vord's recent activity
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Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord Link ParentDwarf trees tend to top out at around 10-15 feet and might be viable.Dwarf trees tend to top out at around 10-15 feet and might be viable.
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Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
vord Link ParentEven moreso if you're willing to pay $100 to $300 annually for a pro desktop license. $300 for 24/7 1 hour response time from Ubuntu is a steal.Even moreso if you're willing to pay $100 to $300 annually for a pro desktop license.
$300 for 24/7 1 hour response time from Ubuntu is a steal.
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord Link ParentI treat the garden/yard as a gym. Weightlifting ain't got squat on ripping a small tree that grew too close the foundation with your bare hands. Course I have a temper too, and being able to vent...meditative benefit from gardening or yard work
I treat the garden/yard as a gym. Weightlifting ain't got squat on ripping a small tree that grew too close the foundation with your bare hands.
Course I have a temper too, and being able to vent frustrations out via digging out a drainage ditch does wonders.
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord Link ParentThe runoff from artificial fertilizers poisons water sources. Creatures like squirrels, birds, rabbits, snakes, toads can't really live in short grass lawns. Too easy catching for predators. It's...The runoff from artificial fertilizers poisons water sources.
Creatures like squirrels, birds, rabbits, snakes, toads can't really live in short grass lawns. Too easy catching for predators. It's not just about bees and butterflys. These other creatures are an important part of the ecosystem too, and their habitats are being destroyed just as much as the bees by all this.
Also, they didn't go too much into detail, but did touch on: Mowers, leafblowers, and weedwackers are basically unregulated compared to cars. Most use 2-stoke engines that'll just spit raw gas into the air along with tons of soot and CO2. Using one for 20 minutes is about equal emissions to 300 miles in a 2016 camery.
Clickbait title and intro is sadly name of the game in youtube. They do in fact go into many of these nuances as things go on.
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord (edited )Link ParentI will say, this has largely been my strategy, paired with a few choice perennial plantings. As a result, I have 3 trees growing. The primary maintainence has been to root out invasive species,...just letting whatever blows in on the wind take root while the grass dies. Pruning, weeding, mulching, etc. should also still be on the table
I will say, this has largely been my strategy, paired with a few choice perennial plantings. As a result, I have 3 trees growing.
The primary maintainence has been to root out invasive species, and anything particularily thorny.
And after a substantial bit of flowering is dead, I'll cull it with an electric weedwacker to avoid too many complaints.
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord (edited )Link ParentA tomato is a fruit, but if you put it in a fruit salad most people won't eat it. The square footage of grass lawns exceeds all other crops. Uses more water, artificial fertilizer, and pesticide...Just because lawn grass is grown, doesn't make it a crop
A tomato is a fruit, but if you put it in a fruit salad most people won't eat it. The square footage of grass lawns exceeds all other crops. Uses more water, artificial fertilizer, and pesticide than any other crop. That, in my (and many others) book, makes it count....it is a distinction without a difference.
As long as you don't care about your property value or insurance or the general appeal of your neighborhood
That's.....kind of the point of the video. The value of those things has been tied to having a perfectly manicured lawn, for no reason other than 'they did it back in the 50's when they were plopping down suburbia as fast as they could.' You know, when DDT was just a thing you would spray wherever cause it was perfectly safe.
But why are the discussions always just about how evil grass is, ignoring the natural gardens and bees that many people with lawns have
You can have your bees and other nature and still look like you care.
Sure. As long as you're not using artificial fertilizer, pesticides, or mowers. Because not much nature can live in a 3in high grass field that gets mowed once a week. The bees (and other creatures) that visit those lawns get poisoned and then come drop dead at mine, where they build their nests, hives, and dens. Nothing sadder than cleaning out a nest of dead birds that you saw scavanging in the neigbors yard the day after he sprayed with pesticides.
You're basically arguing 'why is all the discussion about health harms of cigarettes so one sided.' And at the end of the day, lawns are OK, provided you avoid the fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. But you don't get to force everyone else to have one.
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Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
vord Link ParentI currently use Rufus to install Windows to a USB NVME drive, which of course is not permitted by default Windows 11. It used to be a feature of Windows 8, but for some reason they took that away....I currently use Rufus to install Windows to a USB NVME drive, which of course is not permitted by default Windows 11. It used to be a feature of Windows 8, but for some reason they took that away.
It is a shame, with SDIO and DDU, it basically lets me plug in my windows install to whichever PC I need it for, for that 30 minutes or so to use a few tools that are a massive PITA to use on Wine/Proton/VM.
I suspect we're only a short while away from the feared-from-beginning universe where PC manufacturers completely disable enrolling non-Microsoft SecureBoot keys and Microsoft refuses to sign any non-Microsoft OS. I even paid for a Pro license so this is technically legal.
