datendefekt

datendefekt , 10 days ago

And nothing of value was lost...

datendefekt , 1 month ago

I get the sarcasm, but isn't that exactly what E-Paper tablets are really good at?

datendefekt , 2 months ago

One Friday afternoon, Gary called the engineering staff together and announced that he would give them all a raise over the weekend. On Monday, when they returned to work, contractors began raising the building to make room in the basement for a new Digital Equipment Corporation VAX 11/750 computer system. After several weeks, supported by heavy wooden beams and house jacks, the engineers' desks were five feet higher.

I'd have loved to work for him!

datendefekt , 2 months ago

Beyond the proven addictive effects of handing a dopamine device to your kid, there are legal ramifications many parents aren't aware of.

WhatsApp and TikTok aren't just there like air, free for all to consume. They are service providers and both sides are bound by a contract, the EULA. IIRC, WhatsApp recently reduced it minimum age from 16 to 12. So if you install WhatsApp on your 8 year old's phone, you have broken the contract.

datendefekt , 3 months ago

Well, my handwriting is an unnatural abomination. Maybe I should try switching hands?

datendefekt , 3 months ago

I use KoReader, which is available for several different devices. It has a WebDav plugin, which I pointed to my NextCloud instance.

Whenever I encounter something on my tablet, laptop or phone, I upload it to NextCloud and can access it at my leisure.

datendefekt , 3 months ago

A few years ago I did listening comparisons of Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal and Quobuzz. At least for my ears, Tidal was way better, with engaging dynamic range and clarity. Quobuzz was just a little better, while listening to Spotify and Amazon Music was like FM radio in comparison, loud and compressed.

Pricewise, they're all somewhat similar. I went with Tidal because it has good quality, a good catalogue, and pays the artists better.

datendefekt , 3 months ago

That writeup from Xiph is excellent. The comparison with adding ultraviolet and infrared to video makes so much sense. But you're dealing with audiophiles who seriously consider getting hi-end power and ethernet cables. I read somewhere that there was a listening test with speakers connected with hanger wire - and audiophiles couldn't tell.

In the end, it's all physics. I could never hear a quality improvement beyond normal 16bit, 320kbps, no matter how demanding the music.

datendefekt , 4 months ago

And another kid called Snotty.

datendefekt , 4 months ago

I feel called out on this one :D For years we were like "Marry and have kids? No way, we're way too irresponsible ourselves!" After 14 years we thought we might as well marry. And now it's been (counts on fingers) 27 years, and we have three wonderful kids and couldn't imagine any other life!

datendefekt , 4 months ago

Hey, I also had a toy like that! Cool!

datendefekt , 4 months ago

Who could've imagined that Google is becoming just as mediocre and boring as any other large corporation. What a surprise!

datendefekt , 4 months ago

Do the LLMs have any knowledge of the effects of violence or the consequences of their decisions? Do they know that resorting to nuclear war will lead to their destruction?

I think that this shows that LLMs are not intelligent, in that they repeat what they've been fed, without any deeper understanding.

datendefekt , 4 months ago

I've heard that argument floating around and I don't buy it. Step-up and down converters are a thing.

datendefekt , 4 months ago

Being a bit closer to the C-Level of a larger company, I can assert that greed, lack of vision and jumping on bandwagons is not exclusive to one nationality.

datendefekt , 4 months ago

We're just expected to bow to authority.

Even if you're the authority yourself?
Also: that sounds like a great place for con-men 🤔

datendefekt , 5 months ago

If you have bad eyesight, VR won't help you. The goggles contain lenses to magnify and project the screens to a virtual distance from your eyeballs similar to a monitor.

You'll still need your glasses, I'm afraid.

datendefekt , 5 months ago

They're still a big name in mainframes and are also a cloud hyperscaler, and they offer software development and consulting. They do a lot of research in AI and quantum computing, and even blockchain a few years ago.
But altogether just a shadow of what they once were. I used to work there when Lenovo took over ThinkPad production and the hard drive business was phasing out. I couldn't imagine being there now.

datendefekt , 5 months ago

I used to laugh about COBOL, who can take it seriously, right?
But now that I'm working in a larger company I can assure you that COBOL is the backbone of large industry. Aviation, finance, railway operations, insurance, you name it. We're talking software running nonstop for decades.

datendefekt , 5 months ago

Hey look everyone, we got a dirty belter here!

datendefekt , 5 months ago

So is AI the new Blockchain?