vczf's recent activity
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Comment on Is ADHD really that debilitating? in ~health.mental
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Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~society
vczf Link ParentI suspect that the supply chain margins for electronics in China are already thin from fierce internal competition.I suspect that the supply chain margins for electronics in China are already thin from fierce internal competition.
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Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~society
vczf LinkIf electronics suddenly became twice as expensive, regular people will start demanding repairable devices.If electronics suddenly became twice as expensive, regular people will start demanding repairable devices.
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Comment on Switching to Linux, looking for distro recommendations in ~tech
vczf LinkZorin OS may be right for you. It’s a polished distro with good built-in support for Office compatibility (layout-compatible fonts) and gaming. It’s targeted at regular computer users over...Zorin OS may be right for you. It’s a polished distro with good built-in support for Office compatibility (layout-compatible fonts) and gaming.
It’s targeted at regular computer users over techies, so you shouldn’t need to dive into the terminal unless you want to.
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Comment on OpenAI is a bad business in ~tech
vczf (edited )LinkI was finding myself nodding along as I read this article, but it’s missing something big and it no longer assuaging my doubts about the future. Author is not thinking like a surveillance...I was finding myself nodding along as I read this article, but it’s missing something big and it no longer assuaging my doubts about the future.
Both Meta and Google monetize free users through advertising that is informed by their actions on the platform, which involves the user continually feeding the company information about their preferences based on their browsing habits
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This isn’t really the case with OpenAI.Author is not thinking like a surveillance capitalist. An AI assistant is the perfect vector to inject brand recognition and have paid suggestions for products and services. Infinitely more valuable than having ads on a Google search.
Imagine an entire generation of children hooked on ChatGPT for advice and information. You could learn so much more about them than Google could. They will confide in you when they have nobody else willing to listen, and trust you because your AI product pretends to care about them.
You’ll know exactly what and when they want, need, and crave. That’s the perfect opportunity to sell. Imagine a 22 year old who’s been talking to an AI for the last 15 years. When they want to move to get a new apartment, or need to buy a car, where will they turn?
That’s just the optimistic way surveillance capitalism could turn out. Even darker, the AI could make suggestions to manipulate people. Could plant seeds in their minds about where they should move, where they should shop. It could encourage you to start drinking alcohol, try a nicotine product, start gambling or playing an addictive gacha game—and take a slice of that lucrative recurring revenue stream.
As the technology improves the accessible context and personalization, this will only become more effective. This model also negates the “commoditization” argument from the author, because a user who has formed a parasocial dependency on an AI is not going to jump ship to a different service.
On a more positive note, this future could be mitigated by e.g FTC regulations or consumer protection legislation. However, I do think this is “where the money is” in consumer AI, so it will likely be an uphill battle.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentWhile I generally agree with you, I don’t think games like Chess and Go are good examples of the general trend. Games should always be safe from AI, since the whole point of games are to test...While I generally agree with you, I don’t think games like Chess and Go are good examples of the general trend. Games should always be safe from AI, since the whole point of games are to test human skills against or in collaboration with one another. It’s entertaining to watch others compete and to compete oneself.
Imagine someone trying to enter an RC car in an Olympic 100m dash? It’s completely irrelevant, since the whole point of the event is to watch people do it.
Drawn art and writing are not mainly thought of as games at this point. Maybe that will change? But if the point of art and writing is to induce a pattern of emotional response and thought, then the finished “product” is what matters more than the process of creation.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentThanks for your thoughts btw. I was hesitant to post my original comment because it was more negative than I’d like. I appreciate the balancing effect of your contributions to this thread. This is...Thanks for your thoughts btw. I was hesitant to post my original comment because it was more negative than I’d like. I appreciate the balancing effect of your contributions to this thread.
This is a little tangential, but the area of programming I’m most excited about now is actually the creation medium that is programming in virtual worlds. There’s this VR game called Resonite that lets you model and program objects, environments, and their behaviors using entirely in-VR tools.
I haven’t tried it out yet, since I’m still getting situated with my new VR setup. But this kind of programming I expect will be fun and creatively rewarding for decades to come… in contrast to utilitarian software development.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentUnfortunately, that’s the side of art that doesn’t appeal to me at all. I do think you’re correct that niche artisanal fields like those will remain intact—and likely grow in popularity!Unfortunately, that’s the side of art that doesn’t appeal to me at all. I do think you’re correct that niche artisanal fields like those will remain intact—and likely grow in popularity!
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentConsidering the audio-native voice ability of multi-modal models, I don’t think that part of software engineering is safe either. AI can be more patient, determined, and manipulative when it comes...Considering the audio-native voice ability of multi-modal models, I don’t think that part of software engineering is safe either. AI can be more patient, determined, and manipulative when it comes to gathering data and interrogating stakeholders.
Besides, is gathering requirements and interrogating stakeholders the “fun and creatively rewarding” part of software development? Hell no.
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Comment on I quit teaching because of ChatGPT in ~creative
vczf Link ParentThe main issue seems that grading AI generated writing is futile and demoralizing. There is an argument that for programming, AI tools simply let you program at a higher level of abstraction. I...The main issue seems that grading AI generated writing is futile and demoralizing.
There is an argument that for programming, AI tools simply let you program at a higher level of abstraction. I don’t buy it.
Programming with AI is going to end up as demoralizing as it did for illustrators. Everybody wants to hire a professional illustrator to touch up error-filled AI generated images—for a fraction of their previous rate—and not pay the full rate for a professionally crafted illustration.
