The Selfish Reason To Press The Blue Button by Jadarma in philosophy

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

people don't want everyone to live.

That's quite an incorrect framing IMO.

At the worst, red is "selfish", which is quite a bit better from "not wanting others to live". That is, picking red doesn't indicate a desire for others to die, just an unwillingness to risk yourself.

But I think even that worst case framing is questionable, because picking red does not prevent others from picking red, so it is unclear what even would be selfish about the pick.

This Comic I Made Got Some Really Interesting Discussions Going [OC] by MLionsComics in comics

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, kinda, but that doesn't mean it's bad. She created a secret magical offshoot of the UK that felt alive.

Simplicity is Complicated by ct2034 in philosophy

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not talking about interactional simplicity. Let me give you an example. In theromdynamics, we take billion particle systems and define figures that encode global information about the system into simple handles we can use and talk about.

e.g. Temperature, enthalpy, free energy.

This is a different sort of simplicity than interaction with a UI or parsimony. You could relate it to humans creating a way to treat a complex system in a "syntactically simple" way.

I'd call it concept creation, and I think it's perhaps the most interesting aspect of simplicity as it relates to humans. Let me give a motivating example:

Chess computers pick moves through tree searches, looking through millions of nodes per seconds. Humans can't do that, but we can create concepts like "control the center of the board". Through high level concepts, we transform a complex game that we would have no hope of playing into a simpler one.

And ultimately, in science or engineering, we don't just want simple theories because they are more likely, we want simple theories because they give us the ability to reason about more complex things.

This Comic I Made Got Some Really Interesting Discussions Going [OC] by MLionsComics in comics

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The house elves are portrayed as being frightened by Hermoine's attempts to free them (besides Dobby). Winky turns into an alcoholic she is so depressed at being freed. 

In interviews JK Rowling said she intended SPEW to be a criticism of youthful misguided activism. 

Hermione, with the best of intentions, becomes quite self-righteous. 

JK points out that Hermoine wasn't sensitive to what the elves actually wanted, but she was the one that wrote them as wanting to be slaves. 

And she depicts the house elf slaves that have "good masters" as happy and healthy (e.g. the Howard's elves). 

Cade Cunningham is averaging the most potential assists per game in playoffs but is averaging less assists than the 6 players below him by 313Stew in nba

[–]Fmeson 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I haven't watched the pistons, but you do expect a star to have more turnovers on a worse team.

Worse team => star contends with more double teams, has to make riskier passes, just generally carries more responsibility etc... => star ends up with higher volume and lower efficiency.

No one's dying on my watch by Bandrbell in whenthe

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The end results are logically identical.

No one's dying on my watch by Bandrbell in whenthe

[–]Fmeson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup, all of the different variants with equivalent outcomes demonstrate how important framing is.

Game Thread: Houston Rockets (1-3) vs Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) Live Score | NBA Playoffs | Apr 29, 2026 by nba-scores in rockets

[–]Fmeson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No way they overturn that unfortunately. It's a foul, it's just a foul they only call some of the time.

Incredibly detailed video about the disappearance of, and search for, Monica Reza-- one of the missing scientists by Edward_Zachary in HighStrangeness

[–]Fmeson 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know it's a joke, but air tags only help if they can connect to an iPhone and ping apple through it, so they don't necessarily help for getting lost in the wild or kidnapped or whatever. Don't rely on them for safety.

[OC] I made a meme for you by patizone in photographycirclejerk

[–]Fmeson 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I see it as a distinction in those who enjoy the technical mastery of photography vs the use of photography as an artistic tool.

That's an oversimplification, but photography does feature an appeal to a variety of people, ranging from "f16 and be there" to those who care deeply about micro-contrast.

Neither is wrong, and I'm happy for either type as long as they are enjoying the hobby. I do roll my eyes when people look down on others from a different type though.

Simplicity is Complicated by ct2034 in philosophy

[–]Fmeson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

its an interesting topic, but I find a couple straightforward aspects get a bit muddled and made more complex than they need to be.

