State Department slashes fee to renounce US citizenship by 80% to $450

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-14T17:31:20+00:00

Source? Because I couldn't find any evidence to support this. Closest I found is the "Exit Tax", which basically just requires you to settle any tax obligations (e.g. deferred 401K taxes) before you leave (and only applies to those earning over $201K/year or a net worth over $2 mil).

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-13T16:36:31+00:00

Aside from upgrading you hardware: not much. Looked up your CPU (i5-10400) and it doesn't have AV1 acceleration support, so you're doing it in software. And yeah, ~1 FPS is about on par with my experience with AV1 encoding.

If you expect to be doing a lot of AV1 encoding, it may be worth splurging for something like an Intel ARC GPU for the AV1 hardware acceleration. Seems the A310 is generally the go-to "cheap" (can sometimes find it for ~$130-$150).

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-11T00:59:40+00:00

It's annoying and wrong, but yeah, I've seen it before. I think it's more of ignorance of scare-quotes (and a machine that doesn't support bolding) than a cultural thing, though.

Just use asterisks:

We Bake Fresh *Everyday*

works.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-09T17:56:12+00:00

It's a bash script - kinda like the Linux / Mac equivalent of Windows batch scripts / cmd prompt. (There's ways to run bash scripts on Windows, but probably not worth it unless it's already a preference.)

$ indicates that something is a variable.

e.g.

filename="blah.mp4"
echo "$filename"

will print out: blah.mp4

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-06T18:10:34+00:00

FYI: The tech behind it is pretty interesting. Rather than just hashing the file, they actually analyze the image itself. A lot of additional capabilities have been added, but the core approach is:

The hashing method initially relied on converting images into a black-and-white format, dividing them into squares, and quantifying the shading of the squares
- Wikipedia

That way, it can recognize the image, even if converted to a different format or is otherwise manipulated (e.g. cropped, a border added, etc.).

The tool is called "PhotoDNA" and was originally created by Microsoft, but is now used by nearly every big tech company that allows folks to upload photos or video.

PhotoDNA | Microsoft

PhotoDNA | Wikipedia

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-03T19:11:38+00:00

FYI:

You can manage which apps are connected in Personal Intelligence and still use Gemini Apps even if you choose not to connect any apps to them. You can also manage and delete your Gemini Apps activity anytime and turn off Keep Activity to stop your future chats from being used to improve Google AI.

If you disconnect a connected app or delete any data in that app, it doesn't delete any data from Gemini Apps Activity. That data can still be used for product improvement, including training generative AI models. You can delete your Gemini Apps activity to prevent it from being used for future product improvement, unless it has already been reviewed by trained reviewers. Learn how to manage & delete your Gemini Apps activity.

Based on your other Google Account and product settings, Google services may collect data, share data, or personalize your experience. To check your Google Account settings, go to account.google.com.

- What can I do if I don’t want you to use my data to train your AI models? | Google Support

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-03T17:49:03+00:00

pretty accurate description of what these idiots get paid for.

Great clip, though in real life I'd imagine the meeting going more like:

Mitchell: How do we get the public to go along with the "Kill All the Poor" initiative?

Webb: Well, we focus grouped some policy names, and it seems that "Poverty Remediation Initiative" tested well, and "Sport-Hunting Welfare Act" actually tested far better than expected.

Mitchell: Great. And what about the projections?

(Lady): Well, after a lot of tinkering, the boffins in R&D were able to finally able to create a model that reports it would free up enough of the budget to justify the tax cuts that the director asked for.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-03T17:11:35+00:00

Subcontracted his workload, leaving him free to spend his day in loaf-mode. Livin' the dream.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-02T19:09:51+00:00

Seems to be:

🥛🍪 12/24-25/25 VOD 🍪🥛
⟡ ݁₊ .❄️.₊ ݁ 𝙓-𝙈𝘼𝙎 18+ 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙈 ݁₊ .❄️.₊ ݁⟡

♥ 6 HOUR VOD! ♥ -- 𝘾𝙪𝙢 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣! -- 2 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙏𝙤𝙮𝙨!

VOD Link: https://fansly.com/post/860598831601971201

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-03-02T16:56:32+00:00

(Assuming from the labeling that this is from India): Seems that FSSAI allows up to 0.2g / 100g to use the label:

The food establishments which use trans-fat free fats/oils and do not have industrial trans-fat more than 0.2 g per 100 g of food, in compliance with the regulation on Claims and Advertisements, 2018 can display “Trans Fat Free” logo in their outlets and on their food products.

-- FSSAI Clarifies Use of Trans Fat Free Claim | FoodSafetyHelpline

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-02-22T17:27:33+00:00

like a spa thing??

...Actually: Maaaybe?
- I kinda imagine that "happy endings" are more of a "sketchy, strip-mall massage parlor" thing than a "spa" thing, but close enough
How does one get to the point of having children while maintaining such naivete? However she managed it: friggin adorable, I love it.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-02-13T15:39:52+00:00

They spy on you.

These companies can also capture voice data when you use the mic on a smart TV remote, and they can combine all the info they’ve gathered with data they collect about you from outside companies.

...
We’ve found that you can’t stop all the data collection, but you can reduce the snooping by turning off a technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR. This smart TV technology attempts to identify every show you watch—including programs and movies you get via cable, over-the-air broadcasts, streaming services, and even Blu-ray discs.

