The WSJ reports that China is on an extensive push to drive out Western tech companies from the country and replace them with domestic alternatives. China reportedly started its domestic expansion in 2022 with a highly secretive “Document 79,” an initiative focused on deleting Western tech companies from the country. Since...
Let’s cut through the noise here. The idea that China has been playing 4D chess while the West plays checkers is a sexy narrative, but it misses the forest for the trees. Yes, China has masterfully leveraged the existing global system, pulling itself up from the economic bootstraps with a mix of state-driven capitalism and strategic engagement with Western technology and markets. This isn’t a con; it’s smart strategy, plain and simple. They saw an opening in the global market’s hunger for cheap labor and pounced, all while Western companies tripped over themselves to cut costs and boost quarterly earnings. Exploitative? Perhaps. But a con game? Hardly. Both sides knew what they were getting into; it was a marriage of convenience where both parties shared the bed for mutual benefit.
Now, onto this doomsday prophecy about the U.S. spiraling into oblivion. If you’re betting on American collapse, you’re going to lose your shirt. The U.S. isn’t just standing; it’s adapting and moving in ways that the naysayers seem to conveniently overlook. Post-COVID, the stats tell a story not of decline but of rebound and resilience. Unemployment’s in check, inflation fears are being managed, and domestic consumption is through the roof. Americans are spending, industries are innovating, and energy? The U.S. is sitting on an energy bonanza that makes the Middle Eastern oil sheikhs blush. Thanks to shale, the U.S. is not just energy independent; it’s a global energy heavyweight.
And let’s not forget technology. Silicon Valley isn’t just a place; it’s a global beacon of innovation. AI, biotech, quantum computing—you name it, the U.S. is at the sharp end of the spear. This innovation engine isn’t sputtering; it’s accelerating, fueled by a demographic dynamism that much of the developed world can only dream of, thanks largely to immigration.
As for Europe, casting it as the West’s last bastion against a rising China misses the point. Europe has its cards to play, sure, but don’t count the U.S. out of the game. The American economy is a behemoth, driven by internal markets, technological supremacy, and demographic vitality. Europe’s integration and strategic coherence are worth watching, but let’s not pretend it’s the only show in town.
In sum, the narrative that China’s rise comes at the expense of a declining West, and particularly a faltering U.S., is overly simplistic and frankly, wrong. We’re in a period of massive global transition, sure, but the American decline? That’s not the story being written. The U.S. is shifting gears, and the next chapter might just surprise the gloom-and-doom crowd.
As an example: I was doing a search for the best sesame substitute today. Everything that came up was things like, “11 Best Sesame Substitutes,” and I know for a fact that just about everything they suggested tastes nothing like sesame. Just another site trying to get hits. So I added reddit.com into my search parameters and...
EDIT: The only reason why I still had it at this point was because I could use it with other apps. However, now that my Spotify Subscription is cancelled, it doesn’t work with anything. It’s mildly infuriating because today, I can’t still use it with other apps like I was able to yesterday....
FYI, those are known to be full of malware if you buy the random branded ones off Amazon. It’s Highly recommend that people go with known reputable brands.
Same. People used low quality Ni-Mh batteries and got what they paid for. Eneloops have worked great for me. Believe it or not, Duracell has been great too. It’s the energizers that have all been awful for me.
Unpopular opinion: bots might be a good thing for now.
I’m speaking from a growth perspective. Assuming users want to use social media to…socialize… you need active users and constant content. New social media platforms have a lack of users and content. Bots can bridge that gap until enough users are contributing and using the platform.
If you really think about it, it comes down to a platform using bots effectively. Let’s say the bots will only submit content when user submitted content falls below a threshold. Maybe it will auto generate threads for breaking news.
What if bots are used to ask questions and further conversations, like a social lubricant. Employed in a way to pull more useful information from users or to keep people engaged.
This all hinges on the ability for a bot to appear real.
