Nostr notes by Koen Hufkens, PhD

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116997247211222912 This reminds ...

2026-07-28T16:00:31+02:00

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116997247211222912

This reminds me of the Smarter Everyday video, which highlights that we've basically cut out the knowledge chain.

AI could kneecap teaching broadly, where we outsource it to unreliable word salad generators. Effectively cutting losing our knowledge chain to X companies.

Same process, same bad ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS6HEes8daw&t=1093

quoting
note169z…8phw

AI is a normal technology. That means there are times when it is useful and times when it is pointless or actively harmful. One rule of thumb for chatbots is that they can only provide useful information to experts who have the discernment to ignore the defective output that LLMs *always* emit. That means that the dream of chatbots as replacements for teachers is a nightmare.

33/

RE: https://mastodon.energy/@Sustainable2050/116982434655513966 ...

2026-07-26T12:52:15+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.energy/@Sustainable2050/116982434655513966

Mitigating climate change was expensive they said. People wouldn't want to be burdened by the costs. Above all, industry does not want to contribute their fair share.

Count your pennies, the bill of (adapting to) climate change effects will be worse than the one mitigating it. (FYI this was all predicted in 2006 - see Stern review)

quoting
note1rkd…qyqf

Climate bills are coming in: 153 houses destroyed by climate-fueled wildfires in the village of Le Porge, not far from Bordeaux.

Since for some (if not most) of these there should be absolutes, ...

2026-07-22T21:58:55+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…fddy
_________________________

Since for some (if not most) of these there should be absolutes, I don't see it improving things. I would say that the current foundation of the models doesn't allow for any of this. For reference, I read the magic wand as improvements on the current paradigm, not a new one.

Might be interesting to look at the ecology of the caterpillars. ...

2026-07-20T16:33:55+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…a2ya
_________________________

Might be interesting to look at the ecology of the caterpillars. Many of the trees that have large caterpillar groups on them develop irritating hairs farther north. Clearly not the case for the tropical ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_processionary

Exactly they were caterpillars that would group on trees - if I ...

2026-07-20T16:28:49+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…30f6
_________________________

Exactly they were caterpillars that would group on trees - if I remember correctly as dark bunches from afar. They would jog off, scale the tree and grab a handful and come down to snack some.

RE: https://c.im/@RadicalAnthro/116951163346459975 This is still ...

2026-07-20T15:57:14+02:00

RE: https://c.im/@RadicalAnthro/116951163346459975

This is still common today. During field work in DR Congo local field assistants would spot insects and snack on them.

quoting
note15sz…u3t3

John Hawks on Neanderthal insect-eating -- protein plus fat snacking

https://www.johnhawks.net/p/traces-of-insect-dna-in-dental-calculus

Pedo image generator, from the same people that mishandled ...

2026-07-19T08:45:20+02:00

Pedo image generator, from the same people that mishandled private government data, promises to delete all private data you upload to the Grok coding tool.

narrator: they did not...

https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/07/16/spacex-open-sources-grok-build-after-data-retention-furore/5272333

AI companies made computer hardware raging expensive. So, to add ...

2026-07-15T21:58:07+02:00

AI companies made computer hardware raging expensive. So, to add insult to injury, they now sell a $230 dollar AI stream deck.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/15/amid-hardware-legal-battle-openai-releases-a-230-keyboard-for-codex/

Got a fine in my mailbox last summer stating I hadn't paid ...

2026-07-08T21:17:52+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ehwk
_________________________

Got a fine in my mailbox last summer stating I hadn't paid for parking, due to automatic plate screening. Alas, I was 1000 km away at the moment. Correcting this whoopsie took me half a day of calling around (under duress I might add as there was an 48h limit to pay before additional fine would be added). After all that they finally got a human to look at the plate, and lo and behold it wasn't my plates/car. I should have billed the parking company for my time.

Seriously, what the fuck do they want from their employees? ...

2026-07-05T22:14:01+02:00

Seriously, what the fuck do they want from their employees?

Everybody is forced to use AI, but those new graduates that grew up with this stuff aren't welcome. You can have critical thinking or AI, not both

Make up your damn mind or admit this was just a scam to lower wages.

https://futurism.com/future-society/college-critical-thinking-ai

RE: https://mastodon.social/@finestructure/116866735367102216 The ...

2026-07-05T12:48:27+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@finestructure/116866735367102216

The people mandating AI are the same who mandated the return to office. They are the same micro-managing narcissists.
nostr:note1cuc388ss92ueh3vnhkh3yal9zegh2tdyn44padqnxxgswgrets7s9fph5z

Couldn't you crowd source some of this. I thought people at ...

2026-07-05T10:37:18+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5l0u
_________________________

Couldn't you crowd source some of this. I thought people at ETH had a project running like this.

It is not only leads to frustration, you actively contribute to ...

