papasquat's recent activity
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Comment on I hope you don't use generative AI - an essay about my experience offering an open-source tool in ~tech
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Comment on Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton's CEO asked ChatGPT how to void $250 million contract, ignores lawyers, loses in court in ~games
papasquat Link ParentThere are noncompetes, but they're very rarely enforceable. Realistically there's no real mechanism to stop people from doing what you're describing. You can copyright specific content, you can't...There are noncompetes, but they're very rarely enforceable. Realistically there's no real mechanism to stop people from doing what you're describing. You can copyright specific content, you can't copyright ideas and game mechanics though.
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Comment on Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton's CEO asked ChatGPT how to void $250 million contract, ignores lawyers, loses in court in ~games
papasquat LinkHorribly sad. I've been a massive Unknown Worlds fan since Natural Selection. They've made some of those innovative, creative games of the past few decades. When they were bought by krafton, I...Horribly sad. I've been a massive Unknown Worlds fan since Natural Selection. They've made some of those innovative, creative games of the past few decades. When they were bought by krafton, I feared the worst, and those fears seem to have come to fruition.
I can't think of a single time when an independent developer was purchased by a large holding company where it turned out well for the developer or their games. I'm glad they won in court and Ted will be reinstated. Maybe this will convince them to find a way to become independent again, because they're very talented people that manage to make really great, unique games in a sea of sameiness.
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Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentIsn't that basically what we're doing here? The API the bill requires doesn't send the age to the website. It's in fact legally prohibited from sending the age to the website. It sends whether the...Isn't that basically what we're doing here? The API the bill requires doesn't send the age to the website. It's in fact legally prohibited from sending the age to the website. It sends whether the user is in one of four age brackets, because there are different legal requirements per age bracket.
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Comment on Ageless Linux emerges to protest OS-level age verification laws in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentNo, that's not what the bill says. There's no responsibility for OS provider to verify the age of their users. They only need to ask the user at account setup what their ages are. If the user...No, that's not what the bill says. There's no responsibility for OS provider to verify the age of their users. They only need to ask the user at account setup what their ages are. If the user lies, they lie. The OS provider doesn't have any liability for that.
The liability comes in if the OS provider allows users to create accounts without asking them their age.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
papasquat Link ParentI feel you. It's a real curse. I've spent afternoons savoring sleep, then gotten home and stayed up till 2am way too often.I feel you. It's a real curse. I've spent afternoons savoring sleep, then gotten home and stayed up till 2am way too often.
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Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
papasquat LinkNight owl. That's just a side effect of the fact that I think my natural ideal sleep pattern would be around a 28ish hour day. I don't like going to sleep because it's the responsible thing to do,...Night owl. That's just a side effect of the fact that I think my natural ideal sleep pattern would be around a 28ish hour day.
I don't like going to sleep because it's the responsible thing to do, or out of obligation to my future self. I like when I go to sleep because I'm very tired, and I don't get very tired until a few hours after when I should go to sleep. I think the term that's popped up to describe that behavior is "revenge bedtime procrastination".
When I lived a more responsibility free life in college, that would result in my sleep schedule migrating around the 24 hour clock a few times during the break. I'd go to bed at 1 am one night, then 3 am the next, then 5 am the night after, then 7am the night after, and so on and so forth until I was eventually right back at going to bed at a "responsible" time and waking up at 6am for a day.
So ideally, I'd be up for around 19 hours, and asleep for about 8.5.
Since I have to live in the tyranny of the oppressive 24 hour day until the Earth's rotation slows down enough to give me what I want (at which point it will have been long devoured by the sun I believe), I kinda default to night owl but am regularly sleep deprived.
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Comment on “This technology disrupts [...] Democratic—voters, [and] increases the economic power of [...] male, working-class voters” in ~society
papasquat Link ParentIt feels like you're purposely misinterpreting what he's saying. I don't agree with him, and I think planitir is one of the most evil new startups to rear it's head, but he's not announcing his...It feels like you're purposely misinterpreting what he's saying. I don't agree with him, and I think planitir is one of the most evil new startups to rear it's head, but he's not announcing his intention to undermine democracy.
He's saying that currently, the well educated professional class is who holds economic and political power in this country, and is the status quo (again, highly arguable, considering who was elected president), and that AI will weaken their economic, and thus political power (again, highly arguable. If AI can actually ever deliver what the tech bros are promising, seems plausible though).
