blitz's recent activity
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Comment on US FDA to pull common but ineffective cold medicine, phenylephrine, from market in ~health
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Comment on Detailed astronomical observation logging with a microphone and AI in ~hobbies
blitz Link ParentThanks for this suggestion! I have only ever used models available from ollama, I've never tried domain specific ones. I'll look into it!Thanks for this suggestion! I have only ever used models available from ollama, I've never tried domain specific ones. I'll look into it!
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Comment on Detailed astronomical observation logging with a microphone and AI in ~hobbies
blitz Link ParentYeah! Everything runs locally. I've got an M3 Max Macbook Pro with 128 GB of RAM, but these models don't take very much RAM at all. I tried to download and run the Llama 3.1 405B and 128 GB of RAM...Yeah! Everything runs locally. I've got an M3 Max Macbook Pro with 128 GB of RAM, but these models don't take very much RAM at all. I tried to download and run the Llama 3.1 405B and 128 GB of RAM wasn't enough!
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Detailed astronomical observation logging with a microphone and AI
I'm into astronomy as a hobby, and it's useful to have a log of the things in the sky you've seen. Many people take handwritten notes, but my handwriting is awful and having to write notes takes...
I'm into astronomy as a hobby, and it's useful to have a log of the things in the sky you've seen. Many people take handwritten notes, but my handwriting is awful and having to write notes takes away from enjoying the views through the telescope.
So after being inspired by AI note taking applications I've read about online, I decided to give it a try while out observing.
First, I take my recordings and run them through Whisper's speech to text engine. Because my recordings have frequent astronomical terms, it seems to be more useful to run the larger models (or the new turbo model), because they seem to do better identifying the names of moons and constellations.
Next, I run Ollama and give it a prompt like:
Here is a speech to text transcript of an observation session. Create a detailed log of the session, using only facts found in the text. Do not add your own interpretation to the text.
I'm still experimenting with prompts and models, but oddly it seems like shorter prompts give better results. So far, the type of model doesn't seem to matter so much as the number of parameters. Gemma2 27B outperforms llama 3.1 7B, but llama 70B outperforms both of them (again, I think the larger models have more context about which astronomical terms are important). Here's what that gets me with basically no work on my part:
**Observation Session Log** **Session Details** * Date: October 3rd, 2024 * Location: Wolf Street * Telescope: Teleview 85 (also referred to as 80) * Observer: [Not specified] **Targets Observed** 1. M29 (Open Cluster in Cygnus) * Time: 2057 - 2101 * Eyepiece used: 18.2mm * Notes: + Found using star hopping from Sater + Appears as a faint open cluster with 6-7 distinct stars + Stars are fairly even in brightness and color 2. M39 (Open Cluster) * Time: 2109 - 2116 * Eyepiece used: Ultra-wide angle, 18.2mm, and 8.5mm (noted as a mistake, actually using 7mm) * Notes: + Found using star hopping from Deneb + Appears as a larger open cluster with more differentiation in star magnitudes + Stars appear bluer than surrounding stars 3. Alberio (Double Star) * Time: 2120, 2155 * Eyepiece used: Ultra-wide angle and 7mm * Notes: + Found easily without a guide + Appears as a beautiful contrast between colors with constituent parts standing out from the surrounding stars 4. M15 (Globular Cluster in Pegasus) * Time: 2120 - 2130 * Eyepiece used: Ultra-wide angle, 18.2mm, 7mm, and Barlow (2x) with 7mm * Notes: + Found using a bright naked-eye star as a guide + Appears as a slight smudge or fuzzy patch with averted vision + Not resolving individual stars at any power 5. Saturn * Time: 2140 - 2150 * Eyepiece used: Low power, highest power (with a star chart to confirm moon positions) * Notes: + Three moons visible: Rhea, Enceladus, and Titan + Striping on the surface of Saturn visible at highest power **Session End** * Time: 2157I'm very happy with the quality of the notes. It's much, much better than my handwritten notes and much less work, so I'm likely to do this more consistently.
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Comment on Phil Ochs - The War Is Over (Songbook and interviews) in ~music
blitz LinkI received this book as a present many years ago because everyone who knows me knows that Phil Ochs is my absolute favorite musician. I looked around briefly and couldn't find any online copies of...I received this book as a present many years ago because everyone who knows me knows that Phil Ochs is my absolute favorite musician. I looked around briefly and couldn't find any online copies of it, so I did a quick and dirty digitization and put it up on internet archive for people who might be interested!
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Phil Ochs - The War Is Over (Songbook and interviews)
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Comment on EV discussion thread in ~transport
blitz Link ParentI have the 2022 Tesla Model Y and can echo basically everything in this post. I bought it at peak price and just before Musk went completely crazy.I have the 2022 Tesla Model Y and can echo basically everything in this post. I bought it at peak price and just before Musk went completely crazy.
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Comment on Looking for a good, cheap VPS for a VPN in or around London in ~comp
blitz LinkI use Mullvad, and they have exit nodes in London and Manchester. I use it to watch the European coverage of cycling events on Discovery+. Their service costs $5/mo.I use Mullvad, and they have exit nodes in London and Manchester. I use it to watch the European coverage of cycling events on Discovery+. Their service costs $5/mo.
