget films can now be done on your laptop.
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Comment on A huge outbreak has made Ontario the measles centre of the western hemisphere in ~health
thecakeisalime Link ParentThis is kinda touched on in the article, but a lot of the measles cases are happening in the Mennonite population. They mostly don't attend public schools, own their own businesses, don't really...The amount of people willing to live totally outside the bounds of modern society just to avoid vaccination is probably pretty damn minuscule
This is kinda touched on in the article, but a lot of the measles cases are happening in the Mennonite population. They mostly don't attend public schools, own their own businesses, don't really attend events other than things like farmer's markets, and just largely don't interact with the rest of society in ways that make it easy or possible to encourage them to become vaccinated. I can't say for sure whether they have the majority of the measles cases, and I think public health is trying to dance around this issue a bit, but...
I agree with the "less is more" philosophy. If it doesn't fit in my carry on, it stays home. But...
I always bring a water bottle and snacks for the plane. I'm not paying $25 for a sandwich at the airport, and airplanes are dehydrating, so having access to a water bottle is always nice.
As for books, e-readers are significantly better than phones for reading, both in battery life and eye strain, though obviously you're now bringing an extra device. I think it's worth it, but I can see the argument for just leaving that at home too. I guess it depends how long your flight and vacation is.