entitled-entilde's recent activity
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Comment on Can we bury enough wood to slow climate change? in ~enviro
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
entitled-entilde LinkWe should move all the American holidays by one month. Halloween is coming up in just a couple weeks. I'm still wearing a t-shirt outside. Every Christmas I think "wow I sure hope it snows",...We should move all the American holidays by one month. Halloween is coming up in just a couple weeks. I'm still wearing a t-shirt outside. Every Christmas I think "wow I sure hope it snows", because it snows in January not December. I should be able to wear white all September. Conversely, I'd much rather be outside grilling on the fourth June. Global warming demands a response.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
entitled-entilde Link ParentLet me defend the concept - this can be my subway take. Imagine a young, wealthy aristocrat from an empire. He just doesn't fit in, and wants to break out of the old ways. For his summer holiday,...Let me defend the concept - this can be my subway take.
Imagine a young, wealthy aristocrat from an empire. He just doesn't fit in, and wants to break out of the old ways. For his summer holiday, he visits one of the colonies. It's been years since the brutal war, so things have settled down. He visits one village, and participates in a beautiful religious ceremony. This is exactly what he needed, and he heads home feeling new and fresh. At home, he tells all his friends about the experience. At parties he brings up "well you know, when I was in the colonies...". He uses the experience for analogies in his writings. One day he recalls a flute that was used in the ceremony. He builds a factory to sell them, with an instruction manual on how to play both local and exotic tunes. Half the profits go to build wells.
Imagine an upper middle class white American. On the internet he reads about the black lives matter protest. He goes out to join several events, and is enthralled by the energy. He tells all his friends about it. At parties he brings up "well you know, African Americans are struggling with..." He decides to start a website selling black lives matter goods, using some cleaned up exotic designs he saw at the protests. Half the profits go to the cause.
For me, cultural appropriation contains these key elements: 1) Local cache from viewing other cultural as primitively enlightened. 2) Power imbalance. 3) Capitalism. It's a criticism of liberals by liberals, which is why the online discourse (left vs right) is missing the point. Actually, I'm surprised conservatives don't love the concept as a way to critique (1). In general, I like it as a criticism of the first three as ideas, and not of an individual person.
Now for a more controversial example. An American anime fan buys a Kimono and uploads photos of themselves wearing it to Instagram. That's good, I like that they're enjoying expanding their world view. Almost no Japanese person you ask would have any problem with it. And yet, the use of Instagram shows they're clearly in it to signal to their community how exotic their tastes are. America bombed Japan to the ground, and to this day maintains military bases all over the country to keep them in line (I mean, "for protection"). And that Kimono was probably maybe in a sweat shop in South East Asia. These are good uncomfortable critiques.
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Comment on Bluesky melts down over Jesse Singal in ~tech
entitled-entilde Link ParentAs large of an audience as possible to express how outraged you are about something. This is why the linked story is more of a feature of BlueSky than a bug. As with twitter, the fun thing about...As large of an audience as possible to express how outraged you are about something. This is why the linked story is more of a feature of BlueSky than a bug. As with twitter, the fun thing about the platform has always been tapping into the collective action of a huge number of people. Contrary to other posters, I think curating is actual missing the real essence. In the Wild West, suddenly you get to ride a huge wave. But the reality is that outage and witch hunts are the main generators of interest (or at least the algorithm has decided that prioritize it), so that’s what we are left with.
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Comment on Charlie Kirk shooting: US President Donald Trump says suspect in custody in ~society
entitled-entilde LinkWhen he didn’t get caught at first I actually started to imagine he was some kind of revolutionary mastermind, and that we might expect him to coordinate future acts of terrible violence. But…...When he didn’t get caught at first I actually started to imagine he was some kind of revolutionary mastermind, and that we might expect him to coordinate future acts of terrible violence.
But… yeah… just a man child with a weapon.
