Blueberry
2mo ago
He also served 30 years in Peru and is not a WASP (well, obviously):
Wiki:
Robert Prevost was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, the son of Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martinez. His father, who was a United States Navy veteran of World War II and school administrator, was of French and Italian descent, and his mother of Spanish descent. Prevost speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.
Everyone always forgets the Orthodox, just because they are more spiritual/mystic and far far away …
The Orthodox also hold to both scripture and tradition (and recognize ecclesiastical (not theological) supremacy of the Pope if the schism is mended), so this points to this being the correct position instead of sola scriptura.
The Mormon hierarchy being effective(?) and therefore true is a novel point, but on an emotional level I prefer religion being a bit shrouded in mystery and vague and having thousands of years of wobbly-wobbly history with burning of incense, while Mormonism and Joseph Smith is too modern-american-conman-heretical-cult-constructed for my liking.
Blueberry
3mo ago
Kurzgesagt had last week a video about population collapse because of low fertility rate:
It has the charming title: "SOUTH KOREA IS OVER". All caps, which is not normal for kurzgesagt titles, so you know DOOM is coming.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ufmu1WD2TSk
It is a short video with 14 minutes but it explains at breakneck speed the topic succinctly and in depth. The depressing conclusion is that South Korea can't really do anything, the low fertility is an unstoppable freight train and it will hit (end) the country. Even if a wonder happens and the fertility will rise to replacement level next week, the country would still have massive problems in 30 years. And because this wonder is not happening … the country is over
I’m Korean, born and raised in this country, and after watching this video, I just sat in silence for a while. Not because it shocked me, but because it said out loud what so many of us already feel deep inside: that it’s too late. There’s no fixing this anymore.
It is barely comforting that the West (and other countries too) are heading in a similar direction. Maybe accelerationism is the solution here: The faster South Korea is imploding the sooner other countries will wake up and do something.
Blueberry
1mo ago
What do you mean? Example? I think Musk is politically naive, or guileless, he will tell directly what his plans are. There is no subtext, no reading between the lines, no scheming behind the scenes.
Blueberry
1mo ago
My prediction: this doesn't fizzle out, Elon remains on bad terms with the admin, Trump makes an example of him albeit not in the most extreme sense
In this case can Elon retaliate? Him financing in the mid terms anti-trumpers (maybe even dems) would be a threat.
Blueberry
1mo ago
the design and implementation of stupid and dangerous bike lanes
Why are NY bike lanes dangerous?
Blueberry
1mo ago
Catturd following Trumper who worships Elon Musk.
Ask him what his opinion of the new rift is between Musk (no more debt) vs Trump (trillions of new debt)!
Blueberry
2mo ago
NAACP: In response to the family’s wishes, we have now closed the GoFundMe page.
Respect for that!
Blueberry
1mo ago
What is your new wifes opinion on her? Any female understanding/repudiation?
Blueberry
3mo ago
https://www.stlouisfed.org/timely-topics/how-much-u-s-currency-held-abroad-why
Currently, non-U.S. residents hold a little bit over $1 trillion in U.S. currency, and that’s about 45% or almost 45% of the total amount of U.S. currency that’s held.
foreigners holding our currency abroad are essentially making an interest-free loan to the United States …
So currency is like a government bond, but it’s a government bond that pays no interest. So if, for example, an American tourist were to go someplace in the world where U.S. dollars were accepted in exchange for payment for hotel services or restaurant services or some sort of trinkets or souvenirs, then you know if the U.S. tourist shows up in Jamaica and pays some place for souvenirs with U.S. dollars, then the U.S. tourist is getting something of value that is in exchange for little green pieces of paper that cost the United States more or less nothing to make.
Now, if the owner of the souvenir shop in Jamaica just circulates that currency within Jamaica and it stays there forever, then Americans have gotten goods and services of value — souvenirs or tourism services — in exchange for something that costs us more or less nothing. But if, say, in 10 years, somebody in Jamaica decides to take those U.S. dollars and exchange them for U.S. goods and services, then what the United States has done is gotten goods and services for 10 years in exchange for almost nothing, and then 10 years later, we have to pay for them, say, in terms of goods or services or other assets. And so we’ve gotten a 10-year interest-free loan for the amount of the currency that was paid for the original souvenirs.
Blueberry
1mo ago
Yet, the most visceral image of it is Bill Gates releasing non-viral mosquitoes to a room of white people:
Ha, didn't know that. It is quickly over though, more dorky thing in a longer nerdy presentation by Gates, than a flashy publicity stunt.
Blueberry
3mo ago
In Astralcodexten book review contests there was missing a good savage panning of a book.
And he does the classic leftist tactic of insisting upon "democratizing" progresses by increasing public involvement and decentralizing decision-making
What is his argument that this will help rail? I have the stereotype of projects being derailed (ha!) by decentralized and increased public involvement.
Blueberry
1mo ago
Lab leak has a few things going for it, but these are always presented in isolation and no pushback. It is worth to read through Scotts Lab-Leak-Megapost, which is itself only a summary/review of the 15 hours of Lab-Leak-debate videos. I wouldn't rule out Lab-Leak completely, but I downgraded its probability.
As she packed for the trip, she asked Palmer over email if she had any advice for pleasing Gaiman in bed. […] Looking back, she feels Palmer gave her to him “like a toy.”
