rich_27's recent activity

  1. Comment on When a notable face disappears in ~tildes

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I was trying to scope this thread away from another discussion on transparency, as that seems to be a topic that has already been discussed and didn't seem to lead to a productive...

    Yeah, I was trying to scope this thread away from another discussion on transparency, as that seems to be a topic that has already been discussed and didn't seem to lead to a productive conversation. I think irrespective of transparency on bans, there is still impact and fallout to notable figure leaving the community, and hopefully this will remain a useful place to discuss that

    6 votes

  2. When a notable face disappears

    ~tildes Ask
    Disclaimer: I don't quite know how to address the topic, so I want to state I'm trying to approach this with sensitivity; I hope this might lead to a helpful and insightful conversation on a...

    Disclaimer: I don't quite know how to address the topic, so I want to state I'm trying to approach this with sensitivity; I hope this might lead to a helpful and insightful conversation on a potentially difficult issue. Apologies if I don't quite get it right!

    I noticed the absence of a name I'd become familiar with on Tildes and wanted to start a discussion on how the community should handle situations where a person of community renowned abruptly departs.

    The user in question is @daychilde, who is one of the users I'd seen around quite a bit. I've been on Tildes for quite a while now, and would like to think I've had a positive - if not vast - contribution. Overall, I probably read more than I respond; I bring this up because I am aware that I probably represent the voice of a significant portion of the userbase here: I'm figuring stuff out as I go and probably am not in the loop on the majority of stuff going on on Tildes. All in all, I don't recognise a lot of names on Tildes, but @daychilde is/was a character who stuck out and seemed to have a significant impact on the community.

    From what I deduce, @daychilde has been banned some time in the past week, and I thought it worth discussing given there are at least a couple of things left in the lurch as a result that people might seek information on. The ones that have crossed my vision are the following:

    https://tildes.net/~tech/1od9/personal_offer_do_you_have_a_website_based_project_youve_been_wanting_to_do_but_worried_about_cost
    and
    https://tildes.net/~life/1n7e/daychildes_walking_thread

    At the risk of broaching a difficult topic - I'm not looking to cause drama or speculate - we should probably discuss the fallout of a situation like this. Hopefully at the very least this topic might be something others can find if they also become aware of the departure of a notable person and are looking for confirmation or where might be appropriate to discuss any fallout that might occur.

    For @daychilde in particular, this website seemed to be a resource that helped him manage his life. I wonder if we should consider whether there is some duty of care to users to depend on Tildes in some capacity?

    There are also people who might be looking to discuss the hosting that he had offered/agreed, and might now be left in the lurch.

    Unfortunately I don't have solutions, but I didn't see any discussion or information on this kind of a topic, nor any precedent for this kind of a situation!

    34 votes

  3. Comment on The world’s most-visited museum shuts down, in response to mass tourism in ~travel

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    This is the bit I didn't really understand: government funding is dropping off but they have more tourists than ever; shouldn't the revenue from tickets fill in for the lack of subsidy? Unless...

    This is the bit I didn't really understand: government funding is dropping off but they have more tourists than ever; shouldn't the revenue from tickets fill in for the lack of subsidy? Unless there's a mandated ticket price cap or the like, why is the museum chronically underfunded? If the museum isn't making enough to cover maintainence, they need to up the ticket price, surely?

    1 vote

  4. Comment on I’m going to calculate π on the Moon. Literally. in ~science

    rich_27
    Link
    Am I missing something here? Is this not taking up a spot that could be used for doing science to do something computationally worthless? Perhaps this is just using a platform to generate the...

    Am I missing something here? Is this not taking up a spot that could be used for doing science to do something computationally worthless?

    Perhaps this is just using a platform to generate the revenue needed to fund a mission, but I feel like Matt Parker could have done this but also said "50% of the computation time allocated to this will be used to run a science experiment one of you designs", or something

    4 votes

  5. Comment on LLMs and privacy in ~tech

    rich_27
    Link
    My understanding is that the way to do this is to run an LLM locally. You need pretty beefy spec to do so, but that means all your data stays on your machine. I should caveat: this is just off the...

    My understanding is that the way to do this is to run an LLM locally. You need pretty beefy spec to do so, but that means all your data stays on your machine. I should caveat: this is just off the top of my head, I haven't tried it, and I'm not well read on the subject!

