Nostr notes by Ben Curthoys

Nostr event nevent1qqsd74ytwvqfafp4fsk42k2c280qstrx6m2jhmrcwmsh9zpugkznynqzyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qqg027r

2026-08-28T12:05:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…jahe
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https://www.quora.com/Royal-Mail-strikes-are-now-impacting-couriers-like-Evri-creating-backlogs-and-delays-in-delivery-Do-you-think-this-is-in-any-way-acceptable-Do-you-think-two-day-strikes-should-be-allowed-Dont-they-show-contempt-for/answer/Ben-Curthoys?ch=10&oid=400212026&share=ea9d1e77&srid=3orcX&target_type=answer

all in all it was unbelievably prescient of @npub1dnd…hzjs to ...

2026-08-21T20:12:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…ge2e
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all in all it was unbelievably prescient of Charlie Stross (npub1dnd…hzjs) to invent a character whose job title was "combat epistemologist"

Nostr event nevent1qqsftgamz5lggadvzk4ajwkkcv05xva4c4vqunuxgz9fqgk3980z2aczyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7q8wp4nv

2026-08-21T20:09:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…thha
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I don't know if I've linked this one to you before; ...

2026-08-18T13:26:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…27jx
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I don't know if I've linked this one to you before; apologies if so.

https://theconversation.com/why-did-humans-evolve-big-penises-but-small-testicles-71652

and when this is the game, obviously the only way to play is not ...

2026-07-12T20:18:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…gl24
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and when this is the game, obviously the only way to play is not to compromise with them. But if the lesson you learn is to never to compromise with anyone it is very damaging. It means you can't accept anything less than perfect, and nothing is ever perfect.

this is well off the subject of your friend and Microsoft but - ...

2026-07-12T20:17:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…dnwj
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this is well off the subject of your friend and Microsoft but - there is a thing that the right to, to abuse compromise and always take more...

My understanding of the "let them eat cake" comment was ...

2026-07-12T13:32:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…8agr
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My understanding of the "let them eat cake" comment was not that it indicated a lack of compassion, but such extreme privilege that the speaker was unable to imagine there being nothing at all to eat and no money to buy anything.

The idea that anyone would "just change school" because they found the choice of operating system annoying is extraordinary to me; the operating system on their computers is not in the top 10 things I would consider important in a school.

"The peasants are starving, they have no bread" "Then ...

2026-07-12T09:26:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…usez
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"The peasants are starving, they have no bread"
"Then let them eat cake"

couldn't agree more. ...

2026-07-11T09:37:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…qwxt
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couldn't agree more.

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-American-tipping-culture-get-so-much-hate-on-Quora/answer/Ben-Curthoys?ch=10&oid=1477743907357036&share=8117ad4a&srid=3orcX&target_type=answer

On the meta glasses. This is from my partner's aunt. ...

2026-07-09T05:36:15Z

On the meta glasses. This is from my partner's aunt.

Big-tech-surveillance-capitalism isn't carcinizing: it's ...

2026-07-01T15:36:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…jwv3
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Big-tech-surveillance-capitalism isn't carcinizing: it's metastasising.

You know what word we have that means "to be tormented by ...

2026-07-01T15:35:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…0qtm
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You know what word we have that means "to be tormented by crabs"?

Cancer.

I mostly get that if I'm connected via VPN to my work Amazon ...

2026-06-28T10:42:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…yvx3
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I mostly get that if I'm connected via VPN to my work Amazon VPC where my servers are. Loads of sites block Amazon IPs and "too many requests" is a typical error. Worse is when login just silently fails.

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116732569585675070 Cory's ...

2026-06-12T17:37:38Z

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116732569585675070

Cory's latest leans in the direction of the thing that has been annoying me lately: companies and governments pushing what were previously internal admin tasks out onto their customers and citizens through the medium of self-service web portals.

quoting
note1tt7…qmct

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: The world has moved on; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/11/lapsarianism/

#Pluralistic

1/

Nostr event nevent1qqsdhev5kut7ly4lecju3r8ne92w4mg9gzujzk90cak8nrjmhlxrltszyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7q78zd86

2026-06-06T15:56:49Z

In trying to find a balance between "the addictive psychic ...

