Tech Nightmares: Ghostline the flux

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How many quarters after Q1 2016 till Marissa Mayer is unemployed?
	1 or fewer
	2
	4
	Her job is guaranteed; what are you even talking about?

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

they spelled enrage wrong

# ¿ Apr 24, 2022 00:29

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 05:50

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I mean, I'm reading Snow Crash right now and that's not really at odds with Stephenson's vision for the metaverse. So, I guess, good job bringing the distopian vision to life, Mark.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2022 15:59

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Doggles posted:

Why are we hurtling toward the stupidest version of a cyberpunk dystopia?

What is the financial incentive for creating a better world...?

# ¿ Apr 25, 2022 16:42

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I'm pretty sure there's a larger volume of porn on Twitter than Tumblr ever had, but Tumblr got axed because at a certain point it had become primarily for porn. So if we want to destroy Twitter, we all have to do is flood it with as much porn as possible to overpower all the bad political takes. It's up to us, folks.

Also, as loathe as I am to admit it, banning porn was the best thing that ever happened to Tumblr. Now it's the only good social media site because it's all about people posting pictures of neat stuff. It's the realized ideal of social media as imagined in 2003 before VC funding came in and destroyed everything good about the web. Every time I go on it's just cool old pulp book covers and cool found-photos from the 60s and advertisements for monster masks from the back of a comic book and gifs of weird 80s commercials. Then I can do a search for Our Flag Means Death and find a bunch of wholesome PG-13 gay pirate romance fanart comics.

Being an also-ran has-been is a good look for Tumblr.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2022 16:15

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

It's SA's time to shine, baby. Jeffrey just has to get on a post upvoting system powered by microtransactions, and an algorithm to serve up the most controversial new threads to every user in our Control Panels without the ability to turn the feature off or unbookmark the threads. We'll be on top again!!

# ¿ Apr 26, 2022 18:36

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Moving back in the early 80s BBS days.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2022 18:55

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

The only people left there in a month are going to be employees on work visas who are too terrified of being deported to quit.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2022 17:25

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Jaxyon posted:

15 Ways The Tech and Social Media Economy Will Take Away Your Medical Coverage

Take The Quiz!

Here, let me generate that for you...

GPT3 posted:

1. Which of the following is a common way that tech companies and their allies in government try to take away your medical coverage?
a. Lobbying for legislation that undermines the Affordable Care Act
b. Underfunding government programs that provide medical coverage
c. Denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions
d. All of the above

2. How do tech companies often try to influence the healthcare debate in their favor?
a. By hiring former government officials and industry insiders as lobbyists
b. By investing in political campaigns and supporting candidates who share their views
c. By funding think tanks and other organizations that promote their agenda
d. All of the above

3. What is one way that tech companies try to limit the availability of affordable medical care?
a. By using their immense wealth and power to push for policies that benefit their bottom line, even if it means depriving others of access to care
b. By promoting a "gig economy" that makes it difficult for workers to obtain employer-provided medical coverage
c. By providing subpar health insurance plans to their own employees, forcing them to rely on public programs or go without care
d. All of the above

4. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to undermine the Affordable Care Act?
a. By pushing for the repeal of the law or its key provisions
b. By supporting lawsuits that challenge the constitutionality of the law
c. By refusing to comply with the law's requirements, such as the mandate to provide insurance to employees
d. All of the above

5. What is one way that the rise of the gig economy has made it harder for workers to obtain medical coverage?
a. By forcing workers to accept low-paying jobs without benefits
b. By making it difficult for workers to predict their income from one month to the next, making it hard to afford insurance premiums
c. By giving employers an incentive to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, exempting them from having to provide benefits
d. All of the above

6. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to shift the cost of medical care onto individuals and families?
a. By pushing for the privatization of Medicare and other government programs
b. By supporting policies that allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums based on a person's medical history
c. By promoting high-deductible health plans that require individuals to pay more out of pocket before insurance kicks in
d. All of the above

7. What is one way that tech companies use their dominance in the market to limit competition and drive up prices for medical care?
a. By buying up smaller competitors and reducing choice in the marketplace
b. By using their power to dictate terms to suppliers, such as hospitals and pharmaceutical companies
c. By using their vast wealth to outspend competitors on advertising and lobbying efforts
d. All of the above

8. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to limit access to information about medical care and treatment options?
a. By lobbying for legislation that restricts the ability of patients to access their own medical records
b. By supporting policies that make it harder for patients to compare prices and quality of care among providers
c. By opposing efforts to make medical research and clinical trial data more transparent
d. All of the above

9. What is one way that the rise of electronic health records and other digital technologies has made it harder for patients to get the care they need?
a. By creating new security and privacy risks for sensitive medical information
b. By making it more difficult for patients to understand and manage their own health care
c. By giving providers less time to spend with individual patients, leading to less personalized and effective care
d. All of the above

10. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to limit the role of the government in providing medical care?
a. By pushing for the privatization of Medicare and other government programs
b. By supporting policies that restrict the ability of the government to regulate the health care industry
c. By promoting the idea that the free market is better equipped to provide medical care than the government
d. All of the above

11. What is one way that the rise of telemedicine and other remote health care services has made it harder for patients to get the care they need?
a. By making it more difficult for patients to build relationships with their providers
b. By limiting the types of services that can be provided remotely, such as specialized care or emergency services
c. By creating new barriers to access for patients who lack the technology or internet connectivity to use telemedicine services
d. All of the above

12. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to undermine the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions?
a. By supporting legislation that would allow insurers to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions
b. By promoting alternative health care proposals that do not include these protections
c. By refusing to comply with the law's requirement to provide insurance to employees with pre-existing conditions
d. All of the above

13. What is one way that the rise of "wearable" health technology has made it harder for patients to get the care they need?
a. By providing patients with a false sense of security, leading them to neglect other aspects of their health care
b. By creating new privacy concerns as companies collect and use data from these devices
c. By generating vast amounts of data that can be difficult for patients and providers to interpret and act upon
d. All of the above

14. How do tech companies and their allies in government try to undermine efforts to control the rising cost of medical care?
a. By pushing for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act's cost-saving measures, such as the Cadillac tax
b. By supporting policies that limit the ability of the government to negotiate lower drug prices
c. By promoting the idea that the free market will naturally drive down health care costs, despite evidence to the contrary
d. All of the above

15. What is one way that the rise of digital health care has made it harder for patients to get the care they need?
a. By creating new barriers to access, such as the need for internet connectivity or digital literacy
b. By making it harder for patients to navigate the complex and rapidly changing health care landscape
c. By giving providers less time to spend with individual patients, leading to less personalized and effective care
d. All of the above

And the answers?

quote:

D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)
D (All of the above)

quote:

Even if you didn't get every question right, you've shown that you're aware of the underhanded practices used by tech companies and their allies in government to take away your medical coverage. From lobbying for legislation that undermines the Affordable Care Act, to promoting a gig economy that makes it harder for workers to obtain medical coverage, to using their dominance in the market to drive up prices for care, these companies and policymakers are constantly working to undermine our access to affordable, quality medical care. It's up to all of us to stay informed and fight back against these efforts to limit our health care options and shift the burden of medical expenses onto individuals and families.

If you want to take action against the underhanded practices used by tech companies and their allies in government to take away medical coverage, there are several steps you can take. You can:

1. Stay informed and educate yourself about the issues surrounding medical coverage and health care. This could include reading news articles and other information sources, joining online communities or forums to discuss the issue, and following relevant organizations and advocacy groups on social media.

2. Contact your elected representatives and let them know how you feel about the issue. This could include writing letters, making phone calls, or attending town hall meetings and other events where representatives are available to talk to constituents.

3. Support organizations and advocacy groups that are working to protect access to affordable, quality medical care. This could include donating money, volunteering time, or sharing information about these groups with others.

4. Take personal steps to protect your own health and medical coverage, such as purchasing health insurance, staying up to date with preventive care and screenings, and understanding your rights as a patient.

By taking these steps, you can play a part in fighting back against the efforts of tech companies and their allies to take away medical coverage.

feedmyleg fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Dec 7, 2022

# ¿ Dec 7, 2022 02:00

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Good dog.

