AlexandrB

3 ms·

1.
by AlexandrB 5d ago
I definitely think that "not thinking about what you're writing" is a big danger with AI-generated text, but it's not a given. If you generate a block of text and then go through and edit it to better reflect your id
2.
by AlexandrB 5d ago
Agree completely. The problem is not the tool, it's all the pointless filler (or even hallucinations) that the tool generates that people leave in.
3.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
Does anyone remember "learn to code"[1] being offered as a solution to blue collar workers displaced by outsourcing and free trade? Funny how the worm turns. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learn_to_Code
4.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
Property is a social construct in the sense that anything is a social construct. Like, sure, the fact that I "own" this spoon is societally constructed, but it's so foundational that almost every other aspect of human socie
5.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
IP is obviously not "real" like physical property is real. Moreso, IP is a restriction on free speech as it walls off some expression as "Copyrighted" so you can't legally express it yourself without paying someon
6.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
> Given the stakes, we're obligated to treat the threat as a real possibility until proven otherwise. No we're not. The seventh day adventists also believe that the world is about to end, why are we not obligated to treat that
7.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
> draw a very straight line to catastrophe What's the straight line? I foresee catastrophe of the social media kind, where even more folks get brain worms from consuming AI information, but I don't foresee a physical catastroph
8.
by AlexandrB 8d ago
They're stinky? How? And how do they pollute water sources? A datacenter is a building filled with computers that uses water and air for cooling. What pollutants get "emitted" by a bunch of CPUs and video cards? No one seems
9.
by AlexandrB 9d ago
Giving Alberta a market where they can sell LNG might get them on board, but this would also require a bunch of new infrastructure (pipelines? ports?) that I suspect the Canadian government will not want built. It would be lovely to get Eur
10.
by AlexandrB 9d ago
Absolutely true. I suppose I'm just seeing the ways that this could be abused by our political leaders.
11.
by AlexandrB 9d ago
It doesn't seem like anyone knows what it is yet since it's a new thing. But free movement of people for work is mentioned in almost every article about it.
12.
by AlexandrB 9d ago
Canada's net immigration (mostly from east Asia) was crazy high for a few years after COVID. Clearly enough people can afford the airfare.
13.
by AlexandrB 9d ago
He's not wrong. I have a suspicion this EU idea is a way to backdoor immigration increases - something the Trudeau government was very keen on but was scaled back by Carney. Largely because immigration has become a hot-button issue in
14.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
Dude, small business owners only have so much to spend on marketing. Before it was AI, it was stock images or Microsoft clip art. I don't care that my plumber has bad logo, it saving money on a logo keeps him from selling to PE and ens
15.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
What does suffering or pain even mean for a purely analytical entity like an LLM? We can feel pain because we have a body, pain receptors, and parts of our brain dedicated to converting their signals to a subjective experience. What can an
16.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
I'd settle for making these apps play fair at least. Being able to effectively ban users who are good at sports betting by limiting their wagers to trivial amounts[1] is a "heads we win, tails you lose" situation and contradi
17.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
It's both better and worse than it seems. I'm guessing something like 50% of folks gamble $0. Then another 45% gamble some amount of their income, averaging 10%. Finally 5% will gamble everything they have and send their family
18.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
> This is the same EU who once reduced the Canadian trade minister to (literal) tears Wow. That's really pathetic. I'm ashamed as a Canadian. I don't want someone who can be reduced to tears by a negotiation negotiating on
19.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
You clearly don't pay attention to Canadian politics. Canada basically let McKinsey run their immigration policy[1][2] for 10 years and has now appointed the former CEO of McKinsey[3] to a business development role in government. I wou
20.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
As a Canadian, this feels like hopping on board a sinking ship. EU and Canada have both severely underperformed for the last 10 years. I hope encouraging more trade can help.
21.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
Canada has a proven, safe reactor technology[1] and Uranium to spare. This is a good synergy. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANDU_reactor
22.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
Funny, as a Canadian I feel like Canada is a completely broken country and the US is sane by comparison. Grass is always greener, etc.
23.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
The upper end of a lot of these product categories is often populated with overpriced junk that's popular for conspicuous consumption reasons. Clothing is the prime example, but a lot of modern fine dining is also trash (who actually
24.
by AlexandrB 10d ago
The ratings are hilariously gamed. Vendors will use coupons and discounts to get you to leave a positive review, while negative reviews are often reported off the site or the submitter is hounded by the vendor. I do know that people use the
25.
by AlexandrB 11d ago
Or you can do like modern UI designers and throw both form and usability in the trash and optimize for novelty and "brand" instead.
26.
by AlexandrB 11d ago
Cost is a big factor, but so are modern building codes. Some classic architectural features are outright illegal to build in 2026. Others might be allowed, but there's almost no one left who knows how to do it (e.g. plaster walls or
27.
by AlexandrB 11d ago
I think the paradox of tolerance has been interpreted by many on the left in a way that flatters them and is convenient to their political ends. Forces that actually threaten democracy and tolerance are frequently ignored or swept under t
28.
by AlexandrB 11d ago
We're all being misinformed by various interest groups. If you think you're immune and have some perfect understanding of reality, you're kidding yourself.
29.
by AlexandrB 11d ago
RSS was so good for this. No wonder Google had to kill it.
30.
by AlexandrB 12d ago
It's fine on iOS, it's painful on macOS. The "squircle jail" is one of the worst design crimes Apple has shipped in a long time and another step back for Mac iconography.

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