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Researchers secretly ran a massive, unauthorized AI persuasion experiment on Reddit users in ~tech

  7. Comment on What is your weirdest kitchen appliance and what do you think of it? in ~food

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    I'm surprised! I find store bought fresh pasta is so much nicer than dry pasta, so I'd assume pasta you made yourself would be a lot nicer too!

    I'm surprised! I find store bought fresh pasta is so much nicer than dry pasta, so I'd assume pasta you made yourself would be a lot nicer too!

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What is your weirdest kitchen appliance and what do you think of it? in ~food

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    What does it do that a normal bread knife doesn't?

    What does it do that a normal bread knife doesn't?

    2 votes

  9. Comment on ADHDers, how do you speed-up, bypass, or otherwise eliminate the "ramp-up" period required for big tasks? in ~health.mental

  10. Comment on Any real AI recommendations from the community? in ~tech

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    A professional programmer I know used copilot for a while and has since stopped again, after experiencing it slowing stuff down a lot. He describes it as the Copilot Pause, where you're...

    A professional programmer I know used copilot for a while and has since stopped again, after experiencing it slowing stuff down a lot. He describes it as the Copilot Pause, where you're introducing a lot of micro-stops where you're waiting for the AI model to generate the next suggestion to see if it's what you want. His experience is oftentimes it would have just been quicker for him to write the next bit. Have you experienced the same thing?

    3 votes

  11. Comment on ADHDers, how do you speed-up, bypass, or otherwise eliminate the "ramp-up" period required for big tasks? in ~health.mental

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    Yes! I feel you so much on this! The amount of things I've had drop off the end of the list because keeping aware of them is too painful when I haven't made any progress on them at all in 6...

    Yes! I feel you so much on this! The amount of things I've had drop off the end of the list because keeping aware of them is too painful when I haven't made any progress on them at all in 6 months, a year, more, etc.

    5 votes

  12. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    rich_27
    Link
    I watched Reboot recently, and it was absolutely hilarious. When I stumbled on it my hopes weren't high, but I gave it a shot and they absolutely nailed it. The writing was deep and the characters...

    I watched Reboot recently, and it was absolutely hilarious. When I stumbled on it my hopes weren't high, but I gave it a shot and they absolutely nailed it. The writing was deep and the characters felt real, and it actually had me laughing out loud multiple times an episode. There was something deeply enjoyable about watching a show about rebooting a sitcom and writing it well and seeing it being packaged and delivered in such a well written and hilarious show. Plus, Johnny Knoxville being a good actor? Having only seen him in Jackass (as far as I recall), I did not have high hopes when I realised he was one of the main cast, but he far exceeded my expectations. I would definitely recommend it, doubly so for anyone interested in the writing/directing process.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on What are the top five software apps you benefit the most from? in ~tech

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    Do you find you still use Notepad++? Since I got VSCode I don't think I opened Notepad++!

    Do you find you still use Notepad++? Since I got VSCode I don't think I opened Notepad++!

    2 votes

  14. Comment on What are the top five software apps you benefit the most from? in ~tech

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    Bitwarden is fantastic. I moved over from LastPass a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier

    Bitwarden is fantastic. I moved over from LastPass a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier

    2 votes

  15. Comment on What are the top five software apps you benefit the most from? in ~tech

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    I use it for image editing and stuff (mainly cutting stuff out for emojis or shitty memes with my friends). It's definitely weird at times - the UI is tricky for that kind of stuff cause it's...

    I use it for image editing and stuff (mainly cutting stuff out for emojis or shitty memes with my friends). It's definitely weird at times - the UI is tricky for that kind of stuff cause it's definitely not built for it - but it does the job just fine. I got fed up with Paint.NET and was looking for an alternative I could easily get through WPM; I don't remember if I looked for GIMP, Ibguess I'd probably forgotten about it

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Artosis, esports casting godfather, moves on in ~games

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    Cool! Why the return to SC1?

    Cool! Why the return to SC1?

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Recommend chill/background games for my second monitor? in ~games

    rich_27
    Link
    ΔV: Rings of Saturn is a great game that might scratch the itch. You pilot a mining ship going into the rings of Saturn to find ore. You can only go out for so long before filling up and needing...

