vczf's recent activity
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Comment on Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU’s Digital Markets Act in ~tech
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Comment on Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU’s Digital Markets Act in ~tech
vczf Link ParentYou can install extensions on iOS in Orion. I just tested it with uBlock Origin (Firefox xpi from gorhill GitHub release) and it works.You can install extensions on iOS in Orion. I just tested it with uBlock Origin (Firefox xpi from gorhill GitHub release) and it works.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump cuts short talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Oval Office blow up in ~society
vczf Link ParentI liked Vance in the vice presidential debate, but after seeing how aggressively condescending he was to Zelensky, I believe I have misjudged his character from that single well-rehearsed...All I heard when Vance was claiming that Zelensky wasn't grateful enough was a not so veiled, "Bow and kiss the ring! Kneel and grovel before the king, servant!"
I liked Vance in the vice presidential debate, but after seeing how aggressively condescending he was to Zelensky, I believe I have misjudged his character from that single well-rehearsed performance.
Zelensky said nothing inaccurate, irrational, or offensive. I have the same question he has. How can anyone trust a truce with Putin? Without a guarantor willing to draw a line in the sand and go to war for Ukraine if the agreement is broken, I don’t see how a ceasefire will be helpful.
IMO ending Putin’s war does involve managing his ego strategically, but that’s completely different from appeasement. He has to be allowed to “win” but also lose, where continued aggression will exact a price higher than he’d be willing to pay. If nobody is going to make Putin pay that price, then letting him “win” is letting him… win. And letting him actually win will encourage other wannabe conquerors to begin making moves.
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Comment on What is the purpose of government? in ~society
vczf LinkHere’s a left-field idea: the only fundamental purpose of a government is to maintain its own existence. What is the purpose of a corporation? A multicellular organism? When organizations reach a...Here’s a left-field idea: the only fundamental purpose of a government is to maintain its own existence.
What is the purpose of a corporation? A multicellular organism? When organizations reach a certain size and complexity, they become self-justifying.
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Comment on I just turned 29 last month, what are some things I should be thinking about before my 30s? in ~talk
vczf LinkI’m 28M. Here are the things that I’ve started paying attention to with respect to aging. Compound interest. Pay off debts ASAP and then invest in diversified ETFs. Every dollar you put away today...I’m 28M. Here are the things that I’ve started paying attention to with respect to aging.
- Compound interest. Pay off debts ASAP and then invest in diversified ETFs. Every dollar you put away today will be worth tens in your golden years. High interest debts are the exact opposite and drag you down.
- Muscle. It’s far easier to build muscle when you’re young—and maintain it afterwards. Muscle is a primary determinant of longevity for functional reasons (able to be more active, resistant to injury and joint degradation) and metabolic reasons. Fat loss is also very beneficial, but don’t sacrifice muscle.
- Skin. Protect your skin from the sun with SPF and moisturize. Get a tretinoin prescription, or failing that, use off-the-shelf retinols—these reduce wrinkles and fight skin aging. A vitamin C serum is also good, though can be expensive.
- Foreskin restoration. If you were circumcised, it’s possible to grow a “pseudo-foreskin” that is indistinguishable from a natural prepuce. The benefits are improved daily comfort (no chafing) and better sex/masturbation. It’s a process that takes consistent effort over years—though the benefits do accrue relatively quickly.
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Comment on Career advice for new tech workers in 2025 in ~comp
vczf Link ParentIs this a7e? I could not figure out what the heck the company does from what’s publicly available on the web, and it surprised me because of how big this company is and how little I have ever...Is this a7e? I could not figure out what the heck the company does from what’s publicly available on the web, and it surprised me because of how big this company is and how little I have ever heard of it.
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Comment on Help nominate Louis Rossmann for US Federal Trade Commission chair in ~society
vczf LinkI misspelled his last name but can’t edit the submission title: it should be Rossmann, not Rossman.I misspelled his last name but can’t edit the submission title: it should be Rossmann, not Rossman.
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Comment on Help nominate Louis Rossmann for US Federal Trade Commission chair in ~society
vczf Link ParentNone, but it’s not a joke. I’m just posting in the slight chance this can become something real. Stranger things have happened.None, but it’s not a joke. I’m just posting in the slight chance this can become something real. Stranger things have happened.