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Comment on iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air announced in ~tech
entitled-entilde Link ParentMy SE3 is likewise has “they can take it from my cold dead hands” status. I definitely need to get an aftermarket battery replacement though, my capacity is down to 75%My SE3 is likewise has “they can take it from my cold dead hands” status. I definitely need to get an aftermarket battery replacement though, my capacity is down to 75%
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Comment on I wanna raise crickets for the sound in ~life.pets
entitled-entilde Link ParentI’m curious what is the minimum number you would need to get your vibes right. If you just release a bunch, they’ll probably get eaten, fail to find food, succumb to the winter weather, etc....I’m curious what is the minimum number you would need to get your vibes right. If you just release a bunch, they’ll probably get eaten, fail to find food, succumb to the winter weather, etc. There’s a reason they aren’t already there. But in a cage, with you providing the food, protection from the elements, etc, could you get away with just a few?
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Comment on McDonald’s is cutting prices of its combo meals to convince customers it’s affordable again in ~food
entitled-entilde Link ParentThe way it’s supposed to work that the drink basically costs them nothing, so it’s highly marked up when sold separately. Put it in a combo for no extra charge and now it looks like a good deal. I...The way it’s supposed to work that the drink basically costs them nothing, so it’s highly marked up when sold separately. Put it in a combo for no extra charge and now it looks like a good deal.
Value-minded consumers are “too often” seeing combination meals that cost more than $10 and that is “shaping value perceptions in a negative way,” Kempczinski admitted earlier this month.
I think this is the real meat of the article. Don’t actually cut prices, just get rid of your expensive offerings to shape perception
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Comment on Question - how would you best explain how an LLM functions to someone who has never taken a statistics class? in ~tech
entitled-entilde Link ParentI think that "it's just fancy autocomplete" is an explanation typically meant to dismiss the possibility that an LLM is actually intelligent. But this is disingenuous if the moment someone asks...I think that "it's just fancy autocomplete" is an explanation typically meant to dismiss the possibility that an LLM is actually intelligent. But this is disingenuous if the moment someone asks "and how does it predict the next word", your response has to be: "we construct a digital model based on the same mathematical structure of a real brain and... and hence it is able to produce novel responses". The main thing people should emphasize with the autocomplete analogy is that the LLM is stateless. In that sense, explaining things like prompts, RAG, tool calls, mixture of experts, etc actually becomes essential.
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Comment on What are some great actual comedies made in the last twenty years? in ~movies
entitled-entilde Link ParentI want to second this recommendation, I love this film, and basically everything Satoshi Miki makes.Instant Swamp (Japan 2009)
I want to second this recommendation, I love this film, and basically everything Satoshi Miki makes.
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Comment on Over twenty-one days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced he was a superhero in ~tech
entitled-entilde Link ParentThe problem with critical thinking is that it can lead to decision paralysis. Thus, some people think we are evolutionary programmed not to carefully reason, but to instead reach group consensus...The problem with critical thinking is that it can lead to decision paralysis. Thus, some people think we are evolutionary programmed not to carefully reason, but to instead reach group consensus quickly. Our default response is to believe. Even if the group is wrong sometimes, the unified action wins out.
So I think trying to explain it into smart people and dumb people isn't the way to go. As an example, so called critical thinkers get scammed all the time. Scammers rely on that consensus oriented behavior, - you could doubt what they are saying, but you can't help but prefer to be agreeable and go along. The best defense against a scam is not to reason your way out of it, but just to be familiar with the game. LLMs are in a sense the ultimate fraudsters.
Not that I don't think education is good, but instead of focusing on abstract skills I'd take a more brute force approach. We should socially condition people to not believe them. As a practical example, a lot of times you see online comments saying "I asked ChatGPT about this and it said...". Those people should be mocked by their peers. I guess that is kind of what the NYT is doing here.
I'm actually a huge optimist about AI and love playing with these models. If we get people to be skeptical about the output, they will become even more useful as people stop blindly asking for answers and start focusing on building robust tools.
