I’m beautiful and tough like a diamond…or beef jerky in a ball gown.

  • 120 Posts
  • 574 Comments
Joined 4 months ago
Cake day: July 15th, 2025
  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.websitetoTelevision@piefed.social•Pluribus - Series Premiere Discussion Thread
    4·
    2 hours ago

    I had the same thought.

    Couple of possibilities:

    Spoiler

    1. Animals don’t seem to be infected in the same way humans are, and rats bite on their own anyway. Perhaps it was just a carrier rather than part of the hive. While it showed the same symptoms as later humans who became infected that doesn’t necessarily mean it was part of the hive. The zoo animals that were let loose definitely do not seem to be part of the hive (they attacked “them” who couldn’t defend themselves). We have no info if they went into the brief fugue state like the rat and the humans when they were initially infected.

    2. If the rat was part of the hive, then it could just be the “biological imperative to spread” loophole that allows them to assimilate without consent.

  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.websitetoTelevision@piefed.social•Pluribus - Series Premiere Discussion Thread
    2·
    2 hours ago

    :::spoiler

    They also seem to do 100% of everything they’re told to do.

    I’m also wondering if that is just to placate the immune until “They” figure out the fix. Assuming “they” truly cannot intentionally cause harm to another living thing (and nothing so far has indicated that to be untrue), then the immune population (no matter how tiny) could be considered a threat and acting like a doormat is just “their” way of dealing with that.

    Since they don’t consider assimilation to be harm, once “they” figure out how to infect the immune, I think things could turn quite a bit darker after that (but still with the creepy cheerful demeanor).

    Edit/addition: While “they” seemingly cannot cause harm to people, they don’t seem to be limited such that they’re forced to prevent harm from occurring.

    Evidence:

    1. Carol was close to heat exhaustion when burying Helen. “Pirate Lady” only suggested she drink some water but did not force her to.
    2. “They” don’t seem to care that the dangerous zoo animals mauled/killed people
    3. “Pirate Lady” flat out said “they” could not protect Carol and the other “immune” from each other.

    Between that and the “biological imperative to spread” loopholes, I’m definitely curious where those go.

    :::

    I’m genuinely excited to see where this goes.

  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.websitetoTelevision@piefed.social•Pluribus - Series Premiere Discussion Thread
    3·
    3 hours ago
    "Them" Theory

    I think, at face value, “they” are truly benign in their own way. However, because “they” don’t consider assimilation to be causing harm, merely a biological imperative, ultimately humanity and Earth are merely going to be vessels for “them” to further procreate.

    In the first episode, the astrophysicists were discussing the massive energy requirements and how it would have taken an antenna array the “size of Africa” to send that signal.

    My theory is that is the endgame for earth/humanity (and was what happened on the planet where the signal originated). “They”, while benign and otherwise passive, will use “their” hive mind and a significant portion (or all) of Earth’s resources to build another transmitter to further spread.

    How much of humanity is lost in that endeavor and how much resources remain afterward are yet to be determined though. Maybe “they” leave a remnant population, maybe “they” don’t.

  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.websitetoNews@lemmy.world•Voter fury emerges over skyrocketing electricity bills as AI stokes demand — and fears of a stock market bubble
    53·
    2 days ago

    This has been the push I’ve needed to pull the trigger on installing solar. My electric rates have gone from $0.09/KWh to $0.23/KWh in the last 5 years. Just got my bill after reducing as much as I could (my house is all electric sans the furnace). “Surely it’ll be under $100 this month,” I thought. Nope.

    I’ve got 800W of PV currently in an ad-hoc setup* but I’m putting together the plan for a 3.2 KW system that can auto switch between battery, PV, and grid without backfeeding. Minus the batteries, the whole setup is going to cost me about $7,000. (Batteries aren’t required and will be added later)

    Grid-tie is technically legal in my area, but the hoops you have to jump through are insane and there’s a high likelihood of being denied by the power company over the most bullshit of minutiae (seriously, they treat someone possibly feeding back 400 watts the same as if you were a MW-scale solar farm).

    *The ad-hoc setup is just 4x200W panels in a 2S2P config. I charge an Anker PowerStation from that and use it to power random stuff. It’s currently powering my server stack while charging from the panels. :)

  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.websitetoAsk Lemmy@lemmy.world•Lemmings who still don't want to use AI, why?
    334·
    3 days ago

    Because:

    1. I’m not a lazy, smooth-brained rube.
    2. I’m not in the business of selling AI to lazy, smooth-brained rubes
    3. I have no stake in the supply chain nor do I stand to profit from those selling AI to lazy, smooth-brained rubes.

    Furthermore:

    1. I don’t trust “AI”. If I’m going to have to fact check it anyway, might as well just do it myself and earn the damn knowledge.
    2. AI does not work for me (or you). It works for the companies who are forcing it on you and sucking up your data.
    3. The energy costs and water requirements are mindbogglingly staggering
    4. I refuse to feed or ride any hype train
    5. It’s creating scarcity of things that could be put to better use (energy, water, computer components, land, talent, you name it).
    6. It’s not even AI. It’s just a dead-end bullshit generator