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Comment on Opinion - The Washington Post is about to embrace the darkness in ~news
blitz Link ParentConnections fans have a duty to know about Only Connect, in which the Connecting Wall is the 3rd round of every episode. The NYT shamelessy ripped off this game and made Connections. But that's...Connections fans have a duty to know about Only Connect, in which the Connecting Wall is the 3rd round of every episode. The NYT shamelessy ripped off this game and made Connections. But that's not to say that connections isn't pretty fun!
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Comment on If you had up to US$250 to get one person into a hobby you're interested in, what would you do to get them started? in ~hobbies
blitz Link ParentA set of 8x42 binoculars will work great for both birding and astronomy. That's what I use for both! You can get more specialized astronomy binoculars with a greater aperture, but any binoculars...A set of 8x42 binoculars will work great for both birding and astronomy. That's what I use for both! You can get more specialized astronomy binoculars with a greater aperture, but any binoculars will open up stargazing in a way that's not accessible with the naked eye.
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Comment on If you had up to US$250 to get one person into a hobby you're interested in, what would you do to get them started? in ~hobbies
blitz Link ParentIf you've got a set of binoculars, check if your local library has the book Turn Left at Orion and use it to find some good binocular targets to look at at night!If you've got a set of binoculars, check if your local library has the book Turn Left at Orion and use it to find some good binocular targets to look at at night!
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Comment on The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power | Season 2 official teaser trailer in ~tv
blitz Link ParentCulminating in the incredibly cheesy Southlands -> Mordor text fadeCulminating in the incredibly cheesy Southlands -> Mordor text fade
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Comment on I'm at a loss on what to do about my backyard grass situation in ~life.home_improvement
blitz Link ParentThis is the real question. Three dogs running around every day in a city or even suburban sized lot will destroy whatever grass you put down.Question for clarification: how heavily is your lawn used by you and the dogs?
This is the real question. Three dogs running around every day in a city or even suburban sized lot will destroy whatever grass you put down.
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Comment on The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use in ~transport
blitz Link ParentYou are correct, you can walk around the base of the arc without a ticket, but you need one to go up to the observation platform, museum and gift shop inside. We went on a whim because when we...You are correct, you can walk around the base of the arc without a ticket, but you need one to go up to the observation platform, museum and gift shop inside. We went on a whim because when we were visiting the arc, there was basically no line. It's staggeringly huge inside!
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Comment on Eclipse plans in ~talk
blitz Link ParentI'm so glad you did! I traveled about 1600 miles total by car for this eclipse. It was super cloudy in Texas so we only got to see totality for about 30 seconds, but it was still so worth it!I'm so glad you did! I traveled about 1600 miles total by car for this eclipse. It was super cloudy in Texas so we only got to see totality for about 30 seconds, but it was still so worth it!
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Comment on Boeing whistleblower found dead in US in ~transport
blitz Link ParentThis is quite the commitment. Tools like Kayak now have a filter on the types of aircraft you want at booking, but these things change all the time in the days and months leading up to the actual...I think I'm unironically never flying on a Boeing again.
This is quite the commitment. Tools like Kayak now have a filter on the types of aircraft you want at booking, but these things change all the time in the days and months leading up to the actual flight. Then there's the possibility of a last minute change if something's wrong with the originally assigned aircraft on the day of the flight.
I think it's possible that the capacities, ranges and seating arrangements are such that they might not switch between Boeing and Airbus that often, so I have no idea how often a switch like this would take place.
I'd love to read a blog post about somebody actually trying to stick to this commitment for a year or so.
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Comment on The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Official trailer in ~tv
blitz LinkThe first episodes are out! We watched the first three last night and were laughing riotously. Definitely worth checking out!The first episodes are out! We watched the first three last night and were laughing riotously. Definitely worth checking out!
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Comment on Grace Petrie - The House Always Wins (2024) in ~music
blitz LinkThanks for this heads up! I really enjoy Grace Petrie, she really seems like a spiritual successor to the protest singers of the 60's and on like Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton, who I also love. My...Thanks for this heads up! I really enjoy Grace Petrie, she really seems like a spiritual successor to the protest singers of the 60's and on like Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton, who I also love.
My favorite song of hers before this album was "I wish the Guardian believed that I exist" :)
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
blitz LinkTwo weeks into my weight loss plan of losing a pound a week is going well! My goal weight for today was 191 lbs, and my average weigh in for the last 7 days is 190.3. I’ve been finding that the...Two weeks into my weight loss plan of losing a pound a week is going well! My goal weight for today was 191 lbs, and my average weigh in for the last 7 days is 190.3.
I’ve been finding that the most effective way for me to lose weight is to eat a maintenance amount most days, and then to have one or two fast days a week. This is much less fatiguing for me than being hungry more often. We’ll see how it continues to go!
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Comment on Monday, April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse: where and when in ~space
blitz Link ParentIf you're only a 30 minute drive outside of the totality zone, please, please see the total eclipse. There is no comparing totality and even 99%. The main difference is that during totality, you...If you're only a 30 minute drive outside of the totality zone, please, please see the total eclipse. There is no comparing totality and even 99%. The main difference is that during totality, you can look at the event without any eye protection, which you cannot do outside of totality. I saw the one in 2017 and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I'm driving 15 hours to see the one in April.
This was the NYT article that convinced me to go see the 2017 eclipse: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/science/eclipse-chasers-first.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU0.TKaH.HHer_rZjXPn-&smid=url-share
Doesn't OTC and behind-the-counter mean the same thing? You have to go to the pharmacist and they give you the drug over the counter. Off the shelf would be the opposite of OTC?