Guest19023892

I was planning to do a similar project and I was thinking about the below displays. Leaning towards the 10.3" because of the price and resolution.

https://www.waveshare.com/product/displays/e-paper/epaper-1/...

https://www.waveshare.com/product/displays/e-paper/epaper-1/...

I agree. It's a little strange to complain about a lack of progress in webcams the past decade, and then ship similar quality hardware to decade old webcams.

Why does everyone focus on a small form factor for webcams? Look at the size of microphones being sold today. The Blue Yeti is one of the most popular microphones and it's almost 30cm (12") in height. You might say, if you don't mind a large form factor, then go buy a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The problem there is they're not designed to be webcams. I watched one of the Lumina videos, and they were complaining the $2,000 Sony camera took forever to setup and configure for their demo. That's a problem. Someone solve it. Give me a large high quality camera that is designed to be a webcam first. I have lots of room on my desk, it doesn't need to fit in my pocket.

I upgraded a desktop machine the last time I visited my family. It was a Windows 7 computer that was at least 10 years old with 4GB of ram. They wanted to use it online for basic web browsing, so I thought I'd install Windows 10 for security reasons and drop in a modern SSD to upgrade the old 7200rpm drive to make it more snappy.

Well, it felt slower after the "upgrade". Clicking the start menu and opening something like the Downloads or Documents folder was basically instant before. Now, with Windows 10 and the new SSD there was a noticeable delay when opening and browsing folders.

It really made me wonder how it would be running something like Windows 98 and websites of the past on modern hardware.

I once saw a spider with long legs in a web by my bathroom sink. I flicked a bit of water at him and a drop of water stuck to his body and covered it. He quickly climbed down the web to the counter (only 6 inches or so) and crouched down to briefly touch his body to the dry countertop. That removed the drop of water from his body, and then he climbed back up.

Aside from that, I sometimes like to toss foreign objects in spider webs. For example, I'll toss a piece of a leaf into a web. The spider will quickly come over, work some magic for a few seconds, and then the leaf is suddenly untangled and floats away. It's really interesting to see how quickly they're able to remove unwanted objects from their webs to keep them clean.

How can we be certain we're also not bound by the laws of physics and chemistry? If the universe went back in time exactly one year, is there any reason you wouldn't make all of the same decisions?

I completely disagree. I think these are taking it a step further than your examples. Dalle2 is not just using the existing Kermit and pasting it in different environments, it's modifying Kermit to fit in that world.

For example, your Star Wars example...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6MebZx-4950/maxresdefault.jpg

It's clearly just an existing photo of Kermit pasted over an image from the film. There are even two sets of arms. I could Photoshop that in a few minutes.

Then, the Dalle2 image...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FUEDDm2UEAAO8yb?format=jpg&name=...

I think it's impressive. It looks like Kermit is a character in the Star Wars universe. There are a few issues with the eyes and feet, and it's also hard to tell if it's a creature or a person in a frog suit. However, it gets 90% of the way there, and the pose is great for a frog/human hybrid.

The most exciting thing is how this could be used as a starting point for design. I could take the Dalle2 Kermit image above, fix the eyes/feet, add a few distinctive Kermit features, and have a great piece of concept art in an hour, rather than taking a day or two to create something from scratch. Obviously it can't be applied to all workflows, but for those it's suited for, it'll save vast amounts of time and costs. For that reason, it's already something of real value in its current state. The same can't be said about the Star Wars examples you provided.

I understand evolution and the time frame. I have no trouble with that concept. What I find difficult to believe is that a viable universe started in the first place to give evolution the opportunity to succeed.

> What is so remarkable about the iPhone or the spaceship? What brings you to make a distinction between a "live" human body and an "inanimate" celestial body?

I'm not trying to say that humans are more important or meaningful than a rock. I agree with you that nothing inherently has meaning and it's an attribute we create and assign. I'm only saying that we're intelligent beings that are capable of some rather advanced tasks, such as creating a iPhone. In my opinion, it seems far less likely for us to exist than either nothing, or a simpler universe without us.

Yes, it's not impossible, just like I could throw a handful of sand in that air that falls to the ground and happens to write the story of my life. It's so unlikely though that I can't help but wonder if it wasn't just chance that we're here.

> “Why” we exist is coincidence and millions of years of happy little evolutionary experiments blindly conducted by nature.