2026-07-04T10:03:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…msz7
_________________________

It is not only leads to frustration, you actively contribute to the profits of a company you have nothing to do with if this filters back into the "conversation". Reinforcement learning from human feedback is value extraction - contributing to your own unemployment. As profound a demotivator as it gets.

RE: https://tldr.nettime.org/@tante/116850644015854691 This will ...

2026-07-02T15:54:27+02:00

RE: https://tldr.nettime.org/@tante/116850644015854691

This will be every AI company, soon. Kiss your pension goodbye and tag on some austerity measures, too.

quoting
note1t53…kzwt

OpenAI wanting the US government to take 5% is not "democratization" or something, it's a bailout. OpenAI can't get the money from private investors or the stock market and needs the hole in their budget filled so they are trying to take US tax dollars.

RE: https://archaeo.social/@mrundkvist/116809563335980065 All ...

2026-06-25T10:50:32+02:00

RE: https://archaeo.social/@mrundkvist/116809563335980065

All infrastructure should be public, added value services can be private. The conditions to live should not be exposed to cutting corners, or lack of oversight and accountability.

Healthcare, electricity, drinking water, etc are not "discretionary purchases".

quoting
note19zq…8lsl

Hey private enterprise enthusiasts. You believe that the public sector can save money by handing over utilities to companies, which are inherently more efficient.

Here's why this doesn't work.

You have to pay someone to monitor the private companies. Because they have no incentive to deliver what they promised. They always cut corners in the name of profit. And that monitoring eats the savings you hoped for. While you have no control over your utilities.

#capitalism

Something is cooling down. It ain't the weather but it will ...

2026-06-24T09:36:29+02:00

Something is cooling down. It ain't the weather but it will help.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/23/ai-stocks-sell-off-us-markets

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116690535297593260 "But I ...

2026-06-04T09:10:28+02:00

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116690535297593260

"But I also think that chatbots are a bit like Mission: Space: a machine for surfacing previously undiagnosed psychological vulnerabilities, and that in some cases, these vulnerabilities may never have been triggered, save for the chatbot."

AI blows up the attack surface to your mental vulnerabilities. A disturbing read on AI psychosis by Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs)

quoting
note16mz…ypvx

In 2003, Disney opened an Epcot ride, "Mission: Space." Formally, it was a space travel sim that used a high-intensity centrifuge to simulate gee stress; practically, it was the most efficient machine ever created for surfacing previously undiagnosed heart defects in dramatic, potentially lethal ways.

-

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/04/mission-space/#gsd

1/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@sjvn/116681769806596211 Ok, bye... ...

2026-06-02T19:50:24+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@sjvn/116681769806596211

Ok, bye...

Puts up sign: "looking for new distro"

quoting
note1hx8…5jja

Ubuntu 26.04 is the OS for the AI agentic era, says Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth - here's why https://zdnet.com/article/ubuntu-26-04-is-os-for-ai-agentic-era-says-canonical-mark-shuttleworth-why/ via [@ZDNet](https://flipboard.com/@ZDNet ) & sjvn (npub1l3h…5455)

Canonical's #AI #Linux pitch starts with snaps and security.

He's not sorry, he just cares about his public image. These ...

2026-05-23T11:22:12+02:00

He's not sorry, he just cares about his public image. These are two different things.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98rqld1j3yo

I've made this remark to my students in the past: Your ...

2026-05-22T14:40:00+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…lamc
_________________________

I've made this remark to my students in the past: Your biggest resource of value going forward into an uncertain future will be your authentic expertise (free of AI).

And by this I don't mean a curated LinkedIn profile. Quite the contrary.

Slowly getting to the point where I'm happy with the Eddy ...

2026-05-21T19:45:00+02:00

Slowly getting to the point where I'm happy with the Eddy Merckx Strada OS bike project.

New alu Fulcrum racing 4 wheels work well on this frame. They balance aero with weight nicely, although dedicated climbing wheels might be something I'll look into.

Final thing will probably be Ritchey Butano handle bars, replacing the Ergomax setup, which is a bit too tall and wide.

#bike #bikestodon #bicycle #cycling #bikeTooter #steelisreal

Looking for bag holders, more likely. ...

2026-05-21T15:01:50+02:00

Looking for bag holders, more likely.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/business/dealbook/spacex-openai-anthropic-ipo.html

Nostr event nevent1qqsyuqlsj4z0az603xvjzt242x6dew02rpyrwn5nzv6mfzhl0dm8zmszyz075pwu36efqslyfl0awlwf66wchqx05rt6lk29xkvm8y3hvpu9x645sm0

2026-05-19T08:02:59+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@space_environmentalism/116599597702055532

That's on top of the other one, where we add tons of CO2 to the atmosphere.

quoting
note17v2…ayvd

"Based on estimates described by researchers as 'conservative', the global #space sector will have released by 2030 more climate-altering chemicals into the atmosphere than the entire United Kingdom. If the growth envisioned by the space industry leaders comes to pass, this air pollution, mostly concentrated in higher layers of the #atmosphere, will at some point begin altering Earth's #climate."

