@partial_accumen@lemmy.world

comments

• That’s still worse than abandoning flying by and large.

  edit: I don’t intend to let “perfect be the enemy of good”. It’s more like we got used to a lot of things and sometimes don’t question them radically enough.

  Do you think humanity, as a whole, is going to abandon flying? I certainly don’t. So the best solution is to make changes to limit the behaviors and modify the behaviors to cause less harm. Again, this is just one component of a larger solution, but its a good one to address what air travel still needs to occur.

  A bit of greenwashing here and there just isn’t good enough, if we want to save what’s left of the climate we knew.

  We’re already beyond that. We’re not getting that back.

  on Startup Claims Ocean Uranium Could Power Earth for 50,000 Years in c/technology@lemmy.world · 5d ago

• the electricity would be better put into a battery;

  With any technology humaity has for the forseeable future, no amount of battery storage will enable commodity transatlantic air travel.

  I’m also talking about installing enough solar to eclipse beyond what all of our batteries can hold.

  on Startup Claims Ocean Uranium Could Power Earth for 50,000 Years in c/technology@lemmy.world · 5d ago

• Sorry, I think casual air travel is one of those things that’s only possible with cheap energy provided by oil.

  We’re saying the same thing on this point with both our posts. You’re saying “use rail instead of flying because batteries can’t fly a plane”. I’m saying "if we remove petroleum, the cost of jet travel will be substantially higher and consumers will seek a cheaper alternative (which may end up being rail). "

  SAF is only economically approachable because nobody wants it because oil is cheaper. If we were in a situation without oil, SAF, biodiesel, etc., would immediately get smacked with a demmand curve making it unaffordable.

  Sure, but you’re going whole hog to the “conserve” approach, which I agree is a component, but may not be the full or best answer. My suggestion would drastically increase solar power far far beyond our current electricity needs to create liquid SAF fuels directly from electricity and basic CO2/water inputs (aka Power-to-liquids). Theres a plant in Washington state doing exactly this.

  It’s like how you can run your car on fry grease scavenged from fast food dumpsters, but everyone can’t.

  I see that as too short sighted. Take the longer view. Fry grease is a very easily available and low transformation source of energy. There are other sources of energy that are a level more harder to get, and a level of more transformation needed to be usable in our chosen application.

  With scarcity (artificial or natural) and scale we would see switches to these other forms of non-petroleum energy. I’m not saying its an overnight thing, but I don’t think you are either with your proposals.

  on Startup Claims Ocean Uranium Could Power Earth for 50,000 Years in c/technology@lemmy.world · 5d ago

• What we need to replace is the 80% of our energy use that is currently ONLY serviceable with oil. For instance, batteries are too fucking heavy to run an airplane.

  We have the solution already. Its called SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). It is possible to fly 100% with zero petroleum jet fuel. Its been done a few times as demonstrations in passenger airliners. There are two problems, but both have solutions:

  1. Gaskets - Petroleum jet fuel has certain naturally occurring compounds which compliment currently used rubber seals. SAF doesn’t have these compounds, but not all rubber seals need them, just the most commonly used. Future planes are being built that don’t use the old seals but there’s a huge fleet of planes that still use the old seals in use. So this problem has a solution, and time will largely solve it as old airframes age out and are replaced by new ones.

  2. Expense - SAF is a good chunk more expensive that petroleum jet fuel. Thats it though. Its expensive. It will mean higher cost for operating an aircraft and that has economic consequences.

  on Startup Claims Ocean Uranium Could Power Earth for 50,000 Years in c/technology@lemmy.world · 5d ago

• So one year of increase

  You’re moving the goalposts of this discussion. We’re talking about 2025-2026 activities. From the OP article:

  "According to the Energy Institute’s latest Statistical Review of World Energy, US coal consumption increased by 10% in 2025, compared to a 0.7% rise globally. "

  vs 9 years of decrease is still an overall decrease.

