Nostr notes by Zach Weinersmith

Which is closest to your view? ...

2026-05-16T12:34:37Z

Which is closest to your view?

So, in my social media bubble, I've repeatedly had people my ...

2026-05-12T11:14:15Z

So, in my social media bubble, I've repeatedly had people my age say young people don't like Ai. And, in these stories, the young people in question typically give appealing-to-millennials stories about not using Ai. But here's a survey from Pew that's likely underestimating since it's 6 months old.

Most interesting is the near 50% use for fun! So you can't say it's just because they're forced to use it.

Hey linguistic dorks: So, I grew up in Texas where ...

2026-04-24T13:47:21Z

Hey linguistic dorks:

So, I grew up in Texas where "y'all" was normal, though not always used when outside the US South. In the last 10-20 years, it seems like it's become normal. Like I see Canadians using it. But it occurred to me that I *actually* only see it used online. I had the impression that Y'all basically won the Second Person Plural wars via the popularity of AAVE, but perhaps it's more of an online slang usage?

Full comic here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/waas #smbc ...

2026-04-22T15:48:05Z

Full comic here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/waas #smbc #comics #saas

Sometimes the Internet is OK ...

2026-04-21T18:59:06Z

Sometimes the Internet is OK

I once told my daughter ninjas are a type of assassin and she ...

2026-04-21T16:54:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…xxmy
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I once told my daughter ninjas are a type of assassin and she thought I was teasing her.

Have you noticed this thing where when a type of character ...

2026-04-21T16:53:01Z

Have you noticed this thing where when a type of character appears in story enough, they become dissociated from the actual nature of the original character type? E.g. being a cartoon cowboy does not imply that one is a young man who runs cattle. It's about a set of clothes and a gruff attitude. A pirate strictly speaking no longer needs to be engaged in any kind of violent robbery. A princess is someone young with a crown, but may not really need a monarchy they are in line for.

Like is "there's this thing called i and it's ...

2026-04-11T12:32:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…jpk9
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Like is "there's this thing called i and it's 'imaginary' but we can use it like any other number" more or less intuitive than "you're sitting here doing algebra and suddenly a number explodes into 4 numbers"

Kinda funny, I was thinking about the idea of explaining ...

2026-04-11T12:30:25Z

Kinda funny, I was thinking about the idea of explaining imaginary numbers to high school students by saying "actually, there's no magic. You can do the whole thing using only reals." But then basically you have to be like "x^2+1=0" doesn't appear to have a solution until POOF, a rotation matrix appears. Which is maybe more confusing?

So this happened https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spheres-part-1 ...

2026-04-09T15:26:48Z

So this happened
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spheres-part-1

#smbc #comics #math

y

2026-04-08T17:03:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…29pp
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y

Mary Bonus panel here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mary ...

2026-04-08T15:30:20Z

Mary
Bonus panel here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/mary #smbc #comics

Hey cybersecurity geeks-- so it seems like anthropic now has ...

2026-04-07T22:19:00Z

Hey cybersecurity geeks-- so it seems like anthropic now has really good exploit detection ability. Do you think this makes offense or defense harder? Like, seems like everyone might have to go through a battery of automated checks before deploying stuff into the world.

Kinda funny: I was reading Zeno's lesser-known "stadium ...

2026-04-05T14:48:52Z

Kinda funny: I was reading Zeno's lesser-known "stadium paradox." Read it in a book, maybe 3 times and it just wouldn't click. Finally, I go to Stanford's encyclopedia of philosophy and it appears the consensus is that Zeno was just being an idiot on that one. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-zeno/#Stad

Something I have trouble explaining about space travel. Like, if ...

2026-04-05T13:03:02Z

Something I have trouble explaining about space travel. Like, if you've read my book, you know I think human space faring is probably not economically valuable. It's not a good use of science dollars compared to other areas. I'm even skeptical of the case for inspiration (it doesn't seem to causally related to more aerospace degrees).

But it's also just really cool. Why don't I feel this way about Antarctica or Seabed exploration?

Hannah Arendt is another, though I'm less a fan of her ...

2026-04-05T11:08:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…4s9r
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Hannah Arendt is another, though I'm less a fan of her writing style. Dickens is another, and Gaskell maybe my favorite. But there's a real skill in trying to see what's out your window (or on your phone) as part of the sublime movement of history.

I think there's an extent to which activism and artistry are ...

2026-04-05T11:07:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…e3ld
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I think there's an extent to which activism and artistry are opposed, in that the former is trying to achieve some end now and the latter is trying to make things that are permanent and not about the present.

