raze2012's recent activity
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
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Comment on A college girl was exploited on camera. A network of anonymous men got to work. in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentI'm disappointed, but not surprised. I think what pisses me off more is how utterly uncoopoerative the university was in all of this. They dropped the investigation in a few weeks, and then 9...I'm disappointed, but not surprised.
I think what pisses me off more is how utterly uncoopoerative the university was in all of this. They dropped the investigation in a few weeks, and then 9 months of police investigation later some of the alleged perpetrators were suspected to be using University IP addresses to shoot the video and share it. Then they just clam up whenever asked of anything else.
It's all pretty confusing until you realize the alleged perpetrators were all sports players. Gotta protect their money makers at all costs, I suppose. I wonder if the university could be fined for such a shoddy investigation?
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Comment on There is no epidemic of loneliness, but there is an epidemic of social scurvy in ~life
raze2012 Linkhaving more and a larger variety of community events would certainly help a lot in this regard. Especially events that aren't necessarily catered to "the whole family"; people raising families...having more and a larger variety of community events would certainly help a lot in this regard. Especially events that aren't necessarily catered to "the whole family"; people raising families likely are less lonely to begin with, after all. So more events targeting that mid 20's to 30's crowd experiencing this phenomenon the worst would be a good step.
My suburb specifically doesn't have much of a night life if you're not into bar culture; 90% of everything else closes by 9pm, so you basically need to travel downtown for anything late night. But then the bus schedules also don't run much later (9-10pm) and trains to and from downtown stop around midnight. So you either need to drive or have a taxi ready. Yet rideshares are only exploding in cost, so...
You see how this keeps going. There's no infrastructure around gathering youth and the friction to get over it only increases, but physically and economically. This was fine in times where most people needed to overcome such friction to function in society, but now they don't. Local governments who want to overcome such issues (which to be frank: I'm not convinced they truly care about) need to lower this friction as much as possible for a start.
On another note, I also notice that most events I go to are simply less frequent. I remember post-COVID there were weekly meetups in quite a few places and I got to know some people. Now it seems pretty much any given thing is monthly. And that doesn't really seem to be enough to truly bond with someone.
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Comment on Brad Pitt returning for ‘World War Z’ sequel at Paramount with Edward Berger to direct in ~movies
raze2012 Link ParentReminds me a bit of the issue Narnia ran into. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was an absolute smash hit, but the big issue is that this is not a series following all 4 main leads. The 2nd...Reminds me a bit of the issue Narnia ran into. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was an absolute smash hit, but the big issue is that this is not a series following all 4 main leads. The 2nd book would be fine, but the 3rd book only had 2 of the 4 leads in it. It would have only gotten worse if the other 4 books were adapted into movie.
Maybe movies still could have worked if they explained this properly. But making a series instead would alleviate such issues and demonstrate that this is more about the world of Narnia than about the adventures of the 4 children.
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Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentI cannot talk for Patrick Boyle, but all I said on the matter is "I do not trust these frontier leaders". At this point I don't see why I need to make more argument if this conversation is simply...I cannot talk for Patrick Boyle, but all I said on the matter is "I do not trust these frontier leaders".
At this point I don't see why I need to make more argument if this conversation is simply going the direction of "but don't say anything without proof". I'll just leave it at that and you're free to (dis)trust whoever you want.
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Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentDepends on the nature of the work. Overall, the idea that AI can replace decades of research implies that all the answers to these unsolved problems lies hidden in data already made, and no new...effectively building on all the mathematical research that came before doesn’t make AI any less formidable as a mathematician.
Depends on the nature of the work. Overall, the idea that AI can replace decades of research implies that all the answers to these unsolved problems lies hidden in data already made, and no new data will ever be needed again. Which I find doubtful.
The big issue here is partially in your language here: AI didn't "build" upon the solution by itself. I doubt if you gave any other math institution not directly working on this problem the same AI, that they could solve the problem in anywhere close to 4 days/$20m of processing. To use a common metaphor, the AI was a fancy calculator being given specific inputs, and making intermediate outputs (leading to more inputs). I don't think most people would give the calculator the primary credit here.
