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ellrob88

125 karma · joined December 31, 2015

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ellrob88··on YouTube to automatically label AI-generated videos
Curious to see if this will apply to music. YouTube seems to be filled with AI music these days - just do a search for "focus music" or the like, and you'll see creators pushing new 1-hr tracks every few days with no mention of where the music came from or the fact it is AI generated. People praising it in the comments seem none the wiser (or perhaps they're also bots).
ellrob88··on Suno has acquired Songkick (YC 2007)
Wasn't aware of this deal from Nov 2025 until now, but was alerted via an email from Songkick this morning along the lines of "We’re writing to explain how your personal data will be handled as Songkick transitions to Suno".

Seems like an interesting partnership at first glance. I wonder what they plan to do with it.

More theories available on various websites (e.g. below) and Reddit threads.

https://completemusicupdate.com/suno-picks-up-songkick-as-pa...

ellrob88··on Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban
Decisions made under the context of a global pandemic, which needed to be consistent, easy to understand, and easily enforceable. I'm comfortable with the way that was handled in these circumstances. A mask is hardly an inconvenience.

Anyway, to get back on topic, which country do you think is the best example of the level of government you think is optimal?

ellrob88··on Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban
I get why people from certain countries instinctively see any government involvement as bad, but I don’t think that’s a universal truth? Yes, bad government can do enormous harm, but I think good government can also raise society above what would happen if everyone were simply left to their own devices.

As others have noted, we already accept a long list of age-based rules: alcohol, driving, tobacco, gambling, movies and games, compulsory schooling, consent, marriage, tattoos, credit cards, pornography, firearms, etc.

Seen in that context, restricting social media for children isn’t some unprecedented intrusion - it’s another attempt to limit access to something that appears harmful for younger people. Will it work? I can only hope. But it seems reasonable to at least try.

I’m not claiming this opinion fits every country - it may be due to biases of where I live. Where I am (and in my opinion), social media seems like a clear and massive net negative, especially for kids. Perhaps in some places social media is a genuinely positive part of daily life, and from that perspective the same law might look like needless government overreach.

ellrob88··on Excess mortality across the Western World since the Covid pandemic
Is that based on your personal interpretation of the facts, or do you think there is part of this study that proves that?
ellrob88··on 9 Charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than you realize
I'm always desperate to understand the mechanisms around this, so thank you for the insights.

Regarding the opening line of your last paragraph, are you in disagreement with the idea that eating meat is immoral, or are you just saying it is offensive for someone to tell you what you're doing is immoral full stop (whatever the topic)?

I ask because at the start you say you arent offended by the facts about factory farming and climate impacts - so it sounds like you realise the immoralness? But your key issue is with someone judging you for that immoral action, and for suggesting you should change? Or have I misinterpreted?

ellrob88··on Family Echo – Free online family tree maker
'Gramps' has been recommended to me in the past.
ellrob88··on Become an expert in something specific and boring
Can you explain your opposition to Singer's views? I understand he argues in favor of legalising voluntary euthanasia, and increased abortion rights. As a non-religious person, his arguments generally seem quite rational to me, but I'm keen to understand more.
ellrob88··on UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content
I kinda assumed you were referring to Trump (?)

But my point all along has been that "youtube personality getting house firebombed" != "ridiculous authoritarianism in Australia".

If you are arguing against this point, I may need you to explain further.

ellrob88··on UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content
No, I don't think the government needs to be directly involved for it to be considered bad. The example you describe sounds very bad to me.

But my comment was questioning OP's suggestion that the incident was tied to authoritarianism.

ellrob88··on UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content
OK, but you did seem to be holding the firebombing incident up as an example of Australia's "ridiculous authoritarianism".

I'm just not quite seeing how it shows authoritarianism if you weren't suggesting government involvement?

Also your original comment sounds like you're saying Aus and UK are worse than the US on this front, but the worst case example you've just provided is from the US.

ellrob88··on UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content
By 'journalist' are you referring to the recent firebombing of the house of YouTube personalty friendlyjordies?

Love the guy, but it sounds like you're implying this is an example of an attack on independent journalism, and think the government is involved?

Perhaps worth reviewing the reliability /agenda of your news sources?

ellrob88··on Ask HN: How do you discover music?
Are you familiar with Metalstorm? Pretty fantastic site for all things metal music related. The 'New Releases' and 'Upcoming Releases' section under 'News and Events' at the top would provide something similar to your Wikipedia page.

https://metalstorm.net/home/