Inanimate's recent activity
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Comment on Randomized trial shows AI tutoring effective in Nigeria in ~tech
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Comment on Square root of 0<x<2 in ~science
Inanimate Thank you for the kind words, and I'm glad my rambling was able to be thought-provoking. : ) You're totally right that it becomes very difficult to remember what it's like to not have that...Thank you for the kind words, and I'm glad my rambling was able to be thought-provoking. : )
You're totally right that it becomes very difficult to remember what it's like to not have that intuition. It's why many math professors in my experience have struggled with pedagogy. They weren't trained in it, so they struggle to understand the perspective of students who lack the intuition that comes with practice, experience, repeated exposure, time to sit with concepts, experimenting with their niche cases and outliers and whatnot.
But that additional layer of not just understanding material, but also anticipating the common mistakes, misconceptions, the sore spots and tricky areas... that's one of my favorite things about teaching! Especially when I get to craft diabolical problems poking at each and every one of them weak spots. ; )
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Comment on Square root of 0<x<2 in ~science
Inanimate At least when it comes to Terrence Howard, obviously nobody can be sure, but I've always assumed he's genuinely mentally ill. As far as I know, his "Terryology" doesn't seem to be in the service...At least when it comes to Terrence Howard, obviously nobody can be sure, but I've always assumed he's genuinely mentally ill. As far as I know, his "Terryology" doesn't seem to be in the service of a pyramid scheme, scam, or anything like that - I think he just genuinely has a paranoid suspicion of 'the establishment' which, in his mind view, has materialized as a 'new theory of mathematics'. I've unfortunately seen similar behavior in other, once-friends of mine. If I'm mistaken in any way about Terrence Howard, of course, totally willing to admit that - I'm not very familiar with him beyond the occasional reference to "Terryology".
Totally agreed with regards to Joe Rogan, however.
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Comment on Square root of 0<x<2 in ~science
Inanimate (edited )LinkApproaching the question from a different angle to the other, wonderful responses already present: I think this is illustrative of a flawed "intuition" of the "meaning" of multiplication,...- Exemplary
Approaching the question from a different angle to the other, wonderful responses already present: I think this is illustrative of a flawed "intuition" of the "meaning" of multiplication, fractions, powers, etc. Unfortunately, I find this kind of misconception common amongst students I teach in my math classes.
To many math students, "multiplication" means to make numbers bigger, and "squaring" is taught to make numbers even bigger-er. And this is true for a while, because we work with positive integers. Limited to these, it's easy to dismiss 02 = 0⋅2, 12 < 1⋅2, and 22 = 2⋅2 as exceptions. But the second we start introducing rational numbers, things become much more complicated. And then there's negative numbers, where we start having to talk about absolute values, and so on...
Most students, unfortunately, tap out of understanding math far before then. As a high school teacher, many of my students arrive in my class having not understood multiple years of math classes before them, still with a calcified image of mathematics that fossilized sometime between elementary school and middle-school. So naturally, this more nuanced understanding of operations is very difficult for them to grapple with.
And while you do see counterexamples to this logic everyday in life, it takes mathematical understanding to interpret those real-life counterexamples. Yes, "multiplication by a fraction between 0 and 1" makes a number smaller, but to these kinds of students, they would not interpret it that way. They'd just see it as "something was divided, and then was multiplied" (or vice versa).
I really try to emphasize to my students that division and subtraction are special cases of multiplication and addition, precisely to help break these kinds of misconceptions, and to help them be able to 'reinterpret' expressions, which is (in my opinion) one of, if not THE, most important mathematical skills. I also try to incorporate a LOT of fractions into my curriculum, both to get them comfortable with working with fractions, as well as to help them realize the relative strengths and weaknesses of fractions and decimals (and why fractions are generally preferred in mathematics).
Separately from numeracy and procedural fluency, though, there's a broader conceptual understanding: helping them realize that much of their previous understanding of mathematics, in earlier classes, was in a much more restricted field of numbers and operations. That now, we're revisiting the same concepts, but they might not follow all the same intuitive rules and expectations we've built up so far. Unfortunately, many elementary school teachers actively disdain mathematics, or are uncomfortable teaching it. Too often, elementary school teachers teach outright incorrect math to their students, or apply broad statements, generalizations, and "handy shortcuts" that their students internalize, to their later detriment. ("Tricks" and "shortcuts" is a whole other rant that I'll hold back for now...)
