bitshift's recent activity
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Comment on The magic is in the language in ~tech
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Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets
bitshift LinkIt's not the biggest baddest evil in the universe right now, and I don't know why I feel conviction in this one instance—probably because animals, I dunno. But worshipping rules, to the exclusion...But the shelter wouldn't let us.
It's not the biggest baddest evil in the universe right now, and I don't know why I feel conviction in this one instance—probably because animals, I dunno. But worshipping rules, to the exclusion of helping people, is an act of evil. (And that's coming from a computer/math nerd. I like rules.)
Sorry you had to go through that double whammy. Wishing you a better week to come, and tell your cat I said ps ps ps.
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Comment on Discovering cryptographic weaknesses with Claude in ~comp
bitshift LinkRelated: Matthew Green reacting to Anthropic's results. No huge surprises. His understanding seems to roughly line up with what I had gotten: that these results are real and academically...Related: Matthew Green reacting to Anthropic's results. No huge surprises. His understanding seems to roughly line up with what I had gotten: that these results are real and academically interesting, but they don't impact real-world security.
I was happy to see a professional cryptographer react to the results, though, and I hope to see more. When Anthropic said things like this in their blog post:
Researchers at Anthropic then spent several hundred hours learning enough cryptography research to validate the model’s claim
…I got a teensy bit nervous. Spending a month or two doing a cryptography crash course is better than nothing, but what would have been even better is if, from the outset, they had partnered with someone who was already a cryptography researcher.
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Comment on I don't really like the "Human-made" badging trend in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentIt has crossed my mind that with the advent of LLMs, it is now cheaper to run large text-based psyop campaigns. If you were concerned about the rapid development of AI by American companies, one...It has crossed my mind that with the advent of LLMs, it is now cheaper to run large text-based psyop campaigns. If you were concerned about the rapid development of AI by American companies, one thing you might be tempted to do is to sow discord in tech communities. Plant a bunch of personas, stir up some anti-AI sentiment. Maybe encourage a few software projects to fork needlessly. Start a few boycotts. (For maximum effectiveness, don't forget to work the other side, too! Convince a few startups that the secret to their success was AI. Place some accounts to parrot the narrative to CTOs of larger companies. Plant the idea of massive layoffs + AI = massive profit.)
But again, Occam's razor. I don't seriously believe that conspiracy theory because in all likelihood, folks just enjoy black-and-white narratives too much, and that naturally leads to polarization—and explains why conspiracy theories are so seductive, too.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentI'm curious to hear more about what you're thinking in terms of UX. My impression is that Discourse is the de facto default for "modern" forums these days, and to the limited extent that I've used...I'm curious to hear more about what you're thinking in terms of UX. My impression is that Discourse is the de facto default for "modern" forums these days, and to the limited extent that I've used it, it feels okay. But it sounds like you have a more specific vision for UX that's different from theirs.
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Comment on Need advice about work in ~life
bitshift Link ParentRelated: Hank Green recently made a video on the Jevons paradox as it applies to AI (33 minutes). And also about our civilization's use of electricity. And also other things. In general, the...Related: Hank Green recently made a video on the Jevons paradox as it applies to AI (33 minutes). And also about our civilization's use of electricity. And also other things.
In general, the Jevons paradox makes me cautiously optimistic about being able to find tech work in the future. Not only are there lots of unsolved software problems remaining, but the pool is growing, and not just because AI creates problems that need to be solved. (I hope.)
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Comment on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson finally explains his decision to bid $3.2B for parking meters before walking away in ~transport
bitshift Link ParentIf you're in the mood for a longer (21 minute) video, Stand-up Maths did a fun video with Climate Town on the Chicago parking meters which goes more into the numbers (as is appropriate for that...If you're in the mood for a longer (21 minute) video, Stand-up Maths did a fun video with Climate Town on the Chicago parking meters which goes more into the numbers (as is appropriate for that channel!).
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentIt's a reverse proxy. Your favorite web server routes traffic to Heavy (localhost:8000 or wherever), and Heavy routes the filtered traffic to your application (localhost:3000). The README goes...It's a reverse proxy. Your favorite web server routes traffic to Heavy (localhost:8000 or wherever), and Heavy routes the filtered traffic to your application (localhost:3000). The README goes into a bit more detail about my specific setup, but that's already most of it.
