ward's recent activity
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Comment on Why America is addicted to cars - a casual exploration of public transit in North America in ~transport
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Why America is addicted to cars - a casual exploration of public transit in North America
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
ward LinkGlad to see you here! I've always been a huge fan of your "astronomer here" comments, so it's exciting to see an AMA. Perhaps a little bit of a shallow question, but coming from someone whose...Glad to see you here! I've always been a huge fan of your "astronomer here" comments, so it's exciting to see an AMA.
Perhaps a little bit of a shallow question, but coming from someone whose always had a healthy (albeit casual) fascination with the cosmos, where would you recommend someone start if they wanted to turn their interest into deeper knowledge? I studied a fair bit of physics at university, but am always surprised about how little I actually know when watching the Astronomy on Tap lectures at my local brewery each month. Trying to fully digest some of the whitepapers I've read makes it clear I'm lacking significant prerequisite knowledge, but most internet resources I come across skew toward either ELI5-level or PhD-level material. My partner does his best to ELI... well, me, but I'd love to capitalize on this willingness I have to learn.
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentAlthough we may not agree with one another fully on this particular facet of the debacle, this is an interesting framing of the issue I hadn’t previously considered. Thanks for taking the time to...Although we may not agree with one another fully on this particular facet of the debacle, this is an interesting framing of the issue I hadn’t previously considered. Thanks for taking the time to write this up and expand my understanding of people’s opinions a little further—I hadn’t realized there were folks out there making the argument that any API pricing is counterintuitive to Reddit’s culture. We’re aligned in a few places here and misaligned in others, but I’m not here to challenge every person’s take on everything. So instead, I’ll leave it at thank you for teaching me something new.
I apologize if the language of my earlier comment suggested in anyway that your views were unwelcome from the conversation—that certainly wasn’t my intent and you’ve definitely added value to this comment. I’ve tweaked my wording slightly to hopefully correct that.
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Comment on Wendover Productions on Nebula in ~tech
ward Link ParentSounds right up my alley! I definitely know what I’m watching tomorrow, thanks for the rec.Sounds right up my alley! I definitely know what I’m watching tomorrow, thanks for the rec.
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Comment on Wendover Productions on Nebula in ~tech
ward Link ParentOoh, what’s your review of The Prince? I was meaning to look more into it but it must’ve fallen off my radar.Ooh, what’s your review of The Prince? I was meaning to look more into it but it must’ve fallen off my radar.
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Comment on General product recommendations in ~life
ward Link ParentI’m on week two with my Cultiver sheets and, my god, it’s solved a huge chunk of my issues getting to bed. I sleep hot, so these have really improved my comfort and I have yet to wake up drenched...I’m on week two with my Cultiver sheets and, my god, it’s solved a huge chunk of my issues getting to bed. I sleep hot, so these have really improved my comfort and I have yet to wake up drenched in sweat—even through an AC outage this week.
The texture is definitely different, but I’m a fan. I find the sheets soft and weighty, yet breathable and not smothering. I will say, though, that if OP is worried about the longevity of their sheets, I’ve heard that linen is likely not the way to go as they do tend to thin out faster than other materials.
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentThis is very interesting precedent that I didn’t know about. This is something, I feel, that journalists should be using to press him in interviews. If anyone comes across any articles or...This is very interesting precedent that I didn’t know about. This is something, I feel, that journalists should be using to press him in interviews. If anyone comes across any articles or resources about this, I’d love to learn more.
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentI haven't really been on Reddit all that much since last week after the AMA, but after reading the comments... how the hell did the narrative shift so sharply to this being about corrupt mods?...I haven't really been on Reddit all that much since last week after the AMA, but after reading the comments... how the hell did the narrative shift so sharply to this being about corrupt mods? That is so weird, it feels almost manufactured to trivialize this whole mess to being about subreddit drama. Has anyone been following this more closely to clue people in? Or am I just completely oblivious?
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentOkay, while I definitely support the spirit of your comment, I feel like I have to play devil's advocate a little here. Yes, and the eyeballs actually seeing those ads are what pays for the...Okay, while I definitely support the spirit of your comment, I feel like I have to play devil's advocate a little here.
we generate the content that brings people to the site and puts eyeballs on your advertising
Yes, and the eyeballs actually seeing those ads are what pays for the infrastructure costs. It isn't exactly inexpensive to operate one of the largest social platforms on the internet. It's also not inaccurate for Reddit to argue that they spend significantly more for users who access Reddit via the API—app/vanilla Reddit users subsidize the cost of Reddit's service with their attention in addition to the value of their content. It's not completely out of the question for Reddit to charge here.
