j0hn1215's recent activity
-
Comment on Most people, even highly technical people, don't understand anything about AI in ~tech
-
Comment on Over twenty-one days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced he was a superhero in ~tech
j0hn1215 Link ParentWhile I do agree with this regarding the importance of education, I think it's important to be extremely careful with arguments that can be misinterpreted as "some people don't really count as...While I do agree with this regarding the importance of education, I think it's important to be extremely careful with arguments that can be misinterpreted as "some people don't really count as people, and their ideas and opinions are inherantly less valuable than mine and people who think like me." I don't think this is the intent of what you posted, but it's super easy to have arguments like this slip into "those peoples wellbeing and lives have no value, and so they can be dismissed, or eliminated. "
Just food for thought. -
Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
j0hn1215 (edited )LinkMy current frivolous programming project has hit a snag due to a geometry problem. I'm writing some MATLAB code to determine at what date/times various sides of Egyptian pyramids were illuminated,...My current frivolous programming project has hit a snag due to a geometry problem.
I'm writing some MATLAB code to determine at what date/times various sides of Egyptian pyramids were illuminated, and by how much. Once I had sun vectors for each day at 5 minute intervals (Using Cartes du Ciel, which has good ephemera back several thousand years), the bulk of the work was done. But the issue comes in the edge cases, where the sun is only partially above the horizon, or partially above the "horizon" of that particular pyramid face.I need a function to determine the proportion of the sun's area shining on a face. Trouble is, the problem seems very different depending on whether the circle segments overlap some, overlap entirely, or don't overlap, and I'm not sure how to create an area function that is just a function of h1, h2, and theta (See diagram).
I feel like this should be straightforward, and I'm likely making it more complex than it needs to be. A numerical solution would be fine, too, but I have no idea how one would implement that in MATLAB.
Crudely drawn diagram of the three cases to better illustrate the problem.A silly project, but it gives me something to ponder when rocking a baby.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Hardcore - Live at 20:00 UTC today in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentYeah, my issue with sky rails is also aesthetic, but mostly on bluemap; Floating islands or your floating glass house always rendered oddly when viewed from a distance. And if we do use a rail...Yeah, my issue with sky rails is also aesthetic, but mostly on bluemap; Floating islands or your floating glass house always rendered oddly when viewed from a distance.
And if we do use a rail mod, we do want to make sure that it doesn't interfere with standard minecart tracks used in farms. I feel like added a copper powered rail (or similar) that boosts speed would be best, as minecarts would have strictly vanilla behavior unless you added a unique mod-added block.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Hardcore - Live at 20:00 UTC today in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentSo, I've been looking at some ice boat designs. One of my biggest issues with ice boats is that they're unable to go uphill without killing all momentum. I've tried water columns, slime block...So, I've been looking at some ice boat designs.
One of my biggest issues with ice boats is that they're unable to go uphill without killing all momentum. I've tried water columns, slime block launchers, and tripwire-activated pistons, and all of them rob some momentum.
Through my non-exhaustive search, my best solution is a chunk-long piston system that lifts you up a block. It's only a 4% grade, and a series of them can slow an ice boat down to about 16m/s (Still twice as fast as a standard minecart, though!). It does however also slow you down to that speed while going downhill.
Some obstacles to uphill travel:
-Being pushed up by a piston creates friction and slows the boat
-Bubble columns kill all forward momentum
-A blue ice boat at max speed moves about 7 blocks per redstone tick, so any device has to be fast
-Chunk loading can't be guaranteed on all computers at max ice boat speeds, so whatever uphill mechanism needs to function at slow and fast boat speeds.
-Most uphill moving mechanisms also slow down your boat when going downhill on the same track, which feels unnecessarily, and inefficient.I'd love to have fast overworld travel next season, but I'd like to have transport that can change y-level without a loss of efficiency.
Potential avenues of research:
-There might be something in slime-block launchers, but I don't have a lot of experience with them, and all my experiments fell flat.
-I know some racing servers have a mod for boats to climb 1 block ice inclines, and/or stairs and slabs
Any ideas out there for something to improve ice boat versatility? -
Comment on The hater's guide to the AI bubble in ~finance
j0hn1215 Link ParentThis is often my argument: LLMs are only useful at producing text that ultimately doesn't matter, so what's the point?This is often my argument: LLMs are only useful at producing text that ultimately doesn't matter, so what's the point?
-
Comment on The hater's guide to the AI bubble in ~finance
j0hn1215 Link ParentI feel like a comparison to the printing press is exactly the type of thing this author is railing against. The reason the printing press was revolutionary is because it allowed the dissemination...- Exemplary
I feel like a comparison to the printing press is exactly the type of thing this author is railing against.
The reason the printing press was revolutionary is because it allowed the dissemination of new ideas, something that LLMs are structurally incapable of doing. LLMs can produce text that is strikingly similar to human writing. That's it. It cannot understand the ramifications of what it is writing, it cannot intentionally elicit an emotion in a reader, it cannot empathize with a reader, and it cannot contain a lived experience of the world in which we all live. It generates text that is statistically consistent with text a human could write, that's it.