2026-05-26T09:14:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…525e
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In trying to find a balance between "the addictive psychic poison of smartphone social media" and "the need to learn about and prepare for participation in online culture", my 11yo has a nokia and an email address like it's 2003.

I should set her up a proper oldschool blog too.

Nostr event nevent1qqsrlkts0ryl5dywk6pjxusz43v4nltuypu4er2v58r5u4qwtwed4mgzyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qk8ptak

2026-04-30T22:04:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…za5w
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the cheapest supermarket loose leaf tea tastes better to me then ...

2026-04-30T22:02:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…39cd
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the cheapest supermarket loose leaf tea tastes better to me then the most expensive teabag.

The Icelandic Hot Dog With Everything looks amazing, but it's ...

2026-04-15T16:15:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…0ata
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The Icelandic Hot Dog With Everything looks amazing, but it's not £1.35...

thanks wasn't in a position to type that one out in full at ...

2026-04-04T22:05:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…ld2x
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thanks wasn't in a position to type that one out in full at the time I posted.

Nostr event nevent1qqs2gs7psxgjqga9mjk8ndusd5sq09hst7qqzxlp7t5rrdwlldfwk4szyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7quv4x7r

2026-04-04T21:36:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…5av2
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Nostr event nevent1qqsdrss7amhnfshd4w9terw0vk3pagtcswd923j4srx7pcx2ryln63qzyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qcxrexh

2026-04-04T21:34:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…txe9
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https://www.quora.com/profile/Ben-Curthoys/Americans-are-so-fucking-weird-You-see-these-stories-of-a-dystopian-hellscape-and-they-just-find-them-heartwarming

I think the confusion is because at a technical level the two ...

2026-03-30T09:28:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…vnnm
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I think the confusion is because at a technical level the two operations are the same, and the difference is in what you intend to do with it afterward, which is not in the bits.

Like the old "what colour are your bits" thing: https://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/entry/23

sounds like he'd get on well with the Patrician.

2026-03-26T19:31:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…uut7
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sounds like he'd get on well with the Patrician.

Can't we look on the bright side sometimes? A reduction in ...

2026-03-07T21:10:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…q3c5
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Can't we look on the bright side sometimes? A reduction in oil consumption is good for the environment. Take the silver lining without having to drag us back to dwell on the people whose lives will be made more difficult reduced access to transportation.

This has made me realise something that is interesting to me and ...

2026-03-07T21:07:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…9y0w
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This has made me realise something that is interesting to me and I am not having a go at you...

Almost everything that can happen is bad news for some people and good news for others. Rain is bad news for people selling sunglasses and good news for people selling umbrella. I've just noticed that I find the reflexive tendency, given any piece of news, to work out who it's bad for, and then to foreground empathy with them, a bit relentless and a bit grim.

we drink from the hose.

2026-02-26T20:01:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…lgns
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we drink from the hose.

Nostr event nevent1qqsxjfz678cekjz7vpeutyfgcg5gvt7mf2neaxyfcvu0fc9tkcz8kpgzyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qgxuq4v

2026-02-24T19:56:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…7l9w
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That they can make mistakes doesn't make them useless. That ...

2026-02-19T17:04:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…prhw
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That they can make mistakes doesn't make them useless. That idiots can use them in stupid ways doesn't make them useless. That bastards can use them in evil ways doesn't make them useless.

I've been wanting to say quietly for a while, but haven't ...

2026-02-19T17:03:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…v6qe
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I've been wanting to say quietly for a while, but haven't dared: I find LLMs useful in some ways. No they will not replace my skills as a software developer. No they will not replace artists and authors and actors and script writers. No they will not justify the valuations implied by the amount of money currently being pumped into them. But that doesn't make them useless.

