infpossibilityspace's recent activity
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Comment on You make friends *HERE*?! in ~tildes
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Comment on Study: essay graders rarely detect AI, give higher grades in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkNot related to the study, but I'm curious if you could compare a students coursework with their in-person exam essays and see how their essay content and writing style changes, then use that as...Not related to the study, but I'm curious if you could compare a students coursework with their in-person exam essays and see how their essay content and writing style changes, then use that as evidence they cheated in their coursework?
Maybe use automated sentiment analysis or some other tool (not AI) to provide repeatable concrete data about the writing style? -
Comment on How to pass the time when you have nothing to do at work and just your phone? in ~talk
infpossibilityspace Link ParentIf you work in IT, I'd imagine they'd be fine with you doing IT training like networking, sysadmin, security etc. on your work laptop or from a book? If they don't care about you showing...If you work in IT, I'd imagine they'd be fine with you doing IT training like networking, sysadmin, security etc. on your work laptop or from a book?
If they don't care about you showing initiative to improve, maybe consider looking for a different job? -
Comment on How Madrid built its metro cheaply in ~transport
infpossibilityspace LinkTwo other important points, one is that the government keep qualified experts on staff rather than relying on expensive consultants which rarely have actual expertise in the field. And secondly,...Two other important points, one is that the government keep qualified experts on staff rather than relying on expensive consultants which rarely have actual expertise in the field.
Unlike infrastructure projects in Britain or America, which are heavily reliant on external consultants to handle all stages of the project, this group of well-paid in-house engineers led much of the Madrid Metro expansion. The team stayed largely the same throughout the different projects, meaning that they were able to learn from their experience and apply it to future projects.
And secondly, they reduced lengthy environmental studies by focusing on areas where new ground would be broken, and not repeating past work, which also saves a ton of money.
This abbreviation meant that the project had to complete fewer requirements, such as studies on increased carbon emissions or the impact on farmland. The metro projects completed a streamlined assessment with the required parts clearly laid out in law, and would get confirmation within five months, compared to two or more years in Britain or America.
The environmental assessment for the 4-mile (6.5-kilometer) extension of Line 11 was just 19 pages long. [...] Contrast this with the 3.3-mile (5.3-kilometer) Portishead branch line reopening in the South West of England, which had a 17,912-page-long environmental statement. On a per-mile-of-new-track basis, Portishead’s was 1,142 times longer than Madrid’s. While the costs of Madrid’s environmental monitoring plan were assessed and controlled, in Britain environmental mitigations can run into the hundreds of millions.
Honestly it just sounds like they haven't allowed beaurocracy-creep to hamstring projects. It's always cheaper to keep experts on staff, avoid repeated work, and being mindful of how much new tech is implemented.
Nothing about this in particularly revelatory imo, which is a damning indictment of how inefficient we've let our infrastructure become.
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Comment on What long book series is worth its page count? in ~books
infpossibilityspace Link ParentAlong similar lines to HP, I'd recommend the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. There are some broad strokes similarities like following a young protagonist as they discover magical...Along similar lines to HP, I'd recommend the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
There are some broad strokes similarities like following a young protagonist as they discover magical powers and grow in the community, but setting and characters feel more grounded/fleshed out. He does a good job raising the stakes as the series develops without it descending into Marvel-esque "saving the universe" silliness.
The violence is a bit more visceral, but still intended for a YA audience and not gratuitous or overly gruesome. It was my favourite series as a kid and I even wrote to Landy thanking him for his books (something I think we should all do more of :D).
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Comment on Legacy is a delusion in ~talk
infpossibilityspace LinkI don't think legacy is a delusion, but I do agree that pursuing a legacy leads to problematic behaviours. As a personal philosophy, I take the viewpoint that if I happen to be remembered by...I don't think legacy is a delusion, but I do agree that pursuing a legacy leads to problematic behaviours.
As a personal philosophy, I take the viewpoint that if I happen to be remembered by someone, I want to ensure the thoughts associated with me are positive - so I should live my life accordingly.
Granted, my exact list of "positive" concepts is relative to the time and society I exist in, but reasonable people will agree on the broad strokes. -
Comment on What really happened after California raised its minimum wage to $20 for fast food workers in ~society
infpossibilityspace Link ParentSomething not mentioned but also valuable: Consistent wages also help the economy - if you're not reliant on tips and better able to plan your spending , you're less likely to need emergency cash...Something not mentioned but also valuable: Consistent wages also help the economy - if you're not reliant on tips and better able to plan your spending , you're less likely to need emergency cash at the end of the month and keep out of debt (avoiding higher interest CC rates, overdraft fees etc.).
