EgoEimi's recent activity
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Comment on OpenAI says hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users may show signs of manic or psychotic crisis every week in ~health.mental
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Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk
EgoEimi LinkWhen I have free time, I like to volunteer with elderly folks or the homeless but only in roles where my time is primarily spent getting to know people, building connection, and helping people...When I have free time, I like to volunteer with elderly folks or the homeless but only in roles where my time is primarily spent getting to know people, building connection, and helping people forgotten by society feel more connected and less lonely.
But I think it's inefficient to donate pure labor. If you're a working professional, you should just make money doing what you're good at and donate that money to allow the org hire workers who are good at what they do. It's just more efficient that way. Unless you find the labor fun — I've volunteered with parks to do various landscaping work but really only as fun physical exercise. I did Habitat for Humanity for a short while but then I wised up and realized it was a waste of time, and that they should just let real professionals build houses.
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Comment on US kills three in second strike on alleged drug boats in the Pacific in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentI'm in favor of the US instigating regime change, even though I think its past interventions in Latin America were wrong. Venezuela is unique in that its current government is deeply unpopular but...I'm in favor of the US instigating regime change, even though I think its past interventions in Latin America were wrong. Venezuela is unique in that its current government is deeply unpopular but only exists through violent oppression of its people, and there is a wildly popular competent opposition that is already democratically legitimated and ready to take over but is forcibly suppressed by the regime.
The Irish Potato Famine caused Ireland's population to drop 20–25%, and Venezuela's population has declined by 25+% from people fleeing its current regime. The situation is very bad. But military pressure by Trump could be the breeze to finally topple over the Venezuelan regime's house of cards and set up a velvet revolution, one with minimal bloodshed. If anything, this path probably saves many more lives than any other path (like an internal revolution).
I think it doesn't matter if Trump is doing it for the good of the Venezuelan people or not. I think he, in wanting to cater to his political base, is accidentally doing a good thing.
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Comment on The majority AI view in ~comp
EgoEimi Link ParentWhat would be unearned privilege, and what would be earned privilege?What would be unearned privilege, and what would be earned privilege?
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Comment on Amazon ordered to pay $20K after British Columbia customer says package never arrived in ~tech
EgoEimi LinkThat is a lot. I've had zero non-deliveries over 10+ years of heavily using Amazon in various cities, states, and countries, including both very safe ones and ones that had a lot of crime. Having...According to CPBC, Amazon told the regulator that it denied the refund because of suspicions of “return abuse.” The company alleged the customer had claimed refunds for three previous orders in the past year, each time claiming non-delivery.
That is a lot. I've had zero non-deliveries over 10+ years of heavily using Amazon in various cities, states, and countries, including both very safe ones and ones that had a lot of crime. Having four non-deliveries (the three previous + the one in question) in one year is pretty suspicious.
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Comment on The majority AI view in ~comp
EgoEimi LinkThat's an unsubstantiated statement. Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Sundar Pichai are all liberal. Sam and Dario have publicly stated that there is/will be an AI inequality problem that needs to be...But instead, we end up with the worst, most anti-social approaches because the platforms that have introduced "AI" to the public imagination are run by authoritarian extremists with deeply destructive agendas.
That's an unsubstantiated statement. Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Sundar Pichai are all liberal. Sam and Dario have publicly stated that there is/will be an AI inequality problem that needs to be solved through UBI and/or some socioeconomic reform; Sam himself spent $100m+ in cash on a UBI experiment. Only Elon Musk is an authoritarian extremist, but his Grok AI isn't a big player.
I'm optimistic about AI. It's creating a lot of economic value. It's not a normal technology because it's targeting a human domain—information synthesis—that has been untouched by other technologies, which have targeted information retrieval or, in the past, manual labor automation/augmentation. In parallel, there are rapid advancements in robotics. I find the future quite bright — if we choose it to be.
It's really on voters to choose leaders to harness this promethean fire for society's benefit. Unfortunately, the right lacks brains, while the left lacks imagination.
We can build AI that isn't centralized under the control of a handful of giant companies.
