tibpoe's recent activity

  1. Comment on Vaping likely to cause lung and oral cancer, Australian researchers find in new review of evidence in ~health

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    This is probably harder now, but when I vaped I was mixing my own juices. I just slowly (i.e. a percentage point at a time) dropped the nicotine percentage in there until I realized that it was so...

    This is probably harder now, but when I vaped I was mixing my own juices. I just slowly (i.e. a percentage point at a time) dropped the nicotine percentage in there until I realized that it was so low that it wasn't worth refilling the vape.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Asia turns back to coal as war chokes off natural gas in ~enviro

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    I've been hearing about the momentum problem for a while, but as a software engineer who dabbles in power electronics to a somewhat advanced degree, I just don't believe it. I don't see how it...

    I've been hearing about the momentum problem for a while, but as a software engineer who dabbles in power electronics to a somewhat advanced degree, I just don't believe it. I don't see how it could be anything more than slightly different firmware on the same hardware. I'd love to talk to an engineer in the industry about it

    On the other hand, my rice maker has an RTC clock, a 15¢ component, to make sure my rice comes out great even if the power cuts out. But my built-in stove, many times more expensive, does not. So I can definitely see this as a problem that's arose out of carelessness.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on Nasdaq's shame - how to rig an index to appease a billionaire in ~finance

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    The problem comes if you already hold these ETFs in a regular taxed brokerage account. Unfortunately you could be triggering a large tax bill if you do sell and buy some other ETF.

    The problem comes if you already hold these ETFs in a regular taxed brokerage account. Unfortunately you could be triggering a large tax bill if you do sell and buy some other ETF.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    The Ageless Linux page is also incorrect--not surprising, it feels largely AI generated and this kind of subtle mistake is exactly the kind that's easy to miss in review. I suggest reading the...

    The Ageless Linux page is also incorrect--not surprising, it feels largely AI generated and this kind of subtle mistake is exactly the kind that's easy to miss in review.

    I suggest reading the bill directly. It's not that long, and it's clear there's not any requirement for the OS provider to actually verify the age they are given. This is the only requirement, the rest is basically supporting infrastructure:

    Provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store.

    16 votes

  5. Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    That's not true at all.

    liable if the police discover <18s have been lying about their age

    That's not true at all.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    I'm thinking of the FGC-9. The ECM tool not just 3d printed, but you file down a stainless rod to the right shape for the chamber by hand, then glue it into a 3-d printed jig to machine the...

    I'm thinking of the FGC-9. The ECM tool not just 3d printed, but you file down a stainless rod to the right shape for the chamber by hand, then glue it into a 3-d printed jig to machine the chamber. I haven't personally done it, yet at least. I got as far as making the ECM tools including the barrel cutter then got bored of the project.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    The same principle is used to create the chamber in the barrel.

    The same principle is used to create the chamber in the barrel.

  8. Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    A barrel can be rifled and shaped with just a 3d printer through a process called ECM. Basically you print a mandrel, put some copper wire into the places where you want to cut the rifling, and...

    A barrel can be rifled and shaped with just a 3d printer through a process called ECM. Basically you print a mandrel, put some copper wire into the places where you want to cut the rifling, and then put it in a bucket of salt water and connect it to a power supply.

    You could restrict hydraulic piping, but that has a ton of legal applications and I expect it would be difficult.

  9. Comment on A rant about how devices handle users with language backgrounds other than English in ~tech

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    The Microsoft Excel team in the 90s. I thought Joel Spolsky had written about this topic, being one of the leaders of the team that made this decision, but I was mistaken. This isn't even the...

    WHO DECIDED THIS?!?!

    The Microsoft Excel team in the 90s. I thought Joel Spolsky had written about this topic, being one of the leaders of the team that made this decision, but I was mistaken.

    This isn't even the worst data-corrupting Excel misbehavior

    8 votes

  10. Comment on US imports more from Taiwan than China for first time in decades in ~finance

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    It's AI chips. Taiwan is still a small country, but AI chips have incredible value density.

    It's AI chips. Taiwan is still a small country, but AI chips have incredible value density.

    10 votes

  11. Comment on What's good in modern flashlights/headlamps? in ~hobbies

    tibpoe
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    When I was looking for flashlights, the subreddit pointed me towards this list of recommendations. I ended up with a Skilhunt H200 in 5000K, and I've been incredibly happy with it. A few buying...

    When I was looking for flashlights, the subreddit pointed me towards this list of recommendations. I ended up with a Skilhunt H200 in 5000K, and I've been incredibly happy with it.

    A few buying tips:

    • Unless it's from an otherwise reputable brand, the specs for anything sold on Amazon are completely fake. Do not buy flashlights or lithium batteries off Amazon.
    • I was resistant to right-angle flashlights for a while, mostly because they're not what I'm used to. Don't be: they work very well as headlamps, and can still be easily taken out and manually pointed.
    • If you do get a flashlight with 18650 batteries, keep in mind that 18650s are not foolproof the way AAs are. Keep them in a flashlight or in their case while not in use, there is a serious risk of fire if you just dump them in your junk drawer.
    • If you do get a flashlight with 18650 batteries, only buy the cells from reputable retailers. I personally like 18650batterystore.com.
    • If I was buying a new 18650 for flashlight use, I'd probably go for a large capacity (large mAh) cell that can supply at least 10A. I'd probably choose a Panasonic NCR18650GA cell.

