skybrian's recent activity

  1. Comment on Wikipedia blacklists archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    I don't know a good solution. I'm glad that I regularly extract quotes, so at least there's some context. Maybe I'll start archiving pages privately?

    I don't know a good solution. I'm glad that I regularly extract quotes, so at least there's some context. Maybe I'll start archiving pages privately?

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Wikipedia blacklists archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...] [...]

    From the article:

    The English-language edition of Wikipedia is blacklisting Archive.today after the controversial archive site was used to direct a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against a blog.

    In the course of discussing whether Archive.today should be deprecated because of the DDoS, Wikipedia editors discovered that the archive site altered snapshots of webpages to insert the name of the blogger who was targeted by the DDoS. The alterations were apparently fueled by a grudge against the blogger over a post that described how the Archive.today maintainer hid their identity behind several aliases.

    “There is consensus to immediately deprecate archive.today, and, as soon as practicable, add it to the spam blacklist (or create an edit filter that blocks adding new links), and remove all links to it,” stated an update today on Wikipedia’s Archive.today discussion. “There is a strong consensus that Wikipedia should not direct its readers towards a website that hijacks users’ computers to run a DDoS attack (see WP:ELNO#3). Additionally, evidence has been presented that archive.today’s operators have altered the content of archived pages, rendering it unreliable.”

    More than 695,000 links to Archive.today are distributed across 400,000 or so Wikipedia pages. The archive site, which is facing an investigation in which the FBI is trying to uncover the identity of its founder, is commonly used to bypass news paywalls.

    [...]

    Guidance published as a result of the decision asked editors to help remove and replace links to the following domain names used by the archive site: archive.today, archive.is, archive.ph, archive.fo, archive.li, archive.md, and archive.vn. The guidance says editors can remove Archive.today links when the original source is still online and has identical content; replace the archive link so it points to a different archive site, like the Internet Archive, Ghostarchive, or Megalodon; or “change the original source to something that doesn’t need an archive (e.g., a source that was printed on paper), or for which a link to an archive is only a matter of convenience.”

    [...]

    Evidence presented in the Wikipedia discussion showed that Archive.today replaced Nora’s name with Patokallio’s name in the aforementioned blog post. The Archive.today capture has since been reverted to what appears to be the original version. In other cases, Archive.today captures included a “Comment as: Jani Patokallio” string on captures that previously had a “Comment as: Nora [last name redacted]” string.

    Even if the snapshot alterations hadn’t helped convince Wikipedia’s volunteer editors to deprecate Archive.today, the Wikimedia Foundation itself might have stepped in. In its comments on the DDoS, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia said on February 10 that it had not ruled out intervening due to “the seriousness of the security concern for people who click the links that appear across many wikis.”

    24 votes

  4. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    I guess that's a way to imagine it if you want to be depressed about it, but it seems like there might be other possible futures.

    I guess that's a way to imagine it if you want to be depressed about it, but it seems like there might be other possible futures.

  5. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    When it's your own personal website and you decide that the cheaper job is good enough then it's good enough. We just do not need the gold-plated website. It's not "enshitification" when you made...

    When it's your own personal website and you decide that the cheaper job is good enough then it's good enough. We just do not need the gold-plated website. It's not "enshitification" when you made your decision to not spend the money.

  6. Comment on Zohran Mamdani to use new power to speed up housing development in the Bronx in ~society

    skybrian
    Link
    https://archive.is/pSY0X From the article: [...]

    https://archive.is/pSY0X

    From the article:

    The city is set to announce on Friday that an 84-unit affordable housing development on an empty, city-owned lot in the Bronx will become the first to use an expedited process that cuts the length and layers of reviews for projects to be approved, said Dina Levy, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

    The new process, created by the ballot measures, could be reduced to just 90 days from about seven months.

    The Bronx development, called Powerhouse Apartments, will be 100 percent affordable and include 30 units for formerly homeless New Yorkers.

    Under the old process, the proposal would first be reviewed by a community board for 60 days, then by the borough president for 30 days, then by the City Planning Commission for 60 days and finally by the City Council for at least 50 days.

    The new fast-track will have a 60-day review by the community board and borough president take place simultaneously, followed by a City Council review for 30 days.

    [...]

    City officials said they expected to use the same fast-track process on dozens of additional city-owned lots in the coming months.

    Also on Friday, the city will announce that it is using the fast-track process to buy a 3.7-acre lot to expand the Saw Mill Creek Marsh park on Staten Island, said Alec Schierenbeck, the general counsel of the city Planning Department.

