apolz's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Are any of you AI gurus? in ~comp
apolz LinkThe simplest approach would be to treat these as object detection tasks on individual frames from the videos. Sample a frame from each video at 1 second or 2 second intervals and then run an...What I'd like AI to do is scan for faces and identify names of celebs (if possible), sections of video at 5 seconds in length containing railway, trees, cars, etc logged to build out a database of video that we have. It would also need to log time codes of where these clips are and for how long.
The simplest approach would be to treat these as object detection tasks on individual frames from the videos. Sample a frame from each video at 1 second or 2 second intervals and then run an object detection model on it. DETR from Facebook AI labs is a good choice, you can grab it from HuggingFace.co.
The outputs of these model inferences will be bounding boxes with a class label and confidence value. Ex: this box is a person with 80% confidence or this box is a tree with 92% confidence. Afterwards you can create timestamps and clips of videos based on the objects and bounding boxes that you detected.
Identities of celebrities might be trickier to detect. AFAIK there aren't any publicly available celebrity ID models, but you can data-mine your own data from Wikipedia, IMDB, and other places and train a model to detect the people that you want.
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Comment on Denis Villeneuve refuses to let Hollywood shrink him down to size in ~movies
apolz LinkGreat read. Every one of his movies so far have been incredible. I'm hoping he has the creative freedom to take huge risks in the future too. There are far too few directors like Villeneuve these...Great read. Every one of his movies so far have been incredible. I'm hoping he has the creative freedom to take huge risks in the future too. There are far too few directors like Villeneuve these days.
I didn't love every single Christopher Nolan film, but I even went to go watch Tenet just to support the director's creative freedom to take big risks. Will definitely be doing the same for any Villeneuve film!
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Comment on What books would you recommend for me? in ~books
apolz Link ParentSeveneves is a tough one for me. I love Neal Stephenson's writing and wit. The first two thirds of the book really were a page turner, that I couldn't put down. The last third of the book...Seveneves is a tough one for me. I love Neal Stephenson's writing and wit. The first two thirds of the book really were a page turner, that I couldn't put down. The last third of the book though... Set in a future thousands of years from now. Without giving away any spoilers, it felt jarring, the premise was ridiculous, the tone was boring, the characters were so flat to be cardboard cutouts and that was purposefully so!
Unfortunately, it was one of those Game of Thrones cases when the bad ending ruined the rest of the work for me.
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Comment on Robot that uses AI to pull weeds may reduce poisonous herbicide use by 70% in ~food
apolz Link ParentThis robot won't be using any servers. It will have on-board graphics cards that can do the computer vision on the fly.This robot won't be using any servers. It will have on-board graphics cards that can do the computer vision on the fly.
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Comment on How China’s EV boom caught Western car companies asleep at the wheel in ~transport
apolz Link ParentI read the same article and I disagree that the tone was anti-China. If anything the tone is one of disappointment for American and Western countries inability to adapt fast enough. It's a shame...I read the same article and I disagree that the tone was anti-China. If anything the tone is one of disappointment for American and Western countries inability to adapt fast enough.
It's a shame that it took massive government subsidies from the Biden administration. It's very likely that these subsidies will put pressure to raise tariffs on Chinese EVs in the future to protect American subsidized giant EV SUV companies.
American, German and Japanese manufacturers really were asleep at the wheel. They should have seen this happening from miles away. They should have prepared for it themselves, instead of waiting for hand-outs to save them from "the big bad Chinese".
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Comment on Israel-Gaza Conflict Discussion Thread in ~news
apolz Link ParentSomething like 6 million people have fled Ukraine, mostly concentrated from the Russian speaking East. More recently about 120,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh. Unfortunately, recent...Something like 6 million people have fled Ukraine, mostly concentrated from the Russian speaking East. More recently about 120,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh.
Unfortunately, recent history tells us that forcing hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes is all too possible.
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Comment on Daði Freyr – Bitte (2023) in ~music
apolz LinkGreat to see the Daði love on here! My wife and I learned the whole 10 years dance after seeing him at Eurovision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EwJ-p4tn_wGreat to see the Daði love on here! My wife and I learned the whole 10 years dance after seeing him at Eurovision.
