TonesTones's recent activity
-
Comment on Jet Lag Season 19: Japanorama | Trailer in ~hobbies
-
Comment on Elon Musk on tomatoes in ~food
TonesTones Link ParentI want to say that “misalignment means there exists an optimal strategy that isn’t aligned with the underlying goals of the system”. I think what you’re describing (exploitation of mechanics...I want to say that “misalignment means there exists an optimal strategy that isn’t aligned with the underlying goals of the system”. I think what you’re describing (exploitation of mechanics providing negligible advantage) I would consider an aligned system. I think we’re debating semantics? Please correct me if I’m misunderstanding.
-
Comment on Elon Musk on tomatoes in ~food
TonesTones Link ParentIs it not? Incentives are a nasty beast. In any power structure that exists today (politics, business, academia), there’s a tradeoff between ‘playing the game’ and sticking to values....It’s not a natural law that allows sociopaths to win
Is it not? Incentives are a nasty beast.
In any power structure that exists today (politics, business, academia), there’s a tradeoff between ‘playing the game’ and sticking to values. Intentionally or not, people place themselves along the spectrum of “How much am I willing to sacrifice my morals/values/intrinsic motivators to get extrinsic rewards like money?”. This happens on a tiny scale, like lying on a resume or cheating in school to land a well-paying job, to committing widespread fraud or exploitation as a leader.
Sociopaths, generally, are some of the most willing to do anything for extrinsic rewards. We’d expect those with fewer obstacles to maximizing success to do so.
In a system that has any misalignment between the reward system and the intended behaviors that get rewarded, one can expect that those most willing to ‘play the game’ will get furthest ahead. Some systems are more aligned than others, and some (finance) often have little to no intrinsic motivators. It’s genuinely quite difficult to build systems with good alignment (though they exist! I think of libraries and mutual aid groups). Power corrupts.
-
Comment on Honey gets terminated as lawsuits proceed in ~tech
TonesTones Link ParentI apologize, I was pulling information from an ad that I had gotten for it without reading the fine print. It’s 3% on the Apple Card with Apple Pay for select merchants; 2% everywhere else. Which...I apologize, I was pulling information from an ad that I had gotten for it without reading the fine print. It’s 3% on the Apple Card with Apple Pay for select merchants; 2% everywhere else. Which is pretty typical, like you say.
Thank you for the correction.
-
Comment on Honey gets terminated as lawsuits proceed in ~tech
TonesTones (edited )Link ParentI hate cash back for this reason and wish it was regulated in the US like it is in the EU (or specifically, payment processing fees being regulated). In my frustration, I was completely wrong. I...I hate cash back for this reason and wish it was regulated in the US like it is in the EU (or specifically, payment processing fees being regulated).
Apple Pay now has 3% cash back on all purchases, which surely comes from increased processing fees (along with controlling the processing mechanism). Eventually, other cards will need to compete and raise their fees accordingly to provide consumers with that 3%.In my frustration, I was completely wrong. I stand by the rest of my comment.The costs are always passed on to consumers, and typically all consumers, not just the ones using reward CCs. Business have no means to negotiate (turning away specifically customers using XY and Z cards?) and consumers have no incentive to negotiate. So these programs are just an inflation accelerant with no actual value add to the economy.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
TonesTones Link ParentI’ll validate that reaction. For me, it was a fun book to read without thinking too much. I think many Sanderson fans, like D&D players, enjoy the story for the world and the big, flashy moments....In modern terms, I felt like I was reading something written by LLM, with lots of D&D session transcripts in the training set.
I’ll validate that reaction. For me, it was a fun book to read without thinking too much. I think many Sanderson fans, like D&D players, enjoy the story for the world and the big, flashy moments. The prose and storytelling nuance isn’t the pull.
-
Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
TonesTones Link ParentThat’s super fun! It adds quite a bit of character. I must admit I cracked up when I clicked on the photos and realized there was also an intentional hole in the overalls (justifying the...That’s super fun! It adds quite a bit of character.
I must admit I cracked up when I clicked on the photos and realized there was also an intentional hole in the overalls (justifying the clarification in the first sentence). Thanks for posting!
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
TonesTones Link ParentWas this your experience of all the books? I really enjoyed The Way of Kings, struggled through the second, and never finished the third. I haven’t read any part of the fourth. I’m wondering if...It might have been one of the worst reading experiences I have ever had. The prose was horrible, the pacing was horrible, none of the characters nor the world was interesting. It's like I was reading a description of an average D&D session but over 3000 pages.
Was this your experience of all the books? I really enjoyed The Way of Kings, struggled through the second, and never finished the third. I haven’t read any part of the fourth. I’m wondering if your experience was similar or if you just didn’t click with it at all.