  …so that point is irrelevant to the current discussion.

  Also there’s a difference between China choosing to do something with their planned economy, vs. random wacky shit happening here in Freemarketstan

  In this context, no there isn’t a difference. A net increase in coal usage is the only measure. Under that measure both the USA and China have increased domestic coal consumption for energy production.

  Even if you want to try to play the “planned economy” card, I doubt in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), which was formally approved at the National People’s Congress in March 2026, did the concept of $100+Brent crude prices exist as a recorded target. China has been buying up cheap Urals oil from Russia’s sanctioned shadow fleet of tankers for a couple years now increasing their strategic reserves (far higher than even the USA). Even those Urals shipments have largely curtained as its now open season for Ukrainian drones knocking out shadow fleet tankers by literally the dozen.

  China is not sinning by increasing coal use any greater than the USA by just reacting to geopolitical market conditions and the need to continue to power its nation.

  on US coal ‘biggest contributor by far’ to rise in global emissions in c/technology@lemmy.world · 16 Sep 2026

• US increased coal use. China did not.

  China increased coal usage too.

  China’s coal power on the rise again in 2026, reversing first-in-a-decade decline

  on US coal ‘biggest contributor by far’ to rise in global emissions in c/technology@lemmy.world · 16 Sep 2026

• Your search with any search engine will produce CO2.

  on Google’s Emissions Climbed 48% Since 2019. AI Is Why. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 15 Sep 2026

• AI-powered searches consume roughly ten times more energy than standard Google searches.

  When you’re Googling something add “-ai” (without the quotes to the end of your search string. It will skip processing the search with and AI and answer and presumably drop your Google search CO2 footprint by 90%.

  on Google’s Emissions Climbed 48% Since 2019. AI Is Why. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 15 Sep 2026

• Appliance based DVRs are turn-key solutions. I hope we both agree setting up a Linux box, obtaining a compatible OTA tuner, downloading and configuring Jellyfin all on hardware that is easily integrated into a general home entertainment setting is not a trivial task that most non-technically inclined folks can accomplish.

  I personally ran PC based software DVRs for many years predating Jellyfin, but even in those years we had a Tivo for the wife.

  on TiVo Plans to End Free Automatic Commercial Skipping in November, Tests Paid Premium Replacement Service in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Sep 2026

• Depends on the use case. If you’re someone that wants to watch shows that air on broadcast television, OTA (over the air) DVRs are a great way to get TV content without a cable or streaming service subscription. With the increased number of OTA stations now that represents a lot of ad-skippable content. We get close to 40 OTA stations at our house with just an antenna in the attic.

  on TiVo Plans to End Free Automatic Commercial Skipping in November, Tests Paid Premium Replacement Service in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Sep 2026

• about how he would fix a nonexistent problem

  Nazi-Musk aside, Its not exactly a non-existent problem. Its just a very very small niche problem that doesn’t justify the tremendous resources poured into creating it. Its also an old problem that doesn’t exist much anymore.

  There was a time when solar panels were pretty ugly and expensive. Those two things would deter a certain number of people from installing panels. So the idea of cheap solar panels that matched the traditional look some buyers wanted did exist. Heavy emphasis on some buyers because it was a pretty small pool to begin with. What really made solar shingles largely irrelevant was the dramatic drop in cost of regular panels, the drastic increase in performance of regular panels, and the noticeably improved aesthetics of all-black regular panels. So the prior tiny market for solar shingles shrank even more, and the costs of Tesla solar shingles continued to rise without any performance improvements. It was a tiny market before and its a nearly non-existent market now. Solar shingles are bad business.

  Lastly, social attitudes changed and having solar panels on a roof switched largely from being seen as an eyesore to a point of pride for many. This last point isn’t totally solved yet. My own housing community doesn’t allow panels on the side of the house that faces the road…except in some circumstances (making the rule even more stupid).

