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AA5B

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AA5B ,

Why celebrate a feature that was added for non-customers? Why celebrate a feature they were forced to add rather than chose to? Don’t get me wrong, I think this should have been done long ago, but what’s in it for Apple to waste some of their precious announcement time? The fallback mode of iMessages doesn’t fall back as far? Yay?

AA5B , (edited )

And if there’s a highway, why don’t they talk about it on c|trees

(And why doesn’t the markdown page say how to reference communities?)

AA5B , (edited )

We all make fun of it, but for critical applications like aviation, this is why there is a paper trail for everything. Someone certified that as being titanium, and it probably only took minutes to find out whom.

So the only question is what consequences that supplier faces

Edit: I see it was traced to a Chinese supplier who forfeited the paper trail and it was noticed in the first place because it didn’t meet requirements. Seems like an open-shut case, but maybe this will put some teeth in the trade war some people seem intent on starting

AA5B ,

I don’t know, this sounds pretty crazy, whereas US is only two sided. I don’t know any details besides this article but the imagine in the US, the differences are starker, the consequences more dire, for both us and the rest of the world (I apologize if it seems like exceptionalism, but this really is a situation with global consequnces both now and the future)

AA5B ,

Or, they could focus on making their flights as comfortable and stress free as possible, make flying a pleasure again, and fewer loonies will lose it. Imagine if we all had a good experience flying?

AA5B ,

Maybe it’s people already miserable from the crowding, the stress, the cavity search, the paperwork, the worry about getting bumped, the lack of space, the lack of freedom to even move, the lack of elbow and knee space, all the wasted ti e of getting there hours ahead of time, will their toothpaste get flagged as a threat, etc …… just trying for a little peace and comfort, willing to pay a little more to get it, but no

AA5B ,

I’m actually outgrowing that.

  • When I was concerned about lowest possible price, I also figured I was stuck with what I paid for.
  • Now I’m willing to pay a little extra. My last flight I paid for reserved seats, premium economy, and to a direct flight

But airlines have seriously raised prices here, much more than the basic seats, partly by charging for each item individually. Why do reserved seats, non-painful leg room and direct flight add $100 to my ticket? At least two of those, maybe all three, used to be basic service.

Even just charging for checked baggage is a serious issue in people’s level of frustration. I know the goal is to make more money by carrying more freight, and I don’t usually check baggage so why am I paying for other people’s baggage. However the reality is the fiasco with overhead bin space is directly related to charging for checked baggage. There are always people carrying on more than there’s space. There’s always people taking the first overhead bin since they can’t count on one near their seat. And of course half the passengers don’t seem to understand their baggage still fits if they turn it 90°. Sure people are self-centered idiots, but airlines are doing their share of making this yet one more frustrating part of air travel, by making everyone avoid checking baggage

AA5B ,

Back in the 70’s ….

Were you there? Maybe I’m looking back with rose colored glasses and with my parents taking care of all the details, but yes, flying cut rate People’s Express was a much more luxurious flight than pretty much all the “normal” airlines now. There was elbow and leg room (yes, I was almost fully grown), window passengers could see out the windows, plenty of overhead bin space and included checked bags, not overcrowded as hell, a family could get seats together without paying tons extra, much easier process dealing with security and paperwork, flight attendants that could smile and even give you the full can of soda if you were thirsty, you didn’t have to get to the airport so far ahead, you could bring your own toiletries and didn’t have to take off shoes or belts. Yes, flying even the cheapest carrier then was much better than full priced now. There’s reasons we didn’t have as many loonies

AA5B ,

Yeah, I hear you. The worst is those damn non-adjustable headrests digging into your back. Cant put the tray table down flat because my knees are there and can’t move my knees because there’s no place else for my legs to go

AA5B ,

Sure none of that turns people into loonies by itself. However airlines need to start taking responsibility for how miserable they make the experience - when you’re making even sane people miserable, trying everyone’s patience, certainly someone with a few screws loose is going to have them entirely fall out. It’s inevitable, and the blame should not be entirely on the loonies (mostly, but airlines should be charged as accessories)

AA5B ,

From the stories online, EU has similar race to the bottom) airlines, like Ryan Air, but maybe the difference is having a national carrier that you can take pride in. In the US, pretty much all airlines are “race to the bottom” cattle cars, and the only question is whether you want a bad carrier or a worse one. Can I have British Air or Iceland Air, or Emirates Air, please?