Like the Terry Pratchett character, you might be able to save up for a better pair of shoes and save even more money in the long run rather than needing to buy "cheaper" goods to get by.
It's basically the opposite case to something something like Uber, where they force supply-demand curve wages onto drivers via surge pricing. People don't like fluctuating wages and will start to protest/revolt if their living conditions become too unstable.
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Comment on Struggling with nihilism and the inability to enjoy things in ~health.mental
infpossibilityspace Link ParentCongrats on making some big progress! I had a similarly strong paradigm shift a year ago after taking a different thing. In both cases re-examining our situations with a different mindset seems to...Congrats on making some big progress! I had a similarly strong paradigm shift a year ago after taking a different thing. In both cases re-examining our situations with a different mindset seems to have been really valuable, so I'm happy for you :)
All the best for future self-discoveries.
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Comment on Forced to upgrade [from iPhone 8] in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI was so bummed to move away from my 4a, the battery needed replacing but thanks to planned obsolescence, it was cheaper to trade it in for a 7a. I'm gonna keep this going until the battery...I was so bummed to move away from my 4a, the battery needed replacing but thanks to planned obsolescence, it was cheaper to trade it in for a 7a.
I'm gonna keep this going until the battery replacement law comes into play in the EU in 2027, buy something nice and keep it as long as I can.
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Comment on Why battery powered cargo ships are compelling in ~transport
infpossibilityspace Link ParentOoh, there's something you can help me with - When it comes to transitioning to zero emission transport, there's an environmental cost to switching to throwing away the old thing and replacing it...Ooh, there's something you can help me with - When it comes to transitioning to zero emission transport, there's an environmental cost to switching to throwing away the old thing and replacing it with a new one.
It seems to me that unless the old thing is absolutely terrible, keeping it running should cause less pollution.
So rather than incentivising new purchases (most notably in the car industry), should we be encouraging companies to keep their old stuff and mandate that when a replacement is necessary, it must conform to greener standards - rather than subsidising purchases of EVs and scrapping perfectly good machines?
The UK is trying to do this, mandating that by 2030, 80% of new vehicles must be zero emission, rising to 100% by 2035, and implementing financial penalties to companies that fail (small companies exempt).
Just wanted to get your opinion on this, cheers!
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Comment on Why battery powered cargo ships are compelling in ~transport
infpossibilityspace LinkSurprised there wasn't a substantial discussion of diesel-electric powertrains. These use a diesel generator to charge a battery, which in turn powers an electric motor to do the actual...Surprised there wasn't a substantial discussion of diesel-electric powertrains. These use a diesel generator to charge a battery, which in turn powers an electric motor to do the actual propulsion.
Since the diesel generator only needs to keep the battery charged, and battery doesn't need a huge capacity to make the journey itself, they can both be much smaller. This could be a worthwhile middle-ground to pursue (and ships that use this already exist https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel%E2%80%93electric_powertrain).
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Comment on Craig Newmark, of Craigslist, is giving away $300 million to improve cybersecurity infrastructure in ~tech
infpossibilityspace LinkIt's a wild state of affairs when the creator of Craigslist has a better read of the cybersecurity landscape than the future chair of Senate Homeland Security who wants to cut/eliminate funding...It's a wild state of affairs when the creator of Craigslist has a better read of the cybersecurity landscape than the future chair of Senate Homeland Security who wants to cut/eliminate funding for it...
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/14/rand-paul-kneecap-cisa-00189698
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Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
infpossibilityspace Link ParentSo... The money isn't in Evolve bank and the ToS has been broken? It shouldn't matter where the negligence lies, there should be actual consequence for whoever messed up. I'm not American, so I...your money is in Evolve bank, Evolve bank is FDIC insured
the issue is that the intermediary misplaced the deposits
So... The money isn't in Evolve bank and the ToS has been broken? It shouldn't matter where the negligence lies, there should be actual consequence for whoever messed up.
I'm not American, so I don't know how this law works. But it sounds like there's no way for these people to get justice or be made whole?
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Comment on The Texas OB-GYN exodus – Amid increasingly stringent abortion laws, doctors who provide maternal care have been fleeing the state in ~health
infpossibilityspace (edited )LinkI'm genuinely curious what would happen if the majority of doctors started practicing civil disobedience and continued treating these women properly. I know there's the odd case of a couple...I'm genuinely curious what would happen if the majority of doctors started practicing civil disobedience and continued treating these women properly.
