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4,050 karma · joined July 16, 2014

I work with ecommerce in the EU
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Y-bar··on Swipeblocked: The phrases your iPhone won't suggest
Coding in an explicit denial of word like “Trayvon Martin” is a clear political choice. If they want to be politically neutral they would avoid choosing politically charged word to block.
Y-bar··on Democrats Rout GOP
I understand you disagree in some way. But not exactly how. Can you explain with less insinuations between the lines?
Y-bar··on Democrats Rout GOP
Democracy still has a fighting chance in USA, and that’s good news.

Best wishes from Europe!

Y-bar··on Leaking Secrets from Air-Gap Computers by Spelling Radio Signals from RAM (2024)
It’s a poor word choice I believe, a faraday shield also blocks light, while a cage can be seen through.
Y-bar··on Proton's CEO Cancels AI 'Re-Interviews'
From personal experience there are two types of bosses who works their employees insane hours. The ones who are “finish this or else you are finished” and the ones who want “we must work to make this the best thing ever”. And the second one is infinitely more pleasant to work under because they see that you make an effort together with them. I always prefer to work 40 hours per week and not a minute more. But from stories on Folklore and elsewhere it seems Jobs at least was the second kind.
Y-bar··on Proton's CEO Cancels AI 'Re-Interviews'
Most of the Steve Jobs cult forget that Steve grew up. He was an ahole, but if you look at the historical examples they are almost exclusively from his first tenure at Apple. After his ouster and time with Pixar and Next it appears he mostly calmed down and learned to respect colleagues and employees significantly more.
Y-bar··on Proton's CEO Cancels AI 'Re-Interviews'
Data regions like these offer no protection, it’s just a feel-good marketing term with no legal basis. Source: I work in this business with multinationals with a similar footprint and we have paid actual lawyers to look at it.

The only thing that unfortunately matters here is that Fastmail has a US incorporation.

Fastmail even writes as such:

> If what you need is a guarantee that your data remains only in the EU, we don’t have that, and we’d rather tell you directly than let you assume otherwise.

Y-bar··on Proton's CEO Cancels AI 'Re-Interviews'
I have already begun using my proton-domain email address with real people. They have just started learning it (or have finally updated my contact info). That’s one hurdle.

Another hurdle is I see no other good alternative. I used Fastmail for a while, but it was a bit laggy due to network requests across the Atlantic Ocean. Also it is under US jurisdiction. That company is no longer relevant to me.

I still think it is a valuable use of my time to make my voice heard to the company.

What good alternative can you recommend for me?

Y-bar··on Proton's CEO Cancels AI 'Re-Interviews'
Aw schucks. I moved to Proton half a year ago in an effort to de-Google (and de-US) myself. Now this. Time to write a message to customer service explaining my concerns.
Y-bar··on US tech stocks see sharp falls over AI cost fears
AI Externalities.

A sort of cost, but like other externalities never paid by those who incur them on others. Well, except for Google I guess.

Y-bar··on Finland investigate Google over destruction of 250k trees
It’s in the linked articles, so you have to click through: it gives trees per hectare so you have to do some math yourself to calculate 750 mature trees per hectare for 330 hectares.
Y-bar··on Finland investigate Google over destruction of 250k trees
Trees, and their roots, are an essential part of water management. They absorb rainwater, help water infiltrate into the ground, replenishing groundwater supplies. They slow down surface runoff, reducing the risk of flooding, and provide shade and release water vapour via controlled evaporation.
Y-bar··on The US added a record 20.2 GWh of battery storage in just 3 months
Which is why just about everyone is saying that a mix of energy sources, such as combing solar with wind, is a good thing.
Y-bar··on MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and Touch
I agree that a piano demo seems like a bad idea. But damn if I don’t daily long for the iOS 6 days where buttons and tappable areas were well defined and there were some fun and whimsy to the interface. As compared to the flat unintuitive desolate landscape of recent years. I would rather have a big animated cassette deck in my music player than the current overly polished full page advert I get every time I open the app. At least Forstall and his team cared enough.
Y-bar··on Ukraine claims first drone evacuation of wounded soldier
It is a good innovation in the same way a shield is a good innovation. Perhaps people do not always want to innovate in the area of war, but instead doing something else, but they are forced to innovate like this.
Y-bar··on New Withings Users Must Pay $99/Year for Apple Health Syncing
Scanwatch owner here.

I’ve had this for, I think, two or three years now and really liked the hardware in both aesthetics and battery life. Bought it after abandoning Fitbit when they became part of Google.

