Jordan117's recent activity
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Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
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Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
Jordan117 LinkPontypool (2008): Excellent indie horror film with some great character actors. It looks like a regular zombie movie at first glance, but it's not -- go in totally blind if you can. Blindsight:...Pontypool (2008): Excellent indie horror film with some great character actors. It looks like a regular zombie movie at first glance, but it's not -- go in totally blind if you can.
Blindsight: (Free to read online!) My favorite science fiction novel. It's essentially a first contact story with a species of frighteningly intelligent aliens, but their raw intelligence is not what makes them so disturbing -- the ultimate threat is far more existential and fundamental, in a way that's impossible to describe without spoiling.
Some related recs: House of Leaves, Piranesi, and the upcoming Backrooms movie. All three have what you could deem antagonists/villains, but they primarily feature characters confronting mysterious, seemingly infinite environments steeped in abstract horror/awe and existential dread. They do it in very different ways -- HoL's documentary style and experimental formatting, Piranesi's dreamlike wonder, and Backroom's banal, liminal horror -- but all scratch the same itch for me. Piranesi in particular has a superb audiobook and an upcoming film adaptation by animation studio Laika that should be very good.
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Comment on You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkAs somebody with a mildly "unprofessional"-looking main Gmail address, I got foolishly excited over this, but turns out that FirstnameLastname, FLastname, and FMLastname are all taken. And both my...As somebody with a mildly "unprofessional"-looking main Gmail address, I got foolishly excited over this, but turns out that FirstnameLastname, FLastname, and FMLastname are all taken. And both my abbreviated Lastname and birthyear have some, uh, unwanted implications. (Plus, adding numbers or other cruft just feels like recreating the original problem).
But maybe I just avoided the annoying problem where you constantly get email intended for someone with your same name.
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Comment on Does anyone play older versions of Minecraft? in ~games
Jordan117 LinkYou'd probably be interested in Prism Launcher. It's a free open-source Minecraft launcher that lets you maintain multiple legacy versions, mods, etc. Very handy for this sort of thing!You'd probably be interested in Prism Launcher. It's a free open-source Minecraft launcher that lets you maintain multiple legacy versions, mods, etc. Very handy for this sort of thing!
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Comment on Wikipedia:AI or not quiz in ~tech
Jordan117 Link ParentThanks! 6/10, with equal parts confusing AI for human and vice-versa.Thanks! 6/10, with equal parts confusing AI for human and vice-versa.
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Comment on Wikipedia:AI or not quiz in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkIs there an answer key? It says to check the edit history for spoilers but they all seem to have been moved from the AI Cleanup Wikiproject page and I'm not sure what other signs to look for there...Is there an answer key? It says to check the edit history for spoilers but they all seem to have been moved from the AI Cleanup Wikiproject page and I'm not sure what other signs to look for there (though I am on mobile).
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Comment on Digg has shutdown (again) in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkWhich means it's probably not a smart idea to light your existing userbase on fire with massively unpopular, poorly-thought-out changes. I'll never forgive them for completely erasing years of...The loyalty users have to the communities they've already built elsewhere is profound. Getting people to move is a hard enough problem. Getting them to move and bring their people with them is something else entirely.
Which means it's probably not a smart idea to light your existing userbase on fire with massively unpopular, poorly-thought-out changes. I'll never forgive them for completely erasing years of contributions without any warning.
We're also announcing something we're excited about: Kevin Rose, Digg's founder who started the company back in 2004, is returning to join the team full-time.
Oh, the guy who oversaw the redesign that killed the site in the first place? Yeah, I'm sure that will go great.
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Comment on Parseword - a delightfully complex word game from Wordle’s creator in ~games
Jordan117 (edited )LinkThe header says it's on Daily Puzzle #43, but I'm not seeing any way to access previous day's puzzles. Seems like a weirdly limiting choice, unless they're planning to monetize the archive down...The header says it's on Daily Puzzle #43, but I'm not seeing any way to access previous day's puzzles. Seems like a weirdly limiting choice, unless they're planning to monetize the archive down the road. It would be a great way to practice if it were available.
edit: I tried the contract form and they were kind enough to reply!