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116051558040617228 I read this ...

2026-02-11T12:25:29Z

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116051558040617228

I read this and all I see is "fuck have I got to write ANOTHER payment gateway integration they are so boring and I am already doing WorldPay again for like the fourth time."
nostr:note1jtp49kwvhma5rpzek9lz0v8xdh2u8n9j8m2hfypz208usu5phjssvzqyxn

RE: https://mastodon.online/@danirabbit/115985248349797403 ...

2026-01-31T06:05:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…cz7x
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RE: https://mastodon.online/@danirabbit/115985248349797403

Rolle Laukkarinen (npub1zdf…6u9l)

Thought you might like this:

quoting
note17wn…qh2h

I can’t remember where I saw it, but I feel like today is a good time to revisit the concept of “Vegan + bacon”.

People often avoid making small positive changes because they get caught up in trying to go all the way. For example, “I could never go vegan. I love bacon too much”.

So then go vegan plus bacon. Or vegetarian plus bacon. Or just switch to oat milk and eat more vegetables. Whatever small change you can make is good

The more good that you are doing, the higher the status you have, ...

2026-01-28T12:06:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…s38m
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The more good that you are doing, the higher the status you have, the more mana they can leach from you by finding something - anything - to criticise.

Oh god I really do not need to know how much time I spend dicking ...

2026-01-26T11:18:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…s7c7
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Oh god I really do not need to know how much time I spend dicking around on social media whilst the ideas percolate. I KNOW that it's past of my process; I know that my productivity is unchanged if I pretend to be working or play stupid online puzzles whilst I think about a problem. But I don't want my computer tracking it!

I was thinking something similar just the other day - ...

2026-01-06T14:15:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…nzd3
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I was thinking something similar just the other day - https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-USA-needs-to-maintain-a-close-relationship-with-Europe-in-order-to-remain-a-superpower/answer/Ben-Curthoys

and the more unenforced badly drafted regulation there is, the ...

2025-12-13T20:54:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…w6pc
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and the more unenforced badly drafted regulation there is, the more of an advantage the bad guys have, because the good guys spend enormous amounts on good faith efforts to comply, whilst the bad guys spend much less on specious reasons not to bother.

I think I quite liked Chapterhouse. Definitely stop there though. ...

2025-12-12T16:42:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…5x3y
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I think I quite liked Chapterhouse. Definitely stop there though.

Nostr event nevent1qqspqq4wrk2sd0cnpkp7d0g97zl7zhqtdvch2hjgumkwktyrehasjgszyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qhwpaj3

2025-12-11T08:50:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…fcvz
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https://letsencrypt.org/2025/07/01/issuing-our-first-ip-address-certificate

I remember something clicked for me when I read that the ...

2025-12-02T08:03:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…0vq2
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I remember something clicked for me when I read that the performance of shares in foreign companies listed on the FTSE 100 inversely tracked the strength of the pound.

Because of course, if a pound is worth less, a company actually making things is worth more of them.

It's easy to make stock market numbers go up by allowing inflation to erode the value of the currency.

last night we watched Shakespeare in Love in his honour :)

2025-11-30T11:08:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…f83a
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last night we watched Shakespeare in Love in his honour :)

quite. I fundamentally don't trust Facebook to treat me like ...

2025-11-13T07:10:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…j2hx
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quite.

I fundamentally don't trust Facebook to treat me like a customer, because in every interaction I have with them they treat me like livestock on their attention farm. I would never buy anything from Facebook, let alone something I put on my head and cover my actual eyeballs with.

I'm not an enthusiast for Valve, but I trust them to sell a device they think I want to buy, not the device they want me to be locked into so they can fill it with fucking adverts.

Nostr event nevent1qqst5kvh4lv88m74a024gr7htxwmpjxurq7twsqzd2vcprpk0f2vdxczyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7q03u4ct

2025-11-11T07:07:41Z

This job advert is absolutely mindbogglingly batshit crazy from ...

