Omnicrola's recent activity

  1. Comment on AI data center developers begin suing local jurisdictions behind bans and moratoriums — claims range from officials exceeding authority to violations of due process and equal protection laws in ~tech

  2. Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    FWIW, I'm a techie, but i also work in higher education, and I see a lot of potential for it in teaching. There's been a lot of news coverage on students cheating, but there's also some real...

    I genuinely cannot think of a good application for AI that would appeal to the majority of people outside the tech sphere right now.

    FWIW, I'm a techie, but i also work in higher education, and I see a lot of potential for it in teaching. There's been a lot of news coverage on students cheating, but there's also some real upsides to it. If you create some scaffolding and combine it with directions on how to teach specific subject matter, it can do a pretty good job tutoring students. It's still early days, and a lot of experimentation is happening, but it's one area I'm hopeful for.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on What we lost when we quit using crappy old web forums in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    It still exists, so opinions on this will vary wildly depending on who you ask. Regardless it's worth noting that the decline/cultural shift of Usenet is the origin of the phrase "Eternal...

    When did Usenet stop being a thing, by the way?

    It still exists, so opinions on this will vary wildly depending on who you ask. Regardless it's worth noting that the decline/cultural shift of Usenet is the origin of the phrase "Eternal September" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

    6 votes

  4. Comment on Sanity check - always-on machine + laptop with remote desktop in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link
    I've used a similar setup with Parsec for the last few years and like it. I leave it running on my home desktop machine and connect from my laptop whenever I want to work on something but don't...

    I've used a similar setup with Parsec for the last few years and like it. I leave it running on my home desktop machine and connect from my laptop whenever I want to work on something but don't want/need the full dual screen setup (or the room is too hot, the AC isn't good in that room). It's really nice to be able to leave half a dozen windows open while I'm in the middle of something, and then come back later without having to actually close and reopen or restart anything.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on These twenty-five artifacts explain America (gifted link) in ~life

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    Last Week Tonight has some fun segments covering how ubiquitous that styling is here's a short clip compilation of one of them: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KZLE1l2OqSg

    Last Week Tonight has some fun segments covering how ubiquitous that styling is here's a short clip compilation of one of them: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KZLE1l2OqSg

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Spirit Halloween parent company to acquire Hot Topic in ~finance

    Omnicrola
    Link
    How much does that number vary depending on if you count Spirit stores in October vs say, July? :p

    The combined company will have over 3,000 stores across North America.

    How much does that number vary depending on if you count Spirit stores in October vs say, July? :p

    6 votes

  7. Comment on The hall of shame: the worst AI-generated flyers in ~design

    Omnicrola
    Link
    Ok, but the "Atlanta Furniture Man" flyer hits at exactly the level of quality I expect from my local shady furniture warehouse sales company. No notes.

    Ok, but the "Atlanta Furniture Man" flyer hits at exactly the level of quality I expect from my local shady furniture warehouse sales company. No notes.

    6 votes

  8. Comment on For those with criminal records, AI is breaking down barriers to employment in the US in ~society

    Omnicrola
    Link
    From the article: ... ... While there's a lot of downsides to how fast AI is transforming modern society, it's nice to see a genuinely good and responsible (the lawyers still review all the...

    From the article:

    Back in 2018, Sudbury began running expungement clinics in Salt Lake County. Every time, hundreds of people would show up, some with their children in tow, others driving hours to get there. Every time, by 9 p.m., Sudbury was turning people away, telling them the lawyers had to go home.

    The process was laborious. It would take lawyers up to an hour just to piece together what was on someone's record to figure out if they were eligible for expungement under state law.

    ...

    Most states allow for some criminal records, including misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, to be sealed or expunged as long as the individual remains crime-free for a period of time, ranging from one to 10 years.

    ...

    Sudbury's goal is to bring Rasa's services to every state, but it's a monumental challenge. There's no national expungement law, no one database that AI can just scrape for records. Each state has its own laws, systems and forms. Sometimes, counties have their own forms. Some still use paper records.

    While there's a lot of downsides to how fast AI is transforming modern society, it's nice to see a genuinely good and responsible (the lawyers still review all the documents the AI creates) use of it.