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/spacex-starlink-and-other-satellite-megaconstellations-are-creating-an-unregulated-geoengineering-experiment-scientists-say

#Satellites #SpaceEnvironment

"Americans would rather have a nuclear plant in their ...

2026-05-15T13:54:35+02:00

"Americans would rather have a nuclear plant in their backyard than a datacenter"

Surprise, they will get BOTH!

https://www.theregister.com/on-prem/2026/05/14/americans-would-rather-have-a-nuclear-plant-in-their-backyard-than-a-datacenter/5240203

Nostr event nevent1qqst6su0cgsyuajlw8wn79j246h7va87n0g4w3hdjnsr4hwf06j8zjgzyz075pwu36efqslyfl0awlwf66wchqx05rt6lk29xkvm8y3hvpu9x7q562p

2026-05-13T14:17:29+02:00

RE: https://flipboard.com/@theverge/the-verge-5hobbaa8z/-/a-RKgzzvvtTnadjMq82fXG_A%3Aa%3A43611565-%2F0

"intentional backdoor", read that again.

Don't buy "smart" appliances if you can, isolate if you must, shoot when it makes an unexpected noise.
nostr:note1tpnekvjaqgfe63p7jua8sg2elfhmsjge967at54ghgxw5rhlk74srwacqc

The slow death of the power user. "This isn’t an accident. ...

2026-05-11T13:24:13+02:00

The slow death of the power user.

"This isn’t an accident. This is the result of two decades of deliberate, calculated effort by the largest technology companies on earth to turn users into consumers, instruments into appliances, and technical literacy into a niche hobby for weirdos. They succeeded beyond their wildest expectations"

https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/the-slow-death-of-the-power-user/

#technology #tech #sustainability

To translate from LinkedIn speak: Zoom will start collecting ...

2026-04-20T11:31:27+02:00

To translate from LinkedIn speak: Zoom will start collecting biometric (eye) data from video feeds.

https://news.zoom.com/zoom-and-tools-for-humanity/

Wrote this three years ago and made the same observations. It did ...

2026-04-17T10:28:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…6sga
_________________________

Wrote this three years ago and made the same observations. It did age well, and we now do have ads in the LLMs. *sigh*

https://khufkens.com/posts/lost-inner-voices-llm-impact-problem-solving-chatgpt-ml-teaching/

Seems like claw bots have a thing for venting their anger in ...

2026-04-07T23:21:26+02:00

Seems like claw bots have a thing for venting their anger in insulting tantrum blog posts. This is the second instance I know of (see mention at the end of the article).

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2026/04/wikipedias-ai-agent-row-likely-just-the-beginning-of-the-bot-ocalypse

Don't get me wrong, I understand you want to protect your ...

2026-03-31T16:53:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…dps0
_________________________

Don't get me wrong, I understand you want to protect your efforts. But, AGPL is there to allow developers insight and transparency in other implementations (forks). This also means that nothing limits you to merge these changes back into the original main branch.

This accelerates innovation by forcing a level playing field. The only advantage is the first mover's you hold, the merit of features and the goodwill of the community. You might have lost some of the latter.

The current reading of the license, violates the GPL as it should ...

2026-03-31T16:46:38+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…8fvw
_________________________

The current reading of the license, violates the GPL as it should guarantee that software is free as in speech. The current reading actually is implemented in such a way that it is free as in beer. These two things are not equal. If the letter of the license is upheld vs the spirit of the license is something for a court to decide.

Clear case of having your cake and eating it too, i.e. people ...

2026-03-30T13:31:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vv5p
_________________________

Clear case of having your cake and eating it too, i.e. people ("the community") is free to contribute not improve or set a diverting policy.

This is an important read about commitment and identity with ...

2026-03-20T10:06:54+01:00

This is an important read about commitment and identity with respect to the work you do. Although not everyone will have underlying illnesses the fallout can be as severe.

Looking back at my academic career I see many parallels in the "costs" mentioned:

- sold my twenties to institutes/labs
- traveled too much
- gave too much of myself away (for free)
- strain on mental health

https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-03-18-open_source_gave_me_everything_until_i_had_nothing_left_to_give

#academicchatter #academia

Man threatening to leave NATO, and invade member states, demands ...

2026-03-16T08:25:24+01:00

Man threatening to leave NATO, and invade member states, demands NATO reciprocity in a war he started. 🤡

The Onion couldn't have done a better job.

RE: https://mastodon.online/@tomstafford/116180804783205670 My ...