People are building that. Lots of folks and companies are working on alternative models and hardware for local or on-device compute.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
EgoEimi LinkThere's a cultural vibe that non-profit work is inherently morally superior over for-profit work. I think both have important roles to play, especially with non-profits producing cultural output....There's a cultural vibe that non-profit work is inherently morally superior over for-profit work.
I think both have important roles to play, especially with non-profits producing cultural output. But I think 2 things:
- It's morally good to efficiently produce something that someone else values and then they pay you for it. And you should reasonably minimize negative externalities.
- It's very difficult to produce something purely positive for society with zero negative externalities, but I consider it a big win to produce something that is largely a net positive.
- It's not inherently noble to devalue your own time, labor, and talent.
I know folks who have a mindset that things should be purely positive so they'll block anything that's net-positive if there's any amount of negative. And I know folks who work in non-profits who have produced little or sub-optimally for society, almost always buoyed by public funding that could've been more efficiently allocated elsewhere — morally a net negative, imo. I know someone who's an architect for non-profit housing, but is it really good that their organization provides housing at 50% higher per-unit production cost than for-profit housing? Just to have a non-profit label?
I've seen a bunch of non-profit grocery stores fail because they were started by non-profit-minded folks who somehow thought for-profit grocery stores were evil and exploitative and they could do better, but it turns out that running a grocery store is actually really difficult and the profit margins are razor thin and it takes real skill — and they didn't have the business or operational skills to compete and fulfill their mission, as their prices end being higher than for-profit stores due to lack of sales volume, and poor inventory turnover and management. Imagine that.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
EgoEimi Link Parent"Self-congratulatory" is the EU's middle name. I find that on the ground level, Americans are actually much, much more tolerant, inclusive, and curious about people of other races and cultures...."Self-congratulatory" is the EU's middle name.
I find that on the ground level, Americans are actually much, much more tolerant, inclusive, and curious about people of other races and cultures.
European leaders talk a good game about inclusion, but everyday European people are quite insular.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
EgoEimi Link ParentHolidays should be more evenly distributed. And we should have one in January to look forward, instead of having this depressing post-Christmas ecstasy comedown we currently have.Holidays should be more evenly distributed. And we should have one in January to look forward, instead of having this depressing post-Christmas ecstasy comedown we currently have.
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Comment on Spotify, the world's biggest music streaming service, has announced it is working with major labels on using artificial intelligence in a "responsible" way in ~music
EgoEimi Link ParentThere has been experimental non-AI adaptive music but they were fairly crude. Just imagine one continuous techno track that gets all drum-and-bass as you're sprinting, but then you slow down to a...There has been experimental non-AI adaptive music but they were fairly crude. Just imagine one continuous techno track that gets all drum-and-bass as you're sprinting, but then you slow down to a jog to cool down then the track mellows out with Brian Eno-esque ambient vibes.
As I think more about it, the history of art has been of avant garde artists pushing the boundary of art with new technology and getting pushed back on for making not real or bad art, but then their art eventually becomes the new old guard. So folks writing off AI art as not real art are joining a long tradition of art reactionism.
Eventually the cycle will begin anew with AI artists pushing back against future neural link art: "art is meant to be seen, touched, and heard with our biological senses! Not directly interfaced with our visual and auditory cortices!!" And so on and so forth.
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Comment on Spotify, the world's biggest music streaming service, has announced it is working with major labels on using artificial intelligence in a "responsible" way in ~music
EgoEimi Link ParentPioneers are always pushing the boundaries of music, and there are music conservatives decrying those efforts because they cannot fathom that music could be made without 'real' X or Y. I think the...Pioneers are always pushing the boundaries of music, and there are music conservatives decrying those efforts because they cannot fathom that music could be made without 'real' X or Y.
I think the AI future of music is going to be exciting. Sure, there'll be plenty of crap, but there always has been plenty of artistic crap. But some people are going to create some super interesting musical experiences that weren't possible before.
- AI-adaptive songs that you can sing with, and they'll transform around your singing
- Songs that respond to time of day and environment
- Workout music that adapts its rhythm, intensity, everything to your workout, heart rate, effort, etc.
