My bike (apparently) had a flat tire, and pumping air into it didn't seem to inflate it. Obviously there's gotta be a puncture. So I took off the tire and removed the inner tube. This was a struggle; I rarely go biking and haven't had to do any real maintenance before. I couldn't find the hole by looking at it, and there wasn't any more air escaping. So I filled the sink with water and held the inner tube under. No stream of bubbles from anywhere either.
So then I pumped some more air into the inner tube. It didn't escape; the inner tube held its shape. I figured I must not have put the pump on the stem correctly when I inflated it, somehow, because as far as I could tell there wasn't a hole anywhere in the tube.
I struggled for a bit and read a tutorial to reassemble the wheel, and started pumping it up again. Once again, there's the audible hissing of air from the tire and the quick deflation. I'm baffled. But I removed the inner tube again. I guess if nothing else this has been a valuable learning experience?
Point out that data centers don't bring real benefit to the community. Unlike a factory, they don't create lasting jobs, only temporary construction positions. (And honestly? once the AI bubble pops I'm not convinced there will be any demand for large data centers.)
Is the water usage thing debunked? Data centers need cooling. There are a different ways to cool them, but water-cooled seems to be more common. (Likely it's cheaper to build.) Regardless of whether AI uses absurd amounts of water compared to other tech, a data center will reduce the amount of water available to the community, and depending on your area that could turn people against a data center.
Power consumption is a big one. Data centers need a lot of power, and that will drive up consumer rates as A) they increase demand while supply lags and/or B) electric companies build new power plants to meet the demand, then raise rates to recoup costs. Bring up the actual impact on people: higher electric and gas bills.
I started listening to the Magnus Archives again (started but never finished) while I work on various sewing projects.
I made a cloth coffee filter out of unbleached muslin and cotton thread over the weekend. I got the idea from coffeesock filters. They're so damn pricy! $17 for one at a local store! I already had the thread from an old project, and it only cost $5 for enough fabric to make at least a few filters. Today or tomorrow I've gotta make some cold brew concentrate to try out the filter.
An apartment complex that I would convert into some kind of nonprofit cohousing community with low rent, community spaces, and tons of solar panels. After that, maybe a gaming pc or a newer plugin hybrid car.
Precisely. AI by itself can be useful, the same way spellcheck or autocomplete can be. The root of problems related to AI are that managers overwhelmingly demand that AI be used to increase output at the expense of workers. Say your boss tells you that you need to double output. Will you be paid twice as much? Will you get to work fewer hours, without a loss in pay? Of course not.
Secondly (and this is related to the first point) managers overwhelmingly have unrealistic expectations (or pretend to) regarding AI's capabilities. AI can write code to do a thing, but it cannot do the crucial work of planning how to write the code to make it maintainable. Managers rarely do the actual work that their employees do (whether that's scanning groceries or software engineering) and tend not to value or understand it.
Break up. Being single is superior to having a romantic partner. (Only half joking. You've gotta figure out whether the benefits of the relationship are worth the costs.)
It's election day where I live. I'm trying not to spiral into a depressive episode because even if the progressive candidates win, I'm not convinced that things will be materially better.
Have you ever heard of the Radium Girls? They were factory workers -by and large women- who painted watchfaces with radioactive paint, which let the numbers glow in the dark. These workers were taught to form the bristles of these tiny paintbrushes to a fine point with their lips, like you would wet a frayed thread. Each time they did this, they ingested a little bit of radium-infused paint.
When it became public knowledge (well, more public) that radium was dangerous, the workers' bosses told them to use their fingers to make the thin points on their brushes. But this was slower, and the workers were paid for each completed watch face. So these desperate, underpaid workers kept using their lips to get through more watch faces, each time swallowing a miniscule amount of the radioactive paint that was slowly killing them.
There's a parallel here. The people who own AI companies can slap a disclaimer on their chatbots that it isn't therapist and shouldn't be used for medical advice. But when you can't afford a therapist and yet you know you need one, that free chatbot sure sounds appealing.
