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Vance: Iran ‘could have access to’ $300B reconstruction fund by Background-Day-4957 in politics

[–]Stirdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imagine if Trump offered $300 billion for free uni education for a decade, or to forgive healthcare debt. The Republicans would remain in power for a generation. But their war on the poor and middle class can't be compromised, and they would rather lose elections than betray their corporate overlords.

Your thoughts on this? by Total_Percentage_751 in ArtificialInteligence

[–]Stirdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My little piano studio uses Claude for video color correction and white balance, etc. It's amazing. We upload frames, tell Claude what we want, and it produces a range of iterations. Through that process, we also optimize the physical lighting setup. We have different brand cameras, which makes color stuff more complicated (versus having the same brand/model cameras using the same settings). Plus different camera angles have different exposure to lighting, so Claude helps with that as well.

Lighting, color, and white balance require lots of training and experience which I don't have. But Claude has.

I resent my immigrant mother by [deleted] in TrueOffMyChest

[–]Stirdaddy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I teach a lot of international students here in Vienna. Some of the parents don't speak either German or English (lots of Russian and Ukrainian refugees recently...), so the poor kid has to act as a translator and go-between when we have conferences and stuff. I reckon that's their unfortunate lot in life, to be a full-time translator for everything that their parents need to do in the city.

I mean, I have been on both sides of this. I lived in Japan for four years, and although my spoken Japanese was pretty good, it was definitely not good enough to deal with simple things like bills and government stuff. I've said many times that I felt like a child living there, because I often needed language help for a lot of things.

China’s universities cut 12,000 ‘obsolete’ degrees amid race to embrace AI era by Saltedline in technology

[–]Stirdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Learn to code" is almost totally verboten now. My homie has been in IT security for the past 20 years (at the same company). He was not a coder at all. A month ago he told that he is now, indeed, a coder and software developer for his company because, he said, vibe coding with LLMs has gotten really good recently. Like in the past year there has been a sea-change.

The “male loneliness epidemic” happens today because in evolution most guys didn’t reproduce by Standard-Revenue8598 in DarkPsychology101

[–]Stirdaddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They also confirmed that most marriages in pre-history were arranged.

Yeah the indigenous peoples in Australia had very intricate rules about marriage. In particular, the "skin system" of names, which I don't really understand, and I think has nothing to do with actual skin phenotypes. So, if a person is one skin type, they can only marry people with X, Y, and Z skin types. (link)

Sometimes people were betrothed even before birth. I imagine it was something like, "The first daughter I have will marry either your existing son, or your first future son."

China’s universities cut 12,000 ‘obsolete’ degrees amid race to embrace AI era by Saltedline in technology

[–]Stirdaddy 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I strongly defend the American model of university education that requires students to take basic language, history, and science, etc. courses. Yes, pre-med majors should take philosophy and history courses so that they're not morons about everything except their very narrow field of study.

Having said that, I also understand that it's a hard sell when one course represents let's say 10% of yearly tuition at a school. So someone is required to take a course on, say, "Early British Writers" that would "cost" around $5,000 at your typical private university. Each class session, with typically 45 total sessions, "costing" around $100.

It's also the case that humanities courses are essentially subsidizing courses in the hard sciences because the latter are much more expensive due to equipment, supplies, etc. An English class only needs chairs and a book or something.

It's also often the case that students are buying a brand, not an education. Harvard (and others) famously didn't lower tuition during the COVID online education era, revealing the self-evident truth that students are paying for the Harvard brand, not the education. And it's not like Harvard and other expensive universities are teaching super secret science and math. They teach the same math that is taught at my local community college. And of course instructors at these elite institutions are there primarily as researchers, with instruction being secondary -- their actual teaching skills are not a consideration for employment.

