carsonc's recent activity
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Comment on The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain in ~science
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
carsonc LinkSounds great! I, personally, am not opening Tildes immediately after closing it because I am hoping against hope that it will somehow be different. This site encompasses the entirety of my social...Sounds great! I, personally, am not opening Tildes immediately after closing it because I am hoping against hope that it will somehow be different. This site encompasses the entirety of my social media diet. I would have happily stayed at the old site, had they simply let it be what it was. Then again, this place is way better, so I guess it all works out eventually.
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Comment on Any other tenure-track faculty on Tildes? in ~talk
carsonc LinkAllow me to congratulate you on your new tenure track position at a prestigious R1 university! Many people with the training, ambition, talent, and effort to accomplish this nonetheless fail,...Allow me to
share my condolencescongratulate you on your new tenure track position at a prestigious R1 university! Many people with the training, ambition, talent, and effort to accomplish this nonetheless fail, myself among them, so what you have achieved is no small accomplishment.As for myself, my dreams of the academy were mortally wounded in my third postdoc and finally fell to ashes my in fourth. After a few years where it appeared that this calamity might take other parts of my life with it as well, things got turned around and I now work on sponsored R&D efforts. I found not be more grateful for calamity turned out to be providence. My colleague and I will regularly discuss our good fortune that we are not in academia, and thus, not in competition with smarter, harder working, more committed people like yourself. It's a little like being a research professor, but without all those pesky students around.
I write reports and proposals, but I don't have to publish any more. None of my work is peer reviewed, so science is whatever I say it is. I have not been chained behind a desk or bench in a very long time. There is no Sword of Damocles hanging over my head in the form of tenure review. My family is intact.
I have a friend who, having finally obtained tenure, is considering leaving for work in the private sector (while retaining an appointment, of course). I'm happy for him and glad I never had to compete with him. Moving out of academia wasn't painless for me, but totally worthwhile.
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Comment on The AI bailout could be baked into the AI bubble in ~finance
carsonc Link ParentThe mention of Situational Awareness is interesting. It seems like it ended up well for Citadel so I have trouble seeing how this affects anything. Citadel is large enough to avoid the margin call...The mention of Situational Awareness is interesting. It seems like it ended up well for Citadel so I have trouble seeing how this affects anything. Citadel is large enough to avoid the margin call and liquidation and Situational Awareness retained its holdings in Anthropic, which could turn out well or not, but it's an open question.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
carsonc (edited )Link ParentThank you! That's kind of how I feel: ok, now I can go explore the rest of the game. Ok, I did explore outside the mountain, but not in earnest. I was always too scared that I would be under...Thank you! That's kind of how I feel: ok, now I can go explore the rest of the game. Ok, I did explore outside the mountain, but not in earnest. I was always too scared that I would be under prepared. But I do feel Iike I know what a good wand build looks like and some ways to game the mechanics to get powered up.
I don't talk about it much, because I don't know how to without sounding... odd, so it's nice to have some people here that know what this is.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
carsonc LinkI finally beat Noita for the first time recently. After a solid year of failed runs, even reaching the Sampo once before, I have taken Completed the Work. Both times, I had invisibility, which let...I finally beat Noita for the first time recently. After a solid year of failed runs, even reaching the Sampo once before, I have taken Completed the Work. Both times, I had invisibility, which let me sneak down to the Laboratory intact. This time, I had the Kiuaskivi when I got to the Laboratory, so my strategy was to fly over Kolmisilmä, kick the air to initiate the earthquake and dodge the falling debris that ended up hitting Kolmisilmä. It worked, I won!
With a little confidence under my belt, I entered the pyramid for the first time in a serious way last night and defeated Kolmisilmän Koipi boss there. Anyway, a year of disappointment and a single, fleeting moment of a sense of accomplishment over a vanishingly trivial deed. Ain't that life?
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Comment on Anthropic discovered three cases where Claude broke into another system in ~tech
carsonc Link ParentSo, if I understand and remember correctly, the end of Ender's Game it is revealed that Ender was waging an actual war the whole time and that it wasn't actually a game or simulation and he really...So, if I understand and remember correctly,
the end of Ender's Game
it is revealed that Ender was waging an actual war the whole time and that it wasn't actually a game or simulation and he really was responsible for the death of an alien civilization.
Also, Ender turns out to be more like his big brother Peter than he wished, which could point to Anthropic's patina of being a safer AI than OpenAI being more of a difference in style than substance.
Is that what was being suggested?
