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PlattypusRex

59 karma · joined December 21, 2020

hello, there's nothing about me.
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PlattypusRex··on Fecal transplants for autism deliver success in clinical trials (2019)
beneficial bacteria are tolerant of acidic environments (yogurt/pickles/kimchi), and while a bulk of them die in the stomach some do get through. we know this because eating probiotic rich foods regularly does result in a measurable difference in the populations of those specific bacteria in the gut (as long as you continue consuming them).
PlattypusRex··on Goodbye, Six-Figure Tech Jobs. Young Coders Seek Work at Fast-Food Joints
Why would someone go to college and then abandon their degree to learn a trade?

The whole point of college is to get a desk job and to avoid manual labor.

Plumbers have to literally scoop poop out with their hands once in a while.

PlattypusRex··on I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water
San Diego's tap water tastes truly awful. The first time I ever traveled to another city (Denver), I was forced to drink the tap water and could not believe how good it tasted.
PlattypusRex··on The English Paradox: Four decades of life and language in Japan
There's plenty of small businesses in Japan that straight-up ask you to leave at the door if you look foreign, despite being fluent.

A lot of landlords refuse to rent to any non-Japanese people, despite being fluent.

A xenophobic society won't even let you participate fully, much less integrate, no matter how well you speak the language.

PlattypusRex··on Math is still catching up to the genius of Ramanujan
Over 20% of American adults have a literacy proficiency at or below Level 1. This is defined as "difficulty using or understanding print materials" and "may struggle to understand texts beyond filling out basic forms." So 1 out of every 5 Americans is functionally illiterate. I would say that counts as "many of them don't even know how to read."
PlattypusRex··on Math is still catching up to the genius of Ramanujan
No, the subjects are already interesting. What we need is to pay teachers a good, above-average wage, and to continuously invest in their professional development throughout their careers. Only a good, well-trained teacher can make a subject interesting and engaging.
PlattypusRex··on Boeing, Union reach wage deal to end strike
The "good old boys" stereotype is a stereotype for a reason: it doesn't actually happen in meaningful numbers.

If you get paid well, have good benefits, and can't get fired arbitrarily (union still allows for firing based on performance), it turns out your workers will be happier and more productive.

Also, if labor costs (paying a decent wage) tank a massive jet company, they already had many other problems under the hood. Your argument is also proven to be false, because Airbus (heavily unionized) has been eating Boeing's lunch for years since they didn't greedily spin-off everything nor slacked on quality control for the shareholders for short-term gain.

PlattypusRex··on The science of "Zoom fatigue"
it's more likely that these companies would rather save a few pennies by introducing a new 64 kbps codec that reduces quality by only 10%, while offering the old codec's bitrate as a “fidelity mode” for premium+ subscribers.
PlattypusRex··on FTC announces "click-to-cancel" rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions
I didn't know posting racist conspiracy theories with no evidence was allowed on this website...
PlattypusRex··on How long til we're all on Ozempic?
Blaming victims and being ignorant is a choice, one you made multiple times in this thread.
PlattypusRex··on US weighs Google break-up in landmark antitrust case
Pay for Kagi or any other good, paid search engine, which is already superior to Google today?
PlattypusRex··on Forage conservation is a neglected nitrous oxide source
Sadly, I predict that even when faced with these facts, people will continue to increase their meat consumption over the coming years, as the current trend shows no signs of stopping.

It's also unlikely the government would touch this issue with a ten-foot pole; Imagine the nonstop, angry calls a congressperson's office would be flooded with for even suggesting the most mild of regulations for beef consumption.

PlattypusRex··on Libraries will only exist as long as we borrow from them. It's your civic duty
Your portrayal of libraries is inaccurate and overly negative. Library staff can ask people to leave, and if they refuse, staff can call the police and ban people like this from returning once they're removed. I grew up in libraries in suburban areas full of vagrants and junkies, and the few times they caused issues, they did what I described.
PlattypusRex··on OpenAI to Become For-Profit Company
I didn't say they were created by new farming techniques, I said new jobs in general were created by increased urbanization, which was partially fed by agricultural innovations over time. For example, Jethro Tull's seed drill (1701) enabled sowing seeds in neat rows, which eliminated the jobs of "broadcast seeders" (actual title). If you lost your farming job due to automation, you could move to the city to feed your family.

There is no similar net creation of jobs for society if jobs are eliminated by AI, and it's even worse than that because many of the jobs are specialized, high-skill positions that can't be transferred to other careers easily. It goes without saying that it also includes millions of low-skill jobs like cashiers, stockers, data entry, CS reps, etc. Generally people who are already struggling to get enough hours and feed their families as it is.

PlattypusRex··on OpenAI to become for-profit company
I guess it's their fault for not being clairvoyant before AI arrived, and for sharing their portfolio with others online to advertise their skills for commissions to pay for food and rent.
PlattypusRex··on OpenAI to Become For-Profit Company
The net result was positive in that new jobs were created for every farming job lost, as people moved to cities.

