xethos's recent activity
-
Comment on I'm ever more annoyed with Steam in ~games
-
Comment on The rise of build-to-rent housing in ~finance
xethos Link ParentFirst one sounds like a... lack of parking complaint? I'm honestly not sure how else this would affect you or your neighbours, let alone be something you have grounds to complain about. I'm open...clearly having way too many people living there, engaging in shady behavior, harassing neighbors, getting constant noise complaints
First one sounds like a... lack of parking complaint? I'm honestly not sure how else this would affect you or your neighbours, let alone be something you have grounds to complain about. I'm open to being wrong though, is there something I missed about too many people per house / unit?
The latter three though are, IMO, what bylaw and law enforcement are for. That's who a local landlord would escalate to as well, isnt' it? I can recognize Americans have a... complicated... relationship with the cops, but one very common complaint is how frequently they side with capital. I.E., the home-owning class.
Local landlords are better, sure, but I have a much easier time with TMarkos' comment regarding capital leaving the community than complaints that, personally, I'd be talking to tenants directly with first, then calling non-emergency police numbers or bylaw enforcement over.
-
Comment on US FBI says Google engineer used internal search data to win $1.2M on Polymarket in ~tech
xethos Link ParentBecause a stance like that leads to "The sitting president black-bagged a foreign head of state, so I shouldn't be held accountable for kidnapping my neighbour's daughter" I'm not going to try and...Because a stance like that leads to "The sitting president black-bagged a foreign head of state, so I shouldn't be held accountable for kidnapping my neighbour's daughter"
I'm not going to try and put those exact words in your mouth, but that's where those "He got away with murder, so why should we be prosecuted" lines lead
-
Comment on Utah's shrinking lake: a scientific asset and a crisis in ~enviro
xethos Link ParentIt means you were meant to fail that portion of the test. The next portion of your struggle is something to build you as a person, to help you learn and practice empathy, or to help you practice...It means you were meant to fail that portion of the test. The next portion of your struggle is something to build you as a person, to help you learn and practice empathy, or to help you practice strength and patience.
Failure of one portion is not failure of the whole, and learning to accept that is part of life.
-
Comment on Utah's shrinking lake: a scientific asset and a crisis in ~enviro
xethos Link ParentWithout being religious, I always saw the other side of that phrase: if this is the hand you've been dealt, then you can handle it. You're stronger than you assume, even if you don't want to be,...Without being religious, I always saw the other side of that phrase: if this is the hand you've been dealt, then you can handle it. You're stronger than you assume, even if you don't want to be, even if it's not fair to be put on you. You will make it through, and be alright after
That said, I'm also positive to being just this side of delusional
-
Comment on Smartphone recommendations? in ~tech
xethos Link ParentPoint of note, because while I agree with almost everything you've said, it's not Android that gets slower and heavier every year, but Google's software. GApps, Google Play Services, the Play...Point of note, because while I agree with almost everything you've said, it's not Android that gets slower and heavier every year, but Google's software. GApps, Google Play Services, the Play Store, Firebase Cloud Messaging, etc. Dropping these will have a massive imapct on performance, percieved and actual speed, and battery life.
That doesn't make it feasible for most people, and we agree that this isn't a realistic solution for the vast majority. But Android is fine - all of Google's software, however, assumes you have Silicon-Valley engineer-tier hardware
I had to de-Google my BlackBerry Key1, and it ran fine for several years after dropping all Google software. Now, with a newer (but out of habit, de-Googled phone), I routinely have ~9GB RAM free (out of 12). It's insane how so few people realize the performance impact when Google Play Services runs on pretty well every Android device out there.
-
Comment on Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars in ~transport
xethos Link ParentIncluding maintenance, downtime, and fuel consumption, diesel were actually more expensive to run last I checked. Electricity is relatively cheap in Vancouver, and diesel... well, diesel is not....Including maintenance, downtime, and fuel consumption, diesel were actually more expensive to run last I checked. Electricity is relatively cheap in Vancouver, and diesel... well, diesel is not. Especially this year.
