Benjaben
@Benjaben@lemmy.world
- Comment on [deleted] 5 hours ago:
Thanks for the grace and understanding, I do care about the quality of dialog across Lemmy and I will endeavor to be less prickish in the future (for anyone who is reading).
- Comment on [deleted] 7 hours ago:
Yeah, I have to acknowledge that I got needlessly defensive / combative. One of those, the poster just opened by essentially saying “I didn’t read your whole post, but here’s my take…” and that irritated me, but I eventually even tried to end amicably with that person. I was impatient and defensive throughout, though, I can do better, no argument there.
You’re also right that I must have failed to spell out the situation well, that’s 100% on me. And yes, moving away from Newegg is the stated goal of the post I made, that’s not really advice (and I understand this is probably the kind of comment that rubs people the wrong way).
I guess I don’t understand the amount of patience I’m expected to have with people who are not engaging with the point of my post (recommending more careful HDD retailers) but instead questioning whether the post itself has merit. If someone asks “how do I make a casserole” and I respond with “well, you haven’t even proven that a casserole is the right dish to make”, I’m not going to be surprised or offended if that person who asked the question gets irritated with my input.
- Comment on [deleted] 8 hours ago:
To me, the username cyberpunk necessarily suggests someone who understands abuse by corporations and our gradually worsening treatment by them, which is relevant to me with this topic. With that said, making a big deal over someone’s username is just such classic Internet cringe, and I apologize, that was silly and unnecessary.
- Comment on Nicole got a new outfit! 15 hours ago:
Yeah Nicole appears to be enjoying yonder broccoli
- Comment on The billionaires and politicians did it 16 hours ago:
Well, but, will line go up? Will plausible stories be told and further depredations be clumsily obscured, and will the richbro be out of that unfortunate doomed “position” before it gets really bad?
It’s pretend world until it isn’t. Seems likely we may get close to or exceed “it isn’t pretend anymore”.
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 16 hours ago:
There’s another path, where we vote in loud angry people that do not compromise with fascists, call them what they are at every opportunity, and who do not uphold civility toward people who never intend to extend that in good faith themselves.
I called it a circus, I guess when I think about it more, the circus has been here for a while. Or at least, the “more about appearances/performances than effects” carnival has been running uninterrupted for years.
Like you, I wish for a more reasonable and productive and earnest future for our politics. We won’t get that by being soft with people who do not share any of our values. I still think you’re assuming good faith efforts that are not there, naively, and I still hope you’re right and I’m wrong.
- Comment on [deleted] 16 hours ago:
Apparently it’s indeed a weird post. I’ll buy from the shop provided by several of the commenters who answered the question I asked. Really uninterested in describing to a user named “cyberpunk” of all things, why wanting a minimum of care for my purchases is somehow too much to request, I think every possible thing I might say has been said.
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 16 hours ago:
That’s a consistent and reasonable point of view, and I share your hopes. Cheers.
- Comment on [deleted] 19 hours ago:
I guess that’s the heart of some of the issues one or two others are taking with me having a problem here. When it’s said like you did, it seems like a reasonable take to me.
Here’s my take on the physics itself - when an object is inside a container significantly larger than it and free to bounce around, and then put through the shipping process, that introduces a lot of collisions that are admittedly usually small, but strictly speaking mathematically related to the magnitude of the impact and the available space and inner (OEM) package padding/shock absorption. Those collisions largely do not exist if the object simply has no freedom to move in its containing package - it’s just the smaller collisions when the containing box is moved. The packaging by the mfg may be designed to absorb impacts to appropriate degrees, but it can’t be argued that somewhat unknown stresses (due to the unknown handling by the shippers) may have been applied by that freedom of movement in 2 dimensions, that would not have occurred if the OEM boxes were packaged in their container such that no freedom of movement was available. I have worked briefly with vibrations in industrial and once a small scale system, even, and we all underappreciate the effects of even just vibrations. Stabilization of sensitive components is a hard problem.
It’s not that expensive at all to just close up that space reliably with every order of HDDs. If you know you spell ~expensive HDDs, do that. I am, strictly speaking, just asking for a retailer that does that. But FWIW I guess I have to acknowledge that the physics and relevant questions are interesting.
- Comment on [deleted] 21 hours ago:
For now the 4th time, the information you’re asking me to provide exists in comments I have already typed and that you have replied to. May we have an easier time seeing eye to eye if our paths cross again, again I really wish you well. I’m not going to reply any further, goodbye.