    8 votes

  8. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    We know that software engineers often make a lot of money, which shows what some businesses are willing to pay, at least sometimes. When businesses like that hire consultants, they often pay high...

    We know that software engineers often make a lot of money, which shows what some businesses are willing to pay, at least sometimes. When businesses like that hire consultants, they often pay high prices as well.

    Patrick MacKenzie has often advocated for people to charge more.

    But, that was then. What will happen now?

    1 vote

  9. Comment on US Supreme Court strikes down Donald Trump's tariffs in ~society

    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...] [...]

    From the article:

    The Supreme Court on Friday struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs — a major repudiation of a core piece of Trump’s economic program.

    The 6-3 decision is a rare instance of the conservative-led court reining in Trump’s expansive use of executive power. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch joined the court’s three liberals in the majority.

    “The President asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope. In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it,” Roberts wrote, declaring that the 1977 law Trump cited to justify the import duties “falls short” of the Congressional approval that would be needed.

    The ruling wipes out the 10 percent tariff Trump imposed on nearly every country in the world, as well as specific, higher tariffs on some of the top U.S. trading partners, including Canada, Mexico, China, the European Union, Japan and South Korea.

    Several of those countries have entered trade agreements with the U.S. — and before the ruling indicated that they would continue to honor those agreements.

    That is because the victory for the 12 Democratic-run states and small businesses that challenged Trump’s tariffs is expected to be short lived. The White House has signaled it will attempt to use other authorities to keep similar duties in place.

    [...]

    It undercuts his ability to impose tariffs on a whim to address geopolitical conflict — like a threat to impose tariffs on countries that do business with Iran — and to threaten tariffs as he tries to gain a better negotiating position — like his tariff threats in an attempt to acquire Greenland. Businesses had decried those “national security” tariff threats for fueling economic uncertainty, but the administration said they were necessary for achieving its policy goals.

    [...]

    The federal government could now be forced to issue billions of dollars in refunds to companies that paid the tariffs the high court ruled illegal. Many companies have already sued to protect their refund claims in the event the court struck down the Trump tariffs.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on US data centers are getting off-grid power plants in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...] [...] [...] [...]

    From the article:

    After the rapid growth of data centers triggered pushback from politicians, utilities and local residents over the pressures they place on the grid, tech companies are now building their own fleet of private power plants, mostly fueled by natural gas.

    [...]

    Dozens of sprawling off-grid data center projects are planned across Texas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Utah, Ohio and Tennessee, according to a review of regulatory filings, permits, earnings call transcripts and other documents by the energy industry research firm Cleanview. Several are already under construction.

    Companies rushing to develop the facilities include Meta, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, business software provider Oracle and oil giant Chevron. (The Washington Post has a content partnership with OpenAI.)

    The off-grid projects already approved by state energy and environmental regulators could power all of New York City several times over, a vast new energy infrastructure that will bring huge new industrial facilities to communities across the country and increase U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. A handful of states have passed laws to encourage off-grid data centers by loosening rules around who can build power plants and where they can be located.

    [...]

    The idea of taking data centers off-grid is the latest in a line of provocative strategies adopted by the tech industry in its pursuit of more electricity that also includes reviving old nuclear plants, backing long-shot fusion energy schemes and planning to plunk down hundreds of compact nuclear power plants in communities across the U.S. But while these approaches are fossil fuel-free, most of the sector’s immediate investments will be in gas power, driving up the planet-warming emissions the companies long promised to take a lead in curbing.Ask The Post AIDive deeper

    [...]

    Most of the projects rely on natural gas because the variable output of solar and wind is difficult to manage without the grid as backup. But the most efficient gas turbines are back-ordered for years, forcing developers to use more wasteful and polluting equipment.

    [...]

    Others warn that off-grid projects could struggle to keep the lights on. Gas plants typically spend a third or more of the year down for maintenance, but data centers generally operate around the clock. “I get that cost is no object for these companies and they just want to get online,” said Jigar Shah, an energy entrepreneur who helped manage federal energy investments for the Biden administration. “But they have not figured out even with unlimited funds how to make these plants run with 24/7 reliability.”

    6 votes

  13. Comment on Palantir partnership is at heart of Anthropic, US Pentagon rift in ~society

    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...]

