xthexder

joined 2 years ago
[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 12 points 3 months ago

Chances are they'll have some antenna line going to the edge of the TV. The box on the back of the TV already has a bunch of shielding over it inside. If you were to go to the trouble of opening the TV to find it, you may as well disconnect the antenna and ground it so there's no chance of a signal.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The US specifically does spend tax money on foreign aid (or at least they used to). I have no problem with that. If you're struggling to get by, then you should be paying effectively no taxes. If that's not the case, then we should be fixing that, not cutting funding to things that make the world better.

As for the fee suggestion, a library does not charge for entry or for every book. There is a "free tier" that everyone can use as long as you return the books on time. You only charge the people making too many requests to make sure the service stays available to everyone.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

If it has value to a larger community, the larger community should be able to fund its operation.

Up until very recently it seemed perfectly reasonable to fund this sort of thing with taxes, because it benefits everyone even if they're not directly using the database. An open source developer probably isn't going to pay to look up vulnerabilities in the open source dependencies they use, so the database being free makes software more secure on average.

What is wrong with having free public services? If someone is abusing it, block them, or charge fees like a library.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 5 points 4 months ago

It's been common for a while for Canadian doctors to move to the US because they can make higher salaries. I suspect part of the shortage is "brain drain", but also, COVID news coverage has really highlighted the working conditions to the public, so that could be making potential students reconsider.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

This still isn't specific enough to specify exactly what the computer will do. There are an infinite number of python programs that could print Hello World in the terminal.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

The problem with this argument is it's preventing infrastructure improvements for everyone else who CAN bike/walk/take the train/bus/whatever.
I don't bike because it's just not safe to do in my area due to car traffic and a lack of bike infrastructure. I would bike and take public transit more if I could.
The maybe 20% of people who are disabled or have other reasons to need a car (like moving large items) can continue using the now much less congested roads, while the rest of people are on alternative transportation.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Personally I think Toronto should focus on finishing their damn light rail expansions instead of proposing a giant new tunnel for cars under the city that will cost billions and solve nothing.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Based on some rough calculations... no. A precision of 0.0000000000001 ohms is 1000x less than the resistance of 1um of copper with a diameter of 1cm (A piece of wire 10,000x wider than it is long). I'm sure a few molecules of air between your contact points would cause more noise in the measurement.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 3 points 4 months ago

This is exactly how high precision resistors are calibrated. A laser is usually used to notch out bits of the resistor to tune it after it's made.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 17 points 4 months ago

What the "middle class" can afford has changed quite a bit in the last few decades. Owning a home is arguably "upper class" at this point. The median US income was only $80k in 2023. Pentions are also getting increasingly rare. What used to be considered middle class is now struggling to get by. Middle class is defined by the income of the middle third of the population, not by a particular lifestyle.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Idk, I kind of like knowing how many layers of clothes I need to put on before I leave the house. Especially when the wind chill can make it feel like another -10°C pretty easily.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 points 4 months ago

I agree with this, but I don't think we'll ever be able to have that again. AI slop is drowning out all the genuine content regardless of monetization. What's the incentive to put hours of effort into something if nobody will ever see it because every hour another 1000 AI versions were generated and they're all "close enough" to fool someone not paying attention?

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