As of now AI cannot really create new ideas out of what I've heard called "the creative void". That is human ingenuity AI has yet to replicate. AI instead is really good at synthesizing a mass amount data and revealing trends among it. And we do have a lot of data to synthesize, so this is very valuable. But conflating such synthesis to "creation" doesn't really help the larger conversation against whether AI is here to "give untold efficiency boosts to labor" vs. "replace the entire labor force and bring about a new age of feudalism".
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Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentI don't know any of these people personally, so I can only judge by actions. Maybe tomorrow I can find some more solid reporting on these people's histories. But my emotional sentiments made above...I don't know any of these people personally, so I can only judge by actions. Maybe tomorrow I can find some more solid reporting on these people's histories. But my emotional sentiments made above were supported by various reporting I've read over the years. It's not some shallow gut feeling driven by a shallow dismissal of AI or their looks or something.
I'm not a practiced speaker, though; I don't just have the months/years of various blogs, youtube videos, newspaper reports, and court testimonies available for me to display to you on demand. It'll take time to gather them up once again.
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Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentThat's hard to compare, considering this still took the input and direction of human PhD's working for decades on the problem to get to this point. For all I know, this problem was a 99% solved...Compared to the decades of human PhDs working on this, it seems both faster and cheaper.
That's hard to compare, considering this still took the input and direction of human PhD's working for decades on the problem to get to this point. For all I know, this problem was a 99% solved jigsaw puzzle, and AI was able to help these people get it to 100%. Which is important, but not "we saved decades of work/talent" levels of savings,
It kind of reminds me of the claims that AI can make Doom the 1993 video game... then you realize it did so by training it on Doom. That doesn't exactly solve the issue of game development unless you want a legally distinct Doom (and I'm unsure how "legally" that distinction is).
A claim like "we aren't close to recursive self improvement" feels to me like a claim that "10,000 infections isn't close to a pandemic".
In this case, the claims have been made for 4 years, rather than less than 4 days to spread through a major country (and less than 4 months to spread to the globe). Not to mention that such infection is this time 100% objectively spread by human intervention. Leader truly worried about such a cyber pandemic and not their bottom line can simply... stop? The handwave of "but everyone else is doing this" only serve the bottom line, not humanity's future if you truly fear this spread.
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Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentCan I accurately mind-read the frontier leaders? No, I cannot. So I don't think I can ever truly "prove" that they are lying/truthful in their sentiment. I'm going to sleep so I haven't watched...Is there any actual evidence for the widespread assumption that the people making the warnings aren’t sincere?
Can I accurately mind-read the frontier leaders? No, I cannot. So I don't think I can ever truly "prove" that they are lying/truthful in their sentiment.
I'm going to sleep so I haven't watched the video yet. But I'm sure it gives some support to that notion. For me it's extremely simple: The actors leading these frontier models are untrustworthy and they have a history of overly exaggerating, spreading misinformation, lying,
and in a few extreme cases: coaxing a genocide. They've not only burned any benefit of the doubt to be given, but are fundamentally people I do not want influencing larger policy. -
Comment on Steam recently made a fundamental change to indie game discoverability in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentAlso still need to see how these price parity court cases shake out. But in the meantime I'll give them props for a move that overall seems symbiotic to the customer and business alike. You sadly...Also still need to see how these price parity court cases shake out. But in the meantime I'll give them props for a move that overall seems symbiotic to the customer and business alike. You sadly see that much less these days.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentYeah, that's fair. I still think it's an amoral move and wish those who are suing the best, but ultimately a Switch 2 being 100 dollars more was far from my breaking point in these times. I don't...I think my disconnect was seeing the claim of moral failure on the part of companies when the discussion was about Nintendo.
Yeah, that's fair. I still think it's an amoral move and wish those who are suing the best, but ultimately a Switch 2 being 100 dollars more was far from my breaking point in these times. I don't think I really had a good chance to talk about the tariff refunds here yet, so I ended up generalizing my overall thoughts into this post.
