groby_b

42 ms·

721.
by groby_b 3y ago
So is calling HN contributions "throwing messages in conversations". Sure, some of us might, but most folks here don't. Same way some of the contributions in that database are low value, but most aren't.
722.
by groby_b 3y ago
We should also deeply worry about space aliens showing up and blasting us out of the sky. If they're sufficiently powerful, that could absolutely happen! Stop any radio emissions! xRisk is an absolutely stupid way to reason about AI. I
723.
by groby_b 3y ago
Obligatory mention for Mortimer Adler's book "How to read a Book". It's been extremely helpful in clarifying how I think about consuming the written work. (Yes, full ack, I procrastinated for years on it because my brain
724.
by groby_b 3y ago
There is an upside for not having to work through indirection. There's absolutely no upside to talking to a robot. Or a "hold" line. And it's worth keeping in mind that for services, the money flows in the opposite direc
725.
by groby_b 3y ago
It's great to make conscious choices of what you want from your life, and accounting for the trade-offs. But these choices are likely different for everybody. This post makes the fundamental mistake of assuming that "different&quo
726.
by groby_b 3y ago
If we could solve the problems of colonizing Mars, we'd long be in a position of solving the problems of keeping Earth habitable. I mean, by all means, let's try for multiplanetary, but it's not an answer for "if we miss
727.
by groby_b 3y ago
1) Starbucks is a more American thing than a worldwide one. 2) Starbucks is many things, but coffee store is a euphemism. It offers sweetened hot drinks with caffeine. (See where that taste difference I mentioned comes in?) 3) Craft coffee
728.
by groby_b 3y ago
This line of thought completely discounts the value of difference, though. The idea that a single structure works well for everybody assumes everybody values things equally. And usually, above a certain baseline, that's not true. I mea
729.
by groby_b 3y ago
This depends entirely on how much money you have to waste. I'd suggest, at the very least: * Hiring somebody who knows manufacturing to walk you through what you need to set this up. * Figuring out the cost of building a toaster in the
730.
by groby_b 3y ago
Because time-to-market matters? Because even minimally productive folks were ROI-positive in ZIRP world, but a bad idea in 8% interest world? Because Wall Street rewards growth?
731.
by groby_b 3y ago
That's a very romantic approach ("good old times"), but it's fundamental broken even if we could implement it. The late 1930s and 1940s weren't exactly the greatest time to be around, and using that as a yardstick s
732.
by groby_b 3y ago
Media in large groups was always toxic. BBSes were, once they exceeded a certain size threshold. Usenet had its toxic corners. Large IRC channels without strong moderators were a hellscape. There are two ingredients to toxicity, as far as I
733.
by groby_b 3y ago
He's responsible for a ton of AIDS deaths, so we'll let him be with one pandemic.
734.
by groby_b 3y ago
I mean, yes, of course, weather is weather. Nobody expects perfection in the face of force majeure. US railways, however, seem to specialize in delivering the minimum possible experience that doesn't result in open riots.
735.
by groby_b 3y ago
Meanwhile, Japan operates trains at 200mph and operators apologize profusely should they actually experience a 25 second delay. Maybe the issue isn't that people complain about shitty service, but the fact that the service is shitty in
736.
by groby_b 3y ago
People care. At the individual level. In the abstract. But there are two obstacles that keep them from doing the right thing. One is that without discoverability of those docs (in a non-legal sense ;) it's a doomed effort, because ..
737.
by groby_b 3y ago
This assumes 100% competent and knowledgeable users. Nobody is in every field, and so the question is "do we freely hand out footguns, or should we put a safety in place" In some fields, the decision is easy. We're by now cul
738.
by groby_b 3y ago
FWIW: For your non-profit work, I'd recommend charging full price as donation if your tax jurisdiction allows this.
739.
by groby_b 3y ago
Yes, there is an opt out, see the fourth sentence: * Otherwise, you can get more information, customize your consent preferences, or decline consent by selecting "Learn More".* It's a dark pattern to only call it "Learn
740.
by groby_b 3y ago
Yes. If you want to pursue them, but not if you add a side project just to battle your burnout. A core part of burnout is lack of control, and a side project can give you that feeling back - if you do it for the joy of it.
741.
by groby_b 3y ago
Note that I point to the education system . I know a lot of teachers bend over backwards to make sure their students learn something. (Often even at personal cost, because heaven forbid we give them or students decent supplies) We as a soc
742.
by groby_b 3y ago
No offense, but "assignment and syllabus design" scratches the surface at best. And while I understand the desire to let students experiment with teaching, it's worth keeping in mind it's an experiment on other human bei
743.
by groby_b 3y ago
The thing that breaks my heart is that we have a much better understanding of adult learning. It didn't need to be that painful. That's not the lecturers fault. It takes a while to learn how to teach. It is the fault of our educat
744.
by groby_b 3y ago
This. Right here. I can write code just fine in ed. (Don't ask...) However, it saps away my will to live in about 15-30 minutes max. I am probably faster in vim (or Sublime, or VS.Code, or...), but not by much. But it's a much mor
745.
by groby_b 3y ago
This is not on the managers. This is HR gone wild. Most managers close to the frontline understand perfectly well what an incredibly stupid idea this is.
746.
by groby_b 3y ago
"will muting each and every sound sell more cars?". Maybe muting sounds won't. But a general focus on quality will. There's a good amount of potential customers who consider Tesla low quality. There's a good amount
747.
by groby_b 3y ago
Only if you have ADHD. If you don't, it's negatively impacting mental performance - but it's really good at helping you to deliver slightly subpar performance for grossly extended periods of time. (Common uses: Crisis situati
748.
by groby_b 3y ago
Please, do show me a place that runs, say, a 100+ person team where there isn't a significant amount of consensus building. And if you believe all useful activity can be done by less than 100 people, you might want to acquaint yourself
749.
by groby_b 3y ago
Sure, but privacy isn't black or white. A donation to signal does not compromise the content of your messaging. So what you've leaked is the information that you have an interest in private conversations. This might be a problem i
750.
by groby_b 3y ago
I am saying that if you hurt somebody, and you can not hurt them just by using a different word, yeah, my expectation is that you try not to hurt other people. If that's asking too much of you... well, it's helpful info.

More ›