specialist

9 ms·

91.
by specialist 7mo ago
IMHO Pax Americana ended (passed the point of no return) with GWB. Iraq, 2008 financial crisis, SCOTUS picks, unitary executive, extraordinary rendition, breaking of weapons treaties (nuke testing, bio & chem warfare), abandoning peace
92.
by specialist 7mo ago
We shape the buildings that in turn shape us.
93.
by specialist 7mo ago
Agree with all. Especially about nationalization. The origins of each colony (a la Albion's Seed) continue to shape our politics. Spoiler: The Virginians won. > it took a "white knight" Yes and: each progressive reform,
94.
by specialist 7mo ago
Not a slippery slope. That's exactly what happened. You've (unironically?) restated the crux of the Dead Internet Theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory Authentic human activity has been c
95.
by specialist 7mo ago
I concur. On (most) all points you've made in this thread. Two things. #1 What if you're wrong? What if one day you wake up and the world (as we know it) hasn't ended? I totally understand nihilism, despair, despondency, hope
96.
by specialist 7mo ago
Correct. We're in a vetocracy. h/t Francis Fukuyama Both our Senate and SCOTUS are anti-democratic. I daresay they've proven reactionary, with a few notable exceptions.
97.
by specialist 7mo ago
Methinks our current path has been determined since ~1980, with ~2000 probably being the last chance we had to stay under 1.5C. So, well, whaddya gonna do? The trick is deluding oneself that we can somehow muddle thru this. (Humanity has in
98.
by specialist 7mo ago
Yaya. Sorry. I didn't state my assumptions, am mixing issues. To me, Kia/Hyundai is an example of a foreign manufacturer successively building EVs in North America for North America. Satisfying American standards, tastes, regulati
99.
by specialist 7mo ago
Are you familiar with the Copenhagen Interpretation of Ethics? https://gwern.net/doc/philosophy/ethics/2015-06-24-jai-theco... And Murc's Law? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murc%27s_
100.
by specialist 7mo ago
I'm old enough to remember the Obama Admin's support for the nascent battery and PV industries. Ditto Biden Admin's support for our transition to renewables (IIJA, IRA). Unprecedented. The type of Keynesian investment in the
101.
by specialist 7mo ago
Apart from the tariffs madness, once Chinese cars meet our safety standards, they'll sale quite well here. I'd buy a Kia PV9 in a heartbeat.
102.
by specialist 7mo ago
This is BMW's clever attack on Tesla's overvaluation, partially based on Optimus hype. The use of (general purpose) humanoid robots in manufacturing will fail. BMW is just accelerating that outcome. Then Tesla's market cap wi
103.
by specialist 7mo ago
No ads. No algorithmic hate machine. Active moderation. Two other fine examples of thriving online communities are metafilter and ravelry. I'm sure there's many more on the web. I just don't get out much. And many, many not o
104.
by specialist 7mo ago
Terrific if it happens. I may even ignore the AI (valuation) bubble for the duration. David Roberts ( https://volts.wtf ) has repeatedly noted that AI companies need the power, need it now, and have the capital to get it. So he (a
105.
by specialist 7mo ago
> The internet isn't dead. I was referring to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory#Claims > Yet we discourse here just fine. True. But what makes HN an outlier?
106.
by specialist 7mo ago
> blow your brains of how cheap Yes and: ossified, top-heavy, ever more bureaucratic, MBA/consultant brain rot. From your linked comment: > willing to bet my entire salary that the costs of all the new extra bureaucratic overh
107.
by specialist 8mo ago
> The point of ID laws is not to stop "bots"... Then make it the point. The Internet is already all but dead. We could fix it (as I propose). Or we let it die. I'm fine with either outcome. > criminalizing dissent W
108.
by specialist 8mo ago
Correct. The choice is between democracy and our current ever worsening sociopolitical hellscape. If eliminating bots and sockpuppets is the price for restoring some semblance of democracy, then gosh darn. And if social media, targeted ads,
109.
by specialist 8mo ago
I've come full circle to appreciating the current durability of culture. Last summer, I played Pokémon with my neice's kid. I got to relive the pure joy of playing Pokémon with my neice, nephews, and own son. So now three generati
110.
by specialist 8mo ago
I believe, but cannot prove, new media(s) enable new waves of creativity. (Orthogonal to the socioeconomic incubators.)
111.
by specialist 8mo ago
I'm totally fine with your proposal. I especially like no-permission-needed for commercial use with predetermined royalties. Throw in patents and I'll be your best friend for life. Another reform notion I heard (IIRC): Require for
112.
by specialist 8mo ago
Ya, you're right. When it worked, it worked well. A point worth remembering, thanks. Alas, they just weren't robust enough, interferring with my work.
113.
by specialist 8mo ago
> it's one of the worst ideas It's still one of the worst ideas. Insult to injury.
114.
by specialist 8mo ago
Their laptop touchpads are the only Apple "pointer" input device I've ever liked. (And by extension, the iPhone and iPad.) I hate myself every time I settle for yet another disposable Microsoft mouse. Though, I would have kil
115.
by specialist 8mo ago
IANAL, IIRC: SCOTUS has very narrowly defined bribery as explicit quid pro quo. And sometimes not even then.
116.
by specialist 8mo ago
And then hoover up assets after the bubble pops. Lather, rinse, repeat.
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by specialist 8mo ago
> the US system is designed for gridlock Yup. aka vetocracy
118.
by specialist 8mo ago
Yes and: USA has been reverting education to its pre-Sputnik arrangement since the end of the Cold War. Without an external motivation, our domestic reactionaries have regained the advantage. Its been a generations long fight to roll back t
119.
by specialist 8mo ago
I learned from playing Diplomacy that a competent enemy is preferrable to an incompetent ally.
120.
by specialist 8mo ago
TIL "vernacular art". I like it. Am noob. The phrase "folk art" never satisfied me. Is it really all that different? But I didn't have the gumption to learn more. Happily, the critics and philosophers did: https:&#

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