DisasterlyDisco's recent activity
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Comment on Clanker: A word for the machine in ~tech
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentHaha, English is my second language - the internet was my third parent growing up. And also, the keyboard on my phone is non-standard; each of the buttons have 5 modes, tapping and swiping into...Haha, English is my second language - the internet was my third parent growing up. And also, the keyboard on my phone is non-standard; each of the buttons have 5 modes, tapping and swiping into one if the 4 corners. Letters are typed by tapping the keys, numbers btyswiping up and to the left on the upper row, symbols by usually by swiping down and to the right or left, with som few outliers. You'd probably be able to determine the layout of the swipeable characters by looking at the word with an errant character, and factoring in that I type with two thumbs, usually.
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI don't know whether that is true and not, I tgink it is, but it is not relevant to my comment. My reply was mainly to LostInBerlin's seeming misunderstanding of the water cyvle, the sun, peoples...I don't know whether that is true and not, I tgink it is, but it is not relevant to my comment. My reply was mainly to LostInBerlin's seeming misunderstanding of the water cyvle, the sun, peoples genaral knowkedge on the water c^vle and why people might be aggrieved when they think their water is threatened.
But now that you brought it up: what does it matter that there is another bigger waste of water? That does not make concerns of water waste on smaller scale less justified. Yes, we should really really get around to reducing overwatering (and all the other absurd pravtices) that plague the agricultural system, but we should also ensure that datacenters are build where water isn't scarce and ensure that the water they might leak out isn't contaminaited.
Now, I d(n't believe that dataventers using water is an (and far from the) argument against building them. But they should be held to high standards, not just in their capacity as a datacebter, but as their part in the local and global encironment. Gotta build sustainably, not just effeciently.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
DisasterlyDisco LinkEsoteric Ebb I've not finished it yet, but I'm itching to get back to it. I loved Disco Elysium, and I love Dungeons and Dragons. Espteric Ebb in short takes the Disco Elysium formula an marries...Esoteric Ebb
I've not finished it yet, but I'm itching to get back to it. I loved Disco Elysium, and I love Dungeons and Dragons. Espteric Ebb in short takes the Disco Elysium formula an marries it with the DnD SRD along with some homebrew and a distinctly non-faerun take on the classic high fantasy setting. It's great, you play a cleric and you get a goblin sidekick, and fron there expectations are routinely broken. Prime example - combat feels just as undesireable and rough as it does in every day life. And not in that gritty-realism way. But in the way were you don't want to get hurt and don't really want to hurt anyone else. Also the vibes are deeply scandenavian so I personally feel a sense of home in the game. -
Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DisasterlyDisco LinkJust finished a rough version of a plant watering and moniting station/test-kit primarily meant for developing digital twins for plants, but also just a useful little thing to have around to keep...Just finished a rough version of a plant watering and moniting station/test-kit primarily meant for developing digital twins for plants, but also just a useful little thing to have around to keep my plants healthy when I'm out of the house. Based on python and off the shelf hardware for easy implementation and extension with new sensors and watering schedules. Did it as part of my studies and my job in a section of my university, and I'm not quite certain what the licensing is for it bexause of that. But the core code is public on my github and will be expanded on with some better documentation soon-ish, if anyone got a RPi5 lying around that they wouldn't mind hooking up to a chlorophilled friend.
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI think you might misunderstand why people are worried about water use. It is not that people believe that water will be used up, that we are going to drain our oceans, empty our lakes, that is...I think you might misunderstand why people are worried about water use. It is not that people believe that water will be used up, that we are going to drain our oceans, empty our lakes, that is absurd. They are worried about local water reserves. Because moving water is not trivial. And cleaning water is not trivial. And desalinating water is not trivial. All are possible, yes, but not without effort, often on industrial scale.
So, when people complain that so and so industry is using a lot of water, it is not that they are stupid and think that the water will just go away. It is that the local limited water will be used, and that water will be locally more expensive, scarce, maybe even dirty to the point of being undrinkable.
Also, the planet heating up to the point that clouds can't form in a thousand years? What? The sun won't be running out of hydrogen in its core for billions of years, and only after will it start expanding at any pase that would lead to such drastic temeperature increases over such a short time. The current expansion slow. As in water-won't-be-a-problem-for-millions-of-years slow. Your understanding of our suns evolution and its effect on our water is simply not correct.
