archevel's recent activity
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Comment on Executing programs inside transformers with exponentially faster inference in ~comp
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Comment on “Reinforces the value of originality”: Fender secures legal ruling to protect the Stratocaster body design in ~hobbies
archevel LinkI wonder how/if this is applicable to 3d models similar to the Stratocaster. Is it fine to give away own CAD version? Sell it? Can I sell prints of it?I wonder how/if this is applicable to 3d models similar to the Stratocaster. Is it fine to give away own CAD version? Sell it? Can I sell prints of it?
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
archevel (edited )Link ParentMinor update. I hooked it up to gpt-4.1 and it was really good. I had a corpus of about 20M characters so significantly larger than the context window. Asked it to answer a few questions about the...Minor update. I hooked it up to gpt-4.1 and it was really good. I had a corpus of about 20M characters so significantly larger than the context window. Asked it to answer a few questions about the text and it generating code to see which snippets were relevant, asked "sub LLMs" to analyze parts of the text and finally spit out part of what it needed. Then I could ask it to point me to it's sources and since those are basically the variables it used it was able to check for those and see what it referenced.
For the curious: https://github.com/archevel/repllm
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
archevel LinkI ran into this paper on Recursive Language Models and I liked the concept. It essentially puts the LLM in a REPL. I spent some time setting up my own version of it with a local ollama setup. The...I ran into this paper on Recursive Language Models and I liked the concept. It essentially puts the LLM in a REPL.
I spent some time setting up my own version of it with a local ollama setup. The models I am able to run are fairly weak, so it wasn't very good. Lots of issues with it answering from its training data rather than actually interacting with the corpus. The most success I got was putting the entire paper into the context and then asking it what the paper was about. I'll do some more tests by pointing it to eg gpt4.1 or something. I'll probably need to use a bigger corpus for it to be sensible. Neat approach though!
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Comment on The first multi-behavior brain upload in ~science
archevel Link ParentI agree. I'd argue that most people are fine with animal cruelty (just looking at the meat industry). Most people would likely object to treating humans that way. This of course doesn't make it...I agree. I'd argue that most people are fine with animal cruelty (just looking at the meat industry). Most people would likely object to treating humans that way. This of course doesn't make it ethically correct to experiment on the consciousness of parrots, just that it is likely that common sensibilities would be upset if this was being done to human minds.
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Comment on The first multi-behavior brain upload in ~science
archevel Link ParentConsciousness is likely a spectrum, i.e. a rock is less conscious than an amoeba which is less concussion than a fruit fly which (hopefully) is less concussion than @tearearlgraycold ;) To me this...Consciousness is likely a spectrum, i.e. a rock is less conscious than an amoeba which is less concussion than a fruit fly which (hopefully) is less concussion than @tearearlgraycold ;)
To me this is all both super creepy and utterly fascinating. If this ever develops to encompass human minds it's riddled with ethical pitfalls. Can't ever really turn it off. Is it ethical to speed up the simulation? Is it ethical to slow it down? Might not even be a factor...
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Comment on What would you do with a video game style inventory? in ~talk
archevel LinkI am assuming the objects in the inventory have no mass i.e. they don't hinder my movement what so ever. If so I'd become a perpetual motion machine in some form. E.g. put a lot of heavy things in...I am assuming the objects in the inventory have no mass i.e. they don't hinder my movement what so ever. If so I'd become a perpetual motion machine in some form. E.g. put a lot of heavy things in my inventory, raise myself high up in an elevator connected to a generator, take out heavy things and, generate power on the decent. Rinse repeat. Infinite power. A bit boring, and there's probably a bunch more efficient ways, but you get the idea. Energy crisis averted!
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Comment on Is higher education still valuable? in ~life
archevel Link ParentYeah at least geriatrics is going to be a major field with an aging population. Not very glamorous, but likely very stable.Yeah at least geriatrics is going to be a major field with an aging population. Not very glamorous, but likely very stable.
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Comment on Looking for vibe-coding guides (best practices, etc.) in ~tech
archevel LinkIf you want to get something running quickly an with minimal effort lovable is nice. You can get something similar (and likely superior in some ways) by using claude and hooking it up to supabase...If you want to get something running quickly an with minimal effort lovable is nice. You can get something similar (and likely superior in some ways) by using claude and hooking it up to supabase and chrome directly. The deep integration makes it easier for the agent to explore issues and test stuff out to validate fixes. Still for larger projects it tends to mess things up...