South Australia to legislate 'world leading' electoral donation ban prohibiting donations and gifts to political parties, backed by tough penalties for those who seek to circumvent the law (www.premier.sa.gov.au)

The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has announced plans to ban donations to registered political parties, members of parliament and candidates. The state will provide funding to allow parties and candidates to contest elections, run campaigns and promote political ideas, according to the proposed bill....

AA5B ,

Great! Now do one for judges. US has a great example to outlaw

AA5B ,

That’s not exactly the concern: solid state buttons should be more reliable. The concern is that if something happens, like a bug or failed update, where the only hope of recovery is to reset it, you’re depending on buttons controlled by the same software that’s already broken.

In theory, mechanical buttons continue to work, regardless of the OS or drivers being locked up, so you can still recover

AA5B ,

You might look at “smart rings”.

AA5B ,

Since COViD especially (but it started before that), a lot of fast food order takers have been replaced by apps and kiosks.

AA5B ,

Seems like a great recipes for more private schools. If a local public school isn’t any better than anyone else’s why would the wealthy send their kids there?

A variation of that is currently each community decides how much to spend on their future. Some people choose to live in communities that spend less, while others move to the best school district they can afford. Why would someone who cares about their kids’ education want anything to do with “mediocre “ schools

Even if god exists religion can't possibly be the way to god

So I thought about this in the shower amd it makes sense to me, like praying and stuff never worked for most people I know, so a direkt link to god gotta be unlikely. That made me conclude that religion is probably fake, no matter if there’s a god or not. Also people speaking to the same god being given a different set of...

AA5B , (edited )

Religion can still be legit IF

  • the goal is moral good - most modern religions have a similar moral basis, as do agnostics and atheists
  • non-interference - in this life, it’s all up to you
  • nobody can speak for whatever supreme being and it has better things to do than speak to us
  • outside of that moral foundation, it’s all more of a tool than a goal. Rituals and daily rules help you stay on the path but aren’t goals in themselves. For example if you adhere to your variation of communal prayer, you are spending time uplifting your thoughts to the moral foundation, and developing a harmony with your community. It’s a tool, a practice, to develop better habits toward your goal

Compare it to diet plans. There are many variations where the goal is to eat fewer calories but with rituals to help develop better habits and learn portion control. They are all legit approaches and you can reach your goal of a new life with whichever variation works best for you

AA5B ,

Not dying of cancer is selfish. It mainly benefits yourself

AA5B ,

How can anything judge your behavior if there is interference or proof? You can only be responsible for your morality if there is true free will. If you could pray away anything bad, then it would be unfair to be judged for reward in an afterlife

AA5B ,

mainly. Yes the biggest impact is to myself. Sure my kids will be impacted but not as much

AA5B ,

We just bought his hype

That hype was useful when for cussed on a technology he is helping develop. We should never have listened outside that

AA5B ,

This is actually the thing that gives me most privacy assurance. My car company does offer this as an insurance product to themselves, transparently. Since they’re honest about this part of it, and have less profit incentive to those of us who don’t agree, I’m a bit assured that they are not motivated to sell my data to my actual insurer

AA5B ,

I interact with my insurer, over the phone, through an intermediary. And of course I pay them. The only info they have is pii and financial. My driving history and score is available from the state.