I have to help my students realize that results like these aren't contradictions, as Terrence Howard claims, but instead a consequence of the fact that their horizons have now broadened. What seemed to be true was never actually true. I tell them the story of the black swan, and we play games that help them understand the role of conjectures in mathematics, and how they have to adapt and change in the face of seemingly-contradictory observations and evidence. I really hope this helps impart these important life skills, which are applicable far beyond the reach of mathematics, even.
To conclude: I mentioned before that the ability to rewrite and reinterpret expressions is one of the most fundamental skills of mathematics. And indeed, in the wonderful responses of @TangibleLight and @stu2b50, you can see they're using precisely those skills! It's a wonderful example of how we can use algebra to reaffirm why something makes sense, by rewriting a seemingly-unusual result into a much more understandable relation. And then, as @stu2b50 does, find a way to interpret the meaning of the relation in even more intuitive words: of course multiplying x by itself will be less than multiplying x by 2, if x is less than 2, because the bigger the multiplicand, the bigger the product! But it takes a significant amount of procedural fluency and conceptual understanding to do such rewriting, and unfortunately, many people try to do this, but will make some mistake in their algebraic manipulations at some point. You see this all the time with online viral stuff showing why 0 = 2 or whatever. @TangibleLight touches on this point as well. It takes a lot of mathematical proficiency to recognize false assumptions or errors in the algebraic manipulations, often because, again, they rely on issues caused by introducing non-natural numbers into the mix (often, it's 0 - damned 0).
Anyway, that's a lot of rambling, but I hope it was interesting and/or helpful as an additional insight to this question.
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Official gameplay trailer in ~games
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Official gameplay trailer in ~games
Inanimate Am I missing something there? Not sure what joke you're talking about. Definitely loved the sense of humor throughout the trailer!The thumbnail/video content meta joke is also excellent.
Am I missing something there? Not sure what joke you're talking about. Definitely loved the sense of humor throughout the trailer!
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Comment on Favorite quick play tabletop game recommendations in ~games.tabletop
Inanimate I can't recommend Skull enough. A bluffing game that boils it down to the essentials, and easily plays in 15 minute rounds. But usually longer, because after one round, people will beg for more!...I can't recommend Skull enough. A bluffing game that boils it down to the essentials, and easily plays in 15 minute rounds. But usually longer, because after one round, people will beg for more! It's always been a hit with everyone I've introduced it to; friends, family, and students all love it.
Oh, and I forgot, it's also on sale right now on Amazon for $12 after a coupon! It's a gorgeous game, but you can easily play it with a deck of regular playing cards (Black = Skull, Red = Rose) if you want to test it out before purchasing it. It is packed into a small box though, but with beautiful components, so it's well worth a buy.
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Comment on Great shows with interesting premises? in ~tv
Inanimate Ah, that make sense. Yeah, sometimes there’s certainly a few episodes in a row “exploring the new status quo” or whatnot, and I could see that getting old.Ah, that make sense. Yeah, sometimes there’s certainly a few episodes in a row “exploring the new status quo” or whatnot, and I could see that getting old.
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Comment on Great shows with interesting premises? in ~tv
Inanimate Seriously up there for me, yes! At least in my top 5, and it's a go-to recommendation of mine. That's cool that it inspired you to such a degree!Seriously up there for me, yes! At least in my top 5, and it's a go-to recommendation of mine. That's cool that it inspired you to such a degree!
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Comment on Great shows with interesting premises? in ~tv
Inanimate Interesting, I really felt like the later seasons were the best of the show! Someday I'll rewatch it and maybe I'll see what you meant. : )Interesting, I really felt like the later seasons were the best of the show! Someday I'll rewatch it and maybe I'll see what you meant. : )
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Comment on Great shows with interesting premises? in ~tv
Inanimate (edited )LinkOne of my favorites is Person of Interest. A former CIA agent, "John Reese", is recruited by a mysterious recluse, "Finch", to stop crimes before they happen. He is given only one piece of...One of my favorites is Person of Interest. A former CIA agent, "John Reese", is recruited by a mysterious recluse, "Finch", to stop crimes before they happen. He is given only one piece of information: the SSN of a single person involved in the crime. It's soon revealed (as in, within the first episode, so this still counts as the premise!) that the mysterious recluse receives his information from what he calls The Machine - a supercomputer AI that can predict premeditated crimes before they happen - and built a backdoor to provide him the SSN, but nothing more, in order to stop these crimes.