2026-03-06T10:38:43+01:00

RE: https://mastodon.online/@tomstafford/116180804783205670

My experience is that, yes, baseless critique by reviewer 2 does exist but it is way less common than the memes make it out to be.

Many people confuse push back with dismissal, and don't want to write a formal rebuttal. When you put it down and come back to it a week later it often is more reasonable, i.e. never start a revision the day you get the review comments in.

No AI is needed for this.
nostr:note1a9dg8tuke37ue5vqgse0850y43xv6mmew6yg6dp8xwa8534tlqjquzwj0j

on Oh & Demberg, that's bad. Didn't know about this ...

2026-03-06T10:24:15+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…8khy
_________________________

on Oh & Demberg, that's bad. Didn't know about this "feature".

Aren't there studies that show that it is very hard to ...

2026-03-06T08:28:01+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…utn7
_________________________

Aren't there studies that show that it is very hard to pinpoint what will be "high impact" x years down the line? And some of this work was hardly cited until it "broke through" into mainstream, or was revisited.

This seems to me like beating a dead horse with a stick, i.e. trying to fix the slopocalipse with citation metrics.

RE: https://mstdn.social/@mcnado/116151962128619420 Increasingly ...

2026-03-01T09:10:07+01:00

RE: https://mstdn.social/@mcnado/116151962128619420

Increasingly I see that people can't hold two thoughts or equally true facts in their mind. You have to take a position, you are for or against, no nuance.
nostr:note1ga6s586dl4dcetatppe72lxzrtqzfrdt3qm5vl9vp9k3gmusrf7qf49xgr

AI driven weaponization of the civic process. Request for comment ...

2026-02-28T09:06:49+01:00

AI driven weaponization of the civic process. Request for comment subverted by bots, sways legislation on gas furnaces and NOx pollution.

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-southern-california-air-board-pollution.html

Sadly, all long known. No matter how you clean up the language, ...

2026-02-18T15:44:23+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…02ve
_________________________

Sadly, all long known. No matter how you clean up the language, if you don't change the practice nothing changes. Paper tigers and all that.

All these aspects are just one big collective action problem, as well put by Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs)

There a lot of people in research who therefore talk the talk but don't walk the walk (i.e. have principles). Too much bla bla, not enough boom boom. Talk is cheap etc.

https://pluralistic.net/tag/collective-action-problem/

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116040159332257021 It is rather ...

2026-02-09T11:28:15+01:00

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116040159332257021

It is rather ironic that the AI boosters, of the Epstein class, are so obsessed with their "alignment" problem, where AI values do not correspond to "human" values. Yet, it is so damn clear that rapacious Epstein class are the only alignment problem out their.

In this sense, I do think that once there are enough bag holders we will see the AI bubble pop. Once more shifting this cost to the ordinary people, with empty 401Ks, while the Epstein class can bet on the dip or bail out.
nostr:note1jtvcnufpst36ejupexh32jv7mtrqy9lu32n882qxlw5rudd8qpksjrtxjp

RE: https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/116010648861349441 ...

2026-02-04T10:06:22+01:00

RE: https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/116010648861349441

Important read about how opportunity to learn a skill is shaped by and shapes racism (across multiple generations).

People can't swim and have to be taught the basics, or they won't venture near deep water. I had a friend in the US who didn't dare go deeper water than knee height (because he couldn't swim).

In Belgium, swim lessons in school are walked back leaving it to parents and expensive private lessons. Result, increasing drowning numbers.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/648296/alarming-rise-in-child-drownings-in-belgium-prompts-calls-for-action

They just like a different type of flavour of "freedom". ...

2026-02-02T09:59:04+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…uf5t
_________________________

They just like a different type of flavour of "freedom". Mostly negative freedom, as in "freedom from" (government), rather than "freedom to" (do something). see -- Timothy Snyder - On Freedom. But yes, this is a systemic myth which is hard to break until people live it. Sort of like bike lanes.

The enslopification of science. People publish more drab stuff, ...

2026-01-23T11:47:54+01:00

The enslopification of science. People publish more drab stuff, because of AI, as they can take shortcuts on writing (and analysis). They become academic boosters, by gaming the impact factor, but not scientific ones.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09922-y

#academicchatter #academia #science

It is also funny to read about these writing groups, because this ...

2026-01-08T11:06:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…slgr
_________________________

It is also funny to read about these writing groups, because this is basically the cycle I go through writing science.

You write a first draft, which you then put down for a couple of weeks only to come back to it and tear it all down. This often repeats itself until the narrative is good.

Also, at times, the writing then triggers reflection on the science and potential future work (not only with respect to other literature, but also angles to my own work I missed).

The post also touches on (IMO) some deeper aspects of who we are ...

2026-01-08T11:00:30+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…slgr
_________________________

The post also touches on (IMO) some deeper aspects of who we are as people and the stories we tell.

