TallUntidyGothGF's recent activity
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Comment on Heathrow Airport shutdown causes flight chaos and leaves thousands stranded in ~travel
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Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF Link Parentlove it! i enjoy that a rabid dedication to moon viewing is a kind of earnest in-joke across traditional haiku. there's certainly a note of humour in them, here's another from Basho: clouds...love it! i enjoy that a rabid dedication to moon viewing is a kind of earnest in-joke across traditional haiku. there's certainly a note of humour in them, here's another from Basho:
clouds sometimes
let us rest
moon-viewingspeaking of which, you may get a kick out of this
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Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF Link Parentyes! traditionally haiku had to include a kigo or season word and a kireji or cutting word. i think when a lot of people write haiku in english, they over-focus on the wrong 'rule', i.e. the 5-7-5...yes! traditionally haiku had to include a kigo or season word and a kireji or cutting word. i think when a lot of people write haiku in english, they over-focus on the wrong 'rule', i.e. the 5-7-5 format, and maybe not so much on the kind of soul of the thing ... for one thing, 5-7-5 doesn't fit english very well because of the phonological differences between the languages, and the same amount of semantic information isn't captured...
in my own practice i like to focus on the following:
- attempting to capture a specific moment or experience, rather than an abstract (though the abstract thought may be implied by the specific, you don't say it outright)
- avoid direct metaphor (though again it can be implied)
- something like 'expansive concision' - capturing as much as possible in very small number of words, different senses, etc. you have to try a bit harder in english because you don't have the same 'baggage' that japanese kigo provide - but you can become very creative with this
- avoidance of intentional rhyme or metric rhythm
- as for the length, i usually count by stressed syllables, with the first and final lines containing the same number, and the middle being longer. i find that 2 / 3 / 2 tends to work well, but it's more about keeping it brief, light, and airy. people play with this aspect a lot, to good effect
- there is also the notion of kireji or 'cutting words' which are also hard to render in english, but can be done with punctuation. i often like to think of, subtlety or not, cutting the poem into two parts, call and response, question and answer
anyway, i was rambling, i think these notions capture more of what is/has been intended by haiku
but of course, there are no rules
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Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF (edited )Linkhere is some very good and off beaten track writing i have been following recently, conscience round alcoholic poet dramatic roots wherein a poet shares about the craft, it has been very...here is some very good and off beaten track writing i have been following recently,
- conscience round
- alcoholic poet
- dramatic roots wherein a poet shares about the craft, it has been very instructive for me.
- modern monk writes about their take on mystic christianity. i am not a christian, mostly, but it's very engaging and interesting.
- captain awkward writes 'agony aunt' type content, and i often find the issues selected quite relatable (as opposed to most of that kind of writing i come across)!
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Comment on Help finding shoes in ~life.style
TallUntidyGothGF Link ParentWhat brands are better for equivalent cost? What are the brands that are much better at 200 dollars plus? Mine lasted me maybe two years which is better than your standard shoe but was still a...What brands are better for equivalent cost? What are the brands that are much better at 200 dollars plus? Mine lasted me maybe two years which is better than your standard shoe but was still a little disappointing. I’m definitely thinking about paying more for higher quality next time so I’m v interested in your recs for similar shoes. I’m also limited by being a woman with a large shoe size, for which docs work very well style wise!
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Comment on Help finding shoes in ~life.style
TallUntidyGothGF Linki used to use this model of shoe wearing, before diversifying. doc martins' chelsea boots will function well in a variety of situations, between hiking and the office, and scrub up nicely if you...i used to use this model of shoe wearing, before diversifying. doc martins' chelsea boots will function well in a variety of situations, between hiking and the office, and scrub up nicely if you look after them.
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Comment on BBC research paper in to the accuracy of AI news summarisers in ~tech
TallUntidyGothGF Link Parentsure, i agree, i think they (and other media corps') incentive is that they want human eyes on their web pages, for various reasons. otoh most of what we hear are tests run by those who really...sure, i agree, i think they (and other media corps') incentive is that they want human eyes on their web pages, for various reasons. otoh most of what we hear are tests run by those who really believe in LLMs, (often that they are a straight line to AGI), if not directly conducted by those who stand to profit from people believing that, so it's interesting to see a test that is not biased in that particular way (even if it is in the other direction, somewhat). like, given the results here, i would not feel safe at all using an LLM mediated summary or QA session on something complex like a research paper.
