pesus's recent activity
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Comment on An insight into looksmaxxxing/blackpill "ideology" in ~life
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Comment on AI populism's warning shots in ~society
pesus (edited )Link ParentRe: the textbooks - see Robert Maxwell's connection to McGraw Hill textbook publishing, Epstein, and of course Ghislaine. The ties are suspicious, to say the least. This also doesn't fit the...Re: the textbooks - see Robert Maxwell's connection to McGraw Hill textbook publishing, Epstein, and of course Ghislaine. The ties are suspicious, to say the least. This also doesn't fit the definition of an ad hominem. The point is students are largely taught a singular viewpoint in school in most cases, and the company responsible for that viewpoint has a vested interest in making sure that it's the only one even considered valid in any way. Even if there is no substantial connection there, the association with Epstein et al is enough for many to at least call into doubt what those textbooks said, especially in light of how influential Epstein et al have been in controlling the narratives in society these days (see gamergate, the recent trans panic, etc)
Speaking of ad hominem, if you're that concerned about them, I'd appreciate an actual reply to the substance of my comment rather than a few lines about alleged dog whistles. If anything, that's closer to an ad hominem. I am also concerned far more about the police murdering innocent people than I am about one person assaulting a single cop. I don't approve of either, but the scale and severity of the two are disproportionate. It's also factually true that this country was founded on violence, which it continues to praise to this day. Being able to see the direction the winds of history are blowing and how those winds pick up speed is not the same as agreeing with said winds.
Edit: in hindsight, I think this is probably where I call it quits on Tildes. This site is just turning into another HN/Reddit, and I don't really like putting in the effort into writing comments just for some AI proponent to write dismissive, insulting comments that show they clearly did not even bother to read a few sentences into my comment. I guess that's the nature of social media, though. The internet was a mistake. Leaving this here for posterity.
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Comment on AI populism's warning shots in ~society
pesus Link ParentNon-violence is the preferable route and violence should obviously only be a last resort, but I'm a bit skeptical of that book's claims, tbh. Or at least I'm not sure how much it applies in this...Non-violence is the preferable route and violence should obviously only be a last resort, but I'm a bit skeptical of that book's claims, tbh. Or at least I'm not sure how much it applies in this case.
It appears to be 15+ years old, so it won't have the full perspective of how badly Occupy Wall Street ultimately failed, or how BLM ultimately failed. Even the civil rights movement was only partially successful, and that success came at the cost of decades and centuries of millions of deaths and immense suffering, and the success only ultimately occurred due to numerous riots and a fear that the country would be destroyed after MLK's assassination.
I think it does apply more to cultural change, like you said, but even something like gay marriage being accepted took decades of tons of deaths and suffering just to reach that. Women's rights and civil rights (which I presume the book considers successes) are currently being actively rolled back, and protests are being met with violet opposition.
In regards to the AI companies currently upending the fabric of society, I don't think the young people having their futures stolen are going to be particularly receptive to the idea that if we just keep asking nicely we may be able to partially change things in 50 years or so, and that's assuming the damage can even be undone at all. On top of that, there have been practically no consequences of any kind for the perpetrators of said awful things. Why would they want to essentially roll over and take it and sacrifice their lives just because school textbooks (often controlled/written by close allies of Epstein) told them non-violent solutions are the only way? The rule of law has broken down and isn't respected by the leaders of country themselves, and those leaders constantly show that might makes right and there are no consequences as long as you succeed, so why wouldn't they also believe that?
None of this is to say that I condone or encourage violence, only that it's inevitable when you give people no other effective choice. And we are getting dangerously close to that point, if we're not there already. I am still holding on to a small glimmer of hope that we can see peaceful change, but that glimmer grows a little dimmer every day. I genuinely hope to be proven wrong and we're able to turn things around.
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Comment on AI populism's warning shots in ~society
pesus (edited )Link ParentThis is certainly not the only issue people have with generative AI. It fundamentally disgusts and puts off many people, including myself. It's the opposite of creativity and the opposite of...If people had no fear of becoming destitute or perverse incentives drowning out creative works, it would just be another creative tool on par with the synthesizer, allowing people to extend their labor and explore their creativity more freely
This is certainly not the only issue people have with generative AI. It fundamentally disgusts and puts off many people, including myself. It's the opposite of creativity and the opposite of humanity, which is an essential component of art. There are core issues with the technology itself, these issues are just greatly exacerbated by capitalism. AI "art" would still be mindless regurgitations of training data. LLMs would still make things up.