I’m not actually sure what I’m trying to say here. I’m not going to be able to stop this process.
I just want to find a niche skill I can cultivate that’s creatively rewarding, professionally viable, and safe from AI ruining the fun parts. And that’s not going to be programming, art, or writing, so far as I can tell.
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Comment on Why don't governments invest in their own dating apps? Would you use one? in ~life
vczf Link ParentWith respect to government dating apps, I think it may be possible to do so via local municipalities as long as the stars align. Federally? No way. It doesn’t require a sophisticated system to...With respect to government dating apps, I think it may be possible to do so via local municipalities as long as the stars align. Federally? No way.
In particular, this conspiracy theory that dating apps try to get people into short-term relationships. Match.com companies WISH they had such deep insights into the human condition as to be able to thread the absurdly thin needle of "match people with other people that they will text and maybe bang for a bit but will ultimately fall out of favor with". Have you read a dating app profile? Do you think it even contains enough information for an omniscient super AI to do that kind of matching?
It doesn’t require a sophisticated system to push people towards hookups. Push notifications and addictive gamified mechanisms for matching, always reminding you that maybe you could do better so why not check out some matches instead of investing more in the person you’ve already met?
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Comment on What is NaNoWriMo's position on Artificial Intelligence (AI)? in ~creative
vczf Link ParentWhen professional photography became mainstream, it rapidly displaced professional painters because it was much more convenient. Photography was an existential crisis for painting, because...Photography and painting are different mediums after all, photography didn't replace it. That's the main concern with AI and writing, people using it to entirely replace the field on a professional level.
When professional photography became mainstream, it rapidly displaced professional painters because it was much more convenient. Photography was an existential crisis for painting, because capturing reality was the main value of painting at the time.
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Comment on Where do you fit in the US political typology? in ~society
vczf Link ParentThe political compass quiz is much much better since it’s two-dimensional.The political compass quiz is much much better since it’s two-dimensional.
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Comment on In leak, Facebook partner brags about listening to your phone’s microphone to serve ads for stuff you mention in ~tech
vczf (edited )Link ParentMy read of the article is that Facebook et al. are recipients of Active Listening data, not sources. That is much more believable to me, because juicy external data would make the data they’ve...My read of the article is that Facebook et al. are recipients of Active Listening data, not sources. That is much more believable to me, because juicy external data would make the data they’ve siloed more valuable for ad targeting, without incurring the existential reputational risk of literally eavesdropping on people.
Where does CMG get the data? My guess is they don’t ask too many questions.
Could be smart TVs (Samsung, Roku, TCL, etc.), scummy apps, low-end sleazy Android brands, and possibly even malware networks targeting vulnerable versions of Android or IOT devices.
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Comment on In leak, Facebook partner brags about listening to your phone’s microphone to serve ads for stuff you mention in ~tech
vczf Link ParentI once made a remark about how I liked the size and quality of the Badia Cayenne Pepper we had in our pantry, and minutes later there was an ad on YouTube for McCormick spices. I had never seen a...I once made a remark about how I liked the size and quality of the Badia Cayenne Pepper we had in our pantry, and minutes later there was an ad on YouTube for McCormick spices. I had never seen a McCormick ad before that day, and never saw it ever again.
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Comment on In leak, Facebook partner brags about listening to your phone’s microphone to serve ads for stuff you mention in ~tech
vczf LinkI’ve had many (n>5) incidents in the last two years where I’m having a conversation at home, and an ad targeting the exact topic under discussion appears on my mom’s Google app or on my YouTube...I’ve had many (n>5) incidents in the last two years where I’m having a conversation at home, and an ad targeting the exact topic under discussion appears on my mom’s Google app or on my YouTube account on the TV.
I suspect the Samsung TV is the likely source of the spying, though I can’t prove it. I opted out of behavioral marketing and set up NextDNS with extra filters for smart TVs, but unfortunately can’t disconnect it from the internet entirely since we need it for Samsung TV+.
I used to be an hard-liner about this kind of thing. Now, I’ve grown to accept that it’s a societal ill that requires political solutions. I’m skeptical if sacrificing convenience for a dubious and hard-to-quantify privacy benefit is worth it, though I still do what I can.
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Comment on Disney seeking dismissal of Raglan Road death lawsuit because victim was Disney+ subscriber in ~misc
vczf Link ParentAre we going to have to worry about AI generated TOS agreements now?Basically a contract that's negotiated on an individual basis can be much more extensive
Are we going to have to worry about AI generated TOS agreements now?
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Comment on Breaking my hand forced me to write all my code with AI for 2 months in ~comp
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Comment on 100 million times more difficult: revolutionary dual action antibiotic makes bacterial resistance nearly impossible in ~health
vczf Link ParentI expect this would be delivered in practice with a cocktail of other antibiotics, rather than in isolation.I expect this would be delivered in practice with a cocktail of other antibiotics, rather than in isolation.
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Comment on Against the proliferation of sofa ownership and use in ~humanities
vczf Link ParentDogs love sofas, too. Author didn’t consider that perhaps creating and using unnatural luxuries is one of the things that define humanity!Dogs love sofas, too. Author didn’t consider that perhaps creating and using unnatural luxuries is one of the things that define humanity!
I do not have ADHD, but I set alarms on my phone/watch when there’s something important I need to do. I make a guess as to the proper time. When it goes off, I either:
Reminders with times have never worked for me.