ThrowdoBaggins's recent activity
-
Comment on Interview: Firefox’s chief on why he hopes a redesign will help win users from Chrome in ~tech
-
Comment on Using ASCII art to prove that I, not an LLM, wrote something in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentFor me, it’s the same thing but when I’m writing emails. I can’t tell you how many times I just completely fail to spot an error when I’m looking for one, but my eyes lock onto it as soon as I hit...For me, it’s the same thing but when I’m writing emails. I can’t tell you how many times I just completely fail to spot an error when I’m looking for one, but my eyes lock onto it as soon as I hit Send. As if my subconscious logged it on my Nth re-read and review, but decided to only bring it up once it was too late.
I absolutely love the option to “delay send” emails, I have it switched on for basically every service and platform whenever possible.
-
Comment on The plunging price of AI in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentThis absolutely sent me. Wild guess but this wouldn’t happen to be about the Eco game would it? I find that, more than any other game I’ve played, Eco players can create interpersonal drama on...It's actually pretty useful because you can have it summarize tremendously long arguments between people
This absolutely sent me. Wild guess but this wouldn’t happen to be about the Eco game would it? I find that, more than any other game I’ve played, Eco players can create interpersonal drama on nearly unrivalled scales!
-
Comment on What is your dream game? in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’m not sure it quite matches GTA’s options for open world travel — I don’t think there are planes or helicopters as far as I can remember — but maybe you would like Watchdogs? You can drive...I’m not sure it quite matches GTA’s options for open world travel — I don’t think there are planes or helicopters as far as I can remember — but maybe you would like Watchdogs? You can drive around similar to GTA but as you’re driving, you can interact with the world around you because you’re a master hacker who has access to the city’s infrastructure on your phone.
Police chasing you? Just activate those bollards that are sunk into the street, and they pop up just behind you. You got through just fine, but the cop car behind just got totalled. Or you see the cop car ahead of you trying to cut you off? What if that set of traffic lights just happened to go green for everyone at the same time and cause a 5-car pileup in the middle of the intersection, so the cops have to go around the long way while you duck into an alleyway.
There are very few games that do a good job of action and stealth within the same game engine, and this isn’t stellar by any means, but I do love that sometimes when the cops are after you but have lost line of sight, your best bet isn’t to keep running forever, but instead to pull over and park and duck below the window so your car looks empty from a distance and the cops just drive right past you without realising.
-
Comment on The plunging price of AI in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’ve been trying to think of a way to explain this to my family (who don’t really pay attention to AI stuff except that it’s on their work computers everywhere now) and I phrased it as “incredibly...admittedly expensive (but not unreachably fiscally inaccessible) hardware
I’ve been trying to think of a way to explain this to my family (who don’t really pay attention to AI stuff except that it’s on their work computers everywhere now) and I phrased it as “incredibly expensive consumer-grade, or surprisingly cheap business-grade kinds of prices” — which I think feels about right?
If I look at a colour laser printer, for example, I can get decent quality consumer grade version for well under $1000, but as soon as I’m looking at a commercial product, that’s instantly looking at about an order of magnitude higher.
Spending $10k-20k on a home computer seems like incredibly dedicated hobbyist kinds of prices, but for a small business that’s ... okay it’s not easy, but certainly more achievable, especially if it’s a tool you need for your business.
-
Comment on What do you listen to while you’re reading? in ~books
ThrowdoBaggins LinkI don’t really have much of a choice, if I’m reading then I’m listening to the voice in my head that narrates all the words I’m looking at. If there’s music happening, either I’m listening to the...I don’t really have much of a choice, if I’m reading then I’m listening to the voice in my head that narrates all the words I’m looking at.
If there’s music happening, either I’m listening to the music (involuntarily) and therefore not reading, or if I’m managing to still read it’s because I’ve completely blocked out the music.
-
Comment on OpenAI hacked Australia's Medicare portal in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentIf you’re looking through the lens of intent, I agree it’s difficult to know where to draw the line and how severely to respond. But I think stepping back from that lens, I feel the lack of...If you’re looking through the lens of intent, I agree it’s difficult to know where to draw the line and how severely to respond. But I think stepping back from that lens, I feel the lack of accountability is setting devastating precedent for once these similarly-powerful agents are commercially available to anyone with $200 in their pocket, so the question really does need to be answered.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that this lack of individual responsibility behind the hacking is definitely something these LLM companies are hiding behind at the moment, so I think that should be considered when weighing what to do.
Personally, I’m swinging away from examining intent and more towards what behaviours are we enabling/encouraging, so to me it’s clear that the punishment should be severe, but not personal/individual. If these companies are being hit by substantial fines, greater than just “cost of doing business” kinds of fines, then intent aside they will certainly start changing their behaviour. Choosing to not do so, I think, implicitly grants the green light for LLM companies to continue on their merry way, without a second glance at social responsibility.
