unkz's recent activity
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Comment on US begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz in ~society
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Comment on US begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz in ~society
unkz Link ParentBecause they buy 85% of Iran’s oil and they want that oil very much?Because they buy 85% of Iran’s oil and they want that oil very much?
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Comment on US begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz in ~society
unkz Link ParentExcept it isn’t really doing much to neuter Iran. Even if they sweep all the mines, Iran still has the threat of drones and ballistic missiles. The strait will open when Iran says so. The world...Except it isn’t really doing much to neuter Iran. Even if they sweep all the mines, Iran still has the threat of drones and ballistic missiles. The strait will open when Iran says so. The world economy continues to suffer while the negotiations proceed. At most it removes oil revenues from Iran.
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Comment on US begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz in ~society
unkz LinkTakes I have seen so far:Takes I have seen so far:
You’re not blockading me, I’m blockading you.
No u
Yo dawg, i heard you like blockades so I put a blockade in your blockade so you can blockade while you blockade
Nice blockade. Be a shame if someone blockaded it.
uno reverse blockade.
Look at me. I’m the blockade now.
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Comment on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungary election in ~society
unkz Link ParentThis is still Hungary. https://www.equaldex.com/surveys/justifiability-of-homosexuality Only 17.51% of Hungarians think that homosexuality can be justified. 54.25% say it can’t be justified. Even...This is still Hungary.
https://www.equaldex.com/surveys/justifiability-of-homosexuality
Only 17.51% of Hungarians think that homosexuality can be justified. 54.25% say it can’t be justified. Even a lot of their more progressive people are still socially conservative compared to America.
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Comment on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail in ~tech
unkz Link ParentPaper Mario I guess, which I haven’t played. The last Mario game I played was probably super Mario 3. I didn’t know it was a thing.Paper Mario I guess, which I haven’t played. The last Mario game I played was probably super Mario 3. I didn’t know it was a thing.
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Comment on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail in ~tech
unkz Link ParentI don’t get it? Like I get Mario and Luigi are both video game characters from the same game but beyond that… do I need to play the game to get it?Paper Mario
I don’t get it? Like I get Mario and Luigi are both video game characters from the same game but beyond that… do I need to play the game to get it?
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Comment on Am I German or autistic? in ~health.mental
unkz LinkIt’s interesting that there is no option for “I don’t have an inner monologue”. I have one, a loud one, which is saying the things I’m typing right now, but I know this is not universal and some...It’s interesting that there is no option for “I don’t have an inner monologue”. I have one, a loud one, which is saying the things I’m typing right now, but I know this is not universal and some people are completely without.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the ‘Mississippi [reading level] miracle’ (gifted link) in ~society
unkz Link ParentAside from phonics, I think these were probably the really impactful changes but unfortunately they seem hard to quantify as well. I would like to drill down into the districts where they replaced...That's why I think it's important to also hold the "drug dealers" accountable. A kid's failure should be a systematic failure, not an individual one.
Aside from phonics, I think these were probably the really impactful changes but unfortunately they seem hard to quantify as well. I would like to drill down into the districts where they replaced the leadership and put in supervisors who reported directly to the state but I couldn’t find good data.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the ‘Mississippi [reading level] miracle’ (gifted link) in ~society
unkz Link ParentSure, but this isn’t binary. Only about 25% of other states have a similar statewide third-grade retention policy: ECS says 13 states plus D.C. currently require retention for third graders who...All this is true, but... Not being able to read is way worse than any of these.
Sure, but this isn’t binary. Only about 25% of other states have a similar statewide third-grade retention policy: ECS says 13 states plus D.C. currently require retention for third graders who are not reading proficiently, which means 12 of the other 49 states besides Mississippi, or 24.5%.
According to the official 2024 NAEP Mississippi Grade 4 reading snapshot:
In 2024, the average score in Mississippi (219) was
- lower than those in 2 states/jurisdictions
- higher than those in 20 states/jurisdictions
- not significantly different from those in 29 states/jurisdictions
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2024/pdf/2024220MS4.pdf
I broke these groups down by state:
- Of the jurisdictions that were better than Mississippi, one was DoDEA, which is hard to compare, and the only actual state was Massachusetts, which does not have a Mississippi-style retention policy.
- In the not significantly different group, the states with Mississippi-style mandatory retention are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. That is 7 of 29 states = 24.1%.
- In the significantly worse group, the states with Mississippi-style mandatory retention are Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. That is 5 of 19 states = 26.3%.
So the only state to outperform has no retention policy and there’s no significant difference between the states with or without such policies. It seems clear that the retention policy’s effect can’t be that substantial. Especially given the mathematical consequences of the policy which should ensure an increase in scores simply by placing more older kids into the pool of “fourth graders”.
I think it’s important to note that Mississippi did a lot of changes to their education system and it’s hard to pin down exactly what the winners were.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the ‘Mississippi [reading level] miracle’ (gifted link) in ~society
unkz Link ParentIs this an appropriate intervention though, when they are not necessarily behind in other subjects or where they may even be ahead? This is in some ways equivalent to stealing a year of their...Is this an appropriate intervention though, when they are not necessarily behind in other subjects or where they may even be ahead? This is in some ways equivalent to stealing a year of their productive life. Graduating at 19 instead of 18, is actually kind of a big deal. Behind behind your peer group is kind of a big deal. The stigma of being held back is kind of a big deal.
