this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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Science Memes

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Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.

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[–] pastel_de_airfryer@lemmy.eco.br 40 points 2 years ago (10 children)

It makes more sense when we assume it's software development terminology instead. Alpha means the software is immature and full of issues.

I am a release candidate male.

[–] Psaldorn@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago

Hello ladies, I'm legacy code nobody wants to refactor and is being slowly converted into microservices.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

I am a minimum viable product male

[–] TheFogan@programming.dev 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm just a beta male... they doubt I'm ready for release... but I'm far more stable than any alpha male.

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 8 points 2 years ago

What's the difference between beta and release candidate?

EA doesn't know either.

[–] revlayle@lemm.ee 6 points 2 years ago

I am about v4.1 right now

[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'm an old version male. I'm out of date but stable and used by people who generally know what they're doing and don't want something new that'll likely blow up in their face.

[–] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Well, I am a god damn mess as a person. So I'm like pre-alpha. I guess that makes me a proof of concept, or maybe even a thought exercise.

[–] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I too am a release candidate, but my marketing sucks.

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[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 35 points 2 years ago (2 children)
  1. languages evolve, and the origin is nothing more than a curio today. People use the term "alpha" to mean a thing that exists in humans, even if it never did in wolves.
  2. this thing is called by the rest of the population "being and asshole" and as such i find the self identification of those people very usefull and time saving.
[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 12 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

Shut the fuck up, omega

No /s come at me mods

(Not really though)

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 7 points 2 years ago

Hhyeah yes Daddy Alpha, I'll be quiet for you UwU~

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Guys, can't we all just get along. You're upsetting the Gammas.

[–] rasakaf679@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago

I'm Zeta Maxx

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[–] anarchrist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

I'm an alpha male: barely able to keep myself running and likely to completely break down if I encounter something I'm not prepared to deal with.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 11 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I'm a Google Beta.

I am effectively immortal, but I will probably someday disappear without notice.

Don’t worry, your features “will be incorporated in future releases of our latest chat client and our Gmail.”

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

I was stable release several years ago. Now I have security issues but some folks still think I'm awesome.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Just try not to leave the few remaining people who depend on you, up shit creek. Get a will.

[–] Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone 3 points 2 years ago

They'll leave a promise that other people will fill the roles they used to without any current plan to do so.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I also have a memory leak.

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[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 years ago

Don't "alpha males", as they describe themselves, typically prefer submissive women?

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

Rudolph Schenkel (yes really)

What? What is weird about that name? Maybe I'm too German native speaker to get this.

[–] eronth@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think probably you're too German. It's kind of a goofy name from an English point of view. And, for clarity, we don't necessarily generally think German names are particularly goofy.

Either that or I'm missing what the guy is referencing.

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[–] portuga@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Schenkel translates to “deer fucker” in german, I dunno I’m just making this up

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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 3 points 2 years ago

I don’t get it either. It’s not like he’s called Wanker or anything.

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[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Just remember:

An alpha release is unfit for public use, contains bugs, is untested, unrefined, and is likely to crash and may cause system wide issues.

An alpha is the first step, the very basic of basics, an infant in terms of development.

If anything, be an Omega man.

[–] lunarul@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Ultimate power move: be both.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The Omega you want to be

The Omega you actually are

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

The omegaman you want to be

The omegaman you are

This is fun. Let's play more.

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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Imagine if phrenology caught on as the latest pop-culture dipshit trend.

"My bumpy skull means I'm preternaturally predisposed to be polygamous and misogynist, and I'm just looking for a girl who has a compatible set of head bumps."

"If you can't handle me at my alimentivenest, you don't deserve me at my inhabitivenest."

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

Isn't that just sparkling racism?

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

Clearly you've stayed away from 4chan and I commend you for it.

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[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

To be more precise, Shenkel's work was discredited by the collective efforts of numerous scientists studying wolf behaviour. Probably the most notable of these was David Mech. His book "The Wolf" was based on Shenkel's work, and his own research on wolves in captivity, and was really the work that popularized the "alpha" nonsense in the public mind.

After numerous studies of wolves in the wild failed to bear out these conclusions, Mech later concluded that his work was wrong, and got The Wolf removed from publication.

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[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Peter Gibson, the guy who discovered non-celiac gluten sensitivity, retracted his own study a few years later, but it had already become a fad diet, so it just stuck. That being said, there have been some studies that seem to confirm its existence, but the evidence is pretty thin. (To be clear, celiac disease and wheat allergies are 100% proven and can be reliably tested for).

[–] TheSlad@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 years ago (4 children)

However, the gluten-free fad diet was actually incredibly beneficial for sufferers of celiac desease because it made gluten-free products so mainstream and really expanded what pre-made foods and snacks they can buy in stores.

[–] Saprophyte@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Sometimes, I have a friend with celiac who often sees "gluten free°" on menus to look down at the bottom of the menu and see "°not for people with gluten sensitivities"

He calls it "Becky gluten free" because Becky doesn't know what gluten is but she doesn't want it in her body.

[–] Soulg@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 years ago

Not really though, because it led to many places and cooks not taking it that seriously. Becky won't have any idea there's a little gluten on the knife and cutting board, but a person with celiac definitely would.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 points 2 years ago

My dad joined a local celiac group in the early 2000s not long after his sister developed celiac through pregnancy and his doctor suggested he start the diet out of an abundance of caution. At the time there were about 10 people in the group local to a city of ~250k. They'd swap menu hacks to get safe(ish) food while out and about and trade recipes. Then some specialty stores started carrying more safe stuff as the fad was starting to gain traction and it definitely went mainstream when mainstream groceries and restaurants started officially offering safe options. Needless to say, that gluten-free diet support group no longer exists.

Most interestingly, his other sister tested negative on the celiac blood test and neither I nor my dad have ever had that test done, so there's a good chance we're in the clear after all.

I can't remember now why I felt compelled to share this, or how it tied into your comment but I hope it's at least interesting!

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[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

A lot of people's gluten sensitivity is actually a sensitivity to glysophates.

[–] Bonifratz@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

As a lambda male, this doesn't faze me at all.

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Oh, hi Gordon.

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[–] Caesium@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

the study is so stupid for anyone who takes it seriously. I however enjoy the tag it birthed on Ao3

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Alpha, beta, sigma, all just types of prison bitch. Scientifically speaking.

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