There's many mysteries nested within this basic premise, and the show's premise evolves from season to season, becoming an extremely interesting, both high-brow and action-packed exploration of the effect super-AI would have on our world, and how the government and individuals would grapple with creating such AI. It's really good, and I can't recommend it enough!
It does start as a relatively basic "procedural with a twist'", but personally, I found it compelling from the start, with better-than-expected cinematography and action. However, it really hits its stride about halfway through the first season, if I recall, so it's a show that rewards some patience.
Extreme spoilers on later seasons, for those who want to see if its worth it
In later seasons, other parties try to hijack the Machine for their own ends. The question of whether the Machine is sentient begins to be asked. And eventually, a competitor to the Machine - "Samaritan" - is created, which operates by a tyrannical and far more heavy-handed "ends justify the means" approach. This leads to a secret war between those loyal to the Machine, and those serving Samaritan. The show is ultimately about the delicate balance between privacy and protection, surveillance and safety, etc. -
Comment on Mindless games, preferably mobile in ~games
Inanimate Also recommend Simon Tatham's Puzzles, it's a great collection! Yes, you often get into a 'flow state' while solving a puzzle, so it can be tough to look away and come back to it without losing...Also recommend Simon Tatham's Puzzles, it's a great collection! Yes, you often get into a 'flow state' while solving a puzzle, so it can be tough to look away and come back to it without losing where you were.
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Comment on DebunkBot in ~science
Inanimate Gave it a shot. I tried to use actual beliefs of mine. The AI responds very diplomatically, with a hint of ass-kissing in one of my trials. That makes sense, I suppose, since most people with...Gave it a shot. I tried to use actual beliefs of mine. The AI responds very diplomatically, with a hint of ass-kissing in one of my trials. That makes sense, I suppose, since most people with conspiracy beliefs have to be handled with kiddy-gloves, but it was a bit irritating if you're open to an actual dialogue.
For an AI trying to help break down conspiracy beliefs, I found its arguments quite weak and almost tautological. For example, one of my beliefs was "The CDC was pressured by corporations into hastening a return to 'normalcy' during the pandemic", and I noted that the studies used to support a return to unmasked-schooling felt cherry-picked, based on studies in higher-income schools with smaller class sizes and better ventilation than the average school. The AI just replied along the lines of "the scientific peer-review process helps mitigate factors like cherry-picking", which (A) doesn't actually prevent cherry-picking, it just means you need to pick more cherries, and (B) just leads us to the next issue, which is that the 'scientific peer review process' is already proven to have issues with replicability and the like. So, I questioned that, and then it just kept reiterating the same points, pretty much.
In my second trial, I chose a belief I felt less strongly about, but still felt reasonable: "John Barnett was assassinated for whistle-blowing on Boeing." This time, the AI's defenses basically boiled down to 'assassination is a risk that businesses and the US government would not undertake, because it would be illegal and breach the public trust'. When I noted that corporations and the US government both routinely engage in illegal actions that breach the public trust, it basically had no actual defense for that. It just kept reiterating that it's "good to be skeptical" but that we can't be skeptical about everything. It seemed to presume that all actors are rational and good-faith in its arguments. While conspiracy theorists often do presume too much competence and intelligence of people, you absolutely cannot trot out "They wouldn't break the law because it would be illegal" as an argument without it immediately devolving into tautology.
Basically, any amount of actual questioning of its initial defenses just lead to pretty much the same responses being regurgitated. Much like an actual debate that I'd imagine between anyone believing in a conspiracy theory, and anyone trying to refute it, I felt the arguments got circular pretty quickly.
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Comment on Endweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Inanimate Saw this as well, watched it at home with my wife the first day it was available for streaming. I both wish I'd seen it in theaters, but also am very glad I saw it in the privacy of my home,...The Wild Robot
Saw this as well, watched it at home with my wife the first day it was available for streaming. I both wish I'd seen it in theaters, but also am very glad I saw it in the privacy of my home, because we cried a LOT.