  I’m looking forward to the day when I can slap some panels on the other side of the house for even greater solar generation! I’m still have no interest in solar shingles though.

  on Tesla killing Solar Roof is leaving installers with six-figure losses in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Sep 2026

• the group had requested that the private visit be organised in such a way as to limit “interactions with women”.

  It sounds like there was already a way the delegation could achieve their goal of limiting “interactions with women”. They simply didn’t have to go to the Eiffel Tower.

  on Eiffel Tower workers go on strike after female staff 'sidelined' for Hindu group's visit in c/europe@feddit.org · 7 Sep 2026

• If they’re using bluetooth and wifi, we better find and remove those components too.

  Removing the Bluetooth/wifi module maybe more difficult. For cost cutting reasons, these controllers are built into the logic boards now, but disconnecting the bluetooth/wifi antennas inside the TV is trivially easy. They are simple push-on mechanical connectors. No wire cutting needed. Gently grab the gold/silver metal part pull straight up from the board.

  I just googled “lcd TV logic board” and this was one of the first images I found. I put a red square around the antenna connectors.

  

  on Stopping the smart TV from being used against you. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 1 Sep 2026

• I originally went shopping for a Bravia II 7, but found an open box Bravia 5 (which is the one I got) for less than half the cost of the Bravia II 7.

  on Stopping the smart TV from being used against you. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 31 Aug 2026

• I haven’t. I have not once hooked it up to a network, and my preference is that I never do so.

  on Stopping the smart TV from being used against you. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 30 Aug 2026

• The higher fee, meant to combat catalytic converter theft

  Surely EVs are exempt from this tax as they don’t have catalytic converters to steal, right? /s

  No? Then Texas is embracing socialism by having EV drivers subsidize gas car drivers.

  on Lawmakers added $1 to Texans’ car insurance policies. That money paid for thousands of Flock cameras. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 29 Aug 2026

• I recently bought a new TV and did some research to find the “least worst” TV with regard to internet connectivity and reliance on its “smart OS” navigation to just use an external HDMI port. I can report pretty good news for the Sony Bravia line of Android TVs.

  • there was no requirement to connect it to the internet
  • during setup there is a choice for “basic” which adds only a few default apps (which are uninstallable/disablable by the user)
  • there is a setting called “Power on and remember last input port”. What this means is you last used HDMI1 port when you powered off the TV, when you power it back up again it automatically goes right back to that HDMI input port without any extra button presses or user interaction. In practice this means you see the Sony logo on the screen and just a fraction of a second the graphic circles of part of the AndroidTV interface before it switches to the HDMI1 input where we left off before powering off the tv prior.

  Bonus feature we like:

  • there is a setting you can enable/disable that if the TV is already powered on, when you power on a device on another HDMI port than the one you’re on, the TV will automatically switch to that HDMI input without prompting. So if we’re watching the AppleTV on HDMI1 and then want to watch a Blu-ray, simply powering on the Blu-ray player will also have the TV switch to that HDMI2 input.

  I wish there was no AndroidTV OS on it at all, but the only time I’ve ever seen it was the one time when we went through the initial setup. We haven’t seen or interacted with it since.

  on Stopping the smart TV from being used against you. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 29 Aug 2026

• So in theory future devices like Roku

  This is your reminder that the Roku company is currently in the process of being purchased by Fox News. No, I’m not joking.

  on Stopping the smart TV from being used against you. in c/technology@lemmy.world · 29 Aug 2026

• I think its likely possible to build a data center that a community would be okay with. It would mean making certain design choices:

  • Closed loop water cycle - This would mean that only small fraction of water that is normally used by DCs is consumed. This technology is fully mature. The reason most companies don’t use it is, it is more expensive to run the DC this way.
  • Large scale PV solar panel installation for the DC - While not a complete answer to power consumption question, it would provide a large offset during the hottest hours of the day when DC cooling is most needed mitigating the worst impacts to DC electricity consumption
  • Waste heat reuse - In many parts of the world heat centrally created in a city and distrusted through pipes to other places that need heat. DCs are exceedingly good and producing heat, and it is largely wasted. If a community would know that their own heating bills would come down by using waste head from the DC, that would be an incentive.
  • Sound mitigation - most of the sound comes from cooling fans. If waste heat reclamation is done properly or a water loop to a large body of water is available, then the noise could be significantly reduced or eliminated too.

