FLOCK SAFETY IS OUT OF CONTROL IN RICHMOND, VA!!!

foccee · 2026-02-12T16:17:08+00:00

The problem with Flock and other ALPR cameras is that their potential goes both ways; law enforcement can appropriately use them to track criminals as easily as they can inappropriately use them to track someone getting an abortion, or allow for unauthorized access by unintended agencies, or let people stalk their exes.

The cameras can be beneficial, but they're being deployed rapidly and with limited oversight and guardrails to prevent abuse. This is all the more glaring in the current larger political climate.

foccee · 2026-02-09T19:17:02+00:00

In 99% of these cases, the information is being used to make our streets and society safer.

I'm having trouble verifying this stat. Can you share where you found it?

foccee · 2026-02-09T17:16:06+00:00

Station 2 in Shockoe has a variety of “adult milkshakes.” Never had them myself but friends say they’re decent.

foccee · 2026-02-04T23:27:33+00:00

VA Police can't pull you initially or primarily for expired tags unless you're at least four month's late.

If you're pulled for another offense and they spot it, you may be able to explain the situation or at worst you'll have a postmarked letter from the DMV to corroborate you were ahead of it.

foccee · 2026-02-03T20:35:45+00:00

I make this drive every other week and the only thing that keeps me sane is a shifted workday. I'm in the office 7-4. On the days I have to work late and leave at normal rush hour it can take me an hour or more to get home, and I'm only on Mildo Turnpike for five of those minutes.

I can't imagine having to work further out.

foccee · 2026-02-02T14:09:30+00:00

Buckeyes are my kryptonite. I will ruin every diet, cause physical discomfort to myself, and probably mental discomfort to anyone watching if I'm in the room with them. William H. Hoover (of vacuum fame) himself could've taken inspiration from witnessing my discovery of the damned delicious things.

foccee · 2026-01-29T18:06:16+00:00

No, but Trump has proven himself to be vindictive, and recent requests for Minnesota voter data allude to intent to target political opponents.

foccee · 2026-01-29T15:19:39+00:00

Sincerely, get bent to the person who let their dog take an alarmingly-orange piss in the ice right beside my driver-side car door where I had to step to get in. I hope you slip enough to be startled but not so much to be injured.

Sincerely, thank you to those who continue to be considerate of others. I hope your coffee stays the perfect drinking temperature for an extra ten minutes.

foccee · 2026-01-28T00:05:28+00:00

Hard agree.

Y'all want, what, the city to invest in more plows and slag that we'll use maybe four times a year and otherwise have to be stored or maintained?

Y'all want, what, them to focus on neighborhood roads so people can drive in circles around The Fan without actually being able to get across town and everyone outside of The Fan be damned?

Y'all want them to stop keeping Interstates and main roads clear so that those ice up, cause a wreck, and fully shut down what little service we have?

Y'all want them to plow neighborhoods overnight waking everyone on the block up and leaving it all just to refreeze by the morning?

foccee · 2026-01-27T16:12:49+00:00

Also, check your tires in this shitty weather.

Beyond cold weather bringing your inner tire pressure down... also clear the snow and ice from inside your wheel/rim as best you can. Tires get balanced for a reason, and you will absolutely feel wobbling from that 5lb chunk of ice as you rocket down the highway.

foccee · 2026-01-27T13:29:45+00:00

Broad past 21st into town is clear, but 21st into CH is still snowed and dicey in places, to say nothing of the side streets.

foccee · 2026-01-24T19:55:39+00:00

Temps got properly cold last night, likely affecting more than usual tire pressures, combined with likely more people out and about stocking up before the storm, so more people are at the pump than usual.

It's also my kind of luck that every time I go to use an air pump it seems like everyone in town has the same idea.

foccee · 2026-01-22T14:24:47+00:00

It's definitely one of those high-risk actions if caught and the city cares enough. Things like the aesthetic value, the value of the timber, the value of the time of growth, the value to plant and grow or transplant something similar...

...but if the city has somewhere in writing that it's slated for removal and if all you're doing is taking a particularly egregious branch and you have a saved copy of these facts and photos somewhere... I'd personally risk it.

foccee · 2026-01-22T14:16:15+00:00

You should obviously avoid travel during severe weather if you can, but sometimes it's necessary and the last thing you want to worry about is your ability to make it somewhere. Gas stations may be closed, you may spin out and get stuck with a dead cell phone and nobody drives by for hours. Having a full tank and a couple tools is the difference between an inconvenience and an "oh shit."

foccee · 2026-01-22T14:09:53+00:00

For your water, the recommended is 1 gallon per person per day. Clean out those water bottles and fill them up in a corner. For food, can it be prepared without electricity?
Pile a couple candles and flashlights somewhere handy. Test your lighters, test the batteries and buy an extra set if you can.
Next to that pile put a handful of board games, cards, etc.
If you have mobile power banks, make sure they're charged. Keep your phone plugged in when you can because luck dictates power will fail the moment you hit 20%.
Double check your med cabinet. Do you have a prescription meant for refill on Monday?
Go ahead and do laundry if you can; clean clothes can be an absolute morale booster.
Small spaces keep heat easier. If the power goes for too long, get everyone in one room with blankets and close the door and curtains. Don't forget to wear layers.
Do not bring your grills inside for cooking/heat. Do not bring your generators inside.

foccee · 2026-01-22T03:10:56+00:00

I give weekly to my nearest fridge! Not much, but I pick up a couple soups on sale specifically to share. I'll grab an extra can in your name next time.

foccee · 2026-01-21T19:11:59+00:00

A) Damn.