2025-10-22T18:51:00Z

This job advert is absolutely mindbogglingly batshit crazy from the first line all the way down to the salary.

https://jobs.tutors.international/advert/612

Hello, science here, anything you say must be supported by a ...

2025-10-18T23:15:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…pj5g
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Hello, science here, anything you say must be supported by a double blind controlled trial or will be ignored.

Nostr event nevent1qqspha7uqqvlgz4d6p5mtfg9l4hjwhy2ek7mczxk9ef9zlfax0p8nrqzyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qqhw7js

2025-10-02T09:31:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…8fsc
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A sidebar, but I am interested in your definition of ...

2025-10-02T09:20:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…d604
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A sidebar, but I am interested in your definition of "lewd". I always thought it was a synonym for "erotic", not just "rude".

My 7yo daughter loves shouting all the swear words she has ever overheard, but she doesn't do it in a lewd way.

So it's a classic euphemism treadmill. "Homeless" ...

2025-09-29T09:27:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…6kla
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So it's a classic euphemism treadmill.

"Homeless" sounds too close to "tramp" so there's a new word being invented for someone who doesn't have a house but who also doesn't have the mental health and substance issues that a majority of rough sleepers do.

I think it's because whilst in the UK people either have a ...

2025-09-29T09:25:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…shja
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I think it's because whilst in the UK people either have a job and a house, or they are wholly dependent on benefits and charity, rough sleeping or staying in hostels, and there's not much in between, in the modern USA there is a sizable population of people who have a full time job and get up and shower at the gym and make themselves look presentable but who live in their cars.

1) My children each have an Alexa in their rooms for playing ...

2025-09-22T09:37:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…t9ed
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1) My children each have an Alexa in their rooms for playing music and audiobooks. There is much to hate about the design but it's good for them to be able to listen to stuff without help.

2) If I wasn't busy I'd be working on an interactive audio-only adventure game that people could play whilst driving or dog walking. Think like Zork or Cave or whatever but with additional richness from the sound effects.

in Terry Pratchett audiobooks books, there's the "this is ...

2025-08-31T11:44:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…vapg
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in Terry Pratchett audiobooks books, there's the "this is a dream" harp noise - you know the one - then the footnote is read by a different voice, then the harp noise in reverse, then on with the story.

All I need is for manufacturers to admit that they are a fucking ...

2025-08-29T10:34:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…phyn
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All I need is for manufacturers to admit that they are a fucking commodity now, stop trying to justify stock prices 1000 times more than they will ever earn, and "do a Brother Laser Printer" of a phone that just accepts that it is what it is and isn't trying to be the next fucking bubble.

The closest I've found is the Motorola 53g I've got and it's kind of fine and I'm eyeing up a Motorola 55g for when it breaks but there is no hurry.

https://www.techradar.com/phones/motorola-phones/motorola-moto-g55-5g-review

I grew up in Chesham and went to school in Amersham and it has ...

2025-08-16T22:57:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…tx3v
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I grew up in Chesham and went to school in Amersham and it has been very weird seeing an independent shop from your hometown that was the only one suddenly turn into a massive national chain. It's like how I imagine it would be having spent your formative years drinking in a pub called "The Wetherspoons" and then you blink and there are thousands of the bastards everywhere.

if you don't think that people should pay any attention to ...

2025-07-03T05:34:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…kpvf
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if you don't think that people should pay any attention to things other people have to say about games, why do you bother to write and post about the games you play?

no but I think they contain "Janus" particles. I think ...

2025-05-17T12:43:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…5epx
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no but I think they contain "Janus" particles.

I think they are trapped in a matrix and the particles are free to rotate, which they do in response to electromagnetic fields, displaying either their white or black side.

is this not how e-ink displays work?

2025-05-17T12:15:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…2mp7
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is this not how e-ink displays work?