    On the backup light sources, I use my headlamp in moonlight mode quite a bit. It's not enough to light up the whole treeline, but it's plenty to see what I'm doing with my hands and avoid tripping. For the higher moonlight setting, 3.5lm, the manual says the battery is good for 100h. For the lower setting, 0.3lm, the manual doesn't even provide a runtime. So for me, this is perfectly adequate as a fallback if I see the battery life dropping.

    10 votes

  12. Comment on Fraud investigation is believing your lying eyes in ~society

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    When you fill out a form, you the person who gave you the form to carefully read over your responses and scrutinize them. On the other hand, you don't have control over and may not even be aware...

    What does he mean that the data points announce they will be scrutinized???

    When you fill out a form, you the person who gave you the form to carefully read over your responses and scrutinize them. On the other hand, you don't have control over and may not even be aware of other data points being captured. For example, in an e-commerce context, how long does it take you to go from your first visit to a web store to checking out? I imagine the difference between fraud and legitimate customer is fairly wide.

    What is a potential marginal beneficiary???

    I understood this to mean someone who barely meets the requirements or is otherwise towards the bottom of the pile when ranked by most qualified. Since fraudulent actors will lie to appear more qualified, this means barely-qualified folks would have gotten unfairly excluded from consideration.

    I definitely agree that his writing is a bit idiosyncratic, and I'd say it's targeted towards the audience he is familiar with. I personally don't have too much trouble with it, but I have read a lot of his writing, and I've worked in fintech, so I'm basically right in the middle of his target audience.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on Fraud investigation is believing your lying eyes in ~society

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    I think I just fundamentally disagree with you on the first point. "Beyond a reasonable doubt" is a good threshold for incarceration, but is completely the wrong threshold for access to government...

    I think I just fundamentally disagree with you on the first point. "Beyond a reasonable doubt" is a good threshold for incarceration, but is completely the wrong threshold for access to government contracts. For civil matters, we already accept a 50% threshold. After all, I assume that there are other folks in the same industry competing for those contracts, why award money to anyone but the least risky actors?

    I'd completely agree with you for things like personal disability benefits or the like. It absolutely must be beyond a reasonable doubt in those cases.

    7 votes

  14. Comment on Fraud investigation is believing your lying eyes in ~society

    tibpoe
    Link
    Insightful article, as always, but I'm looking forward to reading the book mentioned, Lying for Money. I was really surprised to hear that the government doesn't have fraud analysts the way...

    Insightful article, as always, but I'm looking forward to reading the book mentioned, Lying for Money.

    I was really surprised to hear that the government doesn't have fraud analysts the way companies do! Back when I worked for a bank, I remember coming across one particular person that was clearly defrauding one of COVID relief programs and raised it internally, but it sounds like it's likely that was never actually communicated to the government or turned into anything?

    5 votes

  15. Comment on The assistant axis: situating and stabilizing the character of large language models in ~tech

    tibpoe
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    All this work, and they don't give a single example of the "leviathan" persona they also identified. It'd be really cool to see these models intentionally tuned in an artistic direction.

    All this work, and they don't give a single example of the "leviathan" persona they also identified. It'd be really cool to see these models intentionally tuned in an artistic direction.

    8 votes

  17. Comment on Why London’s chimney sweeps are enjoying a resurgence in ~life

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    Do you have a fireplace, or a wood burning stove? The efficiency on fireplaces is abysmal, something like a single digit percentage if I recall correctly. Wood stoves on the other hand both burn...

    Do you have a fireplace, or a wood burning stove? The efficiency on fireplaces is abysmal, something like a single digit percentage if I recall correctly. Wood stoves on the other hand both burn more of your wood, and capture much more of the heat before sending it up the chimney. Depending on your floor plan, you could absolutely heat whole house with one.

    Not evenly, the stove room will be a sauna, but that's what open floor plans are for right?

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    tibpoe
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Get a USB switch, and manually switch your monitor between inputs. The extra friction is a feature!

    Get a USB switch, and manually switch your monitor between inputs. The extra friction is a feature!

    10 votes

  19. Comment on "Visa" gift cards - What should I be looking at? in ~finance

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    I don't think this is an accurate description; I've been using Plaid (and before that Mint) since close to the start, and I always thought the relationship was clear. The whole situation is...

    I don't think this is an accurate description; I've been using Plaid (and before that Mint) since close to the start, and I always thought the relationship was clear. The whole situation is entirely the banks' fault anyway, banks refused to provide any kind of API access to their data, requiring a screen scraping approach that neither Plaid nor the banks nor their customers liked.

    Anyway, things have gotten better. Most the top institutions how provide API access and don't require that you give Plaid your password. From my quick testing, all these use API integration:

    • Bank of America
    • Amex
    • Chase
    • Wells Fargo
    • citibank
    • US Bank
    • PNC
    • USAA
    • Navy Federal
    13 votes

  20. Comment on Leaving Apple behind after eighteen years in ~tech

    tibpoe
    Link Parent
    I don't want any compromises at all to battery life. I'm done with being tethered to a wall. Also I paid $800 for it, since I buy my laptops used, while the comparable spec Framework is $1271.

    I don't want any compromises at all to battery life. I'm done with being tethered to a wall.

    Also I paid $800 for it, since I buy my laptops used, while the comparable spec Framework is $1271.