Also, printers in that day printed cheap screed because it made them money; the main thrust of this article is that these companies are losing billions to produce generally useless text. The analogy would be apt if the printing press could only print cheap trash.
-
Comment on Metronomy - The Most Immaculate Haircut (2014) in ~music
j0hn1215 LinkOh, man, I haven't thought about Metronomy in years. Pip Paine and Nights Out were two of my friend group's favorite albums in college! This song is a banger, too. Thanks for posting this!Oh, man, I haven't thought about Metronomy in years. Pip Paine and Nights Out were two of my friend group's favorite albums in college!
This song is a banger, too. Thanks for posting this!
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Hardcore - Live at 20:00 UTC today in ~games
j0hn1215 (edited )LinkMy two cents (0.017Euro, 0.027CAD) on Season 3 options: In general, I think the fewer restrictions, the better. Although, I do think it'd be interesting to gate the nether for a week, and the end...My two cents (0.017Euro, 0.027CAD) on Season 3 options:
In general, I think the fewer restrictions, the better. Although, I do think it'd be interesting to gate the nether for a week, and the end for two weeks just to get the overworld going and explored first. I think in general, I'm on the same page as @dhcrazy333 with minecraft as virtual legos. Maybe we have one weekend a month where we do a 3-day hardcore world so that people can scratch the Minecraft as Survival Game itch?*
As for the nether roof, I'd love if we could keep it -- I'm already trying to work out if a 3-D scale model of the overworld would be feasible up there. I do think putting the nether roof portal so prominently inside the Spawned Inn was a bit much; I think I should have hidden it a little better to discourage new players from hopping in. But, I think the best was to discourage nether roof travel would be to improve overworld travel somehow. Faster minecart options perhaps, or maybe better ice boat travel (having it work with carpet on it would open up great aesthetic travel options, and someway to go up y-levels on them (I'll do a few experiments with this over break)).
Also, in my opinion, making death more punishing would suck. I often have to run off quickly for a few minutes to deal with something in the house, and coming back to a death screen is already frustrating. A 10 minute soft-ban, or spectate-break might take up a good portion of my available playtime for the day.
And next season, my first order of business will be to make maps of as much of the world as possible before much building takes place. Then display it side-by-side with an updated map to show our progress!
*Speaking of, has anyone here played any Vintage Story? To me, at least, it looks like minecraft if it moved in the direction of hardscrabble survival game instead of the more sandboxy direction minecraft has gone in. I'm tempted to play some over the season break, but wanted to see if anyone had experience with it.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Hardcore - Live at 20:00 UTC today in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentI wish there was a plugin that allowed ice to remain slippery with carpet on top. Having ice roads isn't always pretty, but being able to build colored roads that actually perform a function would...I wish there was a plugin that allowed ice to remain slippery with carpet on top. Having ice roads isn't always pretty, but being able to build colored roads that actually perform a function would be marvelous.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Hardcore - Live at 20:00 UTC today in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentThanks for the base, Mendanbar. I was planning on building an obelisk on the island, but a drowned with a trident had other ideas. There should be a half stack of dried kelp for smelting in the...Thanks for the base, Mendanbar. I was planning on building an obelisk on the island, but a drowned with a trident had other ideas.
There should be a half stack of dried kelp for smelting in the house for any other projects! -
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Final day scheduled for July 17th in ~games
j0hn1215 LinkDoes anyone have a render of their entire xareos map? Bluemap was great, but I'd love to see as whole a picture of the world as possible.Does anyone have a render of their entire xareos map? Bluemap was great, but I'd love to see as whole a picture of the world as possible.
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Final day scheduled for July 17th in ~games
j0hn1215 LinkOh, no! I thought we had until normal restart time! I logged in for maybe ten seconds before it shut down. I didn't get a chance to entomb myself in the pyramid! I guess my spirit will be lost...Oh, no! I thought we had until normal restart time! I logged in for maybe ten seconds before it shut down.
I didn't get a chance to entomb myself in the pyramid! I guess my spirit will be lost forever in the void....
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Final day scheduled for July 17th in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentA showcase of the Step Pyramid of Djan-Ra! Most of the description is on imgur, but a few notes: Longterm, I was planning on building a full egyptian themed villager village on the eastern side of...A showcase of the Step Pyramid of Djan-Ra!
Most of the description is on imgur, but a few notes:- Longterm, I was planning on building a full egyptian themed villager village on the eastern side of the "river" (the granite obelisk was meant to mark the center of town), a satellite pyramid to the south of the current one, and a vast area of canalled farms. Imagine that they're there.