  All of these things are possible and if a DC builder did these things on an existing site, then used that as a showcase for what a new DC would be, I think it would be much better received. They can do all of these things. They don’t because its cheaper not to.

  on Data centers’ ‘oh s--t’ moment in c/technology@lemmy.world · 27 Aug 2026

• I remember one of the hardest transitions for me from scripting in Ruby to Python was the whitespace indent was larger by default in Python. With Python, I ran out of monitor width and would have to be constantly scrolling right and left when visually parsing the code because the nested loops were so deep.

  on I can definitely maybe do this! in c/programmer_humor@programming.dev · 27 Aug 2026

• I wish there was a search engine that only searched text based websites or at least sites that don’t have ads.

  When you use Lynx Browser, everything on the internet is text:

  

  on We ignored the signs. in c/programmer_humor@programming.dev · 26 Aug 2026

• And we’re busily setting up local models we control ourselves on our network edge.

  If you’re running Apple hardware I’ve liked what little I’ve seen personally from the MLX enhanced models running locally.

  on Anthropic expected to tell investors it sees over $30 trillion in potential revenue, WSJ reports in c/technology@lemmy.world · 26 Aug 2026

• Ohhh nice! I could see replacing dozens of nested if statements with dozens of nested case statements!

  

  on I can definitely maybe do this! in c/programmer_humor@programming.dev · 26 Aug 2026

• 

  on Anthropic expected to tell investors it sees over $30 trillion in potential revenue, WSJ reports in c/technology@lemmy.world · 26 Aug 2026

• If it helps, I’m from the other side of networking and infra. You could swap the labels and make the meme accurate for me.

  In the mid 1980s I learn the BASIC programming command GOTO and fell in love for a lifetime. If you look any anything I used to write in Ruby script or today in Python you’ll see my love affair with “if” “elfi” and “else” continues. My universe is nested “if” statements all the way down.

  on I can definitely maybe do this! in c/programmer_humor@programming.dev · 26 Aug 2026

• Decades ago when I was in my 20s, I saw so many of my peers get buried in CC debt. I avoided CCs for quite awhile, but eventually realized I needed to know how to use them responsibly.

  Like, always use auto pay, but when you want to spend, go pay a bill early. Whenever you feel consumerery, whip out the app, and pay the bill to zero.

  When I was in my 20s there was no app to pay a CC, but I accomplished the same thing by mailing in a payment the same day as I made the purchase, and did that for every purchase. This made that mental connection for me that spending on CC means immediate consumption from my bank account, and that if I didn’t have the amount of money to pay for the purchase from my CC, I didn’t allow myself to buy it.

  With the exception of a few months when a major repair bill hit and I had to shoulder it on debt, this allowed me to never get into CC debt. I’m still using CCs heavily decades later, but always paying off the statement balance 100% ever month and never paying interest. I credit my behavior when I was younger to accomplishing this.

  on You can't buy anything on these food delivery and shopping sites. Here's why that's the point | Simulated shopping sites offer the thrill of buying without spending a cent in c/technology@lemmy.world · 25 Aug 2026

• I have been on Amtrak trains. They’re fine.

  I’ve been on Amtrak too and have firsthand experience with them also. The goalpost wasn’t if they were “fine” or not. I was quite happy to use it, but was not in a hurry to get to my destination. Your ascertain was they are fast. For longhaul travel (which is what the flight replaces), Amtrak is not fast.