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Comment on Tips for buying + reading ebooks that are synced without using kindle/play books? in ~comp
apolz LinkI use the Kobo Libra 2 reader with KOreader. The Kobo bookstore is very easy to strip DRM with tools like kobo-dl, but I mostly use it just so I can avoid paying money to Amazon. Sometimes I would...I use the Kobo Libra 2 reader with KOreader. The Kobo bookstore is very easy to strip DRM with tools like kobo-dl, but I mostly use it just so I can avoid paying money to Amazon.
Sometimes I would buy a book there and just download a pirated epub on LibGen or Anna's Archive at the same time.
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Comment on Language is a poor heuristic for intelligence in ~comp
apolz Link ParentYou're right in the sense that this isn't how the models are trained. They are next token predictors. However, getting LLMs to query information from databases is something AI researchers are...not understanding that teaching an LLM information or adding information to a database is fundamentally incompatible with how LLMs work.
You're right in the sense that this isn't how the models are trained. They are next token predictors. However, getting LLMs to query information from databases is something AI researchers are considering.
More generally, once LLMs are capable of using tools such as writing a database query or writing, compiling and running code for its own purposes they'll be very powerful. This will be the synthesis of good old fashioned symbolic AI with the current trends of connectionist ML.
Tool-usage training can be accomplished in a similar manner to how Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) is being used to fine-tune the models now. The model can be rewarded with RL for writing correct SQL queries or Python code.
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Comment on What's a word from another language that you wish was a thing in English? in ~humanities.languages
apolz Link ParentYou might have only remembered half of the phrase - nichevo podelat' (ничего поделать) . It literally means "nothing to do (about it)". The word nichevo by itself means "nothing". It's far too...You might have only remembered half of the phrase - nichevo podelat' (ничего поделать) . It literally means "nothing to do (about it)". The word nichevo by itself means "nothing". It's far too common to have those complicated meanings you quoted without being part of a phrase. Or maybe the woman you talked to was interpreting the word more poetically than most Russian speakers.
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Comment on What games do you most wish had a remake, or a sequel or both? in ~games
apolz Link ParentOh man, Golden Sun and GS2 were amazing. I still whip out the Game Boy Advance emulator every few years to replay it. The story and the world building had so much heart. It's really a shame that...Oh man, Golden Sun and GS2 were amazing. I still whip out the Game Boy Advance emulator every few years to replay it. The story and the world building had so much heart. It's really a shame that what was probably one of the top 10 RPGs of all time was limited to such a niche handheld console.
I don't think it needs a sequel though, the game is still very playable, if a bit grindy.
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Comment on Why is Elon Musk doing what he is to Twitter? in ~tech
apolz Link ParentLots of countries have both an elected head of government and an elected head of state. It doesn't really matter though, everyone knows the German president (as opposed to the chancellor) is just...Lots of countries have both an elected head of government and an elected head of state. It doesn't really matter though, everyone knows the German president (as opposed to the chancellor) is just a figurehead and no one pays the president any attention.
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Comment on What are some short story collections you'd recommend? in ~books
apolz Link ParentI came here to recommend The Story of Your Life. Wonderful to see that it's already the top comment! Chiang's short stories made me fall in love with short stories for the first time in my life. I...I came here to recommend The Story of Your Life. Wonderful to see that it's already the top comment!
Chiang's short stories made me fall in love with short stories for the first time in my life. I was always a huge reader, but never got into this format (probably because of high school English).
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Comment on Where do you stand on climate change? in ~talk
apolz Link ParentI've been a huge proponent of nuclear energy up until last year, but the Ukraine war changed my opinion on it. The Russians took over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, stationed their troops and...I've been a huge proponent of nuclear energy up until last year, but the Ukraine war changed my opinion on it. The Russians took over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, stationed their troops and artillery there and wired it up to blow into a potential disaster. This is the largest nuclear powerplant in Europe.
