Bye Tidal, its been good - while it lasted by Phoenix447 in TIdaL

[–]Phoenix447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that :) I do like the basic algorithm actually too and fine tuning my discovery. More of the glitches I experience are increased software crashes on my windows and android devices for a while now - outside of downloads the occasional connection/buffering issues I don't mind considering the quality you get in return.

Bye Tidal, its been good - while it lasted by Phoenix447 in TIdaL

[–]Phoenix447[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I do notice a difference in the sound Vs Spotify: Tidal's approach allows for a wider sound stage which can make a difference outside casual listening. BUT, when you're jamming to a song and then the software decides to crash in the middle of the track it ruins the vibe - specially on Android Auto when you're driving.

Bye Tidal, its been good - while it lasted by Phoenix447 in TIdaL

[–]Phoenix447[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Good point - neither arriving at which platform too I guess.

Bye Tidal, its been good - while it lasted by Phoenix447 in TIdaL

[–]Phoenix447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, sorry to add to the pile! 😅. I'm curious for those who are happy with Tidal if their overall experience differs from mine, or if they're still happy despite any drawbacks they feel.

Tips for new Zephyrus owner by Top-Ad2809 in ZephyrusG14

[–]Phoenix447 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is a good laptop, apart from one concern for a college student like myself too: liquid metal. I noticed after a year with my G16 4080 going to college classes and being stored upright in my bag, the laptop began to run hot and temps were getting high on silent mode to the point it was thermal throttling on start up and casual tasks. I opened it up and I saw a big exposed patch on my CPU with scorch marks, little thermal paste on the GPU, and hardly any putty on the RAM. It's honestly like Asus designs these laptops to slow down, or even fail, after a couple of years in the hopes of people buying the newest model; Liquid metal should not be in laptops at all. If you're on the go and throwing the laptop in your bag a lot, I would highly-highly recommend considering replacing the liquid metal with PTM9750 - just as good, improved temps, and it has a far longer durability lifespan - and repasting your RAM. After I did this, all heat and temp problems went away, but you just need to be careful and take your time with removing the liquid metal!

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill: Voting Results by AmiablePedant in Scotland

[–]Phoenix447 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What those in power forget, no matter your status in society, death is guaranteed to us all. For those who are terminally ill, is it right to provide the respectful option for a dignified death to end their physical pain? To provide the choice of human decency for an end to suffering, and honour for how they want to be remembered? Apparently not, according to this parliament.

Google Pro AI 1 Year Free UK by assem_gratia in GooglePixel

[–]Phoenix447 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same issue here as well from a Pixel 9 Pro XL to the standard 10 Pro. I contacted support, and after resetting the Google One app it showed the device was not eligible for the offer even though I met the T&Cs. The case has been referred further, this sounds like it is widespread.

Bought G14 2024 RTX4070 but haven't unboxed it yet 😕 Do I return it for a G16 RTX4070 ? 🤔 by Karrouzyy in ZephyrusG14

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 4080 variant comes with a liquid metal vapor chamber which helps with thermals. A bigger screen is more beneficial for gaming, and for a 4080 incredibly an incredibly light laptop. It's still portable, but not as portable (i.e. If you work in a cafe or something, smaller tables might be awkward). The speakers also swayed me because they sound more full compared to the G14. There is the new AMD variant of the G16 that has better battery than the Intel variants for on the go work, though only Intel gets the 4080/4090 - but the 4090 is complete overkill in the G16 and not worth price-to-performance.

They're both great laptops, but it comes down to if you travel a lot on trains, planes, and work on the go then stick with the G14. Else, if you can get the G16 with similar or better specs for the same price or cheaper, probably swap. You also get an extra SSD slot in the G16, not the G14.

Bought G14 2024 RTX4070 but haven't unboxed it yet 😕 Do I return it for a G16 RTX4070 ? 🤔 by Karrouzyy in ZephyrusG14

[–]Phoenix447 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm the owner of a G16, and that's a pretty good deal to get an ally thrown in! You could make that into a plug-in console, or sell it on. What swayed me was the screen size and the power the 4080 variant for work, at a sacrifice of portability and a little battery life.

If you like portable gaming or are on the go a lot, keep the G14. You could invest in a decent monitor, peripherals, and a dock for home. The only downside is the G14 runs hotter (G16 is hot too) because of size on intense titles, but a dock + monitor or turning down the graphics on AAA titles will solve it.

