vord's recent activity
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Comment on Are there alternative ways to invest savings? in ~finance
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Comment on Are there alternative ways to invest savings? in ~finance
vord LinkBuying US securities direct from the US government will cut out a lot of middlemen and be federally tax exempt in a way that regular CDs are not. There are options from 4 weeks to 30 years....Buying US securities direct from the US government will cut out a lot of middlemen and be federally tax exempt in a way that regular CDs are not.
There are options from 4 weeks to 30 years. Interest rates are almost always better than any regular bank offers. Because this is the kinda stuff your bank buys.
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Comment on Accessing the internet through only google.com in ~tech
vord Link ParentAccording to this, there are no known instances of prosecution or convictions due to this. Because the routing of unknown material in itself is not illegal. There is risk of raid, seizure, or...According to this, there are no known instances of prosecution or convictions due to this. Because the routing of unknown material in itself is not illegal.
There is risk of raid, seizure, or arrest, but the odds of getting actually prosecuted for doing so is minimal.
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Comment on Accessing the internet through only google.com in ~tech
vord LinkThis is precisely what Tor is for. Try it out. Spread the word. Stay safe. Edit: If you're not terrified of your government busting down your door and have the tech chops, setup relays. If you're...This is precisely what Tor is for. Try it out. Spread the word.
Stay safe.
Edit: If you're not terrified of your government busting down your door and have the tech chops, setup relays. If you're in an uncensored country, setup an exit node.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord (edited )Link ParentNot entirely wrong about the autopilot. But somehow having PCIE and USB take over the PC space didn't kill innovation... if anything eliminating competing busses allowed for innovation efforts to...Not entirely wrong about the autopilot.
But somehow having PCIE and USB take over the PC space didn't kill innovation... if anything eliminating competing busses allowed for innovation efforts to be focused elsewhere. We have millions of bespoke USB devices that all need dedicated drivers, but we somehow can make this work in the PC space but not cars? For all of Apple's complaining about standards holding them back....it hasn't really materialized in any significant fashion.
We did also created an OBD standard for this exact reason in the 90s. Headlights used to be standardized in the 60s.
Make the equivalent of PCI Express for car component interconnect. Backward compatible, but allows plenty of space for innovating.
Could even quite easily tuck the proprietary bits behind a standard interface connector, which would allow for a proper separation between functionality and UI. The proprietary signalling mechanism for the door windows could even remain proprietary so long as there is a documented format for writing a configuration.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord (edited )Link ParentYes, this is the part that needs to be banned via IP/trade law reform. Once you've eliminated all secrets, all becomes possible. Once it's all out in the open, there becomes no point of...proprietary API layer
Yes, this is the part that needs to be banned via IP/trade law reform.
Once you've eliminated all secrets, all becomes possible.
Once it's all out in the open, there becomes no point of pointlessly deviating something that you then have to maintain yourself.
And the people most clamoring to do this stuff are the ones with deep specialized knowledge. They just don't necessarily work for the company that made the thing.
Never underestimate the power of a dedicated hobbiest with an axe to grind.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord Link ParentI'd say the better move is to mandate right to repair, giving customers (and third parties) the right to modify (and reverse engineer) their cars as they deem fit. The inevitable 3rd-party...I'd say the better move is to mandate right to repair, giving customers (and third parties) the right to modify (and reverse engineer) their cars as they deem fit.
The inevitable 3rd-party dashboards that don't suck would soon follow.
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Comment on San Diego now has so much water that it's selling it in ~enviro
vord Link ParentThat's the thing. If people become complacent, efficiency culture/laws will be forgotten/revoked, and start installing invasive lawns again and crisis returns. Much like the rise of antivaxxers...That's the thing. If people become complacent, efficiency culture/laws will be forgotten/revoked, and start installing invasive lawns again and crisis returns.
Much like the rise of antivaxxers because people don't remember a time before vaccines, the progress is contingent upon upkeep.