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Comment on Is higher education still valuable? in ~life
archevel LinkAll of this is pure speculation and conjecture so take it with a large grain of salt. Is paying for a university degree going to be worth it? There are multiple variables here. There is an...All of this is pure speculation and conjecture so take it with a large grain of salt. Is paying for a university degree going to be worth it? There are multiple variables here. There is an opportunity cost (what else could you be doing with your time). There's the direct cost of paying for the classes. There is the uncertainty around if the degree will still open doors otherwise shut to you.
In my opinion getting a degree is a way to check a box when applying for jobs. Actual work usually requires skills not taught at uni. So the question is if employers in the future will keep requiring degrees from the people they recruit OR if they will filter people by some other means. More importantly might be the question if there will be a job market at all in your chosen profession? Now, the ai hype is in full swing and it's easy to get swept up in doubt about future prospects. Perhaps that is the case. Perhaps there won't be a need for statisticians to the same degree. Will having an understanding of statistics be beneficial for whatever you end up working with? I do believe so. It may not be as profitable as it once was since lots of white-collar jobs may become semi-automated. But, the reasoning that you learn will be still be good.
If I were advicing young adults that mainly want to find a stable job, then I'd advice them to go into healthcare or some kind of skilled labour. If they want to do intellectual work then getting an education is still basically mandatory and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
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Comment on This video is six minutes long! in ~tech
archevel Link ParentOn mobile (Firefox) I had to switch to desktop mode to get the option to show up.On mobile (Firefox) I had to switch to desktop mode to get the option to show up.
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
archevel Link ParentI think there is a distinction to be made here about what it is you care about. As a company (and sometimes as a person) you rarely care about the process of producing something. You want it fast...I think there is a distinction to be made here about what it is you care about. As a company (and sometimes as a person) you rarely care about the process of producing something. You want it fast and as cheap as possible. If this is the case using an LLM to build something is likely the pragmatic approach. You can get progress sooo much faster. Which then let's you validate the idea faster. Rinse, repeat.
However, from a learning perspective, using an LLM to build software seems a bit shortsighted (similar argument can be made for initially using an IDE when learning a new programing language). That is, unless what you are trying to learn is building software with the aid of an LLM (which I do think is a valuable skill, and this is likely part of what you are learning). But, assuming it isn't, then why not just tackle building a larger project? You'll run into issues for sure and you will not progress as fast to a "finished product", but if learning was the goal then the product is incidental.
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Comment on Supporting Markdown search for LLMs in ~tech
archevel Link ParentI think most html is not good for providing meaningful semantic content anyway. XHTML tried to do this, but failed in my view. For most text rich websites, e.g. Wikipedia, I think could...I think most html is not good for providing meaningful semantic content anyway. XHTML tried to do this, but failed in my view. For most text rich websites, e.g. Wikipedia, I think could meaningfully be converted to markdown without loosing anything of importance. Might be wrong, but I can't think of a counter example.
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Comment on AntiRender: remove the glossy shine on architectural renderings in ~tech
archevel Link ParentYeah, I wanted to try it with an image of my face and got some edge function failure. Seems like a fairly common loveable issue.Yeah, I wanted to try it with an image of my face and got some edge function failure. Seems like a fairly common loveable issue.
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Comment on Newcastle council is looking into restoring a ferry route between the UK city and Bergen in Norway – it last operated in 2008, when it was cancelled due to rising oil prices in ~transport
archevel LinkI would love this. I took a similar ferry back in 2005(?), I think, to go from Gothenburg to London without flying. The ferry started in Gothenburg and stoped in Oslo (unless this was some other...I would love this. I took
thata similar ferry back in 2005(?), I think, to go from Gothenburg to London without flying. The ferry started in Gothenburg and stoped in Oslo (unless this was some other Ferry line) and I then took a train down from Newcastle IIRC. I had pneumonia unbeknownst to me at the time, but it all worked out fine and I got to do some Erlang/OTP development for the summer. Good times! Slow traveling is just nicer in many respects. -
Comment on Gold tops $4,900/oz; silver and platinum extend record‑setting rally in ~finance
archevel LinkI've never really understood why investments are made in gold. The metal has, as far as a I understand, little practical value. It is a great conductor, but it's utility in that respect doesn't...I've never really understood why investments are made in gold. The metal has, as far as a I understand, little practical value. It is a great conductor, but it's utility in that respect doesn't seem to warrant the price. Of course gold has s long tradition of being sought after since it is sort of rare. I can see the appeal of owning something rare (sort of), but today it is fairly common to see. So is it just the expectations that it will hold its value over time that is the draw? What is that expectation based on?
