em-dash's recent activity
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Comment on "Appear weak when you are strong" - This Confucian proverb is keeping everyone in confusion in ~talk
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Comment on 3D printing - A beginner's observations and some practical applications in ~creative
em-dash LinkI have three 3D printers, which is probably more of an answer to "how far down the rabbit hole are you" than CAD habits are. I have a Prusa MK3 (main functional printer), a Voron 2.4 (built as an...I have three 3D printers, which is probably more of an answer to "how far down the rabbit hole are you" than CAD habits are. I have a Prusa MK3 (main functional printer), a Voron 2.4 (built as an upgrade to the Prusa but isn't yet reliable enough to run unsupervised, still tinkering with it), and an Elegoo Mars 4 (which I got on a whim to play around with but haven't done nearly as much on; as a learning project, a friend got a bunch of Warhammer models for the cost of materials).
1: I CAD stuff all the time. Mostly I use FreeCAD, as a "least bad of several bad options" sort of choice that I've grown to be efficient with. Being able to just draw a thing and have it exist after an hour or two is a superpower for any sort of hobby that involves making things.
2, 3: So many of them. I had a cool "omg I live in the future" moment last year where I was considering buying a plastic part, but noticed while looking for the part number that the manufacturer had CAD models on their website. So... I just printed that instead of buying it.
I've also been printing an unreasonable number of Gridfinity organizer bits, in an ongoing attempt to tame the disaster that is every desk and workbench I have.
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Comment on A word about RMS, GPL and the free software movement in ~tech
em-dash Link ParentAbsolutely. My current job outright bans use of any library licensed under any of the *GPLs, to the point that we have a bot that checks the licenses of new dependencies added, and we once had to...Absolutely.
My current job outright bans use of any library licensed under any of the *GPLs, to the point that we have a bot that checks the licenses of new dependencies added, and we once had to go explicitly ask a lawyer if it was okay to run a GPL'd third party daemon in a separate container from our main application. (It is, by the way, but people trust lawyers saying that more than they trust ex-software licensing nerds*.)
We occasionally contribute fixes back to the libraries we use, as part of our work. Since we're not using any GPL'd dependencies, then obviously that isn't going to directly benefit any GPL-using projects.
* I resisted the urge to bring up the fact that we run all our stuff on Linux.
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Comment on "Appear weak when you are strong" - This Confucian proverb is keeping everyone in confusion in ~talk
em-dash Link ParentAhh, that makes sense. I'd known about the particle but didn't know the character for it (I recognize very few hanzi). Depends on which English. I'd say it's a pretty close match for the Canadian...Ahh, that makes sense. I'd known about the particle but didn't know the character for it (I recognize very few hanzi).
This is a very common way to turn a sentence into a question in Chinese that doesn't have a exact correspondence in English.
Depends on which English. I'd say it's a pretty close match for the Canadian "it's like a stretched bow, eh?" :)
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Comment on "Appear weak when you are strong" - This Confucian proverb is keeping everyone in confusion in ~talk
em-dash Link ParentIdle curiosity: what's up with the question mark in the second line? I'm familiar with the concept of translations not being word-for-word matches, but nothing in that paragraph's translation even...Idle curiosity: what's up with the question mark in the second line? I'm familiar with the concept of translations not being word-for-word matches, but nothing in that paragraph's translation even approaches being a question.
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Comment on What could be Microsoft's larger game plan or agenda with CoPilot? in ~tech
em-dash Link ParentThis is one of those things that people repeat a lot without understanding it. The concept you're pointing at is called fiduciary duty and it means specific things, none of which are "must pursue...This is one of those things that people repeat a lot without understanding it. The concept you're pointing at is called fiduciary duty and it means specific things, none of which are "must pursue every cent of short term profit and be a jerk to everyone".
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Comment on Indiana judge rules tacos, burritos are sandwiches in ~food
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Comment on What is a value or belief you have that is extremely outside the norm? in ~talk
em-dash Link ParentI think I'm something antinatalist-adjacent. I don't know if there's a specific term for it. I find the usual arguments for antinatalism ("birth without consent", etc.) to be more philosophical...I think I'm something antinatalist-adjacent. I don't know if there's a specific term for it. I find the usual arguments for antinatalism ("birth without consent", etc.) to be more philosophical word games than anything. But I also assign zero moral value to lives that don't exist yet, and I don't think creating more lives should be seen as a right. This has lots of implications that many people would find horrifying.
