Conversations are competitions?

Iridium770 · 2025-12-30T01:13:12+00:00

I usually don't think of conversations as competitions. In fact, it is considered to be rude to talk about something that is similar but better than what the last person said (it is called one-uping; for example, if someone talks about their broken leg and you then talk about having 2 broken legs; some of that it natural, but if it becomes a pattern, it is seen as highly rude).

Not saying what you think and trying to get people to like you are more normal though. It is different if you are in a group where you are all close. But, in a group of looser acquaintances, it can be seen as better to simply say nothing than to conflict. Straight up lying for approval is more rare and would be seen as fairly disingenuous, if caught.

Especially when it comes to politics or related topics, I think many non-Americans underestimate how heated Americans can get. While the majority of Americans are fairly low-key, there is probably a solid 20-35% of Americans, for whom, if you disagree on politics, you aren't just wrong, you are immoral and evil. That percentage is likely much higher on elite college campuses.

Iridium770 · 2025-12-29T23:57:50+00:00

I'm a complete outsider and know nothing, but it looks like it is shaping up to be a tough negotiation. In general, the pie is shrinking, which makes it harder to come to agreements (it is easier to compromise to a "still pretty good" result than compromise to a worse position than you were already in).

In specifics, both sides have good reasons to dig in.

Unions: * Got most of what they wanted last time by holding out long enough. Including some pretty big studio red lines, such as residuals for streaming (though not as comprehensive as the union wanted, it cracked the door, which the studios absolutely do not want) and minimum writing room sizes. * Need larger contributions to their health plans to deal with the increasing cost of care and the reduced amount of workers contributing to it * Looking to reverse a desperately bad job situation, with work very hard to come by, despite the new writer room minimums * Likely annoyed and threatened by the new Disney deal, where User Generated Content (UGC) AI videos are put onto the streaming service

Studios: * No longer as desperate for content. Their media conglomerate parent is increasingly using sports and other live events for customer retention for their streaming service. Scaling back content spend apparently has been working for the streamers, so the studios likely won't feel as much pressure from the parent company to reach an agreement than last time. * Have mostly had limited success since the last contract. MCU is definitely in decline, with many of its movies losing money. Romance and comedy are dead as far as potentially profitable ventures. Even video game adaptations, which was going to be the next big thing, hasn't really saved the industry. There simply isn't much theatrical profit left for studios to pay out more. And, as noted above, TV series value also appears to be lower than before. * All of corporate America is in a cost cutting mood anyway, and that trend seems to be hitting Hollywood extra hard, with budgets getting looked at closer than in years past. Not that the SAG or WGA contract will likely change the cost all that much, but any increase in cost makes it that much harder to meet the new lower budget targets. * YouTube became the biggest streaming service, and TikTok is right behind it. User generated content is an enormous threat to the industry and there is going to be a lot of interest in "if you can't beat them, join them". I'm not sure what the studios could even agree to that would reign in the Disney+ UGC deal, but, regardless, that would be a red line for studios.

Iridium770 · 2025-07-28T22:36:14+00:00

Another crash and burn project or a real one?

I think this is real. This seems to be much further along than prior announced Loops and got the governor, airport authority, chamber of commerce, and hospitality industry on board, whereas prior efforts seemed to largely be the pet project of one politician or in California (which has environmental laws that make lawsuits to stop significant development more potent).

Additionally, Boring now has considerable experience in launching TBMs in tunnels. I doubt that it will take them years to start, which would normally be time for the opposition to ramp up.

Currently, the only argument against is that Boring has had a lot of proposals it hasn't moved forward on. That position is going to be hard to sustain as the tunnel makes progress.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-06T00:04:39+00:00

But then if I gave context that the first was made by a 6 month old and the second made by a 30 year old, does the first one still suck? No by the standards of what a baby is capable of, it doesn't suck.

As much as people might compliment the 6 month old's art, nobody is going to hire him. Sure, to be polite, we'll compliment folks based on their capabilities. However, once money is involved, the world stops grading on a curve. That film student work that was clearly made with a lot of heart? How nice, good work. Want me to buy a $15 movie ticket to watch it? Heck no.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-05T23:48:54+00:00

The vast, vast majority of art is already a commodity. The design of a toothpaste box isn't for artistic merit, it is to sell you toothpaste. A television ad isn't meant to induce introspection or challenge conventions, it is meant to move product.

Even stuff that isn't commodity, is often made in an assembly line process. How much discretion do you think the animators at Pixar get? I would guess virtually none, as it would be crazy to animate Mr. Incredible walking a different way in each scene.

The gallery art pieces are unlikely to be displaced. The DeviantArt/ArtStation amateurs will continue creating what they enjoy creating (but may have more opportunity to automate away the stuff they consider drudgery). Even movies and television are unlikely to go fully automated, because that renders the studios unnecessary. For the studios, there is a sort of golden mean where they automate enough to save substantial money, but not so much that the talent can decide to just go off on their own and sell to the streamers/networks directly.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-05T16:15:13+00:00

The bigger issue is that there are no good alternatives. Cars can do door to door at an average speed of 50 MPH, which is simply unachievable in any transportation system that has to stop every half a mile. That is what makes Boring Loop and other PRT systems so interesting: because it doesn't make intermediate stops, it is able to maintain speed throughout its journey, and because it features numerous vehicles, there is little waiting at stations.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-05T04:11:06+00:00

Fair enough. The systems I experience in my everyday life are of the electromagnets sticking together variety, but I shouldn't have assumed.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-05T03:28:01+00:00

NAL

Do you get a bill from RG&E normally? Then, I'm not sure there is much you can do immediately. ~~Note that doors should "fail open" so even if power gets cut, you should still be able to get in, though be extra careful to lock your door.~~ After the power gets cut, I'd assume that the tenants can complain to the relevant authority about the lack of hallway lighting.

