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fmac

Ask me about bike lanes

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joined 2024 December 26 01:43:24 UTC 

				
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fmac


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
Ask me about bike lanes

				
				
				

				

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					joined 2024 December 26 01:43:24 UTC
				


				
					

					
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User ID: 3415


					
					
					
				

			




		

	

 











			
			

			
			

			




	


		

			
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	 Hot Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
	



		

	






	

		
		

		
		
	

	

  







		

			
			
				OpenAI seminar at work has me thinking of the "Ai Bubble"
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Were I in one of these roles that benefit so highly, I personally wouldn't be bragging about how much of my workload is able to be automated.




This is starting to happen in consulting.


All the big consulting firms are crowing about how "AI forward" they are, as they think that is good marketing and brand positioning to clients to show how technologically advanced they are, etc.


It probably is good marketing.


But in a few client meetings now, questions like "so if you're so much more efficient with AI, why are we paying a 7% technology fee?" Or "if your using AI to automate and make your people's time more efficient, can we pay for less time?"


Some of these questions are humourous, some not. But the vibe is building and it's funny to watch. I have a feeling consulting margins are about to start experiencing some pricing pressure as the increase in productivity is turned into margin wars.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				OpenAI seminar at work has me thinking of the "Ai Bubble"
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Seconding all of this as incredibly true to my experience. If it wasn't for the references to you job being coding, I'd wonder if this was an alt account of mine that I post on while sleep walking.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm happy for your dog :)


At risk of circle jerking also fully agree LOL


I have a strong preference towards intelligent dogs but I couldn't own a Collie, Blue Heeler, or the other mega energy smart ones. It does just feel like you're committing it to a life of under-stimulation and frustration.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Labs are a lot more chill than collies in my experience (my dog is actually part Lab). I think your dog's life sounds excellent.


This is obviously tempered by bias and the fact I don't know these dogs. But Collies have this seemingly profound need to work. It actually seems like there's a pretty strong correlation between dog intelligence and "desire to work" in general.


When my dog plays fetch, it feels like play. The way he runs, the tail wagging, the fact he'll stop to chew on the ball or roll it around a bit before bringing it back. Whereas every collie I see playing fetch seems to have it optimized down to a science of how to get and return the ball as quickly as possible, and then to grind out as many repetitions as possible as fast as possible.


Maybe they're actually having a ton of fun doing it, but it just feels very serious in a way other dogs playing fetch doesn't.


One Malinois at my dog park (not a Collie, but another smart working dog) has figured out it's actually much more optimal to just attempt to jump and catch the ball immediately once it's thrown (the owner was sitting) which is indeed a lot more efficient but totally defeats the point of the game. Although it was pretty cool to see the problem solving.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I wanted to challenge you on the spanking opinion thing but holy shit, North Americans have 50%-60% approval towards statements like "parents should be allowed to physically discipline children" or "it's sometimes necessary to spank your child"


Western Europe is more like 20-30% acceptance.


I had no idea it was that high.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


When we got a dog, and had it professionally trained, they used a shock collar. They also gave use the shock collar, and instructed us on it's use.




This is when shock collars are good. Professional people who actually knew what the fuck they were doing trained your dog, and then further trained you on how to be a good trainer to your dog.


Hassan seems like... 0 of those things are true?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I am confident most invisible fences have an allowable area greater than 3 feet by 2 feet.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Humans have much more meta-cognition to be able to learn independent from their initial nurturing. They can also think about the cause and effect of their actions, which dogs cannot. They can also learn much more easily, and generalize that learning (dogs are so so so bad at generalizing).


But I personally am actually somewhat a fan of that argument when applied to humans who came from anti-social or otherwise extremely sub-optimal backgrounds.


The other side of that though is much like a shitty dog, I think shitty humans should be shipped off to a farm (compassionate gulag?) to be re-trained, and if they are incapable of this, be removed from regular society so they don't bite anyone.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
If you're not a good trainer you shouldn't use a shock collar because you're inflicting pain without the corresponding training utility.


And you could be a good dog trainer if you just googled it, so you're essentially inflicting pain on something you have a duty of care to because you are lazy or stupid, which is why everyone is mad.


I use "you" to refer to Hassan/a hypothetical dog owner, not you personally.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Yeah the brief rash of van/car attacks into city crowds concerned me a lot. I usually have a pretty rational assessment of gun crime/terrorism (I'm not involved in the drug trade, so my likelihood of being shot is very low, and terrorism is in general so rare it's not worth stressing over especially as I'm not American).


But the van attacks were genuinely scary to me. Canada may not have much gun violence, but we have a LOT of cars. And random acts of sidewalk violence with a car was all of a sudden a quite plausible threat in my life. I stopped wearing headphones when walking around as a result of this, which while I am no longer worried about getting van'd, I still do as the additional situational awareness is never a bad thing.


That's also what got me thinking about terrorism optimization, even the van attack guy in Toronto could have probably increased his kill count by a factor of 10x if he did it down Bay Street at 8:45am, versus somewhere way out of the core of Toronto where he actually did it.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Or sitting in a single location with 0 latitude to move a foot in either direction


Dogs are famously not creatures that love to sit still


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


which are often chained for the purpose




I actually think this is significantly more humane. I am not very bothered by dogs being confined to a given area, but not even being able to shift around if sore, bored, or simply wanting a change is fucked up.


