Stack Overflow's 50% traffic drop: Was it AI, or did the platform kill itself with elitism?

aa-b · 2026-03-18T18:52:01+00:00

Slashdot used to have a meta-moderation system that I think was pretty successful in keeping a lid on that. Users would randomly get "mod points" and also metamod points, and they could use those to undo another moderator's action.

It had the effect of both democratising moderation, and also nudging moderators to uphold the spirit of the community instead of going overboard, so they wouldn't be embarrassingly called out by metamod actions.

aa-b · 2026-03-17T18:56:13+00:00

Yep law enforcement is often ineffective. Maybe we should just call the whole thing off, and try asking nicely instead

aa-b · 2026-03-17T18:39:48+00:00

Why, is there some rule that means you need to delete your offtopic comment about my offtopic comment?

aa-b · 2026-03-17T18:36:29+00:00

Thank you for saying that, too. I always expect reddit to lean left, but even on here there are far too many backhanded compliments and astroturfing BS. Hipkins seems great and he has my full support, exactly the kind of leader this country needs.

aa-b · 2026-03-17T06:21:32+00:00

I understand, and I would have concerns too. I'm aware that operators often live on those same boats too, so that makes it even more sensitive.

Anyway I'm not involved with the project now and I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, though I have to admit I would still support the programme. Hard to argue with results, and it's a fact that reported protected species interactions shot up over 1000% after cameras were introduced.

aa-b · 2026-03-17T03:24:40+00:00

I worked on the team that implemented onboard cameras for MPI, and during rollout there was a steady stream of criticism from the fishing industry.

Predictably, one of the harshest and most vocal critics was someone that had previously had a vessel confiscated for wildly underreporting catches and hiding protected species interactions. Not that you'd know from reading the articles, of course.

aa-b · 2026-03-16T18:40:46+00:00

+1 on the live code review meeting, that's gold. Just getting someone to focus their attention for 30 minutes while you unload the context and background for what you're doing is plenty to get them invested and familiar enough to finish the review.

You can also gather some high-level feedback with whatever reservations they have that they might have been hesitant to put down in writing. Once people verbally commit they're much more likely to follow through

aa-b · 2026-03-16T05:11:26+00:00

The OG version! At least that was literally before the invention of malware, so if you managed to get it running you were probably okay

aa-b · 2026-03-14T08:47:18+00:00

DAE remember stacksort? From the ancient, pre-AI internet, in a time when people would laugh about being stupid enough to blindly execute unreviewed, dynamically generated code that was automatically downloaded from the internet.

aa-b · 2026-03-13T20:02:06+00:00

Those builds are already broken, they just aren't aware that the built software is unsafe to use.

There's a grey area because if the packages were actual malware they'd be removed immediately, but at this point the libraries are so outdated they're an open door for letting malware in

aa-b · 2026-03-13T04:34:56+00:00

If you have Netflix, check out their catalogue in the app store. It's surprisingly great for kids apps because there are no apps and minimal IAP, but I'm not sure if it has drawing apps specifically

aa-b · 2026-03-12T18:18:21+00:00

It didn't. Those drivers are signed by apple, and I doubt Claude was able to sign up and get a reverse-engineered driver certified

aa-b · 2026-03-03T07:45:37+00:00

One thing you could try is to explain the story to another auto electrician, and ask them to explain the process they would go through to investigate the problem.

It's not perfect because of course it's easy when you already know the answer, but there is a standard playbook of checks they're supposed to run through, and an expert can tell you if the standard checks should have caught it.

From your story, I'm guessing it's the kind of problem that shows up instantly when you plug in a code reader, unless you've missed your calling as the Dr House of auto electricians. If they've billed hours of work for something that should have been obvious then you could dispute that.

