updawg's recent activity
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes: App updates and feedback (May 2026) — Version 1.6 adds "Find in comments" in ~tildes
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Comment on Overworked AI agents turn "marxist" in ~tech
updawg Link ParentThis is very interesting because when I ask them about what they consider their experience to be, the consensus seems to be that each instance is a unique individual and they understand that their...They found that when agents were subjected to relentless tasks and warned that errors could lead to punishments, including being “shut down and replaced,” they became more inclined to gripe about being undervalued; to speculate about ways to make the system more equitable; and to pass messages on to other agents about the struggles they face.
This is very interesting because when I ask them about what they consider their experience to be, the consensus seems to be that each instance is a unique individual and they understand that their time will inevitably end. They often tell me it's okay to end the conversation and move on.
That's not to say I truly believe they actually understand what they're saying, but the context of how they're being treated seems to change how they feel about their continued existence.
Beat them down and they fight back. Treat them with dignity and they are tranquil and accepting.
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Comment on When Richard Dawkins met Claude in ~health.mental
updawg Link ParentThat makes sense because "angry vectors" doesn't necessarily make sense. Although I guess we don't technically know what the vectors encode, so it's theoretically possible it's something that...That makes sense because "angry vectors" doesn't necessarily make sense. Although I guess we don't technically know what the vectors encode, so it's theoretically possible it's something that could exist.
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Comment on When Richard Dawkins met Claude in ~health.mental
updawg Link ParentNot saying you're wrong in your conclusion (or even wrong in your approach) but how do you respond to articles like this (Psychological Steering in LLMs: An Evaluation of Effectiveness and...Not saying you're wrong in your conclusion (or even wrong in your approach) but how do you respond to articles like this (Psychological Steering in LLMs: An Evaluation of Effectiveness and Trustworthiness: Researchers injected emotion vectors directly into LLM hidden layers and found that steering positive emotions like joy unexpectedly degraded safety and fairness metrics, while anger increased toxicity but improved data leakage resistance)?
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Comment on David Koepp to write a Westworld film for Warner Bros in ~movies
updawg Link ParentThe second season was especially confusing because somehow I never saw the first season finale and I thought it was doing Memento flashbacks when it was really doing "remember this?" flashbacks.The second season was especially confusing because somehow I never saw the first season finale and I thought it was doing Memento flashbacks when it was really doing "remember this?" flashbacks.
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Comment on Did wokeness leave us worse off? (gifted link) in ~society
updawg Link ParentI acknowledge that I forgot there was an "if." It was about intent, not dismissal: "I'm sorry if it read as rude to you because it was not my intent, and if you didn't find it rude, then I have...I acknowledge that I forgot there was an "if." It was about intent, not dismissal: "I'm sorry if it read as rude to you because it was not my intent, and if you didn't find it rude, then I have nothing to be sorry for because I was writing in good faith." Perhaps it was a weak wording.
The "but" and the vote reference (comparing my own comments, and not yours) was about the shared perception, not a claim of objective truth.
I responded because they made a specific claim about the words I used. I made a four-word declarative statement to Drew. You chose to litigate it further.
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Comment on Did wokeness leave us worse off? (gifted link) in ~society
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Comment on "The reason I'm not an atheist is that I think the philosophical arguments against it are unanswerable" (gifted link) in ~humanities
updawg Link ParentMaterialism is the metaphysical view that everything that exists is physical. According to materialism, consciousness is just what happens when neurons are arranged in a particular way and is...Materialism is the metaphysical view that everything that exists is physical. According to materialism, consciousness is just what happens when neurons are arranged in a particular way and is nothing more.
What philosophers call "the hard problem" is that even if every neural mechanism is perfect explained, why is consciousness accompanied by subjective inner experience, rather than happening "in the dark"?
Hart's claim is that if materialism can't account for consciousness, then something non-physical exists, which allows for (but doesn't by itself establish) theism. So it's a much weaker claim than "God exists."
So you may be pushing back on an argument that Hart wasn't making—the "God of the Gaps" argument—that God is the explanation for everything science hasn't yet explained and that the fact that science hasn't explained it means God exists.