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Comment on Help nominate Louis Rossmann for US Federal Trade Commission chair in ~society
vczf (edited )LinkIf you haven’t heard of Louis Rossmann, he is a YouTuber who started by sharing MacBook board-repair videos but his channel had largely shifted to consumer advocacy (such as Right-to-Repair) and...If you haven’t heard of Louis Rossmann, he is a YouTuber who started by sharing MacBook board-repair videos but his channel had largely shifted to consumer advocacy (such as Right-to-Repair) and calling out exploitive corporate behavior, particularly around technology. (Well, and complaining about NY government, since his business used to be based in NYC.)
It recently came to Rossmann’s attention that his name had come up on Nominees for the People, which is a website set up by RFK Jr. to crowdsource names for the incoming Trump administration. Rossmann has confirmed he is open to the position.
If we can get enough attention on this, it would be transformative to get a consumer advocate of his caliber as head of the FTC, as unlikely as it may be.
Want to levy substantial and meaningful fines on exploitive corporations? Get this guy in the FTC.
edit: Well, crap. Trump already announced his pick yesterday.
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Help nominate Louis Rossmann for US Federal Trade Commission chair
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Comment on Slop economics in ~finance
vczf (edited )Link ParentHow Money Works recently gave a shoutout to Micro-Econ-YT. They said that they were a former employee of How Money Works who branched out to do their own thing.How Money Works recently gave a shoutout to
Pillar of GarbageMicro-Econ-YT. They said that they were a former employee of How Money Works who branched out to do their own thing. -
Comment on A ‘yoga pill’ to end anxiety? Scientists find a brain circuit that instantly deflates stress. in ~science
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Comment on Slop economics in ~finance
vczf LinkThis is a good video, and others from this channel I’ve watched are interesting. The titles of his video belie the compelling societal analysis they do. He has one video about a game streamer that...This is a good video, and others from this channel I’ve watched are interesting. The titles of his video belie the compelling societal analysis they do.
He has one video about a game streamer that went viral ranting against pronouns in the game Starfield. Normally, I wouldn’t click on a video like that, but the story of the subject and the character analysis was very interesting. The overall phenomena was similar to audience capture, where someone gives some loud portion of their audience what they want (in the streamer’s case: anti-woke reactionaries) and ends up becoming captured by that audience until it subsumes their identity and distorts their perception entirely.
The video on Fallout was also compelling, delving into what it actually means to experience an apocalypse, and the messages being communicated by the series in that respect.
This video in particular about “slop” content did not leave me with any particularly novel takeaway. Their definition of slop mostly just clarifies what I essentially already knew: lots of modern content is regurgitated, exploiting prior brand value and dragging down the source material rather than truly being additive or an iterative improvement.
What I wonder about “slop” is if it’s avoidable on an individual level? It seems like many musicians, artists, creators of any kind—they start with a unique perspective and passion, and success in one area causes them to ouroboros, milking one idea that worked before until the spark is gone. Somehow, refinement turns into regurgitation—and therefore older works have more character than newer ones. (This seems to be a similar process to the radicalization of the streamer mentioned above: doing more of what you get rewarded for and over-optimizing until the value is lost)
Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame infamously retreated after ending his comic strip, and stubbornly resisted commercialization and the generation of Calvin and Hobbes-themed slop.
George R. R. Martin seems to have no interest in making slop based on A Song of Ice and Fire, even if Hollywood does.
Maybe the secret to never producing slop is to be completely unreasonable from a commercial point of view, particularly if you strike creative gold.
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Comment on Is ADHD really that debilitating? in ~health.mental
vczf Link ParentI do not have ADHD, but I set alarms on my phone/watch when there’s something important I need to do. I make a guess as to the proper time. When it goes off, I either: Do the thing Snooze the...I do not have ADHD, but I set alarms on my phone/watch when there’s something important I need to do. I make a guess as to the proper time. When it goes off, I either:
- Do the thing
- Snooze the alarm
- Set the alarm for a new time
Reminders with times have never worked for me.