My last at least two cars likely report highly detailed driving info to their manufacturers, and I really can’t do anything about it. I care enough to click “no” wherever I can but not naive enough to believe it

However my current vehicle manufacturer also does insurance. If you use their insurance, you are letting them rate your driving by every little minutia. They are less likely to sell this data because they have a product that it’s a differentiator for: it’s not in their best interest to give competitors their competitive advantage

AA5B ,

Nope, then there wouldn’t have been a point to being born human

AA5B ,

I vaguely remember reading something about a Prius with solar panel on the roof. It was enough to run a small fan to keep the interior a little cooler. In theory it improved efficiency because the air conditioning had less work to do

AA5B ,

The screenshots look like existing iPhone functionality to limit distractions. The only difference may be that is designed for time, such as only 2hr games per day, whereas I imagine that scan triggers it instantly

Washington man arrested after fatally shooting teen who had BB gun (www.usatoday.com)

Myers, who says he’s a licensed security guard, was sitting in his car Wednesday to conduct “overwatch” while his son trains because “he has seen numerous crimes occur” in the parking lot, according to the probable cause statement....

AA5B ,

He never did any such thing, that would have been illegal. He crossed a state line, then got a weapon …… see, perfectly legal

AA5B ,

It sounds really similar to what I teach my kids about driving - it doesn’t matter if you’re right but someone else crashed into you, you’re still the one injured or dead

AA5B ,

Ah, yes: pre-crime. Gotta shoot em early before they commit a crime

AA5B ,

I always thought we crossed the line with the wave of “Campus Security” departments becoming licensed police so they could carry guns

AA5B ,

I think this is where most such efforts fail; this is the “good guy with a gun” fallacy. It’s usually NOT “the worst case scenario”, and people are bad at recognizing this (in both directions)

AA5B ,

I wonder if that’s one of those things where everyone thought it didn’t need to be codified, because “of course you would select someone qualified”, until modern politics proved that false

In my state, I see that seems to have held true

There is no law or constitutional provision that states that a judge should have a background as a lawyer, but the governor’s Executive Order states the educational and work experience that a successful candidate should have. (No non-lawyer has advanced to become a judge in modern times.)

AA5B ,

I’d go a step further than that - MBAs who not only contract dev out to India but go the cheapest route. I’ve worked with both fantastic teams over there and teams that do more harm than good: the difference is what that MBA was looking for. There’s a lot of great engineers and you can build a great team if that’s what you care about. However you won’t get it by looking for the cheapest contractor in the cheapest country

AA5B ,

The dangers of geoengineering cannot be overstated

Certainly the risk of geogineering is potentially more catastrophic than anything else humans have done, including use of nuclear weapons (short of all out Armageddon). However we’re screwing up our response to climate change badly enough that we’re already heading there. That last desperate hope is starting to appear like our only hope, even among those who think they understand the risk.

5-10 years ago, I would have agreed: just say no to geoengineering. The risks are way too high. But we keep getting worse at climate change, not better. A lot of the technology we need to reduce output impact on the climate has been developed, is affordable and practical, yet there are still so many obstacles to building it out. As a tech guy I relish the challenge of figuring out a tech solution, but we have many partial solutions yet society won’t budge and I don’t know how to fix that. It’s so frustrating and hopeless.

It’s time to consider our last desperate hope. Time to try to figure out a way. Time for serious investigation, including pilots. We may never want to take that risk, but it’s starting to look like we’ll have to

AA5B , (edited )

Yes, and that is one of the huge problems with it. One developed country can do geoengineering that affects everyone, for better or worse. One developed country can decide to take the risk regardless of the rest of the world.

If my relatively well off country decides to spread some aerosol in the stratosphere to reduce incoming solar, for example, it can likely afford to make a difference in the rate of climate change. But just by calling it climate change, we’re recognizing it could affect everyone. Whatever I’m pumping into the stratosphere will not stay within my borders. If I’m able to change climate patterns in my country, those changes do not stop at the border

And of course a related issue is that any intentional change in climate systems will have different effects in different places. Even if you succeed, there will inevitably be those worse off. You can easily picture this turning into an out of control conflict. We all know about historical atrocities around resource exploitation of less developed countries, so what do you expect will happen if weather patterns are intentionally changed to benefit the climate of the wealthier countries at the expense of those who can’t afford it?

AA5B ,

People keep saying that but the queue at my library is ridiculously long so I’ve never been able to read most of his books

AA5B ,

Landlords have even better govt incentives to install chargers than homeowners do. But why should they? It’s all down to motivation. Chargers still cost money and do not make a profit in themselves.