Upfront costs are higher, and training drivers takes an extra day or two, but neither is a great reason to skip having them - especially considering the lack of engine noise. They do best with dense areas, with lots of start and stop, and a decent number of hills though, which doesn't fit the profile of everywhere one might want to use them
-
Comment on Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars in ~transport
xethos Link ParentThe trolley busses in Vancouver do this as well, with the majority of the braking force coming from sending current back up through the wiresThe trolley busses in Vancouver do this as well, with the majority of the braking force coming from sending current back up through the wires
-
Comment on New AI data center in Utah will generate and consume more than twice the amount of power the entire state uses in ~tech
xethos Link ParentI was half-considering it, though I'm not sure I want to cede the term to those idiots. Plugging it in to DDG and receiving almost exclusively that exhausting and childish stance has made your...I was half-considering it, though I'm not sure I want to cede the term to those idiots.
Plugging it in to DDG and receiving almost exclusively that exhausting and childish stance has made your point though, and I'm open to better phrases.
-
Comment on Dutch YouTube creators behind Alberta (Canada) separatist videos getting millions of views in ~society
xethos Link ParentNo dude, you were okay with it when you thought you'd get paid. Now you know that's not gonna happen, and you're claiming a change of heart after seeing the light. Frankly, thinking the CBC is..."I'm in Indiana. I don't know anything about Canadian politics," said Nicholls. "I'm not going to do any more of these because I don't want to be a part of that."
No dude, you were okay with it when you thought you'd get paid. Now you know that's not gonna happen, and you're claiming a change of heart after seeing the light.
Frankly, thinking the CBC is dumb enough to believe it (instead of polite enough, and having the journalistic integrity to publish your response) is disgusting
-
Comment on New AI data center in Utah will generate and consume more than twice the amount of power the entire state uses in ~tech
xethos Link ParentI am barely in, and not only is there no actual path laid out for how superintelligence will lead to world domination, but to call American leadership a safe path, and the only safe path, is...And only American leadership is a realistic path to developing a nonproliferation regime to avert the risks
I am barely in, and not only is there no actual path laid out for how superintelligence will lead to world domination, but to call American leadership a safe path, and the only safe path, is preposterous.
This is the country that decides to start another war in the Middle East because they have nothing better to do [to distract from the politically inconvenient]. The same country that has yet to apologize for threatening military action and economic annexation of allies - they've simply learned to shut up about it, in the hopes we'll all forget.
They are actively targeting sovereign citizens [0] for the exact values they themselves extoll; the same values they allegedly fight wars to export.
Best of all, they have made themselves intentionally accountable to no one with the American Srevice-Members' Protectoin Act
America holding an unassailable lead with world-ending super-weaponry makes the American elite safer. I'm not sold on it helping anyone outside of that.
-
Comment on NHTSA tells US Congress: advanced impaired driving detection tech isn't ready in ~transport
xethos Link ParentSober people will still make stupid mistakes. They will get distracted, the weather or visibility will be bad, they'll drive when angry. At which point, you'll have to do the infrastructure...Sober people will still make stupid mistakes. They will get distracted, the weather or visibility will be bad, they'll drive when angry. At which point, you'll have to do the infrastructure upgrades anyways, and you'll have lost even more autonomy
-
Comment on Millions of Americans may now also be considered Canadian under a new law in ~society
xethos Link ParentNot actually a hard requirement - living on the West Coast (lower mainland), and I think I've only ever seen bagged milk once over ~30 years or soenjoy bagged milk
Not actually a hard requirement - living on the West Coast (lower mainland), and I think I've only ever seen bagged milk once over ~30 years or so
-
Comment on Almost half of EU’s busiest flight routes are ‘hard or impossible’ to book on trains in ~transport
xethos Link ParentThis argument feels like it's ignoring something important: trains can be, and frequently are, electrified. Doing so for air travel is almost entirely a novelty, doubly so for long-haul. As costs...planes are more economical for longer passenger routes
This argument feels like it's ignoring something important: trains can be, and frequently are, electrified. Doing so for air travel is almost entirely a novelty, doubly so for long-haul. As costs to generate electricity continue to fall, I would expect the math to change.
