StatsAreFun

Sure, can do.

Publicly available models are pretty good but seemingly cannot compete with these Astra++ internal-only models.

Can't help but shake an unsettling feeling about all this, frankly. I engage in some limited mathematical research and will often use any one of the latest frontier models to check some ideas. Lately, only the OpenAI models have been giving me a temporary message that says something like (paraphrasing from memory), "We're thinking extra hard about your request before we answer. You can choose another model to answer now or click here to learn more about why." When I click to read why it's doing this "extra thinking", the help page says that for cybersecurity and biosecurity-related information, it will review the answer and could refuse.

Now, keep in mind, I'm only asking strictly pure mathematical questions - nothing at all related to cyber or protein creation or biohacking or anything like that... And, like I said, only the OpenAI models are doing this. To be fair, all of the prompts have always eventually returned a satisfactory answer, as far as I can tell, and haven't used a weaker model to answer them. Maybe? I dunno, it has just struck me as odd every time it has given me that message to pure math prompts.

This was a court case that went to the SCOTUS. Official reference here: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/609/24-1068/

From the page https://openjdk.org/legal/ai -

"6 Is it okay to continue using the spell-checking, grammar-checking, auto-completion, and refactoring features in my editor or IDE?

Yes, so long as they are not based on large language models or similar deep-learning systems."

Also related: Police Have Reportedly Used License Plate Readers to Stalk Romantic Interests at Least 18 Times in Recent Years (https://ij.org/police-have-reportedly-used-license-plate-rea...)

That's a great point regarding other camera networks like Ring. I'm not sure which ones bother me more.. probably Ring but it's close. Seems like we can't escape being surveilled 24/7 everywhere we go. :(

The earnings report does mention profit as well. For example, it states: "GAAP EPS of $0.85, up 37% year over year ..."

Agreed (unfortunately). It's also a good reminder IMHO to think and do engineering so we can one day be worthy of the title. Be the change you wish to see in the world. :)

What does it mean to be human in a world where machines can mimic our deepest bonds? For thoughtful readers, Jordan’s story offers a lens through which to examine the nature of identity, the limits of legal protections in the workplace, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

I don't know what the answer is necessarily but this declaration also appears very political in nature. If all of those Nobel laureates and high-profile researchers really do support the content of the declaration, why not attempt to meet with NIH leadership and work together on a solution? You know, reach out and talk this out? A public declaration and the resulting media attention from "opposite-side" news outlets just comes off as political gamesmanship to me, at least. Several other commenters have correctly pointed out the problems existing at the NIH and NIH-funded institutions so the "why now" question is especially relevant here. Anyone remember the massive research scandal involving Dr. Eliezer Masliah late last year?

Oh wow, I was not aware of his passing! Thank you for sharing that information. RIP John :(

As Rousseau put it, for the inhabitant of bourgeois society, it is necessary “to be or to seem.” AI will hand you the means to seem—at least so long as you are delivering the speech. It will deprive you of the ability to be.

That's a good question and I would have to defer to an economist or someone better trained in these issues to say one way or another for sure (or maybe even "yes, but..."). My armchair opinion is the supply chain issues definitely have an impact just like how the 42% increase in fuel prices have a downstream effect on the fuel prices which affects the supply chain, etc etc...

Some follow-up questions that immediately come to my mind are: (1) How does the average U.S. consumer think about supply chain questions? (2) How much more are the prices felt by the average U.S. consumer if I'm feeling them at my income level? (3) Will this translate to a shift in a more fiscally conservative mindset by voters in the upcoming round of elections?

I've not seen any hard numbers but I would assume that the average HN reader (like my spouse and I) are more educated and earn more money than the average U.S. consumer. Please correct me if that is wrong, though! Going with that assumption however, my gut tells me that while we are relatively insulated from these CPI/inflation increases, the average consumer isn't and the financial impact to the average consumer is more of an existential threat. However - and this is not a knock on anyone at all because I really enjoy discussing supply chain questions too - I'm getting concerned that the majority of people in the country less fortunate than me do not have the luxury/privilege to have the same discussions. Since, at this point, these types of questions and discussions could probably be fairly be classified as academic at our level, it's very much real and not academic to those less fortunate.

But please forgive that moralizing tangent! Just typing out these questions, concerns and thoughts as they come to me while I'm sitting here having my second cup of coffee and getting through my first round of meetings for the day. Hopefully nothing I said offended you or anyone else here and might even stimulate further conversation and fresh viewpoints or perspectives on these issues. :)

For those that do not believe the consumer prices are that bad or have increased that much, take a look at this historical graph from the official BLS.gov website[0]. Over the last 10 years the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been holding steady at around 2%. This year we've doubled that. How about going back 21 years? Nope, the CPI still fluctuates around 2% give or take. The last time we saw a consumer price index value this high or higher was 30 years ago!