We turn hospital patients who can't move because they get bed sores, etc. A chained up dog can still get up, stretch its legs and move a bit, and settle into a new, more comfortable posture or location.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I think if you're spanking your kids, you are actually obligated to do it in the most effective way possible that you are capable of, and to spank them "lazily" without adherence to optimal learning/ teaching is an abject failure as a parent and leader


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm a dog owner, and I'm not deranged, I think I'm pretty pragmatic.




There is nothing wrong with using a shock collar.




Tentative agree if you are a wise owner who understands classical conditioning and basic dog psychology. I don't think most dog owners meet this bar.


I have a friend who lives in a rural area with a dog who loves going for long walks to kill rabbits/see his dog "girlfriend" in the farm 3 kilometers over. They have a shock collar that activates if he leaves the property, which I think is great because it reduces his risk of getting killed by a car, but means he doesn't need to be literally tied to the house (which was the prior solution).


I have an uncle who uses the shock collar as a shortcut to actually training his dog by zapping it when it pisses him off, but he does 0 training to teach it what he actually wants. I dislike this greatly.




to perform as an actor contributing to his streams




Refusing to let it move from a single location for any reason for hours on end is deranged, both as a job period for any living being, but especially a dog. They're restless creatures with a ton of energy.


My dog spends most of his time sleeping these days (he's 5), I tried pretty hard with him to get him to sleep beside me when I work at my desk. Seemed like a win/win, because I could interact with him when I needed a break instead of go on my phone, and he'd get way more attention then if he was on the couch in a different room. But it didn't work because he seems to really love changing his sleeping location every few hours, going for a drink, etc. He sleeps most of the day, but every time I leave my office he's in a different location than when I last left it. Most dogs I've interacted with share this behavior.


If Hassan did a good job at training, he'd create a strong positive association with lying in that bed behind him. But I image even if he did (what I've heard about him and the fact he's using a shock collar makes me doubt this), I bet it would still want to stretch its legs, get water, whatever. It's a fucking dog, they like to move, we like to move too ideally (see: how shit desk jobs are for your physical health) we just have an easier time overriding that impulse, to our detriment.


I'm all for dogs having jobs, many breeds need them (every border collie I see in Toronto is autistically fixated on fetch as a replacement for herding, it's sad). But "sit here for hours and never move from this exact spot" is antithetical to their nature, and the 10,000 years of jobs they've done for us thus far.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I'm left wondering how much harm could be done by a lone man with a grudge against the world and no interest in taking credit for it




Yeah this is stressful.


Tangentially related, and this will probably result in me being put on a list, but I'm always mystified when I read/hear/whatever about a mass shooter who kills like 5 people and then kills themselves/gets shot in a Walmart in their town or whatever.


If you're planning on dying, and hate the world and want to extract revenge on it. Why not go to your nearest sporting event/concert and wait for it to let out? Or rent a car, drive to New York, and unload in a PACKED subway station at 8:30am on a Tuesday.


It seems like so many of them leave so much carnage on the table (which is their goal?), but I guess this is likely mostly answered by the fact that people who try to commit mass shootings aren't highly competent utility maximizers.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I mean sure. All we know is Americans don't like something about what's happening. Occam's razor suggests Americans opinion of this is probably being shaped by the things ICE is deliberately doing to shape their image.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I find the view "I'm against illegal immigrants except for farm worker ones they're fine" incomprehensible


That's just being fine with illegal immigration with extra steps.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I actually agree with most of what you wrote but projecting an image of:


"If you come here, you won't make any money because every farmer/hotel/roofing company will be too scared to even talk to you, let alone give you american dollars in exchange for your time. You have more economic opportunities in Mexico than you ever will here."


Would be even more effective. In the current version if you can get to Texas/Florida/California and find a farm to work for, you know you're pretty safe.




Most in the Republican party don't actually care about getting rid of all illegal immigration.




Sure but then doing dumb shit that degrades personal liberty and stretches norms about acceptable government force isn't worth the marginal benefit of deporting a small % of illegals? That's a horrible trade.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Oh no an almost 10 year old mass shooting in America.


Better let the government get away with whatever they want!


				

				

						

							

								
    
									
									
									
									
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				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm a different person, that's why I said "let's move from disappearing" because I think that's kind of a silly word to use.


Otherwise actually agree with basically all of that.


My only quibble is that it doesn't seem like ICE is super concerned with avoiding misconduct, which maybe they're sloppier than the median law agency, or maybe they just appear to be.


Which brings me back to my original thesis, their optics are terrible


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm not saying the media isn't biased, I'm just saying they're making the media's job very very easy, which makes me think they're bad at this


Which is what I keep saying


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


you can simply fix what I'm reacting to and I won't be a reactionary any more




I agree! That's why they're going after farms and hotels, two of the biggest employers of illegal immigrants and the main reason they come to America.


Oh wait, they explicitly said they aren't...


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
That's fair enough, I guess I'd just hope you'd ask for more in general from your government and society


America is really down bad if that's where people's standard is lol


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
No I think it's retarded because it looked bad and doesn't help them achieve their stated goals.


The economist shows his approval on immigration is down to -10% now versus +10% in January. Nate Silver shows him going from ~+9% to -4% with now (just) over 50% disapproval.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025
			
		

	




	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
the economist shows his approval on immigration is down to -10% now versus +10% in January. Nate Silver shows him going from ~+9% to -4% with now (just) over 50% disapproval.


So it's clearly not making Americans like it more!