Baeocystin's recent activity
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Comment on You need to be bored in ~life
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Comment on You need to be bored in ~life
Baeocystin LinkOne thing I've learned that I really like about having a smart watch with LTE built-in is that I can take more phone-free trips while still having the safety benefit of being able to make an...One thing I've learned that I really like about having a smart watch with LTE built-in is that I can take more phone-free trips while still having the safety benefit of being able to make an emergency call if necessary. Best of both worlds in a lot of ways. Less to carry, fewer distractions, but if the need is genuinely there, I'm not stuck.
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Comment on Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters in ~food
Baeocystin LinkNot commenting on the article per se, but two fast food places near me (wienerschnitzel and taco bell) have both deployed their in-test AI order-takers, and they've been a much better experience...Not commenting on the article per se, but two fast food places near me (wienerschnitzel and taco bell) have both deployed their in-test AI order-takers, and they've been a much better experience for me than the hard-to-understand scratchy mic and speakers of old. I've been able to flub my words, change my order, make a modification, and it's all worked pretty much exactly like I'd hope it would. The lines seem to move a little quicker, too, so I think most people are using the system effectively.
Having worked fast food myself as a teen, man I would have loved not being on drive-thru talking duty. It was the worst of the roles by a mile.
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Comment on US Food and Drug Administration limits approval for new coronavirus vaccines to high-risk people in ~health
Baeocystin LinkSerious question- does anyone know if there are groups of states that are attempting to re-create at least some of what until very recently had been under Federal purview when it comes to public...Serious question- does anyone know if there are groups of states that are attempting to re-create at least some of what until very recently had been under Federal purview when it comes to public health, food safety, etc? I know the chatter here in California is that there will be at least some level of state program to cover Fall vaccinations for anyone who wants one, for example, and I know a few county-level systems are spending money to increase intra-state data sharing to help shore up our modeling. But I don't have specifics to share.
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Comment on Glow-in-the-dark succulents could be the future of ambient lighting in ~science
Baeocystin Link ParentI was able to get some cuttings going, but unfortunately while I was away on a business trip they didn't get watered, so I lost them all. I had them growing in my kitchen under a grow light, and...I was able to get some cuttings going, but unfortunately while I was away on a business trip they didn't get watered, so I lost them all. I had them growing in my kitchen under a grow light, and it was truly delightful to look over at them at night after I'd turned off all the lights and watch them glow away while I was getting ready for bed.
Here's a small photo album of what the looked like: https://photos.app.goo.gl/E4kkd7BvochwobfS8
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Comment on Glow-in-the-dark succulents could be the future of ambient lighting in ~science
Baeocystin (edited )Link ParentPetunias are pretty easy as far as plants go, and are fantastic continuous bloomers. The only real downside is that they are a 'full sun' plant, so it's difficult to move them indoors. Possible,...Petunias are pretty easy as far as plants go, and are fantastic continuous bloomers. The only real downside is that they are a 'full sun' plant, so it's difficult to move them indoors. Possible, you just need good lights. Here's a small photo album of what the looked like: https://photos.app.goo.gl/E4kkd7BvochwobfS8
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Comment on Glow-in-the-dark succulents could be the future of ambient lighting in ~science
Baeocystin (edited )LinkI grew some Firefly Petunias (https://light.bio/) last year, and they were an absolute blast. They're GM, and the glow is most active in dividing cells, and it was utterly fascinating to watch the...I grew some Firefly Petunias (https://light.bio/) last year, and they were an absolute blast. They're GM, and the glow is most active in dividing cells, and it was utterly fascinating to watch the plants go through surges and lulls in their growth, as well as where the active parts were; it wasn't always the apical meristems!
These are more tattooed, I guess, but still very neat. :)
[edit]- Here's a small photo album of what the looked like: https://photos.app.goo.gl/E4kkd7BvochwobfS8
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Comment on McDonald’s is cutting prices of its combo meals to convince customers it’s affordable again in ~food
Baeocystin Link ParentAh, gotcha. For price comparisons, here in Gilroy (cheapest town in the Bay Area to live in, which is still waaaay not cheap), a big mac meal is ~$14.50. In n Out is the only fast food chain I can...Ah, gotcha.
For price comparisons, here in Gilroy (cheapest town in the Bay Area to live in, which is still waaaay not cheap), a big mac meal is ~$14.50. In n Out is the only fast food chain I can think of where you can get a full meal for <$10, at least in the area.
That being said, there are about a billion different taco shops where you can get a gargantuan burrito, made with reasonably healthy rice, beans, cheese, and whatever meat you want, for well less than a $10. The franchises are all ridiculously expensive, but cheap and healthy(er) food is readily accessible if you look.
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Comment on McDonald’s is cutting prices of its combo meals to convince customers it’s affordable again in ~food
Baeocystin Link ParentYou can get a medium fries/drink and cheeseburger for $9.something at In n Out. FWIW.You can get a medium fries/drink and cheeseburger for $9.something at In n Out. FWIW.
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Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk
Baeocystin LinkI work in IT and cybersecurity. If any tech guy says with a straight face that a technical solution will actually solve security, run!I work in IT and cybersecurity. If any tech guy says with a straight face that a technical solution will actually solve security, run!
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Comment on AI is a mass-delusion event (gifted link) in ~tech
Baeocystin Link ParentOh, sure, I was just pointing out that dedicated ML hardware is starting to ship that isn't bound to nvidia's stranglehold.Oh, sure, I was just pointing out that dedicated ML hardware is starting to ship that isn't bound to nvidia's stranglehold.
