carsonc's recent activity
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Comment on Inside Google’s $200bn Wall Street finance machine for Anthropic in ~finance
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Comment on 1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux project in ~tech
carsonc LinkI just want to mention how much I have enjoyed using Enpass over the years. The prospect of keeping my online backup in the location that I feel secure and the knowledge that it is not sitting in...I just want to mention how much I have enjoyed using Enpass over the years. The prospect of keeping my online backup in the location that I feel secure and the knowledge that it is not sitting in a single repository alongside countless other vaults have been reassuring to me. If anyone is looking for a new password handler, you might want to check it out.
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Comment on Songs about doing chores / daily routines? in ~music
carsonc LinkThe greatest clean up song, in my book: "Clean up as a team" by the one and only Mister B.The greatest clean up song, in my book: "Clean up as a team" by the one and only Mister B.
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Comment on Chimpanzees have been hurling rocks at the same trees for more than a decade in ~science
carsonc LinkThat was beautiful. Evocative. I felt like I was there, right on the precipice of discovering, "Why do these chimpanzees hurl rocks at this tree?" In fact, having read the article, I still feel...That was beautiful. Evocative. I felt like I was there, right on the precipice of discovering, "Why do these chimpanzees hurl rocks at this tree?" In fact, having read the article, I still feel that I am on the same precipice, waiting with bated breath, the revelation of the explanation of this behavior, anticipating that this mystery will soon be unraveled.
Alas, it seems that the inscrutable will of these stone-throwing primates will remain beyond our ken, their motivations shrouded, their purpose hidden.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
carsonc LinkEvery week I see this topic pop up and invariably turn away because I don't have anything not work related to share, however I realized that I do have something this week. So, I'm a Bahá'í and one...Every week I see this topic pop up and invariably turn away because I don't have anything not work related to share, however I realized that I do have something this week.
So, I'm a Bahá'í and one of the practices enjoined on a Bahá'í is the reading of something from the Bahá'í Writings in the morning and evening. You would think this would be easy enough for anyone, but I think plenty of people here could identify with the challenge of doing something small every day, even if you know it's a good thing. Anyway, I have a tough time with the willpower-memory-consistency product needed for this task, so I made my first app.
Or rather, Opencode and Minimax did. I grabbed Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh from the bahai.org website, had the Python code for parsing the passages written, and a few dollars in inference later, I had the App. It auto-advances every morning and evening to the next of 166 passages in Gleanings. It has no hooks, external dependencies, or web calls. The hardest part was actually stylizing the drop cap initial letter of the passage, a typographical feature common in the English translations of Bahá'í books.
I have been using it and, though it has not yet made me perfectly observant in this regard, it has helped me be moreso, which I am happy to accept as improvement.
It's kind of wild how low the bar for these things is now. If you want an app that can do a thing, and can type words into a box describing that thing, then you can probably get the app that does the thing that you want.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
carsonc Link ParentOr, if you've ever wanted to use someone else's software. I don't know how to do finite difference time domain electromagnetics simulation. I can barely get to the end of the phrase, so I can just...Or, if you've ever wanted to use someone else's software. I don't know how to do finite difference time domain electromagnetics simulation. I can barely get to the end of the phrase, so I can just say FTDT. Thankfully, there's Meep, an open source package that does know how to do that. Just one problem: I don't know how to use Meep either. Ok, but Minimax does, or at least can figure it out. $3 later, I have an FTDT simulation. Wild.
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Comment on Amazon kept shutting down my tablet, so I spent $266 on four AI models to own it in ~tech
carsonc LinkThanks for posting this. Things like the OpenAI hack of HuggingFace are remarkable, but I won't be doing that soon. I won't be doing anything like that soon. But figuring out how to root my own...Thanks for posting this. Things like the OpenAI hack of HuggingFace are remarkable, but I won't be doing that soon. I won't be doing anything like that soon. But figuring out how to root my own devices? Yeah, I think that is something I could see myself doing, even something that I've done in the past. So if the pathway to root includes Opencode and an API key, then I might very happily sic the latest model on it.
I like knowing what the models costs and time involved were. Thanks!
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Comment on Sleep struggles: how do I get better sleep quality? in ~life
carsonc LinkAlong the same lines as @tomf, you can pray. During times of tests and difficulties, people have turned to prayer and meditation as a source of solace for pretty much the entirety of human...Along the same lines as @tomf, you can pray. During times of tests and difficulties, people have turned to prayer and meditation as a source of solace for pretty much the entirety of human history, especially in those dark hours before morning breaks.
Pray for understanding, for strength, for patience, for guidance. Your own troubles are unlikely to resolve themselves without some form of growth and development, as they are needed for our maturation as people, but the sooner we find what qualities we need to acquire to overcome the challenges in front of us, the sooner their power to make us anxious and fearful decreases.
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Comment on The Holotypic Occlupanid Research Group in ~science
carsonc LinkLinking to the previous discussion for those who are interested here.Linking to the previous discussion for those who are interested here.
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Comment on The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain in ~science
carsonc Link ParentYou 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...You might enjoy this article from Quanta Magazine.
I'll just excerpt this quote with which I wholeheartedly agree:
We have much more in common with other animals than we do with things like ChatGPT.
Anil Seth, University of SussexNot 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.
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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.
This article actually makes it seem much better than I would have thought:
For Google and the hyperscalers, this is amazing. The entire economy is stretching to provide them with as much compute as humanly possible and, if any particular customer can't pay rent, Google can step in and start providing compute from that facility, especially with the banks or crypto miners apparently still carrying the debt from the data center construction.
The compute capability is a real, salable (continually resealable) asset that Google can readily monetize and it's being secured in exchange for debt held on bank balance sheets and not cold hard cash or liabilities on their own books. Who wouldn't accept that deal? I can buy into the narrative that all this is generally bad, but not because it will be bad for the companies involved, but because I think corporate profits are (mostly) gained at the expense of individual and family profits, ergo higher corporate profits are higher individual and family losses.
But if Google is getting data centers built that hold functional computers that are able to be powered by real electricity, then this isn't bad for the corporations involved at all. Certainly not the hyperscalers.