Promethean's recent activity
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Comment on The real danger to civilisation isn't runaway AI it's runaway capitalism (2017) in ~misc
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentNothing to me indicated that this was a conversation worth disengaging from. Seemed like we were having a good debate until you wrote it all off as a matter of semantics and thus unproductive and...Nothing to me indicated that this was a conversation worth disengaging from. Seemed like we were having a good debate until you wrote it all off as a matter of semantics and thus unproductive and terminally boring. If you go your entire online experience only conversing when it seems like you will convince someone else that your viewpoint is the one they should adopt, well that's an incredibly myopic and toxic experience to cultivate.
So, if you're willing to continue the conversation without prefacing each of your comments from here on out as an exercise in futility, well I'd be happy to reciprocate.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentBut I'm not saying that breaking down taboos about sex talk results in clinical talk. That's a false dichotomy. Playfulness does not equal silliness. In fact, in my mind, play is one of the least...But I'm not saying that breaking down taboos about sex talk results in clinical talk. That's a false dichotomy.
Playfulness does not equal silliness. In fact, in my mind, play is one of the least trivial endeavors of a sentient being.
And I don't agree that non-reproductive sex is a game played by consenting adults. There's a whole lot more to sex than just the immediate (often) fun intimacy. It can be a way to cement certain social ties or deal with stress or any number of other non-play non-reproductive functions.
I still maintain that people think talking about sex is silly because talking about sex is taboo still in many (especially Western) societies. People laugh at someone making an orgasm face because it's taboo to make that face in most scenarios. The face itself isn't entirely funny (subjective), it's the connotative link to sex talk taboo that makes it funny.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentTo counter that, non-reproductive sex is still natural and occurs in non-human species like bonobos and dolphins.To counter that, non-reproductive sex is still natural and occurs in non-human species like bonobos and dolphins.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentI don't agree with this at all. Sexual reproduction is older than jaws and the tetrapod body plan. You could just as easily say that an alien species that has seven tentacles and eats through...It's that sex is kind of silly. It really is. If there were an intelligent alien species that reproduced asexually and they came to Earth, they would probably find the human obsession with genitals slapping together exceedingly strange, dare I say, even funny. You can be inclusive and sex positive and still acknowledge the fundamental silliness of it all.
I don't agree with this at all. Sexual reproduction is older than jaws and the tetrapod body plan. You could just as easily say that an alien species that has seven tentacles and eats through osmosis would view our four-limbed mouth-eating as kind of silly.
But it's not, and neither is sex. Both are completely normal activities. It'd be one thing if there wasn't this weird taboo against talking maturely about sex. People joke about food all the time, but there isn't a taboo around talking about food in a non-joke way. With sex, perhaps it's because it's typically done in private (in most modern societies), but that too easily leads people to consider it something shameful that you mustn't talk about. And that's a problem that maybe younger generations are recognizing and pushing back on.
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Comment on Blasphemy laws have returned to Denmark – even fanatical Quran-burners must remain free in ~humanities
Promethean Link ParentI'm with you in that I'm against restrictions on freedom of speech for the many reasons you list and that there exist some form of "common sense" limitations. But where is that line drawn and...I'm with you in that I'm against restrictions on freedom of speech for the many reasons you list and that there exist some form of "common sense" limitations. But where is that line drawn and should governments really be the one to draw it? And to what extent should individuals give up their personal freedoms for the sake of their county's international "fitness"?
I think violent reactions to the burning religious texts or other non-violent "anti-religion/culture/race/gender/etc." actions is never acceptable. We can explain the reason for the reaction, but that in no way is a justification of the reaction.
That isn't to say that harassment should be allowed. Burning a Quran outside someone's house? Harassment, and should be punished as harassment. Burning a Quran in a public space? May be fair exercise of free speech. Burning a Quran in front of the same family at the public park each week? Probably harassment and should be punished as harassment. Violent reactions to any of these three Quran burnings? Unacceptable and should be punished as such.