But yeah that feels like what happens after you antagonize the poo poo out of a dog, rather than it being a random occurrence. Dogs don't just go around eating cars. And it's well within my stereotypes to assume a Tesla owner would also be lovely to animals.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2022 20:26

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

You only noticed the ad because you talked about the cologne, not the other way around.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2022 18:49

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Mega Comrade posted:

You block say Jordon Peterson and then anyone who follows him. While its better than those block import lists , its still a crude tool, lots of people follow people like him to laugh at the dumb things he says

While I agree that the blocking model on Mastodon isn't great, I would have zero issue blocking these people as well.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2022 16:17

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Yeah, but I don't want to hear about it.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2022 16:29

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

This is why I only follow people I know IRL on social media, and only interact with people I don't know on SA.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2022 17:51

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Yeah, Discord succeeded because it just did a super accessible version of IRC and removed all of the confusing dorky stuff surrounding it. Click a thing, chat with people, the end.

I'm pretty plugged-in but I still have no clue how Mastodon works and have no interest in finding out. I also deleted my Twitter account last year so I'm not exactly the prime demo here.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2022 19:47

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Have any email addresses not been pwned at this point? If you've used the internet on any regular basis in the past 10 years I think you'd have been a part of at least 5-10 major breeches.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2022 15:33

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

BiggerBoat posted:

For years, I attempted to limit commercial and professional interactions online or giving my phone number to too many people but eventually I was forced to cave because you essentially can't do ANYTHING without surrendering this information.

I ordered a humidifier for my partner for Christmas. In order to adjust the humidity rating away from Auto I had to download an app and create an account and give it a bunch of personal information. I of course gave it all junk info but jesus, that's the basic functionality of the thing hidden behind a data scrape.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2022 18:02

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Electric Phantasm posted:

Should have clarified replace Line with Facebook and that's basically my experience trying to get my friend groups and family to use Discord.

That just doesn't feel like a good fit for Discord. I think it shines with interest-based communities, where there can be a constant stream of discussion around a unified theme. Using it to replace IRL social networking connections and life updates feels extremely awkward and like it wouldn't satisfy most people's needs. If you want to look at your cousin's vacation pictures or whatever, Discord isn't nearly a good fit as good as Facebook.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2023 19:39

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

pumpinglemma posted:

...doesn't New York have a government-enforced income-based rent cap?

# ¿ Jan 30, 2023 18:18

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Humphreys posted:

Now tell me how to get rid of shorts

I even tried a browser plugin but nada

# ¿ Feb 5, 2023 13:25

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Boris Galerkin posted:

Also I pay $0 and get 0 seconds of ads (other than the hard recorded stuff like sponsor messages)

fyi the SponsorBlock extension can take care of that for you.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2023 14:30

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

All I want is basic discovery features. Give me the ability to explore by the tag of my choice, rather than a list of tags you think I might be interested in right now based on my recent activity. Then�crazy, I know�sorting and filtering controls to be able to modify the recommendations to my liking in as granular capacity as YouTube's data allows.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2023 15:36

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Walh Hara posted:

Anyone else have the feeling google is becoming worse?

This is pretty universally recognized from what I've seen. Results are hot garbo and I'm really excited for them to launch a ton of new search products that do not in any way address the core issues.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2023 14:00

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Family Values posted:

If they actually cared about kids seeing porn (they don't), they'd fund a public education campaign teaching parents how to turn on and configure parental control of their kids' devices.

Republicans have no interest in curing the disease, just punishing those who show symptoms.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2023 22:40

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

The screen on my phone from 2020 broke and it was as expensive to fix the screen as it was to buy a used one. I went back to my previous phone from 2017 as a temporary measure til I figured out what I wanted to do. It works perfectly fine and I have zero complaints about performance. Don't even know why I upgraded to begin with.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2023 00:04

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I have to admit, I'm very tempted to get a Light Phone II at times. Just to force my brain off the addiction box, if nothing else.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2023 13:24

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

BiggerBoat posted:

My job MADE me install WhatsApp and also UKG and they both piss me off for various reasons.

The WhatsApp one is just nothing but white noise. Ostensibly, it's designed for all the employees to communicate work related stuff but EVERY DAY, when I check it, there are 50 messages or so. 35 or 40 of which are people saying "running late, stuck in traffic, at the doctor's office, not coming in today I am sick." The rest are FB style shitposts with "funny" Star Wars memes and other worthless poo poo that has no bearing on my role as an employee.

The UKG monstrosity is so I can see my schedule, access my tax forms and whatever the gently caress else but it sucks too. Thankfully, I can use my laptop for the poo poo I need it for.