I'd also point out that, even with aviation maintenance being paid less than (IMO) they ought to be, safety margins are still tighter, and I'd expect that cost to add up as well. Neither can simply pull over, but an aircraft cannot simply stop
-
Comment on Interresting Reddit/Discord alternative : surikata.app in ~tech
xethos Link ParentMatrix still has enough velocity (presumably due to funding from actual clients) that some of this is still out of date - which is surprising, but potentially a good problem to have? It does -...Matrix still has enough velocity (presumably due to funding from actual clients) that some of this is still out of date - which is surprising, but potentially a good problem to have?
no voice chat
It does - both "Start a call" type of voice chat, and "Wander in and out of a voice-only room" type voice chat. "New Conversation > New Video Room" will get you there
Per the wiki you mentioned, there's also been lots of work on their points. Synapse, presumably driven partly out of Matrix's self-interest (I.E., keeping their public server hosting cost lower) has gotten leaner. Their description of clients suggests it's been some time since the review was written (I'd guess ~early 2025), as ElementX is juuuust this side of complete. For example, support for Spaces just shipped. Their other "Sometimes things are slow and/or broken" also suggests they were using the older, much less performant Element client, and I'd assume at least partially on the (overloaded) Matrix.org homeserver.
Though between the old data, missing that the different choices made between XMPP and Matrix means different difficulties at different points, and obtusely deciding not to recognize the system design means each server is an authoritative server, I'm getting more annoyed by the paragraph - so I'm bailing at:
Lemme tell you a secret about global event ordering in chat rooms: nobody cares. These aren’t bank transactions. If two users get the same two messages in opposite order from each other then it’s fine, even in a formal setting like a university talk or a work chatroom, and it can be fixed by the client as soon as the authoritative server decides on what ordering is correct. [...] You don’t heckin’ need a single global consistency chain that can be reproduced exactly by every single system involved even if it’s on Mars, just so that lesbian catgirls can say “mreow uwu” to each other on the internet
There are reasons XMPP never took off, and some of those are the same reason Matrix is acceptable to organizations like NATO, while XMPP is not.
-
Comment on Industry initiative launches Euro-Office as true sovereign office suite in ~tech
xethos Link ParentLate to the party, but I'd point out the different "levels" of self-hosting software. Running managed Windows and Microsoft Office, or Office 365, is at one end, and running a forked Libre Office...Late to the party, but I'd point out the different "levels" of self-hosting software. Running managed Windows and Microsoft Office, or Office 365, is at one end, and running a forked Libre Office style suite that you maintain with devs you pay, and build on hardware you own, is the other.
An intermediate example is using Microsoft for your email's back-end. The domain is yours, but Microsoft would have enough reach to shut you down and cause all kinds of headaches.
Similarly, running one's healthcare or armed forces communication (like France and Germany, respectively) through a self-hosted Matrix server has very different levels of reliance on America if one is using AWS vs, say, Hetzner, for the server.
Claiming digital sovereignty while still having a hard dependancy on Google, Microsoft, Apple, AWS, Whatsapp, Signal, or any other company the US government can apply unreasonable pressure to (and your country can't provide an equivalent level of pressure to) would be rather intentionally obtuse. It would not be genuine digital sovereignty.
-
Comment on Air Canada CEO will retire this year after his English-only crash message was criticized in ~transport
xethos Link ParentEveryone has good and bad days - I must have caught everyone I met in Quebec (during a brief visit in and around Quebec City last Autumn) on a good day, as my atrocious french was met with an...Everyone has good and bad days - I must have caught everyone I met in Quebec (during a brief visit in and around Quebec City last Autumn) on a good day, as my atrocious french was met with an abundance of patience every time I tried.
