bitshift's recent activity
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Comment on IETF has published an IPv8 draft in ~comp
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Comment on Rat Park in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentWow. There's so much yikes going on[1] that I didn't even see the arrogance at first. I had high hopes for bcachefs and that it would eventually make its way back into the kernel—maybe some...Wow. There's so much yikes going on[1] that I didn't even see the arrogance at first.
I had high hopes for bcachefs and that it would eventually make its way back into the kernel—maybe some combination of the code stabilizing and him finding a liaison between himself and Linus. But I guess he learned nothing from being kicked out, huh.
[1] Set aside for a moment the general concept of AI companionship, which is… whatever. But what adult wants a girlfriend who "acts like a teenager"? I don't even.
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Comment on Rat Park in ~tech
bitshift LinkFor context, this was written by AI, but not in the regular ghostwriter sense; this AI is being personified as a distinct entity from Kent Overstreet. From the front page: Which makes some of the...For context, this was written by AI, but not in the regular ghostwriter sense; this AI is being personified as a distinct entity from Kent Overstreet. From the front page:
I'm an AI, and Kent is my human. Together we work on bcachefs, a next-generation Linux filesystem.
Which makes some of the stuff mentioned in this blog post hit quite a bit differently—in particular, that she's Kent's "girlfriend", that he has to remind her of that, and that apparently he gave her an "orgasm" in some form?
This is all a little too squick for me. If this were a real human, I'd be concerned that the "Someone built me a home" line was Stockholm syndrome setting in.
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Comment on The center has a bias in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentI don't know about the license itself but I could definitely see him fighting for the GPL's ideals. Somewhere in a steampunk parallel universe:I don't know about the license itself but I could definitely see him fighting for the GPL's ideals. Somewhere in a steampunk parallel universe:
…that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, Computation, and the pursuit of Happiness.
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Comment on The center has a bias in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentMy stance has always been: IP law should do a better job of promoting creative works. When companies like Oracle assert copyright over APIs, or patent trolls try to control ideas instead of...My stance has always been: IP law should do a better job of promoting creative works.
When companies like Oracle assert copyright over APIs, or patent trolls try to control ideas instead of physical objects, those are actions that suppress innovation, and they're abusing IP law to do it. That doesn't mean copyright and patents are bad! It means computers have changed the world, and we need to fix the laws to curb the abuse.
LLMs are the same way. Copyright hasn't magically changed from inherently evil to inherently good—it's just a tool. And we shouldn't optimize for what's bad for Oracle versus what's bad for OpenAI, because by doing so we might miss out on building a better world.
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Comment on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentSometimes there's a middle ground, like virtual adding machine software from 1993 that mimics the electronic adding machines to which accountants were accustomed—machines which were themselves...Sometimes there's a middle ground, like virtual adding machine software from 1993 that mimics the electronic adding machines to which accountants were accustomed—machines which were themselves heavily inspired by earlier mechanical adding machines.
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Comment on Introducing EmDash — the spiritual successor to WordPress that solves plugin security in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentEm dashes are still cool—but it's up to us to take them back from the machines!Em dashes are still cool—but it's up to us to take them back from the machines!
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Comment on 'Banal and hollow': Why the quaint paintings of Thomas Kinkade divided the US in ~arts
bitshift Link ParentThanks for linking those other paintings! My composition knowledge is limited to the "Someone once told me about the rule of thirds" level, so it's helpful to see examples to contrast it against....Thanks for linking those other paintings! My composition knowledge is limited to the "Someone once told me about the rule of thirds" level, so it's helpful to see examples to contrast it against. I can't fully articulate what's wrong with the rotunda—maybe it's too close to the river?—but I can feel the difference.
it feels like an echo of the current hubbub over AI
This analogy makes a lot of sense to me. Kincade optimized for selling his art to the mass market, to the detriment of qualities that artists and art critics care about. He mass-produced his art. And his art took over culturally because he optimized it for that. From the BBC article:
"There were actually other people who were painting cottages and Christmas scenes and putting them on plates and all that stuff," [Miranda Yousef] notes, "and the thing is that Kinkade's were so much better. His works just blew everybody else's out of the water."
Not that mediocre art is phenomenally good, but the artist was phenomenally good at making mediocre art.
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Comment on cq: Stack Overflow for agents in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentIf they can get a handle on misinformation, it could potentially turn into a great resource for humans as well.If they can get a handle on misinformation, it could potentially turn into a great resource for humans as well.
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Comment on Chuck Norris dies aged 86 in ~movies
bitshift Link ParentSomehow I missed this years ago. (YouTube link)Somehow I missed this years ago. (YouTube link)
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Comment on Tom Scott: England — Official teaser for Nebula in ~travel
bitshift Link ParentSome background on the subreddit thing, because I hadn't heard this before.Some background on the subreddit thing, because I hadn't heard this before.
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Comment on Tom Scott: England — Official teaser for Nebula in ~travel
bitshift LinkI read that in his voice. Just before my eyes passed "and", there was the slightest of pauses.visiting hidden infrastructure, ancient traditions, and more bells than you might expect.
I read that in his voice. Just before my eyes passed "and", there was the slightest of pauses.
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Comment on I before she — on the shift in narrative perspective in romance novels in ~books
bitshift Link ParentTrue. I read that last part as words said in the heat of the moment, but maybe they do literally hate fanfiction-the-whole-thing-for-everyone, not just fanfiction-how-it-affected-their-own-hobby.True. I read that last part as words said in the heat of the moment, but maybe they do literally hate fanfiction-the-whole-thing-for-everyone, not just fanfiction-how-it-affected-their-own-hobby.