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Comment on Over twenty-one days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced he was a superhero in ~tech
entitled-entilde Link ParentI think I'm the bad guy in this story because just the other day I installed a new setup for a local model, tested it out by asking "how are you to day", it responded something like "I am a model,...I think I'm the bad guy in this story because just the other day I installed a new setup for a local model, tested it out by asking "how are you to day", it responded something like "I am a model, so I don't have any feelings. But I appear to be operational", and remember thinking to myself "a
finewould have sufficed". -
Comment on GPT 5 released in ~comp
entitled-entilde LinkPlaying a bit with it, the setup they provide in chat mode seems much more dynamic. Before you’d hit it with a question and after reasoning you get a response. Now I think it knows to a certain...Playing a bit with it, the setup they provide in chat mode seems much more dynamic. Before you’d hit it with a question and after reasoning you get a response. Now I think it knows to a certain extent how hard the problem will be. So it might respond right away. Or it might start searching on the internet. That’s the biggest change I see so far. Overall I’m happy with the improvement
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Comment on Benin grants citizenship to descendants of enslaved people. US singer Ciara is among the first. in ~society
entitled-entilde Link ParentI wonder how strict they actually are though. This is primarily a soft power move: get more (well off) people invested in the future of your country. Every person who is added is a benefit, so it...I wonder how strict they actually are though. This is primarily a soft power move: get more (well off) people invested in the future of your country. Every person who is added is a benefit, so it would be counterproductive to scrutinize people's ancestry.
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Comment on 8.8 magnitude earthquake near Russia prompts tsunami alerts in Hawaii, Alaska and West Coast in ~enviro
entitled-entilde Link ParentI've started seeing commercials playing again on non NHK coverage, so it's starting to feel like this will pass without any major damage. Still, they are saying to stay on guard (and at higher...I've started seeing commercials playing again on non NHK coverage, so it's starting to feel like this will pass without any major damage. Still, they are saying to stay on guard (and at higher ground) for 12-24 hours.
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Comment on 8.8 magnitude earthquake near Russia prompts tsunami alerts in Hawaii, Alaska and West Coast in ~enviro
entitled-entilde Link ParentHope you’re in a safe place. It’s be crazy hot this week so I worry about people evacuating, and places losing power. I remember in the Noto earthquake you’d see cars driving by while the tv was...Hope you’re in a safe place. It’s be crazy hot this week so I worry about people evacuating, and places losing power.
I remember in the Noto earthquake you’d see cars driving by while the tv was showing coastal footage and telling people to evacuate. This time the footage seems quite empty, so I guess people are getting out with plenty of warning.
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Comment on US will begin charging some tourists a $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ in ~travel
entitled-entilde Link ParentI can’t access OP’s link and searching US news is a pain overseas, so forgive my asking: is the fee a new one on top of what exists or are they just rounding everything up to 250? As you said,...I can’t access OP’s link and searching US news is a pain overseas, so forgive my asking: is the fee a new one on top of what exists or are they just rounding everything up to 250? As you said, there are already som high costs. I remember getting hit with a sizable reciprocal fee when I went to china.
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Comment on Why is the right so fascinated with fantasy literature? in ~books
entitled-entilde Link ParentQuick someone write the article “why is the left so fascinated with fantasy literature?” Especially reading the article talk so much about Lord of the Rings - guess what, everyone likes it because...I also think it's funny to try to link fantasy and the right given how much queer and feminist literature is SF or fantasy.
Quick someone write the article “why is the left so fascinated with fantasy literature?” Especially reading the article talk so much about Lord of the Rings - guess what, everyone likes it because it’s good stuff.
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Comment on Why America built a forest from Canada to Texas in ~enviro
entitled-entilde LinkInteresting video. I think the way I was taught it in school was that the main countermeasure was better farming practices, as opposed to a large government works project. The fact that we don’t...Interesting video. I think the way I was taught it in school was that the main countermeasure was better farming practices, as opposed to a large government works project. The fact that we don’t have this scale of dust storms despite poor maintenance of the shelterbelts probably shows how other changes were equally important.
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Comment on The America Party in ~society
entitled-entilde Link ParentIt’s going to be so good to read some history articles ten years later on the history of em dashes in an LLM world. On one hand they are a marker of AI assisted writing — on the other, when you...It’s going to be so good to read some history articles ten years later on the history of em dashes in an LLM world. On one hand they are a marker of AI assisted writing — on the other, when you start reading text with them everywhere it’s tempting to take them for a spin.
Ban cremation and insist on burying bodies.