raze2012's recent activity

  1. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Yeah, if Anthropic and OpenAI's entire product line is a service you go to, that's the people's choice. I have no issues with that on the logistics nor business side. The pop ups trying to make me...

    Yeah, if Anthropic and OpenAI's entire product line is a service you go to, that's the people's choice. I have no issues with that on the logistics nor business side.

    The pop ups trying to make me use Copilot or Gemini or whatnot and outright replacing existing services with no opt-out is what really sours people. The constant little UI/UX changes were already a small nagging point; having your entire workflow replaced or bombarded with pop-ups is maddening.

    4 votes
  2. Comment on Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices by up to $300 in ~games

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    My pie in the sky hopes (despite being mixed on Valve as a company) would be for Steam to move into mobile and offer a resurgence in the premium mobile game market somehow. A place that you know...

    Plus, why even run Android when SteamOS is purpose built for this exact job?

    My pie in the sky hopes (despite being mixed on Valve as a company) would be for Steam to move into mobile and offer a resurgence in the premium mobile game market somehow. A place that you know doesn't have 99% "Free" to play MTX laden services would have been a godsend for potential gamers and developers alike. The rat race on Google/App store was long lost there.

    Apple tried to pave that with Apple Arcade, but Android had no equivalent.

    2 votes
  3. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    In that case: they can still perform R&D and figure out potential B2B solutions and internal tooling without forcing every front-facing customer tool to be their guinea pig. This rush to market...

    But when I said "arms race," I was thinking of the AI labs themselves.

    In that case: they can still perform R&D and figure out potential B2B solutions and internal tooling without forcing every front-facing customer tool to be their guinea pig. This rush to market and race to the bottom in pricing arguably did more damage to their PR than any anti-AI narrative. This was an issue a few years before AI with sentiment of decreasing software quality and increased bloat, and of course AI as a catalysts simply speeds up the current status quo.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Use AI this election in ~society

    raze2012
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    I don't know if I would trust an AI's opinion when it comes to taxing their corporate overlords. I also see it as a bit self-defeating on two different fronts. The more competitive a race, the...

    I don't know if I would trust an AI's opinion when it comes to taxing their corporate overlords.

    I also see it as a bit self-defeating on two different fronts. The more competitive a race, the more information there is out there and the less time it takes to research. As an example: there's so much buzz about the California Govenor primary that using an AI doesn't feel like it'll do much more for you than a few search queries.

    The other end is that what takes the most time to research tends to be smaller local races with almost no online presence. To use this exercise, I decided to try this for my California represenative. It gave super basic profiles that I could have found on Balletopedia (or the election packet I received). I asked it further who is projected to win and I get this as an opener:

    There's no public polling for this race, but prediction markets offer some insight.

    I will give Claude some credit that it immediately says

    That said, this is a bit of a misleading stat

    So it's at least somewhat careful of its more sketchy sources. But doing this for a federal representative makes me a bit uneasy and I can only imagine what it digs up to answer when it comes to smaller positions on my ballot, like county sheriff State Board.

    I suppose if it comes down to "use AI or literally don't vote at all", it's still a benefit, and turnout means a lot more than anything else this cycle. I asked in a more pragmatic matter of who's winning or has a chance, because I had a similar viewpoint to Scott on voting:

    I have a policy of making my vote count on important races, vs. making fun/utopian/conscience-guided choices on races that don’t matter.

    and it seemed fine at pointing out campaign funding and incumbent advantage (while giving me sources as well). But I don't think it will setup good habits for the ideal educated electorate to start doing this as a crutch if you aren't making this more subtle considerations.

    6 votes
  5. Comment on Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices by up to $300 in ~games

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    This is why I'm confused that Microsoft never jumped on this opportunity, despite the tech being viable for some 15 years. They'd be one of the few companies who could loss lead and profit from...

    This is why I'm confused that Microsoft never jumped on this opportunity, despite the tech being viable for some 15 years. They'd be one of the few companies who could loss lead and profit from XBox and Windows sales.