- Comment on [deleted] 21 hours ago:
YET AGAIN, answered that. I never opened the drives. It’s right there in the comment you’re replying to.
This is a fruitless back and forth, I’m tapping out. Have a good weekend, I wish you well, sincerely.
- Comment on [deleted] 22 hours ago:
I did not intend to take ownership of these drives, I never opened them. It’s entirely possible all SMART tests and drop indications come up clean, but as I did not want to own these drives, it felt inappropriate to me to find out. Given how sensitive HDDs can be, and given my consumer-grade budget here (I’m spending my own money on a few important pieces of hardware, not griping over an enterprise installation that churns through drives like a runner does shoes). The impacts that HDDs experience (less so when powered off off, but not at all zero!) makes for a significant influence in its MTTF. That is not controversial, it’s just engineering.
Let me put this a little differently - imagine I went to a brick and mortar, asked for some drives I couldn’t find on the display floor, and they brought out two drives, in sealed OEM packaging, in a dusty beat up box that had been through shit, and with no padding inside or anything. The employees were not being careful when carrying them either, giving little confidence that the damage looks worse than it is. It’s clear they’ve been mistreated to some extent, but no way to see from here how much.
This is an important distinction - I’m not asking if you’d be willing to buy those drives yourself. I’m asking if - when I decided not to buy those (and indeed not to test them!), would you grill me over that decision like this? Would you question me for wanting to find a retailer I can shop at that at least seems to take more care? Again, why is my preference not to receive drives in clearly mishandled and insufficiently padded packaging, so contentious?
- Comment on [deleted] 22 hours ago:
That’s all I’m looking for and seems like a reasonable thing to expect, I’d prefer to avoid Amazon but am glad to know of that option, thank you! And to be clear, think you could confirm if you mean sold/fulfilled by Amazon or if you’re thinking of a 3rd party seller using Amazon the platform?
- Comment on [deleted] 23 hours ago:
Awesome that is perfectly suitable thanks!
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
I did, I don’t remember the exact phrasing, but I ensured it was basically Newegg fulfillment (I’ve even gotten a literal Amazon box from Newegg in the past when not doing so, I do basically understand how it works).
I also understand you’re trying to be helpful, but I really don’t need the physics lesson, I double majored in physics and electrical engineering, I understand that equation and it’s implications a lot better than you assume, and moreover I spent a lot of years in my career with a lot of HDDs, from many sources and for many purposes. I don’t agree with you that being shipped these drives in obviously faulty outer packaging is something I should be willing to accept, at least not without seeking out more conscientious suppliers first. It’s amazing to me that people disagree with this so much about spinning platter drives - I couldn’t give a shit less about any other kind of hardware I can think of, intact OEM packaging would be fine for me.
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
I’ve been through a tremendous number of hard drives over my career. I shudder to think how many.
Thanks for your input.
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
Okay that is truly a useful perspective and I appreciate it. I don’t understand why asking a community dedicated to passionate enthusiasts for retailers they specifically like should be contentious, it seems like precisely the point of these communities. I will keep your perspective in mind, but I don’t intend to just accept whatever even a plurality of retailers think I should be willing to accept. I’m going to hunt down ones I like giving my business to, especially in this day and age, and I think we’d all be better off if we each did the same.
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
I understand it’s small potatoes, I tried to indicate that. It isn’t to me.
I also did specifically and exactly call out the seller, Newegg, and even say that I wanted to name and shame right in the initial post, so I just don’t know what you want from me there lol. Does Lemmy support the old marquee tag somehow?
Thanks for the info on your experience with drives, I admit I’m slightly uncertain there. But nonetheless I bought new, enterprise grade drives and they were rattling around unprotected in their boxes, I don’t know why I should be expected to accept that.
After all I’m literally asking for more thoughtful careful retailers if they exist. And I gave Newegg two tries to get it right with detailed explanations of the problem, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable. In this day and age and with all the terrible treatment of all of us by corporations I am just asking this community who they might like better, and my bad experience with this one. Why is that contentious?
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
No I don’t think I will, I think I’ll blame the shoddy packing which is very unlikely to successfully protect the goods, due to the well-known challenges of shipping products and especially delicate products that you’re describing, and which indeed did fail 2x in a row to protect said goods, but you do you!
