Kronopath (@Kronopath) profile picture

Kronopath

@Kronopath

Human being working in software. I don't really tweet much. Opinions are always my own, not employers'. Follow my ramblings at https://xitter.gq/t.co/KVy0Z2iiiX

kronopath.com/
Joined January 2009
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In case it wasn't obvious, I don't think this account has much life left in it anymore. I'm finding that Twitter isn't really a good use of my time, nor is it really a good communication medium for the kind of communication I prefer.
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It’s not that I don’t understand the difference between AIs using tools and AIs doing math on their own. It’s that I don’t care. The job gets done either way, for better or worse.
Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) profile pictureGary Marcus
@GaryMarcusOct 7
this is typical of the cluelessness of people who literarily don’t understand the difference between a. a neural network solving a problem by itself and b. a neural network proposing an answer and having a separate symbolic system verify it. if that’s over your head, you probably shouldn’t be commenting about AI.
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An AI that knows where its own weaknesses are and reaches for (or even builds) useful tools to get around them is substantially more capable—and possibly dangerous!—than an AI that stubbornly tries to do everything “in its head”.
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I sometimes get asked about recent tech layoffs, and I usually bring up how interest rates spiked and largely caused them. Not everyone understands why those are related, to the point where I've ended up with a sort of "standard answer" I usually use to explain it to people.
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This post is that standard answer, put into writing. kronopath.com/blog/a-tech-wo…
A Tech Worker's Guide to Interest Rates

A Tech Worker's Guide to Interest Rates

Government interest rates can mean the difference between boom and bust for the tech industry. Here's why.

kronopath.com
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Ever since I first saw this comic from @SMBCComics, I've started noticing that this trend has already started happening with the Mafia. smbc-comics.com/comic/viking
A four-panel comic from smbc-comics.com. Panel 1: Kids Being Vikings. Kid: "We have helmets and wear fur and we sail the sea!" Adult: "Do you set fire to villages and enslave the populace?" Kid: "What are you even talking about?" Panel 2: Kids Being Pirates Kid: "We have eyepatches and parrots and hooks!" Adult: "Do you kill people and steal their possessions?" Kid: "GOD parents are weird." Panel 3: Kids Being Ninjas Kid: "We have swords and we dress in pyjamas!" Adult: "So who are you assassinating?" Kid: "A ninja would never do that! Never!" Panel 4: The Future Kid: "I'm a druglord! I have a trenchcoat full of bottles, like Druggo in the movie, Doggy Druglords!" Adult: "Is that as good as Panda War Criminals II?" Kid: "They're both good!"

ALT A four-panel comic from smbc-comics.com. Panel 1: Kids Being Vikings. Kid: "We have helmets and wear fur and we sail the sea!" Adult: "Do you set fire to villages and enslave the populace?" Kid: "What are you even talking about?" Panel 2: Kids Being Pirates Kid: "We have eyepatches and parrots and hooks!" Adult: "Do you kill people and steal their possessions?" Kid: "GOD parents are weird." Panel 3: Kids Being Ninjas Kid: "We have swords and we dress in pyjamas!" Adult: "So who are you assassinating?" Kid: "A ninja would never do that! Never!" Panel 4: The Future Kid: "I'm a druglord! I have a trenchcoat full of bottles, like Druggo in the movie, Doggy Druglords!" Adult: "Is that as good as Panda War Criminals II?" Kid: "They're both good!"

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I get the feeling that the Bay Area rationalist community strongly underestimates this dynamic and how their reputed near-universal cultural norm of polyamory makes it worse. This in turn impacts their ability to bring people in to tackle more serious problems, like AI Safety.
brooke bowman (@gptbrooke) profile picturebrooke bowman
@gptbrooke4 Mar 2024
I want all of my male friends to be in happy, fulfilling relationships for the entirely selfish reason that it is SO NICE to have friendships where there’s no weirdness around ‘are they into me’ or ‘do they think I’m into them’
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E.g.: there was a brilliant person I talked to who was actively looking for work, but was extremely hesitant to even consider applying to Redwood Research due to rumours (unverified on my part!) about uncomfortable social dynamics where everyone dates everyone else.
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I feel like I haven't heard people talk much about this clearly useful use case for AI chatbots. In my view, it's way better than asking it for (often untrustworthy) explanations of things. kronopath.com/blog/use-ai-as…

Use AI as a Reverse Search Engine

A usage of AI I actually endorse.

kronopath.com
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Non-programmers might not realize how different AI is from your normal computer program, and that this has serious implications for how it works. Trouble is, the AI isn't going to tell you this unless you know what to ask it. So I'm telling you instead. kronopath.com/blog/ai-isnt-p…

AI Isn't Programmed

If an AI’s ever told you it’s “programmed”, it’s lying to you.

kronopath.com
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Explore/Expand/Extract as Metaphor for Life — kronopath.com/blog/explore-e…

Explore/Expand/Extract as Metaphor for Life

kronopath.com
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Looks like the service I was using to auto-post has reached an agreement with Twitter. The auto-posts will continue, for now at least. RSS still recommended though.
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And now they’ve gone back on that, and will start requiring a paid plan in order to auto-tweet. I don’t think this is worth paying for. For those interested in my latest posts: RSS is still free, and still recommended! Or just visit kronopath.net/blog.
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How Load-Bearing Is Your Ideology? — kronopath.net/blog/how-load-…
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Building Products vs. Building Platforms — kronopath.net/blog/building-…
“Saudade” Isn't Mysterious — zpr.io/fDmkJ3gRDfTH
One consequence of @ncasenmare releasing all their work to the public domain is that shitty exploitative web game sites end up taking advantage of that and putting their best work alongside Elsa foot doctor simulators. Maybe it reaches a wider audience? But it deserves better.
Image from Kronopath (@Kronopath)
Image from Kronopath (@Kronopath)
How to Survive When the Air Itself Hates You — zpr.io/cbuQ8Pm9zJdf
Segmented Identity as Necessary for Daily Life — zpr.io/HQgvQ
The Correct Way to do Sentence Spacing — zpr.io/HjUVY
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