abemiller's comments

Yea I mean a more generic version of the simulation theory is just that there is an "outside world" within which our universe exists in containment. Seems probably impossible to disprove (or prove) that for the same reason that proofs about the existence of God are hard.

But, making proofs about the capabilities of the exact types of computation we currently use can still be interesting.

musical space with 12 notes per octave may be better mapped onto a hexagon grid rather than a square one

https://www.whatistoday.net/2019/09/jammer.html

My journey has been identical, and I have a suspicion that this inability to use an app with bells and whistles might have something to do with ADHD.

I actually ended up making an app as a side project which is just todo.txt with one extra feature: if you start a line with a "!", it turns that line to a push notification on your lock screen. just keeps the important things in your list just a bit closer to awareness without overwhelming

https://www.whatistoday.net/2024/06/scratch-paper-minimal-mo...

Using some italics with an edgy claim doesn't allow you to cut through centuries of philosophy. It's almost as if, when philosophers have coined this term in language "subjective experience" and thousands have used it often in coherent discussion, that it actually has semantic value. It exists in the intersubjective space between people who communicate with shared concepts.

I don't have much to say about the shrimp, but I find it deeply sad when people convince themselves that they don't really exist as a thinking, feeling thing. It's self repression to the maximum, and carries the implication that yourself and all humans have no value.

If you don't have certain measurable proof either way, why would you choose to align with the most grim possible skeptical beliefs? Listen to some music or something - don't you hear the sounds?

Reading is social! And having physical books and libraries allows you to share with your friends what you are reading in a concrete, physical, albeit arguably performative way. And it also allows you to share the book itself with others.

Sharing a good book with a friend who I know will appreciate it, is one of the loveliest things. I love my ebook too, but my e-library does not lend itself to organically sharing books after I've finished them. In this loneliness epidemic, book sharing is perhaps one of many social activities we should strive to not leave behind. Even just seeing a stranger on the bus reading a book that you have read and loved can be a special catalyst for connection and community in the physical world.

Granted, none of that applies to showing off books on tiktok for the clout/likes. Like many things on tiktok, I also feel a little cynical about that.

I don't think it's fair for you to claim a leading AI expert has critically wrong assumptions when "musing" about possibilities that relate to one of the most epistemologically difficult topics to investigate (consciousness).

You're rejecting Ilya's humble musings as having critically wrong assumptions, and then turning around to definitively explain how consciousness arises, and illuminating the relationship between consciousness, empathy, and intelligence, on a random hacker news thread. Frankly, you're making some huge claims about philosophy of mind that don't obviously track for me, and you provide no citations or arguments to support. I hesitate to accuse you of "hallucinating facts", but when you're issuing a takedown of one of the top AI experts I'd expect to see some more supporting argument.

Your definition of AGI is also a bit strange as it requires that it be fundamentally different from existing natural intelligences, if I understand correctly. That seems unnecessarily stringent to me, since if a program had the same kind and level of intelligence as me, I'd be inclined to say it is AGI.

I'm just not sure where all these confidently stated, very specific claims are coming from.

I think your point is somewhat fair, and I agree that advancing medicine is not a great sole reason to keep around our fellow organics. There are a few ways to respond to this, including such notions as having intrinsic respect for nature, and appreciation for what natural selection has wrought. But for one and most simply with regard to your anthropocentric viewpoint, the ecosystems that these species constitute are actually critical to keeping civilization going in a practical economic sense.

The theoretical human civilization that can withstand a global ecosystem collapse and exist on a paved over earth is perhaps possible with the right technology but also it is 1. very dreary and 2. much more expensive and difficult to maintain than just putting in some effort to prevent ecosystem collapse now.

Fisheries management is a good microcosm for the cost of ecosystem collapse. If we manage a fish population correctly, we can continue to harvest fish from it and get resources out of it indefinitely. If we do not manage it well and let the population go extinct, we lose that pool of resources permanently and need to replace it with another equivalent source of food which may be very expensive in comparison. Perhaps the local human civilization which relied on the fish will be unable to adjust and will also fall.

Because it's immortal?

I think it's fair to want money/a job, and pursue getting hired for one, but then also be interested in improving the culture or working conditions of the job once you start working there.

You say they are entitled - high skill, difficult to replace workers are actually entitled to make demands of their employer which are proportional to the value they offer, in particular when they act collectively.

Yea this title is not on the mark. it's not a region with the "most" radio signals at all. The concern of the paper is only about the Wow! signal.

Everyone in this thread reminiscing about hypercard and how more modern no-code tools still have not matched its amazing functionality and UI.

So, what's to stop someone today from making a modern hypercard clone? I imagine something which has the exact same UI logic as hypercard and allows projects to be exported as JavaScript WebApps. Is it not possible?

Seems like it should exist! Inviting any volunteers...

The text styling, including margins on the pocket reader app is pretty customizable I thought.

Just about every category except for distance. The ICE motor can go closer to 120 highway miles before a refuel, as opposed to 37. That's enough to actually get you to the next gas station, and then once your there you just have to fill up and be on your way. With the electric bike if you can even make it between chargers, you'll have to sit and wait for it to recharge every 40 miles...

Great discussion here already. I want to bring attention to a bit of additional research relevant here which I found to be a good read and was conveniently not mentioned by Facebook: a 10 year, 500 participant longitudinal study on social media use and suicide in teens. Published Feb 2021.

link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10964-020-01389...

Even if we take fb word for it that the WSJ's interpretation of data from fbs study was not generous, I would like them to respond to the critical external research too. Fbs study has 40 participants who were directly asked their opinion about the causality of using Instagram and their well-being (no chance that a harmful addiction would be coloring their perception on that!). So, let's look at the longitudinal data also, fb.

More specifically, the answer is "in active development" for directions and Spotify, and no for Whatsapp.

Personally I have no use for Whatsapp, so once Spotify and directions are up and running I'll be pretty interested in grabbing one of these to replace my phone.

My main concern is the call quality. When calling is essentially all you're reduced to in terms of connectivity, I would want to be sure those calls go smoothly. I remember hearing bad things about the call quality in the past with like mic issues or something, not sure if that's been resolved by now.