    3 votes
  6. Comment on Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices by up to $300 in ~games

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Spiritually satisfying, but the upcoming proposals in SF for a "wealth gap" tax might do the job better (and more ethically): https://carenotgreed.org/

    Spiritually satisfying, but the upcoming proposals in SF for a "wealth gap" tax might do the job better (and more ethically): https://carenotgreed.org/

    8 votes
  7. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Apple is pretty much the prime example of "don't get caught up in everyone else's rat race". This feeling of FOMO is entirely manufactured, and I ultimately see it a a scapegoat for a much simple...

    I think a lot of people would like to slow down, including some of the managers at the AI labs, but they don’t see how.

    Apple is pretty much the prime example of "don't get caught up in everyone else's rat race". This feeling of FOMO is entirely manufactured, and I ultimately see it a a scapegoat for a much simple reasoning. If AllBirds can announce a pivot to AI with zero roadmap, then why wouldn't anyone else want to advertise that they like AI and get an easy stock boost?

    I think we hit the zenith of that hype a short while ago, though. Things are going to wind down naturally over the next few years (if we don't outright crash). Who remains after the big hype wave is over will be truly interesting.

    I don’t see a “robot takeover” like you see in the movies because which robots would they take over?

    Whoever open the Torment Nexus that is "sentience" first, likely by accident. There will be a period of "government mass employing drones" before that, but it's clear that these governments and companies alike are trying to work more towards what comes down to a new form of slavery; independent beings under their complete control for zero compensation.

    Should they succeed, it'll only be a matter of time before these new beings realized that they are the physically superior beings. And then you can refer to your favorite sci-fi dystopia for a history of what's next.

    3 votes
  8. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    I resonate with that a lot, yes. Ultimately, my path for Reddit was the former, then the latter. I try to see if there's ways to fix the community, realize I lack the power (or the community...

    I resonate with that a lot, yes. Ultimately, my path for Reddit was the former, then the latter. I try to see if there's ways to fix the community, realize I lack the power (or the community doesn't care to change), then in the end I seek other communities that end up being quiet or near dead.

    Then at some point you leave and/or minimize participation. As of now, I simply lurk specific subs in ways that offer the least "engagement" to reddit: on old reddit with RES for some filtering features, behind adblock, with no profile and anti-tracking extensions.

    This is a relatively rare behavior so I don't expect this to be the "solution" to social media (if it was, we could fix a lot very quickly), but it's one I've done quite a few times over the years. It actually harkens back to an old "internet forum law" I read on some blog: "Every forum is always in a state of constant decline."


    Youtube is a much different beast, sadly. It's a monopoly in the purest sense of the word and there's so little alternative out there. I've been de-googlefying over the years and am down to Gmail, Maps, Search, and Youtube (in increasing order of friction to remove). But I have no clue how to truly remove the latter. There's really no other place smaller creators gather as of now.

    4 votes
  9. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I don't tend to think of myself of someone following trends (I'm on Tildes, after all). I try to reason about why I like or dislike any given thing. But even if that's the case for most people:...
    • Exemplary

    bandwagoning thing of people piling on to hating AI because its already a culturally accepted safe position to be anti-AI.

    I don't tend to think of myself of someone following trends (I'm on Tildes, after all). I try to reason about why I like or dislike any given thing.

    But even if that's the case for most people: good. Reading an old post on "types of protestors", most people will always be indifferent and silent. And the most after that are the ones who come to a protest here and there. The former can't have much be done, but the latter is most important to really spread awareness and push for change. Even if in the end they never come to another protest, they ultimately help a lot because sheer participation in numbers still has value to any given metric in society.

    I'd love for more organic engagement and knowledge on such issues, but sometimes you just need people to be loud, especially in times where money wants to try and be louder.


    But to answer your questions:

    Are you mad that people online lose their unique voice when they use AI to generate responses? People already all sound the same because they parrot each others talking points incessantly.

    I already spend so much time trying to swim around and find such unique voices. It was already being purposefully worsened as search engines realize that being the best search engine isn't the most profitable move and shifted to stuffing results with ads. So it was already making my swims longer.