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Comment on Game testers wanted for science fiction game in ~games
DisasterlyDisco LinkCount me in for testingCount me in for testing
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Comment on Determinism and Back To The Future in ~talk
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentInteresting; I consider myself a hard incompatibilist on the subject of free will (i.e. that under both the assumption of a deterministic OR an indeterministic universe, free will is impossible),...Interesting; I consider myself a hard incompatibilist on the subject of free will (i.e. that under both the assumption of a deterministic OR an indeterministic universe, free will is impossible), but, that is based on a definition of free will closer to the one you prescribe to a belief in the Christian god - that a person can make a choice that is disjoint from the surrounding causal universe. I don't personally believe that that sense of free will stems from a Christian worldview though, or at least that it is present outside cultures that are heavily affected by Christian culture.
But, under your understanding of free will, I can only agree. If "free will" means that my actions are based on my memories and internal state, and that because of that I would always make the same choice under the same conditions if we assume determinism, then yes I see no other way. But I fail to see how that kind of free will is a useful concept, other than as a descriptor of the sense that one has a choice under determinism. The internal state feels that it makes a choice, but the choice is still deterministic if the surrounding world is deterministic. And I have never met anyone who did not at least have the sense that hey made their choice, even if the logically believed that the choice was deterministic, and thus no other choice could have been made under the present circumstances and them having had the history they had.
It also, at least from my own experience, is not how most people view free will as a concept. Usually, when I discuss the concept of free will, what is meant is the ability to choose, despite determinism. Or at least, that there is a meaningful way in which one could have made another choice, and faced with the same situation might have done so, despite a belief that the surrounding world is at least predictable, if not hard deterministic. But, my experience is also that most people don't actually think too hard about the scope and breath of a deterministic world, being somewhat agnostic to the difference between something being seemingly random (because of inadequate predictive power) and actually random, and not really interrogating the difference between feeling like they can make choices, and actually being able to make choices.
A variation of this last point is my initial assumption of your stance as a I read your comment, but I suspect that I'm either wrong, or don't fully understand your position.
Why do you have the definition of free will that you have? How is it meaningfully different from the concept of determinism as a whole?
Also, if you would like, how would your stance be on the conflict between free will and determinism under the "Christian" definition of free will?
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Comment on The average US college student is illiterate in ~life
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI just read the post, and I don't see anything about accommodations in it. Has the post been changed since you read it?I just read the post, and I don't see anything about accommodations in it. Has the post been changed since you read it?
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Comment on Pandoc for the people: convert documents without leaving the browser in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco LinkI use it for technocal papers, letting me write the text vody in markdown which is nice for rough drafts and notes, and then converting it to paper or hypertext format through either latex->pdf or...I use it for technocal papers, letting me write the text vody in markdown which is nice for rough drafts and notes, and then converting it to paper or hypertext format through either latex->pdf or html with css. Great for writing text intended for multiple formats.
Don't know if I'll be using the online tool much, but it's that it's there (and is now also in my bookmarks).
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Comment on Passing question about LLMs and the Tech Singularity in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco LinkI have so many feelings about this, where to start. First of all, I think that we are still a ways off of any intelligence explosion, whether that be in humans or machines. Using LLM's can...- Exemplary
I have so many feelings about this, where to start.
First of all, I think that we are still a ways off of any intelligence explosion, whether that be in humans or machines.
Using LLM's can increase productivity, but it is both my experience, and my general understanding, that it actually makes the user slightly dumber, not smarter, when it is used. It's easy, solves problems fast, requirering little critical thought. If what it does is something you were already doing, then you do it less often, and get progressively worse at it. If what it does is something you've never tried doing, then you never acquire that skill.
I suppose that there could be an argument for an aggregate increase in intelligence between the user and the LLM. That the human might get slightly dumber, but that the LLM gets much smarter, and thus the total intelligence has increased. The only way I see to evaluate that is by comparing the output of the combined Human/LLM system as opposed to the unassisted Human. But, when I do that, I again see only a decrease in quality (at least in my own field of software engineering).
The electronic systems that we cureently call AI (which are complicated beasts of many disparate parts) are also far FAR from any autonomic recursive increase in intelligence. Letting a model LLM loose, letting it attempt to modify and upgrade it's own infrastructure would have laughably catastrophocic consequences. LLMs can certainly generate massive amounts of functional code in the blink of an eye. But it is fragile code, fully functional in the narrowest cases, a buggy mess in the face of anything unexpected, a tapestry of the front page results of a myriad quick google searches. It has to be vetted by humans still, has to be padded with the missing pieces, has to be corrected, if you want anything sound. Cettainly if you want anything robust enough to recursively rewrite itself.