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
Thank you! For reference, here’s the copy on their site indicating how their drives are shipped, this is MUCH more what I would expect (though technically this does seem to leave them the option of just using air pockets?) :
Our drives ship in 225lb per sq inch pressure-rated boxes, specifically tested for impact. Inside the box you’ll find suspension brackets, foam inserts, or air filled pockets that secure the drive in place and prevent any possible impact from movement in the shipping process. The drive itself is sealed in an anti-static bag that protects the drive from any electromagnetic interference.
- Comment on [deleted] 1 day ago:
I think if my business saw a $400 return for damaged goods, and I’m sure higher in cases too, I’d ensure I have a robust system to package those orders correctly the second time, no? I’m not complaining about the way it was treated in transit, but the way it was packed. It used only air bubbles, which both times (and on the same side) ruptured or deflated from elevation change, but either way left the drives just freely bouncing around their containing box. And I directly and precisely explained exactly the nature of the failure to them, with photographic evidence (as their process requires). I’m willing to acknowledge that mistakes happen, but c’mon. In addition, shouldn’t Newegg of all places know these are fragile devices, and probably savvy customers?
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 1 day ago:
Ah okay. Well I’m with you on part of it, if the people who voted them in agree / would have wanted that, then yes it is appropriate for them to have taken that vote. I do not want politicians deciding for us what we really want / need, full stop. With you there.
Not really with you that it’s the job of Dems at all to keep the Congress from becoming a circus. I’m trying to be pragmatic and realistic, I’m aware that Al Green’s performance doesn’t directly translate to the federal government being suddenly less effective at its crimes and abuses.
But please, remember that whatever your own life circumstances and status, there are very vulnerable people who are being hurt now, and these people want to hurt them worse and more. The people attacking and abusing our countrymen do not respect morality or the rule of law, in any capacity - WE DO NOT OWE THEM CIVILITY and I posit that we have nothing to gain from being civil with them. We need everyone with a microphone to be screeching that they are abusive monsters, daily, disrupting any and everything they attempt to do. They did it to the ACA which tried to be the most compassionate legislation we’ve seen in a generation, they’ve done it to every damn thing else that had a hope of helping Americans, we owe them nothing more than the basic human rights we owe anyone.
But we can agree to disagree too, I don’t pretend to have all the answers and have been wrong many times in my life. Cheers friend.
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 1 day ago:
I guess I’m not sure what argument you’re making. My argument is that asking Congress to uphold decorum is a mistake when you have bad faith actors (fascists) taking advantage of their good will. And you seem to be saying that no, they should still behave politely because we aren’t among the absolute worst governments? If that’s how you feel, where is your line? What government posture merits abandoning the traditions and norms that your opponents have long since jettisoned and which they now use cynically to thwart your own high-minded efforts?
I hope I’m not being uncharitable towards you. Maybe it’s more like “we both got bogged down in defining details and we lost the thread”, that’s a thing that happens all too often lol.
- Comment on Signal's Meredith Whittaker says AI agents doing tasks on users' behalf pose security and privacy risks and refers to their use as “putting your brain in a jar”. 1 day ago:
I’ve got one of those I’ve been meaning to re target for a couple weeks now, Signal is gonna be it for sure!
- Comment on Canada suspends imports from biggest US pork processing plant 1 day ago:
That’s dope. I’m especially careful about pork I buy due to pigs’ intelligence, and the beef we get around here is amazing and comes from very happy cows. Wish I could say I were truly outta that supply chain though.
- Comment on Stand Up! 1 day ago:
Much appreciated and I was happy to see their contact info - check it out!
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 2 days ago:
Attempting to grow a fascist dictatorship, with some success and even support, sure feels near the bottom of government dysfunction to me. But part of what makes all this so maddening is the difficulty in accurately assessing the situation. I acknowledge that in 4 years I may feel that my worries today were overblown, and I sure hope so!
- Comment on Stand Up! 2 days ago:
That’s exactly right. Except you left out all the lucrative insider trading they enjoy during 1-3. And just in case anyone tries to pull the wrong idea from any of this, the Republicans are even worse than that.
- Comment on Stand Up! 2 days ago:
Fuckin Democrats prefer civility to justice. Always have.
- Comment on Call Them. Replace Them. 2 days ago:
We’re pretty damn near the bottom, bud. We need active resistance not polite words.