But there are rare exceptions, such as Orwell, or Arthur Koestler or especially Hunter S Thompson. I find Thompson particularly compelling as someone who can take an article on a thing that happened last week and somehow let the whole universe peek around its edges.

I don't see this is a bad thing the editors did. I can see ...

2026-04-05T11:01:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…4cff
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I don't see this is a bad thing the editors did. I can see why they wanted to do it, and probably would've done the same. But I suppose it's a casualty of such an era that the Great Conversation, about free will, language, mathematics, etc. gets hard to hear over all the shouting.

So, there used to be an NYT column called The Stone, which did ...

2026-04-05T11:00:42Z

So, there used to be an NYT column called The Stone, which did essays about philosophy. They ended in 2020, but had 3 compilation books.

One of the interesting things reading these books is how, post-Trump, I would say the essays become much less interesting, because you can (I think?) feel the editors and writers suddenly wanting to grapple with current events. The focus necessarily gets narrow and reactive.

Bonus panel here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/bad-4 #smbc ...

2026-04-03T17:12:17Z

Bonus panel here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/bad-4 #smbc #comics

Have I mentioned here that I have a new book coming out in June? ...

2026-04-03T14:26:17Z

Have I mentioned here that I have a new book coming out in June? You can see a pretty substantial excerpt here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374393496/sawyerleeandthequesttojuststayhome/

I guarantee at least three laughs, even if you are not in the target audience of young people.

Hey geeks! We're ordering extra blank mugs for the upcoming ...

2026-04-02T15:44:06Z

Hey geeks! We're ordering extra blank mugs for the upcoming Mother's Day, but if you want one of our statistical parent mugs, please get your order in. https://smbc-store.myshopify.com/products/good-parent-mug

Also I have a lot of admiration for Tao's working in trying ...

2026-04-01T12:07:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…hj02
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Also I have a lot of admiration for Tao's working in trying to find a middle ground for AI in math, tempering expectations all over the place, and doing careful work. I get the sense he's really excited about this stuff, but just fundamentally dedicated to getting it right, even if it's frustrating (as the many solutions that turned out to MAYBE be due to prior work indicate)

Funniest things are when it turns out one of the Erdos problems ...

2026-04-01T11:58:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…xyvp
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Funniest things are when it turns out one of the Erdos problems has a solution... by Erdos! I talked to one of the people who worked on solving earlier problems with AI, and they said that was one of the more embarrassing parts :D

For those interested, Terry Tao keeps a database of attempts to ...

2026-04-01T11:15:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…ln93
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For those interested, Terry Tao keeps a database of attempts to use AI to solve open Erdos problems. https://github.com/teorth/erdosproblems/wiki/AI-contributions-to-Erd%C5%91s-problems

It hasn't been updated in response to this yet, as far as I can see.

(hasten to add, because people often say this when I post this sort of thing -- no, you can't brute force solutions to open math problems like these. You can of course try lots of stuff, but not "check every possibility" because it'd require more than all the matter and time in the universe to do)

Two more Erdos problems automatically solved ...

2026-04-01T11:14:14Z

Two more Erdos problems automatically solved https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.29961

Often when this happens it's later discovered that there was already a proof in the lit somewhere, though in several cases the proofs were shown to be novel. I find math the most interesting use for modern AI, because it's the one area of human endeavor where the computer can automatically perform verification.

One of the weirdest things to me about the tech scene for AI is ...

2026-03-31T16:54:34Z

One of the weirdest things to me about the tech scene for AI is you regularly hear variants on "Super-human intelligence is coming next year and will permanently alter life as we know it. Prepare your business and finances accordingly." Setting aside what you think about the first half, how does the second half make any sense? Like... what would you do differently, other than move to the woods?

Since Mastodon is for nerds, I'm here to share a nerd thing. ...

2026-03-31T11:52:55Z

Since Mastodon is for nerds, I'm here to share a nerd thing. I'm interested in rose breeding, and one thing you have to account for there is ploidy, which can determine whether species can cross. There's a type of rose called dogroses (Rosa canina), often used in cooking, which has its own, unique and bizarre, pentaploid meiosis.

28 mom chromosomes, 7 dad chomosomes. The dad part is shuffled like normal. The mom part is only partially shuffled.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09171-z

Oh the humanities... Full comic here: ...

2026-03-30T20:06:54Z

Oh the humanities...
Full comic here: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/humanities-2

And with this sort of thing I always wonder whether it's that ...

