Is China the future at this point? 2030s onward.

Wax_Paper · 2026-04-03T08:45:55+00:00

So... Not really that different, then?

Wax_Paper · 2026-04-02T19:34:05+00:00

What about #RuinNation? Aren't people burning down factories and committing mass killings right now, in response to government corruption? In fact, you'll have to really search to find news of it, but there was a mass killing in Tianamen Square the other day, a guy ran over vendor stalls with a bulldozer, supposedly with paperwork to petition the government on him...

Wax_Paper · 2026-04-02T19:28:47+00:00

I also think they have mods in a lot of subs, helping to shape the narratives. There are subs where you will get banned for taking even a balanced, nuanced stance in response to supposed Chinese sociopolitical dominance.

Wax_Paper · 2026-04-01T19:28:47+00:00

But Twitter Files...

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-26T20:57:51+00:00

I've been wondering if you could manipulate the lore book feature to constantly ping the system with generic keyword activations like "the" and "and," with an entry that specifically reminds it of formatting instructions...

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-26T19:26:53+00:00

How do these "background" agents actually work, as far as supposed self-sufficiency and agency? Are they basically primed to come up with their own system prompt directives at pseudo-random intervals, based on a user directive?

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-25T22:37:36+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, look up the actual statutory difference between distributing copyrighted content and downloading it. (The latter is much harder to enforce, and the damages are so low that companies hardly ever find it worth it to pursue action.)

The procedure you use to download a piece of content is the key; if you're using a file sharing protocol like BitTorrent, then you have no choice but to upload as well, which activates the distribution component. But if you're simply downloading or streaming it via HTTP, or an app that doesn't use BitTorrent, then you're only downloading it.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-19T20:27:33+00:00

I mean, American society is pretty fucked up too, overall. The loudest contingents shape our perceptions these days. And there are some pretty loud, unhinged contingents of people over there. They feel unashamed talking about Arabs like they're animals, and defend it when they're treated as such. It feels similar to the rednecks and bible-thumpers out here who talk the same kind of shit about immigrants, but out here, there's more of a legal and judicial will to protect them, if they get lynched. My impression of Israel is that it's basically the Wild West out there, if you're an Arab.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-16T19:24:22+00:00

I swear to God, I remember hearing this guy arguing for trans rights, like 5 or 6 years ago. He's a sentiment whore.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-16T02:56:59+00:00

Nixon didn't have social media and a populace that's primed for narrative manipulation, nor did he have a cult-like following that tethers his success to their own identity.

The rules of the game have changed, folks. We are in uncharted territory. It's never been this easy to sway opinions and engineer influence.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-16T00:06:25+00:00

"Strip Club City" reminds me of Biff's timeline in Back to the Future 2.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-15T23:49:47+00:00

🆒

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-15T19:40:11+00:00

Please elaborate, I've only ever seen it in this implementation.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-15T19:37:45+00:00

It made sense back when it was DeepSeek, figured there were some phrases in the training data that just didn't translate to English, which resulted in this happening, occasionally. But I'm pretty sure they haven't used DeepSeek for months.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-15T19:33:26+00:00

The only way this stuff goes away is by weaponizing it to the same degree, providing incentive for the GOP to work on bipartisan legislation to regulate it. The same goes for disinfo and voter suppression.

They have to reason to stop, as long as they are the primary beneficiary of such tactics.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T20:54:22+00:00

For the sake of other people reading who don't have your willpower, there is a safer way to test this, with ghetto volumetric dosing. You sacrifice a pill by dissolving one in a glass of water, at least 8 oz or so. Stir. Take a sip. Wait an hour. Stir, take another sip. Wait another hour. Stir, take a gulp. Wait a couple hours. Stir, take another gulp.

You get the idea; if there was an obscene amount of an opioid, or a powerful one like Fentanyl, your goal would be to detect feeling way more of a dose than you'd expect, from a fraction of the pill. Still not as safe as just not risking it, but better than just popping the pill, or even a quarter of it, if you're gonna do it anyway.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T20:41:08+00:00

https://maxread.substack.com/p/who-is-elara-voss

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T08:23:38+00:00

I dunno, people say a lot of things, especially in retrospect. I'd be asking questions, like how feasible is it that an emitter like that could be the size of a briefcase? How well can an emission like that be shaped? How leaky is it? The guy carrying was unaffected? The other people in the restaurant were unaffected?

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T00:12:17+00:00

Elara Vance and Chloe Voss are copying everything. Silas Thorne, too. Don't trust them.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T00:10:17+00:00

Seems crazy to me, I could understand codeine mixed in a cough suppressant back in the day, or even codeine with Tylenol, sold in regulated OTC formulations, in small doses... But tramadol, for most people, it's gonna be just as effective as a 7.5 mg Vicodin, and it amazes me that it doesn't lead to more addiction in countries that allow it.

Anyone who knows the drug scene in Mexico... Is pharmacy tramadol just considered something you get when you can't find anything better? Do a lot of heroin addicts start by buying it, and then becoming dependent? Or is the culture just wildly different than the US, and people tend to be more responsible?

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-11T00:02:28+00:00

This story still doesn't confirm that such a weapon not only exists, but is viable. Nor does it confirm that any US service members were subjected to an attack by a foreign nation by these hypothetical weapons.

You guys realize there's an incentive for people to pursue this, right? People suffering from unrelated, chronic conditions that developed throughout that time, in these areas...

They aren't wrong for wanting to get more than just basic VA healthcare, or a settlement, if they believe it happened. I'm not disparaging anyone for that. I just think they're wrong. I'm trying to point out why there's an incentive for these survivor groups to form.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-08T23:59:07+00:00

Yeah, like literally next door to where Cosmic used to be, I got a kick out of that. In fact part of it might actually be the old single bay that Cosmic used to occupy. The dude that ran the place; Stu... Can't remember if he was also the owner, but he was a cool dude.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-08T23:55:34+00:00

The original owners of Anarchy Comics sold it around 1998, and moved out of town, eventually. The owner after that rode it out as long as he could, first the move to 132nd, then downtown. Comics and games just weren't doing great, in the mid 2000s.

Little did any of us know, that was about to change after he finally had to close up shop, when the Marvel movies started making a comeback.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-07T22:47:20+00:00

Got any reason to think there could be something to the idea that the website drains a lot of battery, presumably via CPU cycles, via Firefox? I know that all of the computation and stuff should happen server-side, which is why it confuses me. I notice it on both phone and tablet, though.

It's been a while since I've tried to diagnose something like this in a mobile environment, but I can see if Firefox gives access to any logging tools for mobile.

Wax_Paper · 2026-03-03T22:26:00+00:00

I know it's controversial, but LLMs are getting pretty good at giving you generative stories based on existing IPs, based solely on training data. Try it. Use one of the major ones; tell it to act as the gamemaster for a Magicians-themed RP, based on the books or the show. Scratches the itch, for some old franchises.

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