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Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
archevel LinkWhat is the upside of filing a complaint? Best case scenario is that you cause some systemic change at the agency which prevents similar things to happen to others. Unlikely? If filig the...What is the upside of filing a complaint? Best case scenario is that you cause some systemic change at the agency which prevents similar things to happen to others. Unlikely? If filig the complaint will make you feel better then that seems like a valid reason. But, there could be downsides if you have to keep working with this person/agency. That said, at a minimum document the behavior in case it escalates.
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Comment on You are a better writer than AI (yes, YOU!) in ~creative
archevel Link ParentHaving watched the video I think you are right in that this is a central argument the video is making. LLMs can not generate new ideas only respond to input. However, I think there is an argument...Having watched the video I think you are right in that this is a central argument the video is making. LLMs can not generate new ideas only respond to input.
However, I think there is an argument to be made that you are communicating with someone, albeit its a few more steps removed than with "regular" writing. Someone wrote the system prompt for the LL, someone trained the LLM, someone wrote the tools to train the LLM, and someone wrote the corpus of text the LLM is trained on. The intention of the system prompt writer and also the trainer is probably the most significant here since they are the ones "seeding" the LLM and "selecting" what the LLM is trained on. As such an argument could be made that your connecting with them mediated through the LLM similar to how we can connect with authors of regular text through their works.
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Comment on Moving back to the US (after 7+ years living in Germany) in ~life
archevel LinkIt was quite a while go since I moved internationally. As @R3qn65 mentions your in a pretty good spot moving into an existing home! I remember the cost of just getting all the kitchen utensils...It was quite a while go since I moved internationally. As @R3qn65 mentions your in a pretty good spot moving into an existing home! I remember the cost of just getting all the kitchen utensils being quite steep when we had to start from scratch! So all in all I think you're golden as long as you remember your passport :)
If you are able, maybe look at it as an adventure! Do you need to fly? Could you perhaps choose to go by boat? It would take a while and I'm not even sure where to begin looking, but if you are not in a rush getting home I'd be keen to hear about the experience.
(Sorry if I'm hijacking your life to test stuff out that I would like to try).
Best if luck when you get back!
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Comment on Record numbers of Swedish retirees are enrolling in a university run “by pensioners for pensioners” amid increased loneliness and a growing appetite for learning and in-person interactions in ~life
archevel Link ParentIt is an impossible goal to realize in practice, if I wanted to take all the available courses. Just searching the admissions website for entry level courses given at one of the bigger...It is an impossible goal to realize in practice, if I wanted to take all the available courses. Just searching the admissions website for entry level courses given at one of the bigger universities this spring there are +750 given that I could have applied for. Searching all of Sweden there are over 6800 entry level courses!
However, a lot of the classes are quite specialized, e.g. "3D data and visualization within archeology and cultural heritage studies". And while this could definitely be interesting I try to focus on more mainstream classes. I'm interested in studying some foreign languages like farsi, arabic and/or mandarin, but I won't end up doing intro-level courses for all available languages (there's just too many).
So far beyond my masters (mainly focusing on software engineering) I've concluded entry level courses in; physical and organic chemistry, philosophy, law, biochemistry, molecular biology, microboology.
I've also started a bunch of courses which I didn't complete in various subjects such as; social psychology, modern physics, microeconomics and a few others. Usually other life obligations take precedence over my educational ambitions.
I enjoyed the philosophy classes the most so far. There were a few different sub-courses e.g. in retoric and argument analysis which I think is useful for anyone to take. It gives you a nice framework for analyzing texts and arguments in general. The philosophy of the mind parts were also quite interesting to me.
I expect that I will not ever truly be done with this project, but the ambition is still there! I want to complete some introductory physics, some more maths, some economics and probably social studies followed by some literature or culture studies. I'll see what piques my interest! If I ever manage to run out of introductory courses in the main subjects there's a bunch of more specialized classes to take. Unless the political winds change significantly and they end up charging for access to higher education for Swedish citizens (I imagine and hope that would be highly unpopular) I imagine this as a project for life.
It will probably be more efficient to generate the code and compile and execute it (or interpret it). Rather than running it in the LLM, but I've no hard evidence for that. I mentioned in the weekly tech project thread that I've been experimenting with Recursive Language Models. Essentially it is instructed to generate python code that gets executed in a REPL (statefull) that mediated the communication with the user and the model can decide on next steps based on the REPL output. The approach in the article seems to skip all observability, but I might be wrong.