Do you foster cats or something? You have so many. (Going for a curious tone here, not critical. Apologies in advance if this doesn't come across over text.)
Godzilla stuffy progress continues! I haven't taken a picture, but all pieces are cut and I've sewn the back and front together. I really like how the back spikes turned out. I found a button down at a thrift store in the perfect shade of blue. The claws are a bit iffier. I redid them with some jersey scraps instead of the body fabric (a thrifted fleece blanket), which turned out to be so much easier to sew. So the arms are also done and ready to be attached once I finish the body.
To preface this, I don't want to just say "seek help", though I think that's always a good thing to do. As you've said, you've been to therapy. I can empathize with therapy not helping; I went for years to no effect. Personally...this is complex. I think that there are cases where someone who wants to die isn't (because of mental illness or disability) capable of making that choice, and there are surely cases where they are. I've been suicidal many, many times. And at the same time I personally value autonomy, and what is suicide but the ultimate expression of choosing what to do with your life?
Generally, most people are against letting people kill themselves "just" because they don't want to live anymore, because the assumption is typically that anyone who wants to die is suffering from mental illness and therefore incapable of making the choice to die. I'm sorry. I don't think that legal euthanasia is possible in your circumstance.
My state's elections aren't until next week. I feel vaguely ill with nerves.
In other news, I've harvested most of the potatoes I planted earlier this year. Only one plant hasn't died yet, so waiting and hoping that the taters get larger. My strawberry plants' leaves keep dying and I'm not sure why. I'm ot a very good gardener, more of an enthusiastic amateur.
That sounds fun!
I tracked my calorie intake and weight every day for a month. I've only lost about a pound, but...progress?
Article without "login or create account" popup: https://unwall.app/www.wired.com/story/silicon-valley-doesnt-get-why-you-hate-ai/
lmao the corner was just the most convenient place for a picture without my kitchen in the background, but timeout is hilarious
My bike (apparently) had a flat tire, and pumping air into it didn't seem to inflate it. Obviously there's gotta be a puncture. So I took off the tire and removed the inner tube. This was a struggle; I rarely go biking and haven't had to do any real maintenance before. I couldn't find the hole by looking at it, and there wasn't any more air escaping. So I filled the sink with water and held the inner tube under. No stream of bubbles from anywhere either.
So then I pumped some more air into the inner tube. It didn't escape; the inner tube held its shape. I figured I must not have put the pump on the stem correctly when I inflated it, somehow, because as far as I could tell there wasn't a hole anywhere in the tube.
I struggled for a bit and read a tutorial to reassemble the wheel, and started pumping it up again. Once again, there's the audible hissing of air from the tire and the quick deflation. I'm baffled. But I removed the inner tube again. I guess if nothing else this has been a valuable learning experience?
Point out that data centers don't bring real benefit to the community. Unlike a factory, they don't create lasting jobs, only temporary construction positions. (And honestly? once the AI bubble pops I'm not convinced there will be any demand for large data centers.)
Is the water usage thing debunked? Data centers need cooling. There are a different ways to cool them, but water-cooled seems to be more common. (Likely it's cheaper to build.) Regardless of whether AI uses absurd amounts of water compared to other tech, a data center will reduce the amount of water available to the community, and depending on your area that could turn people against a data center.
Power consumption is a big one. Data centers need a lot of power, and that will drive up consumer rates as A) they increase demand while supply lags and/or B) electric companies build new power plants to meet the demand, then raise rates to recoup costs. Bring up the actual impact on people: higher electric and gas bills.
I have no idea; this is experimental. I saw some in a shop and decided to try making one.
Edit: it does seem to drain more slowly, but I'm not sure if that's because it has less area than the paper filter or because it's a tighter weave.
I started listening to the Magnus Archives again (started but never finished) while I work on various sewing projects.
I made a cloth coffee filter out of unbleached muslin and cotton thread over the weekend. I got the idea from coffeesock filters. They're so damn pricy! $17 for one at a local store! I already had the thread from an old project, and it only cost $5 for enough fabric to make at least a few filters. Today or tomorrow I've gotta make some cold brew concentrate to try out the filter.
