protium's recent activity
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Comment on Taskmaster Season 19, Episode 1 - 'Sometimes spit.' | Full episode in ~tv
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Comment on Do dumbphones actually… work? (realistic week in the life) in ~tech
protium Link ParentI have an iPhone 15 which lets you rebind the mute button to toggle the grayscale on and off. It's nice for when you need to quickly look at something that requires color context like maps.I have an iPhone 15 which lets you rebind the mute button to toggle the grayscale on and off. It's nice for when you need to quickly look at something that requires color context like maps.
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Comment on What’s a recent “shower argument” you’ve had? in ~talk
protium Link ParentI'm definitely overselling it. There are probably more situations where the standard approach is still way faster than using an LLM to do research. I tend to just look at the references it...I'm definitely overselling it. There are probably more situations where the standard approach is still way faster than using an LLM to do research. I tend to just look at the references it provides instead of having to probe it for being more specific. That is a pain in itself. I also use local models as a glorified cntl+F for personal documents, but I doubt local models are the future tech bros envision for their product.
In university, I had a professor introduce me to the "five orders of ignorance" and I find that LLMs are great for addressing the second order of ignorance: not knowing that you don't know something. Your first example is probably how I mostly use online LLMs the most. They’re great as a starting point for research.
I'm hopeful the "next year's model" does eventually address these kinds of problems. The biggest reason I started using LLMs was because of all the issues I've had to deal with Google's declining search quality in recent years. Their ability for censorship and "thought control" are definitely the most terrifying parts of these tools becoming integrated into people's lives.
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Comment on What’s a recent “shower argument” you’ve had? in ~talk
protium LinkI've been thinking a lot about AI. How to use it ethically (if that's even possible), how it's been transformed into a commercial buzzword, but mainly its impact on education. I think AI has...I've been thinking a lot about AI. How to use it ethically (if that's even possible), how it's been transformed into a commercial buzzword, but mainly its impact on education. I think AI has proven itself to be a powerful tool, but with great power comes great responsibility, and I do not think that the average student has the capacity to use it responsibly.
If you're an inquisitive type of person, LLMs are amazing. You can research obscure concepts and process tons of information with significantly less effort than was possible without them. They allow you to skip the uninteresting, hard part of information gathering, sourcing quality documentation, and get into the parts you actually want to be using brainpower on. (I do have some concern about losing the ability to research things the old-school way. Without practicing mental skills, I've found it's easy for them to degrade, but I’m hopeful it’s more of a car/horse situation.)
I was fortunate enough to go to a wealthy enough school district and have parents that instilled the value of education in me, but I can’t really say my experience is the norm. The thing that worries me is that when I reflect on my experience in US public school, I believe that most of my peers, including myself at the time, viewed education as a tool; a mere pathway to a career to make money. Valuing knowledge came to me after years of effort put into meeting a goal of a “good life.” With LLMs offering people a shortcut, I don’t really know how we can expect people to take a more difficult approach without any immediate payout.
Most of my internal debate has been that my position on this is very cynical and elitist, I'm super biased because of my childhood, but most of the people around me have similar upbringings so it's been hard to find good counterpoints.
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DnD 5e - Do’s and don’ts as a player
I’m starting a new 5e campaign with some friends, and I think I have some performance anxiety. I’m not the most creative person, and the last thing I want to do is kill the fun. The only other...
I’m starting a new 5e campaign with some friends, and I think I have some performance anxiety. I’m not the most creative person, and the last thing I want to do is kill the fun. The only other time I've played a ttrpg was years ago in high school.
I’m curious what you all have found detracts from a session as well as any advice that enhances the experience for everyone.
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Comment on No escape, no control: there's a Severance keyboard group buy coming soon in ~tv
protium LinkIf anyone is just interested in the keycaps, these already exist. I’ve seen posts with it on the blue vortex model m clone and it has a nice retro aesthetic.If anyone is just interested in the keycaps, these already exist. I’ve seen posts with it on the blue vortex model m clone and it has a nice retro aesthetic.