Because of this unprecedented shift in who has economic and political power, there will be societal turmoil.
It has nothing to do with democracy or undermining it and everything to do with what types of work he thinks will be valuable in the future; working with your hands will be valuable, working with your mind will not be.
It's a stupid point, but it's not the stupid point you think he's making.
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Comment on New York Times quiz: Who’s a better writer: AI or humans? in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentKind of a depressing trend when you extrapolate it. As more of the text content available becomes written by ai, the more human beings will start writing like AI. Then the AI gets trained on that...Kind of a depressing trend when you extrapolate it. As more of the text content available becomes written by ai, the more human beings will start writing like AI. Then the AI gets trained on that "human writing" and the cycle begins anew.
In 100 years is 75% of our text content going to be em-dashes and three item lists?
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentGotcha, interesting (and pretty depressing) article. I don't think I've ever heard the word used that way. I think my main descriptor of the type of person being described as "agentic" would...Gotcha, interesting (and pretty depressing) article. I don't think I've ever heard the word used that way.
I think my main descriptor of the type of person being described as "agentic" would instead be "impulsive".
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Comment on US government announces pilot program for eVTOLS and ultralight aerial vehicles even without FAA certification in ~transport
papasquat Link ParentYes, I hope you're right and that energy costs come down dramatically in the future, and I think that you're likely correct that they will. The concern I have is that unlike water, human society...Yes, I hope you're right and that energy costs come down dramatically in the future, and I think that you're likely correct that they will.
The concern I have is that unlike water, human society seems to have an unquenchable appetite for energy. There are places that have so much potable water available that it may as well be free, and human beings can only drink so much and take so many showers per day.
There aren't places like that with energy though. Every time we build a huge amount of capacity or a new technology enables efficiency, it quickly gets gobbled up by individuals or industry. The average energy use per person has tripled since the 19th century, and it's really only capped because of the cost of production.
I feel like once we get portable fusion reactors, people will be complaining that "eugh, $0.05 per pWh is ridiculous. I can only afford to run my matter synthesis machine to replicate 10 grams of gold per day at this rate, and my house costs me 5 bucks a month just to stay aloft!"
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Comment on Determinism and Back To The Future in ~talk
papasquat LinkI don't think most people have a perception of free will that squares with what you're presenting. I think most people would fall more into the determinism camp. That is, if you presented me the...I don't think most people have a perception of free will that squares with what you're presenting. I think most people would fall more into the determinism camp. That is, if you presented me the exact same option a million times with exactly the same conditions, I'd make the exact same choice.
In your #2 example, you would choose differently many times because it's impossible to control every variable. Even though your memory gets wiped, your physical condition would be different each time. You'd be slightly more or less tired or hungry, the temperature would be slightly different each time, your experience that morning getting to the lab would be different, and even failing all of that, your mind will physically age slightly each time you repeat the experiment. The only way to perfectly control every variable would be a magic movie-esque time loop. In those conditions, I do believe that most people would think that they'd always make the same decision on each iteration of the loop. For evidence of this, no one generally has a problem with the characters of groundhog day taking the same actions each day unless Bill Murray's character somehow influences them.
That may or not be the case in real life, but we have no feasible way to actually test that hypothesis.
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Comment on The billionaire ‘buccaneer’ braving the Strait of Hormuz in ~transport
papasquat LinkReally weirdly positive puff piece, and an interesting choice to call an oligarch profiting off of a war by sending his employees into their very likely deaths a "bucaneer". I might be wrong, but...Really weirdly positive puff piece, and an interesting choice to call an oligarch profiting off of a war by sending his employees into their very likely deaths a "bucaneer".
I might be wrong, but weren't bucaneers generally on the ships they commanded into danger, and not lounging around on their massive yachts docked safely in the Greek Riviera?
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentCould you explain what you mean by high agency?Could you explain what you mean by high agency?
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Comment on US government announces pilot program for eVTOLS and ultralight aerial vehicles even without FAA certification in ~transport
papasquat Link ParentThe thing is, we often think of a 100% renewable future as one with free energy, simply because the "fuel" is freely beamed down to us or powered by the sun. That's not really the case though. The...The thing is, we often think of a 100% renewable future as one with free energy, simply because the "fuel" is freely beamed down to us or powered by the sun. That's not really the case though. The cost of the energy itself is only a portion of energy costs. Collection, distribution, and storage is still very expensive and always will be.