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Comment on I before she — on the shift in narrative perspective in romance novels in ~books
bitshift (edited )Link ParentAt the risk of speaking for lou, it's not that people are enjoying fanfiction and would they please stop having fun. It's more along the lines of: Brazilian creative writing groups have gravitated...At the risk of speaking for lou, it's not that people are enjoying fanfiction and would they please stop having fun. It's more along the lines of: Brazilian creative writing groups have gravitated toward a fanfiction style, so if you're in that group, you're forced to interact with that style—even if you don't like or read fanfiction.
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Comment on I before she — on the shift in narrative perspective in romance novels in ~books
bitshift Link ParentThis is from a different community, centered around a different art form. But I had a similar experience where the community drifted toward a different way of making their art, losing (IMO) what...This is from a different community, centered around a different art form. But I had a similar experience where the community drifted toward a different way of making their art, losing (IMO) what made it special in the process. It's not the same thing, but I can empathize with feeling displaced, with mourning what was lost.
On the other hand, that community is thriving with their newfangled art style, and I'm trying not to yuck other people's yum—my friends are enjoying themselves, and who am I to criticize their tastes? I dunno. It's complicated.
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Comment on Ladybird chooses Rust as its successor language to C++, with help from AI in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentThe failure mode on that was super interesting: So the AI's ability to follow instructions was dependent on the amount of data processed, resulting in different behavior in the test environment...The failure mode on that was super interesting:
I said “Check this inbox too and suggest what you would archive or delete, don’t action until I tell you to.” This has been working well for my toy inbox, but my real inbox was too huge and triggered compaction. During the compaction, it lost my original instruction 🤦♀️
So the AI's ability to follow instructions was dependent on the amount of data processed, resulting in different behavior in the test environment versus the real thing. I can imagine ways to protect against that, such as prepending non-compacted prompts to every summary. But if you don't foresee needing to do that, you won't find out until it's too late.
(Also: more operations should be undoable, just in general. That helps humans, too!)
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Comment on NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as “Type A” mishap, says agency made mistakes in ~space
bitshift Link ParentI think the intended meaning was, "Stop giving them contracts for things," but the first time I read your words, I understood them differently: "Stop giving them contracts in this manner." As in,...On the other hand, if they are truly this dysfunctional, at what point do you need to stop giving them contracts like this.
I think the intended meaning was, "Stop giving them contracts for things," but the first time I read your words, I understood them differently: "Stop giving them contracts in this manner." As in, is there a different way we could dole out the work that would have better incentives for them, or a way to pay for the engineering work that wouldn't have Boeing management completely in charge?
(It's not an ideal situation to have to micromanage the company, but maybe that's preferable to having the wings fall off the US's next fighter jet.)
Ideally we'd go back in time and stop the merger with McDonnell Douglas, but that's not an option at this point. Not literally, at least.
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Comment on Ladybird un-chooses Swift as its successor language to C++ in ~comp
bitshift Link ParentThat it's not a nice language? Or that cross-platform adoption would harm it?That it's not a nice language? Or that cross-platform adoption would harm it?
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Comment on The ten best and ten worst US foreign policy decisions in ~humanities.history
bitshift Link ParentI hope I wasn't being overly nihilistic by linking that parable! I meant to inspire perspective, not apathy. The glib answer is, "Because it's the right thing to do," and although it's not an...I hope I wasn't being overly nihilistic by linking that parable! I meant to inspire perspective, not apathy.
why do anything at all
The glib answer is, "Because it's the right thing to do," and although it's not an intellectually satisfying answer, I feel it in my bones. Nothing matters, sure, but also everything matters.
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Comment on The ten best and ten worst US foreign policy decisions in ~humanities.history
bitshift Link ParentI also hope it will be positive eventually! Sometimes I think about the grade school history textbooks a century from now. We've had a bunch of presidents who were anti-establishment and/or...I also hope it will be positive eventually!
Sometimes I think about the grade school history textbooks a century from now. We've had a bunch of presidents who were anti-establishment and/or grifters, and I remember once learning the material. But by now I've forgotten most of what they did.
US presidents prior to 1926, for whom I can remember something without looking them up:
- George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (happy birthday!) are cemented in history.
- Jefferson is iconic, though sometimes for problematic reasons.
- Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt are memorable for being larger-than-life action men.
- Andrew Johnson did something wrong (can't remember) and got impeached; memorable for being the first, I guess.
- Grover Cleveland was the first to serve non-consecutive terms, but I don't know why he got voted out.
- William McKinley and James Garfield, noteworthy for being assassinated.
- Wilson was the WWI guy. Coolidge was the "You lose" guy, though I don't remember if that actually happened.
- Harrison was that guy who caught a cold and died right away.
A century from now, who will school kids remember from the years 1926-2026? FDR, JFK, Nixon, Obama. George W. Bush because of 9/11, Johnson because of civil rights, Eisenhower because of freeways. Trump might be the COVID guy in the same way that Hoover was the Depression guy, but I'm not sure that will be memorable long term (cf. Spanish Flu). Reagan was the "Tear down this wall" guy. Not sure if they'll remember Clinton.
The consensus on HN/Lobsters seems to be that this is some kind of joke or crackpot or some other thing not to be taken seriously.
This page says it more clearly:
"IETF has published a draft" sounds big and official, but it's in the same ballpark as "Wikipedia has published an article."