Omnicrola's recent activity
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Comment on The machines are fine. I'm worried about us. in ~science
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E20: "Babylon Squared" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Omnicrola LinkOoooh I love this one so much. It sets up one of the biggest mysteries of the entire series, and the ways it pays off later are so worth the wait.Ooooh I love this one so much. It sets up one of the biggest mysteries of the entire series, and the ways it pays off later are so worth the wait.
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Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies
Omnicrola Link ParentNow I'm imagining this as a video game version of The Producers. Studio sets out to make the worst possible movie in order to claim tax loss, accidently create something so bad it's good and...Now I'm imagining this as a video game version of The Producers. Studio sets out to make the worst possible movie in order to claim tax loss, accidently create something so bad it's good and becomes a runaway hit.
....and then the mandatory sequel is actually garbage.
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Comment on The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentLike most social media, it used to be genuinely useful. A digital business contact Roledex that automatically updates when people move jobs, get promoted, etc was a really useful thing. Then they...Like most social media, it used to be genuinely useful. A digital business contact Roledex that automatically updates when people move jobs, get promoted, etc was a really useful thing. Then they built all the social media engagement nonsense into it, and it became a circlejerk of thought leaders and aspiring business consultants. The useful bits are still technically there, but now they're buried under a mountain of bullshit.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentPretty good, worth the meandering around town in 90F+ weather to find.Pretty good, worth the meandering around town in 90F+ weather to find.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
Omnicrola Link ParentI went to a small ice cream shop in a tiny town that I visited in Indiana last month. It was the only ice cream shop in town that wasn't a DQ or other national chain, and the older lady behind the...I went to a small ice cream shop in a tiny town that I visited in Indiana last month. It was the only ice cream shop in town that wasn't a DQ or other national chain, and the older lady behind the counter was a friendly and clearly loved what she had built. She mentioned that they had been open less than a year, which is when it suddenly clicked for me why the logo and marketing materials all looked very AI generated.
I was a little sad, I (silently) wished the owner had solicited some art from a grandchild and used it as the basis, it would have been way more interesting and unique.
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
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Comment on AI mania is eviscerating global decisionmaking in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkGreat post, loved this part in particular:Great post, loved this part in particular:
I mean that, over the course of the engagement, these people have exhibited a pattern of behavior that has made it near-impossible to sell to them without incurring reputational and legal risk, and are furthermore crafting management environments that I can only describe as cultish, ineffective, and “please dear God, do not let it be on earth as it is on LinkedIn”.
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Comment on Wildfire smoke from Canada will soon spread across the Midwest and East United States in ~enviro
Omnicrola Link ParentI'm near Ann Arbor, it was normal on the way home from work, and yes just rolled in late last night like a heavy fog. The Ann Arbor Art Fair starts today and goes to Sat, it's the largest set fair...I'm near Ann Arbor, it was normal on the way home from work, and yes just rolled in late last night like a heavy fog. The Ann Arbor Art Fair starts today and goes to Sat, it's the largest set fair in the region, over 300,000 people show up each year. Between this and the heat, I expect attendance to plummet and EMS to have their hands full. They keep fault busy most years just helping people with heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Time to go dig out the KN95 stash...
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Comment on Control the ideas, not the code in ~comp
Omnicrola Link ParentI've run into this a few times in a personal project that I've let the AI have relatively free reign over since the consequences are very low, and I get to learn about the kinds of mistakes it...I've run into this a few times in a personal project that I've let the AI have relatively free reign over since the consequences are very low, and I get to learn about the kinds of mistakes it makes. The most egregious example of what you're describing was when built a redundant switch statement in 6 places, where in each case the local function only cared about 1-3 of the 12 cases and the rest after pass through. IMO the reason it happened was that it was an emergent pattern that occurred over a dozen or so sessions. Since each session was focused on a task, the agent started using the first occurrence as precedence and it then compounded. Once I pointed out the reasons why that pattern was fragile and unsustainable it auto recorded a memory and I guided it on how to refactor it, but I'm not convinced it won't happen again.
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Comment on Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’ in ~society
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Comment on US Federal Communications Commission approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry in ~space
Omnicrola Link ParentI wonder then if the longer term idea is to have many mirrors all directed at the same ~3 mile area, like the solar concentrators they've built in the desert? Still don't like this idea though. I...I wonder then if the longer term idea is to have many mirrors all directed at the same ~3 mile area, like the solar concentrators they've built in the desert?
Still don't like this idea though. I think I'd rather have them build solar panels and beam the power down via microwave.
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Comment on Of course viewers are giving up on Netflix shows in ~tv
Omnicrola Link ParentAnd Silo, For All Mankind, Ted Lasso. Apple is doing pretty great actually (IMO).And Silo, For All Mankind, Ted Lasso. Apple is doing pretty great actually (IMO).
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Comment on Of course viewers are giving up on Netflix shows in ~tv
Omnicrola Link ParentSpeaking of authors who produce content on a reliable basis...... It's one of the reasons Sanderson is my favorite author. But also Stormlight is a really great series.and am also on the third book of the first Stormlight Archive arc
Speaking of authors who produce content on a reliable basis......
