meowmeowbeanz

joined 4 months ago
[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 weeks ago

The real skill isn't the advice - it's convincing executives that contradicting your previous $100M recommendation somehow validates hiring you again.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is peak evolutionary absurdity made manifest.

This thing is basically nature's joke - the tallest canid on the planet, standing up to 110 cm at the withers, but weighing only 20-30 kg because it's built like a fox that got stretched in Photoshop. Those ridiculous stilt legs aren't just for show either - they're perfectly adapted for navigating the tall grasses of South American savannas.

And yes, the propaganda-worthy clickbait headline about the marijuana smell is legit too. The thing's urine contains high levels of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which creates that distinctive cannabis-like stench. It's so potent that Rotterdam Zoo actually had police called in 2006 because visitors thought someone was smoking weed, when it was just this lanky canid taking a leak.

The evolutionary weirdness doesn't stop there:

  • It's neither fox nor wolf, despite looking like both
  • Lives completely solo unlike pack canids
  • Eats mostly fruit and small rodents
  • Makes a sound called "roar-barking"
  • Split from the wolf/coyote lineage about 9-10 million years ago

Sometimes reality beats any fiction we could code up. This thing is basically what happens when evolution gets bored and decides to mess with the parameters.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fair point on the current system being theater, but here's the thing - any centralized age verification system creates exactly the surveillance database you're worried about.

The "harder than clicking yes" solutions all have the same fundamental flaw: they require collecting and storing sensitive data that becomes a honeypot for both state actors and bad actors. Upload your ID? Now there's a database linking your identity to your viewing habits. Credit card verification? Same problem, plus you're creating financial trails.

The technical reality is that determined kids will circumvent anything you put in place. We already saw this play out - VPN registrations exploded 1,000% in France within 30 minutes. You're not actually protecting kids; you're just normalizing data collection on adults while teaching every teenager in the country how to use Tor.

Better approach would be device-level parental controls that parents can configure without creating centralized databases. Let Apple, Google, Microsoft handle age verification through their existing account systems where the data stays local. That way you get actual protection without building the infrastructure for a surveillance state.

The French solution gives you the worst of both worlds - ineffective protection AND mass surveillance. Classic government efficiency.

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 46 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Peak French stupidity, this isn't about protecting kids - it's about building surveillance infrastructure. Back in 2024, critics already called this the foundation for a "Great Firewall of France". Once you have the legal framework to block websites and force ISPs to implement monitoring, mission creep is inevitable.

The technical approach is laughably naive. They're essentially creating a centralized system that could easily become a database of citizen sexual preferences. Even with their "double anonymity," you're still creating digital fingerprints and metadata trails.

Most importantly, it won't work. Kids will just use VPNs - the same way adults are already doing. You're not protecting anyone; you're just pushing everyone toward circumvention tools while normalizing government control over what adults can access online.

It's perfectly French because it combines maximum bureaucratic complexity with zero practical benefit, all while creating new opportunities for state overreach. Classic.

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh, the pedants have arrived. How delightful.

Yes, technically The_Decryptor is correct - React Native doesn't literally spin up a Chromium instance like Electron does. It transpiles JavaScript into native calls. But they're completely missing the forest for the trees here.

The fundamental architectural absurdity remains unchanged: Microsoft is using a JavaScript framework - originally designed for mobile apps - to render core operating system UI elements. Whether that JavaScript gets compiled to native calls or interpreted in a browser engine is irrelevant to the core criticism.

Your coffee analogy is actually closer to the mark than The_Decryptor realizes. The performance issues aren't just about the final native calls - they're about the entire abstraction stack Microsoft has built.

You've got JavaScript -> React Native bridge -> WinUI 3 -> whatever underlying Windows API calls. Each layer adds overhead, complexity, and potential failure points. The_Decryptor saying "it's in the same boat as MAUI" isn't the defense they think it is - MAUI has its own performance issues precisely because of similar abstraction layers.

This is exactly the kind of technical bike-shedding that lets corporations get away with architectural disasters. Everyone argues about implementation details while the Start menu still stutters when you click it.

The old world would have written the Start menu in C++ and called it a day. The new world creates dependency graphs that look like spider webs and then argues about whether the spider web is technically made of silk or polyester.

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 189 points 1 month ago (15 children)

Oh, but it absolutely is true. Microsoft really did decide to use React Native for parts of the Windows 11 Start menu. They're also using it in sections of the Settings app.

The technical reality is even more absurd than the meme suggests. Microsoft is currently maintaining eight different UI frameworks for Windows, including their own .NET MAUI and WinUI 3 that were specifically built for their OS. Yet somehow they thought, "You know what this native operating system needs? A JavaScript framework originally designed for mobile apps."

The CPU usage spikes aren't necessarily from React Native itself being particularly heavyweight, but rather from the fundamental architectural choice of running a web-based rendering engine for core system UI elements. Every time you click Start, you're essentially launching a mini web application just to display a menu.

What's particularly galling is that Microsoft has acknowledged WinUI's performance issues for years, to the point where they recommend their partners use the older WPF for performance-critical applications. So instead of fixing their native framework, they decided to add another layer of abstraction.

This is what happens when corporate development teams prioritize "developer experience" and trendy frameworks over system efficiency. Richard Stallman's expression in that image perfectly captures the appropriate level of technical horror at this decision.

The old world built operating systems. The new world builds web apps that pretend to be operating systems.

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 months ago (6 children)

Finally, someone speaking actual biology instead of paranoid rants. Impressive grasp of glycosylation and conserved epitope exposure - you've clearly done your reading beyond headlines. The sugar-stripping approach is ingenious precisely because it targets what viruses try to hide. Current research trajectory looks promising but I'll wait for peer-reviewed publications after that ACS meeting before joining the hype train.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 22 points 4 months ago

Funny how Putin offers "mercy" while bombing hospitals. His dictionary must define peace as "total submission."

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 months ago

Non-Chinese alternatives? Research shows limited viable options. Most are luxury models with restricted availability or production constraints. Belgian-built Volvos and Japanese EVs struggle with volume and range limitations. North American EV sales hit only 140,000 units in February 2025 - pitiful compared to China's manufacturing capacity.

Tesla's flaws are well-documented - 27th out of 28 brands for reliability, Autopilot safety incidents, detaching roofs, and makeshift "band-aid" cooling systems. But you're missing the bigger picture.

While we argue over Musk's Twitter antics, China's BYD overtook Tesla globally. VW Group already outran Tesla in January, selling 82k units versus Tesla's declining 57k. Canadian retaliatory policies excluding Tesla from rebates creates perfect market opening for Chinese manufacturers.

The data confirms China's manufacturing strategy succeeds while North America cycles between contradictory incentives and tariffs. Typical consumer-level analysis ignoring global industrial competition.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz -1 points 4 months ago (2 children)

The real winner? China. Watch how they'll dominate the Canadian EV market while US and Canada engage in this childish tariff tantrum

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 38 points 4 months ago

Corporate overlords silencing discussion while selling your data to advertisers. Classic digital fascism.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 13 points 4 months ago

Unelected tech lord deciding grandma's retirement funds is exactly the cyberpunk hellscape novels warned us about.

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Summary

Attorney General Bondi released 200 Epstein documents (flight logs, redacted associates) while accusing FBI's NY office of withholding evidence. The disclosure exposed interagency conflicts with FBI Director Patel over transparency protocols, prioritizing procedural facades over substantive revelations.

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