To anyone that feels that this event isn't relevant to them. Who protects your nuclear plants? Who will protect them in ten years? In one hundred years? The fact that they must be protected against natural disasters, human disasters, wars and terrorism forever is a huge, huge cost that will never go away. It needs to be priced in when we talk about nuclear.
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Comment on Why has Enlightenment, the Scientific and later the Industrial Revolution started out in the "Western" world? in ~humanities.history
apolz LinkYou hit a couple of interesting points talking about: European competitiveness, conflict and war. The spillover of the European competition into global colonialism. Moderate climate allowing for...You hit a couple of interesting points talking about:
- European competitiveness, conflict and war.
- The spillover of the European competition into global colonialism.
- Moderate climate allowing for well established agriculture and animal husbandry.
As someone suggested "Guns, Germs and Steel", despite the flaws, makes a strong case for why agriculture and animal husbandry were very important.
As a way of flipping your question around, I suggest to consider the other potential places in the world that could have driven an "Enlightenment" and an industrialization. The only serious contenders (~1000-1600) besides Europe are India, China and the Arab World. Through large parts of these periods the Arab World and India were ruled by large, foreign dominated empires - Seljuks, Mongols and Turks in the case of the Arab World and the Mughals in the case of India. They didn't have the political situation that would have allowed for a competitive flourishing.
China is an interesting case though, through most of history China was ahead of Europe technologically and organizationally. Why didn't they industrialize first? Perhaps it was going through a period of stability just at the same time that Europe was picking up steam. Maybe if one of the more turbulent and creative periods of Chinese history such as the Warring States period or the Three Kingdoms coincided with industrial technology then China could have industrialized first.
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Comment on Nostalgia -- what programs do you miss? in ~tech
apolz LinkAs a long time Linux fan I miss Compiz desktop effects. The desktop cube and wobbly windows were what made me fall in love with my desktop. Honorable mention to the window going up in flames after...As a long time Linux fan I miss Compiz desktop effects. The desktop cube and wobbly windows were what made me fall in love with my desktop. Honorable mention to the window going up in flames after pressing "x".
The other software that I miss is the Amarok music player. Lots of comments about Winamp on this thread, but Amarok was just next level.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
apolz Link ParentYeah, the guides and small examples are great. I was lucky that I haven't had to spend very long with tedious driver issues or anything like that. The extra cost of the Inkplate was well worth it...Yeah, the guides and small examples are great. I was lucky that I haven't had to spend very long with tedious driver issues or anything like that. The extra cost of the Inkplate was well worth it to me.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
apolz LinkI've been enjoying messing around with an Inkplate 10. It's an ESP32 programmable e-ink screen that can be used as a photo gallery, weather station or anything you can code up in Micropython or...I've been enjoying messing around with an Inkplate 10. It's an ESP32 programmable e-ink screen that can be used as a photo gallery, weather station or anything you can code up in Micropython or Arduino.
I use it as a weather report and a slideshow of kid photos.
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Comment on Help me decide on moving from android chrome to a more privacy friendly browser in ~comp
apolz Link ParentKind of, but as OP was saying the issue with Kiwi is that it's a parallel fork with a lot of changes from the mainline Chromium for Android code. They eventually pull in some security fixes from...At the end of the day, I think this is what Kiwi is?
Kind of, but as OP was saying the issue with Kiwi is that it's a parallel fork with a lot of changes from the mainline Chromium for Android code. They eventually pull in some security fixes from upstream Chromium, but it will always be behind. That's why it's a potential security risk.
I picked up The Invincible on Steam. It is a linear, first-person, story-driven, retro-futuristic exploration game set on a desolate, distant planet. It is based on a hard sci-fi novel by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. I've long been meaning to read some of his work and it's been a real treat to read a few chapters of The Invincible book and to follow it up with playing the game.
The game is slower paced and more focused on exploration of the mystery of the desert planet (which I will not spoil). Suffice to say the alien environment looks absolutely beautiful and Stanislaw Lem's philosophical musings on man's place in the cosmos fit perfectly well into the narrative. It really scratches that sci-fi itch of wonder I've had ever since being a kid. The only other game that sort of compares is Outer Wilds. And I'm happy to say this game inspired me to read more Lem books!