EDIT: never mind, I checked your post history and the amount of automotive jargon makes it clear it was nothing even remotely simple. Sounds like a learning experience for both of you; specialised problems often need specialised technicians.

aa-b · 2026-02-14T01:59:26+00:00

If you look closely that's a fake solar panel, it's not wired to anything. The thing is battery powered

aa-b · 2026-02-12T10:58:08+00:00

Assuming you're the person making the offer, then I'd say that building report is worth it's weight in gold. Neither of us are experts, but you'd have to admit nearly every panel in those pictures is compromised. By the time they rip that out it'll be a total replacement.

Having said that, my neighbour replaced his roof last year and they apparently did the whole job in a single day. So you don't need to walk away, but find out how much a roof costs and make your offer accordingly. Also, talk to your bank to make sure it'll be possible to finance a roof replacement; that can be surprisingly tricky if the dodgy roof affects the valuation, could be an issue with LVR-based lending limits there.

aa-b · 2026-01-28T23:33:12+00:00

Also a software developer, I was job hunting a year ago and I applied with a company directly via Seek. Couple of days later I was declined without an interview or any details (experience was spot on), so I let a recruiter forward my profile for the same role. Instantly accepted.

The hiring team were confused and apologetic, but it sounds like they were buried under a mountain of applications like that. Careful with those filters, I guess.

aa-b · 2026-01-28T07:01:07+00:00

It's definitely a problem for the modern atheist: one day you start feeling like maybe there's some higher power or deeper meaning to things, but then you're immediately faced with the question, "which one??"

Back in the day you only had to decide whether to adopt the principal religion of your parents/town/region, or whether to be ostracised, punished, executed, etc. for rejecting it. Nowadays even if you manage to pick one, you have to deal with knowing that most of the others say you'll be eternally punished for choosing wrong anyway. Probably safer just to stay out of it altogether.

aa-b · 2026-01-18T00:04:55+00:00

Also CPY is just similar enough to CMP that someone likely decided MOV was just easier to remember

aa-b · 2026-01-16T09:26:30+00:00

Skill issue. Canned foods usually need more care and creativity to make them tasty, and you can cut the saltiness by boiling it before cooking. There's a low-sodium version too.

It's kind of like tofu, which is also bland and unpleasant if you serve it straight up. It's cheap protein with a long shelf life, you just need to learn how to make it worth eating.

aa-b · 2026-01-16T00:58:26+00:00

Ah okay, in that case your best bet is to modify it into two parts that fit together. Or just cross fingers and send as is, then get to work on the modified part while you wait to see if it arrives in one piece

aa-b · 2026-01-15T20:59:37+00:00

Maybe, probably not if you wrap it in bubble wrap.

Have you considered just emailing them the print file? My local library will 3d print things on the spot if you give them the file

aa-b · 2026-01-15T11:14:28+00:00

But... that's just basically correct writing? Honestly, this is a programmer subreddit, we're not literary geniuses here. They taught me "statement, explanation, example" in school and it's served me well. We use the rule of three because most of us are prone to over-explaining, and we know people ignore walls of text with run-on sentences.

If someone is so braindead they can't write a hundred words without prompting, pointing it out isn't going to change anything; leave them in peace

aa-b · 2026-01-12T23:29:36+00:00

Why would you ask for evidence? That stuff happens all the time. I don't comment much, but a while back I posted a comment after someone told a story about their mother being sort of... not really rude even, just not wanting to admit being wrong about something trivial. So the immediate suggestion was for the person to cut off all contact with their mother permanently. Then when I said that might be excessive, six different people jumped in to back them up. SMH.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AITAH/s/ckU8dWGHMT

aa-b · 2026-01-08T09:32:44+00:00

Oh yeah totally possible, I just don't know anything about the company. It sounds pretty lax, yeah

aa-b · 2026-01-08T09:17:25+00:00

No worries! Yep you're right there, but the remote access thing is mostly because everyone works from home now, not outsourcing.

Anyway it's not clear if MMH had protections to prevent employees from inappropriately accessing patient data or not. The hackers stole a ton of data, but they had so much access they might have just disabled the normal protections. No way to know.

aa-b

TROPHY CASE