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HanShotFirst

218 karma · joined July 3, 2020

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HanShotFirst··on Hijacking the PS5's RTMP stream
As someone who works with RTMP/S a lot, I suspect the Twitch endpoint is accepting RTMP streams even if it specifies or usually expects RTMPS - I find very often that servers will accept both.
HanShotFirst··on A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then came the angry DMs
Indeed you are correct about this! What I think is different in these cases is that the images of the food in your examples (generally) aim to make it look good, whereas the AI art makes it looks like slop (literally and figuratively).

I also prefer the side case of actual photos of the food, which is common at delis and some more authentic Chinese restaurants; these are also being replaced quickly by AI.

Has AI art made my food less delicious - I don't think I've ever purchased food I've seen first represented by AI, but certainly the expectation of taste affects your perception of it...

HanShotFirst··on A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then came the angry DMs
I've noticed a very sudden uptick in these AI designed signs and menus in my area. I fully understand why they are used by small business owners (fast and cheap), and I think getting angry at or threatening a business owner for using them is a huge overreaction.

That said, my own aesthetic sense is very much turned off by them. It is hard for me to articulate why, but I can name four reasons:

- The food never actually looks good, real, or delicious;

- The information is presented in a haphazard way, with text randomly thrown all over the place;

- There is really only one kind of "style" of these signs that I've seen, and it's sad to think that this style (or lack thereof) may become ubiquitous;

- In a world where AI feels increasingly shoved down our throats, it is unnerving to so suddenly see its rise manifested in the physical world.

HanShotFirst··on Windows: Microsoft broke the only thing that mattered
I do mostly video work. I am using DaVinci Resolve, which does have a Linux version, but a camera codec I very frequently encounter works seamlessly under Windows, and not at all under Linux. I've so far been unable to find a way to get it working in Linux.
HanShotFirst··on Windows: Microsoft broke the only thing that mattered
I had Desktop icons disappear after a Windows update; individual game icons stop working after a Steam update; and Minecraft network play breaking constantly when Windows is on one version and whatever other device is on a different version. It all feels completely unstable and I brace myself for trouble whenever they turn on the PC.
HanShotFirst··on Windows: Microsoft broke the only thing that mattered
I hate trying to teach my children how to use Windows these days. When I was young, it took some effort to get programs up and running, but once you cleared that hurdle, the computer worked the same, consistently, every single time you turned it on.

Now, most of the time they log in there's a new update to install; or a fresh and distracting dark pattern popup; or a service they need to re-enter credentials for; or, occasionally, a game I've previously installed for them either missing or no longer working properly. It's maddening and confusing even for experienced users.

Perhaps I do need to drop Windows. I'm not a huge fan of the obfuscaon and walled gardens on Macs, and Chromebooks and iPads are more geared towards consumption than creation.

My work keeps me on Windows (programs that have no good Linux equivalent, and a corporate environment that won't accept it for desktop users), but I'm seriously considering dual booting for my children's sake. It's a testament to how far Windows has fallen.

HanShotFirst··on Alabama offers three tricks to fix poor urban schools
1) Reducing chronic absenteeism by more aggressive tracking and offering social and financial support for students who may have difficulties at home. 2) Adding more optional school days during breaks, including busing and school lunches on those days. 3) The third isn't explicitly stated. The article mentions free college for public H.S. graduates, but it's hard to see how that would improve reading and math scores much earlier in life. The article also mentions a switch to phonics education statewide, but doesn't dwell on how it affected reading scores. (My assumption is that it helps greatly.)
HanShotFirst··on Alabama offers three tricks to fix poor urban schools
I expected to see that in the article, but it's not mentioned at all.
HanShotFirst··on A new bill in New York would require disclaimers on AI-generated news content
Is AI-generated text speech?
HanShotFirst··on How Google Maps allocates survival across London's restaurants
Same!
HanShotFirst··on Doctorow: American tech cartels use apps to break the law
I want to gently push back on this from my perch in NYC. Pre-Uber, taxis had their monopolistic issues but were: - available at most times on major thoroughfares with a raise of the hand. - reliable - I was never once jerked around or overcharged by an NYC yellow cab, which I can not say about private cab companies I've seen in other cities.

The worst problem was finding cabs in the outer boroughs, and that was improved greatly with the "green cab" program (they were restricted to beginning their fares in the outer boroughs).

There's been a lot of time and gradual change since then, but what I see now (Post-Uber): - In most of the city, it is difficult or impossible to hail a cab without an app. - The Uber/app drivers are worse, clearly much less experienced and don't know where they are going. - Price gouging has been outsourced to the app itself, and happens very frequently. - Even once cabs are called on the app they often cancel or fail to show in anywhere near the advertised time.

Personally, I greatly prefer the Pre-Uber situation.