I know there's the odd case of a couple doctors being prosecuted, but good luck locking up/firing 60% of your doctors and having a functional healthcare system.
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Comment on Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis in ~finance
infpossibilityspace Link ParentLying about being FDIC insured doesn't just "happen", some of the people there decided to do it. Doesn't seem impossible to gather their communication info and figure out who's responsible. Even...Lying about being FDIC insured doesn't just "happen", some of the people there decided to do it. Doesn't seem impossible to gather their communication info and figure out who's responsible.
Even if it was done out of negligence/ignorance, that's a terrible excuse when dealing with people's hard-earned money and it shouldn't be acceptable.
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Comment on Automatic braking systems save lives. Now they’ll need to work at 62 MPH. in ~transport
infpossibilityspace Link ParentI think people who think they are above average drivers, myself included, find automated driver assists more distracting than naturally paying attention to the road. The beeping at things I know...I think people who think they are above average drivers, myself included, find automated driver assists more distracting than naturally paying attention to the road.
The beeping at things I know aren't any risk, or pulling the wheel while I'm in control mean I would much rather get an older box without this stuff.
That said, I still remember the call-of-the-void first time driving on the motorway - the knowledge of driving a giant metal box and the only thing stopping me from killing someone is my attention and societal trust in obeying traffic laws.
So it's also hard for me to argue with higher safety standards when most people see driving as purely utilitarian.
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Comment on Slop economics in ~finance
infpossibilityspace Link ParentIt's a double edged sword that will never have a good answer imo. I do agree that artists should pursue thought-provoking/unexplored creations, but we as a society idolise, even fetishize, the...Maybe the secret to never producing slop is to be completely unreasonable from a commercial point of view, particularly if you strike creative gold.
It's a double edged sword that will never have a good answer imo. I do agree that artists should pursue thought-provoking/unexplored creations, but we as a society idolise, even fetishize, the need for artists to be original (and demonize those that sell-out).
Perversely, it's also common for fans to lash out at artists that stray "too far" from the material they initially liked, you see this a lot in music, even if they are openly trying something new. We know originality doesn't mean popularity or financial success, and this has been true for generations (even Mozart struggled to make ends meet!), so some level is commercialisation is required for artists to make a living. Drawing the line is hard.
Tantacrul has a great video about musical elitism which discusses something similar in a lot more depth, which I'd recommend checking out.
https://youtu.be/azpxUnIgsts -
Comment on How has your industry changed in the past decade? in ~life
infpossibilityspace Link ParentYou describe the exact problem I have with it - Trust. If I'm asking it about a topic I don't know the answer to, I would be foolish to trust any output because it might be confidently incorrect....You describe the exact problem I have with it - Trust.
If I'm asking it about a topic I don't know the answer to, I would be foolish to trust any output because it might be confidently incorrect. There is real value being able to trust answers first time and I don't see how LLMs can achieve that.
A reasonable middle ground might be to flag an answer with the text "This output may be inaccurate due to insufficient training data" or something, but god forbid these companies admit the limitations of current tech.
Oh, and your point about putting ads in AI answers? It's already happening :)
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-ai-overviews-ads-mobile-3500919/ -
Comment on How has your industry changed in the past decade? in ~life
infpossibilityspace Link ParentWe're not allergic to complexity like we should be. Simplicity can mean less functionality, sure, but it also means more resilient, easier to learn and fix. Unfortunately, designing for simplicity...We're not allergic to complexity like we should be. Simplicity can mean less functionality, sure, but it also means more resilient, easier to learn and fix. Unfortunately, designing for simplicity is hard. It's less work to just keep adding stuff and the downsides only come home to roost years later.
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Comment on ‘Do not pet’: A robotic dog named “Spot” made by Boston Dynamics is the latest tool in the arsenal of the US Secret Service in ~tech
infpossibilityspace Link ParentA fishing net would tangle up in its limbsA fishing net would tangle up in its limbs
I find it fascinating too.
I grew up during the first wave of social media, back in the MySpace and bebo days. Even back then, the idea of putting so much of your personality on the intenet that you could make friends seemed really weird to me.
But today, even some of my meat friends have met their online friends, yet I'm in a limbo of wanting to make online friends yet too private a person to invest enough into it.