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Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~society
vczf Link ParentI suspect that the supply chain margins for electronics in China are already thin from fierce internal competition.I suspect that the supply chain margins for electronics in China are already thin from fierce internal competition.
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Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~society
vczf LinkIf electronics suddenly became twice as expensive, regular people will start demanding repairable devices.If electronics suddenly became twice as expensive, regular people will start demanding repairable devices.
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Comment on Switching to Linux, looking for distro recommendations in ~tech
vczf LinkZorin OS may be right for you. It’s a polished distro with good built-in support for Office compatibility (layout-compatible fonts) and gaming. It’s targeted at regular computer users over...Zorin OS may be right for you. It’s a polished distro with good built-in support for Office compatibility (layout-compatible fonts) and gaming.
It’s targeted at regular computer users over techies, so you shouldn’t need to dive into the terminal unless you want to.
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Comment on OpenAI is a bad business in ~tech
vczf (edited )LinkI was finding myself nodding along as I read this article, but it’s missing something big and it no longer assuaging my doubts about the future. Author is not thinking like a surveillance...I was finding myself nodding along as I read this article, but it’s missing something big and it no longer assuaging my doubts about the future.
Both Meta and Google monetize free users through advertising that is informed by their actions on the platform, which involves the user continually feeding the company information about their preferences based on their browsing habits
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This isn’t really the case with OpenAI.Author is not thinking like a surveillance capitalist. An AI assistant is the perfect vector to inject brand recognition and have paid suggestions for products and services. Infinitely more valuable than having ads on a Google search.
Imagine an entire generation of children hooked on ChatGPT for advice and information. You could learn so much more about them than Google could. They will confide in you when they have nobody else willing to listen, and trust you because your AI product pretends to care about them.
You’ll know exactly what and when they want, need, and crave. That’s the perfect opportunity to sell. Imagine a 22 year old who’s been talking to an AI for the last 15 years. When they want to move to get a new apartment, or need to buy a car, where will they turn?
That’s just the optimistic way surveillance capitalism could turn out. Even darker, the AI could make suggestions to manipulate people. Could plant seeds in their minds about where they should move, where they should shop. It could encourage you to start drinking alcohol, try a nicotine product, start gambling or playing an addictive gacha game—and take a slice of that lucrative recurring revenue stream.
As the technology improves the accessible context and personalization, this will only become more effective. This model also negates the “commoditization” argument from the author, because a user who has formed a parasocial dependency on an AI is not going to jump ship to a different service.
On a more positive note, this future could be mitigated by e.g FTC regulations or consumer protection legislation. However, I do think this is “where the money is” in consumer AI, so it will likely be an uphill battle.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentWhile I generally agree with you, I don’t think games like Chess and Go are good examples of the general trend. Games should always be safe from AI, since the whole point of games are to test...While I generally agree with you, I don’t think games like Chess and Go are good examples of the general trend. Games should always be safe from AI, since the whole point of games are to test human skills against or in collaboration with one another. It’s entertaining to watch others compete and to compete oneself.
Imagine someone trying to enter an RC car in an Olympic 100m dash? It’s completely irrelevant, since the whole point of the event is to watch people do it.
Drawn art and writing are not mainly thought of as games at this point. Maybe that will change? But if the point of art and writing is to induce a pattern of emotional response and thought, then the finished “product” is what matters more than the process of creation.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentThanks for your thoughts btw. I was hesitant to post my original comment because it was more negative than I’d like. I appreciate the balancing effect of your contributions to this thread. This is...Thanks for your thoughts btw. I was hesitant to post my original comment because it was more negative than I’d like. I appreciate the balancing effect of your contributions to this thread.
This is a little tangential, but the area of programming I’m most excited about now is actually the creation medium that is programming in virtual worlds. There’s this VR game called Resonite that lets you model and program objects, environments, and their behaviors using entirely in-VR tools.
I haven’t tried it out yet, since I’m still getting situated with my new VR setup. But this kind of programming I expect will be fun and creatively rewarding for decades to come… in contrast to utilitarian software development.
Yes, I specifically tested it with the internal blocker disabled. I still prefer Safari with 1Blocker, however, so I am not using Orion at the moment. Safari has better ergonomics and cross device syncing.