- Interesting new unearthly sounds that only AI could generate
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Comment on An AI that turns any book into a text adventure game in ~books
EgoEimi Link ParentIt's legal to write very bad fan fiction and distribute it... non-commercially. I think this is similar. It's basically generating interactive fan fiction, and so long as the website doesn't...it's almost more of an issue where authors aren't going to want their works associated with poor AI generated responses.
It's legal to write very bad fan fiction and distribute it... non-commercially. I think this is similar.
It's basically generating interactive fan fiction, and so long as the website doesn't charge for it it'd be a similar case to free fanfic.
It's telling to me that people making sites like this never have authors jumping up and down to share their books, even ones who are pro-fanfiction
Eh, in my experience many, if not most, authors hate fan fiction—seeing it as a desecration of their art—and aren't jumping to endorse non-AI fan fiction websites either. But fan fic authors are free to write as they please so long as they aren't profiting.
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Comment on ‘Tron: Ares’ stumbles with $33.5 million debut in ~movies
EgoEimi LinkI loved the first Tron so I've been interested in a sequel. I'm also busy. I've seen some ads for Tron: Ares, but I don't understand what it's about. They appear to be in the real world, but...I loved the first Tron so I've been interested in a sequel. I'm also busy. I've seen some ads for Tron: Ares, but I don't understand what it's about. They appear to be in the real world, but there's a guy and a chick and a love story? What's going on?
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Comment on Tech companies are finding out everything is political in ~tech
EgoEimi Link ParentTech isn't monolithic. When you look at Twitter, you're mostly seeing entrepreneurial upstarts who of course want to weaken incumbents they're trying to unseat. The incumbents aren't...Tech isn't monolithic. When you look at Twitter, you're mostly seeing entrepreneurial upstarts who of course want to weaken incumbents they're trying to unseat. The incumbents aren't techno-libertarian but are pro-regulation because it creates barriers to entry.
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Comment on Law banning child sex offenders from homeschooling stalled after nine child sex offenders testify against it in ~society
EgoEimi (edited )LinkThe title implies that those nine had a critical role in stalling the law, when in fact they are 9 among 40,536 people who submitted opposing witness statements (versus the 1,057 people who...The bill passed the Education Committee in April but stalled in the House chamber, eventually succumbing to opposition from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Americans For Prosperity, and at least nine registered child sex offenders.
The title implies that those nine had a critical role in stalling the law, when in fact they are 9 among 40,536 people who submitted opposing witness statements (versus the 1,057 people who submitted supporting ones) when we look at the witness dataset for HB2827, see https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus/WitnessSlips?GAID=18&DocNum=2827&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=160905&SessionID=114&tabname=opp
So, ~0.02% of those 40,536 have been identified as sex offenders after the author presumably ran a cross-check of all witness names and sex offender registries. In 2016, ~0.2% of Americans were registered sex offenders (derived from 2016 NCMEC count divided by 2016 US population). So, either they didn't do a good job and failed to identify many sex offenders in the list, or the opposing witnesses as a whole simply had 90% fewer sex offenders than the general American population.
Personally I'm opposed to homeschooling, but I think this essay is practically misinformation because it is cherry picking details to delegitimize the bill's opposition by implying there is some sort of sex offender-led cabal eagerly wanting to trap children in home sex dungeons or something.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EgoEimi Link ParentThe "profits over people" reductionism frustrates me. I meet lots of leftists who think there is a Clear, Easy Economic Answer To Solve All Suffering but evil capitalists, economists, and...The "profits over people" reductionism frustrates me. I meet lots of leftists who think there is a Clear, Easy Economic Answer To Solve All Suffering but evil capitalists, economists, and politicians stand in the way.
I remember in the early 2000s there was a leftist position that globalization exploits the global poor and makes poor countries poorer while making rich countries richer. Fast forward 20-some years, the anti-globalization activists have been proven wrong: the global middle class numbers in the billions, extreme poverty is nearly eradicated, and the average non-westerner lives way, waaay longer and happier now. There have been costs, of course, namely environmental damage and the hollowing out of middle classes in developed countries (ironically). But overall — a net positive for humanity.
