EnsignWashout

@EnsignWashout@startrek.website

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨LibreOffice is right about Microsoft, and it matters more than you think.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  If I recall correctly, it has been released for moile on and off as experimental builds. Last time I grabbed an APK, it wasn’t ready.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨LibreOffice is right about Microsoft, and it matters more than you think.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Put any person who has zero computer experience in front of a windows computer or Linux computer and I doubt they would say the windows computer just works and the Linux one doesn’t.

  I did this experiment on my own kids. They find Linux more usable, and find it hard to believe people tolerate Windows.

  There’s also some indoctrination involved.

  But they have access to both, and they prefer Linux. I think that the “Windows is genuinely easier” argument doesn’t hold any water anymore.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨LibreOffice is right about Microsoft, and it matters more than you think.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Sure, but it’s not quite the compelling argument it used to be.

  Today, I’m not sitting here pining for old Linux software that stopped working. And the small amount of old windows software that did finally stop working actually works now only works on Linux with Wine.

  That’s another of the decision points that finally switched to fully favoring Linux, for me, in the last decade.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨LibreOffice is right about Microsoft, and it matters more than you think.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  There is such a law, but many of us feel that Microsoft has proven malice a few times, when it comes to open standards.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨If there's a sort of "apocalyptic" event but there are still surviving communities, will people be able to make eyeglasses again, or are people with vision issues gonna be fucked?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Can I find a broken window and start sanding it with sandpaper, as an extreme example?

  Yes, provided you have a way to polish it back TU transparent again, after changing the shape.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The World Will Enter a 15-Year AI Dystopia in 2027, Former Google Exec Says⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  We can take action. We can grab the die that Joel McHale has tossed into the air.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨OpenAI's 'Jailbreak-Proof' New Models? Hacked on Day One⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  It also could be they’re both liars and incompetent.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Lemmy is a tech literate echo chamber⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  if they want a document printed they just go out to some print shop.

  In fairness, it can be expensive to stock the holy water necessary to fend off the demons that inhabit all printers.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Startup Claims Its Fusion Reactor Concept Can Turn Cheap Mercury Into Gold⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I’ll wait and see if they can add some AI to it. But if they can, I’ll invest my entire life savings.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨RPGs that are optionally pacifist?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I see you subscribe to the Wolfwood school of pacifism: “I didn’t kill anyone!”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Doge reportedly using AI tool to create ‘delete list’ of federal regulations⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Yes. That’s what AI actually adds - plausible deniability.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨‘If I switch it off, my girlfriend might think I’m cheating’: inside the rise of couples location sharing⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  My partner and I used to use location sharing pretty much 100% of the time. We just felt better knowing we could find each other.

  But today, we do not, because the trust is shattered.

  Google just cannot be trusted with our locations.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Vibe coding takes the "science" out of computer science⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I agree. But I mean, WordPress and SquareSpace already did that for about 98% of web traffic. It was a big part of the .Com Boom and Bust.

  But we keep coming up with new stuff to build web software for, and there’s still plenty of web developer jobs. And there’s still so so many many shit websites.

  Today’s AI can only remix, not do the new stuff. Maybe it’ll get good enough to tackle the novel new stuff, someday. I doubt I’ll live to see it, if it happens.

  The root of my crankiness is: If we’re about to no longer need developers, I should be seeing widespread websites whose search, cart and checkout actually work correctly every time.

  The snake oil salesmen are bragging that the era of carpentry has ended, from on top of a wooden stage that is falling to pieces with each step.

  I would say, it can only get better, but it can really go both ways from here.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Vibe coding takes the "science" out of computer science⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  why do you guys always just move the goalposts?

  “Vibe coding” has a pretty specific definition, which includes not understanding the code. So writing tests, or correcting the code both disqualify a piece of work from being technically “vibe coded”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Vibe coding takes the "science" out of computer science⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Knowing it better than many developers, pretty soon. A huge number of us don’t really know much about how computers actually work.

  Knowing it better than top developers is a science fiction fantasy singularity daydream.

  And even Heinlein’s and Asimov’s post singularity fiction novels acknowledged that there would likely be roles for expert humans.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Vibe coding takes the "science" out of computer science⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  But for how much longer?

  How much longer will we need people who understand how things work?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are you doing when you call someone, don't leave a voicemail or text, they call you back right away but you don't answer?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Exactly. My phone is for texting and calling out. Receiving calls is an unfortunate bug.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are you doing when you call someone, don't leave a voicemail or text, they call you back right away but you don't answer?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Perfect score. Social obligations fulfilled: 100%. Words spoken: 0. Emotional energy cost: 40%.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YouTuber PatMan QC has passed away 😔⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Thank you for sharing this. Patman was a delight. He made some of the best “History of” videos for classic games.