Wind turbines need to be built and serviced, solar panels need to be constructed and replaced, batteries have a limited lifespan. Renewables make it cheaper to produce energy, but it doesn't make them free, not by a long shot. Because of that, efficiency will always matter.
The only way I could see this ever changing would be the creation of absolutely outlandish maybe even impossible sci fi technology, like tiny cheap fusion reactors.
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Comment on The first multi-behavior brain upload in ~science
papasquat LinkI don't know if it's because I'm getting older or if new tech breakthroughs really are becoming more and more ethically questionable, but there's a disturbing trend of an increasing proportion of...I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or if new tech breakthroughs really are becoming more and more ethically questionable, but there's a disturbing trend of an increasing proportion of new tech stories laying the groundwork for the torment nexus
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Comment on US government announces pilot program for eVTOLS and ultralight aerial vehicles even without FAA certification in ~transport
papasquat Link ParentYeah, I really don't get all of the excitement over evtols. They're fundementaly slightly cheaper, way less capable helicopters. There's nothing about them revolutionary from a transportation...Yeah, I really don't get all of the excitement over evtols.
They're fundementaly slightly cheaper, way less capable helicopters. There's nothing about them revolutionary from a transportation perspective; and they have all of the drawbacks that helicopters do: expense, noise, danger, and energy inefficiency. They're arguably even more dangerous than helicopters because of a complete lack of autorotation capabilities, meaning in the event of a total power loss, unless there's some sort of emergency parachute, your death is basically guaranteed.
Regardless, spending 300kwh to move a single person a few miles is never going to be an efficient or cost effective way to transport people, regardless of the medium used to store that energy.
The whole field feels very focused on posting slick looking articles online for the Facebook crowd rather than actually producing decent transit options.
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Comment on Documents reveal a web of financial ties between Donald Trump officials and the US industries they help regulate in ~society
papasquat Link ParentIf it's one thing that we should take away from his presidency, it's that committed, popular support is literally the only thing that matters in politics. Rule of law, norms, watchdog...If it's one thing that we should take away from his presidency, it's that committed, popular support is literally the only thing that matters in politics. Rule of law, norms, watchdog organizations, the three branches of government, none of that matters if you have a fanatical, committed base. They're all just powerless words on paper. If you can win elections, and more importantly, if people think you can win and influence elections, you can do literally whatever you want.
I'm not sure what that says about (big R) Republicanism as a governance concept, but it feels like there are a lot of assumptions about how a Republic operates under duress that we've been taking for granted up until they were proven wrong over these last few years.
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Comment on Dox with Grok in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentHah, no, that would be interesting though. It's government-adjacent.Hah, no, that would be interesting though. It's government-adjacent.
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Comment on I don’t know if my software engineering job will still exist in ten years in ~comp
papasquat Link ParentYeah, it could be feasible. When mm-wave scanners were first deployed, one of their major criticisms was that it basically gives screners a full, 3d, nude image of the person being scanned, which...An example of a task that might be automated, assuming the vision models are good enough, is screening carry-on luggage
Yeah, it could be feasible. When mm-wave scanners were first deployed, one of their major criticisms was that it basically gives screners a full, 3d, nude image of the person being scanned, which a lot of people obviously had a problem with. Since then, manufacturers have mostly replaced those systems with ones that use computer vision to detect the presence of contraband without giving the screners the image.
I imagine you could do something similar with bag screening one day. The only issue is that bag screening images are much more complex. They're full 3d, transparent images that are generated with CT scanners, and operators can rotate, zoom, and dive into those images. I think there are manufacturers doing significant computer vision work with them to do things like detect explosive liquids versus water based on the refraction patterns of X-rays, but I imagine the tech isn't quite robust enough to be fully automated quite yet.
Sure there is. Art is an intentional expression of human experience or emotion.
AI can't produce art not because it's not technically capable of producing similar imagery, but in the same way that a malfunctioning printer spitting out pages of nonsense isn't art.
It's not intentional, because AI doesn't have intentions, and it's not an expression of human experience or emotion, because AI isn't human, it doesn't have experiences, and it doesn't have emotion.
The more human you put into the loop of AI generated imagery though, the more art it becomes.