zazowoo's recent activity
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
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Comment on Ubuntu on Windows is about to become more popular than Ubuntu itself in ~tech
zazowoo Link ParentPretty inconsequential, but I'm surprised to hear that. I've worked in software for a long time at many different companies, and I'd say Ubuntu is the most common base image I've encountered....I don't know anyone who stuck with straight Ubuntu on the desktop or server.
Pretty inconsequential, but I'm surprised to hear that. I've worked in software for a long time at many different companies, and I'd say Ubuntu is the most common base image I've encountered. Second most common would be something super minimal like alpine or busybox, but if you're using a full distro, it's almost always Ubuntu in my experience.
I also personally use it as my WSL distro. Haven't felt a need to switch.
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Comment on How accurate have Ed Zitron's AI skeptic predictions been? in ~tech
zazowoo LinkI found this part particularly well said: I think we have a real problem in public (and private!) discourse where people are able to sound more convincing when they give their assertions extreme...I found this part particularly well said:
Another thing to note here is Zitron's extremely high level of stated confidence. Some that we noted were OpenAI's forecast that is "a statement so egregious that I am surprised it's not some kind of financial crime to say it out loud" (which they've achieved so far) and his claim that Google's forecast for Gemini users is "a number so unrealistic that someone at Google should have been fired, and that someone is Sundar Pichai" (they managed to exceed the forecast by 50% when Zitron's claim was that it would be completely absurd for them to reach the number at all).
I've made quite a few predictions, and quite a few of those predictions are wrong. When I'm really making a prediction, I attach a confidence level to the prediction just for my own sake, so I can look back at these things and see how well calibrated the predictions are. I have never been wrong about a prediction that has anywhere near the confidence Zitron gives to some of his predictions. Given the stated level of confidence, even a single incorrect prediction would be a sign of an extremely high degree of overconfidence. One should effectively never be wrong about a prediction delivered with that level of confidence but Zitron is routinely wrong about predictions he makes with what is rhetorically pretty much the highest possible degree of confidence.
I think we have a real problem in public (and private!) discourse where people are able to sound more convincing when they give their assertions extreme levels of confidence. It becomes socially difficult to dare to push back when someone implies their opinion is so obvious you'd have to be stupid (or a fraud) to disagree.
This style of talking is well suited to our social media age and gets them lots of followers, but it doesn't make them right.
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Comment on Box of Broken Nails - A small game to lose your mind to in ~games
zazowoo LinkI don't usually watch this kind of thing, but I decided to watch 5 minutes (no way I'm going to watch the full 1:50, I thought...) and omg what a ride that was. Incredible video/film. I don't...I don't usually watch this kind of thing, but I decided to watch 5 minutes (no way I'm going to watch the full 1:50, I thought...) and omg what a ride that was. Incredible video/film. I don't really want to say anything more except to encourage people to give it a shot.
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Comment on Between the Buried and Me - The Proverbial Bellow (2018) in ~music
zazowoo Link ParentWhen I was a teenager I really loved the beauty and the beast vocals of Sirenia (specifically the album "At Sixes and Sevens") with a female singer contrasting with male growls. I still like that...When I was a teenager I really loved the beauty and the beast vocals of Sirenia (specifically the album "At Sixes and Sevens") with a female singer contrasting with male growls. I still like that album today, but I can't tell if it's because of nostalgia or if it's legit good. Heads up that it's not prog metal though if that's what you're mostly looking for.
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Comment on How to find a new calling in life? in ~life
zazowoo LinkWhat kinds of activities do you find you're naturally good at and/or enjoy? That could be things like specific subjects in school, particular ways of working/living that suit you, or anything else...What kinds of activities do you find you're naturally good at and/or enjoy? That could be things like specific subjects in school, particular ways of working/living that suit you, or anything else you can think of.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
zazowoo Link ParentTotally agree. I've been able to follow my curiosity on anything that strikes me, and it makes me feel like a kid again. I can take any subject and ask a hundred questions to Gemini about it. It...Totally agree. I've been able to follow my curiosity on anything that strikes me, and it makes me feel like a kid again. I can take any subject and ask a hundred questions to Gemini about it. It recommends books for me to read, and then when I have a question about something in the book, I can follow up with Gemini. It's like having a personal teacher who never gets sick of me asking "why" or wanting to drill deeper on some bizarre detail.
In the past year, I've been able to use this to deepen my understanding of my local court system, the Khmer language, the physiology of exercise and recovery, and now the immune system. It's re-awakened my love of learning in a way that I'm deeply grateful for.
Edit to add: when I say Gemini, I mean the Gemini pro chatbot that I have a subscription for. I don't use Google, so I don't know how it shows up there.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
zazowoo Link ParentI know there are a lot of concerns about Spotify's business model and impacts on artists, but if I can just take a very selfish perspective for the moment, it's absolutely astounding to me how...I know there are a lot of concerns about Spotify's business model and impacts on artists, but if I can just take a very selfish perspective for the moment, it's absolutely astounding to me how great I have it as a consumer of music these days.
I grew up in the age of ipods and CDs and I already thought that was amazing at the time. Now, I can listen to any song I want at any moment on any device I choose. And I can easily discover more music that I love, and my musical appreciation can so easily grow deeper and broader by the day.
My younger self would be thrilled that I could essentially have an ultra portable, legal Napster without any download time or security concerns.
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Comment on Moderna, Merck say mRNA vaccine prevents melanoma from returning in ~health
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Comment on Which privacy-friendly home appliances exist? e.g. robot vacuum cleaners. in ~tech
zazowoo (edited )Link ParentCompletely off-topic, but after checking out their docs, I wound up perusing the auto-mod rules for their forums, and they're absolutely wild. Some of the things that get your message auto-deleted...Completely off-topic, but after checking out their docs, I wound up perusing the auto-mod rules for their forums, and they're absolutely wild. Some of the things that get your message auto-deleted include "I'm new here", "bummer", "accepting prs?", and "the right place to ask".
