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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 15th, 2023

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  • If your goal is to roll a 7, then no, weighting one die doesn’t help, because it doesn’t matter which side comes up in the weighted die.

    (Another way to look at it is that you can place 1 die on whatever side you like, then roll the 2nd die: you still have a 1/6 chance of rolling a combined 7).

    However that is only the case for a 7, because you can roll a 7 with any combination of the first die (and a particular value in the 2nd). If your goal is to roll a 12, then weighting one die towards 6 will affect the odds, because you need a 6 on that first die to roll a 12; any other outcome makes it impossible.



  • I tend to agree (and also an EE). Airplane mode isn’t a total panacea, though. It just disables the cellular radio. While it also disables the Wifi and Bluetooth, those can always be turned back on, even while Airplane Mode is active. A motivated state actor can absolutely track via Wifi or Bluetooth. (Possibly even NFC, but the range on that is so low that I think it would impossible to do without seeing what is tracking you).

    Turning the phone off is the best solution if you want to keep rhe phone on your person. Guaranteed that all possible avenues for tracking is off, and also has the advantage that even if the phone is seized, the latest phone OSes require the passcode before doing anything at all when they first power up. Even the Police are limited in the data they can get off a phone that has just powered up and is asking for the passcode.


  • I am one of those people who engaged in the sarcasm and mockery, particularly mocking American Exceptionalism. But you can argue that American position as an Indispensible Nation is (well, perhaps was) a real thing. But it’s important to acknowledge that status was not accorded to us because we’re special, but because we aligned our interests to many of the world’s democracies. They didn’t follow us because of any inherent birthright, they followed because we shared their values and interests.

    John Kerry got skewered when he implied that American interests might be subject to a “global test”, but he was 100% correct. Other countries backed us because we backed them. If looking to America for leadership is no longer in their best interest, they will shop somewhere else for leadership.

    And that’s what makes Trump so insidious. Generations of Americans (politicians, service people, etc.) put this country in a position of respect, and this guy is tossing it all out the window by being a pety asshole who doesn’t listen.




  • There is a difference between customs and immigration. Customs cares about things (and import duties on those things), Immigration cares about people.

    As a US citizen, you should be able to just enter as long as your paperwork is in order. (And if Immigration is interested in you beyond the formalities, it means you are probably on some sort of list, and good luck to you!)

    Customs will care mainly that you are only bringing in personal goods, and not commercial goods you intend to sell. They will also care if you buy any goods abroad to take back, because you may owe import duties. So they will not care about your Fairphone unless you bought it while in your trip abroad. In normal times you will have an exemption that allows you to bring in some amount of goods duty-free but the world is all topsy turvy now so I would check what the duty-free allowance is before coming back.

    They are used to people bringing phones, laptops, camera equipment, and other expensive personal effects with them on trips. They won’t care unless you have a lot of things, and they think you are not being truthful when you say none of it was purchased abroad in that trip. Having five phones for one person would be a red flag, for instance.


  • Your dad is correct in that every driver gets into an accident at one point or another. You have your license, which means you passed the test. And while the test is the bare minimum, you did meet it.

    Every driver starts out new, and has to learn a lot. It can take years before you are truly comfortable, and that’s OK.

    My recommendation would be to not give up driving cold turkey, but only drive when you are comfortable. Find an errand you need to run once or twice a week and do that route consistently. (Or, if you are working, do your work commute by a consistent route every day). Learn that route, and where all the tricky things are. You may find that after a month or two, you build enough confidence on that one drive that you are not spooked by other drives.




  • My biggest issue is with how AI is being marketed, particularly by Apple. Every single Apple Intelligence commercial is about a mediocre person who is not up to the task in front of them, but asks their iPhone for help and ends up skating by. Their families are happy, their co-workers are impressed, and they learn nothing about how to handle the task on their own the next time except that their phone bailed their lame ass out.

    It seems to be a reflection of our current political climate, though, where expertise is ignored, competence is scorned, and everyone is out for themselves.






  • A lot of good advice here! One thing I would add is that large international flights typically board early. So your long-haul flight to Seoul may board 45 minutes or more in advance. And since you are in Business Class, you will board earlier than most.

    My advice would be that once you arrive in Munich, check your phone (or look at the departure screens) to find out what gate your Seoul flight is leaving from, then go there right away. No rush, but don’t hit the gift shop just yet. Once you get there, the screens at the gate should tell you when the boarding time is (or you can ask the gate staff.). Once you confirm that, you can leave for the restroom, grab a quick snack, or go shopping.

    You shouldn’t have to worry about a full meal because they normally feed you well in business class. (Free booze, also, if that is your thing.)