TurtleCracker's recent activity

  1. Comment on A survey of 1,000 hiring managers found that 59% say they emphasize AI’s role in layoffs because it is viewed more favorably than saying layoffs or hiring freezes in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    Outsourcing / offshoring is a massive problem in the tech space that gets almost zero attention from the news media or politicians. It's almost always done for cost (at least as the primary...

    Outsourcing / offshoring is a massive problem in the tech space that gets almost zero attention from the news media or politicians. It's almost always done for cost (at least as the primary motivator) not for the labor pool or skillsets available. At least in software engineering.

    10 votes

  2. Comment on Digg has shutdown (again) in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I’m more optimistic that it’s possible with larger communities. It just takes effort and moderation, which cut into margins. I also think federated social networks have a place but are also...

    I’m more optimistic that it’s possible with larger communities. It just takes effort and moderation, which cut into margins. I also think federated social networks have a place but are also fundamentally flawed.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I don't think they started having a significant bot problem until they dropped the invite only requirement. I suspect they dropped that because they "needed more growth". They didn't really...

    I don't think they started having a significant bot problem until they dropped the invite only requirement. I suspect they dropped that because they "needed more growth". They didn't really provide any details or post mortem on what they actually tried to stop the bots.

    I've implemented bot protections at my work that have resulted in 80%+ reduced in bot traffic/interactions.

    8 votes

  4. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    It really depends on the use case, but as an alternative to age verification I assume we are talking about services that require accounts? Email or SMS verification? Requiring a small one time...

    It really depends on the use case, but as an alternative to age verification I assume we are talking about services that require accounts?

    Email or SMS verification?
    Requiring a small one time payment per account?
    Blocking disposable or low reputation email providers?
    Delayed or multiple step signups?
    Invite only accounts?
    CAPTCHA?
    Honeypots?

    I think a lot of services that are infested with bots aren’t trying very hard to stop it because it benefits some metrics.

    4 votes

  5. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    So I just did some admittedly very light searching around. It doesn't appear that a single company that has been fined, has actually paid the fine, or implemented significant changes due to this?...

    So I just did some admittedly very light searching around. It doesn't appear that a single company that has been fined, has actually paid the fine, or implemented significant changes due to this? Maybe it's "to come", but it seems pretty toothless so far?

    For example they fined 4chan. I don't think 4chan has paid or changed ANYTHING as a result.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    Do they actually have liability? Virtually every successful fine or lawsuit related to children on these platforms is due to data collection. They could just.. not collect the data from everyone?

    Do they actually have liability? Virtually every successful fine or lawsuit related to children on these platforms is due to data collection. They could just.. not collect the data from everyone?

    6 votes

  7. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    There are much easier and less invasive ways of dealing with bots

    There are much easier and less invasive ways of dealing with bots

    21 votes

  8. Comment on Hackers expose the massive surveillance stack hiding inside your “age verification” check in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    I have a gut feeling that age verification has more to do with de-anonymizing the internet than it does anything else. It's just a first step towards forcing real names and unique IDs into every...

    I have a gut feeling that age verification has more to do with de-anonymizing the internet than it does anything else. It's just a first step towards forcing real names and unique IDs into every online service.

    This will probably create a barrier of entry for new companies and communities to form too. This will build a moat around established companies and protect their profits from having to deal with pesky competition.

    38 votes

  9. Comment on Hisense TVs show ads during normal operation in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    I really wish we had more companies making high quality dumb TVs. The “smart” part should come from an additional device you plug into the TV. Not the TV itself!

    I really wish we had more companies making high quality dumb TVs. The “smart” part should come from an additional device you plug into the TV. Not the TV itself!

    4 votes

  10. Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    Co-founding a company and selling it. Being in management at any company as well. Both of these experiences have exposed me to investors, contracts, and executive leadership. Both have made me...

    Co-founding a company and selling it. Being in management at any company as well.

    Both of these experiences have exposed me to investors, contracts, and executive leadership. Both have made me realize that investors are absurdly overvalued in our current business models. I can clearly see how short term thinking and investor first thinking almost always damages both the end customers of the business as well as the actual employees of the business.