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Comment on Leaker claims that a PlayStation 6 Portable is in the pipeline in ~games
protium LinkThe death of exclusives really killed the idea of owning a console for me. I have a PS5 and it just sits there. If I were using TVs instead of monitors I could maybe justify having it as a media...The death of exclusives really killed the idea of owning a console for me. I have a PS5 and it just sits there. If I were using TVs instead of monitors I could maybe justify having it as a media station, but for my use case there's really not much reason to have one when I can wait a few months to play a game on PC with an input method I prefer. The only game where I thought the console/controller added unique value was the last Spider-Man, but haptic feedback hardly justifies the price pint.
As far as handhelds go, I see the same issue if they are trying to compete with the switch. If i'm going to invest in a device it's probably best to get the one that gives me the most access to games I can't currently play.
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Comment on What's your favorite music album to get high to? in ~music
protium Link ParentThe beautiful of listing to Floyd with good headphones is finding all the instruments that you never noticed before. The fun really starts when you start to wonder what if the gibberish isn’t just...The beautiful of listing to Floyd with good headphones is finding all the instruments that you never noticed before.
The fun really starts when you start to wonder what if the gibberish isn’t just gibberish.
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Comment on What do Audible narrators sound like? in ~books
protium (edited )LinkSomewhat related, but what are people's thoughts on author-narrated audiobooks? I see a lot of value in literally having the authors voice come out through the text, but at the same time someone...Somewhat related, but what are people's thoughts on author-narrated audiobooks? I see a lot of value in literally having the authors voice come out through the text, but at the same time someone more experienced in narrating is probably better at sounding pleasing to the listener and making the content accessible.
I find that I prefer non-fiction to be author narrated, while I think there's more of an art to narration in fiction that only a good performer can bring out.
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Comment on UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill in ~tech
protium Link ParentThe anime Psycho-Pass was my initial thought when reading this article. I think I've fully transition to the 'AI is a tool' train of thought, but I genuinely don't know if it's possible for it to...The anime Psycho-Pass was my initial thought when reading this article.
I think I've fully transition to the 'AI is a tool' train of thought, but I genuinely don't know if it's possible for it to be as powerful as it is without being used to enact authoritarian control. If this gets any positive results it will be sold as some kind of panacea, and I fear the public at large does not have the technical knowledge to refute, or even care about it.
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Comment on In praise of Arcane season 2 in ~tv
protium LinkThe ending to the show has lead me to jokingly develop a theory that Act 3 spoilers all great sci-fi anime end with the human instrumentality project. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but for...The ending to the show has lead me to jokingly develop a theory that
Act 3 spoilers
all great sci-fi anime end with the human instrumentality project. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but for some reason I really connect with the idea of a villain trying to save humanity from itself. Up until the final ActI legitimately found myself routing for Vikor to save the world through space magic.By the end of the show I felt like there every character had some level of morally grayness, which is probably a big reasons I feel quite attached to the characters.
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Comment on Sony is reportedly working on a PS5 portable in ~games
protium (edited )Link ParentThat era of random proprietary formats really was peak Sony. Fortunately they've ported most popular games on there to other platforms.That era of random proprietary formats really was peak Sony. Fortunately they've ported most popular games on there to other platforms.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
protium (edited )LinkI used to have really bad posting anxiety, I would always think "why would anyone care what I have to say?" Nowadays I'm much better about it, except on platforms like discord where I kinda always...I used to have really bad posting anxiety, I would always think "why would anyone care what I have to say?" Nowadays I'm much better about it, except on platforms like discord where I kinda always worry if I'm butting in on a group of friends as an outsider.
The biggest change in my anxiety was to just actually start posting things. As bad as reddit is now, there are still some communities I feel attached to so most of my commenting is done there. I limit my posting to topics I think I know about and have something insightful to add, but I feel much more confident in sharing my ideas on things. I try to keep emotions out of arguments as much as possible, since in my experience on the internet being emotional is the best way to have what you're saying be dismissed. I use alt accounts for posts that I feel are very negative since I find people on the internet are very quick to associate you with your worst moments.
I think part of my anxiety was just due to rejection sensitivity, like the idea people disagreeing with me made me terrified that I would develop a bad reputation among that community. The way I got over that was to just inevitably post bad or controversial takes and receive flack for them. Now when I receive a lot of negative feedback on something I'm confident I'm right in I just remind myself that the average person isn't very smart. It's very elitist and arrogant, but learning to value my opinion over others was a huge lesson I learned way too late in life.