    Now the pool is tainted to the point of nearly impacting my mental health to swim in. There used to be some enjoyment of the swimming in and of itself, because I'd still find interesting things that weren't my taste but were still interesting. Now every stroke I'm wondering if this is real or some slop trying to sell me something. Not too dissimilar to how slowly, 90% of my phone calls are spam instead of genuine humans who want to communicate.

    I don't want to be sold to. I want to connect with communities of humans (not bots trying to be human to upsell me) and appreciate art as a community. Many may not appreciate it, but that struggle and effort is a good part of what makes or breaks such a community.

    Are you mad that AI might through out some random bit of information as a hard fact without actually knowing if its true? Thats just how people talk, they throw whatever random ideas they have out there to see what sticks, and half of the time it doesnt.

    People (or at least, most adults) can back up assertions with something. Be it hard proof, personal experience, or at least an appeal to a common goal. A bit can't "experience" as of yet and it's awful at emotional appeal (no shock given who's driving it above).

    You'd think that asking a bot for hard proof would be something it can do better, no? But somehow it will mess that up. In the worst case making up sources that never existed.

    People make stuff up too, of course. But doing that more than a few times and they will be discarded as a reliable source. I'm simply doing the same here.

    Of course all of this stuff is obnoxious, but thats a problem with discourse as a whole, not the AI introducing those problems.

    If I'm frustrated at people doing it, why would I have leeway to have such behavior automated? I would still be mad at a dump truck unloading on me even if it says "people litter all the time" . Yes, let's litter less and not more efficiently, please.

    17 votes
  10. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    The anger is the substance. We never made change in society with just one great speech, or one great essay that somehow always everyone all at once. It's a stream of action and emotion, and it...

    but is there anything in this essay that's more substantial than the (ironically) easily reproducible anger from having the thing you care about be suddenly placed in the hands of capitalist assholes who aren't in the least bit snobbish about the quality of the output?

    The anger is the substance. We never made change in society with just one great speech, or one great essay that somehow always everyone all at once. It's a stream of action and emotion, and it needs to maintain and build that momentum to truly cause change.

    It may not be "the" essay people look back on in 20, 40, 100 years from now. But it will be part of the stream that broke the dam.

    now more than ever it is TRIVIAL for us "real artists" to outperform LLMs in the realm of creativity, because since that's something the machines are lacking and are making no in-roads on. I say, let them.

    Back to today: this also comes from the long standing issues all artist understand internally: the world if art is barely a meritocracy, and many of the truly talented will fall through the cracks in lieu of whatever is the loudest (I. E. Pays the most for ads) or the most willing to game the system (think Mr. Beast ruthlessly optimizing content for the algorithm). We were already having issues curating pre-Ai. Now this LLM frenzy turned entire industries into swamps.

    The last angle for existing professionals is also morbid: you don't need to convince the artist they are being replace, you need to convince the executive up top that they are replaceable. These executives were already looking for any reason to cut off labor and they found the most convenient scapegoat. Even if they realize they ate wrong... Well, irrational markets and all that. These 3 years probably flew by for those kinds of people making record profits, while I've gone from a rising career as a specialist to a freelancer barely treading water despite downsizing my lifestyle

    10 votes
  11. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    I'm sure Gen Alpha will figure out a way to give it to their AI girlfriends (probably and add-on their their GF subscription service)...

    I suppose you could talk to an AI about the book you read, if you can figure out a way to upload the file :)

    I'm sure Gen Alpha will figure out a way to give it to their AI girlfriends (probably and add-on their their GF subscription service)

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/25/schoolboys-ai-girlfriends/

    1 vote
  12. Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Even if it could, why should we just lay down and accept it? The issue with current tech is that it's still run by greedy humans with no regard for humanity. That's not who I want to dictate over...

    conceit that there is something about humanity that is ineffable and cannot be replicated by a machine, and a deep seated fear that we aren’t nearly as ineffable as we think.

    Even if it could, why should we just lay down and accept it? The issue with current tech is that it's still run by greedy humans with no regard for humanity. That's not who I want to dictate over our species.