Further, it's hard to blame them being defensive. Culture is hard to change, but good luck recovering it if it's lost. We have enough influence from the States that I fully support the Canadian content rules. There's a marked difference between Canadians and Americans, and I appreciate the re-enforcement from media regarding language, social norms, and culture in general. I'd imagine the Quebecois would feel similarly.
-
Comment on Reducing Europe's nuclear energy sector was 'strategic mistake', EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says in ~society
xethos Link ParentDecidedly not a nuclear scientist here: Doesn't the refueling timeline (that is, how often reactors need new fuel) play a pretty significant role as well?Decidedly not a nuclear scientist here: Doesn't the refueling timeline (that is, how often reactors need new fuel) play a pretty significant role as well?
-
Comment on The average US college student is illiterate in ~life
xethos Link ParentI'll generally do what great-great (?) grandparent does - visually "ignore" the motorist to force the issue of right-of-way while looking with my eyes instead of turning my whole head. My pushback...I'll generally do what great-great (?) grandparent does - visually "ignore" the motorist to force the issue of right-of-way while looking with my eyes instead of turning my whole head.
My pushback in the previous comment was more directly aimed at the phrase "...this doesn't work well if the driver is checking the other - left side for the incoming vehicles". Knowing a pedestrian is approaching the curb means motorists need to be aware that the might be crossing, and likely are. To pretend otherwise is willful ignorance
Motorists cannot say "I didn't expect the pedestrian moving at walking speed to be there". Anticipating pedestrians is the same skill as anticipating motorists, just easier, due to the slower speed
Nor will I brooke any arguments about motorists having turn signals or brake lights. The former are famously dis-, mis-, or abused, and the latter aren't visible to motorists attempting to enter traffic.
As an addendum: I know this isn't entirely on you. I apologize in advance for the cellphone-formatting, and I recognize that while you don't deserve the brunt of this (I assume), I'm also entirely out of patience for poorly behaved motorists that cower behind excuses like "I didn't see them" or "See and be seen"
-
Comment on The average US college student is illiterate in ~life
xethos Link ParentPedestrians are, by definition, on foot. If any motorists are ignoring the area pedestrians are likely coming from, when the pedestrians have right-of-way, and cannot anticipate objects moving at...Pedestrians are, by definition, on foot. If any motorists are ignoring the area pedestrians are likely coming from, when the pedestrians have right-of-way, and cannot anticipate objects moving at pedestrian speed, how the hell are they to safely make the turn while anticipating objects moving at 30-60 kilometers per hour
Telling me "I didn't see them coming in time" is on-par with saying "I knew I wouldn't die, and figured might made right"
I'm sympathetic, but I don't expect it to ever happen. Ever.
Steam made a massive lift with WINE / Proton; they spend ungodly amounts of money, worked (AFAIK) politely and long-term with WINE's stewards, and were unafraid of playing the long game.
Getting Proton off the ground, to not just be viable, but good (to the point Microsoft is targeting SteamOS as their performance benchmark [0]), was treated as life-or-death because Microsoft had recently revealed "Look, we could run everything through the Microsoft store - we can charge tolls, or even leverage owning the OS, the store, and the competing platform to turn dominance in one (the OS) into dominance in another (game stores)". Valve knows how Microsoft loves to abuse being a monopoly, and saw the writing on the wall.
Apple will never (IMO) get a Proton equivalent because Apple is the same. Same notarization, same locked-by-default OS, same "Our way or the highway" attitide that spooked Valve to the tune of millions of dollars spent on Proton.
The hardware's nice, but Valve knows it's a trap, and a gilded cage that will not serve them long-term.
[0] Relatively clean link, with a source cited in-story, and Microsoft News shouldn't be too hard on MS: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/microsoft-targets-steamos-level-gaming-with-windows-11-overhaul/gm-GMA80B85E5