Another factor my anxiety is just my spelling and grammar. I tend to repeat words, use a lot of filler, and spend a lot of time rephrasing things so I often end up accidentally posting something that's poorly worded. I usually read my post before and after posting them so I usually catch my mistakes, but I am embarrassed having to edit a post because of my poor writing. (Edit: the irony...)
I'm relatively careful not to doxx myself or link one screen name I own to another, and I make sure to scrub some accounts every now and then. Obviously this makes it harder to make friends in those communities so I try to use my best judgement when I feel like sharing personal information can deepen a connection. I grew up with a somewhat narcissistic parent, so I am very careful on what information I disclose, but I'm not actually super worried about posting something that someone will be offended enough to harass me for. I (hopefully) have things setup in a way where I can just nuke that account and move on with my life.
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Comment on Netflix is reportedly exploring adding in-game ads to its gaming service in ~games
protium (edited )Link ParentI feel like for the less technologically literate there's not much they can do to respond to these policy changes. The whole point of these companies burning money for the sake of growth was to...I feel like for the less technologically literate there's not much they can do to respond to these policy changes. The whole point of these companies burning money for the sake of growth was to eliminate the competition and capture their consumer.
Now that these products are integrated into peoples their only option is to either pay for these degrading services or stop using them all together, and these companies know that breaking a habit is hard. Until there's a popular and convenient alternative to a service most people are going to be trapped using the products they've already learned about.
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Comment on What are your favorite aesthetics? in ~design
protium (edited )LinkI'm a big fan of Art Deco. Something about it is very grandiose and reminds me of a time where the American dream was more tangible. The symmetry and geometric shapes are just soothing.I'm a big fan of Art Deco. Something about it is very grandiose and reminds me of a time where the American dream was more tangible. The symmetry and geometric shapes are just soothing.
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How do you journal?
Apple recently released a journal app in their latest iOS update. I used to journal when I was younger and thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into it. I usually use it as a...
Apple recently released a journal app in their latest iOS update. I used to journal when I was younger and thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into it. I usually use it as a reflection of my day, but some days nothing happens and I feel like there's probably a plethora of things I could be writing about.
So for those of you who journal what do you like to write in it?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
protium Link ParentThe movement in RoboQuest is such a joy. When I first got into I thought it felt a bit floaty like borderlands, but after learning all the mechanics and discovering rocket jump it's become so much...The movement in RoboQuest is such a joy. When I first got into I thought it felt a bit floaty like borderlands, but after learning all the mechanics and discovering rocket jump it's become so much fun to just zip through levels.
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Comment on Ask Anime Recommendation thread in ~anime
protium Link ParentThe first show I though of after your first paragraph was Horimiya. It is so wholesome. If you haven't checked out Toradora! yet, it meets your criteria perfectly. Clannad is also a classic...The first show I though of after your first paragraph was Horimiya. It is so wholesome.
If you haven't checked out Toradora! yet, it meets your criteria perfectly.
Clannad is also a classic wholesome romcom, though if you have any interest in visual novels that's probably the better option.
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Comment on Instagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, is available now in ~tech
protium Link ParentIt's interesting how they're advertising as a Instagram app, instead of a Meta or Facebook product. While I do think this more appealing to non-tech users compared to the fediverse options, I...It's interesting how they're advertising as a Instagram app, instead of a Meta or Facebook product. While I do think this more appealing to non-tech users compared to the fediverse options, I still see this going the way of Lasso.
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Comment on What consumeristic and somewhat pointless hobby do you have? in ~hobbies
protium Link ParentI've falled out of love with fountain pens, but I attribute a big part of my success in university to collecting them. I loved trying out fancy shimmer inks, color coding my notes, and playing...I've falled out of love with fountain pens, but I attribute a big part of my success in university to collecting them. I loved trying out fancy shimmer inks, color coding my notes, and playing around with flex nibs.
Even though the Pilot VP was my holy grail pen, I found myself mostly using various colors of Twisbi Ecos since they were so easy to fill and hold.
I think the real danger with fountain pens is with all the adjacent supplies. Special inks, bleed-proof paper, and all the unique nibs really do add up especially when you want to try out everything the hobby has to offer.
Personally I find the asymmetric format for team tasks odd, but that's taking the game too seriously tbf.