Trouble is, I have a cheap/older phone and all this crap uses up my storage. Storage that I personally pay for. And also, my WhatsApp work notifications make noise no matter how I set it so my phone never shits the gently caress up. gently caress that.

I get paid by the hour and i'm not trying to monitor if Seth is gonna be late on my day off, Christine called out sick or if Alex is stuck in traffic on I-95. If you want me on call or staying on top of this poo poo 24/7, then give me a company phone instead of clogging up my personal one with stupid bullshit. I don't even check it.

If they want me to come on my day off or something, they can contact me directly but gently caress using up all my personal storage and memory with YOUR employee mandated apps.

Buy a lovely used secondhand phone for nothing, install it on there, ignore it.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2023 20:49

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

cinci edit: deleted the post

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

(USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Somebody fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Mar 11, 2023

# ¿ Mar 11, 2023 21:23

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Playing with Bard for a few minutes, definitely not impressed. The Bing one has given me better results with fewer restrictions and feels more trustworthy with the way it sources. I have managed to get some better results with Bard on getting obscure movie and TV recommendations when being very prescriptive, though, so that's something.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2023 21:45

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

FlapYoJacks posted:

lmfao why the gently caress would I want this? My parents are narcissistic assholes that I went no contact with two years ago.

Yeah but what if you could make new better digital parents that acted exactly how you promoted them to?

# ¿ Apr 10, 2023 19:17

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

lua posted:

It�s not that the concept of writing stuff before a recipe is bad imo - that�s usually fine in a cookbook written by a real person - it�s that the incentives on the internet lead to reams of writing that have little/no worth beyond keeping you on the page longer.

Can�t wait until books have the same incentive and every lovely airport novel becomes 5000 pages long.

Boy have I got good news for you about the summarization abilities of ChatGPT! "ChatGPT, make me the abridged version of this book. Also while you're at it, swap out the main character for a hunky werewolf."

# ¿ May 29, 2023 13:48

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I just hope companies pour enough money into generative AI before the collapse that I can easily make incredibly dumb high-fidelity fan films with it

# ¿ Jun 3, 2023 15:21

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Do they know how many cool little indie sci-fi movies I could have made with that money

# ¿ Jun 3, 2023 16:43

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Don't worry, I just took their user feedback survey and was very frank about how they're about to gently caress things up. I'm sure it'll get them turned around in a jiffy

# ¿ Jun 13, 2023 14:36

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I still marvel that Tumblr is the only good social media site left, unless you count SA which I don't. I guess all it takes is losing a billion dollars overnight. It's probably only safe from VC's greasy mitts for, like, 3 years, though.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2023 16:36

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

That sort of thing is difficult to judge. If they focused on their core business and got rid of the various extraneous departments they're pouring money into, I'm sure they'd be fine for profitability. The amount of money they pour into all the stuff that doesn't matter is likely taking up most of that VC money. The amount of money they'd need to operate a Web 2.0 MIRC clone is significantly smaller.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2023 17:16

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

StratGoatCom posted:

https://twitter.com/amir/status/1668994856348266499

Let them fight.

I ran some GPT3-generated text through a plagiarism tool one time out of curiosity. It picked up a number of phrases that only existed in YouTube transcripts.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2023 04:45

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Have these models incorporated all the books that Google has scanned over the years? If we have to live in this lovely dystopia I at least want it to be able to mimic Dashiell Hammett decently.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2023 21:35

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Evil Fluffy posted:

You mean debris to look for, right? Because there are absolutely no (human) bodies to look for at that depth. Or even a fraction of that depth.

The relevant Mythbysters clip. NSFW?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEY3fN4N3D8

# ¿ Jun 22, 2023 21:15

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I wonder what the gently caress I'm gonna do for money once the tech bubble bursts. I'll definitely be part of the first wave of unemployable because I'm not an overachiever and really quite lazy, and I think those of us who maintain a healthy work/life balance will be the first to go.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2023 00:51

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 05:50

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

Boris Galerkin posted:

Dumbasses have this idea of replacing in-game microtransactions with NFT blockchain poo poo because they think that means that they can take their mtx/guns/armor with them over to the next game.

It�s something that takes a few moments of critical thinking skills to realize how dumb this is and how you can�t just drop in leveled up badass gun from shooter franchise x into Japanese rpg franchise y.

but what if you could

# ¿ Jul 7, 2023 18:02

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