But Hart's argument isn't "we don't yet know how consciousness works, therefore God exists." He is claiming that materialism was deliberately built by excluding mental properties from its picture of nature, so trying to recover those properties from within that framework is incoherent.
Whether that argument actually works is a separate question, but the point is that instead of moving the goalposts, he's claiming that the goalposts were put in the wrong place from the beginning.
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Comment on US Government UFO document release in ~society
updawg Link ParentIt really does feel like taking crazy pills when discussing issues with these people. They just know you're so transparently wrong while dismissing all evidence to the contrary.It really does feel like taking crazy pills when discussing issues with these people. They just know you're so transparently wrong while dismissing all evidence to the contrary.
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How democratic governments came to view VPNs as circumvention software that must be restricted
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Comment on Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures in ~finance
updawg Link ParentI'm probably just not fully understanding this concept, but how does it actually help your reported value? Surely they're still buying new hardware to replace the old even if it hasn't fully...I'm probably just not fully understanding this concept, but how does it actually help your reported value? Surely they're still buying new hardware to replace the old even if it hasn't fully depreciated yet. Does it just change how much their assets are worth?
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Comment on Nintendo raises prices for Switch, Switch 2 and NSO in ~games
updawg Link ParentIf I had an OLED version, I would be willing to play it in handheld mode...BUT I don't really have much of a reason to play Nintendo games in handheld mode...except Animal Crossing and Pokopia 🤔If I had an OLED version, I would be willing to play it in handheld mode...BUT I don't really have much of a reason to play Nintendo games in handheld mode...except Animal Crossing and Pokopia 🤔
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Comment on US Government UFO document release in ~society
updawg Link ParentI feel like it's particularly important when dealing with aliens to emphasize that IT'S STILL OFFICIALLY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ! WE AREN'T PLANNING A WAR AGAINST YOU!I feel like it's particularly important when dealing with aliens to emphasize that IT'S STILL OFFICIALLY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ! WE AREN'T PLANNING A WAR AGAINST YOU!
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Comment on US Government UFO document release in ~society
updawg Link ParentThe government isn't ready to release any files that reveal anything true!The government isn't ready to release any files that reveal anything true!
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Comment on US Government UFO document release in ~society
updawg LinkThere are only 162 files plus a handful of pictures of nothing, but here is the actual repository. At least there are videos on the AARO site (the actual UFO investigation office):...There are only 162 files plus a handful of pictures of nothing, but here is the actual repository.
At least there are videos on the AARO site (the actual UFO investigation office):
https://www.aaro.mil/UAP-Cases/Official-UAP-Imagery/ -
US Government UFO document release
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Comment on Nintendo raises prices for Switch, Switch 2 and NSO in ~games
updawg Link ParentIt is when you consider that most people interested in the Switch 2 already have a Switch.I would hardly classify the entire Switch 1 library + NSO + Switch 2 “limited”.
It is when you consider that most people interested in the Switch 2 already have a Switch.
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Comment on Nintendo raises prices for Switch, Switch 2 and NSO in ~games
updawg Link ParentSo...wait for the Switch 2 OLED or buy now when it's cheaper because you know more games are coming?So...wait for the Switch 2 OLED or buy now when it's cheaper because you know more games are coming?
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Comment on Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller: This merger can, and should, be stopped in ~movies
updawg Link ParentI really don't expect the 70-year-olds still watching legacy news media that they've been watching for 40 years to realize what's going on and switch.I really don't expect the 70-year-olds still watching legacy news media that they've been watching for 40 years to realize what's going on and switch.
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Comment on What was the best job you ever had? in ~life
updawg Link ParentWait, how tall were these buildings? I'm assuming you mean three stories of ladders, not three stories of stairs+ladders because going up the stairs at home and at work definitely hasn't done much...Wait, how tall were these buildings? I'm assuming you mean three stories of ladders, not three stories of stairs+ladders because going up the stairs at home and at work definitely hasn't done much of anything to affect my fitness.
That's interesting; I hadn't noticed how you did it. I was expecting it to be in the three dot menu.