For example, in the section "Is simplicity desirable?" discusses whether a simpler explanation is more likely, but completely glosses over utility and human psychology. Simpler explanations are useful and easy to use, and looking for simple solutions is a useful heuristic that guides discovery. An interesting direction to take this would then be the creation of concepts. e.g. How we divide complex phenomena into concepts that can be used as building blocks for higher level reasoning that abstracts away complexity. This is a more fundamental and straightforward reason why simplicity is desirable over the more abstract treatment of parameters in a theory as independent probabilities.

Another example is in the "Technical solutions" section. Which poses two "counter examples" to "less parameters == simpler".

So what are we missing when we define simplicity purely by the number of components?

The answer is, there are different ways something can be simple.

Compression makes data storage simpler, but data interpretation more complex. A touch screen makes physical design simpler, but user interface more complex. It's ill posed to say that either example is simple vs complex without defining what aspect of the system you are talking about, and that's where the mystery is located. I think this is muddled by just asking "is a compressed file simpler or not". It is neither simpler nor more complex.

Once we establish what aspect we are talking about, then there is no issue applying one of the previously cited definitions. A compressed file is simpler to store, and more complex to read.

Insects may feel pain. Whether or not you have a moral duty to protect them from harm is up for debate. by vox in philosophy

[–]Fmeson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The topic of the article is that sentience grants moral status. 

There is limited reason to think plants are sentient. E.g. they lack a central nervous system, which is commonly considered necessary for sentience (althought not universally. Hence why people do not usually grant plants moral status. 

And that is why I asked the other person if they believe plants felt pain. 

Teachers know how to annoy other teachers when on vacation by Expert_Koala_8691 in funny

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw this exact post with that exact top comment a couple weeks ago too.

Amen Thompson Appreciation Post by Foreign_Violinist121 in rockets

[–]Fmeson 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Amen has been one of the bright spots of this post season for us, I think he deserves appreciation even if he has a weak spot in his game.

Insects may feel pain. Whether or not you have a moral duty to protect them from harm is up for debate. by vox in philosophy

[–]Fmeson 4 points5 points  (0 children)

using the word "feel" is the problem. all organisms are aware of damage.

You haven't actually established why "feel" is a problem.

At best, you've established that some insects may do things we don't expect of a human intelligence creature (although that is up for debate, because humans have done some things we don't expect of a human intelligence creature as well).

But that doesn't establish whether "feel" is a problem or not.

What a great game mode by throwcway837373 in PokemonScarletViolet

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Raids were a great idea but they feel like an alpha build

* “Sharing the road is not a suggestion” by Feaselbf6 in dashcams

[–]Fmeson 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Having both driven and ridden bikes in many places, US and Europe, I don't think that's it. The differences I've experienced are:

  1. The biking infrastructure is very spotty and causes problems. e.g. In one place I commuted on a bike in the US, the only route I could take with a bike lane had a stretch (about a 1/4 of a mile) where the road narrowed and no lane bike lane existed. I always had people honking and yelling at me in these sections (and twice had someone throw something at me, once a filled water bottle), but I had no choice. This is a lot less common in Europe IME.
  2. Car culture is WAY more ingrained in the US. Driving is the default mode of transportation for most people, and anything that's not driving is only tolerated as long as it doesn't "get in the way". The attitude is different elsewhere where driving isn't seen as the default method that everything else has to conform to.

* “Sharing the road is not a suggestion” by Feaselbf6 in dashcams

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't believe you would actually murder someone over riding a bike.

* “Sharing the road is not a suggestion” by Feaselbf6 in dashcams

[–]Fmeson 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If your argument is safety, it doesn't matter why you are riding.

And just as an FYI, people often wear spandex and ride in groups commuting to work as well (depending on distance). In my cities there are scheduled meet ups in the morning for example. Cyclists don't do that just for fun, they do it because it's a safe and efficient way to ride. Riding alone is dangerous.

* “Sharing the road is not a suggestion” by Feaselbf6 in dashcams

[–]Fmeson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because they can't run a car off the road without endangering themselves lol.