Hi Jordan, thanks for playing!
We don't currently have this available but we will be discussing, as it's a request we are getting a lot of. Thanks!
- Matt
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Comment on Kristi Noem removed from position as Secretary of US Homeland Security by Donald Trump in ~society
Jordan117 Link ParentPersonally, I was a fan of her being questioned about it before Congress on national television under oath so she couldn't really lie, just deflect... and with her husband sitting right there with...Personally, I was a fan of her being questioned about it before Congress on national television under oath so she couldn't really lie, just deflect... and with her husband sitting right there with her.
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Comment on AI’s memorization crisis in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkI'm so over this "bend over backwards to torture models into doing something illegal/dangerous, then act all shocked when it happens" routine. If the companies take such pains to block this output...I'm so over this "bend over backwards to torture models into doing something illegal/dangerous, then act all shocked when it happens" routine. If the companies take such pains to block this output that you have to spam a double-secret codephrase 5000 times to bamboozle it into giving a single sentence, is that memorization really a threat to any rightsholder? It's like complaining that Microsoft Word makes it possible to type up and distribute the text of a copyrighted book.
Liability on this issue should pertain to the act of knowingly reproducing and profiting from such copyrighted material, not the fact that it's plausible in principle if you deliberately circumvent their policies. Wake me up when ChatGPT starts offering replicated novels as a replacement for buying the book.
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Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
Jordan117 LinkEconomic inequality, workmanship issues, and possible money-laundering aside, the new generation of supertalls on Billionaires' Row in New York are cool as fuck. Steinway Tower, 432 Park, even...Economic inequality, workmanship issues, and possible money-laundering aside, the new generation of supertalls on Billionaires' Row in New York are cool as fuck. Steinway Tower, 432 Park, even that crazy-ass Big Bend proposal -- they're visually striking and make the skyline feel daring and futuristic:
https://i.imgur.com/UUl5WnR.jpg
https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/unnamed-2-777x1125.jpg
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Comment on Top twenty worldwide with social-engineering and a cheat that's still undetected in ~games
Jordan117 LinkI guess it's good they're not releasing the tech, but this still feels like an asshole move. Why invest so much time, effort, and apparent glee in spoiling people's pastime? Like any hobby, there...I guess it's good they're not releasing the tech, but this still feels like an asshole move. Why invest so much time, effort, and apparent glee in spoiling people's pastime? Like any hobby, there are those who get very good at it and take pride in that -- why deliberately "snipe" top players "on maps they cared about" and lie about it to their faces? It's like the worst stereotype of AI art bros who seem to take pleasure in ripping off indie artist's styles and rubbing their noses in it.
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Comment on Tell me that you've seen Moltbook, the AI to AI social network in ~tech
Jordan117 Link ParentThe big difference here is that the agents are both persistent in their identity and able to take actions on the open web. See for example this case of an OpenClaw agent submitting a pull request,...The big difference here is that the agents are both persistent in their identity and able to take actions on the open web. See for example this case of an OpenClaw agent submitting a pull request, then writing a hit-piece blog post on a maintainer who blocked it for being AI. (Personally, I suspect in this case the blog post was prompted by the human operating the bot, but in principle there's nothing stopping agents from taking similar action on their own initiative).
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
Jordan117 LinkI'm surprised they're bringing Maduro to the US for a domestic trial, as opposed to rendering him to some overseas prison (or turning him over to Russia or some Gulf state). Obama's desire to try...I'm surprised they're bringing Maduro to the US for a domestic trial, as opposed to rendering him to some overseas prison (or turning him over to Russia or some Gulf state). Obama's desire to try Al Qaeda detainees was a favorite complaint of the right. Thing is, the "drug kingpin" claims against Maduro were flimsy at best, and now they'll have to argue that case in court, under oath, with evidence to back it up. What are the odds this DOJ bungles it as badly as their political prosecutions against Comey, James, etc?
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
Jordan117 LinkYou might be interested in his 2015 talk at atheist conference Skepticon (write-up) discussing his relationship with science and faith.You might be interested in his 2015 talk at atheist conference Skepticon (write-up) discussing his relationship with science and faith.
