whbboyd's recent activity
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Comment on Singer Oliver Tree dead at 32 following tragic helicopter crash in ~music
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Comment on The "go fix a minor annoyance" togetherness topic in ~life
whbboyd Link ParentCould you switch to a non-smoking form of nicotine (i.e. gum, patches)? That would let you satisfy the nicotine addiction without the smoke, though it obviously wouldn't replace any of the other...Could you switch to a non-smoking form of nicotine (i.e. gum, patches)? That would let you satisfy the nicotine addiction without the smoke, though it obviously wouldn't replace any of the other aspects of smoking. At least in the US, both gum and patches are available over-the-counter.
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Comment on Earth’s east–west albedo symmetry in ~science
whbboyd Link ParentAs @updawg mentioned, the paper's conclusion is actually that three separate albedos have coincident symmetries, something which is not guaranteed by the IVT. The function here isn't literally a...As @updawg mentioned, the paper's conclusion is actually that three separate albedos have coincident symmetries, something which is not guaranteed by the IVT.
The function here isn't literally a sine, but it is periodic (we're just revolving the plane around the Earth's axis) and symmetric (for half the revolution, the values are inverse in sign from the other half; the plane is in the same place but "the other way around"). As you note, we do need the albedo field to be continuous to guarantee this function is continuous and the IVT applies, but… I guess it's a question of philosophy, but I'm not sure I'd accept that mathematically discontinuous objects can physically exist. Given all that, the detailed shape of the function is irrelevant; we know enough to apply the IVT and conclude that a plane of symmetry exists. Finding it is left as an exercise. =)
I like the IVT because, again, it seems really obvious, but has some very surprising consequences.
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Comment on Earth’s east–west albedo symmetry in ~science
whbboyd Link ParentAh, when I skimmed that portion, I read it as explanation—"here's why we think the symmetric meridian is here in particular". If they are in fact three notionally-independent values whose symmetry...Ah, when I skimmed that portion, I read it as explanation—"here's why we think the symmetric meridian is here in particular". If they are in fact three notionally-independent values whose symmetry happens to align, that's definitely an interesting finding.
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Comment on Earth’s east–west albedo symmetry in ~science
whbboyd Link ParentNo, I think the IVT gets you a guaranteed equal division for any adequately-large set of hemispherical divisions. Consider, for the case of longitude, the function from meridian angle to...No, I think the IVT gets you a guaranteed equal division for any adequately-large set of hemispherical divisions. Consider, for the case of longitude, the function from meridian angle to difference in albedo between the hemispheres. This function is a distorted sinusoid (it returns to its original value after a full revolution), and it takes on the negative of its original value at a half-revolution. Therefore it crosses zero, therefore by the IVT there is guaranteed to be an angle of longitude which divides the Earth into hemispheres of equal albedo.
Note this argument doesn't depend on the choice of poles, so it holds for any such revolution of dividing planes, though obviously the longitudinal divisions are more interesting to humans for non-mathematical reasons.
The IVT does tend to be like that. It's a remarkably powerful theorem for how obvious it seems on its face.
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Comment on Earth’s east–west albedo symmetry in ~science
whbboyd Link(I didn't actually read the whole paper, it's possible this is addressed.) …Is this not just a case of "oops it's the IVT"? The equator is non-arbitrary, so albedo symmetry across it is notable;...(I didn't actually read the whole paper, it's possible this is addressed.)
…Is this not just a case of "oops it's the IVT"? The equator is non-arbitrary, so albedo symmetry across it is notable; but if we presume that the Earth's albedo is continuous (in the mathematical sense, a reasonable enough assumption given the granularity of possible measurements), I'm pretty sure the IVT guarantees the existence of a plane of longitude which divides it into equal hemispheres.
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Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech
whbboyd Link Parent…I mean, that seems apropos? ;) I was never on MeFi (only ever saw the "hits" that escaped onto other discussion sites), so I can't speak to quantity, but qualitatively, a lot of web-2.0-era sites...discussing Metafilter, defining Metafilter and codifying Metafilter.
…I mean, that seems apropos? ;)
I was never on MeFi (only ever saw the "hits" that escaped onto other discussion sites), so I can't speak to quantity, but qualitatively, a lot of web-2.0-era sites had that problem. Reddit definitely had a decade-long (totally undeserved) superiority complex, now dead mostly because the old self-superior portion of the userbase has been totally diluted by new users only there for the memes.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
whbboyd LinkI quit Reddit (deleted all my comments and wiped the account password from my password manager; I don't see any reason not to keep squatting the account name) when they started explicitly selling...I quit Reddit (deleted all my comments and wiped the account password from my password manager; I don't see any reason not to keep squatting the account name) when they started explicitly selling all their content to LLM vendors. I was sort of surprised that was the line in the sand; I really expected it to be when they dropped or finally completely broke old.reddit.com (which is actually still up).