An apartment complex that I would convert into some kind of nonprofit cohousing community with low rent, community spaces, and tons of solar panels. After that, maybe a gaming pc or a newer plugin hybrid car.
Always. It's not so much a thought as a wound in my psyche that will not heal no matter how I attempt to treat it.
Precisely. AI by itself can be useful, the same way spellcheck or autocomplete can be. The root of problems related to AI are that managers overwhelmingly demand that AI be used to increase output at the expense of workers. Say your boss tells you that you need to double output. Will you be paid twice as much? Will you get to work fewer hours, without a loss in pay? Of course not.
Secondly (and this is related to the first point) managers overwhelmingly have unrealistic expectations (or pretend to) regarding AI's capabilities. AI can write code to do a thing, but it cannot do the crucial work of planning how to write the code to make it maintainable. Managers rarely do the actual work that their employees do (whether that's scanning groceries or software engineering) and tend not to value or understand it.
Yessss. Also wood floors. I'm pretty sure preferring laminate over wood puts me in a minority of people.
Break up. Being single is superior to having a romantic partner. (Only half joking. You've gotta figure out whether the benefits of the relationship are worth the costs.)
It's election day where I live. I'm trying not to spiral into a depressive episode because even if the progressive candidates win, I'm not convinced that things will be materially better.
Have you ever heard of the Radium Girls? They were factory workers -by and large women- who painted watchfaces with radioactive paint, which let the numbers glow in the dark. These workers were taught to form the bristles of these tiny paintbrushes to a fine point with their lips, like you would wet a frayed thread. Each time they did this, they ingested a little bit of radium-infused paint.
When it became public knowledge (well, more public) that radium was dangerous, the workers' bosses told them to use their fingers to make the thin points on their brushes. But this was slower, and the workers were paid for each completed watch face. So these desperate, underpaid workers kept using their lips to get through more watch faces, each time swallowing a miniscule amount of the radioactive paint that was slowly killing them.
There's a parallel here. The people who own AI companies can slap a disclaimer on their chatbots that it isn't therapist and shouldn't be used for medical advice. But when you can't afford a therapist and yet you know you need one, that free chatbot sure sounds appealing.
Do you foster cats or something? You have so many. (Going for a curious tone here, not critical. Apologies in advance if this doesn't come across over text.)
Godzilla stuffy progress continues! I haven't taken a picture, but all pieces are cut and I've sewn the back and front together. I really like how the back spikes turned out. I found a button down at a thrift store in the perfect shade of blue. The claws are a bit iffier. I redid them with some jersey scraps instead of the body fabric (a thrifted fleece blanket), which turned out to be so much easier to sew. So the arms are also done and ready to be attached once I finish the body.
To preface this, I don't want to just say "seek help", though I think that's always a good thing to do. As you've said, you've been to therapy. I can empathize with therapy not helping; I went for years to no effect. Personally...this is complex. I think that there are cases where someone who wants to die isn't (because of mental illness or disability) capable of making that choice, and there are surely cases where they are. I've been suicidal many, many times. And at the same time I personally value autonomy, and what is suicide but the ultimate expression of choosing what to do with your life?
From a quick google search, it looks like "medical aid in dying"/"physician-assisted suicide" laws are aimed at those with terminal illness. One source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/where-is-euthanasia-legal
Generally, most people are against letting people kill themselves "just" because they don't want to live anymore, because the assumption is typically that anyone who wants to die is suffering from mental illness and therefore incapable of making the choice to die. I'm sorry. I don't think that legal euthanasia is possible in your circumstance.
My state's elections aren't until next week. I feel vaguely ill with nerves.
In other news, I've harvested most of the potatoes I planted earlier this year. Only one plant hasn't died yet, so waiting and hoping that the taters get larger. My strawberry plants' leaves keep dying and I'm not sure why. I'm ot a very good gardener, more of an enthusiastic amateur.
What the actual fuck. No the fuck it does not