Omnicrola's recent activity
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Comment on Utah's shrinking lake: a scientific asset and a crisis in ~enviro
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Comment on The banal horror of Jimmy Fallon in ~tv
Omnicrola LinkI've tried a few times over the years to watch Fallon. It's always felt "off", and wasn't that entertaining, and always left me feeling somewhat repelled but I could never figure out why. This...I've tried a few times over the years to watch Fallon. It's always felt "off", and wasn't that entertaining, and always left me feeling somewhat repelled but I could never figure out why. This article might be exaggerating for effect, but I also don't think their overall thesis is wrong. I have never found Fallon funny. While watching the recent Colbert episode where they reassembled Strike Force Five, I had the same thought I had had listening to the original podcast : "why is Fallon here, he adds nothing to this".
The horror of the Tonight Show is not found in any singular problem, but in the totality of its project: the systematic replacement of the real world with a brightly lit simulation of “niceness.” Fallon is the court jester of the Anthropocene, a figure who invites us to watch celebrities play parlor games on stage while the air outside the studio begins to smell of tear gas and smoke.
Meanwhile, on the other end of this spectrum, Colbert has hosted multiple guests that have used their appearance on the show to perform poignant performance pieces that address the incredibly upsetting things happening in the US.
- Ian McKellen performing Shakespere's unpublished "The Immigrant" (link to time 20:26) https://youtu.be/2l2RqzVG4ag?t=1226
- Edward Norton performing Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" (link to 17:29) https://youtu.be/kSEMaPOOrU8?t=1049
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Comment on Anyone else a bit unnerved by the number of visible satellites? in ~space
Omnicrola Link ParentI have some astronomer friends who lament about light pollution on a regular basis, it's a real problem for them. Their 50+ year old observatories used to be in the dark outside town. Now the...I have some astronomer friends who lament about light pollution on a regular basis, it's a real problem for them. Their 50+ year old observatories used to be in the dark outside town. Now the towns surround them and put up skyscrapers.
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Comment on For thirty years I programmed with Phish on, every day. In 2026, the music is out of phase with the work. in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentThis is a great piece, appreciate you sharing it! I have mixed feelings on the situation. I 100% understand what the author is saying, and while I definitely haven't experienced it as much as the...This is a great piece, appreciate you sharing it!
I have mixed feelings on the situation. I 100% understand what the author is saying, and while I definitely haven't experienced it as much as the author clearly has, I know the bliss of day-long flow states that they're describing. I've experienced it with both coding, 3D animation/modeling, and hands-on maker projects.
AI has changed it, and I both lament and celebrate it's arrival. On the one hand I absolutely agree, the rhythm has changed. Before, your hands couldn't possibly type as fast as you could think and so you have to code and create at a moderate but consistent pace. It inherently provides room to think further ahead, to second guess decisions and think of new alternatives, and spot potential bugs along the way. With AI you can now create at a speed that would have been inconceivable before. The code appearing now outpaces your thoughts. You are constantly making progress, constantly moving forward, constantly thinking of features to add. Syntax errors are almost nonexistant and if they appear they are fixed with a proverbial snap of the fingers. Runtime errors are almost as easily diagnosed and fixed (this of course depends on how complex the overall system is).
So all that's left is the subtle bugs, the systemic errors, the mistakes that are often small and easy to overlook but fundamentally change how a program needs to operate. And it's these things in particular that worry me, because no AI can anticipate things about which it has no context. Moving slower could very likely leave room to discover or realize oversights like this, but AI moves so fast it leaves no room to consider.
I worry that the new programmer flow state in the age of AI is just an even worse version of "move fast and break things". I hope we figure something better than that, though I don't know what that is.
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Comment on Gothenburg promised to optimise school admissions with a piece of code. The resulting chaos showed how unaccountable systems are ruining lives. in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkAnd in the age of AI, this gets even easier. In this example, the culprit is presumably an actual deterministic algorithm. Something that can be taken apart and explained by experts even if they...The court placed the burden of proof squarely on me. It was my responsibility, the judges said, to demonstrate that the system was unlawful. The analysis of decisions was not enough. Without direct evidence of the code, I could not meet the evidentiary threshold. The case was dismissed. In other words: prove what is in the black box, or lose.
And in the age of AI, this gets even easier. In this example, the culprit is presumably an actual deterministic algorithm. Something that can be taken apart and explained by experts even if they didn't build it. An AI model is a black box even to the people who built it.
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Comment on Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, an epic adventure, will release in IMAX and wide globally in theaters on February 12, 2027, and on Netflix on April 2, 2027 in ~movies
Omnicrola Link ParentThe lines that get drawn by people trying to actually live a life while also trying to follow dogma are so weird sometimes. It's not like the other books were strict physics lessons, they're all.... And then there was The Magician's Nephew, nearly pristine, almost imagined out of existence lest we upset my mother by mentioning it or reading it.
The lines that get drawn by people trying to actually live a life while also trying to follow dogma are so weird sometimes. It's not like the other books were strict physics lessons, they're all pretty magical. But that one says Magician, so...
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Comment on This photo has no pigment: how structural color works in ~science
Omnicrola LinkSteve makes good content on an average day, but this one was extra interesting. The random chameleon cameos was just extra icing on this delicious physics cake.Steve makes good content on an average day, but this one was extra interesting. The random chameleon cameos was just extra icing on this delicious physics cake.