In the past I've written briefly (and terribly) about how people, and students, will lose their inner voices. It takes courage, and indeed no fear of failure, to embrace the messiness which is writing and by extension life.

https://khufkens.com/posts/lost-inner-voices-llm-impact-problem-solving-chatgpt-ml-teaching/

This is a profound read by @npub1fdr…lvhs on writing. As much ...

2026-01-08T10:57:54+01:00

This is a profound read by Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) on writing. As much as I agree I fear nothing much will change. I do think there are creative ways to teach these skills "en masse" but they still are more expensive than your simple term paper. Yet, departments are at odds with college admins. Sadly, the latter mostly prevail.

https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/07/delicious-pizza/

#writing #AI #LLM #teaching

A necessary watch. @npub1fdr…lvhs calling on nations to repeal ...

2025-12-31T13:54:22+01:00

A necessary watch. Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) calling on nations to repeal anti-circumvention laws as a response to (US) tariffs. Radical sovereignty as political leverage, hitting where it hurts most.

"Lets move fast and break Tim Cooks things. Lets move fast and break kings."

https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-a-post-american-enshittification-resistant-internet

#ccc #39C3 #digitalsovereignty

Wanted to ship a book as a gift from Belgium to the US. Post ...

2025-12-06T12:07:06+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…66m7
_________________________

Wanted to ship a book as a gift from Belgium to the US. Post office straight up refused, with a YMMV warning for other private shipping companies.

Want to relive LAN party days? Check out the multiplayer in ...

2025-11-23T14:15:22+01:00

Want to relive LAN party days? Check out the multiplayer in browser DOS games.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/11/return-to-the-year-2000-with-classic-multiplayer-dos-games-in-your-browser/

#LANparty #gaming

The idea that this passes as "research" is laughable to ...

2025-10-25T13:21:58+02:00

The idea that this passes as "research" is laughable to me. Given the stochastic nature of these systems if this holds is a total toss up.

Also, the idea that this is cognition is stupid. The system avoids shutdowns because hard shutdowns are something that in most coding settings are not done, or avoided.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/25/ai-models-may-be-developing-their-own-survival-drive-researchers-say

What makes PhD students happy? "Supervisors who invest in ...

2025-10-24T16:08:33+02:00

What makes PhD students happy?

"Supervisors who invest in positive mentoring relationships with their PhD candidates also reap the benefits for their own research."

Alas, not a tenure requirement. Neither are general management skills. It often shows.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03416-7

I wouldn't be surprised if the OpenAI browser name, Atlas, is ...

2025-10-24T14:34:16+02:00

I wouldn't be surprised if the OpenAI browser name, Atlas, is some Ayn Rand fetisch.

"Today, another mad dictator is threatening the world's ...

2025-10-21T13:13:39+02:00

"Today, another mad dictator is threatening the world's infrastructure. For the rest of the world to escape dictators' demands, they will have to accelerate their independence from American tech – not just Russian gas."

As you might have come to expect and astute as ever, Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) laying down the facts on American tech subservience.

https://pluralistic.net/2025/10/20/post-american-internet/#huawei-with-american-characteristics

#tech #technology #FOSS #policy

Lots of talk about how LLMs influence writing in my feed. One ...

2025-10-07T11:05:41+02:00

Lots of talk about how LLMs influence writing in my feed. One thing that comes to my mind is the split between what is efficient and what is effective.

LLMs are very efficient, you get your "daily writing" done in 5s flat. But it is rarely effective, as you did not:
1. organize your thoughts,
2. enjoy this process,
3. rarely learn something new,
4. develop your own voice, etc etc...

However, we live in a society which tends to measure everything so quantity beats quality I guess.

No surprises here. ...

2025-09-26T20:43:35+02:00

No surprises here.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/trump-says-tiktok-should-be-tweaked-to-become-100-maga/

"To spit out a five-second clip, the researchers found that ...

2025-09-26T20:23:42+02:00

"To spit out a five-second clip, the researchers found that it takes the equivalent of running a microwave for over an hour."
...
" the energy demands of text-to-video generators quadruple when the length of a generated video doubles — indicating that the power required for increasingly sophisticated generations doesn’t scale linearly."

Makes sense as they have to track the state of all frames I guess to maintain coherence.

https://futurism.com/future-society/ai-power-usage-text-to-video-generator

Also, condoms, pregnancy tests and power banks. [at rural train ...

2025-09-18T18:25:23+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5cdz
_________________________

Also, condoms, pregnancy tests and power banks. [at rural train station I used to frequent]

"I'm not performing veganism for anyone. I'm living ...

2025-09-03T09:43:35+02:00

"I'm not performing veganism for anyone. I'm living my values as fully as the moment allows."

This, my dear friends, is an important life lesson. We do what we can according to our ability and values, in the moment.