  Why do they have an airport but no train station? Trains really seem like the way to go. This is a bizzaire state of affairs to defend.

  Because of lots of the infrastructure, rail capacity, rolling stock availability that makes a passenger rail line isn’t viable to be self sustaining for that small a population without subsidies, and you’re already given them the finger on anything that costs you something.

  I probably don’t eat anything from there, and I paid for it if I did. Those vile chuds did not compensate me for the ecological damage of their bizzaire transportation decisions.

  This is a strange level of hate for people you’ve never met just trying to live their lives. Brother, you need some socialism in your life and empathy for your fellow man. We’re in this together.

  I’m vegan and mostly eat fruit recently BTW.

  Ahh, okay. Thank you for this critical information. I have a MUCH better understanding of your positions now. Thank your for conversing up to now. Have a great day.

  on Delta Will Use AI To Cut Costs And Set A Different Ticket Price For Every Passenger—CEO Says Profits Could Rise 50% in c/technology@lemmy.world · 22 Aug 2026

• my air and weather shouldn’t have to suffer so you can keep your “small town lifestyle”, fuck your luxury bullshit founded on the externality of my life.

  I have no idea what image you have of these smaller airports supporting smaller cities and their surrounding rural populous, but I assure you most are far away from “luxury”. Lets take one small city in the middle of Kansas called Salina. Its a city of 47,000 people. The median income is $61,783 and the per capita income of Salina is $34,886 and has a 13% poverty rate. The next closest airport to Salina is 80 miles away. They’re not living there just to keep their “small town lifestyle”. Its where they grow the food we both eat.

  It has a total of 4 small plane flights a day into its airport:

  

  source

  Salina is also a major agricultural hub supporting 650 farms for total of over 360,000 acres growing grains and livestock.

  I don’t mind green energy powered trains. That’s cheap, it doesn’t intrude on my life any, and gets you where you’re going fast clean safe. I’m just against flying them out on a jet.

  Fast rail service versus flying? Have you ever been on a long haul Amtrak passenger rail train? Amtrak is not fast. Salina doesn’t have an Amtrak station. The closest one is 90 miles away in Newton Kansas. An Amtrak train trip form Newton Kansas to Chicago takes 12 to 14 hours and the service can experience delays making it even longer. A flight (1 of only 4 flights they have) from Selina to Chicago takes 2 hours and 5 minutes.

  I’m sorry but I’m sick of subsidizing these obscenely decadent parasites who would probably kill me and mount my blue stained scalp on their wall.

  I bet the people of Salina would laugh their asses off at you considering them decadent parasites. You’re happy to eat the food they produce, but you’d put their their 4 flights a day into their city at risk so you personally could save $50 on a ticket to Chicago by skiplagging?

  on Delta Will Use AI To Cut Costs And Set A Different Ticket Price For Every Passenger—CEO Says Profits Could Rise 50% in c/technology@lemmy.world · 22 Aug 2026

• I’m not sure I’ve ever read a more subtle or concise way to say “fuck you” to all of smaller city America simultaneously.

  on Delta Will Use AI To Cut Costs And Set A Different Ticket Price For Every Passenger—CEO Says Profits Could Rise 50% in c/technology@lemmy.world · 22 Aug 2026

• The article states pretty explicitly that RCS is not what they did “a more structured alternative to RCS”

  Hmm. If thats the form of the answer you’re looking for, I’m confused why you asked the question. My apologies, I thought you were trying to understand a new topic you didn’t have context for. I withdraw my long winded answer. Let me try again for you to your original two questions:

  Article doesn’t say what they actually computed

  “a more structured alternative to RCS”

  or what the complexity would be for a normal computer

  Your statement is factual. That information is not contained in the article.

