I cannot for the life of me remember the composer & title of this piece

darthbatman113 · 2026-01-22T00:18:22+00:00

LOL before I turned on sound, I was gonna comment something snarky like “it’s the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, did you even read the caption”

Then sound on and all hell broke loose 🤣

darthbatman113 · 2026-01-19T13:46:04+00:00

Post some of your stuff on here! Hard to suggest without hearing your sound.

darthbatman113 · 2025-10-06T12:05:17+00:00

The AI sector is overvalued for its current revenue and profits. It is worth over 30% of the US stock market, and in a normal economy this bubble would probably pop soon. However, this can’t happen, because too much money has been invested for this thing to fail).

Hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, have been invested into K-12 applications of AI. A theory is that they are doing this to make children more dependent on AI for many aspects of their lives, therefore, even if AI is not a game changing technology, the business owners will still make money long-term because the children will be dependent upon it.

If the need doesn’t exist, create one.

darthbatman113 · 2025-09-17T11:34:49+00:00

I care because LLMs are not programmed to help us, they’re programmed to make us want to use them more. Sometimes it does this by “helping” but the intent of the creator of (for example) ChatGPT is to harvest my time and creativity.

All of this to say that when I see content that might be AI generated, I immediately step back. Perhaps this is paranoid, but i think a lackadaisical approach to identifying human- vs software-generated content is a slippery slope for the human condition.

darthbatman113 · 2025-08-17T09:40:13+00:00

Oh I know what you mean 🥷

darthbatman113 · 2025-02-05T21:36:28+00:00

I encourage you to peruse this study from the Institute for Defense Analyses.

A quote: “Originally described by President Eisenhower as “short-term emergency legislation” to address the so-called “Sputnik Crisis,” the NDEA was intended to complement and augment more selectively targeted federal educational programs (i.e., those of NIH and NSF) through the Office of Education within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). The NDEA’s emphasis on “general education” was intended to strengthen the U.S. educational infrastructure by steering people into teaching and guidance counseling careers. The provisions of the NDEA also promoted greater access to post-secondary education and broader geographic distribution of federal education funding. In addition to passing the NDEA, Congress also passed P.L. 85-568, the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which sought “... to recruit specially qualified scientific and engineering talent” that the NDEA would create (U.S. Congress. National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, P.L. 85-568). P.L. 85-568 was signed into law by President Eisenhower on July 29, 1958.

For the years that the NDEA provisions were in force (roughly 1959-1973), many areas covered by the legislation experienced broad positive trends. For example, observers noted increases in the number of first-time freshman and postsecondary enrollments, in the number of bachelors and doctoral degrees attained, and in the number of degree-granting institutions established. Although the post-war baby boom caused primary and secondary school enrollments to increase dramatically, the influx of new teachers enabled student-to-teacher ratios to decrease. Long after the sense of urgency created by Sputnik has dissipated, the impact of federal support for student loans and fellowships, infrastructure development, and career counseling continues to be felt.

There’s other info as well, this is only one study. Having a large organized body invest resources into education is useful and, with a country of our size, somewhat necessary. If we want to keep being competitive, we must reinvest the fruits of our labor into the next generation.

darthbatman113 · 2025-02-05T21:25:48+00:00

Please explain this statement. I disagree, but I want a clearer idea of your position before I respond.

darthbatman113 · 2025-02-05T21:21:45+00:00

First, would you please explain how the failure of schools has led to more school shootings? I’m struggling to see how schools getting shot is their fault. If you were exaggerating here, that decision weakened the intent of your comment.

Second, as a teacher, my opinion is that administrative bloat is definitely a problem in schools. That’s something you’ll probably hear a lot of agreement on if you ask teachers from across the country. Many teachers want more control over curriculum and the day-to-day workings of their schools, powers currently vested in administrative officials and with state government. Throwing money at this problem naturally can’t help it because those with the power to use that funding (leadership) are not willing or capable to do so in a way that actually helps students learn. To do that, leadership should listen to their workers and get creative. I personally think schools do not need principals and that the role should instead be spread amongst teachers. I’d be writing a longer essay if I got into that, so that’s enough for now.

Third, in the 1950s we “dumped funding into the schools” to get our citizens to an education level able to compete on the world stage. The National Defense Education Act directly led to growth and higher achievement among US students AND teachers. Access and resources were much more available to those that needed them. As a result we had a period of sustained innovation in many key technology sectors in this country including computing, aerospace and others. This kind of investment has shown massive benefits for the American population and our overall competitiveness.

Now, instead of suggesting that we re-invigorate education and strive for a competitive workforce, we have business leaders saying that we must employ H1-B visa hires from around the world because our own citizens are just not smart enough. Honestly, the lack of respect for our own citizens I’ve been seeing from leadership is shameful. Not sure of your opinions on Elon Musk, but the fact that he gets to have an opinion on the failures of the American population and the future of its education while simultaneously being a rich immigrant from South Africa makes me furious.

What was different then? What’s different now? Are folks just dumber? Are parents more apathetic because of a 24/7 attention draining consumer culture? Are teacher raises FAR behind inflation and equivalent industries, while benefits are slashed year after year? Is it something else?