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Comment on Bag of words, have mercy on us. OR: Claude will you go to prom with me? in ~society
Baeocystin LinkI'm partial to the descriptor 'texteract' myself. I fully agree that we need better terms to talk about what these things are, and are not.I'm partial to the descriptor 'texteract' myself. I fully agree that we need better terms to talk about what these things are, and are not.
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Comment on AI is a mass-delusion event (gifted link) in ~tech
Baeocystin Link ParentFramework's Desktop maxes out at 128GB of unified RAM, and is only ~$2.2k. It's being marketed as a local machine learning dev machine. Considering the comparative price of Nvidia cards all on...Framework's Desktop maxes out at 128GB of unified RAM, and is only ~$2.2k. It's being marketed as a local machine learning dev machine. Considering the comparative price of Nvidia cards all on their own, I bet they're going to sell every one they can make.
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Comment on Do you share your location with your friends? in ~tech
Baeocystin LinkI used to be very much against it, and I still think the default should be no, simply because privacy matters. I do, however, now share mine via Life360 with my girlfriend and her parents. I can...I used to be very much against it, and I still think the default should be no, simply because privacy matters.
I do, however, now share mine via Life360 with my girlfriend and her parents. I can see them as well. I'm not getting any younger, and have had a few health scares, and the thought of someone looking out for me is now more comforting than it was in my invulnerable youth. Her parents are of the age where it's good to keep tabs, too.
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Comment on Master Boot Record - C:\chkdsk /F (2016) in ~music
Baeocystin LinkFun! I love this kind of stuff. Allow me to share a couple of my finds, too. Here's a remix pack of the original MOD music for Star Control: https://www.medievalfuture.com/precursors/music.php A...Fun! I love this kind of stuff.
Allow me to share a couple of my finds, too. Here's a remix pack of the original MOD music for Star Control: https://www.medievalfuture.com/precursors/music.php
A more modern interface, updated mixes: https://soundcloud.com/markvera/sets/the-percursors-the-ur-quan-masters-mark-vera-mix
Star Control blew my mind with its music. That early MOD scene was something special.
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Comment on AOL will end dial-up internet service in September, 34 years after it's debut — AOL Shield Browser and AOL Dialer software will be shuttered on the same day in ~tech
Baeocystin Link ParentI used the last of mine a decade ago as dazzlers in my fruit trees. They served their duty well. :DI used the last of mine a decade ago as dazzlers in my fruit trees. They served their duty well. :D
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Comment on What do you do while walking your dog? in ~life.pets
Baeocystin (edited )LinkI use the plant-identifying app PictureThis as I walk my pup around the block and through the riparian area by my house. I've made it a long-term goal to be able to identify every plant I see...I use the plant-identifying app PictureThis as I walk my pup around the block and through the riparian area by my house. I've made it a long-term goal to be able to identify every plant I see along the way, which is a lot of fun for me.
Other than that, bird and peoplewatching, I try not to 'do' anything other than be with my dog. She likes to take her time sniffering about, and every now and then wants me to look over and admire the cool stick she found or the like. It's fun.
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Comment on If you're a programmer, are you ever going to believe an AGI is actually 'I'? in ~tech
Baeocystin LinkAs relevant background, I majored in Cognitive Science back in the 90's at UCSD, and I've been (tangentially) involved in machine learning ever since. I really wish the term Artificial...As relevant background, I majored in Cognitive Science back in the 90's at UCSD, and I've been (tangentially) involved in machine learning ever since.
I really wish the term Artificial Intelligence had never been coined, simply because it includes the implicit assumption of some kind of barrier between 'natural' and 'artificial' thought. And there's really no reason for it. It's along the lines of the 'do submarines swim' question, which is more semantic than actual.
To answer your question, modern LLMs passed the Turing Test a few years ago, which is as good a rule of thumb as any for what mental models to use oneself when interacting with a piece of technology. That doesn't mean they think like you or I do! But there's something going on there that feels like it works best if you interact with it as a thinking agent, and that's good enough for me. I enjoy chatting with the naive but engaged intern that current models feel like.
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Comment on People with paranoid delusions of being hacked keep asking me for help in ~talk
Baeocystin LinkI work in IT. Have for 25+ years. These people have always existed, although it has become significantly more common over the past couple of years as the rate of technological change has...I work in IT. Have for 25+ years. These people have always existed, although it has become significantly more common over the past couple of years as the rate of technological change has accelerated and the general population's critical thinking skills have continued to erode.
I can think of maybe one or two people, out of hundreds, that I have been able to help educate to the point where they no longer fall into the delusional thinking trap. But the success rate of simply sharing information is tragically low. Information brought up to clarify, if it does not fit the delusion, is immediately dismissed for nonsensical reasons, because they never reasoned themselves into feeling like they do in the first place. IMO, what we are witnessing is the effect of the rapidly widening disconnect between the models that people have for how the world works, and how complicated things actually are. They are having an emotional reaction to something outside of their understanding, and the paranoia is the result. This has always been an issue for everyone, of course, but man have things taken a turn for the complex recently, and this is part of it. And I really wish I had a better answer for how to help, but I don't, other than to acknowledge it's a real problem.
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Comment on The man who ran a carnival attraction that saved thousands of premature babies wasn’t a doctor at all in ~humanities.history
Baeocystin (edited )LinkWhat a lovely story. Here's a fellow with a clearly non-traditional background, and yet he wasn't a scammer or huckster, he was driven to genuinely care for his charges across his entire career,...What a lovely story. Here's a fellow with a clearly non-traditional background, and yet he wasn't a scammer or huckster, he was driven to genuinely care for his charges across his entire career, and made a real difference. What a breath of fresh air.
Yes. I'm on Verizon, and calls from my watch show up as my main cell number, and both my watch and phone ring whenever my cell is called. I pay an extra $10/month for the watch's plan.