There was a brief window where forums would log and display the ...

2025-05-12T21:20:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…hld8
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There was a brief window where forums would log and display the IP addresses of people posting, and idiots would go from being "anonymous' wankers in one place to posting from the same IP under their real name and address to a different forum about something else 5 minutes later. Fun times.

A deliberately wrong IP v4 address on screen.... Presumably this ...

2025-05-12T21:17:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…pfxp
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A deliberately wrong IP v4 address on screen.... Presumably this is the IP version of 555 numbers. Though I think this film is set about 25 years to late to usefully do anything with an IP address.

I'm 7:19 in and I have a horrible feeling that this is a film ...

2025-05-12T21:13:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…dnde
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I'm 7:19 in and I have a horrible feeling that this is a film that I'm going to hate too. Though I have a certain amount of sympathy for the inciting incident being that he's trolling the trolls too hard.

I'm going to live-toot the experience because she'd hate ...

2025-05-12T21:11:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…yykg
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I'm going to live-toot the experience because she'd hate that too.

Jessie has sequestered herself in a relative's flat somewhere ...

2025-05-12T21:11:03Z

Jessie has sequestered herself in a relative's flat somewhere near Newcastle to finish writing her fucking book, so I am drinking wine and watching films that I know she would hate. Tonight: GUNS AKIMBO.

Practical result being as far as I can tell that if you eat carbs ...

2025-04-02T13:26:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…hw7j
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Practical result being as far as I can tell that if you eat carbs first and then exercise, it's miserable, but if you exercise first and then eat carbs, it's fine.

So I go for a low-ish carb breakfast & lunch and a normal dinner.

Also you don't need to go full keto.

The other thing is that once you have glucose in your ...

2025-04-02T13:24:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…u9g9
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The other thing is that once you have glucose in your bloodstream, your body can use it directly for exercise, store it as glycogen, or store it as fat.

Everything seems to work much better for me if my glycogen stores in my liver are depleted by exercise before I eat more carbohydrate. Again, insulin inhibits the production and action of glucagon, the hormone that turns stored glycogen back into glucose.

Well the top thing is that insulin inhibits lipolysis. You ...

2025-04-02T13:15:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…j35l
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Well the top thing is that insulin inhibits lipolysis. You physically - not physically, chemically - cannot burn fat for energy whilst there is insulin floating around in the blood.

So if you eat loads of toast for breakfast, then go for a run, the exercise can make you hypoglycaemic but it can't make you lose weight.

I am happy to share what I have learned about glucose metabolism ...

2025-04-02T11:53:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…hkwk
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I am happy to share what I have learned about glucose metabolism from a couple of years of living with type 1 diabetes, if that helps. Also some low glycaemic index lunch recipes.

Nostr event nevent1qqsxlcukrvw5umfpmxs2aw2dmtw7u603l4ermaawg9c74kr5x9uvztszyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qmtd752

2025-03-30T10:20:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…jxzf
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https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-number-of-police-bobbies-assigned-to-foot-patrol-in-the-UK-decline-by-7-000-23-928-to-16-577-from-2015-to-2022/answer/Ben-Curthoys?ch=10&oid=1477743798954221&share=31229ca3&srid=3orcX&target_type=answer

if they like Calvin and Hobbs, can I recommend Phoebe and her ...

2025-03-27T09:38:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…sduj
_________________________

if they like Calvin and Hobbs, can I recommend Phoebe and her Unicorn?

3.6 gig feels like it ought to be enough for a fucking phone. ...

2025-03-22T22:11:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…sv03
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3.6 gig feels like it ought to be enough for a fucking phone.

I don't understand why they can't put all the state in ...

2025-03-22T22:09:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…wgyk
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I don't understand why they can't put all the state in the URL or a cookie or local storage or literally fucking anything but a JavaScript variable that gets forgotten when the page dies.

