Interesting Links for 22-09-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Working in the office 5 days a week to build company culture is a myth, PwC report says

(tags:culture work office )

2. Three Mile Island nuclear plant to restart, power Microsoft data centers

(tags:nuclearpower Microsoft ai )

3. Playing "Tetris" after viewing traumatic material reduces unwanted, involuntary memory flashbacks to that traumatic film, leaving deliberate memory recall of the event intact.

(tags:ptsd trauma Tetris psychology )

4. Swifter justice scheme rolled out across Scotland

(tags:law Scotland )

5. Picky eating is largely genetic and peaks at the age of seven

(tags:genetics eating food children )

6. New Starlink satellites' radiation leaks are 30 times as large as those emitted by older satellites, interfering with astronomer's views of space

(tags:space Spacex astronomy OhForFucksSake )

Comments

[anna_wing]

Starlink is the only internet access for a lot of people in a number of places whose present rulers object to people having internet access. So on balance, I'd rather the satellites were there than not. Hopefully the radiation leak issue can be fixed.

[ninetydegrees]

From I've read, SpaceX only operates in countries where it's allowed to. Do you have a different source?

[anna_wing]

https://www.starlinkhardware.com/using-starlink-in-unsupported-countries/

[ninetydegrees]

Well, that's the same info I have unless I read this wrong. It doesn't allow access in countries where it's been blocked by the government.

[anna_wing]

It requires a unit on the ground with line of sight to a satellite, and an account. The account can be elsewhere. Though this particular loophole may or may not last.

https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/starlink-regional-shutdown/

[movingfinger]

Starlink terminals aren't available unless their import is permitted by the authoritarian governments you think they're doing an end-run around, and at that, Starlink is under control of Elon Musk, who can filter, throttle, or shut down the service at any time. Ask Ukraine about that!

[hilarita]

6. Fuck Elon Musk. He was meant to be restricting radiation in other bands, and it's not working. Allegedly, Starlink satellites will be configured so they won't be directly pointed at radio-quiet zones (such as the Karoo desert), but it seems quite likely that he'll just ignore this. (Also the Karoo, because of the work to put a radio telescope there, in the towns nearest the telescope, they get good broadband, as a compensation for living in a radio quiet zone, so they're not cut off).

[dewline]

Canada's working on avoiding dependence upon Starlink.

Probably, we're adding to problems on other fronts here.

[bens_dad]

Ah yes. Better internet for logging and mining companies.

[magedragonfire]

I mean, even just for those of us living up in rural areas. For a long time, satellite internet - slow speeds, limited bandwidth, expensive, and all - was all there was for some folks living around where I do. Some had access to DSL/cable if they were closer to the main town (we aren't); our place was far enough up on a hill that we could get internet from a fixed wireless access provider, but our closest neighbours down the hill could not. They were still using dialup when they had to get online.

Telus put in fibre optic cables last year, so now there's good connectivity throughout most of the region, but I think there's still a few places that are isolated enough nearby that all they can get is Starlink or Xplore.

[calimac]

5) This suggests a basis for the observation that "keep serving the food the children don't like; they'll get used to it" works in some circumstances but emphatically not in others.

[armiphlage]

I can see how a genetic trait could develop. We already know that children are more sensitive to bitter tastes, presumably because poisonous alkaloids are often bitter, so kids avoiding potentially poisonous plants is a survival trait. Being sensitive to other characteristics of foods potentially indicative of hazards (slimy mouthfeel, too squishy, too smelly, too tart ...) could have helped protect a child's ancestors.

[andrewducker]

Yeah. There are definitely cases when it's not going to work, but my understanding is that just exposing them to food can help in the long run and they will suddenly announce that they like something new.

Sophia, who has spent 4 years demanding that none of her food have a flavour announced yesterday that she loves pepperoni pizza. No idea why that change happened but I'm not going to complain!

[symbioid]

"Company Culture" to me just means "Company Cult" and Bribery and Brainwashing.

The AI demand for energy is going to kill us all faster. I thought we had the largest problem with Bitcoin, but I guess they were bound and determined to up the ante with even more useless products they can convince corporations to buy into and fire people.

I have Tetris 99 total play time: 1163.57:25 I think I am self medicating.

I was 20 or 21 years old and had a tantrum when my friends asked if I wanted Spinach on pizza, I said "no"...They ordered pesto (I had never heard of it but they insisted I'd love it). We got the pizza and it was green, and I just blew a fuse, they said they weren't lying to me it wasn't spinach, but I still refused to eat, because I still was opposed to I guess eating healthy (or anything that looked green that wasn't M&Ms or Skittles)

I also never ate mayo til then, and finally found I liked it, actually. Then it was a slow process. I'm still not a huge fan of Broccoli or Cauliflower, or Squash. But I eat tomatoes and onions and spinach and different kinds of leafy greens. Before that I was limited to Peas and Corn (fresh peas, not cooked) and Corn ON the cob, not scraped and canned and in things (still not a fan of corn kernels in food, either). Oh and I still can't stand Green Beans.

[symbioid]

Also I think we should take Elon Musk's license to "Elon" from him.

[calimac]

He's Leon Musk. That's what Trump called him, and people are always telling us Trump is right in all things.

[poshmerchant]

TIL! As someone whose non-pseudonymous name is that, I was wondering why the internet suddenly decided to start calling Melon Husk it

[dewline]

I often call him "His Sinkness".

He should have known better than to bring that sink in on his first day.

[mountainkiss]

It'll build a company culture alright. It'll just build one where people are tired and don't like their leaders.