With regards to the violence being celebrated, this is just the inevitable outcome of these billionaires systematically working to destroy the lives of millions and supporting (both directly and indirectly) politicians and policies that are destabilizing society. I'm far more concerned about the millions that could/will die as a result of their actions - look at the cuts to USAID alone. Or the latest war in Iran. Or Gaza. The list goes on.
These billionaires play a direct role in making that happen, and I'm far more concerned about that violence and destroying of lives than I am about one person retaliating against someone responsible for it. When you push people too far, this result is inevitable. Historically, it's also been one of the only ways to have an effect on the wealthy and powerful, so this is nothing new. Our country was founded on it, after all. Pretty much every successful progressive movement (amongst others) has relied on violence as a tool to achieve their goals, because there's usually no other choice. Is it good that things have gone this far? No, but it's not shocking to me at all. It's also not shocking to me that people also hate the people who use AI, since they're directly and indirectly funding said billionaires - collaborators, perhaps.
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Comment on The Jackbox Party Essentials available on Netflix in ~games
pesus LinkI've always wondered why Netflix bothered adding games, but this seems like the one game that's tailor made for this.I've always wondered why Netflix bothered adding games, but this seems like the one game that's tailor made for this.
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Comment on Am I German or autistic? in ~health.mental
pesus Link ParentI've got one as well, but sometime it overlaps with my inner monologue. I think it's common amongst ADHD types.I've got one as well, but sometime it overlaps with my inner monologue. I think it's common amongst ADHD types.
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Comment on US states are learning the wrong lesson from the ‘Mississippi [reading level] miracle’ (gifted link) in ~society
pesus Link ParentI had no idea they stopped holding kids back - I remember that still being a thing when I was in elementary school in the early 2000s, so it's always confusing and concerning when I learn things...I had no idea they stopped holding kids back - I remember that still being a thing when I was in elementary school in the early 2000s, so it's always confusing and concerning when I learn things like this.
I was similarly shocked finding out that they stopped teaching phonics and stopped banning phones from schools. Such strange decisions. I'm not sure if the schools in my hometown were "behind" the times or if I merely had one of the last choppers out of Vietnam, but I feel simultaneously very lucky and very concerned for the kids who grew up with a less effective school system.
We of course have the benefit of hindsight, but it feels incredibly irresponsible and reckless to have completely upended so many aspects of the education system just because students/parents complained or one person managed to fool people into thinking phonics don't work so they can profit off of selling educational books and materials.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
pesus LinkI've never wanted a military coup more in my life. Whatever it takes to get rid of this fuck.I've never wanted a military coup more in my life. Whatever it takes to get rid of this fuck.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
pesus Link ParentA large portion of the population doesn't live anywhere near the White House. More than 10% live in California alone, and that puts us at ~3000miles/5000km away. It's not realistic. But yeah, we...A large portion of the population doesn't live anywhere near the White House. More than 10% live in California alone, and that puts us at ~3000miles/5000km away. It's not realistic.
But yeah, we pretty much are defeated.
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Comment on Disney reportedly keen on buying Fortnite developer Epic Games in ~games
pesus (edited )Link ParentThat has to be due largely to mismanagement. They're spending more than ever on an ever increasing number of collabs, which both increases costs and decreases the perceived value of collabs since...That has to be due largely to mismanagement. They're spending more than ever on an ever increasing number of collabs, which both increases costs and decreases the perceived value of collabs since they're no longer special. They're also pumping out tens (hundreds?) of millions to the "creators" of custom maps full of AI generated crap in an attempt to become Roblox, and I'm very skeptical that they're seeing any real increase in player count or retention from it.
Edit: I'm also gonna go ahead and add other parts of Epic Games' strange priorities: namely Tim Sweeney's weird pet lawsuit against Apple and their instance on having their own game store that no one wants to use despite constantly giving away free games.