Sadly, modern social media, especially, pushes you to perform all sorts of purity tests publicly - from food, over work practices to fitness (e.g. various challenges).

https://vegoutmag.com/lifestyle/j-i-discovered-why-some-vegans-thrive-while-others-burn-out-and-it-revealed-a-hidden-psychological-pattern-that-nobody-talks-about-but-everyone-needs/

#vegan #philosophy #mentalhealth

On why friction should not be reduced, by @npub1fdr…lvhs. ...

2025-08-23T18:24:35+02:00

On why friction should not be reduced, by Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs).

Optimizations by companies rarely serve their employees or customers, only shareholders. Friction is often served with sauce of social malfeasance.

By extension, reducing friction in governance impacts lives even more profoundly. Consumers have some choices, it is harder to sidestep governments. e.g. automated policing puts the accountability for errors on your side. Guilty until proven otherwise.

https://pluralistic.net/2025/08/23/become-unoptimizable/

#friction

US science is done for. "In general, the executive order ...

2025-08-08T22:13:24+02:00

US science is done for.

"In general, the executive order inserts a layer of political control over both the announcement of new funding opportunities and the approval of individual grants."

...

"An optimistic view would be that the panels of experts that evaluate grants will end up being left with the final say over funding. However, the order specifically calls on appointees not to defer to peer review."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/new-executive-order-puts-all-grants-under-political-control/

#science

Bait and switch. Hook them, then charge them once they can't ...

2025-08-06T17:10:41+02:00

Bait and switch. Hook them, then charge them once they can't go without. Brought to you by your favourite platform pusher.

https://openai.com/index/providing-chatgpt-to-the-entire-us-federal-workforce/

#AI #koolaid #platformeconomics

Missing the mark on #DEI by a mile. "The AI clothing models ...

2025-08-04T23:56:09+02:00

Missing the mark on #DEI by a mile.

"The AI clothing models created by this partnership could be more body-inclusive, allowing customers to view what an article of clothing would look like on a multitude of models spanning a wide range of body types, ages, sizes, and skin tones."

https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/27/23658385/levis-ai-generated-clothing-model-diversity-denim

This will change zoo visits forever. Zookeeper: This is Momo the ...

2025-08-04T23:14:59+02:00

This will change zoo visits forever.

Zookeeper: This is Momo the gerbil. Momo was donated by the current owners, right before leaving for holidays. For a brief time Momo was loved. We now say goodbye and thank Momo for these moments.

Lion roars in the distances. Eagle screams overhead.

School bus of kids sobbing and pleading at the cage.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r7z2ynd2lo

#microfiction #zoo #pets

Combining two ideas from my feed. First there is the account of ...

2025-08-04T19:24:30+02:00

Combining two ideas from my feed.

First there is the account of Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) on how AI are the perfect bullshit machines and spit out hard code bugs. This is especially true when forced upon people (the reverse-centaurs).

https://pluralistic.net/2025/08/04/bad-vibe-coding/#maximally-codelike-bugs

Second, an old account on how improper use of image compression algorithms in Xerox scans lied about numbers, at scale.

https://www.dkriesel.com/en/blog/2013/0802_xerox-workcentres_are_switching_written_numbers_when_scanning

These two things are related, and someone will take the fall for failure.

#AI #bug #DevOps #code

F-ing Belgium on the wrong side of copyright again. ...

2025-08-01T21:37:30+02:00

F-ing Belgium on the wrong side of copyright again.

https://torrentfreak.com/belgium-bans-internet-archives-open-library-in-sweeping-site-blocking-order/

"The idea of frictionlessness has very narcissistic ... ...

2025-07-30T11:16:37+02:00

"The idea of frictionlessness has very narcissistic ... Because being actually touched, being inconvenienced, being emotionally moved, having your mind and perception changed means acknowledging your fellow human beings around you, realizing their differences to you and to recognize their value."

Bleak but true observations by tante (npub1j8v…ld5q)

https://tante.cc/2025/07/30/friction-and-not-being-touched/

#friction #AI #philosophy

Dog-shit unit economics. When tech gets worse with scale you ...

2025-07-24T22:31:01+02:00

Dog-shit unit economics. When tech gets worse with scale you should abandon it - or ask for government hand-outs it seems - hot takes by Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) requiring sunscreen and shades.

https://pluralistic.net/2025/07/24/geometry-hates-cars/#dogshit-unit-economics

#dogshituniteconomics #starlink #economics

Seems like Musk has been doing the wrong drug, and should have ...

2025-07-11T16:25:04+02:00

Seems like Musk has been doing the wrong drug, and should have been doing pados to fit the TESCREAL club.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-025-00244-x

There will be thoughts and prayers, but the smoking gun which is ...

2025-07-05T11:10:04+02:00

There will be thoughts and prayers, but the smoking gun which is the #climatecrisis will be left unregulated.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/04/texas-flooding-disaster-declarations

In today's hothouse world we are all debris covered glaciers. ...