Amazing the passive language. Like she willingly presenting herself as a sex toy, but also had no agency in this decision. Which could well be, there are also comments on Reddit how Palmer used egoistically other people, so it could be she & Gaimann preyed on vulnerable and weak characters.
I was recently thinking wistfully of the brief golden age of Facebook, and how it made me more connected to my social network.
I have the same nostalgia and even some more:
It is noteworthy that "The Facebook" startet as the hip place for students and required a university email address for signup. Imagine being a young adult moving for the first time away from home and to the big new city and starting your new exciting student life, only that you know no one, everyone is a stranger, and university life is complicated in all kind of ways. If I recall correctly TheFacebook had group chats, like mini message boards, which were made by students for every course (and of course used for organizing partying). You could stay organized. You could connect. This was a very useful and fun service. I wonder if it was lightning in a bottle or could it be replicated today? The students I know today organize with group chats on WhatsApp (I think this is less a thing in the States?). And Family networks also moved to group chats. But this is not discoverable (which to be true is a big feature as it provides intimacy/privacy, but it also loses something).
What changed? You say it was monetization which drove more and more antisocial features, but there was also a big vibe change when everyone could join and your grandma first time commented disapprovingly your binge drinking party pics. And does one want your colleagues and work aquaintances see your children pictures or "its complicated" relationship status? Anyone remember Google Circles? They tried to out-facebook Facebook, but couldn't make the separation of friend circles stick as managing "circles" was too cumbersome. (Was it though? We do it fine in group messengers.)
The other explanation is that Facebook was always doomed to doom-scroll, as every new generation tries to find their own new cool thing but like all non-crab crustaceans evolve into crabs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation) all "social" networks seem to evolve into anti-social doom scroll time sinks: Twitter -> SnapChat -> Instagram -> TikTok
Blueberry
8mo ago
In the replies there is some interesting info on the French whale:
https://x.com/mbateman/status/1854278584338436386
https://www.wsj.com/finance/how-the-trump-whale-correctly-called-the-election-cb7eef1d
He hired a major pollster to ask people who their neighbors is voting for. The idea is that people might not reveal their own preferences, but will indirectly do that when asked to guess their neighbors preferences. The results were "mind blowing in favor of Trump". And with this info he bet $30 million on Polymarket.
Blueberry
7mo ago
To quote a cynic tweet comment:
I’m sleeping with 100 men. Pay attention to me!
Oh I slept with 100 men, pay more attention and feel bad for me
I’m sleeping with 1000 men! Pay all the attention to me!
It is all an act and performance to advertise her OF.
Downthread:
Google just launched the latest iteration of their Gemini language models.
Versus
While we're on the topic, OpenAI just announced their 4o image model
Guess who won the day? At least X is full on ghiblifying iconic photographs with ChatGPT. Or just a cute photo of yourself to send it to your girlfriend.
And memes of course:
https://x.com/Zeneca/status/1904774204769411196
“I don't want any real pictures anymore. Every photograph has to be turned into a ghibli style cartoon”
https://x.com/LukasMikelionis/status/1904873083246084364
Which AI is best?
https://x.com/djcows/status/1905004955582575060
You need some prompt magic but it possible (for now) to also style edgy images:
https://x.com/keysmashbandit/status/1904764224636592188
Some call it slob, and maybe tomorrow the novelty is gone, but I find the pictures strangely endearing.
Next stop will be video:
https://x.com/kb24x7/status/1904942247092895843
Blueberry
4mo ago
Zelensky was told to wear a suit, but he ignored this request:
One small but not insignificant factor that irritated Trump was the fact that Zelensky didn't wear a suit, two sources with direct knowledge told Axios. Trump's advisers told Zelensky's team on multiple occasions that it would be more respectful for Zelensky to ditch his military-style attire when visiting the White House.
Blueberry
5mo ago
the kind of novel where the girl's only friend is a horse, and it's not even her own horse.
I had to laugh, that is a good genre description!
Blueberry
4mo ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_15_incident
Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was shot by eleven young naval officers (most were just turning twenty years of age) in the prime minister's residence. Inukai's last words were roughly "If I could speak, you would understand" (話せば分かる, hanaseba wakaru) to which his killers replied "Dialogue is useless" (問答無用, mondō muyō).[1][better source needed] The original assassination plan had included killing the English film star Charlie Chaplin who had arrived in Japan on May 14, 1932 […] Chaplin's murder would facilitate war with the U.S., and anxiety in Japan, and lead to "restoration" in the name of the emperor.[3] When the prime minister was killed, his son Inukai Takeru was watching a sumo wrestling match with Charlie Chaplin, which probably saved both their lives.
Crazy.
Blueberry
4mo ago
distance within, say, white people is much larger than the genetic distance to a black person
This is often repeated, but I think this is false (Lewontins Fallacy?)
Blueberry
6mo ago
Apple:
https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/10/apple-opposes-investor-calls-to-end-its-dei-efforts/
Investors will vote on four outside proposals at next month’s annual shareholders meeting. Apple is urging shareholders to vote against those proposals, including one that calls on the company to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The shareholder proposal, submitted by the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research, claims that DEI “poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties.”
Though the company doesn't like such external proposals as a matter of principle, and may have adviced shareholders to vote against it regardless how they feel about DEI internally..
https://x.com/tradcathdixie/status/1920542560436605010
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