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@pulsewidth@lemmy.world
- Comment on Are there any llms made from 100% public domain / permissively licensed training data? 2 days ago:
You think the wealthiest business on Earth is afraid of a little thing like copyright law?
- Comment on Pornography showing strangulation and incest to be banned in UK from early November 3 days ago:
The effect it gives is yet another tool for police to hold over the public and enforce selectively. A wonderful tool for political enemies for instance.
- Comment on NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE. Doctors can prescribe a whole host of "downers" like xanax, methadone, the whole benzo family. Is there any uppers they can prescribe? 5 days ago:
Meth is definitely meth though.
And one of the drugs prescribed for ADHD is literally pharmaceutical-grade meth.
I guess let’s ignore that though because ita convenient.
There is an uncommonly-prescribed ADHD drug called Desoxyn that is literally just meth.
- Comment on NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE. Doctors can prescribe a whole host of "downers" like xanax, methadone, the whole benzo family. Is there any uppers they can prescribe? 5 days ago:
Is the below confusing?
There is an uncommonly-prescribed ADHD drug called Desoxyn that is literally just meth.
- Comment on NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE. Doctors can prescribe a whole host of "downers" like xanax, methadone, the whole benzo family. Is there any uppers they can prescribe? 6 days ago:
Adderall is literally just four different types of amphetamines.
There is an uncommonly-prescribed ADHD drug called Desoxyn that is literally just meth.
- Comment on Flydubai co-pilot allegedly radicalised while in Melbourne accused of plotting 9/11-style attack 1 week ago:
I consider confessions gained under the ‘care’ of renowned humans rights violators in the UAE as highly unreliable at best, especially when likely done with involvement of the notorious State Security Apparatus (SSA).
To be clear, not rooting for the guy. This is an Everyone Sucks Here situation.
- Comment on Max Chandler-Mather pitches Mamdani-style $25bn plan to nationalise 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets 1 week ago:
I don’t see how it would be faster to build than to buy. Supermarket builds take several years.
Legally I think the problem goes away when you considee market saturation… You have a certain amount of buyers in a given area, and once there are enough shops to serve those buyers then adding any more shops would cause market saturation… Nobody makes enough profit, bad times. So, the suggestion to buy out an established shop, rather than trying to set up a shop in an area that would saturate the local market and mess with multiple businesses is not a bad one.
Yes, Coles/woolworths could sue them if they used eminent domain or similar to force a buyout. But the duopopy would be just as likely to sue if the govt built a brand new shop in an area that existing retail already served (which would be the whole point). So… Sued by 1 business in scenario A, or sued by multiple in B…
- Comment on It's funny how once a country has Universal Healthcare they never give it up. 2 weeks ago:
Not the worst plan. But even with a zero risk, easy win like that I’m pretty sure he’d still think he’s getting screwed in the deal and demand the values flipped.
- Comment on Realistically, what do people plan to do on the Moon and Mars that requires a permanent, or long term human presence there? 3 weeks ago:
Yep, and as I said, the return trip with all the rapidly evolved super-geniuses would be the impossible part of the plan.
You can’t travel someplace else - experience say 100 years, and then travel back to your place of departure and have had only 20 years passed. That’s fundamentally impossible.
- Comment on Realistically, what do people plan to do on the Moon and Mars that requires a permanent, or long term human presence there? 3 weeks ago:
Interstellar is just a movie, mate. There is no such planet, time passes at the same rate everywhere - ie the caesium standard.
Time dilation is a thing, but as far as I’m aware it’s not possible to travel someplace, pass any greater amount of time, and then return as though less time had passed - that’s time travel. It’s theoretically impossible, at least with current technology and understanding of relativity. Great movie though.
- Comment on I getting more and more enraged seeing self proclaimed leftists resorting to ghastly Gen AI to bastardise their rather humorous ideas. 4 weeks ago:
Blockchain is here. NFTs are here. The Metaverse is here.
Not long ago they were the ‘unavoidable evolution of technology’ that we were sometimes scolded for mocking.
Maybe they won’t go away, ever. But that’s actually not important.
