Daniel Fredriksen 🇺🇲

We asked GPT-6 Astra to edit Qwen3.5-0.8B weights to improve math. It directly changed only 0.016% of weights, fixing 0.8B's reasoning loops & improving math up to 6x and even instruction following 3x, without gradients or training. We call this Weight-Space Programming: frontier LLMs can now natively read/write neural network weights! 🧵 Blog: rikiyat.github.io/blog/weigh…

This will happen again

I’ve deleted all my recent posts about Mao. I started receiving direct threats and hate mail — the latter for the first time — and it’s simply not worth having those posts up there when that becomes a risk to my own safety. I also realised that the discussion and debate did not move in a productive direction. My aim was to highlight the complexity of Mao’s legacy in the hope that more people would try to develop a more nuanced understanding of him. I’m not sure if that was achieved. I’m definitely happy to talk about and share my views on Mao — but perhaps not on this platform at this particular moment. If you’re a journalist and want to chat, I’m happy to talk.

A 13-year-old boy was home alone in Ladson, South Carolina, when he heard a commotion near the back of the house. When he looked outside, he saw someone trying to break in. According to an arrest affidavit, the boy feared for his safety and grabbed his mother’s handgun. He fired through the door, and the intruder reportedly fired back. Two men then fled in a grey Chevrolet Sonic. The boy continued firing as the vehicle drove away, leaving it riddled with bullet holes. The wounded man was identified as 31-year-old Lamar Anthwan Brown. He had been sh0t three times. The driver, 28-year-old Ira Bennett, took him to Trident Medical Center, where Brown was pronounced dead. Authorities said Brown had a criminal record that included six felony drug convictions and a weapons offence. Bennett was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. A judge later denied him bond. The boy’s mother said she had purchased the handgun for protection but had never taught her son how to use it. She explained that she always told her children to call 911 if something happened, while also telling them to protect themselves if necessary. A neighbour said he heard several gunsh0ts before seeing a car slowly leaving the property. After investigating, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office determined that the boy had acted in lawful self-defence. No charges were filed against him. Although neighbours praised his actions, the experience left the family shaken and fearful in their own home. A 13-year-old should never have to face a situation like this alone. Thankfully, he survived the terrifying encounter, but the emotional impact of what happened may stay with him for a long time.

It's as if my electronic wind instrument could stop me from playing along Miles Davis or John Coltrane solos while I'm (painfully) trying to learn from them. Anthropic is insane and insufferably moralizing. But we already knew that.

And now we understand the absolutely rabid obsession with destroying Pete Hegseth. I’ve been in the Army since before 9/11. Served under many secretaries. Only in the past 18 months have I experienced: >politicians warning me not to follow illegal orders >billboards outside military bases telling me to report war crimes >the media attacking anyone who has a positive thing to say about the man, and defending anyone who hates him >stunning volume of leaks from senior officials trying to undermine him, and the lionizing of the leakers by the press >being called a war criminal myself, hundreds of times a day >a sustained media narrative portraying virtually every firing or senior officer removal as a “purge” >public efforts by retired officers, advocacy groups, and political figures to mobilize service members and military communities against administration policies >influential “Americans” publicly cheering for Iran This is just to name a few. I’ve NEVER experienced anything like this before. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that the concerted effort to divide the military from within was stunted when Hegseth took over. Anyone desiring color revolution needs control of the military. That’s color revolution 101. Is it starting to make sense yet? Now you see the obsession over him in particular. It’s not a coincidence. And it damn sure isn’t because of his culture war. It’s because by all objective metrics, he runs a military that snatches rogue leaders from their beds, destroys entire militaries, and successfully mobilizes assets to save one downed pilot in the middle of enemy territory by building an Air Force base… in the middle of enemy territory. Secures the border, dominates the hemisphere. Hunts drug cartels. The list goes on. He is by all meaningful accounts, effective at wielding the machine. And that is why they drool at the thought of removing him. In years past you’d be hard pressed to find a junior Soldier who knew the name of the cabinet secretary above them. Every one of them knows Pete Hegseth. Every one.