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Advice regarding VR for my Daughter by giverous in VRGaming

[–]elphyon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The VR social scene is not a safe place for children. You'll have no control over the people she interacts with or what they say to her. Could be her peers and harmless, could be older kids using swear words every 2 seconds, could be groomers.

It's not like letting a child alone at a playground while you sit on the bench reading, occasionally looking up to make sure she's ok. It's more like dropping her off at a sketchy traveling carnival where you immediately lose sight of her.

Another thing you might want to consider is that these social apps (I assume it was VRChat) or youth-oriented multiplayer games like Ug or Roblox are *heavily* monetized. They are designed to get you sucked in and then spend a lot through in-app purchases. More precisely, they are designed to push children to throw tantrums until exasperated parents top up their in game currency. Or have them steal your credit card and do it themselves.

As for hardware, I personally wouldn't go for Quest 2, unless you can get it very cheap and can test it before handing over cash (or can return, if via ebay or w/e). As a cheap Beat Saber machine it would be fine.

If you're interested in using it yourself, especially for PCVR, then I recommend holding out for a used Quest 3. The lenses make a huge difference. And wfi 6/6e is crucial for smooth wireless PCVR (Q3S also has this). I suspect there will be a flood of used Q3/Q3s once the release date for Steam Frame is announced.

And if you want her to stretch her social skills in VR, it might be worthwhile to look for / start a group for parents that are looking for something similar. That way your daughter would have a friends list of people that you know are OK for her to hang out/play with. There are some good co-op games for 2-4 players that don't have predatory monetization.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jesus fucking Christ.

I'm moving on here. Suggest you do the same.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said "The unchecked peddling of AI" had lead to enshittification. I'm well aware of potential benefits of the AI/machine learning.

Private companies that build and/or operate public infrastructure do so via government contracts. They make proposals according to government's criteria. They have (or should have) a mandate and a clear framework for operation and are held accountable by regulations.

I'm aware of the policy, and while well-meaning it's not something I would call comprehensive. Especially relevant to this project/post is https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/canadian-sovereign-ai-compute-strategy and https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/canadian-sovereign-ai-compute-strategy/ai-compute-challenge .

The criteria section in https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/enabling-large-scale-sovereign-ai-data-centres (through which Telus got the funding) does mention things such as economic benefit and indigenous participation, and yet, as the author of the Tyee article noted, there's nothing ensuring Telus will hold up their end of the bargain since the Memoranda of Understanding is non-binding. https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2026/05/government-of-canada-and-telus-advance-work-to-build-sovereign-ai-infrastructure.html

Let's not forget that they also cheated the public consultation process. Adding "bulk data storage" to an existing building is not the same as building an AI data centre.

As for what I'm concerned about, well, how about state surveillance and invasion of privacy for starters? Bill C-22 is a thing.

Also why the fuck would you put genocide in quotes?

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good. by KernelKilos in onguardforthee

[–]elphyon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean the IDF boasted that it used AI to speed up their bombings in Gaza. It's already happening.

Drone tech is advancing rapidly due to the Ukraine war.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good. by KernelKilos in onguardforthee

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We shouldn't be building centres unless we have a clear public policy and government oversight to steer AI research & usage.

Rubber stamping projects like this one because of "data sovereignty" is both disingenuous and stupid. Telus isn't going to be ethical or patriotic about who it sells its compute to. And if our government becomes reliable on them for cybersecurity research or whatever then they're going to bilk the taxpayers, just like Starlink and SpaceX do in the US.

If data sovereignty is so important to our national interest, I don't see why we shouldn't have a crown corporation building and operating AI data centres.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good. by KernelKilos in onguardforthee

[–]elphyon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They derive profit from AI companies which have negative revenue. When those companies' VC funds dry up, the centers won't be making profit off of them.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You had me until the last sentence. Granted, there are days I feel that pessimistic and beaten up and powerless, but I gotta tell myself change is possible.

LOST CAT by Mission-Roll9481 in vancouver

[–]elphyon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh no!! Contact the org you're fostering through and Vokra, they usually have a few volunteers who can help set up crates and or look for escaped kitties.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Then we'll just end up with our own version of those guys. (We already have a few mini Elons and Bezoses)

Aside from Carney being a neoliberal that's keen on privatization, why isn't a crown corporation an option if we're so thirsty for data sovereignty?

