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trafguy

@ trafguy @midwest.social

Posts
3
Comments
54
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • when will be your last time to vote for the "lesser of two evils"?

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  • Perhaps. In theory, you're definitely right. I just feel that this is something where building the momentum during a single election cycle isn't feasible. The most likely result of voting for a third party without laying this groundwork would be splitting the vote and giving a landslide victory to the greater of the two evils.

    Formally organising online would make it possible to demonstrate how much support each candidate actually has without giving an official vote to a candidate that the general public isn't confident enough to vote for. Watching participation grow and third parties receive substantial semi-official support could build excitement and lead to a third party being trusted to have the sway to win.

    I'd love to be proven wrong though. If we can organize enough support for a third party within a single election cycle that it's reasonable to risk voting for that candidate, I'm open to it. I already have too much on my plate, but if no one has built this service by the time I have energy for it, I'll definitely be thinking about it

  • when will be your last time to vote for the "lesser of two evils"?

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  • I suppose it'll continue until enough people believe that it's possible for a third party to win.

    I think ranked choice voting would make it much simpler to foment that change. People need to be able to trust that breaking from the party line has a real chance of success, but that can't happen without demonstrating support.

    If we can't have real ranked choice voting, a third party could build a website to let people coordinate votes according to ranked choice, and hopefully carry the result as a unified bloc to the polls. Have an agreement that if a certain threshold of participation is met, vote for the ranked choice result. Otherwise, lesser of 2 evils.

  • As Someone Learning German, I Know This Pain

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  • I didn't learn of any rhyme or reason to it in German when I took classes on it. In fact, in a few cases, the gender changes the meaning of the word. Der See und die See, for example. One means lake and the other means sea/ocean.

  • Do you promise?

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  • It's interesting how often that happens. Phrases get simplified and as the nuance is lost, the meaning more or less gets reversed.

  • Working from home could wipe $800 billion from office values globally

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  • Nice, drive up housing supply while correcting an excessive office supply. Sounds good to me.

  • Do you promise?

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  • I never verified, but some years ago I heard someone expand on that as meaning something like "That which makes customers willing to buy is the right thing to do". It makes sense. If a moron will buy gold plated lead, a capitalistic perspective says sell gold-plated lead. Ethically a bit fucked? Sure. But interesting nonetheless

  • Get in

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  • Somehow, a unicorn driving a well-maintained 20-year-old van with a mural painted on the side and promising positive change is the most trustworthy thing I've ever seen. That van probably runs on either solar power, magic, or dreams/hope too.

  • Forests with multiple tree species are 70% more effective as carbon sinks than monoculture forests, study finds

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  • Thank you for sharing that. I don't know who it was, but some months back I was introduced to a particular document describing creative tactics for protecting old-growth forests. All I can say is, I'm glad there are at least people giving anti-environmentalists hell, and making it a war to achieve the destruction demanded by short-sighted profit-seeking.

    I suppose it's the same with every facet of life. Protecting what we have is more difficult than finding ways to tear it down. Like how software security is a constant game of whack-a-mole, fixing security vulnerabilities as they're found.

  • Forests with multiple tree species are 70% more effective as carbon sinks than monoculture forests, study finds

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  • Thanks, that makes sense. So the only workable solution for the largest owl species is to not ruin their environment in the first place, and for smaller species building habitats is a risky proposition. Hopefully we're successful in preserving what remains of our primordial forest cover then.

  • Forests with multiple tree species are 70% more effective as carbon sinks than monoculture forests, study finds

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  • I'm 100% in favor of preserving old-growth forests, but would it be effective to build habitats specificially for owls, distributed throughout both new and old-growth forests?

  • No need for forecast, just do your best

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  • Is living while rejecting hope actually living? Personally, even if there won't ever be change. Even if the future is truly a lost cause. I would rather delusionally hope for a better future than succumb to a form of realism that demands an expectation of progressively worse suffering. So, I choose to believe that improvement is possible, regardless of whether there is evidence for it, but also becuse there is evidence that it can happen.

  • Dunning-Kruger

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  • And you also do not know where you are in Dunning-Kruger Club

  • those ppl...

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  • Never been part of that community personally, but thanks for helping to support the platform. Even if you're not seeing much traction, it's appreciated. What would you think of picking the most engaging Reddit content and migrate it here to help boost community size? Or maybe posting to Reddit with a watermark/credit leading to your Lemmy community?

  • those ppl...

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  • I think Lemmy would either need to find a way to wean Redditors off of their dopamine machine or replace that dopamine machine long-term to sustain an exodus from Reddit. Either that, or Reddit will need to break their dopamine feedback loop. There are some cracks showing, and that might have already killed the platform in the long term, but it'll keep going from pure momentum for a while. Maybe as long as months or years.

    Seems like there's more sexists and racists than I used to see over there, which is definitely offputting. I've found communities that are supportive of thoughtful discussion are more appealing, and Reddit definitely lacks that lately, outside of some small, relatively niche communities.

  • Who to solicit for a small project?

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  • I'd also like to hear what your idea is. I don't know of a platform to solicit someone building your device at a price you'll be wanting to pay, but there are forums to help you learn how to do it yourself if you're motivated enough.

    If it's cool enough to pique interest, you could try posting the concept in an electronics community and seeing if anyone's interested in the challenge, or an ideas community and just floating it for people to choose to run with.

    It's also possible the device already exists and someone can suggest an easy option for you

  • Why aren't advertisers (Microsoft, Facebook, Google) held responsible for allowing scammy adverts?

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  • Well, I'll admit it might be poorly suited, but I know it supports comments, posts, and user signups. Users would sign up with a sbscriber role, you'd verify them somehow, and then you'd update their role. It would be a little janky but should work with little adjustment

  • Why aren't advertisers (Microsoft, Facebook, Google) held responsible for allowing scammy adverts?

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  • Easiest? I'd say WordPress on a Digital Ocean droplet if you're going super small. Allow people to sign up and vet them, and you have a functional standalone platform pretty much as soon as you can get users. I don't know that it would take off or have a sustainable userbase though

  • The rent is too damn high

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  • Would you be willing to share how you make that work? I can't imagine living on my own for that much, let alone raising 3 kids. What does a weekly meal plan look like? Do you drive? What are rent and property values like in your area?

    Edit: Just ran some numbers, and I can see how that could be possible, but it's dangerously lean. We shouldn't need to live like that. I commend you for making it work, but would like to say that you're definitely worth more than $20k/yr (especially with all those home improvement skills, but regardless)

  • Can we please

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  • Nor did I elect you king of what I'm allowed to enjoy. Go ahead and police people's thoughts if you insist, but don't expect to be included by people you willfully offend.

  • Ask Electronics @discuss.tchncs.de
    trafguy @midwest.social

    Continuous operation of a general purpose relay?

  • pics @lemmy.world
    trafguy @midwest.social
    oc

    Butterfly on a Lilac Bush, Northern Illinois - 1920x1080

  • pics @lemmy.world
    trafguy @midwest.social
    oc

    Mushrooms in the Forest, Northern Illinois - 1920x1080