    ΔV: Rings of Saturn is a great game that might scratch the itch. You pilot a mining ship going into the rings of Saturn to find ore. You can only go out for so long before filling up and needing to go back. It's pretty manual to begin with, but once you get enough cash for some decent autopilot and guidance computers, you don't need to pay too much attention whilst flying. Might work out nicely!

  18. Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities

    rich_27
    Link Parent
    I think often people find value in philosophy not because they are looking to it for concrete, specific advice, but because reading about someone's generalised perspective can allow you to think...

    I think often people find value in philosophy not because they are looking to it for concrete, specific advice, but because reading about someone's generalised perspective can allow you to think about your personal, specific situation from another perspective.

    Philosophy doesn't necessarily have to have any answers; posing questions can be enough to help the reader reframe their life and specific situations for themselves.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities

    rich_27
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I skimmed the first paragraphs of each of the following sections to get a rough idea of what they contained; I must have missed that. My rational for reading-, and then writing-, as much as I did...

    I skimmed the first paragraphs of each of the following sections to get a rough idea of what they contained; I must have missed that.

    My rational for reading-, and then writing-, as much as I did was because I did not find continuing to read what felt like unsubstantiated opinion presented as fact particularly appealing, but - having read the other comments here - it felt important to point out the issue I saw with the article that others reading may not pick up on.

    If there are other sections that do evaluate utilitarianism as well as just EA for its utilitarianism, I'd be interested to read those. Would you be able to point me to which section I should look at?

    5 votes

  20. Comment on Defective altruism - the repugnant philosophy of “Effective Altruism” offers nothing to movements for global justice in ~humanities

    rich_27
    Link
    That was a very long article; I only managed to make it to the first break point. Whilst I can't comment on the remainder of the article, the first section reads as a very emotional argument...

    That was a very long article; I only managed to make it to the first break point. Whilst I can't comment on the remainder of the article, the first section reads as a very emotional argument against Effective Altruism based on an assumed position that utilitarianism is wrong/morally reprehensible. I found the opening paragraph, especially, to be pretty sensationalist - with the author seemingly inferring that people claiming to have found a better way to do good inherently criticises those not part of that way - which may well have coloured my opinion of the rest of the article.

    I think an article like this should first establish their base position and rational for it (utilitarianism is bad, in this case) before analysing a subject through that lens, because otherwise you run the risk of presenting that position as fact that the reader 'should' agree with. Unless the reader is actively thinking about the underpinning assumptions as well as the conclusions presented, they might find themselves adopting that base standpoint without ever questioning it; to me, it feels like arguing in bad faith.

    As someone who developed a pretty utilitarian view without reading much on the subject, I found I disagreed with quite a few of the things things the author stated without exploring or supporting:

    The EA community is rife with arguments in defense of things that conflict with our basic moral intuitions

    I didn't find anything the author presented thus far conflicted with my basic moral intuitions.

    This is because it is heavily influenced by utilitarianism, which always leads to endless numbers of horrifying conclusions until you temper it with non-utilitarian perspectives

    The phrase "which always leads to" is a very sweeping unsubstantiated generalisation. The author then takes this opinion-presented-as-fact as a firm foundation from which to continue:

    Patching up utilitarianism with a bunch of moral nonnegotiables is what everyone ends up having to do unless they want to sound like a maniac

    In addition to the foregone conclusion the first part depends on, the author also frames rationalising morality as mania.

    Neuroscientist Erik Hoel, in an essay that completely devastates the philosophical underpinnings of Effective Altruism, [...]

    Again, whether or not the essay devastates the philosophical underpinnings is a conclusion that should probably be left to the reader to draw.

    its proponents face two unpalatable options: get rid of the attempt to pursue the Quantitatively Maximum Human Good, [...], or keep it and embrace the horrible repugnant conclusions of utilitarian philosophy that no sane person can accept.

    The author continues to present utilitarianism as a cancer to be excised. I don't think the utilitarianism was established to be either horrible or repugnant, nor be a philosophy that only the sane can accept.

    The article continues in the same vein, which I will not expand on further, except to highlight the delightful irony in the author's supposition that "the movement’s intellectual core is so poisoned by bad philosophy as to be unsalvageable"!

    I should, however, add that I did enjoy the read. It was interesting to learn about a topic I had not come across before (Effective Altruism), and it certainly made me think - thanks for sharing!

    9 votes