papasquat's recent activity
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Comment on I deleted my second brain in ~tech
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Comment on Managers say they are having trouble finding candidates for nearly 400,000 US manufacturing and technical jobs in ~finance
papasquat Link ParentSo like, what's the long term plan? Do you have enough savings to keep up with your car and live that way indefinitely? Or are you just sort of winging it? It seems like being "full on homeless"...So like, what's the long term plan? Do you have enough savings to keep up with your car and live that way indefinitely? Or are you just sort of winging it?
It seems like being "full on homeless" would be way more difficult and stressful than having a normal job.
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
papasquat (edited )Link ParentA comedian called Puerto Rico (part of the US) a floating island of garbage at a rally for our current president like six months ago. No, it would absolutely not be illegal whatsoever in the US. I...A comedian called Puerto Rico (part of the US) a floating island of garbage at a rally for our current president like six months ago. No, it would absolutely not be illegal whatsoever in the US.
I think that part is fine, even though I thought the joke was disgusting and painfully unfunny.
The major issue is that a sizable portion of the US think a joke like that is funny, they elected someone who put that comedian on that stage, and that president, along with the judges he gets to appoint, are now the people who get to decide what is and is not hate speech, and thus, (apparently) a valid target for punishment.
According to them, Tony Hinchcliffes set where he says Puerto Rico is a garbage island is protected free speech, but people protesting the slaughter of Palestinians by Israel is hate speech that the government gets to punish people for.
Luckily, we have the first amendment to provide us some semblance from protection against that, but if things has gone slightly differently in Brazil a few years ago, and Trump's favorite Brazilian was running the country again, which type of speech do you think he would be punishing right now?
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Comment on Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film in ~movies
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentThe reward I'm talking about isn't the money they're currently making. They're making a lot of money right now, but still, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and so on are making more, right...The reward I'm talking about isn't the money they're currently making. They're making a lot of money right now, but still, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and so on are making more, right now.
The ambition is that they become the most powerful humans that have ever lived. As in, super intelligent, functionally immortal, guides of the human race. Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan, Napoleon, all wrapped up together and dialed up to infinity. If they're the ones to herald, develop, and somehow control AI super intelligences, they believe that they'll become untouchable superhumans leading humanity to a golden age (the second part is at least what they say).
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentThe people running these AI companies have completely drank the kool-aid. They're all in on the promised dream of AI; that is, that it will in very short time result in a self improving super...The people running these AI companies have completely drank the kool-aid. They're all in on the promised dream of AI; that is, that it will in very short time result in a self improving super intelligence, that with the right finesse of alignment involved, solve all of the pressing issues humanity has while rewarding the people who created it beyond all imagination. Even if I personally believe that idea is far fetched, I'm hesitant to trust my own judgement over those of the people running these companies.
If you're operating under that set of assumptions, it makes sense to pay the few people in the world that have the experience and skill set to truly move the needle of AI research forward whatever you can afford to keep them on your team. In their view, not getting these people doesn't just mean failure as a company, it means the potential extinction of the human race.
In their mind, they're fighting the opening salvos of a sci-fi war that hasn't happened yet.
Whether they're forward thinking visionaries or just crazy people sitting on piles of way too much money entirely depends on if they're right or not.
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentOh it's definitely not practical. It's just a wish, not a policy proposal.Oh it's definitely not practical. It's just a wish, not a policy proposal.
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
papasquat Link ParentI don't think I'd agree with you a year ago, but based on the current political environment in my country, I definitely don't agree with you now. Even if we could rely on judges being impartial at...I don't think I'd agree with you a year ago, but based on the current political environment in my country, I definitely don't agree with you now.
Even if we could rely on judges being impartial at all times, a mere charge can ruin someones life. The trump administration is aggressively trying to curtail free speech, free press, and free assembly, and they're doing it under the guise of exactly what you're proposing we should make illegal.
Criticism of Israel, or his administration is classified by them as hate speech, antisemitism, and incitement to terrorism. It doesn't matter that a reasonable person sees that as obvious nonsense. His administration is deporting legal residents under that pretext. If the first amendment didn't exist, it would go a lot further than that. All it takes is a single judge sympathetic to the administration to ruin someones life, and even if someone is charged and exonerated, the lengthy court case and public spectical destroys lives as well.
All of that is bad, but the worst part is the chilling effect that has on speech. There's no way a legal resident is as willing to speak up about injustice today as they were six months ago. Why would you risk your entire future and your life for standing up for what you believe in? Some people are still going to be willing to make that sacrifice, and that's honorable, but most people would not.