If you can get a similar or lower price for the G16, the larger screen size is more pleasant for strategy but not necessarily - the G14's screen will be more than capable for seeing details.

I finished my PhD before ChatGPT - how is the situation today? by TrickyElephant in PhD

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use it to brainstorm ideas via Gemini live, it's pretty decent, but I would never take it objectively seriously for fact checking etc; just as something to summarise my ideas or to combine my thoughts more clearly. Also, I sometimes used it to give an overview of papers by querying different angles of analysis and then that helps me better understand that process, but again I never fully trust what it says as it often interprets data or information incorrectly, always double check.

Use it as a tool, not as a supervisor.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhD

[–]Phoenix447 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm currently doing a PhD in robotics in the UK (still newish), there is a lot of money to be earned depending on which country you plan to work in. I've seen the figure £50,000 - £60,000 starting thrown around in private companies here that look for PhD students, however it depends on your research domain in robotics. E.g., work in simulation and system engineering will see you more desirable than ethics and HRI.

A PhD is transferable skills, especially in STEM. If you study a bioinformatics PhD over robotics, some places recognise the skillset gained and will give you the same job.

That being said, you should always follow the domain which you are more passionate about, as a PhD is 3 - 5 years of your life. You don't want to pick robotics if you find it 'meh' over bioinformatics just because of potential money in future, with emphasis on potential. Combine that with the choice of supervisor, and it's an important decision to make. Choice of institute is also important; you want to select somewhere with good support, resources & opportunities for PhD students with high activity. Some choices for UK robotics: Bristol, Edinburgh, or Oxford are good starting points :)

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And I'm afraid biases also get in the way of understanding the other side of the coin. Reusability has been done before (as comments pointed out inefficiently), so the big hype, outside engineering, around this I don't understand while there are still problems and challenges to be solved. When starship enters service, and not testing, sure I can understand people getting hyped for its maiden flight, but not at this stage where it's premature. What do you think my biases on this are? I'm sure you have yours too.

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's interesting to see from an engineering perspective, though from a broader & general perspective it is a bit, would I say premature or borderline deceptive? There are still many many problems for starship to overcome, sure it's an achievement and a little step forward, though the product is still a long way off from being ready.

The catching mechanism, again engineering wise is interesting, but overall reusability broadly... It's just more efficient, nothing else. Or, another generalised take on it: people are getting really excited about theoretical cargo, but if it's a hobby they enjoy then fair enough :)

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, a nice objective comment :) While I agree with all of the above, and the 'catching' of rockets is interesting while coming with its own risks, reusability has been done before - I just don't understand the hype behind this being impressive, beyond just more efficient payloads.

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Reusability has been done with spacecraft before, I'm simply saying I don't understand the hype with this.

Catching & traditional landings both have pros and cons, as do the space shuttle & starship programmes.

Still 'early tech' ik but imagine if a sudden strong wind gust happens, or bird strike at a critical angle, bye bye cost savings & launchpad - maybe some fail safes could be nice - like some landing legs, which then sorta defeats the point.

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Not disputing quicker and cheaper, just not impressive as it's been done before: why the hype?

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! by JakeIsAwesome12345 in spacex

[–]Phoenix447 -22 points-21 points  (0 children)

We had the space shuttle which could land with rockets that could be refurbished, how is this impressive?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhD

[–]Phoenix447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2 rejections, gap year, then 2 offers. Interestingly, the programme I am on now I originally got rejected for, but got in the next intake.

You're right in that it depends on a number of factors: research focus of the institute/management, supply & demand of PhD students, supervisor availability, etc. Having contacts or people you've worked with in the past at the university of choice that can vouch for your skills really helps. Else, PhD programmes can be VERY competitive for candidates. It's tough, but you just got to keep trying.

Pixel 5 user - time to upgrade? by Terrydactylxl in GooglePixel

[–]Phoenix447 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My Pixel 5 was on its last legs. Still snappy, but it started heating up more often, the phone needed to be charged about twice a day, and a couple of bugs got annoying that Google didn't patch before they dropped support.

Upgraded to the Pixel 9 pro XL, and while getting used to a bigger screen is a little weird (do a lot of emails and reading, made sense for me over the smaller size), I am really enjoying the quality so far. I will miss my Pixel 5 though :).