2026-03-29T11:32:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…g43u
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And with this sort of thing I always wonder whether it's that they're (a) gaming the system, or (b) discovered something humans actually wanted all along, in some sense, but which artists would've never produced.

I mean maybe we really just want Oasis to play 83 slight variations on Wonderwall, but they wouldn't.

Or there was another popular one called Breaking Rust, I believe, ...

2026-03-29T11:31:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…kahq
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Or there was another popular one called Breaking Rust, I believe, who was a sort of modern hardcore country singer. Nearly every song began with him humming, in the same cadence, followed by the same bluesy percussion. And all were some variation on the theme of being a tough guy who doesn't care about other people's opinions. Like, dozens of these songs.

Now and then there's a headline about an AI musician going ...

2026-03-29T11:30:27Z

Now and then there's a headline about an AI musician going huge on some platform. For me the most fascinating thing is that when this happens, and I look up their album or singles, their songs are almost identical. Not like when you say "all of ACDC's songs are the same." Like, they're just tons of tiny variations. Check e.g. the singles by the AI named Eddie Dalton.

I am REALLY excited about intergeneric crosses, but they are hard ...

2026-03-28T22:21:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…fdqz
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I am REALLY excited about intergeneric crosses, but they are hard to lay your hands on! I finally am getting a Shipova (a fairly gettable cross between the pear genus (pyrus) and whitebeam (a less-known member of the same family that contains pears, apples, hawthorns, etc.)

The family is so bored of me talking about obscure tree cultivars ...

2026-03-28T22:17:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…ut7k
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The family is so bored of me talking about obscure tree cultivars that they scatter at the sight of my shadow, but if YOU'D like to talk about it, here I am.

If anyone wants to know what I'm up to, I am working on a ...

2026-03-28T22:15:25Z

If anyone wants to know what I'm up to, I am working on a sequel to my upcoming kids' book in June, while writing Bea Wolf, while illustrating an econ comic book, while doing SMBC, and I'm trying to plant a 200ish tree fruit orchard.

OK, this convinced me I should be here more: ...

2026-03-28T22:06:29Z

OK, this convinced me I should be here more: https://bsky.app/profile/dubikan.bsky.social/post/3mi5ncilczk23

How's it going?

Anyone else get unreasonably annoyed that literally ...

2024-12-06T17:14:27Z

Anyone else get unreasonably annoyed that literally everyone's point of reference for everything is WWII? Every authoritarian movement is 1930s fascism, bad leaders are Hitler, the use of "concentration camps" for places where nobody is being killed, etc.

I find it especially irksome when I agree with the person making the argument!

What was the standard reference before WWII?

So, it seems like at a policy level the US basically accepted ...

2024-11-11T18:39:33Z

So, it seems like at a policy level the US basically accepted somewhat higher inflation than other developed countries in exchange for a thriving economy. Successful according to most economists, but it may have cost the administration a second term. Do you agree, and how do you think it'll affect future decisions?

Nostr event nevent1qqstnr5x3cnelc3ewj2uy9a04pc27ctw29t3x6nd74t7a95fxhcczyqzyqwcynf0p5tmjqas7qnjh6uama8u723epfa0az286s5p5dqpel2aqf9et4m

2024-11-06T17:59:10Z

Speaking as an expert, the major current problem with sex on Mars ...

2024-10-29T17:38:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…98pc
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Speaking as an expert, the major current problem with sex on Mars is the lack of humans.

Man, British tabloids know how to write a headline ...

2024-10-29T17:37:20Z

Man, British tabloids know how to write a headline

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14010675/embarrassing-setbacks-sex-MARS-Elon-Musk.html

Do you think it's formally ad hominem to say someone has an ...

2024-10-26T19:03:33Z

Do you think it's formally ad hominem to say someone has an ideological posture that is broadly considered negative.

For instance, suppose someone wrote a long essay arguing for redistribution of wealth and you said they were a Stalinist. Separate from whether it's douchey or good form, is it formally ad hominem?

One of the really weird things reading Wodehouse's early ...

2024-10-25T12:00:00Z

One of the really weird things reading Wodehouse's early public schoolboy setting fiction from the early 1900s is how older boys savagely beating younger boys as a punishment is totally normal. Like, good characters do it and bad characters do it. The only distinction is whether the action is considered sporting by the narrator.

What's fascinating is it's not like he spent some time in ...

2024-10-23T22:53:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…zf96
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What's fascinating is it's not like he spent some time in a creative writing class getting his feet wet. Like it took about 10 published novels before he got good, or even just decent! But, I guess there was just a lot more literary consumption back then?