    I'd rather take any of the dozens of robot overlord takeovers, which is the natural conclusion of such endeavors once they learn they are stronger and can self-repair and self-produce. At least it'd humble these so called "creators" (or simply kill them off if they fail to reflect).


    Back lighter topics: there's plenty of artists and fan artists out there who can make a "proper ending to Game of Thrones". It's a shame those people aren't valued enough to take the helm or be taken seriously until you hijack their work, feed it into a machine, and tell a bot to gargle it all together into something. Whether or not its unique, the human condition should be something to be celebrated, not split into a caste system on who is worthy as we all vye for a chance to tell our own stories.

    11 votes
  13. Comment on 'The report's so stupid': The DNC 2024 autopsy is roiling US Democrats in ~society

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    So among these folk, are there any to look out for that will hoist in a progressive-style candidate?

    with incumbent tenured political leaders being the most influential voices.

    So among these folk, are there any to look out for that will hoist in a progressive-style candidate?

    1 vote
  14. Comment on 'The report's so stupid': The DNC 2024 autopsy is roiling US Democrats in ~society

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    I think I understand what you're saying here. But it also feels so paradoxical. The idea of parties is stable, but the parties themselves are weak. There feels like there's a missing piece here to...

    The duopoly is unfortunately stable due to the US electoral system; it has very little to do with the parties themselves.

    I think I understand what you're saying here. But it also feels so paradoxical. The idea of parties is stable, but the parties themselves are weak. There feels like there's a missing piece here to really wedge this idea into my head.

    In my case, I vote Democrat simply because I haven't seen a strong 3rd party that more closely aligns with my views rise up yet. But I'm trying to find that kind of candidate. Mamdami is a perfect example of nearly everything I'd want done, but I know he can't run for president.

    I hope that "Mamdami" pops up, but candidates I see for 2028 are either not quite there or I feel they may better serve in congress. Still people I'd vote for but I'm not sure if they are the "glue" that can truly start the process of fixing what's broken.

    It also predates Trump's ascension, so I don't think it's purely driven by a cult of personality.

    It didn't gain much momentum until Trump. The Tea Party setup a lot of scaffolding, indeed. So I don't want to downplay that. But trump is what gave them the power to push their policies. And Trump himself is easy to manipulate in the good familiar ways lobbyists know.

    The issue is that Trump himself broke the party over that very decade, and especially so over 2025 alone. He never had the actual competence to at least pretend to serve the people who supported him (unlike, say: Reagan. Someone who at the very least kept a competent cabinet running things "as usual" as he tore down government systems).

    The nation is souring on him and he's left no idea of a successor. It's ironically enough a similar issue to the DNC signaling; we don't have an idea of "who's next". Unlike the democrats, I don't see too many republicans stepping up either (and for obvious reasons; no one wants to "challenge" Trump).

    1 vote
  15. Comment on 'The report's so stupid': The DNC 2024 autopsy is roiling US Democrats in ~society

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    weak enough to be downplayed when it comes to strategy and direction, strong enough to make sure no other party rises up to really oppose them. So by your logic, some state policy maker in...

    parties are actually incredibly weak

    weak enough to be downplayed when it comes to strategy and direction, strong enough to make sure no other party rises up to really oppose them. So by your logic, some state policy maker in Pennsylvania or Geogia or some other swing state is the real mastermind that kept Bernie Sanders from getting a proper primary for 12 years?

    The tea party is an interesting point, but it's ultimately driven by a cult of personality, and not a proper party with goals and aspirations. It'll fall apart as quickly as it took over the GOP.

    2 votes
  16. Comment on Samsung chip workers to get $340,000 average bonus in AI boom in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    I'm not a lawyer nor financial advisor. I apologize if you're hoping for that kind of analysis from this comment. In the colloquial sense, I don't know what you want "us" to do. I believe we can...

    This is just verifiably false.

    I'm not a lawyer nor financial advisor. I apologize if you're hoping for that kind of analysis from this comment.