If you had multiple apps that needed different configs, you'd run multiple instances of Heavy on different ports. At least for now; I've been thinking about adding multi-site support.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentI know this feeling! I love when loose ends get connected and you have one of those, "Oh, this is that" moments. It happens a few times in the Tintin series, where he's exploring the bad guys'...I remember one time when I was mapping some new rooms in an unexplored area, and realized that they matched some already mapped rooms, and I got to update my map to show the new loop. It's kinda hard to explain, but it was a fantastic experience.
I know this feeling! I love when loose ends get connected and you have one of those, "Oh, this is that" moments. It happens a few times in the Tintin series, where he's exploring the bad guys' hideout and uncovers a secret passage that leads back somewhere we the reader had seen before.
Out of curiosity, do you remember which game it was that had the cave minigame?
But for now I am teaching myself pixel artwork.
Enjoy! I've always found pixel art to be fun because it's so forgiving. The medium forces everything to be abstract, and at least for me, that removes the pressure of having to produce a realistic drawing.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentSounds like an interesting project. Are you emitting machine code yourself, or are you compiling to an intermediate target (like Go, or WASM, or LLVM IR…)?Sounds like an interesting project. Are you emitting machine code yourself, or are you compiling to an intermediate target (like Go, or WASM, or LLVM IR…)?
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift LinkI've been working on adding ML support to Heavy, my anti-bot firewall project. "Anti-bot" is not 100% correct: determining whether web traffic originates from a real human is impossible-ish. So...I've been working on adding ML support to Heavy, my anti-bot firewall project.
"Anti-bot" is not 100% correct: determining whether web traffic originates from a real human is impossible-ish. So Heavy aims for the lesser goal of answering, "Would this request increase server load?" and blocking only those requests. This lets some bots in, but only those that behave themselves.
My plan is to use classical ML techniques to do that. Segmenting traffic with random forests looks promising, but I've been getting bogged down translating the logic from Python to Rust—I must resist the urge to squeeze every ounce of performance out of the machine! I've made some solid progress, though. There are trees where none grew before.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentThat NNUE link is pretty neat, thanks! I knew neural networks were being used in chess engines, but that was my first time reading about practical details. Out of curiosity, how are you liking...That NNUE link is pretty neat, thanks! I knew neural networks were being used in chess engines, but that was my first time reading about practical details.
Out of curiosity, how are you liking Zig? I saw you were using it for generating WASM; I've been itching to try Zig but haven't yet found the right place to use it.
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Comment on No, artificial intelligence is not conscious in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentSorry about the wording! I didn't mean to imply that folks making that claim are incorrect.Sorry about the wording! I didn't mean to imply that folks making that claim are incorrect.
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Comment on No, artificial intelligence is not conscious in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentI wonder if LLMs are perceived differently at all across cultures. I don't have evidence for this claim, but a while back I read somewhere that "machines defeat humans" in sci-fi correlates with...I wonder if LLMs are perceived differently at all across cultures.
I don't have evidence for this claim, but a while back I read somewhere that "machines defeat humans" in sci-fi correlates with societies' experiences with slavery. The southern US had a very shameful past here, and one of the lasting effects (so the theory goes) is a fear of slave rebellions. So when American authors wrote sci-fi, they fell into that pattern. Deep down, we know our society is playing with fire by building on top of [noun], and we live in constant fear of karmic justice.
Contrast with Japan, which had a very different experience with slavery. Not that they didn't have slavery, or that Japanese authors don't write dystopias, but culturally their fictional robots seem to be much more benevolent—whereas ours became Skynet.
All that to say, I'm wondering to what extent we're in a language/cultural bubble. For example, are the horrors of technology as prominent a topic in other language forums?
