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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 20th, 2023

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  • Desktop computer: Installing a keylogger, for example, is cheap and require skills like “can purchase a cheap and simple technical part” and “can plug in a USB”, which are skills you can assume a CS student will possess.

    Laptop: Same, but have to open the laptop and install a less standard straightforward loggrr on the internal cable. This require more effort and patience.

    Phone: I have no idea, and I am a computer scientist who spends time thinking about this. I mean, all phones can be opened with corresponding equipment, and the touch screen is connected to the internal computer with a cable, but they differ in details per model and the space to work with is tiny. The research investment is significant and model dependent. Meaning, the effort cost is quite high and they’d need extremely strong motivation.




  • During the invasion of Berlin in 1945, the overwhelmed German command trying to map out the Russian advance had to resort to just calling businesses or homes of people living in areas they were uncertain about.

    If most people in a district did not pick up the phone, or someone did pick up and swore in Russian, they marked it on the map as invaded.

    Different worlds of course, but the point is that civilian phones have intelligence value.

    It could make sense as a super creepy tactical choice by Iran to deny intelligence gathering from abroad.


  • I feel that this article is based on beliefs that are optimism rather than empiricism or rational extrapolation, and trains of thought driven way into highly simplified territory.

    Basically like the Lesswrong, self-proclaimed “longtermists” and Zizians crowds.

    Illustrative example: Categorizing nannies under “human touch strongly preferred - perhaps as a luxury”. This assumes automation is not only possible to a degree way beyond what we see signs of, but that the service itself isn’t inherently human.








  • Your question is already answered correctly, so I’m just chiming in with thoughts on a similar situation :)

    If you weigh both dice, it gets interesting again.

    The obvious is to make one die roll always 3 and the other always 4, and get 1/1 chance of 7 but that’s boring and you’ll only get a few throws in before you’re obviously cheating.

    Dice are arranged so that opposite sides always add up to 7, meaning you can get 1,2,3 around one corner and 4,5,6 around the opposite corner. So if you weigh opposite corners on each die, you get a 1/3 chance of rolling a 7 by varying combinatons. You might get away with a few more rolls like that.


  • That is a strange way to say she’s 57…

    But anyway! Range varies wildly with age. 6 years is something you at least ponder at age 25, but will feel like “same age” around 50.

    My feeling based on what people seem to at least not care to even gossip lightly about: max 1 year at age 15. 5 years at 40. 10 years at age 60+.

    Wider ranges are not problematic, but gets into at least “interesting to talk about”. E.g. “They are 33 and 40! Huh! Good for them.”