I really wish fewer people would talk like it's unquestionable that a company should always seek maximum monetary profit at any expense
As much as I would love a world with Good Corporate Citizens™, that's just super unrealistic. That is inherently opposed to the way capitalism works, unfortunately.
Remember, we're on the same team here, but I have to concede that it isn't out of the question for Reddit to charge. It's what they're charging and how they've conducted themselves throughout this ordeal that's so upsetting—at least to me.
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Comment on Dungeons and Drag Queens debuts a fabulous, fearsome foursome in ~games.tabletop
ward Link ParentOh yeah, watching the freely-available Game Changer episodes has been very tempting. I also recently listened to a great podcast between Sam Reich and Dave Wiskus (CEO of Nebula) discussing the...Oh yeah, watching the freely-available Game Changer episodes has been very tempting. I also recently listened to a great podcast between Sam Reich and Dave Wiskus (CEO of Nebula) discussing the differences and similarities between their platforms. This also made Dropout stick around in my noggin lately. I think I'm going to bite the bullet soon... but maybe when I can commit a few hours to going down a binge rabbit hole to catch up on all that sweet, sweet CollegeHumor I've been missing out on.
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Comment on What gaps for content, news, or community currently exist for you? in ~tech
ward Link ParentThanks for sharing! Yeah, I am also looking to avoid the urge to log back in at this point, something about it feels... ick. I might have a scroll over there, though, instead of the Wordplay...Thanks for sharing! Yeah, I am also looking to avoid the urge to log back in at this point, something about it feels... ick. I might have a scroll over there, though, instead of the Wordplay comments next time I'm looking for a little insight from other solvers!
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentWow, Huffman really said "Democracy is a pillar of Reddit /s" Classy. I get a bit of satisfaction knowing that he's still hasn't let go of the whole logo debacle after all of these years. As for...We’re a platform and tech company on one hand, but on the other it’s a living organism, this democratic living organism, created by its users. Those democratic values run deep at Reddit.
[Literal seconds later]
That’s our business decision. And we’re not undoing that business decision. [...] I think our users probably are annoyed at this blackout, because there wasn’t anything to gain.
Wow, Huffman really said "Democracy is a pillar of Reddit /s" Classy.
The rest go to Apollo, which uses our logo, or something like it, takes our data — for free — and resells it to users making a 100 percent margin.
I get a bit of satisfaction knowing that he's still hasn't let go of the whole logo debacle after all of these years.
As for the rest... hooboy, Huffman is pressed. Regardless of how things pan out, I'm very glad that this is bugging him so deeply.
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Comment on What gaps for content, news, or community currently exist for you? in ~tech
ward Link ParentAs a casual NYT crossword player for about 8 years now, I cannot believe I never thought to seek out a crossword subreddit. I'd look at the comments in the Wordplay column occasionally if I felt...As a casual NYT crossword player for about 8 years now, I cannot believe I never thought to seek out a crossword subreddit. I'd look at the comments in the Wordplay column occasionally if I felt strongly about a puzzle, but you're right that it leaves much to be desired.
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Comment on Dungeons and Drag Queens debuts a fabulous, fearsome foursome in ~games.tabletop
ward LinkI am absolutely obsessed. It's a special kind of high when my interests overlap, haha. Brennan is a gem and Bob, Monet, Juju, and Alaska are national treasures. My partner and I have been looking...I am absolutely obsessed. It's a special kind of high when my interests overlap, haha. Brennan is a gem and Bob, Monet, Juju, and Alaska are national treasures. My partner and I have been looking for one last push to signup for Dropout and I think I just found it.
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Comment on New users: Ask your questions about Tildes here! in ~tildes
ward Link ParentAdded back! Thanks for the response so that I could make another edit, haha.Added back! Thanks for the response so that I could make another edit, haha.
