pumpkin-eater's recent activity
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Comment on René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, announced he was resigning from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations that he had physically abused his staff in ~food
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Comment on Can coding agents relicense open source through a “clean room” implementation of code? in ~comp
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentMissing context, perhaps: it was a wholly client-side javascript application so the source code was available to the LLM to copy. The fact that the datastructures were copied is what tells me the...Missing context, perhaps: it was a wholly client-side javascript application so the source code was available to the LLM to copy. The fact that the datastructures were copied is what tells me the source code was used.
Edit: for clarity, I'm not claiming this is identical to what is happening with chardet, but I think these are all echoes of the same fundamental issue of LLMs and copyright-washing (first in training, now in application). If these cases are ruled as legal, what does it mean for the whole concept of copyright?
I think doing this to gratis/libre software is especially galling because we're really not asking for much. Often we're simply asking for people to credit us with our work, or to pay forward the benefits they got back/forward by sharing the improvements they've built on top of our work.
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Comment on Can coding agents relicense open source through a “clean room” implementation of code? in ~comp
pumpkin-eater LinkThis whole subject really depresses me, especially because it hits close to home: somebody used AI tools to clone one of my free projects after I refused their demand to open source it under...- Exemplary
This whole subject really depresses me, especially because it hits close to home: somebody used AI tools to clone one of my free projects after I refused their demand to open source it under threat of AI cloning (they wanted to put it into their site as if they'd created it, rather than linking to my site - I knew they'd do the exact same thing if I open sourced it, which I had originally planned before realising that's exactly what they'd do, and cut me out other than a source of free labour).
Their clone was comprehensive, all the way down to my file format, the features they said were pointless and wanted me to remove, and the in-application Help features. But they have a bigger audience. To make matters worse, they also had the gall to credit me as the developer of the "initial prototype".
Given the courts seem unlikely to come down against LLM companies training on material they don't have rights to use, I'm not holding my breath that this sort of license-washing will fare any better.
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Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentThis is really fun, thanks for posting it! I've tried to come up with ideas for word games but was stumped and started to think all the ideas had already been made into games, it's great to know...This is really fun, thanks for posting it! I've tried to come up with ideas for word games but was stumped and started to think all the ideas had already been made into games, it's great to know that other people don't have this problem :-)
What I couldn't figure out is whether it's a good thing to get a high score, or a bad thing (i.e. does getting a low score actually mean you're more creative with your language instinctually? It'd be fun to play the game in reverse)
P.S. I think the answers should be shown immediately... I suspected (and confirmed) that LLMs are very good at the game, so if somebody's wanting to cheat that's probably the easiest way to do it
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Comment on Ian McKellen does relevant Shakespeare on Stephen Colbert in ~society
pumpkin-eater Link ParentGreat find! Here it is on YouTube for people who avoid Meta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsbW-3pTvhAGreat find! Here it is on YouTube for people who avoid Meta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsbW-3pTvhA
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Comment on USB-C PD all the things! in ~tech
pumpkin-eater LinkThis is a really cool idea, but the interface seems like a mistake, there's no way to physically see what voltage a given adapter is going to deliver unless you plug in a meter. You could make a...This is a really cool idea, but the interface seems like a mistake, there's no way to physically see what voltage a given adapter is going to deliver unless you plug in a meter. You could make a simple mistake and push 24V when you thought it was configured for 12V... dip switches seem like they'd be a better approach here, no?
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Comment on Is there a service that a regular joe can use to provide subs or dubbing for a movie? in ~movies
pumpkin-eater Link ParentIf it's content you hold rights to, yes. Expect something on the order of £3000/hour. As far as I know, Voquent will do one-offs (I'm tangentially involved in the space, never worked with Voquent...If it's content you hold rights to, yes. Expect something on the order of £3000/hour.
As far as I know, Voquent will do one-offs (I'm tangentially involved in the space, never worked with Voquent - I do automation of project submissions for dubs & subs for clients with pre-existing commercial agreements with the translation houses)
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater LinkA personal ISS with a spin gravity section, a big observation bubble, a telescope+camera, and a lifetime ticket for free rocket journeys for me & my immediate family to it. Also: R&D on a compact...A personal ISS with a spin gravity section, a big observation bubble, a telescope+camera, and a lifetime ticket for free rocket journeys for me & my immediate family to it.
Also: R&D on a compact all-terrain poo-locating-and-scooping robot for our dogs
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
pumpkin-eater Link ParentIf they actually believe what they're wishing for, it seems awfully philanthropic...If they actually believe what they're wishing for, it seems awfully philanthropic...
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Comment on Tilde is kill? in ~tildes
pumpkin-eater Link ParentWhat I do with DNS challenge is run cert renewal scripts via cron on a different machine, and then rsync the certs over to the webserversWhat I do with DNS challenge is run cert renewal scripts via cron on a different machine, and then rsync the certs over to the webservers
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Comment on ‘Don’t ever assume there’s anything to eat!’ Twenty-nine tips for perfect vegan holidays, from where to go to how to order. in ~food
pumpkin-eater Link ParentJainism takes more of this approach of respecting all life rather than just animal life, worrying about the impacts of their actions (e.g. about harming insects in the soil, even avoiding killing...Jainism takes more of this approach of respecting all life rather than just animal life, worrying about the impacts of their actions (e.g. about harming insects in the soil, even avoiding killing entire plants). I've always thought it a fascinating philosophy.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentThis is just standard epidemiology... these sorts of events cause both excess mortality (people who die now who would otherwise have died much later) and displaced mortality (moving forward deaths...This is just standard epidemiology... these sorts of events cause both excess mortality (people who die now who would otherwise have died much later) and displaced mortality (moving forward deaths that would otherwise have happened in the near future).