The software has become noticeable worse recently, and this is the last straw where I will actively recommend _against_ buying them. The brands doing enshitification has to stop and Withings is now one of them.

Y-bar··on Visa, Mastercard, major banks facing new litigation over 'anticompetitive' fees
It’s worth noting that EU puts clear limits on the size of credit/debit card fees. You can’t add card fees on top of the price either, with some small exceptions.

> Traders in the EU are not allowed to charge you extra for using your credit or debit card. The only exceptions to this rule are American Express/Diners Club cards and business or corporate credit cards, where your employer is billed instead of you. If you use these cards, you may still be charged a fee but the fee can't be more than what it actually costs the trader to process your payment.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/pri...

Y-bar··on High Diesel Prices Bankrupted 16 Trucking Companies in Just 30 Days
Not even 40% of US long distance freight is by train. Just because that is one of the better nations doesn’t mean it’s as good as it can be.
Y-bar··on Apple Is Now Fucked
Peak consumer-friendly Apple was in my opinion the iPod era Apple.

That started with the Rip-Mix-Burn ad, and contained the "Thoughts On Music" (let's abolish DRM, in 2007) open letter from Jobs to the music industry, it was the home computer being the hub of the digital life. iMovie and other suites of software were often updated with advanced features without sacrificing ease of use. The up-sell was the more expensive device, or another related device (e.g. Apple's Wi-Fi router Airport Extreme or Express), not yet another service.

Y-bar··on High Diesel Prices Bankrupted 16 Trucking Companies in Just 30 Days
Or we can have a highly functional train system and not use freight trucks for long haul transportation. Small and medium sized trucks for last mile delivery is significantly less problematic.
Y-bar··on US sanctions force The Netherlands off Microsoft and toward alternative NixOS
I don’t regularly read legal documents of nations I don’t live in. Why did you assume I hate any god?

Edit: the constitution in my country mentions no religion or god. Neither does the Lisbon Treaty or the Treaty on European Union.

Y-bar··on US sanctions force The Netherlands off Microsoft and toward alternative NixOS
Serious question: Why would I hate any god?
Y-bar··on US sanctions force The Netherlands off Microsoft and toward alternative NixOS
Which _specific_ GOD gave that right and did any of the other gods concur?
Y-bar··on California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops
They moved to places like WhatsApp and Discord I believe.
Y-bar··on Google’s Project Suncatcher to put ML infrastructure in space
Fifteen years ago the argument against anthropogenic climate change often included a variation of "… but volcanoes spew a lot of gasses containing carbon, and wildfires pollute also …" while conveniently ignoring that human industrial emission are _in addition_ to what is already happening. The current rate of aluminium oxide and titanium oxide and such particles accumulating in the upper atmosphere is detrimental to the ozone layer. It's not good today, but manageable, the answer should be "let's make it more responsible and try to minimise the damage", the answer should never be "more pollution is okay since a little pollution didn't outright kill everything".
Y-bar··on Musk, the Movie
> party

That should be plural.

He also supports AfD in Germany, a party which like the R:s in USA clamours for oil and coal power while denying that climate change exists.

Musk has also vocally and monetarily supported Reform UK who also denies climate change and tries to expand fossil fuel production.

Same thing with Musk’s support for Javier Milei who calls climate change a “leftist lie”.

A man is known by the company he keeps.

Y-bar··on Google’s Project Suncatcher to put ML infrastructure in space
I certainly hope ‘economically viable’ includes properly priced externalities for e.g. side effects of burning hundreds and hundreds of tonnes of aluminium and other materials in the high atmosphere.
Y-bar··on A brief history of Windows scroll bar shortcuts
Thank you, that was a small but clear improvement to my browser.
Y-bar··on A brief history of Windows scroll bar shortcuts
At least Mac OS has a global setting for this (oddly placed in the Appearance section):

Click in the scroll bar to

(•) Jump to the next page

( ) Jump to the spot that's clicked

Y-bar··on Italian parliament votes for return to nuclear energy
I know there was a bit of liberty with the phrasing that the leftish parties in Sweden aren’t always considered the strongest on the economic arena. But that was not my main point, and sorry if I stepped on your toes. My main point is that all science and facts point to the truth that NPP are not economically viable without significant government subsidies. No matter how much I (and perhaps you?) want NP to succeed, it should do it on a level playing field compared to the other energy industries it should never do that with unfair advantages not offered to others.
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