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Comment on Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, an epic adventure, will release in IMAX and wide globally in theaters on February 12, 2027, and on Netflix on April 2, 2027 in ~movies
Omnicrola LinkI am not religious any more, but I grew up in a Christian household where the Narnia books were a mainstay and we rewatched the BBC productions we had taped off TV on a regular basis. They only...I am not religious any more, but I grew up in a Christian household where the Narnia books were a mainstay and we rewatched the BBC productions we had taped off TV on a regular basis. They only did the first four books, and I was always disappointed that they never did The Magicians Nephew. It's one of the later books, despite it being the creation story of Narnia. I'm genuinely excited to see how it turns out.
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Comment on New AI data center in Utah will generate and consume more than twice the amount of power the entire state uses in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentI think it's helpful to think of it that way. In some ways this race is even more impactful. Pouring resources into building nukes is one thing, this AI race is about building something that in...Is AI is the new cold war?
I think it's helpful to think of it that way. In some ways this race is even more impactful. Pouring resources into building nukes is one thing, this AI race is about building something that in turn directly influences the lives of billions. The potential levels of surveillance, analysis, and control are staggeringly large. As pivotal moments in history go, this is definitely one of them.
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Comment on Exporters without borders: why you should start a company instead of working in aid in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentExactly. The response I have cue'd up for when I hear this from people is "What are you optimizing for, efficiency or effectiveness? Efficiency says the post office shouldn't deliver mail to the...but the reality is that most of that is manufactured out of the private sector gobbling up the low hanging fruit, leaving the public sector to eat the responsibility of the unprofitable needs
Exactly. The response I have cue'd up for when I hear this from people is "What are you optimizing for, efficiency or effectiveness? Efficiency says the post office shouldn't deliver mail to the family living 20 miles from town. Effectiveness means every citizen receives regular mail service."
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Comment on Millions of Americans may now also be considered Canadian under a new law in ~society
Omnicrola Link ParentI bet there's a whole new industry forming right now to help you with that exact problem.I bet there's a whole new industry forming right now to help you with that exact problem.
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Comment on Godzilla Minus Zero | First look teaser in ~movies
Omnicrola LinkThat last shot, with the framing designed to fool you into thinking Godzilla is smaller than Liberty, only for it to pass behind it right as the shot cuts ... :chef_kiss:That last shot, with the framing designed to fool you into thinking Godzilla is smaller than Liberty, only for it to pass behind it right as the shot cuts ... :chef_kiss:
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Comment on Godzilla Minus Zero | First look teaser in ~movies
Omnicrola Link ParentIt gets my whole heartedly endorsement, an excellent movie is so many aspects.It gets my whole heartedly endorsement, an excellent movie is so many aspects.
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Comment on Young people are falling behind, but not because of AI in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentI see this in a lot of places, not just startups. May the gods save us from mediocre white men. Where I work has also been hiring a lot of director level people and very few actual workers, much...All they have to do is pretend to have vague expertise and clueless startups will give them months or even years of runway.
I see this in a lot of places, not just startups. May the gods save us from mediocre white men. Where I work has also been hiring a lot of director level people and very few actual workers, much to everyone's bafflement.
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Comment on NASA’s Artemis II crew comes home (official live broadcast) | Splashdown at 8:07 pm EDT in ~space
Omnicrola Link ParentJust speculating, maybe they have them there just in case something goes wrong during decent? The last bit happens fast and can go very wrong very quickly, so it might be very cautious planning....But given all the astronauts are healthy and uninjured, I'm not sure why they still feel it's necessary to get them on the helis.
Just speculating, maybe they have them there just in case something goes wrong during decent? The last bit happens fast and can go very wrong very quickly, so it might be very cautious planning. And once they're on site, might as well use them anyway?
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Comment on Am I German or autistic? in ~health.mental
Omnicrola Link ParentSame here!Same here!
German 51% Autistic 42% Result: Both. The Wittgenstein Result. I don't know whether to be proud or concerned.
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Comment on Prototyping with LLMs in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkGood advice. Along the same lines, I enjoyed having Claude help me build out a design doc for a tool I needed. It was helpful just working through the whole thing in text, organizing thoughts and...Good advice. Along the same lines, I enjoyed having Claude help me build out a design doc for a tool I needed. It was helpful just working through the whole thing in text, organizing thoughts and working i more detail, before having to deal with compile errors, library version conflicts, etc etc.
I've only had the opportunity to do it once, but I like how it helped the rest of the process.
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E06: "Mind War" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Omnicrola Link ParentI haven't! I never really delved into books based on shows/movies, but maybe I need to try a few...I haven't! I never really delved into books based on shows/movies, but maybe I need to try a few...
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E06: "Mind War" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Omnicrola Link ParentI loved Bester, he's another great character from this show. He has a whole arc and is a complete 3 dimensional antagonist, even though at first the audience is probably ment to think he's a...I loved Bester, he's another great character from this show. He has a whole arc and is a complete 3 dimensional antagonist, even though at first the audience is probably ment to think he's a shallow stereotype.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of April 6 in ~society
Omnicrola Link ParentThis succinctly captures so much of the last decade. I'm absolutely stealing this.The human body was not designed to know what the world's worst person is doing every 15 minutes".
This succinctly captures so much of the last decade. I'm absolutely stealing this.
Goes hand in hand with
"God will never give you anything you can't handle". Which is some really common toxic framing that's great for internalizing the idea that everything bad is your fault and if you just tried harder everything would be fine.