i also think that in spite of the conflict of interest, risk of bias here is tempered by the very simple study design. on the other hand, what they really should have done is to see how those same journalist experts rated human-synthesised summaries of those stories as a control. i'm sure anyone who is a subject matter expert will also have had the sad experience of seeing it done dirty for a mass audience, and it's easy to see misinformation propagate even via good-faith re-reporting of news stories.
edit: they also should have blinded the experts to whether an ai or human was answering their question, to control for anti-ai bias
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Comment on BBC research paper in to the accuracy of AI news summarisers in ~tech
TallUntidyGothGF LinkThis all feels quite damning, and in stark contrast to the marketing claims and suggestions people make based on benchmark performances and the like . Where is the disconnect here? Inability to...This all feels quite damning, and in stark contrast to the marketing claims and suggestions people make based on benchmark performances and the like . Where is the disconnect here? Inability to handle new information, weaker models being used for news summarisation, different types of problem tested in benchmark, poor product design, these models just aren’t as good as they’re being made out to be? Some combination? In any case, the idea of rolling out any kind of software with this kind of error rate seems insane - and a really bad pr move in the face of where we are with misinformation proliferation - did they even do a validation? it seems to fit in with the narrative that these companies are desperate to show some kind of real value added from this tech…
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Comment on Global Capslock key in ~comp
TallUntidyGothGF Linkwhat a joyful silly idea. i have caps remapped to esc and i feel like globally synced escapes from insert mode to normal mode could be even more demonic 😅what a joyful silly idea. i have caps remapped to esc and i feel like globally synced escapes from insert mode to normal mode could be even more demonic 😅
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Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech
TallUntidyGothGF Link ParentI've definitely noticed that Waitrose is way better for quality and size of vegetables and other fresh produce. They still absolutely take the piss by putting higher prices on differently labelled...I've definitely noticed that Waitrose is way better for quality and size of vegetables and other fresh produce. They still absolutely take the piss by putting higher prices on differently labelled same product stuff though, so we use some combination of Tesco and Waitrose. I also saw that Waitrose has recently capitulated to the rubbish 'special members club price' trend that they had resisted for so long too. Another point of note is that Waitrose staff usually seem way happier than staff in other supermarkets, potentially because of their cooperative organisational structure.
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Comment on Can anyone recommend a translation of the Odyssey? in ~books
TallUntidyGothGF LinkI like Emily Wilson's version for its pace, directness, meter, reduced floridity, though I picked it because of these features and haven't read more than excerpts of others. People have a lot of...I like Emily Wilson's version for its pace, directness, meter, reduced floridity, though I picked it because of these features and haven't read more than excerpts of others. People have a lot of strong feelings about it; you are probably going to get many answers and all with good reasons :-) ! maybe best to read some side by side excerpts and see which you vibe most with?
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Comment on Blogs: Show your own writing and good posts you have found recently (January) in ~creative
TallUntidyGothGF Link Parenti read that post a little while back! great work putting words to some of the more frustrating devices in AIdvertisingi read that post a little while back! great work putting words to some of the more frustrating devices in AIdvertising
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Comment on "Shower thoughts" and other things to ponder in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF Link ParentYeah! Or I guess getting at a food/drink that captures your ‘essence’Yeah! Or I guess getting at a food/drink that captures your ‘essence’
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Comment on "Shower thoughts" and other things to ponder in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF LinkAt a dinner party recently somebody asked us, if bread and wine are the literally or figuratively transubstantiated representation of Jesus, physically and conceptually, what food and drink would...At a dinner party recently somebody asked us, if bread and wine are the literally or figuratively transubstantiated representation of Jesus, physically and conceptually, what food and drink would be that for you? Which I thought was fun.