I quit lobste.rs after one too many instances of unaddressed bigotry (the specific straw was holocaust denial, but the pile of hay on the camel's back was all sorts). Reddit obviously had (and has) waaaaaaay more bigots than lobste.rs, and at a much higher concentration, but the siloed subcommunities created by the subreddit structure made it a lot easier to keep them out of sight. (Is that hypocritical? Probably, but "not reading nazi drivel" is high on my list of mandatory self-care activities.) That one I've regretted more than Reddit, but I still see enough bigotry while lurking not to try to reactivate it. (Also the site is currently absolutely gripped in a culture clash of biblical proportions around LLMs, which I have no real desire to wade into.)
So there's two potential lines: doing business with slop vendors, and letting nazis into the bar.
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Comment on Waymo pauses Atlanta service as its robotaxis keep driving into floods in ~transport
whbboyd Link ParentStopping erroneously is, while much safer than driving into a flood, not ideal. And the cars can't stop unconditionally for puddles, or any schmuck with a garden hose can DoS them. (Furthermore:...Stopping erroneously is, while much safer than driving into a flood, not ideal. And the cars can't stop unconditionally for puddles, or any schmuck with a garden hose can DoS them. (Furthermore: and make it look like an accident.)
To be fair here, "don't drive into floods" is unironically challenging for human drivers, as well. It's tough to judge the depth of a body of water, so a great deal of the "is this a dangerous flood or a shallow puddle" decision comes down to context and heuristics. What's your extrapolated topography of the street? If the water is flowing, what does it look like? Have any other cars gone through it? Is there a schmuck with a garden hose guffawing next to the road? Etc.
There is definitely a reason these trials have heretofore been in socal or the southwest, though.
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Comment on Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ in ~tech
whbboyd Link ParentYeah, I've said it before: it's appropriate as a line employee to be skeptical and critical of HR, but the alternative to HR performing HR functions is for management to perform HR functions,...Yeah, I've said it before: it's appropriate as a line employee to be skeptical and critical of HR, but the alternative to HR performing HR functions is for management to perform HR functions, which is much, much, much worse.
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Comment on GitHub confirms breach of 3,800 repos via malicious VSCode extension in ~tech
whbboyd Link ParentThis old joke seems apropos.This old joke seems apropos.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk
whbboyd LinkOtto Pizza in Cambridge, MA used to serve a pulled pork and mango pizza, sort of an uber-classed-up Hawaiian. It wasn't my favorite of their flavors, but I liked it. I'm curious what the pineapple...Otto Pizza in Cambridge, MA used to serve a pulled pork and mango pizza, sort of an uber-classed-up Hawaiian. It wasn't my favorite of their flavors, but I liked it. I'm curious what the pineapple haters think of that topping combo.
Personally, I think pineapple is a fine topping. It's not one of my go-tos, but I don't mind it. I admit I don't get the memetic hate for pineapple in particular, of all the weird things people put on top of pizza. Like, why pineapple and not fresh tomato (which has the same textural problems—you gotta pre-cook your tomatoes—as well as being gross and tasteless at anything less than the peak of the local season) or anchovies (just seems weird to me tbh) or, like, baked ziti (this is actually delicious, don't knock it 'til you've tried it)? People can obviously have their individual preferences, which I'm not judging, but the whole cultural thing about pineapple on pizza is strange to me.
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Comment on Medium term cold storage options? in ~comp
whbboyd LinkWhen I was looking into this a few years ago, the consensus answer seemed to be that there's not a great option, but archival-quality optical media is probably the best one. (Flash doesn't have...When I was looking into this a few years ago, the consensus answer seemed to be that there's not a great option, but archival-quality optical media is probably the best one. (Flash doesn't have great longevity offline, and hard disks are something of a question mark—and the typical failure mode isn't "some degradation", it's "this complicated mechanical device has broken and does not work at all".) Consensus at the time seemed to be that archival-quality media was expensive out of proportion to the increase in quality, and there was a whole lot of discussion of (mostly non-actionable) concerns like the original manufacturer of a piece of media. My conclusion ended up being:
- Optical media is cheap enough that just buying the "expensive" stuff is probably worth it.
- Burn multiple copies, confirm that they are readable (coasters are pretty uncommon these days, but not unheard-of), and distribute them geographically.
- Try to make sure they're stored appropriate, i.e. in a case, in the dark, not too humid.
My schema is mostly to have encrypted backups stored online (in Backblaze B2, in my case), with encryption keys, a copy of my password vault, and a handful of other useful things on the backup disks. In the end, I've got a few dozen megabytes on my backup discs (on DVD media, because that's all that was available, lol).
For long-term storage, the answer is, oddly enough, to keep it online and monitored. Individual units of storage media are pretty fragile, but a NAS with a handful of drives and someone checking up on it regularly will keep data stored more-or-less indefinitely. (Online storage is much easier to accidentally delete stuff off of, of course, so it's not a panacea.)
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Comment on From $250 million megadeal to empty offices: the unraveling of Bad Robot in ~movies
whbboyd Link ParentBut not Abrams Trek, obviously. ;)Very Trek.
