tachyon's recent activity

  1. Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech

    tachyon
    Link Parent
    Why? A business using IRC for tech support is fascinating.

    Why? A business using IRC for tech support is fascinating.

  2. Comment on How The New York Times uses a custom AI tool to track the “manosphere” in ~life.men

    tachyon
    Link
    Don't fall for the hype this "tool" is a magical AI miracle worker. It's simply a series of Python scripts that make API calls to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or a combination of the three. The Times...

    Built in-house and known internally as the “Manosphere Report,” the tool uses large language models (LLMs) to transcribe and summarize new episodes of dozens of podcasts.

    Don't fall for the hype this "tool" is a magical AI miracle worker. It's simply a series of Python scripts that make API calls to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or a combination of the three. The Times has enough money for its AI team to use nearly unlimited token for its work.

    4 votes

  3. Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech

    tachyon
    Link Parent
    All of those protections are horse shit. This is the same company that got hacked in October.

    Key privacy protections of Discord’s age-assurance approach include:

    All of those protections are horse shit. This is the same company that got hacked in October.

    30 votes

  4. Comment on Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month in ~tech

    tachyon
    Link Parent
    Internet Relay Chat. It's been around for decades and will outlive Discord.

    Internet Relay Chat. It's been around for decades and will outlive Discord.

    11 votes

  5. Comment on Any software engineers considering a career switch due to AI? in ~comp

    tachyon
    (edited )
    Link
    I knew software engineering was dead the moment OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022, which gave normies the power of LLMs, like Prometheus giving fire to man. Companies also harnessed that power,...

    I knew software engineering was dead the moment OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022, which gave normies the power of LLMs, like Prometheus giving fire to man.

    Companies also harnessed that power, using it to reduce costs, maximize profits, and eradicate the employers' market that emerged during the pandemic. I wasn't waiting to be laid off.

    I enrolled in trade school in 2023 and spent the year taking night and weekend courses. I still worked my day job and saved money to offset the pay cut I'd take when I started a full-time apprenticeship after graduation.

    In the years since, I've found steady work. I like my boss and co-workers and the time away from the computer. I'm not making nearly as much money as my previous job, but I'm earning enough, and I enjoy not constantly stressing about layoffs or spending months fighting against thousands of people for one tech position that required five days a week in an office.

    I recently learned my old company laid off nearly everyone in its engineering team as part of an "all-in" bet on artificial intelligence. None of my coworkers found jobs that matched the salary, flexibility, and benefits.

    Unfortunately, the time to get in the trades has passed. Open spots at credible schools vanish when enrollment starts. Opportunities for good hands-on experience are sparse, and the competition for them is fierce. I only found my current role because I attend the same church as my boss, and he didn't want to hold a spot on his crew for a neighbor's son.

    3 votes