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
TallUntidyGothGF Link ParentCool! I've never played a Really Expensive guitar, I wonder how it scales? I guess it's probably very much diminishing returns past a certain point... Though on the other hand there's definitely a...Cool! I've never played a Really Expensive guitar, I wonder how it scales? I guess it's probably very much diminishing returns past a certain point... Though on the other hand there's definitely a kind of class of acoustic guitar that professionals often use that cost ~1800-3000+, like the martin d-28 and that kind of thing, so maybe there's something to it
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Comment on Looking back at the Future of Humanity Institute in ~humanities
TallUntidyGothGF (edited )LinkA glowing and extremely uncritical article on FHI by someone who would seem to be a longtermist themselves (or at least their byline mentions writing a book about it). Only mentions The Email to...A glowing and extremely uncritical article on FHI by someone who would seem to be a longtermist themselves (or at least their byline mentions writing a book about it). Only mentions The Email to gloss over it, a few paragraphs on how what they wrote isn't what they meant, somehow. Which, sure, maybe, but it comes with an implication that it's the only real criticism of the whole endeavour, aside from existing philosophy departments that didn't "get it." Though it mentions Émile Torres only as a critic characterised as doing nothing but turning up emails that make FHI look bad, it may be worth reading some of his material on the FHI and associated ideologies. The following covers the FHI specifically, though other articles discuss longtermist ideas in more detail (and in a more serious way): https://xriskology.substack.com/p/the-future-of-the-future-of-humanity
Also as an academic I find the narrative around that aspect of the story relatively cringey - like, you want to use the facilities, funding, and prestige of a university but also not work within the organisational structure of it at all? Do they really think that they are the only people in academia considering big questions, doing big things? Come on.
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Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes
TallUntidyGothGF LinkI look for and recognise the usernames and stories of my fellow queers. You know who you are!I look for and recognise the usernames and stories of my fellow queers. You know who you are!
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Comment on How do I trick my brain into accepting eating less? in ~health
TallUntidyGothGF LinkLots of good comments but I just wanted to mention that in my experience, doing lots of exercise in the evening is generally a recipe for not being able to sleep, and this is especially true if...Lots of good comments but I just wanted to mention that in my experience, doing lots of exercise in the evening is generally a recipe for not being able to sleep, and this is especially true if there is a calorie deficit going on. I don’t know if it’s something to do with excess cortisol taking more time to settle down, but it feels like that kind of feeling. Maybe you could consider leaving a bit more time between exercise and sleep, if your schedule permits it?
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Comment on How Donald Trump won, and how Kamala Harris lost in ~society
TallUntidyGothGF Link Parentit doesn't feel good to be part of the group it's increasingly politically toxic to show any kind of support for, that's for sure. i wonder where that could be goingit doesn't feel good to be part of the group it's increasingly politically toxic to show any kind of support for, that's for sure. i wonder where that could be going
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Comment on We can have a different web in ~tech
TallUntidyGothGF Link ParentYou're very welcome! I share a bit of your frustration about knowing where to start on marginalia. For me, I think the trick is to think of it in a slightly different way to the very specific way...You're very welcome! I share a bit of your frustration about knowing where to start on marginalia. For me, I think the trick is to think of it in a slightly different way to the very specific way we usually search, using highly tuned and focused search engines and a web that probably contains a page with the exact answer we're looking for. Instead, I try to search for more general interests, and try to hold more of an open mind on what I consider a correct result, i.e. something interesting rather than something that fits the query exactly. For example, searching things like "hiking oxfordshire" or something I've come across on Wikipedia recently, transcendental meditation, etc.
All of this fits in my mind in the same space to trying to unlearn constantly being in productivity-brain, where everything I do has to be in the service of a project, or a piece of work, and trying to use some time to just play and be creative and 'let things in'. I think that's what we're seeking when we scroll on social media, a lot of the time - that escape, fun, and freedom of play, alongside input of novelty. I suppose we've kind of forgotten how to do it ourselves because the need is poorly met, fed to us in the passive scroll, with all of its attendant doom.
Maybe it's a little bit like if you don't read a book for a long time, it's really hard to focus for more than a minute. It's much easier to watch TV. Maybe that has something to do with how you describe being able to more intuitively browse the web this way before, it's certainly the case when me and the web were younger, too. I can only see it as positive that there are such impressive movements surrounding even making it possible to use the web in this way, but it will take some time and effort on our part to reconfigure ourselves into doing so :-) It helps that the rewards are great.
On a non technical note, I think that people here in the UK are quite immiserated and don’t expect a lot when it comes to infrastructure, so there probably isn’t much public pressure to make things more robust, or really enough of an outcry when things go wrong. Our buses are always late or don’t show up, trains often delayed or cancelled, everything shuts down when it’s too cold, too hot, there’s a dusting of snow, flooding is increasingly normalised. Infrastructure projects always overrun, over-expense, and under-deliver (if they are finished at all). Health system crumbling to the point of material outcomes, cancer diagnoses and treatments delayed. In this context it’s not surprising in the least to me that a completely preventable or avoidable infrastructure problem caused this much of a problem