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Comment on Linux privilege escalation (CVE-2026-31431) in ~comp
vord LinkI want to do more sleuthing, because I recall Linus getting quite mad at security bros around that time trying to push what he deemed unnecessary complexity into the kernel for little benefit. An...I want to do more sleuthing, because I recall Linus getting quite mad at security bros around that time trying to push what he deemed unnecessary complexity into the kernel for little benefit.
An older email advocating for keeping it disabled. (not Linus, but interesting)
Using AF_ALG introduces a new set on unexpected syscalls (network related syscalls, for a utility that ostensiblty does not touch the network).
Normally this is not a problem, but under some systemd or containers setup this could lead to unexpected problems. -
Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord Link ParentMy understanding is that that sort of power management from utility is at the station level, not the car itself. Either way....hardly a mandatory feature. Which I would argue is the single most...My understanding is that that sort of power management from utility is at the station level, not the car itself. Either way....hardly a mandatory feature.
besides usability
Which I would argue is the single most important aspect of designing a peice of heavy machinery operated by the general public.
And yes, I know the market for truely dumb cars is pretty small. Even though GPS can be done with a $150 standalone device, or a $20 cellphone mount.
I would 100% buy an EV that looked like my 2011 prius, especially if it had a nice spot to mount my cellphone or standalone GPS.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord (edited )Link ParentThat would more or less qualify under that 'barely' umbrella. I wouldn't even class that stuff as smart, it's just part of the core functionality that should be baked into the relevant firmware....That would more or less qualify under that 'barely' umbrella. I wouldn't even class that stuff as smart, it's just part of the core functionality that should be baked into the relevant firmware. The same way an LCD TV needs that kind of stuff without being at all related to the functionality commonly associated with 'smart.'
Even then, while the adjustment curve would be harder, most drivers could adjust to default jerkiness. And there would be plenty of ways to control that curve with 'pure' hardware as well.
Every feature you mention had ICE equivalents as far back as 2004, if not longer. And there is precisely 0 reason any of that needs to be connected to the internet to function.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord (edited )Link ParentI'm not sure what you're getting at. I was just saying I want an electric car minus the mandatory telemetry, stupid touchscreens, app and subscription gated functionality. I still have an EV, I...I'm not sure what you're getting at. I was just saying I want an electric car minus the mandatory telemetry, stupid touchscreens, app and subscription gated functionality. I still have an EV, I just want it to suck less. And I feel for the people who favor a car that sucks less over an EV. I can't judge them that hard because my EV is worse in so many other aspects than my 1993 Ford Bronco was, other than the fact that it has an electric engine.
I want to be allowed to hack up the firmware of my ID.4 to allow for more than two scheduled departure times. I want my window controls to always come up when I pull up and always go down when I push down, without the system trying to guess what I want. I want to be able to choose the data provider, to connect my car to my wifi, or tether my phone's data, and have access to the whole car's API without any subcriptions.
I want to be able to replace the head unit the way we used to be able to replace car stereos.
EVs have the potential to be even more wonderfully modifiable than ICE cars were. But the legal frameworks were all borked to hell by the likes of Apple that give car manufacturers unlimited power to gouge us forever and cripple the car whenever they deem necessary.
I'm currently in the planning phases with a gearhead in the family of taking nissan leaf parts and using them to convert an old ICE car.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord Link ParentI genuinely don't think its intrisnic human nature to be selfish and greedy. Just we've been conditioned for a few thousand years to reward people with material comfort for being greedy. Fixing...I genuinely don't think its intrisnic human nature to be selfish and greedy. Just we've been conditioned for a few thousand years to reward people with material comfort for being greedy.
Fixing the incentives is exactly right: eliminate the incentives that reward competition and greed and create ones that encourage altruism and cooperation. Over time, what gets defined as 'human nature' will shift.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord (edited )Link ParentThe might not specifically plan for 'obsolescence', they just optimize for all the conditions that cause it, and discourage all practices that prevent it. Or in other words, they plan it with...The might not specifically plan for 'obsolescence', they just optimize for all the conditions that cause it, and discourage all practices that prevent it.