I'm not religious either, but I always find this hard to believe. What are the odds nature happened to provide all the building blocks for us to be here to question our existence? It seems far more likely that (i) nothing would exist, (ii) the universe wouldn't have the right combination of properties and forces to maintain its own existence, or (iii) it would be a boring universe filled with a couple of basic elements capable of producing nothing of interest. Instead, we have complex life and we're here building iPhones and spaceships.

For that reason I can't believe there's a single universe and through coincidence it happened to contain everything needed for life. Even if we go with the multiverse theory and a near infinite number of universes, I still find it difficult to believe. You can argue the universe is filled with a bunch of garbage and we're assigning meaning and value to that garbage because it's us, and we want to feel important. However, I really don't feel like anything (and certainly not something as complex as us) should exist in the first place. I want to say it's too much of a coincidence to happen by chance, but at the same time, I don't have a better answer as to why we're here.

I've always been slightly below average weight my entire life (late 30s now), and it's a bit of a struggle to maintain that weight. I typically eat a little extra each day, not because I'm particularly hungry or interested in eating, just because I don't want to fall underweight.

I've counted calories closely before and it's not black magic at work, I just don't eat enough. It feels like I eat a lot (probably because it's mostly food I cook myself and not calorie dense fast food) and I feel full, but the calories don't lie.

I'm guessing it's the reverse for people struggling to lose weight. I feel full and comfortable 200 calories below the daily recommended amount, and they likely feel that same way 200 calories above. I easily fall underweight if I stop paying attention to my diet, and they likely become overweight when they do the same and listen to their body.

For expensive objects, a lot of the price goes into the limited production runs. A number of these very expensive watches ($100,000k+) might be a single unique piece or limited runs of 100. They take a lot of time to develop, the production expenses are high because of the small numbers being produced, and it's reflected in the final price. For higher end mass produced watches, the expense is in the tighter tolerances, materials, and craftsmanship. You can search for macro videos online to see the difference between a typical $500, $5,000, and $50,000 watch. The extra details and care given to the construction of the watches is impressive. Yes, some brands charge a premium for their name. I'm aware of that, however, it doesn't necessarily indicate the buyer is trying to impress others. Someone could buy a Rolex because it's one of the most iconic watches in history and in their mind it's the peak of their watch hobby.

And you see this with nearly every hobby. If you look at the audiophile community, you'll see people with $20,000 speakers in their living room, yet they live a rather modest lifestyle. You can find people spending thousands of dollars on samurai swords to hang on their bedroom wall. These people are not trying to impress the world. They have a hobby and they are able to appreciate these items.

The special value of the diamonds? People have worn diamonds for ages. It's been ingrained in our culture that diamonds are significant as they've been worn by royalty and noble figures over the years and marketed as a symbol of love. They're also the hardest naturally occurring substance on the planet and look quite nice to the eye. Did you ever see a child dress up like a princess? They didn't do it because they wanted to impress others, they did it because it made them feel special. Wearing diamonds can have that same impact. It can make someone feel special, or represent to themselves their own successes and accomplishments in life. I looked at wedding bands the other year. Many of them had diamonds hidden on the inside of the band. If the purpose of diamond jewelry was only to impress others, why would they be hidden on these rings and only known to the wearer?

I'm not going to say expensive objects or diamonds are never used to impress others. I'm only saying that's one of many reasons why someone might make such a purchase. I don't think it's appropriate to see something of value and automatically assume the owner only bought it to impress you. If you talk to them about the purchase, they might be able to talk your ear off about their passion and what that object means to them.

Why do you assume all of these things only exist to impress others? There's a lot to appreciate in the design and craftsmanship of a well made product, its impact on culture, or its significance in history. Or maybe the object simply puts a smile on your face when you see it or touch it. That new phone could make someones work day more efficient. That diamond necklace could be a gift from their loved one and a reminder of the times they shared together when they look in the mirror. It seems a bit shortsighted to suggest that expensive things only exist to impress others.

I don't agree here. This social network is a tool for one method of communication. It doesn't need to be a platform for all types of communication. By trying to excel at everything, it would do nothing particularly well.

You choose the right tool for the job. If a friend is in critical care at the hospital with life threatening injuries, do you really think "slow social" is the appropriate service to use? That's just being silly. As the name suggests, this service is designed for the opposite type of communication. It's like complaining that Sharpie markers should make thinner lines because sometimes you need to write complex notes. Or, that Ferrari should modify their cars because sometimes you need to tow a boat.