Second of all, we've build so many tools throughout our history that has helped us compute things better. Like, the current computer that you are probably reading this on is an overstuffed toolshed of things that make it easier to compute things, one tool holding up the other, in a chain of bootstraps that let's us intepret the consequences of unique spatial and temporal patterns of electrons as images, sounds, buttons and letters from friends and strangers. So many people have contributed to just the code running on your computer, each one solving a different problem, with a different scope, dependent on other peoples solutions and fascilitating other solutions to other problems in turn. And, that computer is only able to run that code because an absolutely staggering amount of other computers are already running, ready to interconnect with any new computer, filled with the tools we need to set up and continue development. And then there are all the people that have thought up and rigouresly proven the mathematical principles that are fundamental to our computing. And the engineers that have build the countless electronic and mechanical machines needed to keep computers being a thing.
It is baffling to me that we are currently so fascinated by computers that can get smarter by themselves that we forget that all of human invention, ingenuity and intelligence is the consequence of years upon years of collaboration and private triumphs. It saddens me that you can only mention Moore's Law (which, while an acute observation by Moore, is not much of a tool) and large language models out of all the steps that we've already taken - and are still taking - towards furthering our understanding of our world.
And, thirdly and finally, what the fuck is up with this modern belief in AI singularity? Why do we believe that intelligence could ever be a runaway effect? That it is even plausible that anything could just recursively learn ad infinitum without limit? Have we all gotten so comfortable with the supposed singularities in black holes, that we've forgotten that singularities are a logical problem? That when the result of any postulate, any calculation, any thought, is a singularity, then one should probably reconsider? I am unconvinced that any form of intelligence singularity is likely or desireable. It seems to me too clean, too simple. It reeks of deification, of over-anthropomorphication. it sounds like the screams of sacrifices to volcano gods that could have gone on to study plate techtonics.
What is the point of this "singularity", what do we hope to gain? Why in all nine hells do we doggedly pursue it, seemingly without question?
My mind? Boggled.
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Comment on Youtube channel recommendations 2026 in ~tech
DisasterlyDisco LinkWow, I'm surprised by the overlap between this thread and my own youtube subscriptions. I do have a couple of channels that haven't been shared yet: Diffraction Limited - Very high quality videos...Wow, I'm surprised by the overlap between this thread and my own youtube subscriptions. I do have a couple of channels that haven't been shared yet:
Diffraction Limited - Very high quality videos on optics and other light related topics, along with in depth build videos for related open source tools and machines. A relatively young channel with a sparse video catalog, but each and every one of them is of great quality.
Hyperspace Pirate - Lab equipment and tech-projects build cheaper than what is probably advisable. JW Telescope inspired cryocooling, a remote controlled arc-furnace, homemade dry ice, an xray machine. All of the videos fall squarely into the category of "don't try this at home kids, even if it is practically possible", and I can't vouch for the soundness of what they build. But it is undoubtedly impressive.
SuperfastMatt - Follow one mans dream of going very fast, and his reality of actually building that dream. The core of the channel is currently the building of a sleek land speed racer, what will let Matt go Superfast (and get a hat). But this project is surrounded but other vehicle adjacent tomfoolery like remote controlling a mini and driving an old camper van off of a cliff. Ah, and making an off road dodge viper.
[People Make Games]
Apart from those, I'd also really like to second these two channels, even though they've already been mentioned:
Benn Jordan - Do you like music? Do you like technology? Do you like applied science? Do you think that our modern power structures merit critical scrutiny? Benn Jordan's channel definitely has music as it's core subject, but his techno-anarchical bend has led to him visiting other topics, especially recently. There are videos on sound cameras, using birds as physical storage, the safety of privatized mass survailance and of course AI antagonistic music production.
Thought Emporium - A Mad Scientist Makerspace homegrowing meat grapes, glow in the dark spider silk, bio-computers and much much more. The primary focus is what I'd consider bio-engineering - splicing genes, growing cells, making them produce different materials - but they also branch out into other projects like playing with electroplating, making lasers with highlighter ink and growing opals. They have a current longterm goal, AFAIK, of growing neurons on chips to create bio-electric computation. It's fun stuff, and well explained.
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Comment on Let's talk orchestrated objective reduction! in ~science
DisasterlyDisco LinkDid someone say the phenomenology of Quantum Mechanics? That Penrose and Hameroff are on the hunt for consciousness in macroscopic quantum effects in the h&man body is REAL interesting. I'll...Did someone say the phenomenology of Quantum Mechanics?