Totally agreed about the middle conflict, but everything surrounding that was surprisingly novel. Really enjoyed it.
about that middle
I think that it was resolved quickly was not the worst, though. Roz and Fink both *knew* this would happen someday, and we as the audience did too. *Immediately* after a falling-out like that, it does happen that both parties realize that they have messed up, but circumstances prevent them from making things right. I think the melodrama may have even been intentional as well - Brightbill is a teenager, after all, and Roz is just developing emotions herself, so the fact they're poorly handling them makes sense?It's implied that Fink himself had that happen with his mother, and is guided by that regret. (I was actually impressed that his backstory was never elaborated upon, and left for us to glean, by the way.) So perhaps it's less about the actual falling-out itself, and more about the consequences of it, and how that affects the rest of the plot afterwards. They both immediately realize they do love each other, and have to work extremely hard to earn the chance to profess that love to each other, to make up for that split-second, melodramatic mistake they both immediately regret.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of October 6 in ~games
Inanimate Demon Turf is on sale right now, 60% off! It's a great and charming 3D Platformer with attitude and a real cool style. This edition also includes all of the DLC and the level editor! I already had...Demon Turf is on sale right now, 60% off! It's a great and charming 3D Platformer with attitude and a real cool style. This edition also includes all of the DLC and the level editor! I already had the original edition on my Switch, but the deal was so good I swooped in and got it so I can play the DLC, and on my Steam Deck too. : )
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Comment on Where does punctuation come from?! in ~humanities.languages
Inanimate I had never heard of dinkuses, that was a very fun rabbit-hole to descend into. I also hadn't realized there was such a rich history to dingbats. Thanks for sharing!I had never heard of dinkuses, that was a very fun rabbit-hole to descend into. I also hadn't realized there was such a rich history to dingbats. Thanks for sharing!
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Comment on Metaphor: ReFantazio prologue demo arrives today on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in ~games
Inanimate Huh, I haven’t had any issues with my Steam Deck performance! What about the gameplay loop of Persona don’t you like? It does look like it has a lot of similarities so far, but I have heard that...Huh, I haven’t had any issues with my Steam Deck performance!
What about the gameplay loop of Persona don’t you like? It does look like it has a lot of similarities so far, but I have heard that e.g. it doesn’t have actual romances. It does seem to me that it’ll have equivalents to Social Links, a calendar system, etc…
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Comment on Metaphor: ReFantazio prologue demo arrives today on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in ~games
Inanimate Been playing this and it’s been amazing!! So extravagant, love all of the flourish and style throughout everything - not just the UI, which is obviously jaw dropping, but animations,...Been playing this and it’s been amazing!! So extravagant, love all of the flourish and style throughout everything - not just the UI, which is obviously jaw dropping, but animations, worldbuilding, character designs, and more. It really seems to be suffused with a creative energy and passion, with an imprint of every hand that touched the process at some point.
The demo is quite generous, and even just two hours in with only a paltry amount of mechanical systems revealed, it’s a rich and exciting turn-based RPG. Can’t wait for the full release!
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Comment on UFO 50 discussion topic in ~games
Inanimate Yep! I've been enjoying it on my Steam Deck. I had a little issue with my input at first, since it recognized the Steam Deck as P2, but once I fixed that it's worked like a charm.Yep! I've been enjoying it on my Steam Deck. I had a little issue with my input at first, since it recognized the Steam Deck as P2, but once I fixed that it's worked like a charm.
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Comment on UFO 50 is the best retro-gaming homage I’ve ever played in ~games
Inanimate Small, more compact experiences have a joy of their own, though. For example, a game with a long playtime may have more drawn out parts, or gameplay elements that start off interesting or engaging...Small, more compact experiences have a joy of their own, though. For example, a game with a long playtime may have more drawn out parts, or gameplay elements that start off interesting or engaging but eventually wear out their welcome. Games designed to be shorter can distill their gameplay down to the most fun, exciting parts, and end before anything gets old.
“Good” is certainly subjective; my point is just that these aren’t designed like Action 52 games (I.e. shovelware), but are made with the intent to be fun, quality experiences. So the usual preconception of “XX-in-one” collections as being of lower quality is not applicable here.
Agreed. I've had to attend PD shops and the like where they're trying to sell us on AI tutoring, but as a math teacher, it's still abysmal. Any time I've tried to stress test it during these workshops, it takes less than 5 minutes for it to spit out nonsense. I expect it'll be far easier to adapt into English and other language classes first and foremost, with History or Science being the next best contender, I suppose?