infpossibilityspace's recent activity
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Comment on The dangers of vibe coding in ~tech
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Comment on UK takes control of British Steel under emergency powers in ~society
infpossibilityspace LinkI'm curious if this is just delaying the decline of hands-on engineering skill in the UK. We've historically been awful at incentivising people to take up skilled trades like metalwork - there are...I'm curious if this is just delaying the decline of hands-on engineering skill in the UK.
We've historically been awful at incentivising people to take up skilled trades like metalwork - there are very few trade schools and very little school time dedicated to working on machines. Keeping the plant open for now is great, but I don't think there will be enough people with those skills in 15-20 years when the current workforce start retiring.
Anecdotally, one of my parents is retiring from a highly skilled metalworking job they've had for over 20 years, and while the work itself isn't going away the company doesn't have anyone able to step in full-time. They're training someone now, but because the pay is so much lower than being a design engineer, all the previous trainees bailed to pursue that instead.
In both salary and skill training, we don't value these people until they're about to disappear and then we panic and do something like this.
Hopefully this panic kickstarts some reform in the education/apprenticeship side. -
Comment on I'm tired of dismissive anti-AI bias in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentThat's certainly a valid way to look at it, and it's hard to argue what the law says. However it's pretty clear that regulation has been behind the pace of technology for so long that applying...That's certainly a valid way to look at it, and it's hard to argue what the law says.
However it's pretty clear that regulation has been behind the pace of technology for so long that applying current laws is a fools errand imo. And in the absence of well-informed regulation, the only thing we can fall back on is the intuition of well meaning experts. I don't claim to be one, I'm just saying my intuition is that LLMs are substantially different from any previous technology and I'm trying to think about it from first principles.
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Comment on I'm tired of dismissive anti-AI bias in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentThe argument about stealing art is particularly grating to me. Yes, knock-off t-shirt shops and pirating services have existed since the beginning, but LLMs are stealing and profiteering on a...The argument about stealing art is particularly grating to me. Yes, knock-off t-shirt shops and pirating services have existed since the beginning, but LLMs are stealing and profiteering on a global scale.
How much of Anthropic's new $200/month tier goes to licencing the training data from their original creators?
The argument most companies have been using for this boils down to "there are so many of them, it's not possible", which doesn't sound like it'll get better anytime soon.
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Comment on Non-American, English language news sources in ~news
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI agree some of their stuff can appear that way, they're better when it comes to more science-based topics. In general the stuff I've seen from them is 90% "Look at this big problem" and 10% "Here...I agree some of their stuff can appear that way, they're better when it comes to more science-based topics. In general the stuff I've seen from them is 90% "Look at this big problem" and 10% "Here are some people trying to fix it".
I don't think video is generally a good medium for nuance, so I don't blame them too much. I mostly use it as a jumping off point to read more about them.
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Comment on Non-American, English language news sources in ~news
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI'd also recommend the DW Documentary channel on YouTube, they cover a very wide range of topics in pretty good depth and there's new stuff posted every few days.I'd also recommend the DW Documentary channel on YouTube, they cover a very wide range of topics in pretty good depth and there's new stuff posted every few days.
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Comment on Second measles death reported in Texas in ~health
infpossibilityspace Link2 deaths and 481 confirmed cases in Texas (628 cases nationally) is abysmal. I don't really have anything productive to say, I'm just disappointed. I hope those unable to get the vaccine are well...2 deaths and 481 confirmed cases in Texas (628 cases nationally) is abysmal. I don't really have anything productive to say, I'm just disappointed.
I hope those unable to get the vaccine are well protected by the herd immunity from those who can.
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Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI'm teetering close to that path too, I'm the most senior technical person on our cyber team and we've been tasked with implementing security into a business with 25 years of IT stagnation. It's...I'm teetering close to that path too, I'm the most senior technical person on our cyber team and we've been tasked with implementing security into a business with 25 years of IT stagnation.
It's the start of a multi-year project and by the end they want me to lead the IR team as the primary responder/detection engineer, but if company plans change they could easily put me into a more managerial role, which I'm not sure I want...
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Comment on The Donald Trump US administration accidentally texted me its war plans in ~society
infpossibilityspace (edited )Link ParentThis together with the unauthorised Starlink dish on the Whitehouse... really obvious that they're actively trying to circumvent any communication that could get audited by an independent bodyThe Signal app is not approved by the government for sharing classified information. The government has its own systems for that purpose.
This together with the unauthorised Starlink dish on the Whitehouse... really obvious that they're actively trying to circumvent any communication that could get audited by an independent body
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Comment on Eddie Jordan: Former F1 team owner dies aged 76 in ~sports.motorsports
infpossibilityspace LinkI'm too young to remember him as a team boss, but I enjoyed him pushing people's buttons as a TV host. RIP.I'm too young to remember him as a team boss, but I enjoyed him pushing people's buttons as a TV host. RIP.
