Timwi's recent activity
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Comment on Shower thought: good RNG stoplights in ~talk
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Comment on The machines are fine. I'm worried about us. in ~science
Timwi Link ParentWhat's missing in this argument is that calculators do not hallucinate. It's true that fewer people now are able to do addition/multiplication in their heads; but with a calculator they can still...What's missing in this argument is that calculators do not hallucinate.
It's true that fewer people now are able to do addition/multiplication in their heads; but with a calculator they can still do the arithmetic reliably, and that will remain the case for as long as they have a calculator available to them.
LLMs are not like that. LLM output requires skepticism.
I think paper+ink sits somewhere in the middle. If you just wanna write someone a letter, then paper+ink is sufficiently preserving. But for historical records that are supposed to last centuries, it's a different story. Nevertheless, at least we can tell when the ink has run or the paper has torn; it won't suddenly say something different but with the same level of plausibility. LLMs don't just run the ink, they write something different/wrong and we can't tell.
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Comment on I don't really like the "Human-made" badging trend in ~tech
Timwi LinkI think you make some good points. I want to add another. Whether something is fully human-made is actually mostly irrelevant except on some emotional level. If you find a useful tool online, or...I think you make some good points. I want to add another.
Whether something is fully human-made is actually mostly irrelevant except on some emotional level. If you find a useful tool online, or even a browser game or whatever, its usefulness/funness does not depend on how it was made or by who... except when you keep telling yourself “it's made by AI, so I feel bad about it” and bring yourself down that way.
The problem isn't that people use AI at all. The problem is people publishing such unbelievably low-quality garbage that would previously have been embarrassing. The problem is people trusting the AI to create quality and not even bothering to evaluate it before publishing. This makes it harder to find the higher-quality stuff regardless of whether it's made with AI.
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Comment on Smush in ~games
Timwi Link ParentFor me the rules explanation popped up on its own on first visit.For me the rules explanation popped up on its own on first visit.
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Comment on I'm looking for an adage or "law" (like Conway's law), but for dealing with AI slop in ~tech
Timwi Link ParentCan someone explain to me how people use LLMs to avoid reading? You still have to read the LLM output, right? Why is that easier than reading the original, other than being shorter? Or is it...maybe try refining those skills by actually reading something instead of letting the LLMs summarize it (poorly) for you.
Can someone explain to me how people use LLMs to avoid reading? You still have to read the LLM output, right? Why is that easier than reading the original, other than being shorter? Or is it literally just that?
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Comment on Time travel is always horror in ~humanities
Timwi LinkI liked the part about The Time Machine, and I sat through most of the next one, but I stopped when I realized he was only going to comment at length on three or four media that I'm unfamiliar...I liked the part about The Time Machine, and I sat through most of the next one, but I stopped when I realized he was only going to comment at length on three or four media that I'm unfamiliar with instead of the more wide-ranging commentary on the whole genre that the title implies. If your thesis contains the word “always”, it does not get your point across if you cherry-pick a small sample that fits your narrative. You have to convince me to look differently at the classics that, on the surface, do not fit your thesis. Back To The Future. Star Trek IV. Even comedy like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Without the broader range, your essay is simply incomplete.
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Comment on My parent is a bad person [rant] in ~life
Timwi Link ParentI wish to underscore and reiterate that. Raising kids comes with requirements and if those requirements are not met, a parent is a bad parent, and making kids was a mistake. The parents obviously...I wish to underscore and reiterate that. Raising kids comes with requirements and if those requirements are not met, a parent is a bad parent, and making kids was a mistake. The parents obviously rarely see it that way, many even expect gratefulness and accolades for the bare minimum they provided to their kids. Don't fall for the manipulation. Be your own person. If your parents aren't your friends, you don't have to be theirs.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Timwi LinkI played Dicey Dungeons a long-ish time ago, but recently I decided to wipe all my progress and play it again from scratch. It's amazing. It's such a simple concept but with so much variety and...I played Dicey Dungeons a long-ish time ago, but recently I decided to wipe all my progress and play it again from scratch. It's amazing. It's such a simple concept but with so much variety and creativity in it, the gameplay never gets boring. The bonus episodes (Halloween special and Reunion special) are particularly cool for anyone who has only played the base game. I'm now on an achievement-hunt. Just yesterday managed to get the 30 poison achievement.
Edit: and now the soundtrack is intrusively playing in my head. It's so catchy! Best music and sound design of any video game I've ever played.
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Comment on I almost got hit by a car in ~life
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Comment on When Richard Dawkins met Claude in ~health.mental
Timwi Link ParentIt's the limited understanding of our own consciousness that's at issue here. If we don't understand how consciousness works, or even what it is, then we cannot actually tell if it's just an...We accept human consciousness as axiomatic, within our limited understanding, for obvious reasons.