If AI replaces millions of jobs, it will be a net negative in job availability for working class people.

I agree with your last point, the way the system is set up is incompatible with the looming future.

PlattypusRex··on OpenAI to become for-profit company
Incredible to witness someone not only confidently spouting misinformation, but also including a link to the correct information without reading it.
PlattypusRex··on Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction
I'm confused by this, humans already had well-developed and complex language well before we started moving out of Africa into Europe.
PlattypusRex··on Omega-3 intake counteracts symptoms of anxiety and depression in mice
This isn't funny. Mice and rats are among the most intelligent animals used in research, and despite ethical regulations on their treatment, they are often ignored. Many of these animals endure severe procedures without adequate pain relief, or none at all. This widespread suffering also causes mental health problems for many of the researchers who have to regularly euthanize them. These animals sacrifice their lives to improve human health and well-being. At the very least, we should show respect for their pain and suffering, which is undertaken for our benefit.
PlattypusRex··on Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain
The term 'disingenuous' isn't about malice, it's about misleading comparisons. Equating the well-documented issue of micro/nanoplastics with hypothetical (and inaccurate) risks from glass muddies the water on a serious environmental problem. If you want to dispute the facts I presented about glass versus plastic safety, let's focus on that instead of tone policing.
PlattypusRex··on Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain
This is completely inaccurate and disingenuous. Glass suffers from no such thing as "microglass", unlike plastic. Plastic actively sheds micro/nanoplastics into bottled water, with hundreds of thousands of particles (and probably more depending on its handling) floating in the water, along with any chemicals used to make plastic moldable, fire-retardant, etc. Glass bottles have no additives that leach out in anything but the most minute quantities, even in an alkaline solution. The same can't be said for plastic containers.

Also, while glass does dissolve in water, it is an extremely slow process that does not affect containers at room temperature in any significant way. As for the claim about glass evaporating due to vapor pressure, while technically true, the vapor pressure of glass at room temperature is so infinitesimally small that it's completely irrelevant for practical purposes. This process occurs at such a slow rate that it would take far longer than the age of the universe to have any measurable effect on a glass container.

PlattypusRex··on Bankrupt Trucker Yellow Loses Ruling over $6.5B in Pension Debts
True, we should change bankruptcy law so hedge funds get priority over employees who worked their whole lives for a company. This will benefit all workers with pensions that invest in hedge funds.
PlattypusRex··on Godot founders had desperately hoped Unity wouldn't 'blow up'
It's pedantic to say it isn't free when...it isn't? Plenty of smaller games make over $1 million. It's news to me that the concept of free is whatever the reader wants it to be. Free as in beer or free as in freedom, Unreal is neither.
PlattypusRex··on Godot founders had desperately hoped Unity wouldn't 'blow up'
Yes, royalties apply after $1 million, hence, not free. Plenty of small/medium studios use Unreal.

Free for educational purposes means it is not free, since the royalties still apply if the game is released.

Last time I checked, free means free.

PlattypusRex··on Godot founders had desperately hoped Unity wouldn't 'blow up'
My reply had nothing to do with Unity. It was directed at the statement that Unreal being source-available is somehow equivalent to being able to freely fork and modify Godot to add specific features.

Furthermore, many of these devs have been on Unity for many years, not because it was the best, but because it was pretty much the only accessible and modern choice for smaller projects before Godot and other open-source engines were mature enough to release games with.

PlattypusRex··on Godot founders had desperately hoped Unity wouldn't 'blow up'
That's not really true. You can't modify it free of cost; you still have to pay the royalties to use it. You also can't modify it in any way you like, there are numerous restrictions in the EULA on how exactly you can modify/distribute snippets of code. Not only that, but you also aren't allowed to integrate it with any sort of software with a copyleft license, making it useless for any gamedevs who want to license their game with one. Even people wanting to use copyleft libraries or code with their fork are completely restricted.
PlattypusRex··on Apple has reached its first-ever union contract with store employees in Maryland
Old unions like this one that were originally more specific to a trade can and do attempt to expand and cover any type of trade if they want to. They also absorb (merge with) smaller unions all the time, even if the original name has nothing to do with the trade union they merged with. The end goal of international unions is to unionize most major trades, hence the concept of a general strike, to increase the bargaining power of the entire working class collectively across trades.
PlattypusRex··on Open source AI is the path forward
a big chunk of that is probably the fact that you don't need to pay someone who is trying to make a profit by running inference off-premises.
PlattypusRex··on Modern EV Batteries Rarely Fail: Study
The problem isn't just the number of moving parts; it's far simpler to design a common gas pump than it is to design a DC fast charger, the electronics inside, the software, the network connectivity, app development, and, most importantly, the ability to successfully handshake with every single EV out there (easier said than done).