Or in other words, they plan it with plausible deniability. Like tobacco execs pretending that they're not conspiring to give kids cancer.
If engineers are instructed to make the cheapest possible product that will not cause massive recalls or warrantee claims, those engineers will get that product to fail within months of that liability date. Not because the engineers are malicious, but because they work to fulfill the requirements set forth by management.
I don't think there is such a thing as a tragedy of the commons. There are only greedy assholes who are abstractd from consequences of their actions.
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Comment on We must keep age verification from killing anonymity online in ~tech
vord Link ParentFun fact: The largest demographic of perpetual homeless is orphan kids who aged out of the system and never learned how to live. Really makes you think about why the drug/alcohol problems are so...Fun fact: The largest demographic of perpetual homeless is orphan kids who aged out of the system and never learned how to live.
Really makes you think about why the drug/alcohol problems are so feeply engrained.
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Comment on USA to mandate surveillance tech for new cars also determing fitness to drive by 2027 in ~transport
vord Link ParentYes and no. New regulation doesn't negate the immense level of other surveillance and nuisances that have crept into the default car experience that really ramped up since 2014. I remember when...Yes and no. New regulation doesn't negate the immense level of other surveillance and nuisances that have crept into the default car experience that really ramped up since 2014.
I remember when clicking 'up' on the motorized window control would raise the windows 100% of the time without fail. In my ID.4, it's a crapshoot if it will raise, lower, go the whole way, or only as long as I held it. It's maddening.
I want an EV that is barely smarter than a cordless drill.
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Comment on Nostr: a simple open spec for passing notes to friends in ~comp
vord Link ParentI'm reminded of Solid Project pods. I think they have immense potential, but there is yet to be a killer app to draw people into the ecosystem.Atproto is just a user repository that other applications can tap into, literally a folder of all your data you can move around.
I'm reminded of Solid Project pods. I think they have immense potential, but there is yet to be a killer app to draw people into the ecosystem.
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Comment on Exporters without borders: why you should start a company instead of working in aid in ~finance
vord Link ParentBroadband rollout in the US is a perfect example. Rapid private sector deployment in dense cities, other areas more or less told to pound sand. Everyone likes to shit on the public sector, holding...There need to be multiple solutions at every level and in different ways so that wealth isn't solely concentrated in areas where it pays dividends
Broadband rollout in the US is a perfect example. Rapid private sector deployment in dense cities, other areas more or less told to pound sand.
Everyone likes to shit on the public sector, holding up the private sector as a beacon of cost efficiency and service, but the reality is that most of that is manufactured out of the private sector gobbling up the low hanging fruit, leaving the public sector to eat the responsibility of the unprofitable needs, thus insuring the public sector appears to be a bloated leech by the numbers.
Of course private schools are going to have better metrics than public schools if they kick out all the lowest-performing students. Of course their costs will be lower if they kick out all the special needs kids. And often, they're allowed to do this.
The problem is that we gate serving needs based on investment dollars (and returns on investment dollars in the private sector), and not the ability to serve the need.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
vord LinkI was hoping for a super-cheap $60 so I could have bought three for under $200. That was a pipe dream I figure. Guess I just get 2 now, then others later when they go on sale.I was hoping for a super-cheap $60 so I could have bought three for under $200. That was a pipe dream I figure.
Guess I just get 2 now, then others later when they go on sale.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
vord Link ParentPriced against an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, it comes out pretty damn favorable. Especially having parity with the Steam Deck. I love my 8bitdo controllers, but they lack that...Priced against an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, it comes out pretty damn favorable. Especially having parity with the Steam Deck.
I love my 8bitdo controllers, but they lack that critical trackpad.
I keep switching that around dammit......