bytesmythe's recent activity

  1. Comment on Let's build a playlist! in ~music

  2. Comment on How do you take notes while reading? Do you have a “marginalia” process? What has helped you learn better and retain new knowledge? in ~creative

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    There are web archiving systems like ArchiveBox and similar tools that will let you save and index everything. You could probably use something like that in conjunction with a locally hosted LLM...

    There are web archiving systems like ArchiveBox and similar tools that will let you save and index everything. You could probably use something like that in conjunction with a locally hosted LLM that could read through the archive and find stuff for you.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~books

    bytesmythe
    Link
    the conscious mind: in search of a fundamental theory - David Chalmers If you like philosophy and theories of consciousness, you should read this. And also all these papers... Phantoms in the...

    • the conscious mind: in search of a fundamental theory - David Chalmers
      If you like philosophy and theories of consciousness, you should read this.
      And also all these papers...

    • Phantoms in the Brain - V.S. Ramachandran.
      A fascinating source of insight into how our brains do what they do.

    • Declare - Tim Powers
      This is an "alternate view" of the history of the Cold War conflict and spy games. I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoilers. I think it's best to go into a Tim Powers book knowing no more than the title so you can fully appreciate discovering the plot. (Note: it isn't an "alternative history" like "The Main in the High Castle"; just weaving a new narrative around already known events.)

  4. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    If you like that sort of thing, I highly recommend The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. It is set in a post-singularity future and you just have to learn the technological terms from context and...

    with what feels like little "translating" or handholding

    If you like that sort of thing, I highly recommend The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. It is set in a post-singularity future and you just have to learn the technological terms from context and repeated exposure.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Learning new programming languages with limited time: Rust, golang, or otherwise? in ~comp

    bytesmythe
    (edited )
    Link
    Sadly, I feel like I'm kind of in the same boat. I want to learn something new, but can't decide where to focus my efforts. My list consists of the following, in no particular order: Rust -...

    Sadly, I feel like I'm kind of in the same boat. I want to learn something new, but can't decide where to focus my efforts. My list consists of the following, in no particular order:

    1. Rust - Focused on memory safety by using "memory borrowing" semantics. Understanding the "borrow checker" seems to be the sticking point for many learners.
    2. Zig - A general-purpose language with a C-style syntax. Designed to be safer and more predictable than languages like C/C++.
    3. Elixir - Functional language that runs on the BEAM virtual machine (which was designed for highly-scalable applications with unreasonably large uptimes). Designed by one of the top contributors to Ruby-On-Rails and uses a Ruby-style syntax. (I have played with this one some and really like it.) Edit: I forgot to mention, with Elixir, you can use Livebook interactive code workbooks.
    4. Gleam - Also targets the BEAM, but uses an ML-style syntax (kind of like Haskell).
    5. Roc - A functional language that compiles to native binaries. Very new and doesn't even have release numbers yet. For its spiritual predecessor that is used to design web interfaces, see Elm.
    6. Red - A Swiss Army knife of a language intended to target every part of a software stack. Still somewhat young and working towards 64-bit support.
    7. Lisp - Lisp? Yes, really! I think the idea of using Lisp's incredible macro capabilities to create DSLs to implement specific solutions sounds fascinating and elegant.
    6 votes

  6. Comment on Tell me about your weird religious beliefs in ~humanities

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    I definitely agree with the holographic and information theories of reality, but I disagree about the consciousness one. I think the closest description of my thoughts about it is...

    I definitely agree with the holographic and information theories of reality, but I disagree about the consciousness one. I think the closest description of my thoughts about it is panprotopsychism. I don't believe that consciousness is emergent; rather, it is intrinsic. Information (in the sense of "the stuff the universe is really made from") has an extrinsic aspect (the physical properties which interact and can be measured) and an intrinsic aspect (some kind of "consciousness", although not necessarily any type of sense-of-self or awareness). I'm not sure if I would say the brain is conscious as much as it processes consciousness. Complex information has more complex conscious states, and brains (or brain-like systems) evolved to process and remember those states.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Looking for recommendations for sci-fi books with a 'body snatchers' theme of human possession or replacement in ~books

    bytesmythe
    Link
    Maybe M.R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts. (The book doesn't reveal what's going on at first, so don't dig too much if you don't want spoilers.)

    Maybe M.R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts. (The book doesn't reveal what's going on at first, so don't dig too much if you don't want spoilers.)

    1 vote

  8. Comment on What was your first computer game? (Soundcheck question 2023) in ~games

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    I don't think it was necessarily because it was super amazing; just that certain aspects of it sort of get stuck your head. Especially the slight jump scare and "Funeral March" that plays when you...

    I don't think it was necessarily because it was super amazing; just that certain aspects of it sort of get stuck your head. Especially the slight jump scare and "Funeral March" that plays when you get eaten.
    If you are interested in a little indulgent nostalgia and run Windows:
    https://www.99er.net/download2/index.php?act=category&id=15
    (You probably just need the V3010 x64 version. Look around there a little and you'll find a zip file of cartridges for that emulator. Once the emulator is installed, find the installation directory and put the cartridge files in the appropriate folder. Have fun!)