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Comment on What's a product or service that you use but don't want to pay for and why? in ~life
EgoEimi Link ParentPeople say Youtube enshittified, but I happily pay for it because I think it's only getting better and better. Youtube used to be full of crappy home videos. Now it's overflowing with great,...People say Youtube enshittified, but I happily pay for it because I think it's only getting better and better. Youtube used to be full of crappy home videos. Now it's overflowing with great, well-produced content.
And Youtube is well-liked by creators for giving a 50/50 revenue share. And Youtube helps creators get discovered, and the UX and performance are great. Videos start nearly instantly. Streaming is buttery smooth. There are no mid-stream errors forcing me to refresh the page, which is common with other services.
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
EgoEimi Link ParentExcept deodorant when visiting East Asia (if you're non-Asian). Asians have less body odor due to genetics, so deodorant isn't a common product there. But they'll definitely be able to smell you,...Check-in sized toiletries. I think having carry-on sized toiletries is useful (<100mL), but once it needs a carry on, just buy it there.
Except deodorant when visiting East Asia (if you're non-Asian). Asians have less body odor due to genetics, so deodorant isn't a common product there. But they'll definitely be able to smell you, the foreigner.
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Comment on OpenAI’s H1 2025: $4.3b in income, $13.5b in loss in ~tech
EgoEimi Link ParentThere probably is little difference when it comes to easy tasks like asking how-to's for household tasks or repairs, analyzing popular novels, etc. The differences reveal themselves on hard use...There probably is little difference when it comes to easy tasks like asking how-to's for household tasks or repairs, analyzing popular novels, etc.
The differences reveal themselves on hard use cases, like math, engineering, and other abstract reasoning tasks.
Terrence Tao reported that he found ChatGPT to be a "significant time saver" in engaging it in an extended conversation to help him answer a MathOverflow question. Moreover, he reports he encountered no hallucinations — but he thinks that's because he had a good idea of what he wanted and was very specific and detailed in his prompting.
ChatGPT is a double-edged sword. In the hands of newbies, it's going to create slop. But it's a force multiplier for skilled operators who are already knowledgeable in their domains. Personally, it has at least 2x'd my productivity; I'm accomplishing more and better.
I highly doubt they're going to put in ads. It's more likely they're going to create knowledge-work-specialized professional models (SWE-specialized GPT, med-specialized GPT, finance-specialized GPT, etc.) with ironclad data privacy agreements to sell to companies at enterprise ($$$) rates for employee use.
Enterprise, not consumer, is always where the serious money is.
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Comment on We’re seniors. It’s not our responsibility to fix the housing supply. in ~society
EgoEimi Link ParentThat is not the issue. Real estate companies are like any other seller and must clear at market rates, which are determined by demand and supply, which is affected by numerous factors like zoning,...The issue we’re having is massive corps buying up all the housing to rent it out. Massive corps building apartment buildings for rental instead of condos for purchase.
That is not the issue. Real estate companies are like any other seller and must clear at market rates, which are determined by demand and supply, which is affected by numerous factors like zoning, permitting, construction labor supply, material costs (which depends on construction demand, tariffs, and other supply chain issues), and the general financial environment (like high interest rates increasing financing costs for developers).
We have an unhealthy housing environment where supply constraints causes prices to increase more quickly than inflation, causing real estate to offer a relatively high ROI and to become an attractive asset class. In markets for other goods, high prices are a signal for suppliers to increase supply, thus bringing prices down. But the housing market's supply mechanism is broken.
In parallel: AI is offering high ROIs as valuations skyrocket, so investors are pouring money in, and AI startups are springing up like clovers. Investment induces growth, when market mechanisms are healthy.
Is this high or low? These figures need to be grounded. The CDC estimates that 4~5% of Americans experienced suicidal ideation in any given year. What percentage of them show explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent? I'm not sure.
I remember when there was so much controversy over worker suicides at Foxconn: "wake, up people are killing themselves to make your iPhones!" But critics overlooked the fact that 18 suicides in a workforce of almost a million people yields a suicide rate that was actually much lower than both China's and the global suicide rate, both rural and urban. The reality was that for many poor, uneducated migrant workers, work life at Foxconn — above average pay, free meals, and free accommodations — was much better than anything they had back in the countryside or than what they could find the cities, so they were generally pretty happy about the work — even though it appears undesirable to affluent westerners.