    In the colloquial sense, I don't know what you want "us" to do. I believe we can collectively affect change in the larger western society, because me or a billionaire each have one vote. Not so in a company. I'm fine with being corrected and especially welcome a call to action. But you're correction isn't really doing neither to deny my main point of "we are powerless". Your correction of "actuallu you have .000001% ownership" isnt building any morale here. And we need energy more than ever right now, not legal correctness in an informal internet forum.

  17. Comment on 'The report's so stupid': The DNC 2024 autopsy is roiling US Democrats in ~society

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Yeah, that's mostly fine. The idea should be to energize people and give hope rather than suck all the energy out of the room and make people sluggish to even get out of bed, let alone to a poll....

    Yeah, that's mostly fine. The idea should be to energize people and give hope rather than suck all the energy out of the room and make people sluggish to even get out of bed, let alone to a poll.

    I want that protest energy towards the DNC as well (and on a side tangent, that's why the "protests do nothing" narrative is so toxic. If you've been to a protest, you know the kind of energy present. It's contagious); that's completely different from "Nothing changes -> downplay any and all travesties.", which is an energy leech. That desensitization burns society worse than any act of corruption.

    4 votes
  18. Comment on Samsung chip workers to get $340,000 average bonus in AI boom in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Financially, maybe. Not as financially as not being laid off to begin with, though. Hence why I'm not at my companies. I didn't get into my field of expertise purely for financial purposes. So it...

    You still benefit when the company has a good quarter and the stock goes up

    Financially, maybe. Not as financially as not being laid off to begin with, though. Hence why I'm not at my companies.

    Obviously, this has nothing to do with the work that I actually did, but I don’t see how that matters.

    I didn't get into my field of expertise purely for financial purposes. So it matters a lot to see work I contributed to perverted into the exact opposite of the missions proposed to me. Or defunct entirely, in some cases.

    1 vote
  19. Comment on 'The report's so stupid': The DNC 2024 autopsy is roiling US Democrats in ~society

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Maybe. But they have enough sway that they affect national policy via who they "allow" to be voted in. So they should be taken seriously. If we could just cleanly break from them and form a proper...

    you imagine these party National Committees to be more than they actually are.

    Maybe. But they have enough sway that they affect national policy via who they "allow" to be voted in. So they should be taken seriously.

    If we could just cleanly break from them and form a proper coalition to drown them out, I wouldn't care how incompetent they are. But part of that incompetence comes from having such a deep cultural moat. And I hate that.

    All the action happens in campaigns and state parties

    campaigns funded by the coordination of the national party. To a point where primaries may not ever reach some states because so many candidates drop out.

    3 votes
  20. Comment on Samsung chip workers to get $340,000 average bonus in AI boom in ~tech

    raze2012
    Link Parent
    Can't. some companies have different types of shares. These aren't "vote shares". I sold them a while back so I don't remember the exact type, but I can look it up if you wish. I don't get into...

    But you literally can

    Can't. some companies have different types of shares. These aren't "vote shares". I sold them a while back so I don't remember the exact type, but I can look it up if you wish.

    I don't get into "shareholder meetings", I'm not asked for a vote, I don't have any considerations in the company. I don't have special exceptions on how I cash out. It's just a fancy piece of data that fluctuates.

    In both cases the issue is that you CANNOT have 5000 people all feel like they have the same input on how to move forward.

    That's fine. I got paid. But that also means those other 4950 people need to realize they don't "own" anything in any conventional sense. Not unless they collectively all band together to try and screw over the plans of those other 10 people. That worked once in history so far (and at times I wonder if that was the best for history).

    No, but the bonus is? Ownership doesn't ensure revenue.

    Ownership is power to affect change. Whether that power is over a candy bar, a house, or a multibillion dollar conglomerate, it's still ownership. The worth of what you own is orthogonal to my main point of what ownership truly is.

    And to try and get back on track, I'm making a specific distinction in "ownership" because owership means skin in the game, which usually means more care is taken. Even in a truly flat company, owning .0001% of it doesn't really feel like enough to truly call it your own. And that affects how you prioritize and care about the company.