Maybe you could even have the fine be proportional to the number of individual’s records that were accessed — I’m sure there are existing laws and fines for irresponsible use or access of medical records, so using that as a guide might lead to a big enough number for them to be clear that they can’t just ignore the risks and carry on.
-
Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’m not going to claim I’m any kind of expert, but sailors of last century are not the only people to get scurvy. I know there was scurvy discovered among university students at the university...Scurvy is also caused by a forced diet, forced conditions. Sailors may have craved fresh fruits/vegetables but they were not available or accessible at the time. The sea is a barrier.
I’m not going to claim I’m any kind of expert, but sailors of last century are not the only people to get scurvy. I know there was scurvy discovered among university students at the university near where I live, apparently almost two decades ago.
The university got very embarrassed and quickly spun up a program of free pancakes with berries and toppings etc once a week, to make it as easy as possible for the broke students to have some vitamin C in their diets, because they otherwise lived off the cheapest ramen bulk packs for the majority of their meals, for months at a time during semester.
They still maintain the program today, so I assume the university has decided it’s better to maintain this program than to roll the dice on finding out their students are still mostly eating the cheapest sustenance they can get their hands on with absolutely no variety.
Also, it’s from hearing about this program that I learned berries have much more vitamin C than citrus, but the British Navy mostly stuck with limes because they could survive for months at sea without going bad as quickly. So it’s fascinating to me that hot lemon and honey drinks have survived as the de facto cure to getting sick even as I was growing up!
-
Comment on VR questions, recommendations, tips, and tricks in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins LinkFor VR newbies, I definitely recommend spending a bit of time looking into what kinds of experiences cause nausea and the recommended approach to desensitising yourself to it. I’m so glad I took...For VR newbies, I definitely recommend spending a bit of time looking into what kinds of experiences cause nausea and the recommended approach to desensitising yourself to it. I’m so glad I took the advice to go through the progression in order rather than jumping in at the deep end, because ultimately I was able to get to my end-goal of being able to handle nearly anything, but certainly felt each step would have been difficult to skip along the way.
In general, I believe teleporting with a black screen is the least nauseous movement option, followed by teleporting with full vision. Then smooth movement with vignettes would probably be the next stage, then smooth movement without vignettes. By far the most challenging I’ve been able to do so far was free falling without vignettes, and even though I’ve built up my fortitude, it still feels uncomfortable nearly every time.
Also, take your time with it. And I don’t just mean a few hours of each level before you progress — if you take a break for a few weeks, take yourself a step back before jumping straight back into it. The point is to develop your own fortitude in the long run, not just skip to the endgame as soon as possible.
-
Comment on VR questions, recommendations, tips, and tricks in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentWhen I saw the stats for the Vision Pro and compared the numbers to my only IRL experience (Quest 3), I’m not at all surprised that having an external computer running it needs an incredibly beefy...When I saw the stats for the Vision Pro and compared the numbers to my only IRL experience (Quest 3), I’m not at all surprised that having an external computer running it needs an incredibly beefy setup. I can’t wait for that kind of resolution (and the hardware to power it) to be cheap enough for me to participate, but I don’t expect that to be any time soon.
-
Comment on VR questions, recommendations, tips, and tricks in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI definitely benefited from a fan early on while I was developing my VR fortitude. It helps keep you grounded in a below-conscious-thought kind of way. It didn’t take me out of the immersion, but...I definitely benefited from a fan early on while I was
getting my sea legsdeveloping my VR fortitude. It helps keep you grounded in a below-conscious-thought kind of way. It didn’t take me out of the immersion, but it did provide another data point for my brain to make sense of what was going on.While it didn’t completely prevent the motion sickness (which I think is an approximation, but not quite an accurate description, of what’s going on) it certainly helped reduce the heights of spiking discomfort when the various senses didn’t agree. And occasionally helped against being completely disoriented when dramatic movement or rotation happened in-game.
-
Comment on Does the dryer shrink your clothes? in ~life
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI made some for myself a few years back and they’ve worked wonders for preventing thicker things (winter hoodies) from staying damp when everything else is dry, as well as having a big reduction...What I also found helps a lot with getting your clothes dryer quicker is wool dryer balls.
I made some for myself a few years back and they’ve worked wonders for preventing thicker things (winter hoodies) from staying damp when everything else is dry, as well as having a big reduction in how often I get static from the dryer.
I just grabbed some pure wool knitting yarn (no idea if wool blend also works, I didn’t try it) and balled it up and wrapped that tightly in stockings, tied off at the ends. Throw that in the hottest wash and hottest dry cycle your machines can do, and the wool yarn all felts itself together into a single cohesive ball. Then you can remove the stocking outside and the ball stays together, never unravels itself, and works its magic for years!
-
Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’m not even sure I can agree that it was a leap in CGI. Certainly it was a lot more CGI, based on CGI screen time, but I don’t think it’s better/more realistic CGI than Davey Jones and the crew...It was a leap in CGI, but little more and one can argue that increased CGI isn't a good thing.