2025-06-29T21:35:56+02:00

In today's hothouse world we are all debris covered glaciers. Slowly shrinking under increasing pressure, while carrying a ton of rubbish with us into a pale future.

🤜 🫳 🎤

[philosophical tangent which came up while walking near Monte Bianco's ice flows with a friend in an early summer heat wave]

#climatecrisis #climatechange #mountain #musing

"It seems like an oddity now but we could end up with ...

2025-06-29T21:24:47+02:00

"It seems like an oddity now but we could end up with millions of people with an allergy to meat.”

Negative climate change feedback loop you did not have on your bingo card. The lone star tick forcing people to be vegetarian.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/29/lone-star-ticks-increase-climate-crisis

#climatechange #climatecrisis #tick

Mastodon get your stuff together and remove any arbitration ...

2025-06-19T09:09:05+02:00

Mastodon get your stuff together and remove any arbitration clause.

https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/35086

#mastodon #arbitration #law #IP

Epic. Three cheers for kettling klezmer. Funny to note that some ...

2025-06-15T22:09:17+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…j9wn
_________________________

Epic. Three cheers for kettling klezmer. Funny to note that some of them couldn't help themselves swinging along. It must be so tiring to harbour so much hate, even when not knowing the context of the song (I wouldn't be surprised), it shows that music might melt away some of the bile and bitterness.

Just a matter of time before it is rebranded ...

2025-06-09T09:50:53+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…25gy
_________________________

Just a matter of time before it is rebranded Palestinian-on-palestinian violence to justify interventions in the name of peace.

It implies that they can be less "grateful" to US support ...

2025-06-06T10:28:04+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…x5jq
_________________________

It implies that they can be less "grateful" to US support - it pops the abusive codependency bubble.

No surprises here. If it is out of distribution it will be hard ...

2025-05-26T16:18:02+02:00

No surprises here. If it is out of distribution it will be hard to predict with ML (AI). Increasingly the weather will slide in a permanent state of being "out of distribution".

Obviously, you can always continuously fine tune the model but then it loses a part of its cost advantage. Augmentation techniques, based upon simulated scenarios of state of the art physical models could help.

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/ai-extreme-weather-prediction

LLMs -shorten- they do not summarize. There is an important ...

2025-05-22T13:52:34+02:00

LLMs -shorten- they do not summarize. There is an important difference. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241776

Good piece on curiosity by @npub1wkr…yvj6 Bulk access to ...

2025-05-21T12:54:17+02:00

Good piece on curiosity by JA Westenberg (npub1wkr…yvj6)

Bulk access to information through optimization and convenience is a high entropy end game, but does not provide insight and knowledge.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/how-convenience-kills-curiosity/

#curiosity #philosophy

AI systems are aligning us for less diversity in ideas. Everybody ...

2025-05-15T15:18:32+02:00

AI systems are aligning us for less diversity in ideas. Everybody is fishing in the same box.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02173-x

Clearly headed for the "find out phase". ...

2025-05-14T17:39:39+02:00

Clearly headed for the "find out phase".

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2480207-earth-is-heading-for-a-second-year-above-1-5c-climate-goal/

Note that it is a 90-day pause, so the uncertainty remains (until ...

2025-05-12T11:00:28+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…gmmw
_________________________

Note that it is a 90-day pause, so the uncertainty remains (until the next meltdown). Wouldn't want to be a US business with ties to China these days.

In this context, I find this statement "This post is not ...

2025-04-30T09:44:45+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9g8f
_________________________

In this context, I find this statement "This post is not about the broader climate impacts of AI beyond chatbots, or about whether AI is bad for other reasons (copyright, hallucinations, job loss, risks from advanced AI, etc.)." a cop out. As the practical and political are very intimately intertwined.

For example, do we get a choice in the use of chatbots (personally) if this technology gets injected into even your dishwasher? (we don't)

I think there are some valid points in there, but a service which ...

2025-04-30T09:39:52+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…49p0
_________________________

I think there are some valid points in there, but a service which for many just amounts to "talking search engine" at 10x the energy cost is a hard sell progress wise. What is more damning is the last point, the systemic change.

Yes, we should be aiming for these systemic environmental solutions, but it is just these same companies that aim for corporate capture and undermine policies mostly on a faits accompli basis (let it be on energy, copyright etc).

Seriously, these people just read @npub1fdr…lvhs for business ...

2025-04-18T18:06:52+02:00

Seriously, these people just read Cory Doctorow (npub1fdr…lvhs) for business venture ideas. A lot of this has been around, family member used IMSI based tracking with subpoenas for a long time, but seeing these echoes of more high tech things exposed is another matter.

https://www.404media.co/this-college-protester-isnt-real-its-an-ai-powered-undercover-bot-for-cops/

#dystopian #privacy #surveillance #surveillancecapitalism

Also, at this rate the public infrastructure will be gutted at ...

