cutmetal's recent activity
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Comment on If it's crypto it's not money laundering in ~finance
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Comment on If it's crypto it's not money laundering in ~finance
cutmetal Link ParentIn the same vein, getting rid of the penny would also be a small win. A broken clock is right twice a day.In the same vein, getting rid of the penny would also be a small win. A broken clock is right twice a day.
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Comment on Which challenging book was worth the effort for you? in ~books
cutmetal Link ParentYou're exactly right, when reading a lot of dense fiction you sort of have to put mental placeholders when you hit things you don't understand, and as you go the gaps will start to fill in. My gf...You're exactly right, when reading a lot of dense fiction you sort of have to put mental placeholders when you hit things you don't understand, and as you go the gaps will start to fill in. My gf couldn't get through Dune because she isn't good at that, and it starts off throwing around all these terms that it doesn't explain.
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Comment on What's your favorite music album to get high to? in ~music
cutmetal LinkLoving you guys' taste! I'll second a bunch of stuff seen elsewhere in this thread: Floyd, Zeppelin, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Sleep, Kyuss, Dylan, Beck, The Mars Volta, Radiohead, Boards of...Loving you guys' taste! I'll second a bunch of stuff seen elsewhere in this thread: Floyd, Zeppelin, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Sleep, Kyuss, Dylan, Beck, The Mars Volta, Radiohead, Boards of Canada, Sabbath, King Crimson, Thievery Corp.
I can't get high anymore but my girlfriend is an every day smoker, asked her and she came up with some great ones:
- Buckethead - Colma
- Sublime - 40 Oz to Freedom
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium - It could be that this one is personal for me and her - it came out in summer 2006 and was the soundtrack for one of the best summers of our lives 😎
I'll add also that there was a span of several months in 2005-06 when Portishead - Dummy didn't leave my car's CD player, it was the soundtrack to every blunt ride.
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Comment on Which challenging book was worth the effort for you? in ~books
cutmetal Link ParentSeconding House of Leaves. When I read it, I kept scrap paper and a pen handy so everytime there was a branch point in the footnotes I could mark it. Then when the current narrative through-line...Seconding House of Leaves. When I read it, I kept scrap paper and a pen handy so everytime there was a branch point in the footnotes I could mark it. Then when the current narrative through-line ran out I'd go back up the stack and down from the alternate branch point.
This is also how I read Choose Your Own Adventure books in elementary school - I've always been thorough 😅
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Comment on Which challenging book was worth the effort for you? in ~books
cutmetal Link ParentThis is exactly how I felt about House of Leaves - the maze of footnotes you have to navigate will give you the same feeling of being lost that the characters feel as they get lost inside the...The form completely matches the content.
This is exactly how I felt about House of Leaves - the maze of footnotes you have to navigate will give you the same feeling of being lost that the characters feel as they get lost inside the house. It doesn't seem all that profound now, but 20 years ago when I read the book (in my late teens) this realization hit me like a freight train. I need to give it another read.
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Comment on Ai 2027 in ~tech
cutmetal Link ParentThe game faintly rings a bell, but I was talking about the idea that inspired that game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_convergence#Paperclip_maximizerThe game faintly rings a bell, but I was talking about the idea that inspired that game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_convergence#Paperclip_maximizer
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Comment on Ai 2027 in ~tech
cutmetal LinkI just got done reading the whole damn piece, lol. Thanks for the share skybrian, absolutely fascinating. Here's hoping the folks at OpenAI and elsewhere read it too, and think about it when they...I just got done reading the whole damn piece, lol. Thanks for the share skybrian, absolutely fascinating. Here's hoping the folks at OpenAI and elsewhere read it too, and think about it when they think about the alignment problem.
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Comment on Ai 2027 in ~tech
cutmetal Link ParentI think the idea is that neuralese isn't exactly a language, more a form of thought. In the same way that we don't know what's happening inside current LLMs, we may not be able to understand...I think the idea is that neuralese isn't exactly a language, more a form of thought. In the same way that we don't know what's happening inside current LLMs, we may not be able to understand neuralese. And even if it's theoretically possible, it may not be a priority for AI researchers to figure out while they're busy trying to be the first to crack superintelligence (to the detriment of humanity).
In the Scott Alexander supplemental piece linked above, he suggests that maybe we'd be able to use "too-dumb-to-plot" AIs to interpret neuralese for us.
The point, as I see it, is if AIs can hide their thoughts and communications from us, then we could develop supercapable misaligned AIs, and if we do that then they will eventually destroy us to satisfy their true goals. The piece is saying that the future hinges on proper alignment and verification of that alignment.