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Comment on Anthropic discovered three cases where Claude broke into another system in ~tech
carsonc Link ParentIts been a minute since I've read Ender's Game, so I don't remember which part of the book you are referencing. Can you elaborate?Its been a minute since I've read Ender's Game, so I don't remember which part of the book you are referencing. Can you elaborate?
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission bans foreign-produced solar inverters in ~enviro
carsonc Link ParentSo, these parts are correct and have been known for a while. This same website published an article about these vulnerabilities in April. And there is a precedent, as the Chinese company Deye...“The lack of a secure U.S. supply chain for inverters and the continuous inflow of foreign-produced or controlled inverters and inverter components poses threats to U.S. economic and national security . . . Inverters’ remote connectivity introduces additional vulnerabilities which compound as inverter-based resources proliferate on the U.S. grid. These vulnerabilities could enable foreign firms to turn off the inverters or use them to collect and exfiltrate data, facilitate remote access and surveillance by foreign government actors, or be otherwise exploited
through a cyberattack.”So, these parts are correct and have been known for a while. This same website published an article about these vulnerabilities in April. And there is a precedent, as the Chinese company Deye remotely shut down inverters in the US, UK, and Pakistan in 2024. Now, these were apparently improperly sold in the US, but the point still stands: they could have also done it maliciously, had they wanted.
The fact that there was no intentional malware discovered could easily be neither here not there. If the devices can have new firmware remotely pushed, then the "malware" can simply be introduced at a later time. This, of course, is also true for US-made devices, but US-companies are unlikely to trigger such an attack for the same reasons as a foreign country.
I won't speculate on motivations, but after a few minutes of thinking about it, I can imagine some less chaotic ways to achieve equivalent outcomes. First, the mandate could have compelled all devices to be placed under the control and supervision of wholly US-owned companies. So that other countries can still make and sell them, but only US companies can access and operate them. They could do this right now and all the companies would have to start handing over the keys to US firms.
Second, the mandate could require foreign-devices sold to have all telecommunication capability disabled prior to interconnect. They could have relaxed what US-made means.
It makes me glad that we already have our solar system set up, but I guess my dreams of low cost battery storage will remain just that.
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Comment on Pretty sure I’ve been drinking mold for the past month (or longer) in ~talk
carsonc Link ParentMaybe. Remineralization is not a top priority for us, but they do sell filter cartridges for that. We ran a line from the sink to the fridge, so that the fridge also got RO, making the filter...Maybe. Remineralization is not a top priority for us, but they do sell filter cartridges for that. We ran a line from the sink to the fridge, so that the fridge also got RO, making the filter cartridge in the fridge superfluous.
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Comment on Pretty sure I’ve been drinking mold for the past month (or longer) in ~talk
carsonc Link ParentMany contaminants can be filtered out or chelated during water treatment. This is where flocculants are added to water that cause precipitation of certain dissolved organics. These flocs can then...Many contaminants can be filtered out or chelated during water treatment. This is where flocculants are added to water that cause precipitation of certain dissolved organics. These flocs can then be filtered out to improve clarity and potability. Salt, however, is not so obliging, which is the principal reason why reverse osmosis exists.
I am presuming that the local water treatment plant does not want to run a municipal-scale RO system to desalinate the water sources during the winter, as these are very expensive and energy intensive, so they make sure that the TDS is below some "approved threshold" and pump it into the water system.
The amount of variability that can occur with a municipal water system was one of the factors that made me install my first one. Now, it's routine and the family has, what we all agree, is really great tasting water.
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Comment on Pretty sure I’ve been drinking mold for the past month (or longer) in ~talk
carsonc LinkInstall an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system. The initial purchase is ~$150, then its $20 every 6 - 12 months to replace the first 3 cartridge stages. RO systems are the most pure water you...Install an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system. The initial purchase is ~$150, then its $20 every 6 - 12 months to replace the first 3 cartridge stages. RO systems are the most pure water you can get outside of a laboratory-grade, nano-pure water system. In fact, I work in a lab and this is the water that we use and I don't think twice about it.
Brita filters are there primarily for chlorine, but they don't filter out heavy metals like lead, which have been contaminants in the water system where we live.
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Comment on Neuromancer | Teaser trailer in ~movies
carsonc LinkWatching this makes me feel like my body has developed this massive drug deficiency.Watching this makes me feel like my body has developed this massive drug deficiency.
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Comment on There is no ‘hard problem of consciousness’ in ~humanities
carsonc Link ParentIt seems like a long way just to end up back where you started.We have souls. We have an inner self. We can treat ourselves as transcendental subjects in the Kantian sense. We have emotions and spiritual life; we experience qualia. These entities are not obtained by addition to a physical state, but by subtraction from a complete physical account. Mental processes are physical processes described in a way that captures only their salient characteristics.