So how do we change that? The best way is for EVs to become ever more common. Landlords will install chargers when there’s enough demand, when it’s a competitive factor that makes a difference in whether they get tenants and how much they can charge. Currently there are only a few EVs out there so it doesn’t matter: landlords can just ignore them.

I wonder more about HOAs. I know they’re notoriously conservative/reactionary, but they are run by homeowners. They are closer to the people who want chargers. Why aren’t more of them installing chargers?

AA5B ,

But it’s really not. Sure, we need serious upgrades to support the end result, but that’s not a place we suddenly get to. The same years/decades it takes to get there are what we have to grow infrastructure to match.

Distribution infrastructure handles current power needs and has some buffer built in to handle expected growth, so no big deal to install more chargers. Distribution infrastructure already reacts to growth - as it approaches capacity, utilities have incentive to build more. In that sense, this is just like all other power uses, and no big deal.

The real difference is the speed. Most people are expecting a faster transition to EVs and electrification than distribution growth has historically supported. While this does need to be addressed, there’s no reason for it to block buildout of chargers. It’s fine in the short term and in the long term, the biggest driver of increased transmission will be that demand.

AA5B ,

But you do have to pay that shit back … forever. And printing money leads to currency devaluation, makes everything else more expensive

Even if you don’t think the debt itself is unmanageable, you start having problems like

AA5B ,

Wow, it’s like US uses metric system for counting and y’all do “imperial counting”

AA5B ,

Similar holds for EV or phone batteries. They usually don’t suddenly die, but lose more and more health over time. Realistically, you have to set a threshold, where you call it no longer useful.

If the life expectancy was 80%, then we’ve passed it and they are due for replacement. If it was 70% the they still have years of useful life.

It’s probably one of those two. For phones, I replace batteries when health drops to 80%, because I spend too much of my life online. Also, I’m probably giving my phone to my kid about then, so they deserve a fresh battery. I have kept phone batteries down to about 70% life, but then it usually doesn’t last the day and I’m carrying portable chargers everywhere

I haven’t had an EV long enough but I believe the typical battery warranty is defined like that: not just that it’ll work for 10 years, but that it will still be at least 70% health after ten years

AA5B ,

Probably like tire warranties: prorated for expected life, and not including installation cost

AA5B ,

A significant portion of the cost of solar, is the installation costs. There’s not much you can do about how much work goes into installing panels, and this will get more expensive over time as wages rise. A more efficient panel means less to install, bringing down that installation cost

I don’t yet have solar panels so am not sure what they’d do, but at least half of my south facing roof is always shaded. Is the remaining half the roof sufficient space? I don’t know, but panel size is critical.

AA5B ,

Holy cow, even looking at the picture … I spent so much time trying to figure out what the bright yellow thing was that I entirely missed the top of the fall being completely dry

AA5B ,

I see no reason that car would be selected

Then shouldn’t your objection be with whoever did the selecting?

AA5B ,

I suppose it may be the Mandela effect, but I thought they did announce it, just not everyone read it.

Just like the idiots at work who ignored a newsletter, two email blasts and announcement on a support text that there would be an upgrade. Then marched blindly ahead for the three week transition, ignored the support threads about upgrading, and it was suddenly our fault when the old systems “disappeared without warning”

AA5B ,

It’s an interesting take, but maybe they have to. While Windows PCs dominate for consumers, os there really any point to them for most people? Does Microsoft fear the market they dominate disappearing?

So many people here talk about keeping Windows only for gaming. My laptop is Windows for one game, plus tax prep, and most of my electronics time is smartphone or tablet. Even productivity software is mostly as a service now: from school Chromebooks, my kids have grown up with free online office apps, etc. no need for Windows. For hobbyists, most of us use Linux, so very few Windows home servers.

I do wonder whether the Windows PC market is sort of like cable TV. Everyone pays for it out of habit, but most use cases have better/cheaper alternatives. Could we be on the verge of a collapse of that category?

AA5B ,

My company may not be representative, but network, services, products are all Linux, and engineering laptops are Mac. Only management and HR use Windows

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