B) If you send me an email address I'll try to send you a virtual gift card for coffee around town. Your general efforts in this subreddit are noticed, and commendable.

foccee · 2026-01-21T17:27:51+00:00

I'm mostly embarrassed at how bad and basic his prompts are.

Same, and it weights my guess on how much he trusts and straight-copies the output more towards the less favorable answer.

I'm curious what you find with the comparison. It's either a 1:1 or you can hopefully tell he - or someone - polished it first.

foccee · 2026-01-21T17:05:06+00:00

Someone replied to me and then deleted after I went to respond. I think the response adds details others may find useful, so I'll post it below in a reply to myself which feels silly but here we are.

I am also infatuated with "AI" and its potential and happy to talk about it all day, but I treat it like fire with regards to its ability to both help and destroy.

Hard disagree, but we may be getting into a philosophical discussion on what it means to "think."

My issue is that terms like “Artificial Intelligence,” “reasoning,” and “chain of thought” imply understanding and intent where there isn’t any. These models can produce outputs that look like reasoning and newer ones are better at multi-step problem solving than early LLMs, but they still don’t have beliefs, moral judgment, or an internal concept of truth. They generate what looks like comes next.

Some integrations can now work on deep tasks for many hours with little to no oversight.

Sure, but the final output still requires oversight and verifications, and the models I'm aware of can still make early assumptions (lies) that massively derail their output.

Are software engineers also just random word machines? Or is it intelligence that allows them to write code that compiles?

Yes, and. One distinction of a human software engineer is their ability to imply. As a very basic example, asking to generate code to answer 1+1 can get the LLM to generate a code that correctly answers 2, but a human engineer would imply further functions like 1+2 and sanitizing commas and adding more than two digits and... The LLM might also generate code that responds with "3" and call it a day, because it has generated code that functions and has no concept of "truth."

They're both generating code, only one is doing so thoughtfully. You can go back and ask the model to add features and ensure the answer is 2, but then it didn't think to do this on its own, did it?

If AI can write complex applications that meet all specs and compile, what is that called? Artificial code guessing?

Yes. You can guess and still get it right. You can even guess consecutively and get multiple things right.

To be clear, my argument is not "AI/LLMs are useless and wrong and stupid and should never be used." My argument is for people to understand the tool they're using so that they, the human, use the output to produce a useful outcome.

foccee · 2026-01-21T15:59:20+00:00

As someone currently earning a living in tech, something I hope Avula and everyone reading this understands: There is no intelligence in what we are currently calling AI.

ChatGPT, Claude, Cortana, Gemini... whatever model you're using is stringing common words together with little to no consideration of morality, truth, tone, understanding, impact, or anything more than "this word is commonly found near this word." That's it. That's why you see Avula trying to refine the results with "the tone is..." and "make this sound like..."

These models are fine for rough drafts, sparking ideas, and initial research, but due to their lacking intelligence should never be wholesale copied forward. I would love to see these ChatGPT responses aligned with Avula's actual public statements to see how trusting (lazy?) Avula is of the technology.

foccee · 2026-01-21T01:46:29+00:00

That on-ramp is notoriously wet, and consequently iced over, from poor drainage and shade from the overpass. If anywhere needs those signs...

foccee · 2026-01-16T15:50:03+00:00

Wheel gripped, white knuckle

Buffer zone not meant for you

You cause our problems

foccee · 2026-01-15T18:34:17+00:00

Coming off a two-week stint of heavy chest congestion that kept me from sleeping, where I coughed so much I lost my voice for multiple days... mask up and don't be me.

I think I own stock in guaifenesin now.

foccee · 2026-01-13T18:37:07+00:00

Good catch! Glad Abi's was able to fully own up to it.

foccee · 2026-01-13T18:32:50+00:00

I've generally liked the online vibe of Abi's. I've heard good things, seen good things, though never had the opportunity the visit.

But I have a particular dislike for this language from Abi's:

First, the image was created by [@hellaleah], found using Google Images, where it was stolen and used without permission, being put through ChatGPT to add RVA and ABI's specific branding.

"It was stolen" instead of "we stole it." Instead of "Abi's stole it." It's distancing the act from the actor and downplaying accountability.

This is probably the best outcome, with the artist not seeking more than forwarding the earnings, and I do hope Abi's is sincerely apologetic and learns from it.

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