Nintendo-wise, I'm extremely ambivalent. Since they are far from "the good guys", but pretty much everyone else in the industry is turning greedier much faster. So there's situations where Nintendo still ends up looking the best out of this.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentI figured the implication up the chain of Would already drive the main idea here, but sure. I can clarify further. The last 2-3 years have had cost of living explode and the spending power of the...I figured the implication up the chain of
even when it's clear those customers ultimately paid the price.
Would already drive the main idea here, but sure. I can clarify further.
The last 2-3 years have had cost of living explode and the spending power of the average American fall. Trump's universal tariffs have only exacerbated this cost of living problem (let alone his extremely unnecessary, avoidable war). I hope I do not need to explain at this point in time that these tariff costs were ultimately passed onto the consumer, rather than being absorbed by the company.
Yet despite all of this, companies still report record or near-record revenues and profits throughout these last few years. There are many small businesses which died out over these policies and would not survive to receive such refunds. But overall the largest brands ultimatly came out on top before the refunds. I implore you to find any billion dollar company in 2024-2026 which bucked this trend.
With this lens, in an economic situation where customers took the pain and companies gained profits anyway, it would be a moral responsibility to relieve the ones who actually suffered for this illegal maneuver. Yet that is not what is happening. At least not without a litany of lawsuits.
And worst of all, the price hikes from the tariffs will likely not fall anyway in many cases. Costco seems to be one exception, but it technically did come after lawsuits were launched against them. Despite the reasoning being used for the hikes no longer being valid, and despite the companies being "compensated" for their not-losses, prices will at best fall much slower than they rose, and at worst will continue to further inflate. A moral dishonesty or outright lie depending on your lens.
So yes, I do find this decision immoral. And in Nintendo's case dishonest. The "sale" here is for a lot of older inventory and the only current gen listing here is the Switch 2 webcam. An accessory which was explicitly noted to be hiked in price in response to tariffs. Putting it on "sale" to what may have been its original price for a limited time is not the moral action the marketing of "customer appreciation" implies on the surface.
But honestly, I'm not even all that fussed specifically about video games doing this. It's much worse for inflexible goods from companies like Wal-Mart that stroke my ire. Making a chaotic evil argument of "well they can charge as much as they want for groceries" while knowing the techniques employed over decades to box out competition makes such discussion border on bad faith.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentOkay, ACME. I think the moral reason is fairly clear here. Which is why much smaller companies have already started doing it. And even Costco isn't doing it directly but is considering ways to...There is zero moral or legal reason Nintendo should have to sell their toys at a particular price.
Okay, ACME.
I think the moral reason is fairly clear here. Which is why much smaller companies have already started doing it. And even Costco isn't doing it directly but is considering ways to give back. Which I put a lot more stock into than Nintendo's display here of "giving back" with this old inventory cleanup disguised as a deal.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentSuch appreciation. Let's clear up our warehouses for the massive dump of Fire Emblem and Zelda cases we'll need for holiday season and disguise it as "generosity". It feels so weird to be...Such appreciation. Let's clear up our warehouses for the massive dump of Fire Emblem and Zelda cases we'll need for holiday season and disguise it as "generosity".
It feels so weird to be simultaneously complaining about and defending a company in the same thread, just because they are the only console manufacturer to resist blatant enshittification. Like, this just feels weak, but Nintendo is still the most "generous" company despite this. such sad times for the AAA industry.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentSad thing is, Nintendo is but a humble company even comparing it to Playstation these days in terms of raw profit. Let alone Sony as a whole. Let alone the behemoth that is Microsoft. We've seen...You don’t become one of the largest most profitable companies on the planet by being generous.
Sad thing is, Nintendo is but a humble company even comparing it to Playstation these days in terms of raw profit. Let alone Sony as a whole. Let alone the behemoth that is Microsoft. We've seen the abyss that is the mobile market and even GaaS models when it comes to truly predatory dark arts in games. In that regard, it's a bit admirable that Nintendo ultimately chose to mostly back out of it after dipping their toes; instead, they doubled down on their console market and doing more of what they've always been known to do.