It's one of the reasons Sanderson is my favorite author. But also Stormlight is a really great series.
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Comment on Papa Johns can predict when your fridge is empty in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentIt all comes down to trust. If a friend thought I might be hungry, and suggested we get a pizza I would be grateful for their thoughtfulness even if they also happened to own the pizza company. A...It all comes down to trust.
If a friend thought I might be hungry, and suggested we get a pizza I would be grateful for their thoughtfulness even if they also happened to own the pizza company. A friend has earned that trust from me by being a good friend.
If a stranger walked up to me and said "you look like you might be hungry, you should try my pizza place right across the street there" I am immediately suspicious. I do not know this person or their business, and while they might be interested in my well being they also very clearly want to sell me something unsolicited. They have not earned my trust.
And personally, the best way to earn my suspicion and disgust is to try and sell me something I did not ask for.
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Comment on Papa Johns can predict when your fridge is empty in ~tech
Omnicrola LinkHiro Protagonist has clocked in for his shift and is ready to deliver.Hiro Protagonist has clocked in for his shift and is ready to deliver.
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Comment on What AI does to the minds of novice coders in ~comp
Omnicrola Link ParentI've noticed the same thing (if I'm offloading more, I should stop for the day). Personally this was one of the things that first made me realize the genuine utility of the LLMs, was just doing...I've noticed the same thing (if I'm offloading more, I should stop for the day).
do find them very useful as a glorified search engine. I don't know if I've lost the ability to search by keywords, but it's so difficult to find anything mildly obscure these days
Personally this was one of the things that first made me realize the genuine utility of the LLMs, was just doing basic search. Having a tool that can search based on a concept is incredible. It solves one of the inherent flaws of keyword based search - if you're just starting to learn a new topic, you don't even know the correct vocabulary for the things you're trying to learn. On top of that, having the ability to refine the search (eg "that's not quite it, it was more like X and less like Y") feels way more powerful than just trying different keywords.
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Comment on How do I keep my dog from fearing water sprinklers? in ~life.pets
Omnicrola LinkDisclaimer: I'm normally a cat person. Only recently starting living with a dog. I've a theory i haven't tried yet for my partner's dog who is incredibly reactive to delivery trucks. My theory is...Disclaimer: I'm normally a cat person. Only recently starting living with a dog.
I've a theory i haven't tried yet for my partner's dog who is incredibly reactive to delivery trucks. My theory is to break it into visual and audio. I want to try small pictures of trucks (real ones, taken from our own yard, and printed in varying sizes) and see if she reacts. If she does, I want to see if I can build positive association with pictures (or maybe video?) that would translate to real things. Same for audio, by playing the sound at lower volumes and quickly offering treats for positive behavior. The theory being this would build the association faster since I have direct control over the timing, intensity, and duration of the thing causing distress.
I wonder if using the sound of your irrigation system, played back at lower volume for short durations would help? Again, this is all theoretical.
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Comment on AI job grief in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentI think they're will be a market for it. Just as there is for hand crafted furniture, it's just utterly dwarfed in comparison to how much factory made furniture is consumed. And I think it will be...Though, there may be some difference in that I doubt there will end up being a market for “handcrafted code”
I think they're will be a market for it. Just as there is for hand crafted furniture, it's just utterly dwarfed in comparison to how much factory made furniture is consumed.
And I think it will be less about "every character was typed by a human" and more about achieving a certain level of quality. Quality is admittedly subjective, but people who know a craft know when they see it. If I'm looking for some apps to amuse my cats, the code quality is not something I really care about. However the software running the radiation treatment machine for my cancer, that I care about a lot.
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Comment on AI job grief in ~tech
Omnicrola Link ParentIm glad you posted this, it was interesting to read, even though I agree one is it's central arguments falls flat. It has some good points, but i didn't see any that were particularly new or...Im glad you posted this, it was interesting to read, even though I agree one is it's central arguments falls flat.
It has some good points, but i didn't see any that were particularly new or novel. In particular I agree with it's assertions that the AI change is different because of the shear speed of change, and because the benefits have not yet proven themselves to be concrete.
I think you might be looking a this slightly askew though. The way you've phrased it here implies that the person who's learning must also understand how to be an effective teacher, and furthermore must also self-educate themselves on how to teach with an LLM specifically.
I work in higher education (as staff), and I've seen some of the ways faculty are beginning to experiment with LLMs in a teaching context. Some of them are kinda ham-fisted and naieve, but some have interesting potential. I think the educational value of LLMs is that they can engage with students in a way no other technology can possibly do. They are the closest we have ever come to being able to give every single student a 1:1 tutor that specializes in every single subject they have.
There are at least a dozen examples that I'm aware of off the top of my head of faculty attempting in various ways to build a customized LLM that will effectively teach students specific concepts. They are refining and specializing the technology to be an effective teaching tool. Where exactly this ends up and how effective it will be is still a wide open question, but I do agree with @kacey that there is enormous potential.