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Comment on AI was eroding trust in my classroom — so I got rid of typed papers and bought my students notebooks instead in ~life
pesus Link ParentYou can absolutely do hand-written exams and assignments for most CS classes, and many of mine did, especially in the beginning of the degree. I think it was a good choice and helpful in the long...You can absolutely do hand-written exams and assignments for most CS classes, and many of mine did, especially in the beginning of the degree. I think it was a good choice and helpful in the long run. A bit tedious? Sure, but it really forces you to learn programming logic and ingrain a deeper understanding of the topics in your mind. A lot of classes (like data structures) don't necessarily need actual programming right away either.
My favorite CS professor started off his intro class with extolling the virtues of hand writing notes, and he was absolutely right. The few of us that took this to heart ended up doing very well throughout the CS program, and generally seemed to be above average in our understanding (though tbf there always seemed to be a pretty bimodal split this way, especially when it came to the weed out classes). In addition, using a laptop during class was just far too distracting for me, so it was extremely beneficial in regards to forcing me to pay attention (or at least more attention than I would've).
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Comment on Any software engineers considering a career switch due to AI? in ~comp
pesus Link ParentThis actually sounds fun for a sicko like me. If you don't mind me asking, was there anything specific you did to find/get a position at a company like that, or did you just apply like any other...This actually sounds fun for a sicko like me. If you don't mind me asking, was there anything specific you did to find/get a position at a company like that, or did you just apply like any other dev job?
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Comment on Any software engineers considering a career switch due to AI? in ~comp
pesus Link ParentThat is wild, thanks for sharing. I suddenly feel quite a bit more confident in my SQL skills.That is wild, thanks for sharing. I suddenly feel quite a bit more confident in my SQL skills.
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Comment on Any software engineers considering a career switch due to AI? in ~comp
pesus Link ParentI don't even understand how that's possible... was it querying every single table in the db or something?I don't even understand how that's possible... was it querying every single table in the db or something?
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Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown in ~society
pesus LinkI'm sure this is just one of many to come. It's hard to see how we as a country are going to recover from all of this any time soon. I try to avoid being a "doomer" (whatever that means anymore),...I'm sure this is just one of many to come. It's hard to see how we as a country are going to recover from all of this any time soon. I try to avoid being a "doomer" (whatever that means anymore), but it feels impossible not to be now. The US feels irreparably broken. There is no real opposition politically, and every politician and other figure that talked a big game during the first term seems absolutely terrified or complicit now. I don't know why everyone seemed to roll over so quickly. I would love to have a glimmer of hope in these dark times.
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Comment on Hacktivist deletes three white supremacist websites live onstage during hacker conference in ~tech
pesus Link ParentAre you under the impression that being against Nazis is mere "tribalism"?Are you under the impression that being against Nazis is mere "tribalism"?
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Comment on Without looking, do you have a vague idea of your coordinates? in ~talk
pesus LinkI have absolutely no idea, but I remember thinking the exact same thing as you when playing that game. Spoilers It's Inscryption, right? Great game, but they really should've just had him look it...I have absolutely no idea, but I remember thinking the exact same thing as you when playing that game.
Spoilers
It's Inscryption, right?Great game, but they really should've just had him look it up quickly on the internet.
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Comment on Some people can't see mental images. The consequences are profound. in ~health.mental
pesus Link ParentThis is so intriguing to me. Can you hear things in your mind? As in, either music/sounds you've previously heard, or an internal monologue?This is so intriguing to me. Can you hear things in your mind? As in, either music/sounds you've previously heard, or an internal monologue?
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Comment on Strange YouTube watch-tracking behavior in ~tech
pesus LinkI've been seeing videos I briefly clicked into and then saved to a playlist to watch later show up as partially or almost completely viewed when they shouldn't be. I mostly watch YouTube on my...I've been seeing videos I briefly clicked into and then saved to a playlist to watch later show up as partially or almost completely viewed when they shouldn't be. I mostly watch YouTube on my phone, followed by my tv, so I just assumed it was a bug in either/both of the apps. I've seen it in other streaming apps like HBO Max as well.
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Comment on US Federal Aviation Administration reducing air traffic by 10% across forty ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown in ~transport
pesus Link ParentAs much of a shitshow as it would be, I think it might get some people to finally wake up to everything going on if it starts directly affecting them.As much of a shitshow as it would be, I think it might get some people to finally wake up to everything going on if it starts directly affecting them.
I'm glad it's gaining some more traction, personally. I wonder how many more men would join in if they knew how much more physically comfortable it is having clean, moisturized skin.