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Comment on Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentWith E2EE via imessage, I agree, but that's half of one bullet point in the article. Communication between the phone and watch could easily use some other method, and the other jank mentioned...With E2EE via imessage, I agree, but that's half of one bullet point in the article. Communication between the phone and watch could easily use some other method, and the other jank mentioned wouldn't be that hard to fix.
that would be so burdensome and onerous that vendors would still complain and most probably would not bother.
Surely it'd be better to work with them to make it good rather than hobble it to the point of being legislated against like with the EU's Digital Markets Act (and all the publicity that comes with people rejoicing at Apple's loss)?
Longtime Apple supporters will recognise they've done some of their best work when they've been the underdog, forced to provide value, but nowadays it feels like they're just coasting on the success of iOS.
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Comment on Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkApple has successfully changed the narrative around their restrictions into talks about security and privacy. It's just not the case. A company with the resources of Apple could absolutely find a...Apple has successfully changed the narrative around their restrictions into talks about security and privacy.
It's just not the case. A company with the resources of Apple could absolutely find a way to allow more 3rd party support without significantly compromising on security, but they choose not to because it's more profitable for them if you only buy Apple watches and frame it as "we're the only company you can trust to keep your data secure".
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Comment on eBay privacy policy update and AI opt-out in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI'm a UK user and the option was available to me on mobile by following OP's link. Couldn't find it in the app though.I'm a UK user and the option was available to me on mobile by following OP's link. Couldn't find it in the app though.
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Comment on Pocket Casts’ web player is now available to all in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkUsed PocketCasts for many years, it's a great podcast player with just as many features as other big names like Overcast. Really cool they've opened up their web player, even if I don't really use it.Used PocketCasts for many years, it's a great podcast player with just as many features as other big names like Overcast.
Really cool they've opened up their web player, even if I don't really use it.
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? (trial giveaway: round #2) in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link Parent<3<3
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? (trial giveaway: round #2) in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkI'd love to give it a try, if someone has a spare code I'd be very grateful!I'd love to give it a try, if someone has a spare code I'd be very grateful!
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
infpossibilityspace (edited )Link ParentYeah, I've not always been in this fortunate position. In my experience it's a balancing act that shifts throughout your career. I actually retrained because I didn't see a way to improve doing...Yeah, I've not always been in this fortunate position. In my experience it's a balancing act that shifts throughout your career. I actually retrained because I didn't see a way to improve doing physics.
My last job change was for the ethics and pay but I lost some of the interest, and I'm in the process of changing jobs again for a big bump in interest in exchange for a small decrease ethically.
In the ideal case, as you get better at your profession you can be more selective over where you work without sacrificing on pay.
It's definitely not a meritocracy though - I had a restaurant job that paid more than my physics researcher one, but I've found keeping some hope and drive to make things better tends to works out in the long run. -
Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
infpossibilityspace LinkCyber security engineer - there are 3 things I like about this career. As a techy person who enjoys problem solving, that's basically what I get to do every day. I'm fortunate that the company I...Cyber security engineer - there are 3 things I like about this career.
- As a techy person who enjoys problem solving, that's basically what I get to do every day.
- I'm fortunate that the company I work for isn't terrible from an ethical point-of-view, so I feel like I'm actually helping people do good work
- I'm well compensated for the work I do (probably underpaid compared to the industry average but I can afford a house and I'm still relatively early in my career)
I think those 3 qualities (interest, ethics and pay) are the keys to having an enjoyable job.
(1) Makes the day-to-day interesting,
(2) Keeps the long-term drive, and
(3) Makes it worth it financially. -
Comment on Ship carrying highly toxic chemical hit tanker transporting jet fuel for US military in ~enviro
infpossibilityspace Link ParentWeird, the BBC page also says this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cgq1pwjlqq2t?post=asset%3A171ffe1d-ae8c-4925-a4e0-1c6fa659b42e#postWeird, the BBC page also says this:
Alastair Grant, emeritus professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia, warns the environmental impacts could be severe: “Jet fuel is approximately 50 times more toxic to aquatic life than diesel oil, which in turn is more toxic than crude oil."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cgq1pwjlqq2t?post=asset%3A171ffe1d-ae8c-4925-a4e0-1c6fa659b42e#post
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Comment on Ship carrying highly toxic chemical hit tanker transporting jet fuel for US military in ~enviro
infpossibilityspace Link ParentMaybe, but jet fuel's more toxic to sea life than diesel or crude oil, so it's still not good...Maybe, but jet fuel's more toxic to sea life than diesel or crude oil, so it's still not good...
Only if you could tell it very specifically what kind of architecture you want, what to do in certain scenarios and which areas to leave open-ended so extending or debugging functionality later is simple... At which point what you've done is written the code in all but name with the added complexity that natural language is bad for specificity.