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Comment on No, artificial intelligence is not conscious in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentSome people claim they don't have internal monologues. We don't know for sure, but animals probably aren't thinking thoughts in English language—sensations or pictures, maybe. There's also a...Some people claim they don't have internal monologues. We don't know for sure, but animals probably aren't thinking thoughts in English language—sensations or pictures, maybe. There's also a question of how continuous that internal dialogue needs to be; if you can't form new memories I imagine your internal dialogue would have to restart all the time, but I think most of us would agree that still "counts" as consciousness even if each dialogue disappears immediately without being continued.
Not claiming to have a better definition of consciousness! Just saying that language and dialogues are evidence of consciousness but might not be a necessary component of it.
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Comment on Sweden may oppose Tesla's supervised self-driving tech in Europe over speeding concerns in ~transport
bitshift Link ParentThank you for being the first person to reply with concrete reasons! "A feature that lets you break the law" sounds strange on the face of it, but laws are imperfect systems. Technically, swerving...Thank you for being the first person to reply with concrete reasons!
"A feature that lets you break the law" sounds strange on the face of it, but laws are imperfect systems. Technically, swerving over a double yellow line to avoid an obstacle is also breaking the law, but we accept that. It's why you need discretion, both from law enforcement and from drivers.
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Comment on To pay rent in Medieval England, catch some eels in ~food
bitshift Link ParentUnagi (freshwater eel) and anago (saltwater) are two of my favorites. Not all sushi places have anago, but I almost always add a piece to the rest of my order it if it's on the menu.Unagi (freshwater eel) and anago (saltwater) are two of my favorites. Not all sushi places have anago, but I almost always add a piece to the rest of my order it if it's on the menu.
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Comment on Accessible forms of poetry for journaling? in ~creative
bitshift LinkOooh, I feel that. I've always been more visual that aural, and I remember struggling with meter in class. Not only would I get the stresses of syllables wrong, but I would get confused how many...My only real experience with the medium is from school, and thinking back to that time only reminds me of how confused I was while guessing if a foot was stressed or unstressed.
Oooh, I feel that. I've always been more visual that aural, and I remember struggling with meter in class. Not only would I get the stresses of syllables wrong, but I would get confused how many syllables there were. Which seems like a really basic thing—just count them!—but the sounds of the words were too vague and subjective to my ear.
If it's any comfort, abilities can change over time, or at least they did for me. I occasionally write haiku and enjoy it now. Haiku are especially fun because they're short, and because there's an additional constraint that doesn't have to do with the words themselves (namely, that you must find a nature/seasonal metaphor for your topic).
I like idea of using constraints to further my grasp on the thought I'm trying to express
You might look into constrained writing, which is kind of poetry-adjacent, and see if any particular constraints appeal to you. There might be something more approachable than writing traditional verse.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentOut of curiosity, is this something you're building for your own use? Just wondering what your motivation is.Out of curiosity, is this something you're building for your own use? Just wondering what your motivation is.
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Comment on Arch User Repository compromised, 1500+ packages affected in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentI wonder if differences in orphaned status would have influenced which packages got infected? I would assume the "simple" package name would be more likely to be installed, less likely to be...I wonder if differences in orphaned status would have influenced which packages got infected? I would assume the "simple" package name would be more likely to be installed, less likely to be orphaned, and thus less likely to be taken over and infected. Whereas specialized versions of the package (
-qt, etc) might have the opposite trend? Just a guess, haven't counted.On the subject of getting good: this article had a few tips on how to review AUR packages, written following a different AUR incident in 2025. Some of it is basic stuff, but I learned/was reminded of at least a couple things.
I feel like this underestimates folks from past eras, especially as late as 1950. You don't need to understand how something works to accept it.
The Mechanical Turk actually was a demon trapped in a smooth rock—well, technically a human trapped in a wooden cabinet. Close enough. But it was presented as technology: nothing but gears inside, no strings leading elsewhere, use this lodestone to see that it's not being controlled magnetically, etc. And it sounds like audiences in the 1700s and 1800s accepted that the intelligence was mechanical? There were definitely skeptics, but I get the sense that it was not obviously a hoax. Technology was a plausible explanation for the wondrous even back then.
Then again, I do see this quote on Wikipedia:
So maybe out of an abundance of caution, don't wave around your smartphone in front of just anyone the next time you visit the 1780s—get to know them first.