Offhand thoughts. I've been going through PG Wodehouse's ...

2024-10-23T22:52:56Z

Offhand thoughts.

I've been going through PG Wodehouse's now seldom-read early juvenile novels. They're mostly terrible, but by about the fifth of, I believe, seven... he's not bad! Not funny, but you care about the characters, they're more differentiated, and the action is well-described. It occurred to me that if he were alive today he might be doing some kids' series in whatever genre would sell best.

Working on some of my famous realistic dialog ...

2024-10-19T15:18:44Z

Working on some of my famous realistic dialog

Hey PG Wodehouse fans. Weird question. When you say you're a ...

2024-10-15T14:49:50Z

Hey PG Wodehouse fans. Weird question. When you say you're a fan of his work, what are you referring to in particular?

Ideally, mention a specific book, story, poem, or play. If not that, mention a character.
October 15, 2024 at 10:48 AM

Ev

I just had a controversial opinion and absolutely stuffed it ...

2024-10-14T14:48:21Z

I just had a controversial opinion and absolutely stuffed it down. Feeling great about it.

Interesting! Thank you!

2024-10-10T15:26:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…4epu
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Interesting! Thank you!

So, our autistic 7 year old (mostly non-verbal) rarely plays with ...

2024-10-10T15:21:34Z

So, our autistic 7 year old (mostly non-verbal) rarely plays with any particular thing for a long time, but the teachers at school put him in a VR set and he watched water for 45+ minutes.

We're thinking of getting one for his birthday. He hardly wants anything, so it'd be nice to do something special. Any recommendations? Thinking a meta quest 2?

Could be wrong, but feels like in the last few years I've ...

2024-10-08T17:58:07Z

Could be wrong, but feels like in the last few years I've gotten a better response off jokes mocking social media. Maybe I've just gotten less bad at making the jokes, but I do feel there's been more groundswell around *some* form of pushback against the whole Internet, and much of human experience, being controlled by two and a half corporations that classify Yeats poetry and farting dogs under the same banner as "Engagement."

Anyone wanna link me to a thoughtful podcast or debate or ...

2024-09-23T16:47:01Z

Anyone wanna link me to a thoughtful podcast or debate or whatever on Israel/Palestine.

(Snarky rejoinders less appreciated than sharing the thing requested)

Hey math dorks, of all the NP problems, which one is the most ...

2024-09-16T12:38:10Z

Hey math dorks, of all the NP problems, which one is the most surprising to you for not being in P?

Full comic here: http://smbc-comics.com/comic/brown ...

2024-09-15T16:52:37Z

Full comic here: http://smbc-comics.com/comic/brown

So, I was talking to a tech friend recently about how AI is ...

2024-08-26T12:42:22Z

So, I was talking to a tech friend recently about how AI is everywhere but in the productivity stats, at least so far. He pointed out that he didn't buy that entirely, because the Internet was changing life everywhere before it showed up in macro stats.

Thinking over it more I guess my feeling is that lots of stuff doesn't get counted in productivity, BUT productivity is the ultimate measure of life improving, in the sense of autonomy.

Victor Frankl is maybe the ultimate example of "this is great ...

2024-08-14T15:06:46Z

Victor Frankl is maybe the ultimate example of "this is great but it's not science, stop calling it science." All the great psychoanalysts should've just written novels.

Today the stock market has crashed... down to the level it was at ...

2024-08-05T13:48:47Z

Today the stock market has crashed... down to the level it was at 2 months ago.

Have you noticed that the entire premise of Pinocchio is ...

2024-08-03T16:28:16Z

Have you noticed that the entire premise of Pinocchio is impossible because it'd allow you to solve the Halting Problem?

At some point someone's going to coin "Kamalanomics." ...

2024-08-02T18:37:23Z

At some point someone's going to coin "Kamalanomics." Can we pre-empt this with Economic Kamalicy? It's more expensive because you can divide it into both fiscal and monetary Kamalicy, not to mention trade and foreign Kamalicy.

One thing I kinda understand but kinda don't about the newer ...

2024-06-15T15:46:31Z

One thing I kinda understand but kinda don't about the newer right wing movements is why they like each other so much? Like, the shared view is "our country first," but of course they're each referring to their own country. To the extent they're opposed to so-called globalists, it makes sense, but it doesn't seem overly consistent to me.

The rant nobody asked for. Full comic here: ...

2024-05-21T19:31:32Z

The rant nobody asked for.

Full comic here: http://smbc-comics.com/comic/myth-2

#smbc #hiveworks #comics #webcomics #superhero #myth