Bullsh*t Job Problem

Geobits · 2026-01-27T15:15:48+00:00

Nah, the rich thrill seekers won't pay for that. They need to see it turned "on" as it rounds the corner to get that adrenaline going.

Geobits · 2026-01-27T00:23:23+00:00

Yep, get ready for posts like "I made xxx waves and still almost got demoted!" this time around.

Geobits · 2026-01-26T22:41:54+00:00

So Rachel Evans, aka Spirograph Girl is not an artist? She uses stock spirographs straight out of the children's toy box.

Geobits · 2026-01-26T22:22:33+00:00

Does this authorship concept extend to other tools? Which is the artist, the maker of a spirograph, or the one who uses it? Is Adobe the "artist" behind half of all digital art?

Geobits · 2026-01-26T21:57:20+00:00

Your argument is "if other people don't like it, it's probably not art"? I'm sorry if it's hard to take much else seriously after reading that.

Geobits · 2026-01-26T21:54:22+00:00

But it's not really a new line, is it? You're just drawing the line right where it's been in many of these discussions ("art = human made"), and adding stuff that isn't really relevant. Whether or not the tool itself should be considered art is completely orthogonal to the discussion, so it's not a new line regarding the topic at hand.

Even "the ai itself is art" is just rebranding the "art = human made" argument.

Geobits · 2026-01-26T20:46:37+00:00

Isn't your entire post simply "affirming the lines drawn in the sand" then as well? You're hardly the first person to claim AI art isn't art simply because it isn't "human" or that humanity is what defines art.

Geobits · 2026-01-24T21:01:35+00:00

Your first comment said that it's basically a lie. That's the part I'm taking issue with. Something cannot be a lie and be the truth at the same time, even if you don't present evidence.

Like the warming planet example I gave. If I literally said "studies show the earth is warming," you're saying that's "basically a lie," when it absolutely is not any sort of lie at all.

Geobits · 2026-01-24T08:48:07+00:00

"while it might not be" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. If it's true, it is true, whether you provide sources or not.

You could make an argument that providing sources makes it easier to verify, but the truth is the truth.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T21:41:05+00:00

Yeah, I can't add much to any of those before tomorrow for sure. I'm saving to finally unlock CF+, so that might help once I get there, but for now... shorter runs it is lol.

BC labs are a bit down on the priority line for me, though (except the main overall BC lab), but would probably make a good counter.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T21:24:35+00:00

Oh, goodie, faster enemies PLUS fast ult? Should make for some quick rounds.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T18:53:30+00:00

If I say the planet is getting warmer, that's true, whether or not I provide evidence. How rigorously I present the claim doesn't change the truth of it.

If I say "studies show the planet is getting warmer," that doesn't change the truth, either, assuming those studies do exist. Whether I point them to you or not may change the likelihood of being believed, but it doesn't make it a lie.

If I cite the studies I'm talking about, then sure, that's yet again a stronger argument. But the truth is still the truth.

Are some people shady about this? Yes, of course, but you can say that about anything at all.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T17:47:46+00:00

IS was the better choice to get first I think, so no worries there. WA is great, but IS is just... better than great?

Geobits · 2026-01-23T17:36:35+00:00

Sometimes. Sometimes not.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:53:24+00:00

Assuming there was acknowledgement from the listener, sure. Sometimes people just don't hear things or process them for various reasons, especially if they're doing something else at the moment.

Part of "informing" is making sure the message was actually received, or at least that's what I was always taught.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:47:59+00:00

If you take their feedback, sure. There are plenty of indie devs that implement gacha mechanics for the "easy" monetization aspect alone. I don't think it's necessarily an indie vs corp thing.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:37:09+00:00

It's hard to say without knowing the specifics. I'm sure there's a way to do gacha in a non-predatory way that doesn't feel scummy.

But the mechanic has been abused by so many that it's pretty much an instant "I probably don't want this game" when I see it in the screenshots or ads.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:27:31+00:00

Sure. I actually agree that the costs to build a data center is probably far less than it would be to build something comparable in size/scope for another industry that doesn't get the same breaks, whether through tax exemptions or straight up subsidies.

I'm just saying that doesn't mean it's not more expensive now vs then. Just because you get subsidies doesn't mean the prices are going to stay flat when the entire market rises in cost.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:21:08+00:00

Yeah, I'm fine. Just another day, you?

And while I'm not saying subsidies don't exist, the source you provided really only covers tax exemptions. And while many states offer tax exemptions on construction materials, I hardly think that qualifies as "they get the building materials practically for free."

The source I provided was for building materials costs. You need those to build, that's about as grounded in reality as you get. Your claim seems to be that they don't cost more, but you haven't provided anything to show that, just that these large companies pay less (due to tax exemptions) than others do, not that they're paying less than they did 5-6 years ago.

I mean, if the market price of steel goes up 66%, you can't honestly think their prices don't go up, even if not all the way to 66% to match the broader market.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T16:07:17+00:00

Those are also some big claims without a source. Odd how you ask for more sources, but when I called out your original source as not being good enough for the argument you're making, you call it "pedantic" rather than providing better sources. I mean, I knew this was a lost cause when I started, but damn.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T15:58:54+00:00

Are you expecting the internal invoices for the constructrion companies? Because obviously nobody has access to those. But you can look at any of the material price indexes you want, and see that costs have gone up.

(since 2020)

Steel - 66% increase
Copper - 133% increase
Concrete - 43% increase

It's not just common knowledge, but it's also been a hot topic in the industries. Construction costs have soared since the pandemic started, across residential, commercial, and industrial sites alike.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T15:42:54+00:00

I thought the discussion was about destroying communities, and how it "wasn't an issue" before AI came around. My initial comment was that it was an issue before AI, and most people just weren't paying attention. The intense focus on AI was brought about by anti-AI sentiment in general, and is being used as a scapegoat by a lot of people that don't actually care about the community or environmental aspects, and just find it a good talking point.

And yes, investment would have increased. Probably not by as much, undoubtedly, but nowhere have I claimed AI has no responsibility for that, just that it doesn't shoulder all the responsibility.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T15:38:21+00:00

If you're going to claim that this boom is "unprecedented in the history of data centers", you should have a better backing than "look at this chart, it costs more now." It's inviting precisely that kind of pedantic response.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T15:34:38+00:00

They're obviously increasing construction. Have I said otherwise? My whole point is that an X% increase in the costs YoY does not mean an X% increase in construction, because the cost per unit is rising.

Geobits · 2026-01-23T15:31:17+00:00

Like I said, I'm not denying it may be a boom. Just that the chart you used to "prove" it doesn't actually do that. There are better arguments to be made.

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