bitshift's recent activity
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Comment on Beware tech career advice from old heads in ~comp
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Comment on Why Dua Lipa is so good at asking questions in ~books
bitshift Link ParentYour thought experiment reminded me of actress Hedy Lamarr, inventor of frequency hopping: It hits differently because decades have passed. But still… be a Hollywood bombshell, get increasingly...Your thought experiment reminded me of actress Hedy Lamarr, inventor of frequency hopping:
At the beginning of World War II, along with George Antheil, Lamarr co-invented a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of radio jamming by the Axis powers. However, the technology was not used in operational systems until after World War II, and then independently of their patent.
It hits differently because decades have passed. But still… be a Hollywood bombshell, get increasingly bored with all the shallow roles, start some engineering projects on the side? Your thought experiment wasn't too far off.
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Comment on Russian losses hit two grim milestones ahead of Ukraine war anniversary in ~news
bitshift Link ParentI wonder about that, though. Russian commanders are lying to their higher-ups so much, even the Russians might not know the precise extent of their own losses. I'm sure some new info will come out...I wonder about that, though. Russian commanders are lying to their higher-ups so much, even the Russians might not know the precise extent of their own losses.
I'm sure some new info will come out after the war. But I'm guessing the existing third-party assessments won't change much.
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Comment on reCAPTCHA: 819 million hours of wasted human time and billions of dollars in Google profits in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentAlso, in retrospect I realize my words were ambiguous: I hope it was clear that the "they" was BoingBoing, not you! If not, my apologies.Also, in retrospect I realize my words were ambiguous:
Because they couldn't be bothered to link to the source material
I hope it was clear that the "they" was BoingBoing, not you! If not, my apologies.
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Comment on reCAPTCHA: 819 million hours of wasted human time and billions of dollars in Google profits in ~tech
bitshift LinkBecause they couldn't be bothered to link to the source material: here's the paper on arXiv they're talking about. My (perhaps unfair) summary: We surveyed some people and discovered that CAPTCHAs...Because they couldn't be bothered to link to the source material: here's the paper on arXiv they're talking about. My (perhaps unfair) summary:
- We surveyed some people and discovered that CAPTCHAs are frustrating.
- We did some napkin math and realized Google doesn't offer reCAPTCHA out of the goodness of their hearts.
- We reviewed the literature and found some good state of the art attacks on CAPTCHAs.
- Therefore, reCAPTCHA should be abolished.
To me, the evidence in support of their conclusion feels… underwhelming?
And I say that as someone who wants their claims to be true: I would love for user-tracking CAPTCHAs to be strictly worse than the alternatives. But reCAPTCHA still adds friction for bots (not all bots are going to use state of the art attacks), and I don't feel they've made a compelling argument that reCAPTCHA is worthless.
(Perhaps my ideal study would be, "We replaced reCAPTCHA with X for a year, and saw no statistically significant increase in bot traffic.")
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Comment on European Union orders X to hand over algorithm documents in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentAlternatively: even if they're honest and make a reasonable effort to comply, what's to guarantee the result will be useful? "Here's a folder full of Word docs from when we designed the...Alternatively: even if they're honest and make a reasonable effort to comply, what's to guarantee the result will be useful?
"Here's a folder full of Word docs from when we designed the thing—though we did change a few things at implementation time. Here's snapshots of a few Git repos. Here's PDFs of some internal wiki articles from last year. And here's the AI model weights (we didn't hold on to all the training data, sorry)."
I don't know the exact scope of what X is legally required to provide. But whatever they hand over, it's going to be messy. It won't be a self-contained box with little brass gears on the inside and "THE ALGORITHM" emblazoned on the outside.
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Comment on Proton CEO tweets support for Donald Trump's Department of Justice pick and the US Republican Party in ~society
bitshift Link ParentMy two cents: boycotts have a cost (can be money, time, energy, etc), and problems occur when people act like they're free. If it were just money, it would be more concrete. Let's say the local...My two cents: boycotts have a cost (can be money, time, energy, etc), and problems occur when people act like they're free.
If it were just money, it would be more concrete. Let's say the local food bank has run out of food and is having to turn down hungry people, so they put out an urgent call for donations. The local community is chattering things like "I just gave $100!" and "Hunger is such an important issue." Now for you, maybe money is tight, and you personally decide against donating. That ought to be okay! It would be out of line for someone to criticize you for "supporting hunger" or "this is a matter of right and wrong" or "if you actually cared…"
If the money isn't there, the money isn't there, and nobody should be making anybody feel bad. Same thing goes if the time/energy/spoons aren't there.
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Comment on Matt Mullenweg deactivates WordPress accounts of contributors planning a fork in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentThank you for respectfully laying out your viewpoint, even though it's not the "popular" one. The world's complicated. Matt can simultaneously have been a net positive for OSS and Internet...Thank you for respectfully laying out your viewpoint, even though it's not the "popular" one.