I hate to make a slippery slope argument when it comes to free speech, but thanks to Trump, I no longer have to. We're seeing the direct results of what happens when a tyrant gets elected to an otherwise free society. Without safeguards our constitution has put in place in place that limit his power to control the kinds of speech he doesn't like, "hateful" or "violent" speech would just become a matter of opinion.
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentThe result of the work is compensated in terms of how impactful it is, but not how good it is, which is what people usually mean when they say someone deserves something. A teacher would deserve...The result of the work is compensated in terms of how impactful it is, but not how good it is, which is what people usually mean when they say someone deserves something.
A teacher would deserve more than a mob boss, and a humanitarian aid worker would deserve more than a private equity broker, for instance.
People don't get paid for how much good they do in the world, they get paid for how much influence they wield, and unfortunately most very influential people didn't get that way by doing morally good things.
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Comment on Brazilian comedian sentenced to eight years over discriminatory jokes in ~society
papasquat Link ParentI'm coming at this from an American point of view, but to me, that idea is ridiculous. Even if I agreed with the idea that people shouldn't be allowed to say things that I personally consider...I'm coming at this from an American point of view, but to me, that idea is ridiculous.
Even if I agreed with the idea that people shouldn't be allowed to say things that I personally consider racist/homophobic/discriminatory, not everyone agrees with my definition of those things.
If we didn't have freedom of speech enshrined in the US constitution, I have no doubt whatsoever that our president would be currently jailing everyone he doesn't like under the guise of "promoting antisemitism" by opposing the Israeli destruction of Gaza. He's already attempted to deport legal residents who he views as not being protected by the first amendment.
Racists have never made me stop believing that freedom of speech is a cornerstone of a free society.
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentWell, that's the problem. Currently, it doesn't matter how much revenue they have. They could have $500 billion in revenue, and they still wouldn't be profitable, because they'd still be spending...Well, that's the problem. Currently, it doesn't matter how much revenue they have. They could have $500 billion in revenue, and they still wouldn't be profitable, because they'd still be spending $1T a year to make it. People are willing to use a service that lets them generate funny pictures when it's free. When it costs $50 a month or more, why would most people bother?
It's like that old joke: "Yeah, we lose money on every sale, but we make up for it on volume!"
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Comment on Sam Altman says Meta offered OpenAI staff $100 million bonuses, as Mark Zuckerberg ramps up AI poaching efforts in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI wish we lived in a system that paid people what they actually deserve rather than what the market would bear. Those two things are basically never correlated.I wish we lived in a system that paid people what they actually deserve rather than what the market would bear. Those two things are basically never correlated.
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Comment on Johnny Depp says he has “no regrets” about Amber Heard trial and was a “crash test dummy for #MeToo” in ~movies
papasquat Link ParentPopular perception of it has already been trending towards thinking of it as more of a witch hunt than a force for justice by the time the depp/heard trial took place. Before the trial, that...Popular perception of it has already been trending towards thinking of it as more of a witch hunt than a force for justice by the time the depp/heard trial took place. Before the trial, that perception was mostly held by misogynists, mens rights activists, and far right conservatives.
After the trial though, more moderate people stated viewing it in that light as well. It was then obvious obvious how it could be used as a cudgel to get people to side with you in a domestic dispute and to avoid consequences for bad behavior.
I think most people still largely view it as a good thing, but tainted by bad actors at times. Before the trial, it was almost universally viewed as a positive though.
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Comment on Satisfiers vs maximizers in ~talk
papasquat LinkI think everyone is both in different situations. I personally don't give a shit about brands of food. If I want a sandwich, I'll go to the bread aisle and grab the first thing that I see. My...I think everyone is both in different situations. I personally don't give a shit about brands of food. If I want a sandwich, I'll go to the bread aisle and grab the first thing that I see.
My fiance will spend 15 minutes comparing the prices, nutritional values, staleness, and packaging of like 50 different loaves, and she does this with basically every food item.
On the flip side, if I need a new monitor or something, I'll spend weeks or months researching specs, reading reviews, comparing prices, and shopping around before making a decision.
My fiance would just go to a goodwill and pick up a random used piece of crap, or just take someone's old obselete monitor.
She doesn't value computer monitors much, and I don't value bread much.
I'm sure your wife does have things she's particular about. It probably just isn't lawnmowers.
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Comment on I need advice, which laptop would you buy now? in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentReally not worth it imo. The entire selling point of Apple products, and the reason they're so much more expensive than alternatives is the vertical Integration between the hardware and OS. If...Really not worth it imo. The entire selling point of Apple products, and the reason they're so much more expensive than alternatives is the vertical Integration between the hardware and OS. If you're not doing that, then why even bother with an Apple laptop?
I don't really like OSX, but if I were to buy an apple product, it would be because I knew the OS was specifically designed for the hardware. If you mess around with it and put another OS on it, what's the point?