Just because a technology exists doesn’t mean it will be relevant whatsoever in the future - even if the technology is ostensibly a huge market with billions of dollars being poured into it, and there’s nothing wrong with calling out stupid technology and complaining about it.
The AI LLM slopaverse is both a stupid business model and a stupid technology (given the amount of investment and valuations). Considering real world utility of LLMs I’d say it deserves around 1/1000th of the current investment - if rational people ran the world.
- Comment on Some men just want to watch the world burn. 4 weeks ago:
Why give the company at the epicenter of the coming financial crash your money?
This is like hoping for the sub-prime market to crash so that you can afford a Bear-Stearns home loan at a favourable interest rate.
- Comment on Fuck Labor. Fuck McKenzie. Fuck Setka. Defend the CFMEU. 1 month ago:
The CFMEU gives unions a bad name, which is bad for all workers.
They need to remove their rot and implement big changes to transparency and hiring policy. It will take decades of successful meaningful action to earn back public trust.
Else, the government will use them as an excuse to come down hard on all unions via legislation and in public discourse, which helps nobody but the big end of town.
- Comment on Comedian’s visa sabotaged, war crimes suspects cheered through 1 month ago:
Fucking embarrassing how little pressure it takes Labor to cave to literal Zionist Lobby pressure tactics that cost them far more in the US, breaking against their own longstanding laws and policy as the reporter points out.
Though I will say that they are helping me convert former Labor voters into future Greenies. So… not a total loss.
This excellent (as always) reporting from MWM is helping.
- Comment on WA Labor candidate Georgia Tree quickly walks away from influencer asking her about her background working for Woodside | Punters Politics 1 month ago:
I know you didn’t ask, but Punters Politics is great btw… Very level-headed political analysis in the videos I’ve seen from him, and he seems to be getting through positive messaging to a young demographic with his approach. Which is so important with all the mountains of cash being astroturfed into fake groups like ‘Advance Australia’ to push pro-oil&gas and anti-Greens messaging to that non-politically informed demo.
- Comment on Profit over people is a failed system 1 month ago:
This reads like they’re more pissed that products didn’t get cheaper, than they are that companies lowered food standards immediately after regulations disappeared.
Remember this anytime some lassaize faire dipshit talks about regulations not being needed because ‘the free market regulates itself’.
Same for monopolies. Which now exist the virtually all major industries thanks to deregulation or weakened regs.
- Comment on A 'huge' trade-off: One Nation's pitch for cheaper cigarettes 1 month ago:
“Labor has not only lost the revenue, it has lost control of the black market in illegal tobacco,” Hanson said in her announcement on Tuesday.
Conveniently forgetting that the LNP Coalition was in power for what… 17 of the last 26 years, last as recently as 2022?
And that One Nation typically voted with them and gave their electoral preferences to them…
- Comment on Whistleblower David McBride Released on Parole 2 months ago:
Should have been dropped by Labor day one of gaining power.
Reminds us all that they largely push the “increased government transparency and anti-corruption” agenda performatively when they’re in opposition. When they get the chance to actually demonstrate it they either water it down or back off entirely to keep their powers.
- Comment on Deliberately misleading party name approved for Victorian election 2 months ago:
Mate it’s not even illegal according to the AEC to mimic AEC livery and ‘how to vote’ forms and placards to trick Chinese immigrants into voting for the LNP.
Nor is it illegal to hand out “How to vote for Greens / LNP / Labour” cards at polling stations as a member of an opposition party, and deceptively place all preferences for the opposite intentions.
Nor is it illegal to mimic the AEC and puport to simply be a government representative enabling your application to a postal vote, while actually being from Liberal or Labor party and taking any submitted information as your own, to do whatever you like with.
So there’s zero chance they’ll care about a party misrepresenting their political goals.
Australians have very little freedom of speech enshrined in law, but what little there is aims to protect politicians only.
- Comment on AI Slop 2 months ago:
- Comment on The way Walmart delivered my son’s new backpack 2 months ago:
Bummer. When this kinda thing happens to me I just accept the fate the universe has delivered me and pick of the sticker for like 45 minutes while watching an episode or something.