The world's complicated. Matt can simultaneously have been a net positive for OSS and Internet publishing over the last two decades—while also being the wrong steward of the project for the next few decades.
Same goes for WPE. Are they saints? No. Do they have a financial interest? Yeah. But that doesn't mean they're incorrect in criticizing Matt's recent swings in leadership.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
bitshift Link ParentI hope you're right! And I say that not in a sarcastic, pessimistic way, but with genuine optimism. May he waste both his own time, as well as that of everyone around him who thirsts for power.I hope you're right! And I say that not in a sarcastic, pessimistic way, but with genuine optimism. May he waste both his own time, as well as that of everyone around him who thirsts for power.
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Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life
bitshift Link ParentConsumables are great gifts. You don't have to worry, "Do they already have it?" or, "What if Aunt So-and-so gives them the same thing?" It will get used up. If two different people gifted me nice...Consumables are great gifts. You don't have to worry, "Do they already have it?" or, "What if Aunt So-and-so gives them the same thing?" It will get used up. If two different people gifted me nice coffee, I'll be twice as happy.
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Comment on Are ‘ghost engineers’ real? Seeking Silicon Valley’s least productive coders. in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentMildly related, but I'm reminded of this story of a naive attempt to measure productivity by code changes: -2000 Lines Of CodeMildly related, but I'm reminded of this story of a naive attempt to measure productivity by code changes: -2000 Lines Of Code
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Comment on Bomb threats made against US President-Elect Donald Trump cabinet nominees in ~society
bitshift Link ParentPolitical violence is not new, but I 100% agree that each additional instance sucks for the reason you mentioned: violence normalizes violence. Somewhere I read a really good analogy of how our...Political violence is not new, but I 100% agree that each additional instance sucks for the reason you mentioned: violence normalizes violence.
Somewhere I read a really good analogy of how our minds go wrong with this. When we think of violence, we're wired to think of good versus evil, knights slaying dragons, stuff like that. When a dragon kills one of the townsfolk, that's because the dragon is evil. And when a knight kills one of the dragons, well, the dragon had it coming. Killing the dragon solves the problem.
But in reality, violence is less like a dragon and more like Godzilla. It's not glamorous. Every day he shows up and tramples several city blocks. Some days he tramples more, some days less. Sometimes a different giant monster shows up and fights Godzilla, and even more of the city gets destroyed than usual. Your life is now all about surviving between monster attacks. That's the new normal.
And the problem is whenever people commit violence, they think they're killing an evil dragon, when they're actually waking Godzilla.
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Comment on Recruiting help for election day posters in ~creative
bitshift Link ParentThis is good, though there might be a clearer way to phrase it. The phrase "can't find out" could be misinterpreted as "You can't risk letting your spouse find out," as opposed to the presumably...Just remember, your spouse can't find out how you voted
This is good, though there might be a clearer way to phrase it. The phrase "can't find out" could be misinterpreted as "You can't risk letting your spouse find out," as opposed to the presumably intended (and much more calming) "Your spouse is unable to find out."
Other than that issue, I love this statement. It's simple, and (unlike the provocative alternatives), it's hard to dispute. Heck, it's very nearly a nonpartisan statement! Obviously there's a partisan intent given the context of this thread, but it's not printed on the sign; I could hold that sign while claiming to be a Trump supporter, and you'd have no way of knowing for sure.
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Comment on Trans activists release 6,000 crickets on transphobic LGB Alliance conference in ~lgbt
bitshift Link ParentNot the person you're replying to, but I know what my reaction would be: to ask, "How does this help good overcome evil?" Personally, I'd be afraid that pulling a stunt to disrupt the meeting has...Not the person you're replying to, but I know what my reaction would be: to ask, "How does this help good overcome evil?"
Personally, I'd be afraid that pulling a stunt to disrupt the meeting has a lot of potential downsides without a whole lot of upside. I'm not saying they were wrong to protest, or that every action in life has to have an attached cost/benefit analysis. What I'm saying is that I'm trying to do a cost/benefit analysis because that's my habit, and I'm scratching my head trying to come up with a long-term benefit.
Maybe I'm underestimating the value of raising social awareness? Or maybe I'm overly pessimistic about propagandists twisting the stunt into an argument for the other side?
The strongest argument I can come up with for the stunt is that it sends a message—"We will not be silenced"—where doing something that could get you in trouble is an integral part of the message.
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Comment on What are your spooky, creepy or unexplained stories? in ~talk
bitshift Link ParentStrangely, I tend to be the exact opposite. I tend to be on the skeptical side, and when I experience something unexplained firsthand, my default behavior is to immediately "talk myself out of...There's a kind of cognitive dissonance that happens to people though, where they accept that other people have flawed perceptions, but they don't.
