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Daremo Misanthrope Supreme from Parts Unknown Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: If it's you, it's okay
#27251: Jul 1st 2025 at 1:21:15 AM

I like the idea of a smart house.

I do not like the idea of a remotely controlled smart house.

Keep all operations local, and wired if possible and just access your computer. One point of failure to keep watch over.

If nothing else you won't have battery anxiety.

Creed of the Happy Pessimist:Always expect the worst. Then, when it happens, it was only what you expected. All else is a happy surprise.
scionofgrace from the depths of my brain Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#27252: Jul 2nd 2025 at 5:42:55 AM

A use case for a "smart" oven is that you can time the preheating so that when you arrive home (say, from work) it's ready to cook something you prepared ahead of time and were keeping in the fridge/freezer.

Though my "dumb" oven can do the same thing, more or less. You set it according to its clock so it starts preheating at a given time. The downside is that you can't change/cancel it remotely if something comes up.

IOT is great in theory, but yeah, I don't trust the implementation.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#27253: Jul 2nd 2025 at 7:52:02 AM

Also, all the people who work at home?

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#27254: Jul 2nd 2025 at 4:35:07 PM

I have heat/AC that’s not on wifi but is programmable, and I think it has all the benefits (I can set it up to turn on an hour before I normally get home from work, or in the winter set it to turn the heat on an hour before I want to get up) with none of the downsides (it breaking due to internet issues in situations where a purely mechanical one would be fine; the manufacturer deciding to start charging me a monthly fee to use it).

I can’t see the use of a “smart” washing machine (you have to be around to put the clothes in before you can use it) or stove (ditto, you need to put the food into the oven and take it out when it’s done).

[up] It’s not like it takes all that long for an oven to preheat.

Edited by Galadriel on Jul 2nd 2025 at 4:36:32 AM

TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#27256: Jul 3rd 2025 at 5:20:55 AM

Reminds me of a bit in The Stanley Parable making fun of players' desire to see themselves ranked next to others. The player is always portrayed as dead last, behind "A Dead Rat".

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#27257: Jul 3rd 2025 at 7:34:12 AM

I will say, it takes some major effort to be worse than people who have never seen a chess board in their lives.

Malady (X-Troper)
#27258: Jul 3rd 2025 at 12:59:16 PM

If you concede, doesn't your ranking always go down?

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#27259: Jul 3rd 2025 at 1:37:15 PM

I do wonder why more IoT devices insist on connecting to a company server instead of something the customer runs on their own LAN. I mean I don't really wonder (it's because the average customer can't and/or would prefer not to have to deal with that complexity) but y'know, I kinda wonder.

As for chess... anyone see that meme going around, "google en passant" "I know what en passant is, you just blundered mate in one"? That's about where my chess skill level is.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Florien The They who said it from statistically, slightly right behind you. Since: Aug, 2019
The They who said it
#27260: Jul 3rd 2025 at 2:42:52 PM

[up] I've played you, you're better than that.

You're 800, easily, yxy(ep)?? — Yyy# is an issue generally confined to particularly flashy >600s who act as if EP is forced, and inexperienced blitz players.

[down] Probably not, the worst thing you're doing by resigning too early is artificially inflating other players' rankings, which will resolve itself (they'll get obliterated by higher-skilled players and get back to where they should be), and resigning is generally considered polite under many circumstances. (Not that I do it, it just generally is, especially in tournament play. This probably applies less when you're resigning to crash your ranking and rating though, but it's probably not impolite. After all, your opponent gets to win.)

Edited by Florien on Jul 4th 2025 at 12:05:15 PM

Aetol from France Since: Jan, 2015
#27261: Jul 3rd 2025 at 4:42:37 PM

[up][up][up] Yes, but I suspect most online chess platforms would consider that trolling and ban you eventually.

Worldbuilding is fun, writing is a chore
Malady (X-Troper)
#27262: Jul 4th 2025 at 7:00:40 AM

Apparently 7 millionth place is actually even pretty good? So auto-conceding would only be impressive at around 200 millionth?

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/3110:_Global_Ranking

Specifically, chess.com currently has about 218 million users, about 58 million of which have a Rapid rating [1]. Being 7'145'000 would put Cueball just shy of best 10% of players with an Elo rating of about 900.

Edited by Malady on Jul 4th 2025 at 7:01:36 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#27263: Jul 4th 2025 at 7:07:25 AM

Huh, that does changes the perspective of things.

TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#27266: Jul 4th 2025 at 10:28:24 AM

Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#27267: Jul 4th 2025 at 11:53:08 AM

Hindsight is actually quite difficult when you're in that type of "artificial gravity" environment, along with vision in general.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
gropcbf from France Since: Sep, 2017
#27268: Jul 4th 2025 at 12:30:21 PM

This must be set in a universe where sci-fi didn't exist.

TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
C105 Too old for this from France Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Too old for this
#27270: Jul 8th 2025 at 1:58:11 AM

Now I'd like to see other departments investigating.

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#27272: Jul 8th 2025 at 6:19:22 AM

"It's a dagger from Mars!"

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#27273: Jul 8th 2025 at 9:25:21 AM

What if the moon turned into a black hole?

As always, the details of the question matter: is it a black hole the mass of the Moon or a black hole the size of the Moon? In the former case, not much would happen unless you were literally standing on it when it collapsed. The Moon doesn't affect the Earth all that much outside of its gravity.

In the latter case, we all die within seconds, with the rest of the solar system following us in hours or days.

Edited by Fighteer on Jul 8th 2025 at 12:37:39 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
alekos23 Since: Mar, 2013
#27274: Jul 8th 2025 at 9:37:38 AM

I imagine a bunch of animals and plants(?) might go extinct without moonlight as a guide.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#27275: Jul 8th 2025 at 9:38:38 AM

Not really. As Randall points out, we have already done far worse to ecosystems with human activity, including and especially light pollution at night. Untouched ecosystems might suffer a bit, but in general things would be fine.

Edit: Earth would cool very slightly due to the loss of the Moon's reflected heat (mostly as infrared) but only enough to offset a few weeks of warming from anthropogenic climate change.

Edited by Fighteer on Jul 8th 2025 at 12:40:16 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

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