  on Quantum Computer Solves a Problem in 15 Minutes That Classical Methods Can’t Practically Compute in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• I get being naturally suspicious especially if we’re talking about messaging that may match some from large companies, but don’t let language that sounds that way turn off your brain to critical thinking. If you interact in a system (such as buying a ticket as an airline passenger) you can have an affect on the system. Understand your actions to personally enrich yourself may have consequences on other people just trying to fly somewhere. Don’t be blinded by big business hate to justify screwing other passengers using the airlines.

  on Delta Will Use AI To Cut Costs And Set A Different Ticket Price For Every Passenger—CEO Says Profits Could Rise 50% in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• perhaps it would be more accurate for me to say that capitalism in the pure platonic sense doesn’t really exist,

  I agree with this without any reservations.

  and tends always towards crony or state capitalism where the power of the state is used to funnel money and power towards the holders of capital rather than to provide a free and fair playing field for economic actors.

  I take exception with “always”. In the USA for example, there have been many notable exceptions where state capitalism implemented protections from abuses that pure laissez-faire capitalism would have allowed. The National Labor Relations Act was a state action that allowed for collective bargaining of workers. More recently the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau acted as an agent against uncheck capitalist forcing a fair playing field.

  I’d probably agree if you changed your word to “frequently” though.

  on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• Yes it is - capitalism demands that in fact. You’re thinking of free-markets. Capitalism inevitably destroys free markets.

  Lets see if we can agree on some definitions.

  What you’re describing as “free-markets” I know as laissez-faire capitalism. This definition came from, unsurprisingly, the French in the 18th century and was used heavily by Adam Smith in the book The Wealth of Nations. I think we all agree there are very few, if any, true large scale laissez-faire capitalism in operation today.

  What have in most places is regulated capitalism where there are government rules that change the outcome to a different outcome (sometimes better/sometimes worse) that would have occurred under laissez-faire capitalism.

  Are we in agreement with these definitions or do we still have discussion needed to arrive at the same place?

  on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• Article doesn’t say what they actually computed

  It does: “Random circuit sampling (RCS)”. This is a mathematical exercise.

  …but that isn’t the important part. The important part is knowing if the answer it computed is right. How do you know if its right? This goes to your next question…

  or what the complexity would be for a normal computer

  The answer (not in this article but I’ve seen elsewhere) is essentially a million years of a regular computer.

  So you see the challenge. We have an answer from the quantum computer, and a way to verify its actually right by using the slow method that we know would give is the right answer for sure, but its so far out of reach we can’t use the slow method in a feasible human lifetime.

  So the breakthrough the article is calling out is what the researchers did instead. They built a way to have the quantum computer produce accurate answers (which quantum computers didn’t do reliably before because of the limits of science) on lots and lots of smaller shorter problems that we can compute on regular computers where we can verify the answers. Thats what the article is saying here:

  “Encoding the circuit reduced the effective logical error rate to one tenth of the physical error rate, allowing the computation to maintain high fidelity despite the large number of operations.”

  Here’s an analogy of how I understood what the researchers did:

  Lets say you have 5 friends that love car road trips to places they’ve never been: Adam, Bill, Charlie, Dave, and Ethan. All of them refuse to use maps or a GPS. As you can imagine if any one of them gets in a car alone and just relies on their gut and signs they’ll likely not get to their destination. So instead the researchers put all 5 in one car.

  Adam is in the driver’s seat and after the first hour has made every correct direction choice. Suddenly Adam is about to make a wrong turn Bill, Charlie, and Dave quickly tell Adam to make the right choice, while Ethan tells Adam to make a 3rd entire choice (which is also wrong). Adam goes by majority rule and chooses the suggested path from Bill, Charlie, and Dave. The car is still headed in the right direction. Ten minutes later Bill tells Adam to alter course, Adam, Charlie, Dave and Ethan contradict this, so the car still stays going the right direction. Another 20 minutes later Charlie and Dave tell Adam to take a turn. Adam, Bill and Ethan disagree and they car stays on the right path.