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Comment on US Supreme Court allows order forcing Google to make app store reforms in ~tech
vord Link ParentWhich would also enable them to reach out to devs and offer them terms to offer on their store instead (ala Epic giving away free games on PC).Which would also enable them to reach out to devs and offer them terms to offer on their store instead (ala Epic giving away free games on PC).
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
vord LinkAnother great video from Climate Town consolidating a whole ton of info about just how bad America's lawns are for the planet. It dives into the history, the laws, the consequences, and what to do...Another great video from Climate Town consolidating a whole ton of info about just how bad America's lawns are for the planet.
It dives into the history, the laws, the consequences, and what to do to fix it.
Some important highlights:
- More than 30% of residential water usage goes to lawns. More water than any other crop
- Virtually no lawn grass is native to North America or Europe
- Unsurprisingly, the lawncare industry lobbies against repealing weed laws.
- Turns out putting poison on everything is bad.
I killed my lawn. It's now a yearlong fireworks display of native flowers, with more than 6 species of bees, 7 species of moths and butterflies, thousands of crickets, a family of bunnies that has babies every spring, dozens of birds that live all the time and thousands of migrants.
It's a beautiful thing, and I'm sure all my neighbors hate it.
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America's dumbest crop: grass
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord Link ParentThe practical amoung us acknowledge you can't just flick a lightswitch. You can certainly phase them out though. Pardon all current illegals, grant citizenship. Expand asylum programs, including...The practical amoung us acknowledge you can't just flick a lightswitch. You can certainly phase them out though. Pardon all current illegals, grant citizenship. Expand asylum programs, including international distribution schemes such that no one area is absorbing all refugees all at once. Work mutual open borders into trade deals.
Of course, none of this facilitates racist fearmongering, so half of the chosen leaders will dismiss it outright, and the other half will dimiss it in the name of working across the isle.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord (edited )Link ParentAs that guy, who knows it is a minority position, I feel compelled to present the case. Because I would like more people to feel this way. Being that it is 4 AM, please forgive my general lack of...all the way to we shouldn't have borders.
As that guy, who knows it is a minority position, I feel compelled to present the case. Because I would like more people to feel this way. Being that it is 4 AM, please forgive my general lack of well-worded arguments.
Before going any further, let's be more explicit with what is meant by 'border' in the context of 'borders should not exist.' They are more than just boundaries where enforcement of laws take place. It makes sense to have boundaries, at least some of the time, as laws that makes sense for one area do not necessarily make sense for another. A border however, is a boundary where crossing is made difficult, particularly within the context of moving your primary residence.
Being able to move about freely is one of the most fundamental rights. What is a prison but a micro-dictatorship where we throw people whom have violated the trust of free society? What then is a border where the assumption is that anybody trying to cross it does not deserve the trust of that country? It is a wall, physical or imaginary, making it harder for everyone else to get in and everyone else making it harder for their citizens to leave. Their universal existence is fundamentally a series of prison cells serving to prevent the free movement of people. A real-life example:
My mother-in-law lives in England. Given the current situation in the USA, it would be really great to go live with her indefinitely. But what exactly are my legal pathways to do that? Here's the list, best I can tell:
- Have a lot of money. 'Start a business' levels of money.
- Be a student from a certain set of other countries. Or have a lot of money, enough to pay a year's tuition and then some.
- Find a job and have your employer sponsor a visa. Also have a lot of money....gotta put a down payment on that healthcare after all.
Things that are not an option:
- Fly to England and live with her, finding a job afterwards.
I have no criminal record. I have skills which I could land a job pretty easily, but getting visa sponsorship is hard. Also can't work any government jobs; gotta be a citizen to do that. Or work for a company that wants you working with government contracts. Oh and I'd still have to pay taxes to the USA.
Anyhow, back to borders. What is their purpose? Most people will say something akin to 'insure the safety and prosperity of a nation.' Safety is hogwash: There is nothing a border will substantially do to improve safety over a remotely functioning local law enforcement. Prosperity is another word for 'keep the poor people from having our money.' There is a third, mostly unspoken, reason: To preserve ethnostates and their religions...which I will not waste further breath on. And that's probably why money is permitted to flow freely between them (along with the people possessing it), while the average person must endure endless bureaucracy.
And, in reality, we already have numerous borderless countries: Basically every state in the USA is a country unto itself. You don't need to apply for visa to pick up and move 3600+ km from South Carolina to California forever. You just save up enough to get a deposit (or crash at a friend's) and go. You can cross the boundaries of dozens of other states without a single checkpoint. File some paperwork for proof of residency when you get there, get a new ID, get a job, and you're 100% in the clear. The differing laws of those two states likely differ far more than between any two countries in the EU. What benefit to the populace at large is brought about by allowing that, but not allowing someone to do the same in or out of Canada, or Mexico?
