see also: @smallpatatas@gotosocial.patatas.ca

  • 8 Posts
  • 37 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: September 18th, 2023

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  • SmartVoting isn’t simply data, however. They have a “proprietary algorithm” that they refuse to share.

    Not only that, but if the true goal of the site is strategic voting to keep Conservatives out of office, then you’d think that in a tied race between an NDP and Liberal candidate, with the Cons a distant third, there wouldn’t be a strategic vote recommendation at all.

    And yet, in a riding in that exact situation, with a NDP incumbent tied with a Liberal candidate yet to be named, it was recommending people vote for the Liberal up until a day or two ago (Hamilton Centre, Matthew Green’s riding).

    Then you start digging a little deeper and realize that the SmartVoting site is mostly (but not entirely - they have their secret algorithm!) based on the projections from 338. Which are reasonably accurate overall. However, in the recent Ontario election they under-projected the NDP’s seat count significantly, projecting 16 seats, whereas they actually ended up winning 27.

    I’m not a statistician, but that seems like a remarkable jump. If I had to guess, it’s that 338’s model is not capturing something about the NDP or their voter base, whether that’s the party’s ground game, incumbency, or some other hard-to-quantify aspect.

    So I mean, if it were just data then sure, don’t shoot the messenger! But the problem is more that the modeling and recommendations seem like they have real flaws, probably unintentional, but flaws nonetheless. And projections and recommendations can and will influence voter behaviour.



  • Without knowing how serious your relationship is, it’s hard to say.

    I would advise not doing this if the main reason is to save money, especially with one person being the sole owner. The power dynamic is too unbalanced.

    But if you’re both pretty sure this is a long-term, perhaps lifelong, relationship, then no one here can give you the correct answer. Set aside some time, sit down with your partner, discuss things from both a practical and emotional perspective, do this again in another week or two, and find an arrangement you both feel good about.



















  • I’ll be honest, I have zero sympathy for any landlord here. Rent control is necessary to (hopefully) make sure there is housing that people can afford to live in - and acts as a kind of limit to the extraction of an ever-increasing portion of the paychecks of the working class by the landlord class.

    If the renter loses the ability to pay for a home, they become homeless. If a landlord loses the ability to pay for a property, they become a renter. Economic conditions changed? How about this: these landlords should sell, and make property prices drop a little, instead of having renters getting kicked onto the street.