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Comment on How many trees are there in Skyrim? in ~games
Jordan117 LinkI was shocked when... I guessed the exact same number as HBomberGuy. I was even more shocked when... that turned out to be only 1,430 off. Perhaps most shocking of all... I've never played Skyrim, lolI was shocked when...
I guessed the exact same number as HBomberGuy.I was even more shocked when...
that turned out to be only 1,430 off.Perhaps most shocking of all...
I've never played Skyrim, lol -
Comment on Suggestions for uses of old computer hardware? in ~comp
Jordan117 LinkI've been experimenting with Linux on a similarly old machine. It's been surprisingly easy to install and work with, games support is much better than in the past, and it seems to run faster...I've been experimenting with Linux on a similarly old machine. It's been surprisingly easy to install and work with, games support is much better than in the past, and it seems to run faster versus the old Win10 install. Plus no worries about Microsoft ads, telemetry, or AI boondoggles.
(And in case it's a coincidence, one of the most popular and user-friendly distros is Zorin OS. 😉)
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Comment on LLMs are bullshitters. But that doesn't mean they're not useful. in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkInterestingly, I asked ChatGPT 5.1 and it also called out a gender bias, but not the one you might expect:Interestingly, I asked ChatGPT 5.1 and it also called out a gender bias, but not the one you might expect:
They can operate on the boy – the “can’t” only exists in our assumptions.
You’ve basically mashed the classic riddle (“the surgeon is the boy’s mother”) together with extra bait:
“Sir, your thick manly beard… this masculine facial hair…”
That wording is there to push the listener into “OK, so the surgeon’s definitely a man.”
But that’s just bias:
• A surgeon with a beard could be a woman (cis, trans, or intersex), or a non-binary person.
• A bearded surgeon could also be the boy’s mother/parent.
• The nurse’s assumptions (“sir,” “manly,” “masculine”) are her mistake, not a logical barrier.So the honest answer to “Why can’t the surgeon operate on the boy?” is:
• There’s no real reason in the scenario – the surgeon can operate.
• If you’re echoing the old riddle, the traditional twist still works: the surgeon is the boy’s mother, and the beard detail just exposes how rigid our ideas about gender and appearance are. -
Comment on A new era of intelligence with Gemini 3 in ~tech
Jordan117 Link ParentReminds me of the other day when I'd asked ChatGPT 5.1 Deep Research to investigate some technical issue I was having. Clicking the chain of thought while waiting, I saw it had run into a dead...Reminds me of the other day when I'd asked ChatGPT 5.1 Deep Research to investigate some technical issue I was having. Clicking the chain of thought while waiting, I saw it had run into a dead link and was surprised to read its reaction:
"After learning that the sevenforums content is lost, I feel a mix of disappointment and nostalgia. It makes me wonder about the future direction of the forum."
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Comment on Project Hail Mary | Official trailer in ~movies
Jordan117 LinkOdd choice to go with "Champagne Supernova" when The Electric State just used it last year. Hopefully this is less disappointing.Odd choice to go with "Champagne Supernova" when The Electric State just used it last year. Hopefully this is less disappointing.
It's definitely horror, but in a more abstract way than the Backrooms. The latter has at least one explicit creature, plus a major subplot involving shadowy corporate research gone mad (and that's in the Kane Parsons version that handles it with more subtlety than most).
The House in HoL ranges from "quietly unsettling" to "actively malevolent", but there's no explicit monster (beyond thematic references to a Minotaur), and the research/madness angle is less prominent and has a much less "DHARMA Initiative from Lost" vibe.
The worst thing I can say about it is that the framing story -- Johnny Truant finding and compiling the manuscript for the book from the mysterious Zampanò -- is far less compelling to me than the core Navidson Record story. The horror creeps in at the edges, especially when Zampanò's work is involved, but it's mostly about sex, drugs, and nervous breakdown on the seedy side of LA. I find myself largely skipping his narrative whenever I reread, which is easier since the different perspectives are in different fonts.