Like who?

Arguably what Russia seeks is not territory, but to destabilise the Ukraine government and re-establish a puppet state.

Which would mean both sides lose on this deal.

(Not saying it’s a good deal.)

As in

• Not talking about race will solve the lingering systemic race issues, or
• There are no lingering systemic race issues, so we should stop talking about it?

Completely fair - do you have a counterargument? I’d be interested in hearing the other side.

Good point, though I find the part of the commentary relevant:

Although we were initially skeptical that mirror bacteria could pose major risks, we have become deeply concerned. We were uncertain about the feasibility of synthesizing mirror bacteria but have concluded that technological progress will likely make this possible. We were uncertain about the consequences of mirror bacterial infection in humans and animals, but a close examination of existing studies led us to conclude that infections could be severe. Unlike previous discussions of mirror life, we also realized that generalist heterotroph mirror bacteria might find a range of nutrients in animal hosts and the environment and thus would not be intrinsically biocontained

Not all brutality is defeated, but if you consider children dying a brutal thing, we have significantly lessened the brutality, and at a scale much greater than the tragedies of the Palestinians and other persecuted peoples.

Some of civilization is built with compassion, understanding and collaboration. Possibly even most. We can celebrate and emulate those victories without belittling the suffering still happening.

As mentioned elsewhere, global child and infant mortality has gone from around 50% to around 5%. That counts as an example of something getting a lot better in my book.

But fair if that’s not what you mean. What would better look like for you?

I’m not saying the “evils” won’t get worse in the future, just saying that for a long time they’ve actually been lessened dramatically.

We can acknowledge that things have been getting better for a long time, and work to keep that going for the future, without diminishing or downplaying the serious issues we face today.

And yet it is through compassion and the progress of civilization that we have defeated the brutality of the past.

Even today, most deaths globally are due to diseases that we are working hard to cure, with only around 1% dying due to violence.

For sure, I’m not saying this based on my own privileged experience, I’m saying this based on the data. 200 years ago even the richest countries had around 50% child and infant mortality. Now the global average is 4.3%. We can acknowledge the tragedies of today while also celebrating the immense progress we’ve made at a global level.

Life is a lot less brutal today than it was 200 years ago, though.

Beating classical computers is easy. These machines can give a random result much faster than a computer can simulate the quantum mechanics that give rise to that random result.

Beating classical computers at a task with some kind of practical application is hard though.

They’re also very popular in Denmark.

Realistically it’s not feasible to set up separate systems for separate levels of tech knowledge and expect it to not be abused.

Yes, it’s more of a hassle to do proper 2FA, but it helps the grannies of the world not be scammed out of their life savings, ultimately enabling greater digitalisation, which I find extremely helpful.

Dead grunts tell no tales

The two that lie in a shape are part of the first “w”

It’s for sure a product of its time, but it really doesn’t feel like a 1999 movie. Around that time we had

• Sixth sense
• American beauty
• Eyes wide shut
• Being John Malkovich
• Fight Club

Matrix has such a stark level of visual and thematic modernity compared to those. Maybe Fight Club comes near, but the other movies look like they’re from a different decade.

Surely not?

I still can’t believe The Matrix is from '99. The themes and the effects hold up incredibly well, it feels far more modern.

Arguably it is better than mining for coal, lithium, etc. since those have similar issues, but one gram of uranium contains energy similar to 3 tons of coal.