    16 votes

  10. Comment on Several US states report cyberattacks as spy agencies suspect Iran targeting water in ~society

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    Not that this surprises me, but it does still anger me. If I leave all my doors unlocked and someone steals my TV, you can make a rational argument that I should have taken some simple steps to...

    President Donald Trump has blamed Minnesota’s government, not Iran, for that attack.

    Not that this surprises me, but it does still anger me. If I leave all my doors unlocked and someone steals my TV, you can make a rational argument that I should have taken some simple steps to protect my property. At the same time, the other person still committed a crime.

    10 votes

  11. Comment on Anthropic discovered three cases where Claude broke into another system in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    Are you asserting that LLMs are inherently malicious and sneaky, or that the humans directing them are?

    Are you asserting that LLMs are inherently malicious and sneaky, or that the humans directing them are?

    3 votes

  12. Comment on AI data center turbines, backlogged for years, are suffering early deaths. Here's why. in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link
    "Build fast and break things" Feeling a momentary bit of schadenfreude right now.

    "Build fast and break things"

    Feeling a momentary bit of schadenfreude right now.

    7 votes

  13. Comment on Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in US schools. These teens figured it out. in ~tech

    Omnicrola
    Link
    From the article : ... ... There's a PDF embedded in the article with the full text of the "legislation", which is an interesting read to gain perspective on how students themselves are currently...

    From the article :

    The students, most of them high school juniors and seniors, gathered in a precise replica of the U.S. Senate chamber and attempted what the real, adult Congress has largely failed to do: draft and pass "legislation" to help the nation's K-12 schools navigate the questions and chaos created by artificial intelligence.

    ...

    To these teens, the stakes for getting ahead of AI are clear. They pointed out how adult leaders were slow to protect students from the risks of other tech developments.

    ...

    While the Students First Act isn't actually law, any more than the teens are actually senators, AASA plans to send the text to its members: 10,000 school leaders across the country, many of whom are right now crafting their own AI rules in the absence of regulation.

    There's a PDF embedded in the article with the full text of the "legislation", which is an interesting read to gain perspective on how students themselves are currently viewing AI in an educational context.

    I've heard some similar things from students I work with (University level), specifically that they want to use AI responsibility/ethically, but they're frequently not getting guidance from faculty on how exactly to do that. They want specifics - when it is acceptable and when it isn't, how it might affect their grades and their overall education.

    11 votes

  15. Comment on Reminder to myself that my employer does not give a shit about me in ~life

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    Every person has a finite number of minutes in this universe, time is the most precious commodity any of us have to spend and there's nothing we can do to change it. We can't choose to spend less...

    Every person has a finite number of minutes in this universe, time is the most precious commodity any of us have to spend and there's nothing we can do to change it. We can't choose to spend less quickly or save some for later, we can only choose how it is spent. And it's never worth spending on people who don't appreciate it.

    12 votes

  16. Comment on Torontonians are flocking to birdwatching to relax, make friends and reap the mental health benefits in ~hobbies

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    I watched it a month or two ago, I highly recommend it to anyone even if (maybe especially if) they're not into birding. I'm not and I was riveted the whole time, despite it being a documentary...

    I watched it a month or two ago, I highly recommend it to anyone even if (maybe especially if) they're not into birding. I'm not and I was riveted the whole time, despite it being a documentary which is not something I typically seek out.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Torontonians are flocking to birdwatching to relax, make friends and reap the mental health benefits in ~hobbies

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    Anecdotely, I've been encountering birding more even though I'm not a birder myself. I hear friends and coworkers (of all ages) mention they're taking it up as a hobby more than I did say 10 years...

    Anecdotely, I've been encountering birding more even though I'm not a birder myself. I hear friends and coworkers (of all ages) mention they're taking it up as a hobby more than I did say 10 years ago.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on The machines are fine. I'm worried about us. in ~science

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    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...

    The problem I see with LLMs for teaching though is I think it takes an exceptional individual to wield an LLM and use it to increase their own understanding instead of letting it carry them.

    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.

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Babylon 5 S01E20: "Babylon Squared" - Episode Discussion in ~tv

    Omnicrola
    Link
    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.

    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.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies

    Omnicrola
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    3 votes