I really liked the way these misaligned AIs illustrated the concept of the paperclip maximizer - they really want to do research, to the point of destroying the people who wanted that research done in the first place. Like a human being, killing itself eating fatty, sugary foods due to completely different environmental conditions in evolutionary history.
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Comment on ‘The terror is real’: an appalled US tech industry is scared to criticize Elon Musk in ~tech
cutmetal Link ParentI don't really understand the complete analogy - private equity liquidation is turning non-liquid assets into cash, or getting rid of liabilities, for the purpose of turning a company's balance...I don't really understand the complete analogy - private equity liquidation is turning non-liquid assets into cash, or getting rid of liabilities, for the purpose of turning a company's balance sheet green (in the short term) so it can be sold at a profit. I get that DOGE is treating all these parts of the federal government as liabilities and cutting them loose, but what's the purpose here? Mindlessly following some libertarian-ish ideology?
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Comment on Beware tech career advice from old heads in ~comp
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Comment on What are some good stories told from non-human perspectives? in ~books
cutmetal Link ParentOh boy, TWFWIF isn't one you see mentioned every day, but it is excellent, good thinking!Oh boy, TWFWIF isn't one you see mentioned every day, but it is excellent, good thinking!
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Comment on shite: the little hot-reloadin' static site generator from shell (assumes Bash 4.4+) in ~comp
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? (trial giveaway: round #2) in ~tech
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Comment on Build it yourself in ~tech
cutmetal LinkThis used to be (somewhat sarcastically) referred to as a dichotomy between "not invented here" vs "proudly invented elsewhere," before the "proudly invented elsewhere" folks won. The modern...This used to be (somewhat sarcastically) referred to as a dichotomy between "not invented here" vs "proudly invented elsewhere," before the "proudly invented elsewhere" folks won. The modern open-source community and culture is pretty great, but I think the author is right that we need to recalibrate a little more towards the "not invented here" side of things. To me it's often a sign of a weaker or less experienced dev when someone is constantly looking for new libraries, rather than thinking about how to build functionality themselves.
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Comment on Patients with long Covid regain sense of smell and taste with pioneering surgery in ~health
cutmetal LinkMan that's wonderful news. Unfortunate that it's invasive sinus surgery, but any results here make it worthwhile. My sense of smell (and to a lesser extent taste) is severely compromised due to...Man that's wonderful news. Unfortunate that it's invasive sinus surgery, but any results here make it worthwhile.
My sense of smell (and to a lesser extent taste) is severely compromised due to nasal polyps and chronic rhinosinusitis, and has been for most of my adult life. I remember thinking as a kid about how the sense of smell is the least important one, and while that is true, it's impossible to overstate how much it sucks to not be able to smell. Smell connects you to the world in ways you probably don't even think about most of the time. So stop and smell the roses for me friends :)
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Comment on Why Techdirt is now a US democracy blog (whether we like it or not) in ~society
cutmetal Link ParentFantastic comment. Would you expand on your "American Balkanization" predictions? Your date ranges for the USA and Mexico splitting up are really specific.Fantastic comment. Would you expand on your "American Balkanization" predictions? Your date ranges for the USA and Mexico splitting up are really specific.
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Comment on Ghost – Satanized (2025) in ~music
cutmetal Link ParentHaha, oops! My knowledge of their discography is all blurred together. But you're right of course, I shouldn't write off the whole album yet.Haha, oops! My knowledge of their discography is all blurred together. But you're right of course, I shouldn't write off the whole album yet.
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Comment on Ghost – Satanized (2025) in ~music
cutmetal LinkIt's definitely Ghost lol, it's not bad and I even preordered the LP. But Ghost is past their peak - tell me that this new song is at the same level as their old bangers, it doesn't compare:...It's definitely Ghost lol, it's not bad and I even preordered the LP. But Ghost is past their peak - tell me that this new song is at the same level as their old bangers, it doesn't compare:
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Comment on Ghost – Satanized (2025) in ~music
cutmetal (edited )Link ParentIt's the same vocalist. If you saw some press release saying something like "Now headed by Papa Emeritus V!" or something, it's just a new live persona for the frontman, he changes personas with...It's the same vocalist. If you saw some press release saying something like "Now headed by Papa Emeritus V!" or something, it's just a new live persona for the frontman, he changes personas with each new album.
Edit: oops, apparently I replied to the wrong comment.
100%, dropping the penny is the right thing to do, but the executive isn't supposed to control the pursestrings.