Nostr event nevent1qqsd7k76gnfaa5j4ze2nhfnx77x42mdwzt3xpwmpgw296xpyzrrmdxczyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qptxf28

2025-03-22T21:09:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…8sje
_________________________

:(

Does anyone else here have this problem? I've googled a ...

2025-03-22T20:51:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…lhp2
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Does anyone else here have this problem? I've googled a little and seen reports on Reddit but I'm trying to work out the extent to which it is just me, or if there is any way of stopping Firefox* on my phone fucking doing that. If I leave a tab open it's because I mean it.

* Chrome is no better I tried.

I mean the https://www.techradar.com/reviews/motorola-moto-g53 ...

2025-03-22T20:49:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…wtjj
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I mean the https://www.techradar.com/reviews/motorola-moto-g53 isn't that great but it was new if budget a couple of years ago; I would still expect to be able to commit e-commerce with it.

My phone isn't that old.

2025-03-22T20:47:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…6q9u
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My phone isn't that old.

Same with paying for anything: I am required to switch to my ...

2025-03-22T20:47:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…6hnd
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Same with paying for anything: I am required to switch to my banking app to authorise the purchase, and when I switch back to the web page it rebuilds the dom and I'm back at the "type in your card number" stage.

It goes like this: I try to log into a website. The page loads a ...

2025-03-22T20:46:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…u2qa
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It goes like this: I try to log into a website. The page loads a JavaScript popup that says "We've sent you an email. Please enter the code to continue". I switch to my email app. I copy the code. I switch back to the web browser. It forces a page refresh and makes the JavaScript popup to away, bouncing me back to the start of login.

There's a new UI pattern that I'm seeing more and more ...

2025-03-22T20:44:13Z

There's a new UI pattern that I'm seeing more and more that has completely broken login and purchase flows on mobile for me.

if so like this: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zhuzh

2025-03-08T12:20:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…kp74
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if so like this: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zhuzh

is that the same word (but a very different operation) as when ...

2025-03-08T12:19:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…zgmy
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is that the same word (but a very different operation) as when you zhuzh something up a bit to make it fancier?

It's been nearly 2 years since my diagnosis of type 1 ...

2025-02-04T12:56:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…wnxq
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It's been nearly 2 years since my diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and in that time I have learned way more about glucose metabolism that I ever wanted to know, so if you have any specific questions hmu.

I wish I could now stop imagining a version of that Old Spice ...

2025-01-06T21:07:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…232f
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I wish I could now stop imagining a version of that Old Spice advert with a strap line "The teen your teen could smell like"

Fair enough.

2024-12-11T14:00:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…ldmg
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Fair enough.

I remember how terrified everyone was of being fined when GDPR ...

2024-12-11T12:40:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…85cf
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I remember how terrified everyone was of being fined when GDPR first came out. Millions were spent on compliance. So where the fuck is the ICO? Why aren't they slapping down those fabled fines of 4% of global turnover? I want to see someone getting humiliated and financially broken in court.

I don't think open-ness of protocol is enough. It also has to ...

2024-12-02T19:08:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…fk3q
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I don't think open-ness of protocol is enough. It also has to be easy to integrate with. E.g. XMPP was too fussy and abstract.

One more thing: a thread from the bad place ...

2024-11-21T09:09:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…63t0
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One more thing: a thread from the bad place

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1859385352886362192.html

Turns out a contender the most profitable use of farmland is "avoiding inheritance tax" - and vast amounts of agricultural land are being bought by wealthy non farmers ever year to take advantage of the loophole.

The value of land is based on the most profitable possible use of ...

2024-11-20T14:35:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…jkfa
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The value of land is based on the most profitable possible use of that land, because the person with the most profitable use in mind is the one who will pay the most for it, so if farms are using up land that would be more profitable as something else, then economic theory correctly predicts that the return on the assets that farmland represents will be low. And the sensible thing to do would be to let the farms go bankrupt and use the land for something else.

2) Farmland is expensive, but not "overpriced", because ...