Related: if there was a way to do it without immediately descending into a dystopian hellhole, I would advocate for taking all children away from their parents and having them raised by professional child-raisers. There are entirely too many parents who are bad at parenting in a wide range of ways.
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Comment on What is a value or belief you have that is extremely outside the norm? in ~talk
em-dash LinkI don't think cultures and languages should be viewed as sacred or owned by any particular group of people. I don't view it as inherently sad at all if a language stops being used or a cultural...I don't think cultures and languages should be viewed as sacred or owned by any particular group of people. I don't view it as inherently sad at all if a language stops being used or a cultural practice stops being practiced.
I don't think the vast majority of things labeled as "cultural appropriation" are bad. You can do a thing and assign meaning to it, and other people can simultaneously do the same thing and assign a different meaning or no meaning, without meaningfully affecting you in any way.
I think the world would be better off if everyone spoke the same language. So much knowledge is out there that people can't access because it's impractical to learn every language in active use.
To be absolutely clear, since most of the time everyone thinks I'm saying "all the foreign people should learn English and the US should colonize all the things": I apply this to my own culture(s) and language too, and it is immoral to try to make any of this happen by force.
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Comment on Google Cloud accidentally deletes UniSuper’s online account due to ‘unprecedented misconfiguration’ in ~tech
em-dash Link Parentinadvertent misconfiguration: a thing was accidentally set up subtly wrong provisioning: initial setup of new servers private cloud services: normal cloud services (i.e. they run their stuff on...inadvertent misconfiguration: a thing was accidentally set up subtly wrong
provisioning: initial setup of new servers
private cloud services: normal cloud services (i.e. they run their stuff on computers provided by Google), but separated by firewalls from other companies' cloud things
That's still uselessly vague, of course. I don't think anyone's given more specific details on what actually happened.
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Comment on What was it like choosing your own name? in ~lgbt
em-dash LinkMostly vibes, with a small amount of "how many good pun usernames can I squeeze out of this" (an em dash is a thing in typography, and Em is a nickname for Emily). I went through a big list of...Mostly vibes, with a small amount of "how many good pun usernames can I squeeze out of this" (an em dash is a thing in typography, and Em is a nickname for Emily).
I went through a big list of names intended for new parents to name their children, noted all the ones I might like, filtered out anything that seemed like it'd be annoying to use in practice (already taken by someone I know*,**, hard for people to spell, or things like Erin with a high probability of being misheard as Aaron when said over the phone by someone with a deep voice), and picked Sophie. Then I changed my mind a few weeks later and picked Emily instead, then half changed my mind again when I was filling out name change paperwork and now I am Emily Sophie Lastname.
I changed my last name at the same time, to my partner's. I knew I wanted to do that eventually when we got married (I have negative affinity for my birth surname, and she had no desire to change hers and I had no desire to pressure her to), and changing your name once is easier than doing it twice.
* My deadname was very prone to running into name conflicts at work and receiving other people's emails, but I knew no Emilies at the time. In the ~3 years since coming out professionally, I have met no less than five of them, all through work. I tried.
** A friend who shares my deadname transitioned and called themself Kate. At one point after this but before my own realization, my partner offhandedly asked me what name I would take if I was trans, and I answered something like "well, I've always thought Kate is a nice name, but someone already took it".
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Comment on Spring gardening thread in ~hobbies
em-dash Link Parent... yes. Good to know, thanks. It's worked often enough that I never bothered looking up what I was doing wrong.Is it possible they weren't hardened off?
... yes. Good to know, thanks. It's worked often enough that I never bothered looking up what I was doing wrong.
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Comment on Spring gardening thread in ~hobbies
em-dash LinkI have most of my stuff transplanted outside. Lettuce and peppers remain in the basement for now under grow lights, awaiting space in the garden beds (I planted a lot of onions and garlic over the...I have most of my stuff transplanted outside. Lettuce and peppers remain in the basement for now under grow lights, awaiting space in the garden beds (I planted a lot of onions and garlic over the winter and thought they'd be harvestable by now).
A lot of the tomato seedlings didn't make it after transplanting. I don't know why.
I bought a trifoliate orange treeling on a whim after reading that it could survive snow. Let's find out!
