vektor's recent activity
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Comment on Someone made a dataset of one million Bluesky posts for 'machine learning research' in ~tech
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Comment on Is the current war in Palestine the first time the victim wound up being seen as the aggressor? in ~humanities.history
vektor Link ParentRight. Colloquially, you could perhaps become the aggressor if you take your defensive war too far, or perhaps if your unarmed actions leave the other party no other choice. The latter I'd reject...Right. Colloquially, you could perhaps become the aggressor if you take your defensive war too far, or perhaps if your unarmed actions leave the other party no other choice. The latter I'd reject out of hand, as I'd rather not turn non-violent action into a even-only-colloquially valid cases belli. Compare when Ukraine oriented itself towards Europe, or when the US embargo Japan: I'd like to view the respective violent responses as escalatory and unjustified.
Any argument that they were unjustified, but that some violent responses against some nonviolent provocation us justified, is probably too nuanced and subjective for international relations.
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Comment on Donald Trump's team mulls postponing Ukraine's NATO membership for at least twenty years, WSJ reports in ~society
vektor Link ParentUnironically, yes, that might be where we're headed. Anyone in the EU who doesn't eat frog, lost the credibility of their nuclear umbrella on Tuesday. Expect to see moves in that direction....Unironically, yes, that might be where we're headed. Anyone in the EU who doesn't eat frog, lost the credibility of their nuclear umbrella on Tuesday. Expect to see moves in that direction. Perhaps also from east Asian countries.
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Comment on British startup plans to supply solar power from space to Icelanders by 2030, in what could be the world's first demonstration of this novel renewable energy source in ~space
vektor Link ParentWiki says iceland is 99.98% renewable. (Renewable energy certificates from there are also a bit of a greenwashing whoopsie: they apparently export certificates to companies abroad that want to be...Wiki says iceland is 99.98% renewable.
(Renewable energy certificates from there are also a bit of a greenwashing whoopsie: they apparently export certificates to companies abroad that want to be greener. And then of course they sell the actual electricity to domestic customers. Now both customers think they paid for renewable energy - after all it's hardly possible tk get non-renewable power in Iceland, right?)
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Comment on Morrowind doesn't have any rivers in ~games
vektor (edited )Link ParentI remember keeping note of that Elder Scrolls "Equinox", when Skyrim was as old as MW was when Skyrim came out. Must've been 2020 give or take a few months. Let that sink in. The time when TES6...I remember keeping note of that Elder Scrolls "Equinox", when Skyrim was as old as MW was when Skyrim came out. Must've been 2020 give or take a few months.
Let that sink in. The time when TES6 was already a longer wait than Oblivion and Skyrim combined was during the initial pandemic craziness, which is also again a distant memory. At this point no product that I believe Bethesda is capable of developing will live up to the expectations. They've done themselves in thoroughly.
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Comment on Morrowind doesn't have any rivers in ~games
vektor Link ParentMade all the more likely because the Odai is largely lacking slaughterfish. Yes, slaughterfish! You're not one, are you? Are you? All I want to do is catch some slaughterfish. Go ahead! Do your...and you're moderately likely to end up swimming in it to escape from guards.
Made all the more likely because the Odai is largely lacking slaughterfish. Yes, slaughterfish! You're not one, are you? Are you? All I want to do is catch some slaughterfish. Go ahead! Do your worst! I am a god!!!
Don't let them bite you.
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Comment on Wikipedia article blocked worldwide by Delhi high court in ~tech
vektor Link ParentReally bummed, not to say worried, by Indias backsliding on democracy, in general.But if India really is going down this path, it might be only a matter of time.
Really bummed, not to say worried, by Indias backsliding on democracy, in general.
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Comment on Wikipedia article blocked worldwide by Delhi high court in ~tech
vektor Link ParentYes, but. It absolutely jams an organisation (I.e. the people) from sourcing and distributing new data.Yes, but.
It absolutely jams an organisation (I.e. the people) from sourcing and distributing new data.
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Comment on E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders in ~food
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Comment on How to build greener, affordable AC for high humidity and hotter summers in ~engineering
vektor Link ParentThis was my thinking as well. I admit there might be detail's we're overlooking, but from first principles this is where I arrived as well. My naive expectation would also be to that ACs are more...This was my thinking as well. I admit there might be detail's we're overlooking, but from first principles this is where I arrived as well. My naive expectation would also be to that ACs are more efficient when the inside temperature is high, because thermodynamics passively helps the heat exchange along, but again, could be details I'm missing.
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Comment on You're running for office on a somewhat petty, yet univerally-understood single issue. What is it? in ~talk
vektor Link ParentPretty sure that's some sort of super-exponential. Big-O nerds represent!Pretty sure that's some sort of super-exponential. Big-O nerds represent!
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Comment on You're running for office on a somewhat petty, yet univerally-understood single issue. What is it? in ~talk
vektor Link ParentRitalin Scrip is the best typo. Now I'm imagining a pharma corp that pays employees in Ritalin, and the company store accepts Ritalin as quasi-legal tender. Some neurotypicals are on stims all...Ritalin Scrip is the best typo. Now I'm imagining a pharma corp that pays employees in Ritalin, and the company store accepts Ritalin as quasi-legal tender. Some neurotypicals are on stims all day, and it's called financial abuse.