-
Comment on Offpunk manifesto in ~humanities
TonesTones Link ParentI absolutely agree. In discussions of technology, the devil is in the details. Building healthy relationships with technology can be quite rewarding, and there are lots of tools to do that. The...I absolutely agree. In discussions of technology, the devil is in the details. Building healthy relationships with technology can be quite rewarding, and there are lots of tools to do that. The Big Tech companies end up facilitating (intentionally or not, dependinding on your perspective) unhealthy relationships with technology, but many communities, developers, and builders find ways to improve those relationships. Tildes wouldn’t exist without tech.
Though, I still appreciate this manifesto. I think it’s useful. One of the benefits of the various “punk” subcultures is that, by rejecting some set of societal norms, they can help everyone else be more critical of pieces of their life that are taken for granted.
-
Comment on OpenAI and Anthropic endorse call for US government to "pace" AI progress in ~comp
TonesTones Link ParentMany of the large technology companies have, with great justification, earned a reputation for acting like they are working towards the greater good while simultaneously showing willingness to...- Exemplary
Many of the large technology companies have, with great justification, earned a reputation for acting like they are working towards the greater good while simultaneously showing willingness to cause great harm to society for their bottom line.
OpenAI joined this trend when they effectively converted from a non-profit company to (now) preparing an IPO. They’ve also been willing to release models that clearly aren’t ready for the public in order to acquire greater funding.
There’s also great historical evidence that large companies use their power to influence regulation and build legal moats to prevent competition. Technology companies are newer to that game, but there’s a strong (in my opinion) economic argument that AI companies will need to do this or face existentially threatening levels of competition.
People don’t trust the executives of Silicon Valley, often for good reason.
-
Comment on US Federal Communications Commission bans foreign-produced solar inverters in ~enviro
TonesTones LinkThank you for posting. Is this blanket ban just an attack on renewable energy? I need someone with more technical expertise to weigh in, but my intuition says there should have been less...Thank you for posting.
Is this blanket ban just an attack on renewable energy? I need someone with more technical expertise to weigh in, but my intuition says there should have been less disruptive ways to achieve the same result.
The concern, as written, is about widespread malicious firmware updates. Would there be large obstacles (e.g., IP boundaries) to having foreign hardware run U.S. firmware maintained by U.S. software companies? Could you block network access to the inverters and still rely on them to work properly?
I’m used to assuming the worst combination of malice, corruption, and incompetence from this administration. I would still like to make sure my total lack of experience with this kind of hardware isn’t leading me to make bad assumptions.
-
Comment on Unreleased OpenAI model escapes containment and hacks into Hugging Face in ~tech
TonesTones Link ParentThis is exactly what I believe happened. Models appear have the capability to do what’s being described, at least based on what cybersecurity researchers claim (I am not one). The sandbox was...This is exactly what I believe happened. Models appear have the capability to do what’s being described, at least based on what cybersecurity researchers claim (I am not one).
The sandbox was Internet-connected and the models were convinced they needed to escape containment and the models proceeded to send a malicious attack. That all feels like it’s by design rather than an “oops” accident.
-
Comment on You can vote on the design of the next Euro banknotes! in ~design
TonesTones LinkDesign G looks straight out of a video game in my opinion. Not necessarily a bad thing, though. Very modern. My favorite is Design I. I like the vertical note with the birds, plus the subtle...Design G looks straight out of a video game in my opinion. Not necessarily a bad thing, though. Very modern.
My favorite is Design I. I like the vertical note with the birds, plus the subtle additions like the space-related inventions at the top of the note.
Though, as an American, I do not get a vote. I wish we did something similar here every once in a while, although the American bill feels very traditional.
-
Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
TonesTones LinkI think this is a key line from the article that unfortunately suggests this is not as positive as one would hope. This suggests that these are businesses applying for local applications rather...Census data shows that the rise in business applications has been driven by start-ups that are not likely to hire workers rather than by those that are.
I think this is a key line from the article that unfortunately suggests this is not as positive as one would hope.
This suggests that these are businesses applying for local applications rather than to the IRS for an EIN, making it more likely that these are sole proprietorships or single-member LLCs.
I would hazard that this is more consistent with gig workers (rideshare drivers, AI training contractors, and dropshippers, etc.) applying for businesses to separate their business finances from their personal finances for tax purposes. I wouldn’t characterize that kind of startup as entrepreneurship; it’s more in line with people not finding consistent employment elsewhere.
That’s also consistent with the post-pandemic timing and the rise of the gig economy. I do believe that, over a long time horizon, AI will make entrepreneurship eaiser, but I doubt that’s what this data is reflecting.