    From the article:

    Anthropic is one of the few “frontier” large language models available for classified use by the US government because it is available through Amazon’s Top Secret Cloud and through Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform, which is how its Claude chatbot ended up appearing on the screens of officials who were monitoring the seizure of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

    The raid, condemned by many Democrats as lawless, came amid a growing resurgence of activism in Silicon Valley around the use of its products by the US government. Palantir has faced pressure in the UK and Europe over the use of its tools by immigration officials.

    [...]

    Soon after the Maduro raid, during a regular check-in that Palantir holds with Anthropic, an Anthropic official discussed the operation with a Palantir senior executive, who gathered from the exchange that the AI startup disapproved of its technology being used for that purpose.

    The Palantir executive was alarmed by the implication of Anthropic’s inquiry that the company might resist the use of its technology in a US military operation, and reported the conversation back to the Pentagon, a senior Defense Department official said.

    That exchange led to a rupture in Anthropic’s relationship with the Pentagon, according to several people briefed on the matter. Semafor previously reported that on January 12, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth jabbed Anthropic in a speech announcing the Pentagon’s new genai.mil platform, which allows Pentagon officials to use AI models from Google, OpenAI, and xAI for nonclassified purposes.

    “We will not employ AI models that won’t allow you to fight wars,” Hegseth said, in a veiled reference to Anthropic.

    An Anthropic spokesman called the account of the exchange between the company and Palantir as “false.” The spokesman said the company has not “discussed this with, or expressed concerns to, any industry partners outside of routine discussions on strictly technical matters.”

    “Anthropic is committed to using frontier AI in support of US national security. That’s why we were the first frontier AI company to put our models on classified networks and the first to provide customized models for national security customers. Claude is used for a wide variety of intelligence-related use cases across the government, including the DoW, in line with our Usage Policy,” the spokesman said.

    Anthropic has not agreed to sign an “all lawful uses” contract with the Pentagon, which would allow Claude’s use without any restrictions. Anthropic wants carve-outs that prohibit certain surveillance and autonomous weapons restrictions, according to people familiar with the matter.

    Since then, the relationship between Anthropic and the Pentagon has deteriorated, according to people familiar with the matter. The Defense Department official told Semafor that the military is beginning to lose trust in Anthropic, viewing their models as a possible “supply chain risk,” and making hazy threats about barring subcontractors (like Palantir) from using them.

    An official designation like that, which would be a rare move by the Pentagon, could scare even private sector customers away from Anthropic and threaten its business prospects just as the company prepares for an initial public offering later this year.

    Behind the scenes, the two sides are still negotiating terms for a contract. “We are having productive conversations, in good faith, with DoW on how to continue that work and get these complex issues right,” the Anthropic spokesman said.

    8 votes

  15. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    Labor isn't going to be eliminated. AI ghosts can do a lot of things, but they don't have hands.

    Labor isn't going to be eliminated. AI ghosts can do a lot of things, but they don't have hands.

  16. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    I agree that we should try to get better governance. A good start will be Democrats winning the midterms. But I also think that focusing on long-term, idealistic solutions that we realistically...

    I agree that we should try to get better governance. A good start will be Democrats winning the midterms.

    But I also think that focusing on long-term, idealistic solutions that we realistically can only make a tiny contribution to can sometimes be a distraction from more mundane, short-term, practical fixes that don't require boiling any oceans. For example, anything that requires changing the U.S. Constitution seems quite impractical.

  17. Comment on Flu shot: US Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine, company says in ~health

    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...]

    From the article:

    The US Food and Drug Administration has reversed course and will review a new mRNA flu vaccine from Moderna, the pharmaceutical company said Wednesday.

    [...]

    Moderna is now “seeking full approval for adults 50 to 64 years of age and accelerated approval for adults 65 and older, along with a post-marketing requirement to conduct an additional study in older adults,” the news release said.

    “Discussions with the company led to a revised regulatory approach and an amended application, which FDA accepted,” Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “FDA will maintain its high standards during review and potential licensure stages as it does with all products.”

    6 votes

  19. Comment on I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took twenty minutes in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    Yes, large language models have a cutoff date, but they are often given additional information to work with. In the case of Google search, it's doing a search and giving the model the contents of...

    Yes, large language models have a cutoff date, but they are often given additional information to work with. In the case of Google search, it's doing a search and giving the model the contents of the web pages that were found, which it is then a bit too gullible about repeating.

    You can think of the AI as a fancy web search tool.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech

    skybrian
    Link Parent
    That might be true in the abstract, but it seems pretty unlikely for the governments we actually have.

    That might be true in the abstract, but it seems pretty unlikely for the governments we actually have.