- The yellow glass block above the statues head is meant to catch a moment of direct sunlight at sunrise, and as the sun sets over the pyramid. (This requires ray-tracing, which I don't have, but I couldn't let go of the idea of having some sort of solar alignment in the valley temple)
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Final day scheduled for July 17th in ~games
j0hn1215 LinkBah! I knew this would happen if I got below 15 days played! A wonderful season, an amazing time. And a obligated bow to @TaylorSwiftsPickles for beating me in the unannounced, but understand,...Bah! I knew this would happen if I got below 15 days played!
A wonderful season, an amazing time. And a obligated bow to @TaylorSwiftsPickles for beating me in the unannounced, but understand, contest for the Most Played on the Playtime Tracker! A worthy opponent to whom I am honored to be defeated.The one upside of a shutdown is that I can actually be done with anything. So, expect a showcase of my Nile build soon.
-
Comment on 'I can't drink the water' - Life next to a US data centre in ~enviro
j0hn1215 Link ParentI've heard that the high electricity and water use are not necessarily from individual prompting, but the fact that every available CPU*second is used for further training of models. So,...I've heard that the high electricity and water use are not necessarily from individual prompting, but the fact that every available CPU*second is used for further training of models. So, boycotting the models does literally nothing to limit/lower their resource usage.
I think a lot of the "x Whs per query" statements are misleading; Even if there are zero queries to ChatGPT, it still represents hundreds of thousands of 100% uptime GPU's which does take an absurd amount of energy and water to maintain. -
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentWill that make the item frame texture disappear behind the map?Will that make the item frame texture disappear behind the map?
-
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival in ~games
j0hn1215 Link ParentI suppose you're right. I think biome does change the colors of a held map, which is why I think some the colors of my nether roof map are a little off (I took a screenshot of the held overworld...I suppose you're right. I think biome does change the colors of a held map, which is why I think some the colors of my nether roof map are a little off (I took a screenshot of the held overworld map in the nether so the player indicator wouldn't be on the map).
But I suppose making a map of the roof map and look at it in the overworld I'd be able to see any biome color changes. -
Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival in ~games
j0hn1215 LinkSo, I started making a glass platform in the end to make some hieroglyph map art, but soon realized that the transparent parts just show the item frame behind, and not the block the item frame it...So, I started making a glass platform in the end to make some hieroglyph map art, but soon realized that the transparent parts just show the item frame behind, and not the block the item frame it attached to. So, the effect I wanted was lost.
Now, I think I'm only going to have the hieroglyphs on sandstone blocks, so I was going to make a 128x128 sandstone slab area on the nether roof. However, I wanted to ask here if that would work before I put in a bunch of work on a solution that might not be a solution; Does dimension/biome effect the color of a map in Java? If I make the map art on the nether roof, will it be strangely colored?
-
Comment on Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task in ~tech
j0hn1215 Link ParentI think calculators are an excellent analog to LLM's in this respect; Just because we have a device that outputs an answer to just about any arithmetic problem doesn't mean that learning...I think calculators are an excellent analog to LLM's in this respect; Just because we have a device that outputs an answer to just about any arithmetic problem doesn't mean that learning arithmetic is somehow antiquated.
Learning to use a calculator is an essential skill for any person wanting to be even an armchair mathematician. But if you were to give a calculator to every elementary schooler and ONLY teach them how to do calculations on the calculator, you produce a generation of students who have no idea how to do math. If you want to be able to vet the answers a calculator gives, or to figure out which calculations will give you the answer that you're seeking, you need to learn the process of mathematics.
In education, we call this developing number sense. Without number sense, it's difficult to determine what operations need to be done, and if your answer is anywhere close to reality. Yes, when given an explicit math problem, you'll be able to solve it. But explicit math problems only exist as practice, and the real challenge is to learn how to apply different methods to problems to get a meaningful solution.
Same goes, I would say, for writing sense. Without it, you don't have the skill to assess what is written, or if the writing actually answers the question you were asking. Yes, essays in school seem tedious, boilerplate, and meaningless, but that's because they are practice. It's only after you've written dozens of essays that you're able to start to assess what phrases/structures work, and how to defend a thesis statement.
Just like a calculator, an LLM is best used by an already experienced writer who knows how the answer should be structured, and how to determine if an answer is meaningful and relevant to the problem.If you're never taught to add by hand, then it's alarmingly difficult to figure out how addition actually works, and if you don't know how it works, then you won't be able to see when it's useful, and when it's not. I think having students write essays using chatGPT from the beginning would be as deleterious as letting students use a calculator from the beginning - a lack of fundamental skill and understanding of the craft.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the "AI" innovations in drug discovery, protein structures, and mathematical proofs have come from various machine learning techniques. I have not heard of any substantive discoveries coming from an LLM or any of the current generative AIs.
New algorithms in all sorts of comp sci fields are being called "AI," but LLMs and GenAI seem to be exclusively useful in writing small programs in well documented languages, with a sufficient amount of sample code avaliable (ingested without permission, of course).
I doubt this was your intent, but it just rubs me the wrong way when it's implied that LLMs/GenAI have played any role in drug discovery or other interesting recent comp sci breakthroughs.