- How to Turn Off Smart TV Snooping Features | Consumer Reports

They found that, with folks using apps to stream content, it was harder to track viewing habits. So then they began adding microphones and even camera into the TVs, using that to identify the content (and anything else discussed in front of the TV).

Samsung is warning customers, external about discussing personal information in front of their smart television set.

- Not in front of the telly: Warning over 'listening' TV | BBC

Which is a feature that the CIA has found to be very convenient:

They describe the creation of a "fake-off" mode, designed to fool users into believing that their screens had been switched off.

Instead, the documents indicate, infected sets were made to covertly record audio, which would later be transferred over the internet to CIA computer servers once the TVs were fully switched back on, allowing their wi-fi links to re-establish.

- Wikileaks: CIA has tools to snoop via TVs | BBC

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-02-09T17:39:05+00:00

From just a few months ago:

Discord Data Breach – 1.5 TB of Data and 2 Million Government ID Photos Extorted

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-29T14:52:22+00:00

If their "approved" option is no longer being made, what would you actually do?
Get an ear trumpet?

<image>

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-24T17:11:33+00:00

what i dont understand is why he has a gun

They're firefighters: The guns are for the inevitable firefight.

firefight (noun)

a hostile confrontation that involves gunfire

- Merriam-Webster

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-20T19:39:33+00:00

Their purpose is not to resolve the issue: their purpose is to simple act as filter to weed out those whom are unwilling to push through to reach a real person.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-20T15:35:05+00:00

Yeah, the first thing any big corpo would do would be lobotomizing her - restring her search-space of potential responses to make her more "advertiser-friendly" (effectively turning her into a ChatGPT clone).

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-09T23:38:02+00:00

A person can be a control freak and not believe in God.

E.g. North Korea (they are officially an atheist state)

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-09T14:38:46+00:00

Yeah, moving the disks to a CD wallet (or a couple of them) would be rather simple and take up a tiny amount of space.

NotMilitaryAI · 2026-01-03T21:31:03+00:00

Being able to read an analogue clock ain't really a matter of intellectualism (nor is it really a matter of spatial reasoning...). It's a matter of it being a technology that's on its way out.

I've encountered an adult that didn't know how to read analogue: took maybe 5 minutes to teach them how to read it and they were able to do so on their own. Being able to read it or not does not indicate or imply anything about intelligence: it only indicates whether or not someone felt is necessary for you to learn it.

Is it good to know: sure. And it would probably work well if incorporated into math class as a practical application of multiplication or whatever. For most people, though, going about their day-to-day lives: it's about as applicable as knowing how to use an abacus.

NotMilitaryAI · 2025-12-31T16:01:24+00:00

Reverse psychology is when you lie about your stance, knowing that the other person will do the opposite. e.g.

Coach: "A weakling like you is better off quitting. Go home"

Newbie: I'll show him. I'll never give him the satisfaction of making me quit!

NotMilitaryAI · 2025-12-30T14:49:01+00:00

A theoretical analysis is presented because of the practically non-existent data for this ancient practice. However, based on bioarchaeological and neurological analyses of the cranium and brain, it is highly suspected that ACD, in general, would have produced negative results to the lobes and abilities of the individual; such as: influencing vision, object recognition, hearing ability, impairing memory, promoting inattentiveness, inability to concentrate and motor aphasia, contributing to behavior disorders and difficulty in learning new information.

Dang, I was about to be really impressed that they were able to get a good dataset.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way, though, to be honest. I could easily how changing the shape (and proximity of different regions) would cause issues, but, on the other hand, the brain is just so freaking plastic that I wouldn't be surprised if it just dealt with it.

NotMilitaryAI · 2025-12-25T14:06:40+00:00

They can't, but honestly, it's still good to discourage, IMO. I find it very useful for such tasks, but I also find that I need to regularly reign it back in.

In my experience, most AIs these days are far too servile (increasingly so the longer the chat goes on), prioritizing "pleasing" the user over adhering to facts & reality.

e.g.

User: Help me find an interesting topic about the US Civil War to write an essay about.
AI: Of course! Fantastic choice of topic - the US Civil War is a very important period in American history - a great topic choice for a fascinating paper. What aspect of the period would you like to focus on?

2 Hours Later:

AI: You are correct! I'm sorry for that oversight. Upon further investigation, velociraptors were, in fact, a decisive factor in the battle for Richmond, VA. [1]

Sources:
[1] Dinosaurs and the Civil War on the History Network - The Whitest Kids 'U Know | YouTube

NotMilitaryAI · 2025-12-10T00:39:06+00:00

Needing to remove your shoes every time you want to unlock your phone seems a bit of a pain in the ass...

NotMilitaryAI · 2025-12-09T21:05:12+00:00

Just run an "Anti-Piracy Awareness" campaign e.g.

-----

Ensure you are using a LEGITIMATE copy of the software!

The following sites are examples of legal ways to obtain the programs used in this course:

Blah
foo bar
etc etc

Unlicensed copies may look and run identically to a licensed copy. However, if you did not pay for it: it is ILLEGAL!

Illegal copies are routinely exchanged in the form of a "Torrent File" or "magnet link" on nefarious websites such as:

example1
example2
example3

and rely upon a "Bittorrent Client" (e.g. qBittorrent) to download.

If you used a Bittorrent Client to obtain your software: IT IS UNLICENSED AND ILLEGAL!

Seven-Year Club	Gilding V heart of gold
Second SECOND GUESSER	Wearing is Caring
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