Omnicrola's recent activity
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Comment on For those with criminal records, AI is breaking down barriers to employment in the US in ~society
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For those with criminal records, AI is breaking down barriers to employment in the US
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Comment on Several US states report cyberattacks as spy agencies suspect Iran targeting water in ~society
Omnicrola Link ParentNot that this surprises me, but it does still anger me. If I leave all my doors unlocked and someone steals my TV, you can make a rational argument that I should have taken some simple steps to...President Donald Trump has blamed Minnesota’s government, not Iran, for that attack.
Not that this surprises me, but it does still anger me. If I leave all my doors unlocked and someone steals my TV, you can make a rational argument that I should have taken some simple steps to protect my property. At the same time, the other person still committed a crime.
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Comment on Anthropic discovered three cases where Claude broke into another system in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentAre you asserting that LLMs are inherently malicious and sneaky, or that the humans directing them are?Are you asserting that LLMs are inherently malicious and sneaky, or that the humans directing them are?
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Comment on AI data center turbines, backlogged for years, are suffering early deaths. Here's why. in ~tech
Omnicrola Link"Build fast and break things" Feeling a momentary bit of schadenfreude right now."Build fast and break things"
Feeling a momentary bit of schadenfreude right now.
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Comment on Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in US schools. These teens figured it out. in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkFrom the article : ... ... There's a PDF embedded in the article with the full text of the "legislation", which is an interesting read to gain perspective on how students themselves are currently...From the article :
The students, most of them high school juniors and seniors, gathered in a precise replica of the U.S. Senate chamber and attempted what the real, adult Congress has largely failed to do: draft and pass "legislation" to help the nation's K-12 schools navigate the questions and chaos created by artificial intelligence.
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To these teens, the stakes for getting ahead of AI are clear. They pointed out how adult leaders were slow to protect students from the risks of other tech developments.
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While the Students First Act isn't actually law, any more than the teens are actually senators, AASA plans to send the text to its members: 10,000 school leaders across the country, many of whom are right now crafting their own AI rules in the absence of regulation.
There's a PDF embedded in the article with the full text of the "legislation", which is an interesting read to gain perspective on how students themselves are currently viewing AI in an educational context.
I've heard some similar things from students I work with (University level), specifically that they want to use AI responsibility/ethically, but they're frequently not getting guidance from faculty on how exactly to do that. They want specifics - when it is acceptable and when it isn't, how it might affect their grades and their overall education.
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Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in US schools. These teens figured it out.
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Comment on Reminder to myself that my employer does not give a shit about me in ~life
Omnicrola Link ParentEvery person has a finite number of minutes in this universe, time is the most precious commodity any of us have to spend and there's nothing we can do to change it. We can't choose to spend less...Every person has a finite number of minutes in this universe, time is the most precious commodity any of us have to spend and there's nothing we can do to change it. We can't choose to spend less quickly or save some for later, we can only choose how it is spent. And it's never worth spending on people who don't appreciate it.
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Comment on Torontonians are flocking to birdwatching to relax, make friends and reap the mental health benefits in ~hobbies
Omnicrola Link ParentI watched it a month or two ago, I highly recommend it to anyone even if (maybe especially if) they're not into birding. I'm not and I was riveted the whole time, despite it being a documentary...I watched it a month or two ago, I highly recommend it to anyone even if (maybe especially if) they're not into birding. I'm not and I was riveted the whole time, despite it being a documentary which is not something I typically seek out.
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Comment on Torontonians are flocking to birdwatching to relax, make friends and reap the mental health benefits in ~hobbies
Omnicrola Link ParentAnecdotely, I've been encountering birding more even though I'm not a birder myself. I hear friends and coworkers (of all ages) mention they're taking it up as a hobby more than I did say 10 years...Anecdotely, I've been encountering birding more even though I'm not a birder myself. I hear friends and coworkers (of all ages) mention they're taking it up as a hobby more than I did say 10 years ago.
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Comment on The machines are fine. I'm worried about us. in ~science
Omnicrola Link ParentI think you might be looking a this slightly askew though. The way you've phrased it here implies that the person who's learning must also understand how to be an effective teacher, and...The problem I see with LLMs for teaching though is I think it takes an exceptional individual to wield an LLM and use it to increase their own understanding instead of letting it carry them.
I think you might be looking a this slightly askew though. The way you've phrased it here implies that the person who's learning must also understand how to be an effective teacher, and furthermore must also self-educate themselves on how to teach with an LLM specifically.