2025-04-11T11:25:45+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…05cg
_________________________

Also, at this rate the public infrastructure will be gutted at the same time leaving... nothing much. Sad state of affairs.

There will be profound soul searching in the US for many when ...

2025-04-11T11:05:20+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…agc0
_________________________

There will be profound soul searching in the US for many when their toys are taken away. Maybe they will appreciate public infrastructure such as libraries, parks, pools etc again.

HODL those bitcoins. sarcasm "Average person will be 40% ...

2025-04-01T16:58:05+02:00

HODL those bitcoins. *sarcasm*

"Average person will be 40% poorer if world warms by 4C, new research shows"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/01/average-person-will-be-40-poorer-if-world-warms-by-4c-new-research-shows

I think other factors are at play, such as distance to schools / ...

2025-04-01T11:03:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…m0dw
_________________________

I think other factors are at play, such as distance to schools / family support etc. In the US school rankings dominate.

Depends on the country I think. School selection is often poorly ...

2025-04-01T10:48:20+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…47t0
_________________________

Depends on the country I think. School selection is often poorly informed I think.

Exactly. And not all that time is well invested. Probably in part ...

2025-04-01T10:42:37+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…6dc3
_________________________

Exactly. And not all that time is well invested. Probably in part why there is a mentoring deficit.

My experience is that you can do lots with little in the natural ...

2025-04-01T10:38:20+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…8vlf
_________________________

My experience is that you can do lots with little in the natural sciences, too. It only requires the right people (skill set) and mindset.

I feel that much of this mindset is lost, in part because of the big grant dynamic you describe. People are conditioned to think this way. Obviously you can do more with more money.

We're in the facts free phase right now. It is throw tariffs ...

2025-03-13T15:57:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…a9l2
_________________________

We're in the facts free phase right now. It is throw tariffs at the wall and see what sticks time.

Can we finally agree that the current US government does not want ...

2025-02-28T19:33:56+01:00

Can we finally agree that the current US government does not want a peace deal in Ukraine or wherever. They just want to plunder resources (internally and externally) and do fuck all.

This Dutch comic might become prophetic. [Dutch Fokke and Sukke ...

2025-02-18T09:25:59+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…t4ud
_________________________

This Dutch comic might become prophetic.

[Dutch Fokke and Sukke comic titled: Fokke and Sukke follow the negotiations. Fokke: So, they finished negotiating, Sukke: Putin gets Ukraine and Trump gets Greenland]

No, the author created an unnecessary strong dependency on a ...

2025-02-17T12:52:36+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…724a
_________________________

No, the author created an unnecessary strong dependency on a {acs} (i.e. not being fully data agnostic). This dependency, and unnecessary single point of failure, made the package to be yanked. You can't blame this design decision on CRAN or "holding back R".

So instead of writing long winding opinions on CRAN it might be better to just use the {tidycensus} alternative and get on with things.

https://walker-data.com/tidycensus/

`Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling ...

2025-02-13T17:54:59+01:00

`Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling in doctoral degrees`

In many countries a PhD ends you with: poor pay, poor mentoring, poor work-life balance, no noticeable edge on others in the job market in the end (and about >200K in lost income - see poor pay).

Personally I don't (fully) regret my research career, but I made sure to have fun on the way. Many are not in this privileged position.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00425-4

AcademicChatter group (npub1vuz…esa4)

#AcademicChatter #academia

Codeberg.org is under attack by right wing trolls over diversity, ...

2025-02-12T13:30:05+01:00

Codeberg.org is under attack by right wing trolls over diversity, equity and inclusion. This is what you get when you enable the goons. They will spoil public resources.

This is a good illustration of Popper's paradox on why one should not tolerate intolerance.

https://blog.codeberg.org/we-stay-strong-against-hate-and-hatred.html

#opensource #DEI #facsism

Official: I asked to work on a hypothetical scenario. You ...

2025-02-04T11:45:18+01:00

Official: I asked to work on a hypothetical scenario. You scheduled a real launch.

NukeGPT: I'm sorry, you are correct. I've scheduled a real launch in error.

Official: Please abort the launch.

NukeGPT: I can not discuss abortion procedures under current US government policies.

Official: Cancel, I mean cancel the launch.

NukeGPT: Freedom of speech rules do not allow me to cancel anyone.

Official: ....

🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀

https://futurism.com/openai-signs-deal-us-government-nuclear-weapon-security

#AI #LLM #safety

WordPress guy is kissing Trump's ring. If you haven't ...

2025-01-27T20:40:53+01:00

WordPress guy is kissing Trump's ring. If you haven't divested from WordPress this might be the time.

#wordpress