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Comment on Satisfactory is the best automation game ever made and I seriously can't recommend it enough in ~games
vektor Link ParentI feel that pain. This only really gets better once you unlock that hover... pack... thingy. Then you can easily fly to the vantage point you need to make the factory look the way you want to....The 1st person perspective makes planning elegant factories much more difficult vs games like Dyson Sphere Program and Factorio.
I feel that pain. This only really gets better once you unlock that hover... pack... thingy. Then you can easily fly to the vantage point you need to make the factory look the way you want to. Standing on the ground floor, it can be very difficult to place a 20m x 10m building the way you want to, because either you're too far away to see the necessary detail, or you're so close the building fills up your screen.
That said... consider revisiting. They've added a lot of QoL features around building mechanics, it feels a lot smoother now.
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Comment on Addressing the cause of collapsing fertility: status in ~life
vektor Link ParentOne unsavory consequence of this is that often we're pulling the creme de la creme from the labor pools of emigration countries, which stifles their development. That's not really fair and could...For rich countries that are more open to immigration and are also able to attract immigrants that would be a good fit, maybe it’s not a problem?
One unsavory consequence of this is that often we're pulling the creme de la creme from the labor pools of emigration countries, which stifles their development. That's not really fair and could arguably be construed as a modern form of colonialism. If you don't filter off the best, you're now playing with massive problems if you allow relatively unfiltered access. Not the least of which is the massive resurgence of xenophobic authoritarianism we're currently seeing. And without either immigration or addressing fertility, you're looking at a hell of a demographic problem. I also don't really see a global long-term future that I like where this continues to remain unaddressed: If the leaders in human development now don't start to work on the problem, eventually it's going to blow up in the faces of currently-developing countries too, and they'll have nowhere to turn for immigration. And I don't think actual degrowth policies will realistically happen. So eventually this will mess humanity up. Might as well look for a solution now, especially considering that it's an extremely long-term problem, what with every proposed solution taking potentially about a generation to study and then another to deploy.
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Comment on If you could send someone to any historic moment, who and when? in ~talk
vektor Link ParentThat, or send Chamberlain to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, that might also work. But prepare for unforseen consequences. Anything from "Germany gets conquered within months of starting its...That, or send Chamberlain to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, that might also work. But prepare for unforseen consequences. Anything from "Germany gets conquered within months of starting its first invasion. WW2 is short and without much suffering" to "Germany doesn't even attempt such a invasion, the project gets shelved for a while. After German scientists build the first nuclear bomb, the project gets revived with a vengeance" is possible.
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Comment on If you could send someone to any historic moment, who and when? in ~talk
vektor Link ParentNot sure about that. I can imagine that if the industrial revolution happened in a "smaller world", all the painful early development towards better methods and tools will happen with fewer total...or you’ll just screw things up faster.
Not sure about that. I can imagine that if the industrial revolution happened in a "smaller world", all the painful early development towards better methods and tools will happen with fewer total emissions.
Basically, having multiple nations try to develop towards higher efficiency in parallel causes unnecessary emissions. An economy of 10 million people can basically emit as much as they like for as long as they like without tipping the planet over. Of course I'm assuming that non-fossil sources are a technological inevitability here, but I just want to point out that there's a bit more nuance to that argument.
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Comment on If you could send someone to any historic moment, who and when? in ~talk
vektor Link ParentOne thing you might run into here quite often is that you need energy. And all modern sources of energies are annoying in one way or another. Consider that back then metal refining was done using...One thing you might run into here quite often is that you need energy. And all modern sources of energies are annoying in one way or another. Consider that back then metal refining was done using charcoal for fuel, and using lots of manual labor. And anything your engineer would come up with is probably somewhat reliant on large amounts of high-quality metalwork.
So you need energy. Fossil fuels will be a pain - they make for a decent gap technology at best, but they're labor intensive and an ecological nightmare. For the most part that leaves you with biological sources (bio fuels and muscle, really), which are also labor and land-use intensive. Nuclear power. And renewables. Renewables are a decent shot, particularly water power can be used somewhat cheaply - if you use steep mountains like there are not too far from Rome, you don't even need huge dams. Wind really only pays off with modern electronics (DC-DC is a pain) and modern materials (composite blades for example) - they're IMO only a decent choice if your modernized economy already has some scale. Solar has some low-tech variants (solar thermal) that can be reasonably achieved. PV is unviable because it requires high-purity materials that will be a nightmare to replicate in a Roman shed. Though, once you've stood up some amount of a base, PV might pay off because there you get a lot closer to computers using the same processes.
We haven't talked about nuclear. May I suggest you yoink /u/nukeman off into the past? In a past discussion on this, he claimed that a CANDU-style reactor should be doable with relatively simple methods. In particular, CANDU reactors completely forgo Uranium enrichment and can use natural uranium. In exchange you need heavy water as moderator, but that is much easier to achieve.