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Comment on New users: Ask your questions about Tildes here! in ~tildes
ward (edited )Link ParentFrom the docs: I like this approach. It make sure that, while funny comments are still welcome, they won't always float to the top of discussions—where, y'know, discussion should take place....From the docs:
If the "Joke" label is active on a comment, it decreases its weighting in the relevance sorting by a factor of 0.5: the vote weight on any comment labelled as a joke will be halved. The effect of "Joke" labels is not cumulative.
I like this approach. It make sure that, while funny comments are still welcome, they won't always float to the top of discussions—where, y'know, discussion should take place. Disincentivizing low-effort participation is a plus, in my book.
EDIT: Removing the redundant link to/quote from the docs as @cfabbro beat me to the punch. Leaving my 2¢, however, because I do support the concept.
EDIT2: Whoops, added back now. Heh.
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Comment on Wendover Productions on Nebula in ~tech
ward Link ParentYou're definitely right about the quality. Their strategy of investing in developing in-house media teams and sponsoring creator projects has really worked out in their favor. I've seen some...You're definitely right about the quality. Their strategy of investing in developing in-house media teams and sponsoring creator projects has really worked out in their favor. I've seen some really top-notch content that was created with the help of Nebula's resources.
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward Link ParentIf you bring the hookahs, I'll bring the shisha. ;)If you bring the hookahs, I'll bring the shisha. ;)
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Comment on Reddit CEO pledges to not force subreddits to reopen. Admin team then immediately threatens moderators who closed their subreddits with removal. in ~tech
ward (edited )Link ParentI don't know, I feel like these comments from Huffman are fairly insidious. This is, as respectful as I can possibly be, absolute horseshit. Reddit is doing exactly what Twitter did by making a...I don't know, I feel like these comments from Huffman are fairly insidious.
What our peers have done is banned them entirely. And we said no, you know what, we believe in free markets.
[...]
We’re perfectly willing to work with the folks who want to work with us, including figuring out what the transition period will look like.This is, as respectful as I can possibly be, absolute horseshit. Reddit is doing exactly what Twitter did by making a prohibitively expensive API that is intended to eliminate alternative clients. (EDIT1: I do want to add context from the full interview that came out after my initial comment that he's referring here to fully closed platforms like Facebook, I inferred he was referring to Twitter) Plus, this whole guise of "the ball's in their court, they just don't want to engage" is so exhausting. This is a pissing-on-my-leg-and-saying-it's-raining sort of response. He's made it abundantly clear that he is the one who isn't wanting to play ball or compromise.
To your highlight of "he didn't know the extend of third-party app API use," I just can't even almost believe that. He's the founder and CEO of a company whose platform has enabled third party integration for around a decade and a half. If he's claiming this is some sort of shock, he's either an idiot or assuming we are. Plus, Christian Selig (who's been raked over the coals for an "inefficient" client) claims Apollo uses not even ten percent of the API limits Reddit itself imposed—and I'm inclined to believe him. There's no way Huffman is being genuine about any of this.
Your other highlight of lost revenue is, again, complete nonsense on his part. He's acting like these folks who develop and maintain these apps full time don't deserve any sort of compensation for their work, which is ridiculous. It's not like these indie devs are grifters. It’s my take on the matter that Reddit is totally within their right to charge for API access. However, there is no way in hell that they're pricing it in good faith.
I feel like the longer these talking points get regurgitated by Reddit, the more people will become numb to the fact that none of it is acceptable.
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(EDIT2: reworded a sentence to be more inclusive of alternate views on API pricing)
I always really enjoy Sabrina, Melissa, and Taha's work. Their videos don't try to be comprehensive explainers, but they're very well done and I always have a good time watching them.
What's everyone's relationship to transportation like? I grew up in an area with very F-tier public transit that I relied on for years until buying my first car at 22. I felt kind of burned by that experience. After that, I lived in a city with a slightly better D-tier transit, but it was difficult to access and didn't fit my use case—I maybe used it twice in the 5 years I lived their.
Now it's interesting because I live in a solidly B-tier transit city, but my neighborhood is so walkable that I really don't have much reason to travel far from my home on most days other than my commute to work. (Currently driving to work for the difference in commute time—15 minutes driving vs. 50-75 minutes by bus—but am hoping to get back into bicycle commuting again.) I haven't used the bus/rail system in the year that I've lived here, but it also doesn't really come to mind as an option when needing to transit around the city.