carsonc's recent activity
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Comment on Fintech founder charged with fraud after ‘AI’ shopping app found to be powered by humans in the Philippines in ~tech
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - How is it going with Elder Race? in ~books
carsonc LinkI really enjoyed it! Tchaikovsky always seems to put a touch of horror in his books, but not more than that (from what I've read). I get the feeling that all these stories could take place in the...I really enjoyed it! Tchaikovsky always seems to put a touch of horror in his books, but not more than that (from what I've read). I get the feeling that all these stories could take place in the same universe; humanity went out into the stars and then collapsed.
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Comment on Which challenging book was worth the effort for you? in ~books
carsonc LinkBlindness, by Jose Saramago. I think part of the difficulty was the syntax and grammar. Perhaps this is common in Portuguese grammar, but the dialogue wasn't offset by line breaks, as in most...Blindness, by Jose Saramago. I think part of the difficulty was the syntax and grammar. Perhaps this is common in Portuguese grammar, but the dialogue wasn't offset by line breaks, as in most English writing. Rather, the dialogue occured in long, unbroken paragraphs with few indicators about which person was talking. In some ways, this accentuated the sense of disorientation that was a key feature of the book, but it was also, of course, disorienting and, coupled with the catastrophic events of the book, making it difficult to finish.
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Comment on Tron: Ares | Official trailer in ~movies
carsonc Link ParentIt's hard to improve on the perfection that is the 1992 Tron Light Cycles game released for the PC. Personally, I would watch just to see the composition of... light... cycle... matter...It's hard to improve on the perfection that is the 1992 Tron Light Cycles game released for the PC.
Personally, I would watch just to see the composition of... light... cycle... matter ("binarium"? "calculum"?). It appears to be unaffected by gravity, yet possess extremely high inertia. If it were massless, it would be unaffected by gravity, but would also have no inertia. It were highly massive, it would also possess great inertia, but it would be also affected by gravity. Perhaps it is both highly massive and possessing an elastic modulus far in excess of any known material. But then how does it stay suspended in flight? Furthermore, how does anything fly with any store of such a material. Maybe it is both infinitely stiff and also massless, but then it poses no threat or harm. If the mass is low, then so is the inertia, and it is more of a gossamer nuisance.
Although ruled out by the physics of the Higgs field, a composite material that had equal masses of ordinary, positive mass matter and (impossible) exotic, gravitationally negative mass matter would have no weight, but would (might?) possess high inertia and low weight. Because such matter is infinitely more exotic than ultra-hard materials, we could throw that in with the lot in addition.
But, somehow, I suspect my wishes will not be granted. A 90 minute discussion on physics would not a summer blockbuster make.
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Comment on Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought in ~space
carsonc LinkThat was a terrifying read, but it looks like progress to me. The article reminded me of Chris Jones' Too Far From Home, about the astronauts stranded on the ISS after the disintegration of the...That was a terrifying read, but it looks like progress to me. The article reminded me of Chris Jones' Too Far From Home, about the astronauts stranded on the ISS after the disintegration of the Columbia shuttle during reentry.
The thing about that story is that the astronauts aboard the Columbia died during that accident. As bad as this was, the failures of the Starliner were not lethal to the astronauts. It is stunning that the Starliner flew with such a well known flaw, but it is difficult to imagine future flights of any kind featuring such an obvious shortcoming.
Still, though, how something like that flies with a known flaw...
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Comment on You get to choose your favorite director's next project. What is it, and why? in ~movies
carsonc Link ParentHow do you think Niven would fare in the modern cinema? I remember reading some of the Man Kzin Wars as a kid and enjoying them, but I tried to make my way through Protector a year or two ago and...How do you think Niven would fare in the modern cinema? I remember reading some of the Man Kzin Wars as a kid and enjoying them, but I tried to make my way through Protector a year or two ago and couldn't do it. The cultural norms of Niven's books might be difficult to reconcile with those of with today.