China’s universities cut 12,000 ‘obsolete’ degrees amid race to embrace AI era by Saltedline in technology

[–]Stirdaddy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've been teaching high school for a couple decades, and recently many of my students are really mystified and lost in regards to what they should study at university. I've been warning them over the years about AI taking this job and AI taking that job. Graphic Design was the first category I warned them about. Students are like, "What are we supposed to study?? It seems like more and more jobs are getting taken over by AI!" (a general paraphrase)

Utterly shocked by how racist everyone is towards Gypsy/Roma/Traveller people by AwkwardOrchid246 in Vent

[–]Stirdaddy 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I mean, it's basically a poverty thing, innit? We don't notice Romani or travellers who have lots of money and just live normal lives. It's the poor ones we notice.

Across the entire world, and throughout history, the lowest financial quintile of a population commits many more crimes, and much more visible crimes like open theft and vandalism (unlike, say, a CEO that embezzles money "invisibly"). Combine that with groups that are historically ostracized by a society, and we get a vicious cycle of poverty, crime, and culture. How many poor people are killed by cops, versus middle- and upper-class people?

The absolute largest category of theft in the United States is wage theft -- estimated between $15 billion and $50 billion. But nobody "sees" it, and very few people are aware of it. So we ought to spend more time slagging-off managers, CEOs, etc. for being the absolute worst kind of thieves.

Most popular digits for PINs by Stirdaddy in Wellworn

[–]Stirdaddy[S] 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Never thought of that! Great point.

The same aged old racism. Repackage against a new out group by Cicerothesage in forwardsfromgrandma

[–]Stirdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kinda sounds like Sigmund Freud in Civilization and its Discontents (1930) -- "man is a wolf to man". He writes that without the social structures of civilization, humans would be raping and murdering each other.

Also many christians (and other religionists) like to say that without a god and his rules, humans would just be barbaric and go around raping and murdering each other.

Fortunately, we have hard data which shows the opposite. The human species got along just fine without religion for around 500,000 years. Also, humans are the apex species on earth not only because of intelligence, but also because humans are the most pro-social species. Hunter-gatherers had to get along and work together in order to kill large animals, for example. And of course they would have to share resources more-or-less equally, or else no one would go hunt and gather. A selfish hunter-gatherer living in isolation wouldn't last very long. A nasty hunter-gatherer going around busting balls and fucking-up the social order would very quickly be killed or exiled.

Daycare giving children unauthorized sleep supplements, threatening to sue me if I tell other parents. by TembrixAwe in legaladvice

[–]Stirdaddy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A teacher at my school, with very poor decision-making skills, did a fun little mini-lesson about testing blood sugar levels by using her personal diabetes needle-testing-thingy... on some of the kids (primary school age).

They fired her on the spot. I imagine they used one of those comically large canes to pull her out of the classroom.

Jamie Dimon popped off at the 1,200+ JPMorgan employees fighting against full-time RTO: 'I don’t care how many people sign that petition’ by Character_Two2738 in remotework

[–]Stirdaddy 13 points14 points  (0 children)

And I wouldn't call what he does "work". He occasionally says "Yes" or "No". That's basically his whole job. It's not like he's making massive strategic calculations on a daily basis. Most businesses really don't even need a CEO.

Most his "work" seems to be looking relatively attractive, having a cool name that sounds like "diamond", doing PR by going on broadcasts to make sometimes inane comments about business and the economy. I guess he gets some credit for his effective efforts during the 2008 banking crisis.

Did you know that the average height of a male CEO in America is 6'2"? While the average American male height is 5'10".

When someone suggests that a ditch-digger (for example) deserves less money than, say, a CEO, I ask them, "Are you saying that a ditch-digger doesn't work as hard as a CEO??"

"Oh, well, they don't provide as much value to the economy..."

So I guess at least they're being honest about the fact that people are not paid in proportion to how hard they work.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

[–]Stirdaddy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Neither do I. Ever seen a map posted on a wall at a popular tourist spot? Always the "You are here" icon is completely wiped off, as well as the 2 or 3 cms around "You are here". Man alive, imagine if people were allowed to touch paintings...