I’m not even sure I can agree that it was a leap in CGI. Certainly it was a lot more CGI, based on CGI screen time, but I don’t think it’s better/more realistic CGI than Davey Jones and the crew of the Flying Dutchman (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), despite Avatar arriving three years later.
But maybe I’m personally biased because I love the POTC movies so much.
-
Comment on Steam Frame product page is now live in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’ve always been curious about the difference between inside-out versus outside-in tracking, or if the new Steam Frame might be able to support a hybrid approach to get the best of both worlds? My...You could take down those tacky base stations!
I’ve always been curious about the difference between inside-out versus outside-in tracking, or if the new Steam Frame might be able to support a hybrid approach to get the best of both worlds?
My only VR experience is the Quest 3 and the hand and finger tracking is okay, I can type on the air keyboard if I go slow, but I’d love a more reliable option (maybe even full body tracking?) if it was easy to set up and not too expensive.
-
Comment on Steam Frame product page is now live in ~games
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentGood news, maybe! The bit at the start where you might suck at it is also the bit where you’ll make the most physical progress! By the time you’re actually good at it, your muscles will have...One of my plans is to have it as an excersise machine while playing Beat Saber. Now I have to not suck at such games first
Good news, maybe! The bit at the start where you might suck at it is also the bit where you’ll make the most physical progress! By the time you’re actually good at it, your muscles will have developed (in both power and precision) enough to be much more efficient because of all the practice, but therefore your future gains might plateau by then
-
Comment on Canada's oil windfall may yet wipe out its losses from tariffs in ~finance
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI feel like he’s been building a whole shadow police force with loose morals and high allegiance to himself for a while now. I’m having more trouble imagining ICE resisting or refusing to...I feel like he’s been building a whole shadow police force with loose morals and high allegiance to himself for a while now. I’m having more trouble imagining ICE resisting or refusing to cooperate if we ever get to the point of Trump calling for politicians’ arrest. But maybe I’m too pessimistic and actually people are more likely to be sensible about not going that far.
-
Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI’m sure there are already plenty up-and-running for us to join, but alas they aren’t hanging out on Tildes to spruik itAnybody want to start an off-grid commune? :)
I’m sure there are already plenty up-and-running for us to join, but alas they aren’t hanging out on Tildes to spruik it
-
Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentI just had the thought: anyone who would very much like to reserve the right to sue Amazon, is probably already distrustful enough to avoid them more broadly. So by having these shitty T&C’s baked...Why should the mouse care if they can’t sue Amazon if they aren’t usually suing Amazon in the first place? 😮💨
I just had the thought: anyone who would very much like to reserve the right to sue Amazon, is probably already distrustful enough to avoid them more broadly. So by having these shitty T&C’s baked in, that makes people self-select into or out of the ecosystem.
And there are uncomfortable parallels with deliberately obvious scams with typos and clearly-wrong URLs etc, used by scammers to let people self-select for being gullible and an easier mark.
Gosh, it’s all so gross!
-
Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentHaving lived in the world of peripherals-with-onboard-memory, my frustration in the same scenario you highlighted here would be less that Logitech software doesn’t work on Linux, and more that I...Having lived in the world of peripherals-with-onboard-memory, my frustration in the same scenario you highlighted here would be less that Logitech software doesn’t work on Linux, and more that I can’t just program the functions I want directly into the mouse and then keep using it with the same functionality across devices.
My workplace uses Windows, but I have the same limitation that I can’t use the extra mouse buttons/functions because our environment is so locked down, and downloading Logitech software is a non-starter. I would be willing to take all the time to set up the buttons and functions from my home computer, but with no onboard memory, that wouldn’t carry across to my work computer.
-
Comment on Adulting -- what advice or encouragement did you receive / wish you had received when you were just starting out moving out? in ~life
ThrowdoBaggins Link ParentIn addition to not getting a flashy car, I’ll also add that there’s substantial value in getting an incredibly common boring car: cheap parts! I’m Australian and drive a little Mazda 2 hatchback,...In addition to not getting a flashy car, I’ll also add that there’s substantial value in getting an incredibly common boring car: cheap parts!
I’m Australian and drive a little Mazda 2 hatchback, which is not only fuel efficient and small enough to park anywhere, but also it’s so common that our mechanic has commented on it. He reckons it’s going to be really cheap to keep it going for many more years even as things start to wear out (although it’s already a teenager and hasn’t shown any signs yet) because finding spare parts in a local scrapyard is going to be super easy and dirt cheap.
By contrast, my previous car wasn’t anything particularly special or expensive, but was such a weird/rare model that finding replacement parts anywhere in Australia would have probably meant months of searching listings. Ultimately the lack of spare parts is what doomed it when it was showing its age, despite incredibly low mileage on a 20+ year old car.
This is such an excellent idea, I’m surprised there isn’t an option for it! There’s already the “private/incognito” mode, but there should be an inverse one where it behaves like a brand new, totally default, out-of-the-box, block nothing mode with maximum compatibility with as many websites as possible, possibly even up to and including pretending the user agent string is a chromium version or something.