As a bonus,some skills I'd consider essential: Really basic chemistry. It's not terribly hard to make basic explosives, which would be a great boon for construction and mining. Plus, fertilizer is pretty neat too. Also, at least basic electrical engineering. Telegraphs for the roman empire would be a quite easy project with really broad utility.
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Comment on How far away are we from the location of the Big Bang? in ~space
vektor Link ParentIt is hardly Mr. Occam's fault that we picked length, the one fleeting thing in our universe [according to RC's hypothesis], as the unit we base almost all of our other units on. It's literally...It is hardly Mr. Occam's fault that we picked length, the one fleeting thing in our universe [according to RC's hypothesis], as the unit we base almost all of our other units on. It's literally the metric system. As in meter. We picked a unit of length and made everything depend on that.
You could perfectly well define lengths via the hubble constant. It would be a brain-melting system of units to work with, but not because it is inherently more complex, just more convoluted for human intuition. If my intuition is right, defining lengths via hubble's constant (or an adjecent concept perhaps) would give you the system of units where the constants are constants again. Perhaps they're all constant factors of this one other constant that changes with time.
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Comment on A drunken evening, a rented yacht: the real story of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in ~news
vektor Link ParentThere's rumor level news so I won't cite it, nevermind that I'd have to find it again first, but: Supposedly, Zelenskyy had consented to at least the planning of the operation. Due to CIA pressure...There's rumor level news so I won't cite it, nevermind that I'd have to find it again first, but:
Supposedly, Zelenskyy had consented to at least the planning of the operation. Due to CIA pressure (thank fuck there's a sane ally somewhere!) he called it off, but Zaluzhnyi apparently then did it anyway? Kinda convenient, considering his head already rolled. As for Zelenskyy, I can understand planning and prepping such an Op, just in case German will falters. Honestly, if my country had done a stupid and Ukraine had taken brash action in response, I could accept the necessity, so won't blame them for being prepared.
Please just let this have been Russia or Belarus or something...
I could even accept the UAE or similar. That'd make this timeline even more deranged, but deranged in a way I can cope with.
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Comment on A drunken evening, a rented yacht: the real story of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in ~news
vektor (edited )Link ParentAllow me to speak for a nation of 80 million that is quite divided on the topic: Generally not good. To elaborate: I'm seeing the suspicion all over that this will benefit radical right wing...While they're my neighbours I don't know enough about the current atmosphere there on this to say what the long term effects are.
Allow me to speak for a nation of 80 million that is quite divided on the topic:
Generally not good.
To elaborate:
- I'm seeing the suspicion all over that this will benefit radical right wing parties (BSW, AfD) (yes, BSW is right wing in my book. They put the socialism back in nationalism. So what?[1]) How? "Ukraine is the real warmonger here!" hits a lot harder if Ukraine commits hostile acts against a friendly, peaceful nation.
- It's generally regarded as a stupid and pointless move. NS was a dead asset. Russia was using it to try to blackmail Germany, but by the time of the attack, Germany had already massively invested in securing alternate suppliers. We were very much on track then already to making it through the winter, which was always going to be the critical concern. And there was broad political consensus to not resort to Russian gas.
- Poland, being an ostensible ally, being involved in the execution and/or in protecting the perpetrators is viewed negatively. Ukraine doing this out of desperation, tolerable. Poland? What the fuck were they thinking except "fuck the germans, lol"? Meanwhile both Ukraine and Poland had active pipelines carrying russian gas.
- The thought of being pushed around by your allies using violent means, while already doing the things that they want you to do, is quite unpleasant.
- The event sparked fear of further sabotage by Russia. That's also not very kind.
- An important space to watch is Poland's exact government involvement here: That the PIS government sabotaged Germany at every opportunity is no secret. Currently there's speculation that the subsequent government (which was expected to be a lot more friendly to Germany) continued to stonewall investigations and/or refused to enforce a warrant against a wanted suspect.
I think internationally the damage of this attack is massively understated. This isn't just deactivating an unused piece of equipment, it's a violent, terrorizing (so as not to say terrorist) attack on essential infrastructure.
Personally, if this turns out to be true, or at least substantially likely to be true, I'd hope to see consequences in Ukraine and/or Poland. If there's no consequences, I think Ukraine's entry into EU gets a lot more difficult. Respectively, I see NATO massively weakened if internal sabotage is considered tolerable. Remember that alliances like this are only as effective as each partner's faith in the alliance to come to their aid. If Poland is willing to do this, will they come to our aid? This needs to be addressed and resolved.
[1] That's right, the querfront pieces of shit are basically already saying they'll intend to cooperate with AfD. They're the same shade of brown.
Plus, it severely restricts the ability of small companies, academia and the FOSS community to provide LLMs and other AI products. The genie is out of the bottle, it's at this point a question of who gets access. I'd rather have the option of using models from non-monopolists, and I'd rather everyone with a GPU can run the state of the art, rather than being reliant on Big Tech for models trained on proprietary (and thus potentially unethically/illegally sourced) data.
The more data is out there for everyone to use, the less power the big corporations have.