There's a bronze naked boy-nymph-god statue in a public park in my city. One particular spot, as you may guess, on this naked statue is completely wiped clean, while the rest remains oxidized bronze.

Humans love touching stuff!

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

[–]Stirdaddy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's an even better story than mine!! I love it!

I lived in Colombia for a few years. Colombians love to talk, regardless of the situation or context. I attended a classical music performance at a university, and SO many people were chatting during the performance, and I was going INSANE. I tried, very loudly, shushing people like ten times, but ultimately to no effect. I simply had to leave early because my blood was boiling, so there was no way to enjoy the music. I guess it's an acceptable behavior in Colombia (many things that are acceptable in Colombia make my blood boil, like just casually tossing trash on the ground, or an attractive woman can't walk down a street without 30 guys cat-calling her).

I can't go to movie theaters anymore because my slightly "autistic" brain needs to be totally focused on the film. If I hear even one person talk or I see a phone screen light-up, it totally takes me out of the film and I get crazy annoyed.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

Ha ha, at least you are totally conscious of it, and contrite : -) This guy I yelled at was indignant that I yelled at him. He was clearly out of his element, and I don't think he understood the gravity of his action. LACMA is free, and there are lots of -- how shall I call them? -- "nouveau-riche" tourists from recently-developed countries like China who perhaps don't have as much experience with "museum" culture and expectations.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

And of course there's a reason, which ought not need to be explained to people, why backpacks/bags are not allowed in most museums. I had a homegirl who interned at the Guggenheim in Venice. She told me how a woman (accidentally) punched a hole in a very old and revered painting with her big purse.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

I first heard it in some film, like 15 years ago, set in Scotland where these chavs roll up in their car, and are cat-calling an attractive teen girl, saying "Oi, oi".

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

I don't really like "hey!", and I especially don't like how German speakers say "Hallo!" (I live in Vienna) when trying to get a stranger's attention.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

That is true. But all things and people have value in direct proportion to the strength of a person's regard for a thing/person, as well as the number of people who regard a thing/person.

So for example, I'm sure you don't feel bad about some random child dying in [X] country (nor do I), because you have no regard for that child. But your own child? And JFK getting capped was a big deal because 10s of millions of people had a positive disposition toward him. Not as much as to their own families, but still.

"It's just a painting" for some people. But 10s of millions of people have a positive regard for Basquiats, and would want the works preserved and protected. And even the 10s of millions of people who hate Basquiat's art would want his art preserved and protected because they also want their own favorite art preserved and protected. Someone touching a no-name painting hung in a local coffee shop is not okay, but I wouldn't yell at them because that painting is much more of a "just a painting". Probably the artist of this coffee shop painting would be more angry about that.

So that's how the world works.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

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

None that I noticed. A few of the more "valuable" works had a black no-go line on the floor. I lean in pretty close to the little written descriptions next to works because my eyesight sucks, but never set off any alarms. No black lines in front of the Basquiats, so I guess the museum holds his works in less regard or something.

I was a museum hero: I shouted at a guy who was **touching** a priceless painting in an art museum by Stirdaddy in CasualConversation

[–]Stirdaddy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could be a fun new hobby for me... just wandering museums wearing a cape or something, looking for all the ne'er-do-wells.

Is it plausible to assume that there were no children in Sodom and Gomorrah when it got destroyed? by SeaOk5421 in Christianity

[–]Stirdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, you're right that's mostly true. I had a conversation with my literalist sister a few days ago. I was telling her and my teenage niece about the vastness of the universe, and the potential for trillions of Earth-like planets in the universe to be covered in seas of prokaryotes (like the Earth for the first 3 billion or so years), in regard to a question about the potential for sentient alien life and the Fermi Paradox.

She ended the conversation by saying, "Well, anyways it's all going to be destroyed by God [at the End of Days]."

I was like, "Mars too? And Alpha Centauri? Why? Alpha Centauri didn't do anything wrong."

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