This sounds super fucked when you think about it. I’m not a fan of bot content. If you didn’t know it was a bot, what difference would it make? LLM might be able to make it engaging and natural.
They were pretty cool enlightenment thinkers who created the first constitutional republic and were able to muscle out the British Empire. It’s pretty remarkable.
Texas is number two in the country for PV capacity, and number one for wind power generation (by a long shot).
If you look at the numbers, you’ll notice that it doesn’t really correlate with political affiliation, but instead where it’s economically viable. The prices of the PV panels are slowly coming down, so we should see it become more prevalent as time goes on.
“We’re supposed to be able to go about our business in our day-to-day lives without being surveilled unless we are suspected of a crime, and each little bit of this technology strips away that ability.”
Sounds nice in theory, but that’s not true at all. From my understanding, there is no expectation of privacy in public.
It feels really strange, but we are all under satellite observation almost 24/7. There are observational drones that can loiter and collect ground data. This has been around for decades. Radio lab did a great episode about this.
It’s definitely creepy. There is no escaping it at this point :/.
As a PSA, remember that the API changes don't only impact third party apps & accessibility tools, but also your ability to bulk delete or modify your Reddit history. If you intend to delete or modify your previous Reddit posts, be sure to run a tool like Power Delete Suite today before the shut down....
President Joe Biden will tout his economic agenda in remarks Wednesday as he campaigns for a second term amid low polling numbers on his job performance and the direction of the country....
The thing you got to realize is that the executive branch does not have free reign to pass whatever they want. To me, the mark of a good executive is their ability to pass legislation. The Biden administration has done a fantastic job in light of such a polarized political system in the United States. Not everybody is going to want the same things that we want. In order to get things passed, sometimes we have to make compromises.
Furthermore, the Biden administrations passing of the Inflation Reduction Act specifically invested 70+ billion into public transportation (specifically rail), and far more into renewable energy production.
Biden has been able to move the meter to the left while still working with conservatives on certain issues. If you’re looking at it from a progressive standpoint, and you might not think they’re doing as much as they can. But please keep in mind that they also have to represent moderates and conservatives of the democratic branch.
I never wanted Joe Biden to win, but he has completely won me over. He has been an absolute class act. Americans are very fortunate to have a president who has experience with the Cold War right now. I can’t think of any major criticism, besides his age.
The economic policy has been effective, unemployment is low, inflation is under control, working class wages have risen, foreign relations are stronger, the deficit spending has been dropping, and the country feels much less hostile then it did 2-4 years ago.
I seriously was upset he won, but he’s impressed me.
Ukraine is doing great. I know Russia is a meme, but they do have far more resources and man power. These guys are working with tech they just got trained on. Russia is well fortified. Keep in mind, the counter offensive is still developing. Often things are said publicly to skew the other side.
YSK - You can save mobile.weather.gov to your phones Home Screen and avoid the adds and bloat of other weather apps. https://mobile.weather.gov/
“Why YSK: Many paid and unpaid apps get their information from the National Weather Service (NWS). This information is freely available and paid for though taxes, which the other companies try to profit off of. Skip the BS and just go to the source. It might not be the most polished website, but it’s easily navigable (has an old iOS feel to it).
I can’t give a guide for android users, but for iPhone, open safari and head to “mobile.weather.gov”. Once the website is loaded, click the share icon on the bottom middle of your screen, and then select “add to Home Screen”.
there was an update from the admins of lemmy.nsfw where language barriers got in the way and the wrong impression was made, which was quickly addressed by the instance's other admin as well as edited by its' original author....
I, and many others, find the use of ‘loli’ content in this context to be morally questionable. The key concern is the normalization of such behaviors, which can perpetuate and potentially endorse harmful desires. Moreover, even though it involves drawings, it still fosters an environment that is fundamentally based on the sexualization of underage characters.