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Comment on You get to choose your favorite director's next project. What is it, and why? in ~movies
carsonc Link ParentThanks @Shevanel! I wanted to mention that I did seriously consider Villeneuve and admire his work and I think he would be an obvious choice, but I wanted to consider some less conventional...Thanks @Shevanel! I wanted to mention that I did seriously consider Villeneuve and admire his work and I think he would be an obvious choice, but I wanted to consider some less conventional choices as a thought experiment.
The only thing with Villeneuve as a director of a Hyperion adaptation is that I think he does serious super well, but I found Simmons to have a taste for the "ick" factor, a kind of over-the-top, gratuitous violence that would have been more at home in Jodorowsky's Dune than Villeneuve's.
However, that isn't the whole of the Hyperion Cantos and Villenueve would capture other areas (Kassad's story, for example) would be on point.
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Comment on What's an atypical thing you do that you'd recommend to others? in ~talk
carsonc Link ParentEggs, scrambled for the kids. I found out you can buy bacon ends from a butcher for $0.99/lb. These I keep in the freezer and I take a single ~1" cube and slice it into a thin pieces and cook them...Eggs, scrambled for the kids. I found out you can buy bacon ends from a butcher for $0.99/lb. These I keep in the freezer and I take a single ~1" cube and slice it into a thin pieces and cook them to get some oil in the pan. One of the kids likes a breakfast "burrito", which just means scrambled eggs with ham (now bacon ends) in a tortilla, so I cook said tortilla in the bacon fat until it turns crispy. I set it aside with the bacon ends on top. The tortilla will soak up a good portion of the oil, so I will need a bit of butter for the eggs. The eggs cook quickly, especially as my kids are picky about scorched eggs. This goes into the tortilla and the bacon ends.
The other kid just likes scrambled eggs with shredded cheese mixed in, so that goes out quickly, too, with a bowl of cereal on the side. My wife likes her eggs over medium, but with the yolks broken, but I need to clean the pan because she prefers eggs cooked in butter. This goes out with toast and an avocado or orange, as available, along with coffee (cream and sugar) and orange juice (also as available).
At this point, I'll probably fix my own breakfast "burrito" and finish it off before everyone else gets down to eat breakfast. This is my favorite part, where everyone gets to enjoy this made-to-order breakfast before heading out.
They all depart at 7:35, at which point, I have 40 minutes to clean everything up and get ready and leave, myself.
But yes, I have to agree: a full breakfast is truly wonderful.
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Comment on Starsector 0.98a released in ~games
carsonc Link ParentAre those also spiritual successors of Star Control? Because this looks like the spiritual successor of Star Control.Are those also spiritual successors of Star Control? Because this looks like the spiritual successor of Star Control.
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Comment on Religious switching into and out of Islam in ~humanities
carsonc Link ParentA friend of mine once said that many Christians practice "Paulianity" and it kind if stuck with me. This is not a slight on Paul the Apostle nor a slur against Christians, but a recognition that...A friend of mine once said that many Christians practice "Paulianity" and it kind if stuck with me. This is not a slight on Paul the Apostle nor a slur against Christians, but a recognition that the Teachings of the Gospels, alone, were never going to be sufficient to establish the Church (in the pluralistic sense) as we know it today. Paul, and others, played crucial roles in the interpretation of the Gospels and the resulting establishment of "Christianty". Without them, there would be no Church and it is doubtful that the Gospels, and their wisdom, would be little more than archeological curiosities, if that.
That so much of modern Christiandom is rooted in Paul is easy find fault with, and perhaps that speaks to the modern exodus. But the people of that time benefitted enormously from Christianity, and it would have been impossible without the epistles.
Still though, there are topics that come up with my (dearly beloved) Christian friends that leave me saying, "That's just Paulianity."
Edit: letter.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books
carsonc Link ParentGreat question. My thoughts turned first to The Fifth Element, so I guess Luc Besson would have to be involved. In thinking about it, there seemed to be some common strains with The Fifth Element:...- Exemplary
Great question. My thoughts turned first to The Fifth Element, so I guess Luc Besson would have to be involved. In thinking about it, there seemed to be some common strains with The Fifth Element: Korben as the soldier, Vito as the priest, Leeloo as the soldiers daughter, even Ruby Rhod as the poet.