I was watching the news last night and they interviewed an older woman who left her high paying finance career to work as a florist. It's far less pay, and she finds her life much more rewarding and happy now.

Based on your post, you would look down at her florist job and think it's unfortunate she never achieved her dream in life. Meanwhile, she realized her dream, and she left her high paying comfortable career to achieve it.

In short, stop making assumptions that other people have the same dream as you or want to be in your position. Not everyone thinks a comfortable job is the definition of success or happiness in life. You know nothing about these people, their families, their friends, their hobbies, or their goals. It's really rude to assume they need your large tips or that they have a less fulfilling life. You'd probably be surprised how many of these people have no interest in trading places with you.

Credit card transactions are much easier to reverse. For example, I went to a restaurant and a few days later I noticed they double charged the bill. I called the restaurant, they wouldn't fix the issue, so I called the credit card company and it was quickly reversed. That doesn't happen with a debit card.

Credit cards also come with all sorts of benefits. You can easily get 1-2% off all purchases through cash-back or gift card rewards. You can get free insurance with car rentals. Many cards also offer an extra one year warranty on most purchases, so if you paid for your laptop or phone with your credit card and it dies just outside of the manufacturer warranty, you might still be covered.

I'll toss out a crazy idea to compete with Google.

1. You buy StackOverflow for $2 billion and Reddit for $10 billion.

2. You block Google from indexing the sites.

3. You start a new search engine that only searches StackOverflow and Reddit.

4. As the new search engine gains traction, you invite other high quality sites to join your vision and search engine. One requirement is they must block Google. You can guarantee them decent traffic because they'll only be competing against a dozen sites on your search engine, instead of millions on Google.

5. A large number of respectable sites leave Google and are only available on your search engine. Businesses start becoming eager to join your exclusive network and ask to join your mission.

6. Google is left with blog and affiliate SEO spam, and you become the hero of the search engine world.

As a customer, I find these type of sale strategies absolutely exhausting. I hate booking flights for this reason. I find a fair price, try to coordinate time off, accommodation, my partner's schedule, and then I go to book and... the price has doubled. Ok, cancel that plan, I'll search for alternatives and wait a few days to see if the prices improve. Ok, there's a deal again, but I'll need to shift things by a week. I'll just make that adjustment to my schedule and get confirmation, go to book, and... the prices have changed again.

For another example, I'm thinking about buying a laptop this month. Companies like Lenovo completely turn me off with their $4,500 prices minus $2,450 in "eCoupons". Another pain point is manufacturers that give different prices for the identical laptop configuration, simply because I started the customization wizard with different base models. I have no respect for these companies as they waste my time. I like the Apple pricing approach. I can feel confident making a purchase at any moment, because I know their prices don't fluctuate weekly, and they're not going to have a 30% off coupon code a month after launch that makes me feel like a fool.

Nice work, it's lightweight and fast to load. A few notes after using it for a bit...

1. There's far too much white space and unnecessarily large headers. Reading content in cafes seems to be the heart of the site, however, this is what I see when opening a cafe on my 1920x1080 monitor - https://i.imgur.com/1j0exRM.png. There's literally not a single piece of content for a returning user to read without scrolling.

2. Something weird is happening with post times. I saw a comment that was posted -666 seconds ago, which snapped to 3 minutes ago after refreshing.

3. The background color is too light and it blends with the discussions, making it difficult to visually separate them. Here is the existing background - https://i.imgur.com/wVr0RYs.png and a darker one to add more structure - https://i.imgur.com/U5sekNI.png.

4. Overall I find the content a little hard to read. I prefer sites with discussion titles (Reddit/HN/forums) as they help to summarize an entire post or image in a few words. Without them I need to spend too much time reading each discussion trying to parse what it's about and if it's relevant to my interests.

I had this happen as well about 8 years ago. My Gmail account one day just said it couldn't log me in, even though my password was correct, and I was logging in from the same home address and browser as always. It said I needed to complete the security question to access my account. I didn't know the answer because I just set random letters and numbers for the security answer when configuring the account recovery, because I was confident in my password and backup system. Since I couldn't answer that question, and because Google has no support, I could never access that account again while knowing the password.

Fortunately this was a secondary email address, and my primary email was on my own domain.

You might want to wait for the new Intel Alder Lake processors or upcoming AMD options. Early benchmarks look promising with a decent jump in performance and efficiency and they should be rolling out in laptops the next few months.