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Comment on Greedflation: corporate profiteering ‘significantly’ boosted global prices, study show in ~finance
Promethean Link ParentInstitutional investors do engage with the boards of the companies they own (not all of the companies, but enough to cover a substantial portion of their AUM, like 67%+). Sometimes these...Institutional investors do engage with the boards of the companies they own (not all of the companies, but enough to cover a substantial portion of their AUM, like 67%+). Sometimes these engagements amount to what many would consider "demands", though in practice they tend to be more like "adopting this board structure, disclosing this risk oversight process, or restructuring executive pay will make us more likely to support the directors on the respective nom, audit, or comp committees".
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Comment on America isn’t ready for the two-household child in ~life
Promethean Link ParentSo it seems like it's not so simple as you say. Arguing against implementing little-r reform because we can't do big-R Reform is just as much a hinderance to long term progress as a the bad-faith...So it seems like it's not so simple as you say.
Arguing against implementing little-r reform because we can't do big-R Reform is just as much a hinderance to long term progress as a the bad-faith actors. In fact, it's often a tactic employed by those bad-faith actors.
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Comment on Apple cuts off Beeper Mini’s access after launch of service that brought iMessage to Android in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentAgreed. Kind of a bizarre thing to chalk up to "American Exceptionalism"...Agreed. Kind of a bizarre thing to chalk up to "American Exceptionalism"...
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Comment on America isn’t ready for the two-household child in ~life
Promethean Link Parent"Why fix this thing when there are other things to fix?" is what you're saying. Sounds good on paper: every dollar or minute spent fixing one thing is a dollar or minute not spent fixing something..."Why fix this thing when there are other things to fix?" is what you're saying.
Sounds good on paper: every dollar or minute spent fixing one thing is a dollar or minute not spent fixing something else. There's a specific ethical theory and ideology for that.
If your proposed solution is so simple, why hasn't it been done already?
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Comment on If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentIf gold lost all its value except its physical utility, that would still represent a dramatic drop in value.If gold lost all its value except its physical utility, that would still represent a dramatic drop in value.
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Comment on Exclusive: OpenAI researchers warned board of AI breakthrough ahead of CEO ouster, sources say in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentI really like that magnifying lens analogy!I really like that magnifying lens analogy!
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Comment on Exclusive: OpenAI researchers warned board of AI breakthrough ahead of CEO ouster, sources say in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentThat's also a myth. Hunter gatherers might seem like their food supply is in constant threat of disruption, but that's because most people's frame of reference for hunter gatherers is that of...That's also a myth. Hunter gatherers might seem like their food supply is in constant threat of disruption, but that's because most people's frame of reference for hunter gatherers is that of modern day hunter gatherers, who have been relegated to the fringes of the world.
Hunter gathers back when the world was not nearly entirely agrarian had the pick of the most abundant ecosystems.
I recommend you read The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. This book argues against the myth of progress (the "inevitable and rational" progression from hunter gatherer to pastoralist to farmer to industrialist) espoused by popular books like Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, which is still worth a read anyway.
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Comment on Exclusive: OpenAI researchers warned board of AI breakthrough ahead of CEO ouster, sources say in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentI broadly agree with what you're saying except for: In the Industrial Revolution, there were three generations of dramatically reduced employability, horrible working conditions, and rampant child...I broadly agree with what you're saying except for:
in any other previous economic disruption, there was a safe harbor of jobs to flee to. Industrial revolution made your weaving skills useless? Bummer, but at least you can be a mechanic now. Sure, it's not a 1 for 1 replacement, and the disruption carries with it personal financial hardship, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Always has been in previous disruptions.
In the Industrial Revolution, there were three generations of dramatically reduced employability, horrible working conditions, and rampant child labor. People gloss over this fact for many reasons, first of which is because many of the good things we have today in developed countries were made possible by a century of industrial progress.
The 20th century technology revolution was a boon to employment, since much of it was labor enabling technology, whereas the technology of the Industrial Revolution was very much so labor replacing. Sure, cottage industry weavers could go work in the factory as a mechanic, but at severely depressed wages and in significantly worse conditions.