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are so closely linked that they would need to be made by the same director, but I think some unconventional choices would be called for.
Martin Silenus: Eli Roth. I'm not a fan of horror, but it is an inescapable part of Martin's journey, particularly the body horror satyr and murder parts.
Lennar Hoyt: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Might seem a little wacky for the story, but this whole part is crazy and the Jeunet penchant for over-the-top cinema would work well here. Also, the man already directed Alien Resurrection, which sounds a lot like Bikura to me.
Sol Weintraub: Werner Herzog. I really can't imagine Sol's story as a movie without also hearing Herzog's German-accented narration describing the events of his life. Maybe because there is something sad long the lines of Little Dieter Needs to Fly in Sol's story.
Fedmahn Kassad: Kathryn Bigelow. Many, many directors could make this one. Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Herzog (again, Rescue Dawn), Besson (again, La Femme Nikita) and others come to mind, but Bigelow's touch on Zero Dark Thirty, Hurt Locker, and K-19: The Widowmaker seal the deal on Kassad's story.
Brawne Lamia: David Lynch (RIP 😔). Brawne's story needs a whole lot of film noir, but I think Lynch would have done it the greatest service. He could have combined elements from Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive with the knack for Scifi that shows up in Dune.
The consul: Park Chan-wook. The tragic failed revenge arc in the consul's story would be great in Park's hands, as Oldboy comes to mind.
Het Masteen: Terrence Malick. I think Malick would be perfect to convey the time-bending nature of Masteen's narrative, with prophesies and visions blending in with "present" and "past" events, as well as portraying the events of the Mobius Cube and the "celebrants". Possibly Christopher Nolan, though too, but I think something that resembles the Tree of Life (i.e. Yggdrasill) is more apt.
There it is. I hit all seven of them.
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Comment on Is dark energy getting weaker? Fresh data bolster shock finding. in ~science
carsonc Link ParentI got burned by pathological science during my postdoc, resulting in my ensuing departure from academia (for which I am now grateful). Statistical significance is what separates fact from fantasy.I got burned by pathological science during my postdoc, resulting in my ensuing departure from academia (for which I am now grateful). Statistical significance is what separates fact from fantasy.
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Comment on Is dark energy getting weaker? Fresh data bolster shock finding. in ~science
carsonc Link ParentThanks for posting this. I intend to read the article but I wanted to ask how this would relate to evidence for a MOND-like universe, as discussed by McGaugh et al. . I was very taken with the...Thanks for posting this. I intend to read the article but I wanted to ask how this would relate to evidence for a MOND-like universe, as discussed by McGaugh et al. . I was very taken with the arguments in the paper and wonder if the data in the Nature paper points in the same direction.
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Comment on Looking for an electronic components store in ~hobbies
carsonc LinkAn INKBIRD with a 12 V ac adapter might be a solution to your problem. And you can get them at Amazon or Ebay or wherever. I run my fridge through an inkbird to "eliminate" (ok, "dramatically...An INKBIRD with a 12 V ac adapter might be a solution to your problem. And you can get them at Amazon or Ebay or wherever. I run my fridge through an inkbird to "eliminate" (ok, "dramatically reduce") freezing at the back at the fridge.
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Comment on Pocket Casts’ web player is now available to all in ~tech
carsonc LinkI just wanted to say thanks for putting this on here. I've been looking for a good podcast app since moving away from Spotify. Thanks!I just wanted to say thanks for putting this on here. I've been looking for a good podcast app since moving away from Spotify. Thanks!
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Comment on What are the best truly unbeatable E2EE, presumably P2P messaging apps? in ~tech
carsonc Link ParentI'm not one either, so I'm glad to learn about what some of the disadvantages of OTP encryption. Thanks!I'm not one either, so I'm glad to learn about what some of the disadvantages of OTP encryption. Thanks!