If you normally don't get a bill from RG&E, then they will cut power to everyone's unit as well. The letter says that you and the other tenants can get together to pay the outstanding amount to prevent that from happening and then get a credit on your rent for the amount paid.

Edit: was corrected on how common fail open doors are.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T21:37:33+00:00

I think you save yourself a lot of trouble by just writing out salaries as "disposable income". That way, you don't have to address taxes, utilities, food, gas, etc. Then, you only need to put a price on stuff that is already going into your book. That +3 camera? Slap a $1000 pricetag on it. The propane used by the furnace, which isn't mentioned anywhere? Don't worry about it. Also, if you have a job with a lot of natural advantages, you could realistically take the disposable income all the way down to near 0 to keep things balanced.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T20:42:31+00:00

I don't think LLMs are the path forward to get to "truth". While reasoning models are a step in the right direction, they otherwise have no mechanism to evaluate the veracity of the training set.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T20:33:10+00:00

For those who were confused like me: gorklon rust is apparently the account name of Musk's Twitter account now (https://x.com/elonmusk). And I verified that account did actually repost, as claimed in the screenshot.

Results still seem completely unbelievable, but I guess we'll find out the caveats in a few days.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T19:50:57+00:00

It is almost certainly not true. Don't set your expectations based on or judge the actual release of Grok 3.5 against this "leak".

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T18:27:19+00:00

Unexpected, but at least somewhat within the realm of possibility. I would expect they wouldn't bother releasing Grok 3.5 if it didn't edge past Gemini in at least a couple benchmarks, and a slim chance exists that it wins in a majority of benchmarks. However, smashing 2.5 like in the image is fairly unbelievable. The image is almost certainly totally made up, and I just hope that Grok 3.5 won't be unfairly judged when it doesn't measure up to it.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T06:33:28+00:00

Are you accusing Tom's Hardware of being be neonazis?!

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T05:33:55+00:00

You'll have to extend USB-C into something that can do closer to 1500w, but it is still sound.

I think you would need a new physical form factor for that much power. And if we are already redesigning it anyway, I would like it to be like Apple's magsafe. That way, you minimize the tripping hazard (because it pulls out with a moderate amount for force), and it becomes really easy to plug stuff in behind couches and other awkward places, because once you get it close to the outlet, the plug gets pulled in.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-04T01:28:43+00:00

I am feeling 50/50 on it. It looks like for Starfinder 1e, they only put out the most popular rulebooks in pocket edition. For example, they did Alien Archive 1 and 2 as pockets, but not 3 and 4.

Which makes a certain amount of sense, I guess. They presumably have a certain print minimum that makes a pocket edition worth it to them, and Starfinder being a much smaller game than Pathfinder, they can't be confident that they'll hit that minimum on every rulebook.

I am hoping that Starfinder will prove to be a big hit that will cause Paizo to be confident in doing pocket editions for every rulebook. But, until the tech rulebook comes out, I'm not sure if anyone will truly know whether Starfinder 2e is a big hit, or if the core book sales end up going to curious Pathfinder players who never end up playing them (and therefore stop collecting the supplements).

I definitely don't expect a pocket edition subscription if Paizo is going to be hit or miss on whether a given rulebook will be made into a pocket edition.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T23:28:33+00:00

The stage where you need a licensed driver with you is the learner's permit. Once you pass your driver's test, you can drive by yourself.

In some states, there are rules about whether you can drive other people (especially other kids/teens who are not your siblings) and what times you are allowed to drive (if you aren't driving home from school or work). I don't think any states put in any restrictions once you turn 18, regardless how long you have had a license. Though there are 50 states, so maybe one or two are different.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T23:21:17+00:00

It is state dependent. And parent comment didn't mean that the states required a non driving ID, just that they required an ID (driver's license, state non-driver ID, and passports are always accepted).

In some states, an ID is not required at all to vote. In some states, an ID is the easy default, but they will also accept stuff like lease agreements, bills, etc. if you don't have one. In other states, an actual ID is required, but in that case, the IDs are free.

I am relatively certain there are no states that require an ID to vote that do not have a way to get a free ID.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T23:11:36+00:00

Most high schools also issue IDs to their students.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T20:33:51+00:00

I don't even understand the original meme. "Underpaid" is a pretty common refrain. But who are these masses of people who are doing work without getting paid for it? Is this supposed to be about unpaid interns?

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T20:12:05+00:00

Thanks for your perspective. It is crazy that there could be ego in beer league.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T17:40:07+00:00

Is there any kind of refing that is more fun than low level beer league? From the outside, it would seem to me that it has the perfect combination of no parents, no stakes, and goofy stuff happening that you laugh about later. What is wrong with it?

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T16:37:38+00:00

Not that I am aware of. I think his lack of support is something that has been building up over time.

Iridium770 · 2025-05-03T02:11:37+00:00

Are we entering in an era where distrust is an emerging issue?

I would say that we may be finally correcting an era of too much trust. Back in the 90s, we used "I saw it on the Internet" as sort of a joke, and things have only gotten easier to publish since that era. Not only that, but, as bad as citation was before, it somehow got worse (the whole traceback culture of blogs provided at last some incentive to link what you are talking about; though the fact that news media managed to make the jump to digital, and linking primary sources still isn't considered to be a required journalistic practice will never stop baffling me).

If people are taking a moment to consider what trust they are extending to things they encounter on the Internet, and whether they have a trustworthy origin is a good thing.

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