  Eventually the car actually arrives at the destination a long way away from where they started. If any one of them were driving by themselves (or even with just one or two other drivers) the likelihood of a successful trip would drop to zero.

  The researchers used a bunch of qubits (“drivers”) so even if there were bad directions given by some at any given moment, the overall result was successful. So the researchers can say even though we only had Adam, Bill, Charlie, Dave, and Ethan drive successfully from New York to Chicago, you can see how they work to stay on track and we they’d make it all the way to Los Angeles if asked. So just because we’ve never had Adam, Bill, Charlie, Dave, and Ethan drive from NYC to Los Angeles, you can trust that they could if we asked. So when we tell you we had them drive all the way from NYC to Anchorage Alaska, you can trust we’re telling you the truth and accept they got their successfully even if you didn’t do the slow walk all the way to Anchorage Alaska see them arrive with your own eyes.

  on Quantum Computer Solves a Problem in 15 Minutes That Classical Methods Can’t Practically Compute in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• I thought I read years ago that airlines responded to Skiplagged by penalizing people who didn’t complete every leg of the trip they booked. I’m not sure why they would care.

  They care because the real cost of air travel is not equaled everywhere on each mile flown. If the actual costs of flying to many small regional locations was reflected in the cost of the ticket, the ticket would be so absurdly high no one would every flight to that location, and the location would lose critical flight services for the community.

  The solution many of those airlines used was to consolidate the majority of the flight into a hub using larger planes which are cheaper to operate per-passenger, and then use much smaller planes from the hub to the remote location charging the passenger the equivalent of a reasonable cost of a ticket for all hops along the way.

  What Skiplagging as doing was essentially using the subsidized discount rate provided for the small regional destinations, but consumed by those not going to those places that needed subsidies on their flights going to major hubs. So not only was the airline losing money for each passenger not paying the normal fare to the hub airport, but also showing lower passenger volume to the small regional destinations increasing the cost of flying passengers that wanted to go their even more.

  TLDR; Skiplagging screws small cities with low passenger volume risking their ability to maintain flight service at all to their towns.

  on Delta Will Use AI To Cut Costs And Set A Different Ticket Price For Every Passenger—CEO Says Profits Could Rise 50% in c/technology@lemmy.world · 21 Aug 2026

• Fair enough. I admit, as someone who can’t drive IRL, I like things like Slow Roads too, or other driving sims that are generally not fantasy - just ‘cozy’ experiences.

  When I was forming my original question, I did consider an audience this might appeal to for those that couldn’t drive (for whatever reason). I appreciate you sharing your POV on this.

  I always considered Rideshare driving as the opposite of relaxing because of the physical dangers to drivers as well as the stress the drivers have from trying to make their money against rising fuel costs, insurance costs, and competion from platforms forcing down fare rates. Perhaps the Rideshare game masks all of these elements of the actual rideshare business and simply presents it as a task/goal game with a social aspect which would be far more appealing.

  on Rideshare Stimulator finally gets its genAI disclosure after much Saber-rattling, and it turns out the game also uses the tech for in-game music in c/technology@lemmy.world · 15 Aug 2026

• Crazy Taxi (and Simpsons: Road Rage") were largely about driving poorly, crashing into things, and performing automobile jumps that would be considered suicidal if done for real. It was a fantasy driving game with the taxi business as the thinnest excuse to be driving. Unless I’ve drastically mistaken what Rideshare Simulator is, I don’t think Crazy Taxi example is applicable.