No other removal method has proven reliably non-damaging.
- Comment on Does Israel have a right to your tax dollars? 2 months ago:
I’m disappointed with the US regularly, but gotta say it’s really great watching the current movement with Mamdami and El-Sayed unfolding.
- Comment on First Thing: Trump chastises oil companies for ‘making too much money’ from his Iran war 2 months ago:
“Whereas my taste”
Fuckin dollar-store mafioso-ass presidency.
- Comment on Only boomers can use this bench. Meanwhile, they're trying to get rid of their own property taxes. 2 months ago:
What a reactionary zealot response.
This is a dumb exclusionary policy being fairly pointed out, not ageism.
I’ll explain it with a comparision of the language used.
The language used for benches like this in my country, Australia: “Priority seating. Please stand for seniors, pregnant, or handicapped people”.
Priority, based on needs. Anyone can use it otherwise.
The language used in this sign: “Benches are for seniors are handicapped citizens only”
Exclusionary, based on privilege and needs. If you are old and infirm and a citizen ONLY YOU may ever use this bench, and if you’re not a citizen (tourist, asylum seeker, migrant worker) you can fuck off regardless of your needs. Pregnant women? Who cares, they’re not old and they’re women.
This is not a subtle distinction. This is language used to assert a hierarchy and exclude underclasses, and it’s embedded into every aspect of US society without most people even noticing because they’ve never seen different.
- Comment on Only boomers can use this bench. Meanwhile, they're trying to get rid of their own property taxes. 2 months ago:
I disagree wholeheartedly. This is a dumb exclusionary policy being fairly pointed out, not ageism.
I’ll explain it with a comparision of the language used.
The language used for benches like this in my country, Australia: “Priority seating. Please stand for seniors and handicapped people”.
Priority, based on needs. Anyone can use it otherwise.
The language used in this sign: “Benches are for seniors are handicapped citizens only”
Exclusionary, based on privilege and needs. If you are old and infirm and a citizen ONLY YOU may ever use this bench, and if you’re not a citizen (tourist, asylum seeker, migrant worker) you can fuck off regardless of your needs.
This is not a subtle distinction. This is language used to assert a hierarchy and exclude underclasses, and it’s embedded into every aspect of your society without most people even noticing because they’ve never seen different.
- Comment on Leggo's, Coles and Aldi selling Chinese tomatoes as 'Australian' and 'Italian' in products, forensic testing finds 2 months ago:
Lying cunts preying on people trying to support local farmers, and with forced-labour sourced goods no less.
All off my shopping list for good, and hoping to see ACCC action. This is clearly deceptive labeling and false advertising.
- Comment on My body, my life, my choice 2 months ago:
The hero we need, but not the one we deserve.
- Comment on 3 months ago:
Haha… OK pal. Have a great one.
- Comment on 3 months ago:
Re-reading my comment it was way more aggressive than it meant to be. I think I laid on the sarcasm too thick after reading the latest Trump bullshitery. Anyway, appreciate your comment.
We culturally usually bring our glasses to parties if we are drinking something that needs a glass (eg Guiness, Kilkenny) if the gathering is over a dozen people. Keg parties require hiring the keg - and glassware (or washable plastic schooners) are included in the hire price. Kegs aren’t any cheaper than buying by carton/case here unless you’re doing bulk kegs for a wedding or something (Australia - we have a significant alcohol tax).
- Comment on 3 months ago:
Yes of course, my hundreds of personal parties attended are invalid evidence compares to your personal experience of several commercial venues (which is not even what was being discussed).
I don’t care about downvotes. Parties full of red plastic cups is a very American phenomenon - and also in countries that have low environmental concerns and use a lot of single-use plastics. All through Europe, Australia, NZ, Japan, its far more common to use glassware or bring your own cups. I’ve only been to a few keg parties because it’s no cheaper than buying cans/bottles unless you’re running a really big event like a wedding - and even then, proper glassware or washable plastic schooners are included in the hire contract (kegs are hired and must be returned).