    I think stock options and profits interests are almost always a scam. Unless you are awarded them at the moment the company starts you almost certainly are getting them set at an inflated price that will ensure you get minimal value out of them. Unless you are in some sort of edge case with absolutely explosive growth.

    9 votes

  11. Comment on AI companies try to pay staff in AI tokens, not money in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    Can you even resell or trade them?

    Can you even resell or trade them?

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Does anyone have any Nebula recommendations? I've just signed up! in ~tv

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I agree with that. I just want a tiny bit more travel show and a little bit less game show. As an example - in one of the seasons I believe they had to visit an Italian hardware store for a...

    I agree with that. I just want a tiny bit more travel show and a little bit less game show. As an example - in one of the seasons I believe they had to visit an Italian hardware store for a challenge. I enjoyed that brief glimpse of something so basic but in another country.

    I like it when the challenges force them to experience something specific in the place they are in.

  13. Comment on Does anyone have any Nebula recommendations? I've just signed up! in ~tv

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I feel like they focus more on the “strategy” of the game instead of actually enjoying the locations.

    I feel like they focus more on the “strategy” of the game instead of actually enjoying the locations.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Does anyone have any Nebula recommendations? I've just signed up! in ~tv

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    TLDR is a news show on Nebula that’s pretty good. You already mentioned Jet lag - I really enjoy that. Some seasons are way better than others. Practical construction and practical engineering are...

    TLDR is a news show on Nebula that’s pretty good. You already mentioned Jet lag - I really enjoy that. Some seasons are way better than others.

    Practical construction and practical engineering are quite nice.

    6 votes

  15. Comment on Game testers wanted for science fiction game in ~games

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    No worries either way. I know sometimes it’s good to have a sounding board or second opinion. At least on the technical stuff. I can’t help much with the actual writing!

    No worries either way. I know sometimes it’s good to have a sounding board or second opinion. At least on the technical stuff. I can’t help much with the actual writing!

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Game testers wanted for science fiction game in ~games

    TurtleCracker
    Link
    Happy to test it. I also have experience with Twine / SugarCube if you need help with defects or code reviews.

    Happy to test it. I also have experience with Twine / SugarCube if you need help with defects or code reviews.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Chimpanzees are really into crystals in ~science

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I could certainly see the development of currency (or just the concept of trade/barter) being a general advantage for social animals. It probably is a way to avoid conflict that is expensive from...

    I could certainly see the development of currency (or just the concept of trade/barter) being a general advantage for social animals. It probably is a way to avoid conflict that is expensive from an energy/survival perspective.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Chimpanzees are really into crystals in ~science

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    Maybe it’s just a pattern matching thing detecting something unusual?

    Maybe it’s just a pattern matching thing detecting something unusual?

    3 votes

  19. Comment on Sony pulls back from PlayStation games on PC in ~games

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    This is the first horizontal scrollbar I've seen in awhile.

    This is the first horizontal scrollbar I've seen in awhile.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users at scale with surprising accuracy in ~tech

    TurtleCracker
    Link Parent
    I appreciate this, but I'd also point out (this is an assumption) that it is likely an aberration rather than the typical behavior. I'd be willing to bet if we ran analytics that engagement in...

    Another consideration is that conversations tend to have longer lifespans on Tildes. We sometimes see new comments in the Book Club months after the discussion has concluded, but the new comments spurs new discussion and the thread takes off again. Those conversations end up being very high quality, and I sometimes find myself re-reading them months later.

    I appreciate this, but I'd also point out (this is an assumption) that it is likely an aberration rather than the typical behavior. I'd be willing to bet if we ran analytics that engagement in post drops off by upwards of 90% (if not higher) in the first month. I'd also recommend it as an opt-in functionality, so not everyone would enable it.

    Tildes seems to largely operate as a news aggregator with some forum-style community topics inside of it. News aggregation has a relatively short shelf life. The forum-style discussions have a longer lifespan.

    I feel that even as an opt-in, adding an auto-deletion feature would make Tildes less pleasant to read. However, as a compromise, I think it would be reasonable to add something that anonymizes the username of the commenter while preserving their content. Perhaps by assigning a name that's unique per-thread, to keep the flow of conversation easier to follow.

    I do think a thread specific username anonymization and link-breaking to the user profile would increase user privacy while also preventing most of the negatives of auto-deletion.

    3 votes