And the comment on this one, damn:
// messages containing two or more tears of joy emoji in a row. 100% idiot marker /([😂🤣]){2,}/u,I've been known to throw a 😂😂 my coworker's way when they make a great joke. TIL I'm an idiot. Bummer 😂
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Comment on Is it time to include pronouns? in ~tildes
zazowoo Link ParentI probably should stay far away from this conversation, but just to represent some other personal perspectives on this - I'm a cis-gendered woman who has a lot of interests that are more common...I probably should stay far away from this conversation, but just to represent some other personal perspectives on this - I'm a cis-gendered woman who has a lot of interests that are more common for men, and honestly it really does bother me when internet people assume I'm a "he" with nothing to go on. I instantly feel othered and like I'm not expected to belong in the space. I'm a big fan of "they" when someone's gender is unknown.
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Comment on Albums based on a recurring musical phrase in ~music
zazowoo Link ParentBig plus one to both of these! Was just about to recommend Jeff Wayne's War of Worlds before I saw your comment.Big plus one to both of these! Was just about to recommend Jeff Wayne's War of Worlds before I saw your comment.
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Comment on Albums based on a recurring musical phrase in ~music
zazowoo LinkI love this too, and I have so many to recommend I feel overwhelmed! But get something out there, I'll start with Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness. It's an album-length song (60...I love this too, and I have so many to recommend I feel overwhelmed! But get something out there, I'll start with Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness. It's an album-length song (60 min) and just a wonderful journey with lots of references back to other parts in the song.
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Comment on Nobody clicks your share buttons in ~tech
zazowoo Link ParentI don't think it's so binary. I often spend hours cowriting things with an LLM. I double-check the tone and accuracy and stand behind it. But I also don't try to hide that I used AI for it and...if you're not going to put in human effort for my attention
I don't think it's so binary. I often spend hours cowriting things with an LLM. I double-check the tone and accuracy and stand behind it. But I also don't try to hide that I used AI for it and there are certainly AI tells left behind.
I share your annoyance though when someone doesn't put in the effort and just presents something that they didn't take the time to double check or polish at all. I just didn't get that sense from this particular article.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life.men
zazowoo LinkFor what it's worth, as a hetero woman, the most satisfying sex I've had was with a guy who was smaller than most of the men I've been with. He was great at knowing how to read my signals and...For what it's worth, as a hetero woman, the most satisfying sex I've had was with a guy who was smaller than most of the men I've been with. He was great at knowing how to read my signals and build the experience up, and it really didn't make much difference that he wasn't as big. If anything, the bigger guys can make it painful at times. I was really sad to read this and imagine all the insecurity that some guys are dealing with.
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Comment on Actually useful MCPs in ~comp
zazowoo LinkFor work I find the Slack MCP server pretty useful. I'm juggling a lot of context across many channels, and using Claude to search slack for a particular tidbit I remember someone saying a month...For work I find the Slack MCP server pretty useful. I'm juggling a lot of context across many channels, and using Claude to search slack for a particular tidbit I remember someone saying a month ago is usually faster than me trying Slack search. I use Claude to manage my daily work notes and todos, and I like telling it to just read what I wrote to x person and generate notes from that rather than re-type it all into my notes manually.
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Comment on Project Glasswing: An initial update in ~tech
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Comment on Excerpts from actual one-star Amazon.com reviews of books from Time’s list of the 100 best novels from 1923 to the present in ~books
zazowoo LinkMan, I got all excited that Matthew Baldwin was writing again! But then saw this article is from 2005 :( Too bad his tweets are gone. Very funny guy.Man, I got all excited that Matthew Baldwin was writing again! But then saw this article is from 2005 :( Too bad his tweets are gone. Very funny guy.
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Comment on Single, solo, poor, woman gets $500k pre-tax, how to make the most of it? in ~finance
zazowoo Link ParentStrong agree, and just want to add that "fee-based" or any other similar sounding term is not the same as "fee-only." It can be a little challenging to find a fee-only fiduciary, but I think it's...Strong agree, and just want to add that "fee-based" or any other similar sounding term is not the same as "fee-only." It can be a little challenging to find a fee-only fiduciary, but I think it's worth it to know that you're sitting on the same side as your advisor.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
zazowoo LinkI've been completely captivated by Pure Reason Revolution's album Amor Vincit Omnia recently. There's something so unique and just incredible about it, but it's hard for me to convey what it is...I've been completely captivated by Pure Reason Revolution's album Amor Vincit Omnia recently. There's something so unique and just incredible about it, but it's hard for me to convey what it is that hooks me so much.
I was struggling to make sense of how to even describe the genre, and Gemini summarized it as a combo of prog rock, synth pop, and industrial, with the harmonizing/layering vocals of something like the Beach Boys. Those are some of my favorite genres, so I guess it fits that I'd be so drawn in. I just love stumbling upon stuff like this that sounds so creative and interesting while still being something I feel like I can dance to.
These moments of discovering a new-to-me fantastic album is one of my top pleasures in life, so it's been a good week :)
Even as someone who grew up with computers and probably has something like 10 laptops + desktops in my house right now, I've fallen into the camp of people who tend to do almost everything on my phone. My phone is always on me, and I can always be in a comfortable position using it. I've just found more and more that if I can do something on my phone, I'll almost always prefer to do it there rather than get myself properly setup on a laptop. The main exceptions would be when using the terminal (or anything else that requires extensive typing) and gaming. (My main gripe with the form factor is just how big phones have gotten. So I'm not going to be one of the people racing to get a foldable, but I can understand why others would.)