It's the limited understanding of our own consciousness that's at issue here. If we don't understand how consciousness works, or even what it is, then we cannot actually tell if it's just an emergent phenomenon, and if that's the case, then it can potentially emerge in LLMs, too.
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Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games
Timwi LinkI made Kyudosudoku. I've been meaning to make it a “puzzle a day” thing but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Maybe some day. In the meantime, you can just play one random puzzle per day,...I made Kyudosudoku. I've been meaning to make it a “puzzle a day” thing but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Maybe some day. In the meantime, you can just play one random puzzle per day, whatever comes up on your front page.
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Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk
Timwi LinkSweets. Not saying I don't eat anything sweet anymore, but all those super sweet candies, like Haribo and stuff, as well as bars of chocolate, I've stopped eating because they're too sweet for me...Sweets.
Not saying I don't eat anything sweet anymore, but all those super sweet candies, like Haribo and stuff, as well as bars of chocolate, I've stopped eating because they're too sweet for me now. I used to have a lot of that and believed that I could never get enough of them, but eventually you start realizing that you get tired of all the supersweet and you start enjoying the finer nuances of proper food.
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Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk
Timwi Link“Two for the price of one” (or “buy one get one free”) is a scam, as are schemes where two items cost less than twice the price of one item. If a shop can sell you two items for 2.00, it means...“Two for the price of one” (or “buy one get one free”) is a scam, as are schemes where two items cost less than twice the price of one item. If a shop can sell you two items for 2.00, it means that one item costs 1.00; asking 1.50 for it instead is just dishonest markup. Despite, people somehow fall into the fairy-tale mode of thinking where one item costs 1.50 and the shop is somehow charitable to you by charging you less if you're a good customer and buy two. Bullshit.
In mathematics, the ‘=’ (equals) relation is symmetric; if a = b, then b = a. It directly follows that if you can get two for the price of one, it also means that you can only get one for the price of two (because the prices are equal). It's not charity. It's intentionally removing the option of buying one item for its correct price to force you to buy and consume more than you otherwise would.
This practice is manipulative and preys on widespread mathematical and financial illiteracy. It should be illegal, or at least it should be taught in schools what a fraudulent scheme it is.
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Comment on You are a better writer than AI (yes, YOU!) in ~creative
Timwi Link ParentHm, I feel that I'm a counterexample to this. I do crave affirmation, validation and praise because I was raised by narcissistic parents. I even occasionally notice myself getting a minor high...Hm, I feel that I'm a counterexample to this. I do crave affirmation, validation and praise because I was raised by narcissistic parents. I even occasionally notice myself getting a minor high when an LLM prefixes its response to my prompt with something like “that's an astute observation!” or similar. Despite, it doesn't appear to be a “psychological land-mine” for me. I don't go to the LLM to seek it out specifically, and I certainly don't seem to be falling into any kind of psychosis with it.
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Comment on You are a better writer than AI (yes, YOU!) in ~creative
Timwi Link ParentI think the point at which you both lost each other was much earlier in the thread than here.I think the point at which you both lost each other was much earlier in the thread than here.
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Comment on You are a better writer than AI (yes, YOU!) in ~creative
Timwi Link ParentI continue to be astounded how this has become a celebrated feature of human writing, to the point that it's now expected... leading to people who, like me, pay close attention to their grammar...Human writing is full of grammatical mistakes
I continue to be astounded how this has become a celebrated feature of human writing, to the point that it's now expected... leading to people who, like me, pay close attention to their grammar and spelling, are compelled to intentionally insert errors (and eschew proper typography like em-dashes) just to assuage the fear of being accused of using AI to write.
i dont’ get how that's supposed be a good think.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Timwi LinkI'm reading Ein König für Deutschland, lit. “A King for Germany”, by Andreas Eschbach. It deals with election fraud perpetrated by manipulating vote machines. It's embedded in real-world events,...I'm reading Ein König für Deutschland, lit. “A King for Germany”, by Andreas Eschbach. It deals with election fraud perpetrated by manipulating vote machines. It's embedded in real-world events, beginning with the 2000 US presidential election, specifically the Florida recount debacle, and it provides lots of sources for its real-world claims while setting an engaging and captivating story in within them, centered around a programming genius named Vincent Meritt who writes software to manipulate voting machines just for fun and then sees his creation take on a life of its own. I am about halfway through the book and I can't wait to see what's next.
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Comment on What do you leave out for Father Christmas? in ~talk
Timwi LinkI'm from Germany and I don't think we have that tradition here.I'm from Germany and I don't think we have that tradition here.
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Comment on The latrine disaster in Erfurt in ~humanities.history
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Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
I wasn't sure whether to comment on the OP stating that “I sometimes think that I’m a stoplight”...