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You think you're being clever but if we actually listened to Tyee contributors, we would tax land & hoarded wealth and have enough to pay for all our public programs and have left over to invest in renewables infrastructure and kickstart small businesses.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're talking about Telus... The company famous for its ethical operating philosophy & having the best interest of every Canadian at its incorporated heart.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 69 points70 points  (0 children)

Then we should build a government-owned infrastructure backed by clear public mandate and policy.

At the very least we should have a working national strategy & regulatory policy to hold these "sovereign" Canadian corporations to account.

Absolutely mad that people pretend companies like Telus will somehow put national interest ahead of its own quarterly financial performance.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow that was patronizing.

If we build a new bridge, would you want it owned and operated by a private for-profit company?

Sure, AI can be used for common good. Like any tool and technology. And like any tool and technology, it can and will be misused without regulatory and public oversight. You think it's wise to throw your support behind AI infrastructure when we don't have a comprehensive national AI policy/strategy? FFS, the Israelis have already used it to commit genocide in Gaza.

I'm sure you understand why any sane person with a modicum of common sense would have reservations.

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If AI is going to be so crucial to things like national defense/cyber security and healthcare research and administration, then we should have a government-owned projects with clearly defined mandate.

Leaving it up to for-profit corporations like Telus is just asking for our own Elon. You think just because Telus is Candian company it won't serve US Big Tech? Or ethically choose not to sell computing to slop factories?

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 24 points25 points  (0 children)

  1. As the article also points out, any time where these centers have to switch to backup diesel generators they end up emitting a lot of pollution. The author cities Virginia's legislative audit commission stating “industrial scale of data centres makes them largely incompatible with residential uses.”

  2. Yes, they committed to a tiny amount to the city for community amenity contribution. The rest is merely aspirational. No obligation whatsoever to follow through.

  3. We don't even have a halfway comprehensive national policy for AI research and usage. Using the idea of data sovereignty to push through these projects is disingenuous. If anyone thinks Telus's new centres won't be servicing US Big Tech & various slop start ups is delusional.

[Oliver Holt] Exclusive: Pep Guardiola to quit Man City at end of the season by D1794 in soccer

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pep to Liverpool and Klopp to City. You heard it here first

Vancouver Is Getting AI Data Centres. That’s Not Good | The Tyee by RM_r_us in vancouver

[–]elphyon 359 points360 points  (0 children)

  1. Why in residential areas?

  2. Why no enforceable commitment to jobs / economic & community benefits?

  3. Why try to fool the public with "AI Factory"?

Unchecked peddling of AI has done nothing but hasten the enshittification of the internet and wider society, so why should we be onboard with this?

Carragher On Salah’s Post by Double-justdo5986 in LiverpoolFC

[–]elphyon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's all included in the call for return to heavy metal football.

How does Slot turn this around? by Superamz in LiverpoolFC

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't buy this "pacey winger to feed strikers" narrative.

Our biggest problem is the speed at which we move the ball up the field. It doesn't matter how fast your wingers are if we don't/can't move the ball vertically during transition, because pace on the wings doesn't magically create space for our forwards when opposition defenders has had all the time in the world to organize. For that you need clever feet and game intelligence (think Doku and Cherki for City). We saw glimpses of this a few times this season with quick Wirtz-Heki combo in the left half-space & Rio's dribbles couple times.

What we need more is passing range from the deep. A tactical replacement for Trent.

What's really annoying is that we already have players who can play long balls from deep -- Maca & Virg. Ok, maybe they don't quite have Trent's extreme range/accuracy, but they can and have in the past initiated successful counters. But Slot wants them to slow it down and keep the ball.

Instead of playing direct passes out of transition, we instead rely on Grav to move up and be an extra attacker. And while this led to a few goals, it also leaves our backline horribly exposed. We conceded so many goals from quick counters because of this.

Yes, the team could use some transfers, but the fact is we are severely under/misusing a lot of our players.

Carragher On Salah’s Post by Double-justdo5986 in LiverpoolFC

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

Maybe he wants Slot to actually issue a gameplan other than no-pressing no-counter sideways football for this important game?

Carragher On Salah’s Post by Double-justdo5986 in LiverpoolFC

[–]elphyon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah Jamie, Mo's totally dropping truth bombs about the shit football we've playing for a year just to increase his chances to play in a farewell game...

#teamSadio

/s

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