    1 vote

  9. Comment on What was your first computer game? (Soundcheck question 2023) in ~games

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    My first computer was a TI-99/4a, too! I don't remember exactly which game I played first, but it would have most likely been one of these: Alpiner A-Maze-ing Car Wars Hunt the Wumpus Munch Man

    My first computer was a TI-99/4a, too! I don't remember exactly which game I played first, but it would have most likely been one of these:
    Alpiner
    A-Maze-ing
    Car Wars
    Hunt the Wumpus
    Munch Man

    2 votes

  10. Comment on Is there a programming language that brings you joy? in ~comp

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    You might want to take a look at Roc. It's a very young language, but the goal is to produce something similar to Haskell or Elm that compiles to native binaries or WebAssembly.

    I should probably try Haskell or something.

    You might want to take a look at Roc. It's a very young language, but the goal is to produce something similar to Haskell or Elm that compiles to native binaries or WebAssembly.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Is there a programming language that brings you joy? in ~comp

    bytesmythe
    Link
    I posted this in a different thread the other day, but I really like playing with Elixir. I first tried it out in the Advent of Code a few years ago and could easily get the correct answers on the...

    I posted this in a different thread the other day, but I really like playing with Elixir. I first tried it out in the Advent of Code a few years ago and could easily get the correct answers on the first try. No worries about off-by-one errors, side effects, etc. I particularly like the multi-definition functions and the pipe operator. The functional style and overall syntax seem to make it easier to decompose programs into chainable blocks that just work.

    7 votes

  12. Comment on An Intuition for Lisp Syntax in ~comp

    bytesmythe
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    If you're interested in exploring a more functional language without making the whole jump to lisp yet, check into Elixir. I tried it out on the first few days of Advent of Code a couple of years...

    If you're interested in exploring a more functional language without making the whole jump to lisp yet, check into Elixir. I tried it out on the first few days of Advent of Code a couple of years ago and was very surprised to discover that I got all the answers correct on the first try. Something about the way it forces you to decompose problems makes it super easy to build up a program that solves the problem correctly.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on The Xmas music playlist at my job is awful; give me your best non-traditional holiday songs! in ~music

  14. Comment on What are your favorite break up songs? Or my lover left me songs? in ~music

  15. Comment on Do you have a favorite YouTube video? I want to know! in ~talk

    bytesmythe
    Link
    I don't have favorites of anything, but I do really like Alasdair Beckett-King. For example: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1sg1ypWVE

    I don't have favorites of anything, but I do really like Alasdair Beckett-King. For example: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1sg1ypWVE

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Do you have a favorite YouTube video? I want to know! in ~talk

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    "You just made those words up right now!" I cannot wait to get to use some of those quotes. That was amazing. In a similar vein, this one cracks me up every time:...

    "You just made those words up right now!"
    I cannot wait to get to use some of those quotes. That was amazing.

    In a similar vein, this one cracks me up every time: https://youtube.com/watch?v=b2F-DItXtZs

    1 vote

  17. Comment on What are some foods you really like, from countries not well known for great cuisine? in ~food

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    Just in case you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the Youtube channel Middle Eats. The host is from Egypt and makes tons of amazing dishes from all over the Middle East and North Africa.

    Just in case you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the Youtube channel Middle Eats. The host is from Egypt and makes tons of amazing dishes from all over the Middle East and North Africa.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Meet Your Tildes Neighbour: August 2023 Edition in ~talk

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    If you drink tea, have you tried lapsang souchong? It has a very smoky flavor, reminiscent of Laphroaig. It is pretty potent, so when I'm in the mood for it, I just put a small pinch in with my...

    My favorite is Laphroaig 10 years

    If you drink tea, have you tried lapsang souchong? It has a very smoky flavor, reminiscent of Laphroaig. It is pretty potent, so when I'm in the mood for it, I just put a small pinch in with my regular tea.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Book recommendations: Psychology topics in ~books

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    Along with those, I would also recommend "Phantoms in the Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran.

    Along with those, I would also recommend "Phantoms in the Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran.

  20. Comment on Ethiopia cracks down on gay sex in hotels, bars and restaurants in ~lgbt

    bytesmythe
    Link Parent
    I think one of the things that most people miss is religion's idea of group responsibility and collective punishment. It isn't just about conformity or morality. It's about their deity punishing...

    I think one of the things that most people miss is religion's idea of group responsibility and collective punishment. It isn't just about conformity or morality. It's about their deity punishing the entire group for not stamping out the undesired behavior.

    There is also generally the idea that undesired behaviors aren't just "wrong", but are truly evil. Any such behaviors are seen as caused by actual evil entities (such as Satan or demons). Allowing the behaviors gives these beings a foothold in your society so they can spread their influence to others and turn them from "righteousness".

    3 votes