Strangely, I tend to be the exact opposite. I tend to be on the skeptical side, and when I experience something unexplained firsthand, my default behavior is to immediately "talk myself out of it." That motion I saw out of the corner of my eye? Gosh, I must be sleep deprived. That slamming sound at the other end of the house? Probably something falling off a shelf, or something like a falling broom that had been leaning against the wall, or… something, but it doesn't really matter, because it's not a ghost or a home intruder. It must have a boring explanation.
Then all that goes out the window when I read other people's stories. They actually saw a ghost? Oh wow, I wonder if my understanding of the universe is all wrong? Their father sent them a message from beyond the grave? Maybe they did, maybe they didn't… but what if they did? Think of the implications!
(Then I forget about it once the thrill of the possibility wears off.)
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Comment on I worked for Mr. Beast, he’s a fraud in ~tech
bitshift Link ParentTook me a minute and some head scratching to understand that word. In retrospect, the suffix is obvious from context (gambling → casino), but due to Wikipedia-related reasons, my immediate mental...candy-sino
Took me a minute and some head scratching to understand that word. In retrospect, the suffix is obvious from context (gambling → casino), but due to Wikipedia-related reasons, my immediate mental associations were less than helpful.
What does that say to you, because I see that the only way to make life changing amounts of money is to be lucy enough to have that money already.
Well put. It's fiction for the purpose of for-profit entertainment, but the implied message (intentional or not) is… not the worst thing a piece of media can communicate, but it's up there. It's a very seductive fiction because it offers a payoff without effort, plus it's a partial truth: a good chunk of success in life does come down to chance! (But if that's the only thing you rely on, your prospects are dim.)
I am convinced the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction is a crucial life skill—perhaps one that should be taught.
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Comment on Spaced repetition for teaching two-year olds how to read (Interview) in ~life
bitshift Link ParentI'm curious about your opinion of other early-learning projects, such as teaching babies sign language (the idea being to open up communication earlier, because signs are easier to make than...I'm curious about your opinion of other early-learning projects, such as teaching babies sign language (the idea being to open up communication earlier, because signs are easier to make than speech sounds).
It's normal to focus heavily on teaching verbal communication: parents' voices from day 1, cultural excitement over first words, etc. To me, sign language and early reading just feel like extensions of that; it's socially acceptable to really, really focus on spoken language, so why not other forms of communication? At the same time, if I taught my kid sign language, I would be very aware I was doing something "weird" by cultural standards.
Definitely agree that every child is different. I started reading at 2 and it worked out well for me, but different children will become interested at different ages (and will have different levels of interest, as well). Props to you for giving your kid the opportunity to read, while being genuinely interested in whether they were interested!
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Comment on Spaced repetition for teaching two-year olds how to read (Interview) in ~life
bitshift Link ParentIt doesn't seem like an either-or situation to me. Spaced repetition has a remarkably good ratio of effort to learning, and I suspect that makes it easier to fit studying into a kid's day without...in the meantime their social and emotional development isn't being similarly pushed because those soft skills "aren't important". Similar deficiencies in motor skills are also apparent in many cases.
It doesn't seem like an either-or situation to me.
Spaced repetition has a remarkably good ratio of effort to learning, and I suspect that makes it easier to fit studying into a kid's day without exhausting their attention span or consuming all their time (the father specifically said he didn't want to be a "tiger dad"). And if there's plenty of time in the day, you could still invest time on all the things you highlighted — porque no los dos?
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Comment on Those who journal, how do you do so authentically? (How to stop “self-editing” or “censoring” yourself and your thoughts?) in ~health.mental
bitshift Link ParentI have not done this personally, but one possibility is following Beatrix Potter's example: write your journal in a secret code of your own invention (perhaps in conjunction with writing...I have not done this personally, but one possibility is following Beatrix Potter's example: write your journal in a secret code of your own invention (perhaps in conjunction with writing everything in teeny tiny scribbles, for extra security).
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Comment on Extraverted introverts, cautious risk-takers, and selfless narcissists: A demonstration of why you can’t trust data collected on MTurk in ~science
bitshift Link ParentThat's wild that there's active subversion going on, as in people putting in significant effort to cheat the system, and to cheat more effectively. I shouldn't be surprised, but I had assumed...That's wild that there's active subversion going on, as in people putting in significant effort to cheat the system, and to cheat more effectively. I shouldn't be surprised, but I had assumed cheating was more low effort, such as mashing keyboards.
You said you built apps on the platform? Were you (or your clients) in the position of "employer", then? If so, I'm curious what your approach was for combatting cheating.
Before every interview I conduct, I tell the candidate, "This is open book, so if you want to look stuff up or ask me questions, go for it."
I do have candidates take me up on this, but it happens less often than you'd think. Frequently I'm the one who's nudging them to look stuff up: "Hey, so you're absolutely right that this depends on what kind of data structure Python lists are under the hood… how would you find that out?" I wonder if all their past interviews have conditioned candidates to think they're admitting weakness by saying, "I don't know, let me Google it."
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you ever have an open book interview, please—for my sake—use the gargantuan living encyclopedia your computer is plugged into.