Our mantis experiment probably didn't work out. All three egg cases disappeared from where I put them, presumably stolen by confused squirrels, and I haven't seen anything I recognize as mantises. We do have a new swarm of some small insect I don't recognize but don't think is a mantis. They're tiny winged green things that I have not managed to photograph. I'm hopeful for lacewings (also a bug-predator) but don't know how we could've gotten a sudden lacewing swarm. I ordered a couple more mantis egg cases from a different seller, so they'll either work together or they'll be bonus mantis prey.
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Comment on Extraverted introverts, cautious risk-takers, and selfless narcissists: A demonstration of why you can’t trust data collected on MTurk in ~science
em-dash Link ParentI wouldn't be surprised if this was true for most people, in different areas of their lives. I like order in my work and varying amounts of chaos elsewhere.However, I do want to say that 'I like order' and 'I crave chaos' can coexist. I personally like order, but I also crave chaos.
I wouldn't be surprised if this was true for most people, in different areas of their lives. I like order in my work and varying amounts of chaos elsewhere.
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Comment on Can old, poorly wired electrical outlets cause a PC to freeze? in ~tech
em-dash Link ParentPower glitches can do some weird shit to electronics. Most electronics have a very narrow voltage range they'll work correctly in, and if they momentarily blip out of that range they can get into...Power glitches can do some weird shit to electronics. Most electronics have a very narrow voltage range they'll work correctly in, and if they momentarily blip out of that range they can get into weird states that shouldn't happen and the hardware designers never planned for, but try to keep going from there. How that manifests in terms of user-visible effects is usually either a freeze (as the computer decides it needs to keep executing this one tiny bit of code over and over again that doesn't do anything useful on its own) or a system reset (as the OS crashes really hard).
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
em-dash Link ParentHaving been to some of those cities, I agree! I'd use public transit all the time if I lived in one of them. I entirely intend for my statement to apply on the local level: talking about car...Having been to some of those cities, I agree! I'd use public transit all the time if I lived in one of them.
I entirely intend for my statement to apply on the local level: talking about car reduction in a given place is premature before good public transit exists in that place. The US is too big to try to make sweeping generalizations about this.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
em-dash Link Parent... you should be driving far enough behind the other car to stop when they do, even if they manually suddenly brake. That's, like, rule 1 of driving safety.What about the people who don't have autobreaks? Your car slams on the breaks for seemingly no reason. I'm going to rear end your ass. And I will get a ticket, and my insurance will go up because your car's break sensor is buggy.... Not a great concept.
... you should be driving far enough behind the other car to stop when they do, even if they manually suddenly brake. That's, like, rule 1 of driving safety.
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Comment on US to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles in five years in ~transport
em-dash Link ParentI mean, yes. What we have now is clearly suboptimal. But as a resident of a city with minimal public transportation infrastructure, I can't unilaterally throw $20K at the city and tell them to fix...I mean, yes. What we have now is clearly suboptimal. But as a resident of a city with minimal public transportation infrastructure, I can't unilaterally throw $20K at the city and tell them to fix it. (I would absolutely do that if I thought it would work.)
What people are saying when they bring this up is that you have to fix the public transportation problem before taking cars away. Talking about car reduction now, as anything other than a very long term goal, is premature.
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Comment on How do you organize all your electronic gadgets/accessories? in ~life.home_improvement
em-dash LinkCables get wrapped up individually into loops and thrown into categorized boxes (the generic plastic ones with lids). I have a dedicated shelf for those boxes. SD cards go in a tiny box. I don't...Cables get wrapped up individually into loops and thrown into categorized boxes (the generic plastic ones with lids). I have a dedicated shelf for those boxes.
SD cards go in a tiny box. I don't use them for long term storage, so I make no attempt to label or organize them beyond that. When I need one I just grab one and wipe it and throw it back in when I'm done.
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Comment on Viral lost song ‘Ulterior Motives’ found in obscure ‘80s porn flick in ~music
em-dash Link ParentIt was enough of a thing that I can totally see some other present-day artist recording a cover for the meme, though.It was enough of a thing that I can totally see some other present-day artist recording a cover for the meme, though.
Opposite implications, I'd say. Upspeak on this sentence would convey uncertainty to me: "it's... it's like a stretched bow? I guess?" but the Chinese text is clearly going for authoritative and certain: "it's like a stretched bow, wouldn't you agree? of course you agree, that was a rhetorical question."