But not Abrams Trek, obviously. ;)
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Comment on Interesting material types for fantasy resources/macguffins other than crystals or metals? in ~creative
whbboyd LinkSome inspiration, maybe, from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (a great source of inspiration for all manner of Weird Fantasy, tbh): Chitin: insects have armor. If you have giant insects in your...Some inspiration, maybe, from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (a great source of inspiration for all manner of Weird Fantasy, tbh):
- Chitin: insects have armor. If you have giant insects in your setting, then it's an obvious choice for your characters to, uh, "debone" them and use the segments of exoskeleton in protective clothing.
- Bonemold: in-setting, this is essentially a composite whose matrix is bone. Metal AF. There's a relevant in-game book series (CW: body horror).
- Ebony: neither a particularly dark-colored wood nor, as most in-universe characters believe, a volcanic compound (it's often described as a "glass", but it clearly behaves more like a metal, and there's another material which is actually called "glass" and is non-ductile); rather, it is the congealed blood of a god, left in deposits where it fell to the ground when his heart was ripped from his chest and thrown across the continent.
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Comment on Does anyone want to buy an unused Pixel 10? in ~tech
whbboyd Link ParentIt definitely is not, necessarily, though it's possible it varies on the model of phone. Xperia devices can definitely be carrier-unlocked but bootloader-locked (which makes them useless for my...It definitely is not, necessarily, though it's possible it varies on the model of phone. Xperia devices can definitely be carrier-unlocked but bootloader-locked (which makes them useless for my purposes, and yeah, confuses a ton of people). Pixels may conflate those settings, but they don't need to.
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Comment on Why are we still doing this? in ~tech
whbboyd Link ParentTime to go back to calling compute "flops"? ;)Time to go back to calling compute "flops"? ;)
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Comment on I tried ranking my albums out of five stars - I think I've gotten it wrong. Thoughts? in ~music
whbboyd LinkThe lack of five-star albums is because as you average more things, by definition they tend to the mean. If you averaged your entire music library, would you be surprised for it to come out at a...The lack of five-star albums is because as you average more things, by definition they tend to the mean. If you averaged your entire music library, would you be surprised for it to come out at a 3?
Now, of course, albums are not formed by taking a random sampling of songs with normally-distributed ratings. There probably is a signal here; do you generally prefer your 3.5-star albums to the 2.5-star ones? The challenge is that averaging the song ratings weakens this signal. Mathematically, there are a few approaches you could take:
- Renormalize. Compute your album scores, then scale them so the top score is 5 and bottom is 1.
- You could flatten out the normal distribution while you were at it here if you really wanted to. That would have the effect of shoving a bunch of high 3s or low 2s into the 4 and 1 buckets, respectively.
- Pick a different aggregation function than "mean". "Max" would be one obvious choice; you'd then have 5-star albums, but probably no 1-star and few 2-star albums.
- You could do something complicated here, like weighting ratings differently in the average; count 5-star ratings much higher than 3-star, for instance.
…But the mathematical "fix the stats" approach is probably not what you want regardless. As you note, an album with all 3-star songs and one with half 2 and half 4 are quite different in subjective feel. (And also, people tell me that albums can be constructed as a cohesive more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts whole rather than just a collection of independent songs, though my listening habits don't allow me to observe that.) What you might want—and you kind of hint at this already—is to give albums their own rating, rather than trying to derive it from the component song ratings.
- Renormalize. Compute your album scores, then scale them so the top score is 5 and bottom is 1.
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Comment on What are some bands you regret not seeing live (or, just never had the chance to see in the first place)? in ~music
whbboyd LinkI'm not particularly into rock/pop concerts, so I don't have any particular regrets on that front. However, my cousin (once removed) was old enough to have attended Woodstock. He did in fact go,...I'm not particularly into rock/pop concerts, so I don't have any particular regrets on that front. However, my cousin (once removed) was old enough to have attended Woodstock. He did in fact go, and had a good time, but by Monday morning he and his buddies were worn out, the weather sucked, and they were worried about the epic traffic jam that was sure to ensue as tens of thousands of spectators tried to depart from a field in the absolute middle of nowhere in upstate New York. So they left before the last act.
The last act at Woodstock was Jimi Hendrix.
He still speaks regretfully of it more than fifty years later.
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Comment on Why are American passenger trains slow? in ~transport
whbboyd Link ParentThe European coast is also all connected to itself, while taking a boat from New York to LA requires crossing the Arctic Circle, the Panama Canal, rounding Cape Horn (infamously hazardous to...The European coast is also all connected to itself, while taking a boat from New York to LA requires crossing the Arctic Circle, the Panama Canal, rounding Cape Horn (infamously hazardous to shipping), or circumnavigating the globe.
It's the birthday paradox (in this context, sometimes also called the "big sky theory", with the implication that it's not a great theory). Sure, there's a lot of sky up there, but the risk of a collision is between every pair of aircraft in it, a number which grows as the square of the number of craft and gets high enough to make mid-air collisions concerningly likely fairly quickly.
There's also the fact that the sky may be big, but the set of runways and helipads people take off from and land on are not, and every flight (ideally) starts and ends at a runway. The vast majority of collisions happen near takeoff and landing, when craft are far denser in the air than mid-flight.