I'll recommend two books on this subject (technology, inequality, labor) that were quite intriguing:
The Technology Trap by Carl Benedict Frey
The Great Leveler by Walter Scheidel
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Comment on In Cold War II, the US risks playing the Soviet role in ~misc
Promethean Link ParentI think it's more a matter that China doesn't want to police the world in the same way as the USA, which exerts significant military might across the globe, but they very much do want their brand...I think it's more a matter that China doesn't want to police the world in the same way as the USA, which exerts significant military might across the globe, but they very much do want their brand of hegemony to reign supreme in the 21st century. The whole world witnessed how much of a debacle the USA's power projection was in the Middle East and have learned that that's not the best way to exert influence.
Being a superpower is more than being a military superpower. Economic power, cultural influence, diplomatic relations, etc. all come into play. I would say that China has leaned heavily into economic power and cultural influence first to shore up their base of support without explicit projections of military force. There's no need for them to go hot with the USA. Instead, they'll continue to erode away at the USA's cultural export, economic dominance, steadily gain ground on military capability, and ever increasingly be central to international diplomacy and setting tech standards.
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Comment on Fact sheet: US President Joe Biden issues executive order on safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentThere are plugins for ChatGPT that allow it to comb through research databases to find papers to cite in its response. It's quite effective in identifying papers of interest.There are plugins for ChatGPT that allow it to comb through research databases to find papers to cite in its response. It's quite effective in identifying papers of interest.
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Comment on NYC homeowner costs are rising at three times the inflation rate in ~finance
Promethean Link ParentAn average of prices is not an assumption that all prices are the average for each constituent of the averaged population. I don't know of anyone who understands what averages are that equate 'the...An average of prices is not an assumption that all prices are the average for each constituent of the averaged population. I don't know of anyone who understands what averages are that equate 'the average' with 'the reality of every member of the population'. Seems to me like such conflation is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is meant by average.
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Comment on ‘Reddit can survive without search’: company reportedly threatens to block Google in ~tech
Promethean Link ParentWell that's because the users stopped being the customers. It's the advertisers that are (and have been for a while now) the customers. They pay Reddit's (and most other online platforms') bills,...Well that's because the users stopped being the customers. It's the advertisers that are (and have been for a while now) the customers. They pay Reddit's (and most other online platforms') bills, not the users! So the companies are still merely asking "how can we make this better for the customer?", and that normally means making things worse for the users.
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Comment on The Techno Optimist Manifesto by Marc Andreessen, redacted by Grosser in ~tech
Promethean LinkThe original manifesto reads like a screed from someone who's never left their ivory tower. There are countless example of technology being utterly horrific for humans, both in the short run and...- Exemplary
The original manifesto reads like a screed from someone who's never left their ivory tower. There are countless example of technology being utterly horrific for humans, both in the short run and the long run. Most society-level problems are not technical in nature as much as they are political or cultural problems. I guess this is where he'd cut me off and say "technology will fix that!".
Techno-optimism, as laid out by this manifesto, is great if you ignore everything that happens between now and the fantasy hypothesized for the future. Techno-optimism is great if you're wealthy. Techno-optimism is great if you're not a victim of technology (which is such a broad term that it can refer to essentially everything humans have invented from life-saving drugs to nuclear weapons).
Layer in the dog whistles every other paragraph, wild suppositions, statements as fact, and you get a few thousand words that, well, boil down to what is found in the linked redaction.
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Comment on Looking for recommendations of Bronze Age historical fiction in ~books
Promethean LinkIf you can wait ten years and want to stretch this from "Bronze Age historical fiction" to "fantasy set in a Bronze Age transition period", I'm working on a series inspired by ancient...If you can wait ten years and want to stretch this from "Bronze Age historical fiction" to "fantasy set in a Bronze Age transition period", I'm working on a series inspired by ancient Mediterranean history.
In Superintelligence, Nick Bostrom covers many forms of superintelligent entities, one of which is collective intelligence, and the dangers of incentive misalignment/loss of control. Groups of humans like corporations are certainly far more intelligent and possess far greater capabilities than any single human and thus fit the definition of superintelligent. We should rightly be concerned with the misalignment of corporate incentives with societal well being and the difficulties regulatory bodies have had reining them in.
I have a front row view of all this in my job (corporate governance data scientist for one of the largest asset manager's investment stewardship departments), and it's more than concerning, to be frank.