2024-11-20T14:35:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…mkgf
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2) Farmland is expensive, but not "overpriced", because farmers are competing for land with all the other things we want to use land for. Land is the archetype of a scarce resource - they aren't making any more of it - so every acre of farmland is an acre that can't be put to other purposes.

Not an economist either but answering from the economic ...

2024-11-20T14:35:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…3fu2
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Not an economist either but answering from the economic perspective as I understand it

1) Farmers can't be "under-rewarded"; it's not like they have a boss whose door they can knock on to demand a pay rise. Farms as businesses make as much money as they can, charging what the market will bear. If their production costs are too high, their profit margins too low, if we can buy our food more cheaply elsewhere, then they are welcome to go bankrupt: we don't owe them anything

There is a price at which the number of items you have for sale ...

2024-10-14T15:33:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…kvcf
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There is a price at which the number of items you have for sale (the supply) is exactly equal to the number of people prepared to pay that price (the demand). That price is the market clearing price.

Saying "At $60 I no longer demand vinyl" is exactly how ...

2024-10-14T15:32:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…p9s2
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Saying "At $60 I no longer demand vinyl" is exactly how supply and demand works.

Suppose there are 1000 people prepared to buy vinyl at $30 a go, of whom 10 are prepared to pay $60.

If you have 1000 records to sell, you sell them for $30. But if you only have 10 records and there are 1000 who would like to buy them for $30, you don't sell them for $30: you sell them for $60 each, to the 10 people who are prepared to pay that much.

In general, fields which feel well regulated - airplane safety, ...

2024-10-14T11:19:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…n4sn
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In general, fields which feel well regulated - airplane safety, elevator safety - have been around for a while, whilst fields which feel badly regulated - computerised voting - are quite new.

Possibly the early regulation of those fields was stupid (the "man with a red flag running in front of the car") but has been removed so that what remains is sensible. Possibly the regulation which made cookie consent popups ubiquitous will be the modern equivalent.

What I understand by "red tape" is the bad regulation ...

2024-10-14T11:18:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…hrk6
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What I understand by "red tape" is the bad regulation that adds cost without making anyone safer; I can't see any argument for keeping it. Obviously care must be taken not to throw the baby of good regulation out with the bathwater; I don't want no regulations at all!

You have missed a very big assumption - that the regulations that ...

2024-10-14T09:49:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…u2sl
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You have missed a very big assumption - that the regulations that were introduced in response to very real problems were well conceived, well drafted, proportionate, and actually did anything at all to address the actual problem they were aimed at.

In every case that I personally have experience of, the regulations were forced through by panicked politicians desperate to be seen to be doing something about issues they were profoundly ill-equipped to understand.

Chris, you know that the Archimedes was the direct ancestor of ...

2024-09-24T22:25:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…75ts
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Chris, you know that the Archimedes was the direct ancestor of the ARM chips in every phone now, right?

Petition for a .blink TLD

2024-09-18T07:18:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…qyz3
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Petition for a .blink TLD

Have you ever played Subnautica?

2024-09-13T06:03:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…rnay
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Have you ever played Subnautica?

Nostr event nevent1qqspkra89nt36zj08ehfqtvadqnq36gvpmgrsqez9ky6zr03gfrlvyczyzerj4fu342c7sqkaq9jfdsjpgu7wmd2p03zpm7gxj6twvrkzxu7qd67rvc

2024-09-05T10:21:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…mv86
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cf.

At least you weren't told that you shouldn't want to do ...

2024-08-14T20:12:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…ek8d
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At least you weren't told that you shouldn't *want* to do X with Y.

Google killed any chance I would spend money on a Google product ...

2024-08-06T23:27:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…yjxd
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Google killed any chance I would spend money on a Google product that I expected to last longer than a lettuce a long time ago.

But I had sort of toyed with the idea that a Chromecast might have been worth buying. Now I'm one again glad I didn't buy Google.