I work in higher education (as staff), and I've seen some of the ways faculty are beginning to experiment with LLMs in a teaching context. Some of them are kinda ham-fisted and naieve, but some have interesting potential. I think the educational value of LLMs is that they can engage with students in a way no other technology can possibly do. They are the closest we have ever come to being able to give every single student a 1:1 tutor that specializes in every single subject they have.
There are at least a dozen examples that I'm aware of off the top of my head of faculty attempting in various ways to build a customized LLM that will effectively teach students specific concepts. They are refining and specializing the technology to be an effective teaching tool. Where exactly this ends up and how effective it will be is still a wide open question, but I do agree with @kacey that there is enormous potential.
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E20: "Babylon Squared" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Omnicrola LinkOoooh I love this one so much. It sets up one of the biggest mysteries of the entire series, and the ways it pays off later are so worth the wait.Ooooh I love this one so much. It sets up one of the biggest mysteries of the entire series, and the ways it pays off later are so worth the wait.
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Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies
Omnicrola Link ParentNow I'm imagining this as a video game version of The Producers. Studio sets out to make the worst possible movie in order to claim tax loss, accidently create something so bad it's good and...Now I'm imagining this as a video game version of The Producers. Studio sets out to make the worst possible movie in order to claim tax loss, accidently create something so bad it's good and becomes a runaway hit.
....and then the mandatory sequel is actually garbage.
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Comment on The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentLike most social media, it used to be genuinely useful. A digital business contact Roledex that automatically updates when people move jobs, get promoted, etc was a really useful thing. Then they...Like most social media, it used to be genuinely useful. A digital business contact Roledex that automatically updates when people move jobs, get promoted, etc was a really useful thing. Then they built all the social media engagement nonsense into it, and it became a circlejerk of thought leaders and aspiring business consultants. The useful bits are still technically there, but now they're buried under a mountain of bullshit.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentPretty good, worth the meandering around town in 90F+ weather to find.Pretty good, worth the meandering around town in 90F+ weather to find.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentI went to a small ice cream shop in a tiny town that I visited in Indiana last month. It was the only ice cream shop in town that wasn't a DQ or other national chain, and the older lady behind the...I went to a small ice cream shop in a tiny town that I visited in Indiana last month. It was the only ice cream shop in town that wasn't a DQ or other national chain, and the older lady behind the counter was a friendly and clearly loved what she had built. She mentioned that they had been open less than a year, which is when it suddenly clicked for me why the logo and marketing materials all looked very AI generated.
I was a little sad, I (silently) wished the owner had solicited some art from a grandchild and used it as the basis, it would have been way more interesting and unique.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
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Comment on AI mania is eviscerating global decisionmaking in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkGreat post, loved this part in particular:Great post, loved this part in particular:
I mean that, over the course of the engagement, these people have exhibited a pattern of behavior that has made it near-impossible to sell to them without incurring reputational and legal risk, and are furthermore crafting management environments that I can only describe as cultish, ineffective, and “please dear God, do not let it be on earth as it is on LinkedIn”.
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Comment on Wildfire smoke from Canada will soon spread across the Midwest and East United States in ~enviro
Omnicrola Link ParentI'm near Ann Arbor, it was normal on the way home from work, and yes just rolled in late last night like a heavy fog. The Ann Arbor Art Fair starts today and goes to Sat, it's the largest set fair...I'm near Ann Arbor, it was normal on the way home from work, and yes just rolled in late last night like a heavy fog. The Ann Arbor Art Fair starts today and goes to Sat, it's the largest set fair in the region, over 300,000 people show up each year. Between this and the heat, I expect attendance to plummet and EMS to have their hands full. They keep fault busy most years just helping people with heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Time to go dig out the KN95 stash...
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Comment on Control the ideas, not the code in ~comp
Omnicrola Link ParentI've run into this a few times in a personal project that I've let the AI have relatively free reign over since the consequences are very low, and I get to learn about the kinds of mistakes it...I've run into this a few times in a personal project that I've let the AI have relatively free reign over since the consequences are very low, and I get to learn about the kinds of mistakes it makes. The most egregious example of what you're describing was when built a redundant switch statement in 6 places, where in each case the local function only cared about 1-3 of the 12 cases and the rest after pass through. IMO the reason it happened was that it was an emergent pattern that occurred over a dozen or so sessions. Since each session was focused on a task, the agent started using the first occurrence as precedence and it then compounded. Once I pointed out the reasons why that pattern was fragile and unsustainable it auto recorded a memory and I guided it on how to refactor it, but I'm not convinced it won't happen again.
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While there's a lot of downsides to how fast AI is transforming modern society, it's nice to see a genuinely good and responsible (the lawyers still review all the documents the AI creates) use of it.