I'm more of a Sony person myself if I had to place a label. But seeing how everyone else is shooting themselves in the foot, Nintendo basically doing more of the same is somehow refreshing. I suppose this is the "Luigi wins by doing absolutely nothing" meme?
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentDepends on what you mean by "long term support". No, it's not going to be like GTA V where they support a game for 20+ years. But the games come in a complete package (usually) and will be...Depends on what you mean by "long term support". No, it's not going to be like GTA V where they support a game for 20+ years. But the games come in a complete package (usually) and will be playable decades later. You can choose to purchase a remaster every other generation, but odds are your older console and game still works just fine, without any internet connection whatsoever.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
raze2012 Link ParentOkay ACME. I don't really have much more to add to the argument. But that's pretty much the climax of the movie; a company abiding by the letter of the law, even when it's clear those customers...While Nintendo may have offset prices with the tariffed amount, unlike the US government, private companies can price anything they sell at whatever they want - that's a right they have.
Okay ACME.
I don't really have much more to add to the argument. But that's pretty much the climax of the movie; a company abiding by the letter of the law, even when it's clear those customers ultimately paid the price.
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Comment on Anthropic's Dario Amodei calls for AI oversight, joined by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in ~tech
raze2012 Link ParentThey thought the moat was billions in operations for datacenters. Simply outscale the competition. Meanwhile, Deepseek signaled this being a doomed attempt a year and a half ago. They tried to...They thought the moat was billions in operations for datacenters. Simply outscale the competition.
Meanwhile, Deepseek signaled this being a doomed attempt a year and a half ago. They tried to laugh it off, but the holes in the dam were quickly revealed once they tried to tart closing it off (i.e. they started trying to reap back profits with the shift towards token based expenses).
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Comment on It breaks a village in ~comp
raze2012 Link ParentSoon. I pretty much reduced myself down to YouTube Premium and Rider over the years. But i might finally have full time employment again, so I can properly afford some more subscriptions and Kagi...Use Kagi for search
Soon. I pretty much reduced myself down to YouTube Premium and Rider over the years. But i might finally have full time employment again, so I can properly afford some more subscriptions and Kagi was at the top of my list to try.
I work in mobile games and I have first hand knowledge of household name mobile game production. They use AI for everything. Most used AI and ML years before ChatGPT was a thing, both for data and art.
Yeah, that's fair. I was mostly talking about the PC/Console space.
I'm not really surprised the mobile scene in its long "won" race to the bottom that it need to resort to any little bit of automation possible to keep up in this market. Mobile is having its own special form of k shaped economy between "who can flip the most popular games the fastest" (and these days it's not even native, usually through Roblox or Fortnite) and "who can make GTA 6 on a phone". Truly a terrifying landscape.
Only PC gamers care even a little about AI in their games and IMO most of it is just baseless hysteria.
Baseless or not, I sure don't have the clout to brave that controversy. A 10 mill dollar budget AA game can, but when your aimed sales figures are in the thousands, it only takes a few bad early reviews to tank you.
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Comment on It breaks a village in ~comp
raze2012 Link ParentSeems like the best compromise. I haven't used bevy myself yet, but the author seems to working on exactly that, funnily enough: a rework of the plugins API. But something tells me that's never...Seems like the best compromise. I haven't used bevy myself yet, but the author seems to working on exactly that, funnily enough: a rework of the plugins API.
But something tells me that's never how it ends. Contributing to the core isn't just about setting code you want/need in. It's partially about various forms of power; increasing your reputation as a contributor, enacting soft power over a community, adding another feature to your portfolio. Plugins won't necessarily accomplish all of those for some people.
Yup yup. It's mostly a matter of staying close to family (and my first job, but that's 7 years past me now), but that was my original plan. stay with parents a few years, gather some savings, do a job hop in 2-3 years and make my move closer to the city. Outside of the moving part, it actually all went according to plan.
But that was back in 2020-2021 when tech was booming. Now, my financial situation these past few years definitely shut down the idea of moving closer downtown. Everything "fun" is at least a 30 minute drive downtown.