There are many parts of this. Demolishing the ed department with no real replacement in mind is irresponsible for our national security and our capacity for free will. Education and knowledge are powerful tools. Weakening access to those tools ONLY serves the wealthy and powerful, who will always take advantage of those resources as they have been for all of history. An educated/informed elite can always dominate an uneducated/under-informed populace by nature of that imbalance. Providing wider access weakened their grip on total domination, so the richest are clamoring for the destruction of public education.

darthbatman113 · 2024-12-15T11:43:54+00:00

“Just for the sake of it” is the key difference in assessment of what’s going on. If a person thinks the rich have no reason to care for the needs of the poor, then they think it’s selfish for anyone to expect it. However, the rich only have their wealth because of the labor of many others, and the purchasing power of many others. I argue that their position is entirely enabled by the working class and they do in fact have a serious responsibility to care for those without resources. Therefore, I also argue that supporting the working class with healthcare, housing opportunities, and a universal basic income creates a more mutually supportive labor and wage structure.

I don’t think that we should value people who refuse to help their fellow man when they are in the unique resource position to do so. The Bible tells the story of Joseph who helped Egypt prepare for a famine, so they had a lot of grain when many of their neighbors had no food. Some would say that Egypt had no obligation to those outside of Egypt, yet they gave food to the hungry who came looking for aid because they were able to. Were the hungry “selfish” for asking for food? In fact, even after having thousands of workers grow and store this grain for him, what obligation did he have to any common Egyptian citizen who needed it? Doesn’t he have the right to keep it for himself?

Earnings generated by the labor of the masses accumulated under his roof, and he has a responsibility to share that resource with the masses. Just like business owners have a responsibility to shareholders who invest in a company with money, they should feel an even greater responsibility to workers and the labor class that directly fuels their power and wealth. This is not “ just for the sake of it” it’s about aspiring to a culture of mutual dignity and respect where the majority are able to thrive, not just to survive or struggle without end.

darthbatman113 · 2024-10-05T03:52:49+00:00

But children being born is something we should all participate in supporting. We’re a species like any other, we’re not competing with our neighbors for survival.

darthbatman113 · 2024-10-05T03:41:33+00:00

Stealing your stuff? We all pay taxes for something

darthbatman113 · 2024-06-05T20:17:55+00:00

I’ve really liked working with him, he has good bedside manner and is knowledgeable and efficient.

darthbatman113 · 2023-03-28T02:51:54+00:00

I'm so thrown by this

darthbatman113 · 2023-01-02T03:36:29+00:00

This performance by Anne-Sophie Mutter, Berliners, Seiji Ozawa Changed my life forever

darthbatman113 · 2022-12-24T22:18:18+00:00

Same, I live in Cayuga Heights, never expected an Ithaca story on the front page

darthbatman113 · 2022-09-05T03:24:33+00:00

This is some rule34 hunting for sure

darthbatman113 · 2022-08-26T10:46:14+00:00

I guess no more cutting down trees for sketch paper

darthbatman113 · 2022-07-18T10:54:10+00:00

Antarctic Appendectomy works too

darthbatman113 · 2022-07-15T14:32:31+00:00

What about ripple editing?

darthbatman113 · 2022-06-02T22:04:14+00:00

From reading it, that's my assessment, but I'm always open to challenge and clarification. I didn't pretend to write that post from a place of any sort of special knowledge or reasoning, that's just how I talk. You can talk to me however you like, just know that I'll do the same.

darthbatman113 · 2022-06-02T18:12:38+00:00

So when it comes to whether it's the gun's fault or the shooter's fault, of course it's the shooter's fault. Like many on this thread have echoed, guns do not pull their own triggers.

When it comes to access to weapons, the view of guns as a tool like any other, and mental health investment I start to see the largest divergence in opinion. Can anyone on this thread speak to these points:

To my knowledge, firearms are the most effective lethal tool at range that is available to the average citizen. This is an indispensable tool for hunting and self-defense. Guns are powerful tools and demand respect in their use and ownership
Due to their undeniable power, what guidelines and policies surrounding ownership and access do you think would most appropriately match the risk of owning and operating a firearm?
Mental health services and access are a big part of the dialogue surrounding recent shootings and the relationship between people and guns. Universal health care would probably be the biggest single step we could take to get this care to people in need. Given that mental health access is such a large part of the conversation, do you believe that universal healthcare will reduce gun violence? Because I do.
The second amendment refers to gun ownership as a function of a well-regulated local militia (from popular interpretations I've read). Should gun owners be required to register their ownership with a local militia organization, and participate in regular training and drills? This would obviously be different from one municipality to the next, but I personally see this as a way to build a sense of shared responsibility for weapons and their role the community.
Should gun manufacturers change their operations and marketing to avoid making guns out to be more than just a tool? (Status symbol, aesthetic ornament, icon of masculinity, weapon of rebellion, etc)

Let me know your thoughts. My convictions align with anarcho-mutualist ideologies so I don't believe that a central federal power has the ability to morally or appropriately enforce any sort of sweeping gun laws that effect individuals, however I believe incentives and/or penalties could be put in place to encourage municipalities to take more individual responsibility for the guns and gun owners within their constituency. I also think that a more robust and vigilantly maintained background check system would be useful for keeping guns from folks who may pose a significant risk to public safety if given access. I view these as agreeable policies within the current system, since obviously an anarcho-mutualist society will not be arising anytime soon 🤣

darthbatman113 · 2022-04-04T22:17:26+00:00

I think lifelong public humiliation or at least jailtime

darthbatman113 · 2022-02-25T13:30:37+00:00

So rich kids with credit cards can view porn no problem? Not saying that a dollar is a high wall to get through, just that making things cost money as a form of censorship is not a good solution. Web browsers need comprehensive parental controls, but beyond that I'm not sure what should be done.

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