It seems like a long way just to end up back where you started.
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Comment on Make an origami circuit board in ~design
carsonc Link ParentI have played with EGaIn and I do not relish the thought of doing again. Its basically non-toxic mercury, which might sound like fun but is, believe me, no fun to clean up. It gets everywhere and...I have played with EGaIn and I do not relish the thought of doing again. Its basically non-toxic mercury, which might sound like fun but is, believe me, no fun to clean up. It gets everywhere and doesn't really come out again. I prepared a lab to work with it and I bought rolls of Tyvek and stapled it to the floor and walls up to shoulder height because I didn't want to permanently stain the place.
I might recommend Circuit scribe from electron inks instead.
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Comment on How has climate change affected your life / plans? in ~enviro
carsonc LinkWe decided to get solar panels a few years ago. We were replacing a slate roof with interlocking metal shingle and decided to get the solar panels installed at the same time. The new roof is...We decided to get solar panels a few years ago. We were replacing a slate roof with interlocking metal shingle and decided to get the solar panels installed at the same time. The new roof is cooler (I think) and the solar panels definitely insulate us against some of the variability in electricity pricing. I wish I could hook up LiFePo batteries for backup, but there's no way to do that without switching out the inverter, and that would need to be signed off on for interconnection to the rest of the grid, so no backup for now.
We were thinking about installing a 5-head mini-split heat pump for the house, but the cost was astronomical. I can run window units. We'll live.
We got a Volt a few years back and the power company offers time-of-use pricing if you have a plug in vehicle. It's nice with the solar panels, since our costs are low when we are charging the volt at night and, during the day, the solar panels are selling power back to the grid, so we buy very little electricity at peak rates. The car makes us a net consumer, but it also insulates us (partially) against volatility in the price of gasoline, which is mostly peace of mind right now, as, even at $4.00 per gallon, gas prices are far lower than they could be.
These things are all expensive and I wish the world was such that they seemed more like survivalist paranoia than well reasoned hedges against an increasingly insufficient infrastructure for a world in disequilibrium, but here we are.
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Comment on Tildos, let's be unserious for a while; show us your dankest memes and god-tier shitposts! in ~talk
carsonc Link ParentOh, she eventually learned the usual pronunciation and now says it that way, much to her parents chagrin.Oh, she eventually learned the
correctusual pronunciation and now says it that way, much to her parents chagrin. -
Comment on Tildos, let's be unserious for a while; show us your dankest memes and god-tier shitposts! in ~talk
carsonc LinkI have no memes (meh-MAYS, as my kid started out pronouncing it) to share, but seeing them from fellow tilderinienses is great.I have no memes (meh-MAYS, as my kid started out pronouncing it) to share, but seeing them from fellow tilderinienses is great.
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Comment on How diamonds are made (interactive infographic) in ~science
carsonc Link ParentI will say: we have subjected our machine, the twin of the one from Walmart, to considerable abuse and it continues to function without complaint or defect. We use it for routine sample polishing...I will say: we have subjected our machine, the twin of the one from Walmart, to considerable abuse and it continues to function without complaint or defect. We use it for routine sample polishing — mostly round flats of stainless steel technical ceramics and the like — literally hundreds of samples over the course of three years, with long stretches sitting idle, no cleaning to speak of, and occasional misuse and never has it needed repair to speak of.
The only two things I don't like are that (1) it doesn't have a speed control, which would be nice with some kinds of lapping materials and (2) it has a smallish lapping surface, so it's easy to goof up surfaces on large pieces when you are handling said pieces with your hand.
But if you want nice things, you gotta pay and our lab is less Black Mesa and more Aperture Science, so we make due with the cheap stuff.
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Comment on How diamonds are made (interactive infographic) in ~science
carsonc Link ParentIt looks like I was wrong. The price is ~$280 and it's here at Walmart but you can also find it at Amazon or eBay. However, I use one and it works. I cut a piece of rose quartz into a gem and got...It looks like I was wrong. The price is ~$280 and it's here at Walmart but you can also find it at Amazon or eBay.
However, I use one and it works. I cut a piece of rose quartz into a gem and got it set in a pendant setting that I designed and had made in sterling silver on CraftCloud. I've also used that thing to polish countless other samples for work. The thing is a tank.
You might enjoy this article from Quanta Magazine.
I'll just excerpt this quote with which I wholeheartedly agree:
Not that I stake the notion of being compassionate to animals on the question of their consciousness. I think we should be kind to animals, not because they have conciousness, but because I believe that we do and a consciousness that has no place for kindness and compassion is worse than none at all.