I was a teenager the last time we had a CPI this high so for all of my adult life it has been a fairly consistent metric to factor into my household budgeting. Now I'm forced to make conscious decisions on how to prioritize my family's spending. To me personally, this is a big issue.

So, while I appreciate the perspective people have that try to look at the bright side of these numbers, we must admit - regardless of one's political leaning or optimistic outlook - consumer prices have risen to the highest amounts in three decades.

[0] https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SA0L1E?output_view=p...

Is there a chance the EFF might defend this solo developer?

5. Software is a means to an end

Yes, yes and yes. Many times we lose sight of the fact our job is to support the business (money-making) functions of the company. The software itself isn't the end-all-be-all point of what the organization does unless you write open source software all day long and survive off donations. My gut tells me that most departments are like this and sees themselves as the core of the company but I think software engineers think of themselves more highly than most (and more highly than they should). A bit of humility would really help - myself included more than most probably.

I agree with a lot of what he says... A few points are a little off IMHO but I've only been doing this for a few more years than this gentleman. Perhaps I'll feel differently in a few more. :)

I wish I had more opportunity to use Ada. GNAT Studio can be buggy but the language itself and the safety it brings to software engineering is really nice to work with.

That's a good point. To piggy back on this thread, here are a few more references for tax-related benefits to being married: [0], [1]. On the flip side, it may be more beneficial to not be married under certain circumstances: [2]. An interesting calculator can be found here: [3]

* Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal or tax advice! Please consult a qualified professional if you have questions related to your specific situation.

[0] https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/marriage/7-tax-advantag... [1] https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/602851/marriage-and-taxes-wh... [2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-it-comes-to-taxes-sometime... [3] https://tpc-marriage-calculator.urban.org/

Fair enough! Thank you for posting the article and getting this discussion going, by the way.

Using the latest (2019) marriage rate of 6.1% along with the historical rates since 1900[0], the rate of marriage per 1000 Americans is the lowest ever measured.

The interesting question in my mind is what, if any, long-term impact could this have on mortality considering the rate of death for adults 25 and older who are married is significantly less (779.6 per 100k) than those never married (1,443.6 per 100k), widowed (1,656.9 per 100k), and divorced (1,363.8 per 100k)[1].

[0] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/marriage_rate_2018/marr... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/mortality/mortality_mar...

This is interesting! My thinking is that quantum computing is shaping up to be similar to fusion in the sense that it will steadily march toward usability but a commercial fusion reactor will forever be several years away from production. Is this the case or am I just really ignorant of the QC field?

The two aren't mutually excusive. What I mean is, you can develop a preference for doing a software engineering task according to a best practice. Getting into the habit of using one or more time-tested practice(s) will only benefit you over time.

But, more fundamentally, what the author could have responded to their friend is: "Yes, we do have a code of ethics and professional practice standards[0]. We do have well-researched best practices and a rich standardized body of knowledge we can use[2]. We do have formally adopted standards through IEEE, ISO and IEC[1]."

I do get the sentiment behind the question though and personally wish we were more formally trained and held more rigorously to a professional set of standards. It does diminish the term "Software Engineer" as a engineering field when we use the title so loosely but (on some level) expect the same level of respect, pay and status as other engineers.

[0] https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/software-engineering-c... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_JTC_1/SC_7 [2] https://www.computer.org/education/bodies-of-knowledge/softw...

I wouldn't be surprised if higher fuel costs are increasing the costs of goods shipped to the stores which, of course, would eat into the company's profit. According to BLS, gasoline (all types) have increased 42.7% over the last year[0].

[0] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf

That's a good point about the extraordinary measures taken. Accordingly, since the number of deaths from the top three causes of U.S. deaths in 2019 were heart disease (659,041), cancer (599,601) and accidents (173,040), we should boycott all propaganda or misinformation around how being overweight is healthy, immediately close all fast food establishments, provide free fruits & vegetables for all Americans, close all beaches to prevent anyone from getting too much sun, immediately ban all products containing cancer causing agents of any kind, mandate all cars & trucks contain ignition lockouts that would prevent the vehicles from starting if seat belts were not worn properly, immediately ban all motorcycles, immediately ban all swimming pools or mandate all Americans wear flotation devices or risk fines & imprisonment, immediately ban all guns & knives regardless of their intended purpose, immediately ban all contact sports and other sports that are considered "extreme" or high-risk, and ban all ladders & stools. If we can reduce or eliminate outright the 1,431,682 people killed from these causes, regardless of the impact on the economy or personal liberty, it would be worth it. Those people are also dead and definitely not coming back. We owe it to their families and communities to do everything we can to prevent further deaths from these causes as well.