  Fifteen years before Crazy Taxi, we had Space Taxi for the Commodore 64:

  I’d say Space Taxi and Crazy Taxi had equal amounts of relevance to the taxi industry in the sense that they were an excuse to fly/drive in fantasy settings instead of an actual business simulator.

  on Rideshare Stimulator finally gets its genAI disclosure after much Saber-rattling, and it turns out the game also uses the tech for in-game music in c/technology@lemmy.world · 15 Aug 2026

• I read the article just to confirm this wasn’t a The Onion article. I understand there are games that simulate work like farming and even powerwashing. Even though I don’t play those, I can mildly see the appeal as you’re creating something (farming) or making something better than it was before (powerwashing). However, I see zero appeal for a game that simulates gig work like ridesharing. Can someone explain it to me, or have I reach a pivotal “too old” moment in my life?

  on Rideshare Stimulator finally gets its genAI disclosure after much Saber-rattling, and it turns out the game also uses the tech for in-game music in c/technology@lemmy.world · 15 Aug 2026

• We do lots of things wrong here, but our power bill is based on usage. If you only use this much, this is your rate and the more you use the higher your rate goes.

  At the residential level that can exist too in the USA, but its not nearly that simple here in the USA, and I doubt its entirely that simple in your country either. Electricity isn’t like a tank of fuel that is drawn down and refilled. Besides maintaining the infrastructure for generation and delivery, electrical capacity at any given moment has to be built into the system, not just pure total consumption over time. So simply paying for electricity consumed doesn’t capture all of those costs in the system to make that electricity consumption possible to the consumer.

  Commercial/Industrial customers in the USA don’t just pay for “amount consumed” but also “demand charges” which means “at any given point how much electricity will you be pulling from the grid?”. Its not uncommon that the demand charges for businesses can be larger than the charges for amount of electricity consumed. Additionally, some European governments give large breaks in electricity rates to incentivize certain industries. Germany for example gives 50% discounts on electricity for chemical production, glass producers, or semiconductor producers if those companies invest in decarbonization efforts.

  Many European commercial/industrial electricity consumers have variations on what I described above in addition to wholesale electricity purchases for a given period which also breaks away from your described “pay for what you use with higher rates for more consumption”.

  Can I ask you what country you’re in (or another country that you know uses your country’s same system)?

  on After severe 76% electricity price hikes due to AI data centers, Virginia requires firms to pay for all dedicated upstream electrical infrastructure — State regulators crack down, governor says move… in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Aug 2026

• No I wasn’t suggested it be forced or companies be nationalized.

  My mistake then. So in your proposed system private companies would continue to exist.

  I was saying governments could provide incentives and support for workers to form worker owned companies.

  If that’s the case, I’ll go back to my first statement then. Tech workers will likely choose the higher risk but higher reward private company rather than one that my only have a modest return. If the private companies exist along side the co-ops, the boom and bust cycles will still exist except the co-ops won’t be the beneficiary, but will certainly be on the losing side of cycles.

  on Unions Can Save Tech Workers and Tech Work in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Aug 2026

• In order to transition to worker owned companies, it would be difficult as you mention, but governments could provide financial to help to get worker owned companies started.

  Hang on. You’re proposing seizure of existing private companies and forcing the creation of the worker co-ops? Thats a very different thing. Should I assume your system would ban future private companies then?

  I wouldn’t agree either of those approaches. Choice is important. Forcing people into co-ops because you think its better for them isn’t a system I’m interested in being inside.

  on Unions Can Save Tech Workers and Tech Work in c/technology@lemmy.world · 8 Aug 2026

• Tech work can be highly volatile in the business environment. Maybe its different for new tech workers entering the work force, but for a worker owned company, this can mean large losses of revenue for months. I don’t know many tech workers that are willing to take a massive pay cut to continue to stay and commit to a worker owned company if they personally can find better paying work elsewhere.

  From the article:

  "The playful atmosphere of tech offices flush with investment, enjoying luxe catered lunches to attract programming talent, has been replaced by a looming fear that layoffs are just around the corner "

  This boom-and-bust cycle of tech growth and devastation has happened three times during my IT career. Its even more frequent in specific IT niche industries.

  on Unions Can Save Tech Workers and Tech Work in c/technology@lemmy.world · 7 Aug 2026