I’ve been using fediverse stuff (Mastodon and, most recently, Calckey – I’m just going to use “Mastodon” as shorthand here, purists can bite me) for over a year now, a…
China wants to rid itself of Western tech by 2027 -- outlines domestic alternatives in 'Document 79' (www.tomshardware.com)
The WSJ reports that China is on an extensive push to drive out Western tech companies from the country and replace them with domestic alternatives. China reportedly started its domestic expansion in 2022 with a highly secretive “Document 79,” an initiative focused on deleting Western tech companies from the country. Since...
Many searches are useless without including reddit.com
As an example: I was doing a search for the best sesame substitute today. Everything that came up was things like, “11 Best Sesame Substitutes,” and I know for a fact that just about everything they suggested tastes nothing like sesame. Just another site trying to get hits. So I added reddit.com into my search parameters and...
Ukraine tells critics of slow counteroffensive to 'shut up' (www.reuters.com)
The Spotify Car Thing cost $100, but I can't use it anymore. (lemmy.ml)
EDIT: The only reason why I still had it at this point was because I could use it with other apps. However, now that my Spotify Subscription is cancelled, it doesn’t work with anything. It’s mildly infuriating because today, I can’t still use it with other apps like I was able to yesterday....
Come on down! (lemmy.ca)
I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate interchangable batteries (lemmy.ml)
I know these are currently out of fashion but I’m still thankful they exist....
Lemmy is popular nowadays, yet is losing its active users (lemm.ee)
Similar to Mastodon’s spikes last year, it seems. Anyways, there is data to think about. Source
George Washington *literally* had skin cancer. (lemmy.world)
Run your window AC with just 2 solar panels when sun shines. Easy DIY project you can do in one day. (www.youtube.com)
Obviously there’s lots to improve here, but for plenty of people this is a great starting point.
Under capitalism (i.ibb.co)
Self-Driving Cars Are Surveillance Cameras on Wheels (www.schneier.com)
Asus Flaunts GeForce RTX 4060 Ti with M.2 Slots for SSDs (www.tomshardware.com)
Asus Flaunts graphics card with an M.2 SSD expander card.
Reminder: Delete/Edit your Reddit Posts today before the API Shutdown!
As a PSA, remember that the API changes don't only impact third party apps & accessibility tools, but also your ability to bulk delete or modify your Reddit history. If you intend to delete or modify your previous Reddit posts, be sure to run a tool like Power Delete Suite today before the shut down....
"Bidenomics" - Biden's vision for economic growth 'from the middle out and bottom up' aims to move beyond 'trickle down' economics (www.nbcnews.com)
President Joe Biden will tout his economic agenda in remarks Wednesday as he campaigns for a second term amid low polling numbers on his job performance and the direction of the country....
Early stages of Ukrainian counteroffensive ‘not meeting expectations,’ Western officials tell CNN (edition.cnn.com)
r/WellThatSucks only.Vaccume cleaners (lemmy.world)
The Subreddit WellThatSucks has changed their rules so it's now only accepting vaccume cleaners
LemmyNSFW annouced that they would allow loli/shota and people on other instances did not react positively
there was an update from the admins of lemmy.nsfw where language barriers got in the way and the wrong impression was made, which was quickly addressed by the instance's other admin as well as edited by its' original author....
Reddit CEO praises Elon Musk’s cost-cutting as protests rock platform (www.nbcnews.com)
Steve Huffman said in an interview that Elon Musk's cost-cutting at Twitter was inspiring and that the two have chatted "a handful of times."
Mike Pence has sudden change of heart over Trump classified documents (www.independent.co.uk)
‘Having read the indictment, these are very serious allegations,’ Mr Pence told The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board on Tuesday
OC Why did the #TwitterMigration fail? (blog.bloonface.com)
I’ve been using fediverse stuff (Mastodon and, most recently, Calckey – I’m just going to use “Mastodon” as shorthand here, purists can bite me) for over a year now, a…