That Penrose and Hameroff are on the hunt for consciousness in macroscopic quantum effects in the h&man body is REAL interesting. I'll certainly have to read more about that. Do you have some good intro material other than the papwr, the wikipedia article and Penroses own books?
Accepting quantum stuff in the wet, warm and noisy doesn't seem too far fetched to me. But I wonder how that keads to consciousness? What is consciousness by the Penrose Hameroff definition, and how does quantum calculations lead to that?
Also, a minor thing, I'm curious what you think the age consciousness looks like? I'm all for a good next step, and I think it's interesting to hear what others believe the next step is.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI intend to make a residence in the End sometime soon, and I was thinking of making a "Last Shop before the End" type of thing with essentials and niceties for End dimension exploration. I would...I intend to make a residence in the End sometime soon, and I was thinking of making a "Last Shop before the End" type of thing with essentials and niceties for End dimension exploration. I would love to have a rocket gas station as part of the shtick!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentSame! I already kinda want a rematch with the dragon (seeing as I fell out of the sky before it did) so I'm voting for that as our first outing.Same! I already kinda want a rematch with the dragon (seeing as I fell out of the sky before it did) so I'm voting for that as our first outing.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentSo cool!So cool!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI'll put up a stele in j0hn's name where my minimap said I died.I'll put up a stele in j0hn's name where my minimap said I died.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentI have a paved path of deepslate bricks from a temp path to my portal in the side of a netherrack cliff (branching off of the path to the blaze spawner); feel free to demolish as needed - it was...I have a paved path of deepslate bricks from a temp path to my portal in the side of a netherrack cliff (branching off of the path to the blaze spawner); feel free to demolish as needed - it was not meant to be permanent anyway. (It's the portal that leads to a lil' spot of lava by an underground waterway WAY down below the ground)
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Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk
DisasterlyDisco (edited )Link ParentI would be very careful about any brazen statement on what any quantum behavior "implies", whether that is seemingly mystical or rational. The How of quantum mechanics is understood. We have a...I would be very careful about any brazen statement on what any quantum behavior "implies", whether that is seemingly mystical or rational. The How of quantum mechanics is understood. We have a very solid framework that Just Works™and it is very, very useful. The Why is still a completely open question. It is why quantum mechanics has multiple "interpretations" - many worlds, pilot wave, ensemble, superdeterminism, the Copenhagen non-answer, etc - non of which are proven nor disproven. In some of those wave function collapse (i.e. the system going from a diffuse set of probabilities to a singular definite state (roughly)) is a thing that actually physically happens, while in others it is a "trick of perspective" where we didn't actually fully know the system, or even weirder bullshit.
The Observer Effect, that anything observed is also disturbed, is a Classical effect and thus maps very well to the observed behavior of everything in the classical domain (which is most things, even extremely tiny stuff, as long as they aren't moving too fast, or are too heavy, probably, within my understanding). Seemingly, this maps simply to the quantum domain: the system was in its weird wavy state, we disturbed it by observing it, now it is in its defined particly state. But does that actually make sense? Why would disturbing something make it more defined, not less? Turns out, shit's a lot more complicated, which is why we haven't yet settled on a singular interpretation - not even all interpretations has observation as an important part of wave function collapse (I'd argue most don't).
(Of course, the Observer Effect also does kinda affect a quantum system, in so far as for us to measure the system we have to interact with it, but that is an effect we have to account for on top of the quantum weirdness of whatever wave function collapse means.)
I suppose this is the point that I think many people missed; when we say "if you think you understand quantum mechanics, no you don't" we do not mean that you can't understand the how. We mean that no one yet understands the why. We don't say this to discourage people from learning the mechanics, just to remind people that the why is still out there for us to find. And, that it is deceptively easy to build a classical intuition of the quantum phenomena that get in the way of a full appreciation of the really weird world of the quantum scale.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
DisasterlyDisco Link ParentBlaze Farm: 241 59 78 (Nether)Blaze Farm: 241 59 78 (Nether)
Man, I wish we hadn't already used the term "daemon" for background processes, they would have been SUCH a good name for agents. Something that speaks like a human, and can solve your problems with but a word, but with which you must be careful, as it might do something unexpected, fulfilling your wish with unexepcted side effects. We even talk to them through black mirrors, often far into the middle of night!... Ah well.
... Maybe we can call them Djinns? Beings made of fire (the subtle electric kind) with some of the same wishfulfilling/cautionary connotations?