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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: August 3rd, 2023

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  • Oh, I get that. I actually have a BS in Applied Mathematics and specialize in Statistics, Probability Theory, and Data Science professionally. I am well aware of how unstable thses numbers are, which is why I made the jab at the “soft sciences” and their acceptable sigma analysis points.

    What I was more noting was the linguistic tic of OP saying that they ‘exaggerated’. I freely admit that I did not actually read the article and do not know what the author did in it, but the click-bait title was accurate given the data shared. So what was done is to ‘sensationalize’ the results. If we are ever going to get better and teach society how to understand when statistics are being used to manipulate, we need to be sure to describe it in a way that people can recognize one manipulation from another.

    I would see an example of manipulation through exaggeration being “cops kill more white people per year than black people”. Yes, this is true, but it is inflating one piece of the statistics that ignores a lot of relevant factors, like the per capita rate, the proportion of stops and actions by police which result in violence, etc.

    Sensationalizing is what we have here. Intentionally choosing words that fell the full picture of the statistic in a way which causes knee jerk reactions. There isn’t anything left out per se, the time frame is described, the change in the statistic is mentioned, and a potential causal relationship is proffered. Would "The overturning of Roe has caused a statistically significant increase in the number of voluntary sterilizations among young US Citizens’ haave been more genuine, yes. Is it catchy or emotional, no.







  • Is a functional government based on logic and compassion too much to ask/too cliché?

    Renters rights legislation with enough teeth to make present and perspective landlords, both corporate and individual, think twice before not taking care of a property as though they lived there? (Yes, there are stories behind this one)

    I guess a company that actually pays me what I’m worth (which I’m not even really looking for that much).





  • The issue is the “your” imagination part. That is a huge limiting factor. Just because you can create a facsimile of something that functions does not mean you can derive hereto unimagined variations of them. You are assuming that the simulation bends to your will and reshapes itself to make what you want to be a reality, which is not in the prompt. Actually, the prompt quite specifically says that physics and biology remain unchanged by your attempts, so there is no just making shit up, it still has to adhere to the laws of nature and physics. Try to make a dinosaur now and it would suffocate in minutes because the O2 levels now are much lower than when they were alive. Attempt to make a cell phone that exceeds the fundamental quantum limits and it will burn out in an instant, or form a microscale black hole and destroy itself, jury is out on that one.





  • And yet, it is still actually illegal I’m every state. CSAM of any kind in any medium is legally identical. Hand drawn stick figures with ages written under them is enough for some judges/prosecutors.

    Honestly, I am of the firm belief that the FBI should set up a portal that provides user account bound access to their seized materials. This may seem extreme and abhorrent, but it provides MANY benefits.

    • They are able to eliminate the black market for it by providing free, legal access to already existing materials, no more children will be harmed in the production of “new materials”.
    • They can mandate that accounts are only able to be made by those actively pursuing mental health treatments for their mental illness. It is a mental illness long before it is a crime.
    • They are able to monitor who is accessing and from where, and are able to coordinate efforts with mental health providers to give better treatment.
    • They can compile statistical data on the prevailing patterns of access to get a better analytical understanding of how those with the mental illness behave so they can better police those who still utilize extra-legal avenues.

    Always keep in mind that this is a mental illness. Often times it is rooted in the person’s own traumatic past. Many were themselves victims of sexual abuse as children and are as much victims as the children they abuse. I am not, in ANY way, absolving them of the harm that they have done and they absolutely should repent for it. What I am attempting to articulate is that we need to, as a society, avoid vilifying them into boogy-people so we can justify hate and violence. They are people, they are mentally ill, they can be treated, and they can be healthy. It is no different than something like BPD, Malignant Narcissism, or Munchausen by Proxy. All can do real harm, all should face consequences of their harm, but those three are all so normalized at this point that unless the abuse results in death, most people will handwave the actions and push for treatment. Now I feel we have gotten too lax on these (and others) and are far too harsh on others. All mental illnesses deserve ardent and effective treatment.