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Comment on Do dumbphones actually… work? (realistic week in the life) in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI view it as carrying around a flask of bathtub gin instead of good whiskey. You're still going to drink it, it will just be unpleasant, and I don't think either one is a great way to beat an...I view it as carrying around a flask of bathtub gin instead of good whiskey. You're still going to drink it, it will just be unpleasant, and I don't think either one is a great way to beat an addiction.
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Comment on Do dumbphones actually… work? (realistic week in the life) in ~tech
papasquat LinkThese convoluted, expensive attempts to make functionally worse phones never really made sense to me. I understand that for most people that buy them, the appeal of these devices is that it forces...These convoluted, expensive attempts to make functionally worse phones never really made sense to me. I understand that for most people that buy them, the appeal of these devices is that it forces you to not be drawn into your phone as much, but I can't help but feel like thats a bandaid on a bigger problem. Namely, why do you feel the need to occupy your time on your phone so much? What else could you be doing with your time? Do you have hobbies or relationships you'd rather focus on instead?
I view it similar to other addictions. If my job forced me to carry around a pack of cigarettes all day, it'd be annoying, but I wouldn't be tempted to smoke them, because I'm not addicted to cigarettes. Same goes for my phone. If you DO have that temptation, I'd argue that you have some degree of addiction to it, which has some underlying cause.
I've personally never had a real issue with being on my phone too much (other than hating notifications), and I think it's because I prioritize other stuff. I just sort of view any time idly scrolling on my phone as wasted time that I don't derive any enjoyment out of, similar to just sitting at a table and reading the back of a cereal box. I get that not everyone is that way, but the answer to that problem seems like more inner work, correctly identifying values, and tying those values to actions, rather than by buying yet another gadget that will make it hard or impossible to do online banking.
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Comment on As consumers switch from Google Search to ChatGPT, a new kind of bot is scraping data for AI in ~tech
papasquat Link ParentI don't use ChatGPT, but most popular LLM interfaces have web grounding now, so they'll recognize when a question is outside of their temporal bounds, or when they just need more verifiable info,...I don't use ChatGPT, but most popular LLM interfaces have web grounding now, so they'll recognize when a question is outside of their temporal bounds, or when they just need more verifiable info, and will launch a web search and summarize it. It's not a bad way to sift through the internet, as long as you're actually verifying the links it's sourcing from.
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Comment on Necessities are expensive, luxuries are cheap in ~finance
papasquat Link ParentSupply and demand economics still work. They're the entire reason why housing is so expensive. You can keep making manufacturing cheaper and cheaper. You can develop more efficient processes, you...Supply and demand economics still work. They're the entire reason why housing is so expensive. You can keep making manufacturing cheaper and cheaper. You can develop more efficient processes, you can find cheaper materials, you can outsource to places where labor is cheaper, and so on.
You can't somehow magically make more land in a city though. People want to live in cities because that's where jobs and amenities are, and we have more people, but the amount of land in a city is still the same, and it will always be the same. We can't somehow increase the supply of land significantly.
We can promote more efficient space utilization by increasing density, but that only improves things to a point, and only works in places that aren't yet dense, like north American cities. You're not going to somehow increase density and significantly bring down rental costs in Tokyo.
Housing in desirable areas will continue to get more and more expensive as the population of that area grows, because land is one of the few things we just cannot produce more of. Housing in the US being expensive now versus the 90s has less to do with development patterns (which were largely the same back then too), or corporate greed (which existed then as it does now), and more to do with the fact that we have the same amount of land, but 100 million more people that need a place to live.
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Comment on Necessities are expensive, luxuries are cheap in ~finance
papasquat Link ParentIsn't that kind of the opposite of the premise of the video/thread? Going out to eat, or going to the movies is a luxury. Groceries are a necessity though.Isn't that kind of the opposite of the premise of the video/thread?
Going out to eat, or going to the movies is a luxury. Groceries are a necessity though.
I noticed something similar in college while trying to force myself to take notes. I'm not a note taker by default. It's something I really need to force myself to do.
I noticed over time that if I just didn't take notes and instead just paid attention to the lecture and did the reading, I'd do better on tests than a lot of my classmates who were meticulous note takers and studiers. They'd write well organized, readable notes that they'd pour over later for hours and hours. I just sat in class, paid attention to what the professor said, asked questions where appropriate, and thats about it.
Eventually I just abandoned the idea of taking notes altogether, and although I wasn't the best student in the world, I did decently well in college and almost never studied.
Thats followed me to adulthood. I write things down I need to do, or things I think I'll forget (although I'm a horrible judge of this and end up overestimating my memory a lot). I know note taking would help me remember some more, but it would cost me way more than it would get me.