HanShotFirst··on The right wing is coming for Wikipedia
Trying to identify and remove bias in any direction is a worthy goal. That said, an evenhanded and factual approach to doing this may result in more negative sentiment towards people or organizations that deny facts; push fringe ideas without the benefit of widespread public support, or evidence, or academic consensus; or who have similarities with historical people or organizations who have come to be viewed negatively with the benefit of hindsight.
HanShotFirst··on Meta Ray-Ban Display
They are not great for listening to music in high fidelity. The are great for spoken word, and fine for music if you're not super concerned about quality; I liken it to listening to music from the speaker on a small portable FM radio.
HanShotFirst··on Internet Roadtrip: Vote to steer
The only thing I wish for is that the map showed the whole path taken since the website went live!
HanShotFirst··on Congress accidentally legalized THC six years ago
My cynical and informed-only-by-observation take is that it is a win win for lawmakers of both parties. It allows people who want to buy weed to get it, without those local politicians seeming overly radical or permissive by decriminalizing fully.
HanShotFirst··on Moaan InkPalm Plus is weird, cheap, small, and my kind of e-reader
With root and installing LineageOS, do you feel confident that any stock malware/spyware is eradicated? Or do you feel that the risk, or whatever may be left over, is worth it for the benefits?
HanShotFirst··on The Death of NYC Congestion Pricing
The Governor is pretty clearly doing this with the intent of saving vulnerable House seats. HOWEVER, it is misguided IMO because the political capital to get congestion pricing to the finish line has ~already~ been expended. The Governor, most local Democratic politicians, have already come out in favor of the project and advanced it against heavy opposition. The common refrain, that is a very reasonable interpretation, is that this will be re-implemented after the next election. But if all the voters know that, if we elect the Democratic candidate, this possibly unpopular plan will be passed, delaying it until after the election doesn't help; in fact, it makes it less likely for Democrats to get elected, or for the plan to pass.

In summary, Governor Hochul has now pissed off both opponents to congestion pricing, and also supporters of it. It was a terrible move, politically.

HanShotFirst··on Anyone else lurk and feel like they understand nothing?
I understand maybe just 1 to 3 of every 30 articles I see here, but they're usually the most educational and thought provoking content I've found all day. Seeing so much interesting subject matter that I don't know keeps me humble as well.
HanShotFirst··on Students invent quieter leaf blower
I can attest it also happens in New York suburbs.
HanShotFirst··on Bottled water contains 100x more plastic nanoparticles than previously thought
I have a SodaStream that uses a glass bottle. The bottle is fully enclosed in a metal shield while being pressurized to prevent injury if the bottle breaks. I've had it for years without any bottles breaking; the glass is quite thick.
HanShotFirst··on Ask HN: Most interesting tech you built for just yourself?
Reminds me of the train puzzle in Myst!
HanShotFirst··on Consultants: the real reason it costs so much to build new subways in America
Cut and cover isn't as simple as it used to be because of the huge amount of underground infrastructure laid down over time, without proper mapping. Digging up any street in NYC is labor intensive, time consuming, and dangerous.

Whether it would still be less expensive than the alternative very deep tunnels, that I do not know.

HanShotFirst··on Ask HN: What's your proudest hack?
Looks like someone collected the btc bounty?
HanShotFirst··on Blue Zones, where people reach age 100 at 10 times greater rates
I read the books and enjoyed them.

- To respond to one criticism seen widely here, the authors claim to have validated ages with historical municipal birth records in all the Blue Zones. I cannot speak to these particular zones, but I've been doing genealogical research on my own ancestry and I am absolutely blown away by the ubiquity and detail of both municipal and Catholic church records in Sicily in the 1800s. Preunification Italy was under the rule of various northern European countries and was heavily influenced by their standards of record keeping. I cannot say if this applies to the other countries in the book, but generally speaking, just because these records are old doesn't mean they are bad.

- One thing that was very notable in the books but isn't discussed very much is that, with the exception of the Loma Linda cohort, the Blue Zone areas are all quite poor. They all primarily eat food they are able to grow or harvest themselves, out of necessity, which encourages simple and consistent diets. They have routine, simple lives that are made fulfilling by concentrating on community, family, and friends. They are content with what little they have and do not strive for more than they need.

I found the books quite inspiring. I think the lessons learned are good, even if they won't get me to 100. In any case I've felt much better and lost weight on a closer-to-Blue-Zone diet than I did before.

HanShotFirst··on You're Not Losing Fat Because You're Eating Too Damn Much (2016)
Just chiming in that I am in this boat too. I find it easy to fast at the office, provided there's not some ridiculous snack brought in by coworkers. However, at home the sheer amount of food I see while I'm preparing it for the kids, who constantly want snacks, makes it difficult for me to resist eating. I've had a bit of success by "skipping" some meals and only eating the kids' leftovers.

The stress of raising kids doesn't help either.

HanShotFirst··on Amazon workers on Staten Island vote to unionize
Without the government your minimum wage job likely would have been sub-minimum wage...
HanShotFirst··on Why U.S. Infrastructure Costs So Much
Cuomo literally harrased his own highly competent NYC Transit director into resigning, for disagreements and stealing the spotlight. The LGA airtrain is an expensive boondoggle that is thankfully looking like it will be canceled. He was into large statement projects he could slap his name on regardless of actual need because he was clearly a huge narcissist.
HanShotFirst··on Update on Omicron
I was shocked to discover, several months after the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were approved in America and trumpeted as proof of the speed and efficacy of our modern, capitalist medical system... that the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines were both released much earlier, and they actually work very well.
HanShotFirst··on The unbearable fussiness of the smart home
My Google Home has definitely done this on several occasions. Seems sporadic though, not enough to truly annoy me yet.
HanShotFirst··on Austria to declare nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people
Regardless of the merits of any particular one of those articles - this is scare mongering as it completely ignores that around 5 million people have died from COVID worldwide, while around 3 billion people have received the vaccine safely.
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