I think remedial reading courses and other parallel interventions (to provide these kids the extra time that they need on top of their regular school year, rather than increasing the total end to end duration of their school life) have a lot going for them in comparison. I get the appeal of "accountability" but I feel like this is in many ways a parallel of the mindset of punishing drug addicts with prison and other "tough love" concepts.
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Comment on The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act in ~movies
unkz Link ParentMmm I don't know if I'd call it horror exactly. Existential dread, certainly, and it broadly centers around personal trauma and psychological themes. My kids (13yo, 18yo) love it, and I have...Mmm I don't know if I'd call it horror exactly. Existential dread, certainly, and it broadly centers around personal trauma and psychological themes. My kids (13yo, 18yo) love it, and I have watched it all with them -- it has sparked a lot of good conversations.
Also, it inspired this music video which is now stuck in my head again.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the ‘Mississippi [reading level] miracle’ (gifted link) in ~society
unkz LinkAs I mentioned in the previous post, holding back students creates serious measurement problems. Last I heard they were failing about 6.5% of students. Obviously that means that the literacy of...As I mentioned in the previous post, holding back students creates serious measurement problems. Last I heard they were failing about 6.5% of students. Obviously that means that the literacy of people finishing 4th grade will be higher, but what does it say about teaching effectiveness?
This isn’t to detract from phonics which I whole heartedly support.
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Comment on Feds try secret grand jury to unmask Reddit user who criticized US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
unkz Link ParentBasically it is a secret court proceeding where the prosecutor submits evidence and witnesses to a jury to decide whether charges should be filed. They don’t have to show all their evidence, and...Basically it is a secret court proceeding where the prosecutor submits evidence and witnesses to a jury to decide whether charges should be filed. They don’t have to show all their evidence, and there is no lawyer for the other side.
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Comment on Feds try secret grand jury to unmask Reddit user who criticized US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
unkz (edited )Link ParentFor a detailed look at this particular abuse of process which is commonly known as a “1509 summons” https://www.wired.com/story/ice-1509-custom-summons/...For a detailed look at this particular abuse of process which is commonly known as a “1509 summons”
https://www.wired.com/story/ice-1509-custom-summons/
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1509
In essence, the act specifies under 1509.a.2.D that they can summon “any other person [the Secretary] may deem proper.” which they have been using to do all sorts of other stuff like targeting abortion clinics. This is a very widespread practice. It’s also pretty old, and well known to be used illegally for exactly this purpose.
DHS agencies have come under increasing scrutiny for abusing 1509 customs summonses. In 2017, for instance, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was caught issuing an illegal customs summons to Twitter in an attempt to unmask the identity of @ALT_USCIS, an anonymous account that claims to be run by a US Citizenship and Immigration Services employee. The revelation sparked an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General into CBP’s use of 1509s, which concluded that 20 percent of the summonses it reviewed were either illegal or otherwise in violation of DHS policy.
I’m sure that the office of the inspector general is now staffed by a Trump loyalist though, so there’s probably no recourse.
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Comment on Half-baked idea for metered inline image allowances in ~tildes
unkz (edited )Link ParentSeems like kinda both. https://gitlab.com/tildes/tildes last commit: Andrew Shu authored Feb 3, 2025 and Deimos committed Mar 10, 2025 14 commits since 2024. 16 commits since 2023. Altho tbh, what...Seems like kinda both.
https://gitlab.com/tildes/tildes
last commit: Andrew Shu authored Feb 3, 2025 and Deimos committed Mar 10, 2025
14 commits since 2024. 16 commits since 2023.
Altho tbh, what more does tildes need? It is a message board. It does that job.
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Comment on US to Canada package forwarding service? in ~talk
unkz LinkI use https://www.shipito.com/ with no issues. Mostly for clothing that isn’t sold in Canada.I use https://www.shipito.com/ with no issues. Mostly for clothing that isn’t sold in Canada.
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Comment on US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen Strait of Hormuz in ~society
unkz Link ParentI think the most likely thing is Trump had some side deals going on that required the "ceasefire" to occur at a specific time, so he just agreed to all the terms with no intention of keeping them.I think the most likely thing is Trump had some side deals going on that required the "ceasefire" to occur at a specific time, so he just agreed to all the terms with no intention of keeping them.
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Comment on US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen Strait of Hormuz in ~society
unkz LinkIt’s already closed because Israel broke the ceasefire https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/livestory/u-s-israel-iran-war-trump-deadline-9.7154523It’s already closed because Israel broke the ceasefire
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/livestory/u-s-israel-iran-war-trump-deadline-9.7154523
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Comment on Intelligent people are better judges of the intelligence of others in ~science
unkz Link ParentIt’s like a textbook machine learning problem. Form them into an ensemble of weak classifiers. A optimization in this case might be using something like Cohen’s Kappa statistic to progressively...It’s like a textbook machine learning problem. Form them into an ensemble of weak classifiers. A optimization in this case might be using something like Cohen’s Kappa statistic to progressively evict people with weak inter-judge agreement from the ensemble.
Setting aside the question of whether intelligence can be unambiguously ordered of course.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-hormuz-shipping-tolls-china-de5159966cde7de7b964b3c2c67eec07