Are you referring to procedurally generated content?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_generation

.kkrieger got a lot of attention for using this method and only being 96KB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBG-sKFaB0

I believe this is done to get answers for unsolved captchas. For example, I have a million photos of streets filled with cars, buses, motorcycles, streetlights, and crosswalks I want to add to my captcha database. I don't want to categorize them all myself, and I want the answers to be what the average person will identify, not what I or a machine will identify.

So, I send everyone two captchas. One has a known answer and is required to be correct to access the service. The second captcha answer isn't yet known, so it doesn't matter what the user selects. However, when they get the known answer right, we log their answer for the unknown captcha. Once we get a large enough sample, we then have our top answers for the unknown captcha and can start using it for verification.

You're right, the fish are safer to eat. However, I know a relative that died ice fishing and a friend of my fathers that died in a boating accident. Being on the water comes with its own set of risks.

I have some older family friends that frequently go mushroom picking. I went with them one day and had a great time. We spent the afternoon walking through a beautiful forest enjoying the weather, bonding, and collecting mushrooms. We then went home and they cooked up a tasty meal with the mushrooms from the day.

It reminded me of going out fishing with my father, where we'd spend the day on the lake just talking and tossing some lines in the water. Every once in a while we'd catch a fish, occasionally there would be some excitement and we'd catch a large or unusual fish, and then we'd go home and fry them up for the family. Sure, we could have went to the grocery store and bought a few fillets, but that was never the point of the day out in the first place.

I tried to make a community without censorship at one time. It seemed like a simple enough goal. After all, who was I to judge what's right and wrong? I'd let people post anything they wanted, and if it wasn't illegal, it would be allowed. It also provided a fairly clear line on what was acceptable and I liked that concept.

Well, it went great for a short while. After a couple of years it started to get worse though. A small group of people started posting racist comments and topics. Long term members would then ask why this racism was allowed, and I defended their free speech. Then I started to lose some of the friendly regulars from the community. They got tired of being insulted, and if the community didn't censor of remove racist comments, they argued I was supporting them and giving them a platform to spread hate.

As I watched the community degrade, I realized censorship would be required if I wanted the community to develop into what I envisioned and so I changed course.

In short, no censorship is going to give you a certain type of community, so before starting consider if this is the type of social network you want to bring into the world.

It's just a t3a.nano instance since it's a project under development. However, I have a high number of t3a.nano instances in the same region operating as expected. This particular server has been running for years, so although it could be a coincidence it just went offline within minutes of the outage starting, it seems unlikely. Hopefully no hardware failures or corruption, and it'll just need a reboot once I can get access to AWS again.

One of my sites went offline an hour ago because the web server stopped responding. I can't SSH into it or get any type of response. The database server in the same region and zone is continuing to run fine though.

During the Pixel 6 event last month I searched on YouTube for the live stream that would be starting in a few minutes and clicked the first result. The result had a Pixel 6 thumbnail, the live icon, Google in the channel name, the Google logo as the avatar, and around 30k viewers. I was a bit surprised someone was already talking on the stage and thought I tuned in late.

Well, after watching for 5 or 10 minutes, they kept talking about Pixel 5s, and then I realized it was a fake account streaming the event from the previous year.

I went back to YouTube search and tried a variety of queries for fun, such as "pixel 6 event", "pixel live", "pixel 6 stream", "pixel phone", and they all featured this fake stream as the first result. It continued to grow and was over 50k viewers. Further down the list was another stream with the same thumbnail, same avatar, and a similar channel name, and that happened to be the real one. It had around 120k viewers, so not much better than the fake channel.

After about 30 minutes or half way through the event, the fake stream was finally removed from the results.

I use 500GB - 1TB per month on Cloudfront, costing about $50-100 per month, and I was going to move this over to Cloudflare to take advantage of their savings. However, this AWS change will basically wipe out my entire Cloudfront bill. I should send Cloudflare a Christmas card to say thanks.

Agreed, aggregated reviews are not helpful when you can't trust the source. For example, I just looked at the NordVPN page and all three of the highlighted YouTube reviews are pushing the NordVPN affiliate link in their description. Can I really trust these YouTube reviews when the creators are getting paid for each referral?

The way I see this going is that a bunch of people are writing VPN reviews because these companies pay high commissions. This site is going to aggregate these untrustworthy reviews, and also try to earn a commission in the future. As the end user, I don't see the value here, because I don't trust anyone in the process.