I oppose borders because I oppose unequitable economics and ethostates.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord Link ParentNot saying that. It certainly is possible to run a business morally. But evil is a competitive advantage. The vast majority of our legal system exists to prevent companies from doing evil things...Not saying that. It certainly is possible to run a business morally. But evil is a competitive advantage. The vast majority of our legal system exists to prevent companies from doing evil things as a result.
When people say the problem is unregulated capitalism, I would say that the proper phrasing is that capitalism will do evil unless explicitly banned from doing so.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord Link ParentIt's only a cheap shot if it's true enough to hurt.... Enough did that we have a holiday to celebrate the end of it. Labor day isn't just a free day off work after all. Anyhow, evil is obviously...It's only a cheap shot if it's true enough to hurt.... Enough did that we have a holiday to celebrate the end of it. Labor day isn't just a free day off work after all.
Anyhow, evil is obviously not required, but for some strange reason all the biggest companies tend to opt-in anyway. I wonder why the saying isn't "Money is a neutral concept that doesn't affect morality at all."
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord Link ParentIt was a play on words. I think seeding an economy that is not founded on the foundation of a quid-pro-quo exchange of goods and services counts. And cooperating is the antithesis of capitalism....It was a play on words. I think seeding an economy that is not founded on the foundation of a quid-pro-quo exchange of goods and services counts.
And cooperating is the antithesis of capitalism. Otherwise the capitalists wouldn't murder trade unionists.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord Link ParentIt won't stop capitalism on it's own. But every time someone takes a pair of kid pants that don't fit my kids anymore, Target's revenue goes down that little bit. Even individually: If I can 'let...It won't stop capitalism on it's own. But every time someone takes a pair of kid pants that don't fit my kids anymore, Target's revenue goes down that little bit.
Even individually: If I can 'let go' without feeling the need to extract a cut, and can pass that value on to my kids, it's a step in the right direction.
So many people came up and knocked on the door, flabbergasted that we were giving so much away for free. Having watched the comings and goings, little to no people were taking to resell. The never-used kero heater is still sitting there, though come nightfall the metal vultures will probably snap it up.
Every time I mow a neighbor's lawn for free, I reduce the GDP.
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Comment on Flush with cash and soaring with hubris, Donald Trump appointees are supersizing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in ~society
vord (edited )LinkGet out and stay out. No person is illegal. Just say 'No' to 'Gestapo'. I've been having a free yard sale. It's all immigrants stopping by to get clothes and toys. Go put stuff on your porch right...especially in major U.S. cities where they are loathed by many, and where some activists use crowdsourcing apps to report their whereabouts in real time.
Get out and stay out. No person is illegal.
Just say 'No' to 'Gestapo'.
I've been having a free yard sale. It's all immigrants stopping by to get clothes and toys. Go put stuff on your porch right now with a big 'Free' sign.
Ain't nothing stronger against capital than free exchange of goods.
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Comment on Apple pulls ICEBlock from the App Store in ~tech
vord Link ParentThis is a crowdsourcing application. People are sharing public information with each other. Just because the information is coordinates doesn't mean its not speech. Freedom of speach is an...This is a crowdsourcing application. People are sharing public information with each other. Just because the information is coordinates doesn't mean its not speech. Freedom of speach is an inalieable right. It's not a thing granted to us by the government, but is codified that the government can't strip it. It's still a violation of free speach if a private entity is doing it. That's why the government has been using private companies to whitewash rights violations for decades.
That brings the inevitable arguememt about censorship and moderation. Yes, moderation is censorship. It is good and useful, not all censorship is bad. The problem is when censorship is on such a broad platform that someone is essentially silenced everywhere, forever. Used to be only the government could ban all available forms of public discussion, but that is no longer true. We now have like 3-5 megaconglomerate companies that essentially own all modern communication platforms. Most of this was badly paraphrased from Cory Doctorow.
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Comment on Apple pulls ICEBlock from the App Store in ~tech
vord Link ParentTime to bring back walkie-talkies and encoded messgaes. Graffiti is never a bad option. The Horn Blows At Midnight.Time to bring back walkie-talkies and encoded messgaes.
Graffiti is never a bad option.
The Horn Blows At Midnight.
This is a criticism that can be leveled at basically any game out there. Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh card games are just crappy IP reskins of Magic The Gathering. Cards Against Humanity is just crude Mad Libs. Lots of games are basically Charades With Extra Steps.
Sure, crude humour isn't for you, that's fine. The art isn't to your liking, that's fine. But let's not pretend they're doing anything different from pretty much any other board game creator. Or that their opinion on the matter is somehow invalidated just because their art isn't for you.
If I completely copied this take and subbed out the drawings with art from say, Virgil Marti, would you consider it valid then?