  RIP Patman QC. He will be missed.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨BREAKING: X CEO Linda Yaccarino Steps Down One Day After Elon Musk’s Grok AI Bot Went Full Hitler⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  “We could be in serious legal trouble.”

  “Don’t worry. My billions will protect me.”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Please settle a debate. A kid in the womb is better off listening to stuff like cat in the hat so it can be read to it at bedtime? Or history of the world during the womb and read it later?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  If you want my advice, talk to them constantly as if you are the narrator, and smile and make eye contact at every opportunity.

  This is great advice.

  I’ve always done this, and my kids all started talking surprisingly early.

  But my motive is just that it calms them.

  Some baby fussiness comes from insecurity, and I find that a running narration makes them more relaxed about being set down and returned to - that kind of thing.

  Basically they get the same comfort from my narration as I get from leaving the TV running when I’m alone in the house.

  I don’t know (or worry about) if it really makes any serious long term difference - but it was occasionally convenient as heck when they could tell me what they wanted a bit earlier than I (or anyone) expected them to.

  With my last kid, I felt more brave and also mixed in some singing, and think they are more musically inclined because of it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Please settle a debate. A kid in the womb is better off listening to stuff like cat in the hat so it can be read to it at bedtime? Or history of the world during the womb and read it later?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  You’ve shared the real life hack.

  My kid was born with a love for the opening theme to “Star Trek: Enterprise”, because we were bringe watching it while the kid was in the womb.

  Playing “Faith of the Heart” came in handy when the kid started teething.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Employees at Amazon headquarters were asked on Monday to volunteer their time to the company’s warehouses to assist with grocery delivery⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  I don’t see how even Amazon can try to kill the competition in a market that huge, regardless of price or convenience.

  So I assume you wrote this after picking up groceries from your locally owner grocery store, right? Because you still have one - it didn’t collapse due to a Walmart coming to town?

  Most of us have a solid example of what driving a grocery store out of business looks like, though.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Tech Giants Team Up With Teachers Union on $23M AI Academy⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  “Not everyone in the union will celebrate this corporate partnership. Some members have legitimate concerns about tech giants shaping classroom priorities through financial relationships.”

  When has a corporation and a Union ever not seen eye to eye?

  (Please don’t answer. This is sarcasm. Otherwise RIP my inbox.)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Founder of Arkane Studios: "I think Gamepass is an unsustainable model that has been increasingly damaging the industry for a decade"; impacts sales⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  There’s no industry pressure to be on Gamepass, yet.

  Microsoft doesn’t willingly lose money on something unless they think they can make it into a market distorting rent extraction hellscape. something very profitable later.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Connor Myers: As if graduating weren’t daunting enough, now students like me face a jobs market devastated by AI⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Many firms are now slashing their number of new hires.

  Yes. This sucks.

  The main cause of this is artificial intelligence

  Unlikely.

  The main cause for a chill in hiring tends to be uncertainty about the future. And we know that folks are feeling high uncertainty about the future, right now. (Gestures broadly at current headlines in general and “Not The Onion”, in particular.)

  Historically, uncertainty about the future is particularly high when the people have low confidence that existing and new laws will be applied in a predictable manner.

  I’ll leave exactly what changed on that front as a thought exercise.

  AI is interesting, but it is not the primary cause of the chill in hiring new graduates.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨AI could create a 'Mad Max' scenario where everyone's skills are basically worthless, a top economist says⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  This economist is telling me they never fixed their own plumbing.

  There’s theoretically nothing hard about plumbing.

  It stands to reason that we ought to be able to automate all plumbing repair quite soon.

  Unlike this economist, I’ve enjoyed a delightful spray of educational water, more than once, highlighting the joy of discovery of one of the many more nuanced aspects of home plumbing.

  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over and over, it is that however complicated I think some aspect of the world is, it is actually at least slightly more complicated than that.

  I find it particularly evocative when I happen to learn this lesson while I am literally “all wet”.

  Robots may become delightful-but-stupid helpers to many more roles, any day now - even plumbers.

  Perhaps someday robots of various jobs may even become delightful while even not-too-terribly-stupid.

  But thinking that all subject matter experts will be adequately replaced by robots is incredibly naive.

  I personally consider that belief “all wet”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Trump’s Defiance of TikTok Ban Prompted Immunity Promises to 10 Tech Companies⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  It can be hard to guess who to bribe, or how big each bribe should be?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Uh… So no gift. Got it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Just tell him respectfully, sometime.

  As a parent, myself:

  • I totally don’t mind if my kids tell me they can hear me. I appreciate knowing our communication lines are open.
  • I am still going to continue having (probably still loud) sex in the house. Unless my kids fully paying a roommate’s share of the costs to run the home, they’re still kids, not roommates.
  • I’ll probably buy the kid some nice noise suppressing audio headset as a shopping surprise, sometime soon.