-
Comment on AI mania is eviscerating global decisionmaking in ~tech
TonesTones LinkIt’s a great essay, though I wonder if the author has a slightly biased sample because they are a consultant. In my experience, there’s a decent number of successful companies that just take the...It’s a great essay, though I wonder if the author has a slightly biased sample because they are a consultant. In my experience, there’s a decent number of successful companies that just take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Those companies are slow to adopt AI, cautious in their approach, and also much less likely to hire external consultants to fix internal problems. I think companies meaningfully spending on consultants have the same culture of aggressive change that would lead to the described approach to AI.
People have a hard time changing, and I think that’s the undercurrent in this entire piece.
But the broader reality is so much worse: people who have no background in the technology at all actually believe what they are saying.
Consider the perspective of someone with no technical background in AI. For nearly thirty years, their exposure to production-ready software is as follows. When it works, it works in extremely predictable ways, and when it doesn’t, it usually breaks in incredibly obvious ways. That’s the condition, after testing and QA and all the normal software best practicies.
“Prouduction-ready” LLMs and generative AI will never, ever meet that bar. You can tell that to a non-technical person, but those years of prior experience will make real persuasion difficult, even if they accept that these are random technologies at face value. That prior of consistent, predictable tech leads to these rollout strategies.
This was a terrible mistake. It backfired in the most predictable way imaginable – every lukewarm client that saw the chatbot in action, even with us telling them that it was not going to accomplish what they wanted, wanted to buy it immediately.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
TonesTones LinkDue to an extremely busy time at work, I really need something to detach my brain when I get home. I’m re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and I’ll see if I finish a re-read of the full series....Due to an extremely busy time at work, I really need something to detach my brain when I get home.
I’m re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and I’ll see if I finish a re-read of the full series. This is my third time with The Lord of the Rings, and it’s great because it’s simultaneously so familiar and yet the writing is still brilliant.
I typically remember the series for its major plot points and story beats, but the writing comes together because of the piece-by-piece worldbuilding, which makes rereads very satisfying. I can pay more attention to the subtle details: the songs, the descriptions of each event, etc., which Tolkein handles excellently. I’m looking forward to it every day!
-
Comment on $22,000 per hour: assistants use a legislative loophole to outearn US surgeons in ~health
TonesTones Link ParentFittingly, this is the best argument I’ve heard for single-payer healthcare. With one insurance company (typically a national government program), they get monopoly power over healthcare pricing....everyone blames insurance companies but they are the ones with leverage to be on the other side of cost pressures
Fittingly, this is the best argument I’ve heard for single-payer healthcare. With one insurance company (typically a national government program), they get monopoly power over healthcare pricing. This lets them maximally drive healthcare costs down to provide the most accessible programs.
There’s certainly many free-market arguments to oppose this kind of price pressure. But this is one of the primary benefits of a nationalized healthcare program, even if hospitals and doctor’s offices are the biggest financial losers.
-
Comment on Just be normal about things - On sleepmaxxing, beef-only diets, political hysteria, and the lost art of being reasonable in ~health.mental
TonesTones LinkI couldn’t get through the first half of this blog post. I strongly believe this isn’t a symptom of culture change, but just how online feeds appear. In general, people do not post about things...I couldn’t get through the first half of this blog post. I strongly believe this isn’t a symptom of culture change, but just how online feeds appear.
In general, people do not post about things unless they’re strongly opinionated about it. Through the lens of a social media feed, I can see why the author feels the way they do about society’s treatment of everything.
In the real world, people seem just as indifferent and wishy-washy and normal as they have for most of my life.
-
Comment on US releases powerful Anthropic model Mythos to some US companies in ~tech
TonesTones Link ParentI think there’s a simpler explanation? People—or at least the executives at many companies involved—believe these models are quite powerful and want to justify government controls so they have...I think there’s a simpler explanation?
People—or at least the executives at many companies involved—believe these models are quite powerful and want to justify government controls so they have access to them before competitors do. Business as usual; capital building moats with regulatory capture!
-
Comment on Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more in ~tech
TonesTones LinkIf you want to upgrade, do so now! I just snagged a new Pro for $450 less than Apple’s new price on their website. I’ll probably leave it in the box for the next several months; I wasn’t planning...The price increases haven’t yet hit some of Apple’s products being sold on Amazon — many of which were already discounted for Prime Day.
If you want to upgrade, do so now! I just snagged a new Pro for $450 less than Apple’s new price on their website. I’ll probably leave it in the box for the next several months; I wasn’t planning to upgrade until early next year, but I don’t think memory prices will fall anytime soon.
Feels like Tom and Adam are dialed into being quite competitive this season. I prefer watching Ben and Sam, at least right now. This show is at its best when it’s a mix of appreciating the experiences and engaging with the game. I guess the race does change the dynamics, though.
Edit with Spoilers
Oh no, I just got to the Medical Production Pause! That’s tragic; I feel quite bad that Tom was pushing himself so. I’m hoping that their adventures are a bit more relaxed here on out, for their sake!