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Comment on What are the best truly unbeatable E2EE, presumably P2P messaging apps? in ~tech
carsonc Link ParentThe fabled "two-time pad". I wouldn't be surprised if I did get things wrong. I think Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson was my first exposure to the one-time pad, but that was in the WWII, physical...The fabled "two-time pad". I wouldn't be surprised if I did get things wrong. I think Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson was my first exposure to the one-time pad, but that was in the WWII, physical pieces of paper embodiment (if it also discussed a modern implementation, then I missed that). My first exposure to a modern implementation was in Vernor Vinge's A Fire upon the Deep, which involved physically transporting large amounts of random binary data, which, in a way, also made me aware that asymmetric encryption was vulnerable to attack in a way that symmetric key encryption wasn't.
Given that my knowledge of the one-time pad is derived primarily from casual reading science fiction, then I should not be surprised if there were gaps in my understanding. I think a symmetric key text messaging protocol and app would be super interesting to see and use, but, unfortunately probably doesn't exist and probably never will.
If anyone is interested in making something like this, I would really enjoy the opportunity to bring my decade of on-again-off-again Python programming experience to help.
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Comment on What are the best truly unbeatable E2EE, presumably P2P messaging apps? in ~tech
carsonc Link ParentIndeed! Can you specify where I am mistaken about the one-time-pad? What you wrote reflects my current understanding and the intent of my post. I even found a nice thesis from a few years back,...Indeed! Can you specify where I am mistaken about the one-time-pad? What you wrote reflects my current understanding and the intent of my post. I even found a nice thesis from a few years back, Open source OTP voice encryption in microcontroller.
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Comment on What are the best truly unbeatable E2EE, presumably P2P messaging apps? in ~tech
carsonc LinkI should add that I have heard that the only truly secure encryption method is the one-time pad: one of the correspondents generates, say a terabyte of randomized bits and saves identical copies...I should add that I have heard that the only truly secure encryption method is the one-time pad: one of the correspondents generates, say a terabyte of randomized bits and saves identical copies on two pieces of physical media that they own and directly control, such as a physical computer that they own in their home ir business and a freshly formatted microSD card. The microSD card is physically delivered to the other correspondent via some secure method. The two correspondents can now exchange perfectly secure messages that cannot be broken, even by a hypothetical future quantum computer.
This is better for text than it is for voice, images, or video, but at 1 TB, you can exchange a lot of compressed video before having to ship another microSD card of randomized bits.
Another implementation I have seen is one's own email server. Although many have pointed out the difficulty of running an email server locally, this is primarily the case for trying to send email to your friend's gmail account. If, however, both parties have email addresses on the same server that one of them owns and controls, then they can exchange messages securely with security as strong as the server's. This could include strong passwords, MFA, IP address whitelisting, fail2ban, and I suppose other methods that I am not aware of. I have seen this done with my own eyes with large companies to handle sensitive information securely: they will only exchange messages with you on their own server with an email address that they assign to you for the duration of that specific conversation. Aside from side-channel attacks, or something like heartbleed, I cannot think of an obvious vulnerability of this method.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Hyperion - An invitation to crowd source cultural references and allusions in ~books
carsonc Link ParentFor me, it definitely influences how I visualize different AI models which, I know, both anthropomorphizes and romanticizes them in ways that are unhelpful, but I can't help it. Simmons'...For me, it definitely influences how I visualize different AI models which, I know, both anthropomorphizes and romanticizes them in ways that are unhelpful, but I can't help it. Simmons' depictions of these things were so vivid and compelling, how could I not?
I happen to think that, for better or for worse, we are stuck with our 3+1 dimensional spacetime and that there is no hyperspace for a fugitive computer to run off to (a la Asimov), so I think those are just additional aspects of the book that are fantasy, but what a captivating conceit concocted for a cabal of conscious computer co-conspiritors co-located in a constructed ompanion cosmos congruent to our own!
As I read this, it would seem that A²I is preferable. I wonder if people cost less than machines for this work. If so, then people would be preferable from a business perspective. I am doubtless not fully informed, but this doesn't seem like the kind of dangerous work or drudgery for which machines would obviously be preferred.
It just seems that we should not view paying machines more as inherently preferable to paying people less for the same task.