It's bad (useless, really) reporting not to go into detail. The answer is air conditioning (long-term it's emissions controls, but we all know how that's going...). How do you overcome our European bias against AC? Show people that they are in danger from these events. If you don't give people the information they'll just handwave it away and not take any action.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link ParentI think that's a very uncharitable interpretation of what I said. What exactly makes you think I am wanting to shrug off deaths? edit to expand on this: Reuters is quoting scientists, but the...I think that's a very uncharitable interpretation of what I said. What exactly makes you think I am wanting to shrug off deaths?
edit to expand on this: Reuters is quoting scientists, but the information in the story is abstract and limited: in particular it's not actionable. Everybody knows that heat waves kill people. The models the scientists are using will take into account who is most at risk. Those people need to see that so that they have a reason to buy air conditioning units that overcomes their bias against it.
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Comment on Scientists estimate European heatwave caused 2,300 deaths last week in ~enviro
pumpkin-eater LinkWhat isn't clear from this reporting is how many of these are excess deaths, vs just moving forward deaths that would have happened in the next few weeks/months anywayWhat isn't clear from this reporting is how many of these are excess deaths, vs just moving forward deaths that would have happened in the next few weeks/months anyway
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Comment on Apple overhauls EU App Store rules following penalty in ~tech
pumpkin-eater (edited )LinkAs a heavy Apple user for most of my life, my view of the company has significantly changed because of this - the level of constant petty malicious compliance makes them look weak (and tasteless)As a heavy Apple user for most of my life, my view of the company has significantly changed because of this - the level of constant petty malicious compliance makes them look weak (and tasteless)
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Comment on What are your favorite vegan pre-packaged foods? in ~food
pumpkin-eater LinkIn the UK/Ireland, Marks & Spencer do a really good vegan "no chicken kyivs", they've got a really nice texture and a fantastic garlic flavour - I prefer them to chicken kyiv.In the UK/Ireland, Marks & Spencer do a really good vegan "no chicken kyivs", they've got a really nice texture and a fantastic garlic flavour - I prefer them to chicken kyiv.
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Comment on I think I’m done thinking about genAI for now in ~comp
pumpkin-eater (edited )Link Parent"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.", as Blaise Pascal so beautifully put it.Unfairly, those of us with ADHD can write walls of text and often struggle to read a few paragraphs unless highly motivated.
"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.", as Blaise Pascal so beautifully put it.
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Comment on Ukraine destroys more than forty military aircraft in a drone attack deep inside Russia in ~news
pumpkin-eater Link Parent(as you no doubt already know) they don't even have the option to replace them because they don't have any active production bombers (aside from technically the Tu-160). Reducing air-launched...I think the Russian’s likely counter would be to ramp up the use of drone warfare rather than attempting to replace very expensive bombers.
(as you no doubt already know) they don't even have the option to replace them because they don't have any active production bombers (aside from technically the Tu-160).
Reducing air-launched ballistic and cruise missile volume in exchange for more focus on drones seems like a good tradeoff for Ukraine since that means Russia will be using slower-moving drones launched closer to the front-line with smaller payloads.
And, of course, it also increases stress and maintenance burden on the remaining bomber fleet.
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Comment on Ukraine destroys more than forty military aircraft in a drone attack deep inside Russia in ~news
pumpkin-eater Link ParentSounds like a prime target for a drone swarm... either the device first or the power source first. You'll no doubt also need a radar to identify and track the drones, too, so you've introduced a...Heavy, expensive and requires a lot of power
Sounds like a prime target for a drone swarm... either the device first or the power source first. You'll no doubt also need a radar to identify and track the drones, too, so you've introduced a nice strong radiating source...
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Comment on What are some good vegan substitutes for cheese? in ~food
pumpkin-eater LinkI'm not vegan but I know (processed-food type) vegans and I enjoy trying vegan alternatives. I share your experience, there just aren't any good vegan cheese simulacrums yet. Unlike meat, where...I'm not vegan but I know (processed-food type) vegans and I enjoy trying vegan alternatives.
I share your experience, there just aren't any good vegan cheese simulacrums yet. Unlike meat, where (IMHO anyway) the Burger King & McDonalds plant-based patties are superior to their beef patties, all vegan cheese substitutes range from repulsive (for me, it's plant-based Babybel which has the mouthfeel and taste of eating a candle) to simply boring and insipid (Violife). I assume it's just too complicated a combination of flavours to replicate currently.
A friend who enjoys Violife hasn't had cheese for so long that I think he simply doesn't have a point of comparison anymore, and is just enjoying it as a novel non-cheese snack food. I could be totally wrong on that, but hard and mature cheeses are life for me.
He is American and I'm European, so could also be a general difference in cheese cultures (pun neither intended nor regretted).
Your feeling is backed-up, I think, by the language he used in his weird documentary-style announcement to staff where he said they'd still see him around just not in the same way, and he was going to plan the next chapter.