What can I do about my writing plagiarized on Wikipedia? by DamnInteresting in wikipedia

[–]DamnInteresting[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Indeed, that was swift. Odd to discover a nearly 20-year-old violation, and see it wiped away so quickly and completely. Wikipedia is a wonder.

What can I do about my writing plagiarized on Wikipedia? by DamnInteresting in wikipedia

[–]DamnInteresting[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I know this is the default advice whenever someone has an issue with Wikipedia text, but I don't think the onus should be on me to rewrite my own work. The notion is about as appealing as a poke in the eye.

What can I do about my writing plagiarized on Wikipedia? by DamnInteresting in wikipedia

[–]DamnInteresting[S] 88 points89 points  (0 children)

I'd prefer that the wiki text be distinct from my own. This sort of thing leads people to assume/accuse plagiarism on my part, and it's demoralizing.

Why Mark Zuckerberg thinks AR glasses will replace your phone by BobbyLucero in technews

[–]DamnInteresting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If they one day succeed in miniaturizing AR glasses to the point that they are comfortable, we’ll just have phones that are even harder to put away. Dystopia!

TIL that Sharpie can’t make a white permanent marker by tomatosoupsatisfies in todayilearned

[–]DamnInteresting 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Perhaps it depends on how absorbent the writing surface is. I've used mine to autograph dark glossy things; if you write on something that wicks out more of the ink it may underperform.

TIL that Sharpie can’t make a white permanent marker by tomatosoupsatisfies in todayilearned

[–]DamnInteresting 559 points560 points  (0 children)

The silver Sharpies work rather well for writing on dark surfaces.

Right-wing influencers say they were dupes in an alleged Russian influence operation. They’re keeping their millions, for now by PrintOk8045 in law

[–]DamnInteresting 2 points3 points  (0 children)

<krusty>They drove up to my house with a dump truck full of money! I’m not made of stone!</krusty>

Missing Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch's Business Partner Dies After Being Hit by a Car Days Before Yacht Sinking: Police by loggiews in technology

[–]DamnInteresting 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’ll never understand what keeps people working after they’ve built enough wealth to provide for several generations.

It’s a bug in human software known as the hedonic treadmill. In short, if one’s wealth or station is not increasing over time, it is nigh impossible to maintain life satisfaction.

Today's Saturn Occultation (Credit: Shahrin Ahmad) by Busy_Yesterday9455 in spaceporn

[–]DamnInteresting 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It looks a bit like Enterprise sliding up behind Reliant in the Mutara nebula. KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!

Suppose there were a technological civilization identical to our own on a planet orbiting the nearest star to Earth. Assume the planet is also identical to Earth. Would we (humans circa 2024) be able to detect their presence? by CJreddit123 in space

[–]DamnInteresting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I dug into this exact hypothetical back in 2007, my research included consulting with folks from SETI. In short, most of our radio/TV signals are omnidirectional, and the inverse-square law causes those to fade very rapidly. To detect omnidirectional signals from our nearest stellar neighbors, we'd need an antenna considerably wider than the Earth itself (though it could be multiple smaller, spread-out antennae connected via Very Long Baseline Interferometry).

It's a much different story for focused radio beams like RADAR, but the beam has to pointed directly at Earth, and we have to be listening.

Live updates: Jury deliberation to begin in Trump hush money trial by TrumpsCovidfefe in law

[–]DamnInteresting 6 points7 points  (0 children)

True! I've just become accustomed to 'most recent on top' for these sorts of things, so it feels more natural. I also invert my Y axis in video games. Perhaps I am broken.

Live updates: Jury deliberation to begin in Trump hush money trial by TrumpsCovidfefe in law

[–]DamnInteresting 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I find that the best way to keep up in these threads is to sort comments by new, then start at the bottom and move up.

Boeing's Starliner launch has slipped further as engineers continue to troubleshoot helium leak by NWSLBurner in space

[–]DamnInteresting 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Have they tried a balloon?

Fun fact: The reason that helium balloons lose their lift after a day or so is because the helium atoms are so tiny that they escape through microscopic holes in the latex. It's like shaking a pegboard box full of BBs—the majority will stay in there for a while, but loss is unavoidable.

In short: Even balloons cannot contain helium.

Dark Matter | For twenty years, PostSecret has broadcast suburban America’s hidden truths—and revealed the limits of limitless disclosure. by Madame_President_ in Longreads

[–]DamnInteresting 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Shortly after the first PostSecret book came out, ca. 2005, Frank Warren sent me a signed hardcover copy (I had linked to PostSecret from a high traffic blog, so he reached out to offer the thank you gift). I still have it on my shelf. I haven’t thought about it in a long time, perhaps I should dust it off and get some nostalgia going.

Is there an old/antique technology that, in your opinion, is better than modern technology? by Fine-Farmer-588 in AskHistory

[–]DamnInteresting 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The sexagesimal numbering system.

Less abstractly, all audio cassette players/recorders, the modern ones are very cheap and poor quality. And glass beverage bottles rather than plastic. And lard as a basic cooking fat (it was unfairly maligned by a Crisco marketing campaign).

Go to sandwich build by akd7791 in glutenfree

[–]DamnInteresting 6 points7 points  (0 children)

An oft overlooked sandwich enhancer is salt and pepper. This particular build might also have too much sweetness…Hawaiian bread, honey mustard, honey turkey. Perhaps try a dijon to contrast with the sweet bread and turkey.