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luxpir

1,875 karma · joined April 5, 2012

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luxpir··on Heretic removes restrictions from language models
For now. One more ternary model type breakthrough, or MoE, engram thing (I don't fully understand those for the record, I just know they speed things up and use less VRAM) could see a few GB sized weights with quite the capabilities. On a gaming PC, savvy teens can already use them to cook up quite an interesting array of likely illegal items and substances. If it goes much further and runs on phones, you can assume word will get around that unlimited private AI is available and kids will run into all sorts of issues. Or mentally unwell people. I'm thinking a year or two down the line only.
luxpir··on Heretic removes restrictions from language models
Agree. I took a look at these last few months, did a write-up: https://languageops.com/blog/ai-safety-pdoom-local-vs-fronti... and I don't know if I agree or not on outlawing completely, but I think an age restriction *at least* like for alcohol, firearms and driving would be not unwise.
luxpir··on Remote workers report the highest well-being in study of 7,700 employees
Van life?

Do often think about working out of our camper but it never really happens. Cheaper and warmer to sit in the home made office I put up in 2017...

But I do envy a good van setup.

luxpir··on Nearest Pint
Apparently not all 8 year old daughters view half pint orders with respect either. It didn't help it was served in one of those mini pint glasses but she ripped me for getting a "tiny lager" while my partner enjoyed a pint. I wasn't aware we'd passed on anything about drinking culture to her yet, but it seems to start early!
luxpir··on Ask HN: What are you working on? (August 2026)
I've had the opportunity to spend the last 12 months working on a translation SaaS that does everything the $50k+ incumbents do but also automated QA and LQA, A/V work, smart LLM translation vs millisecond TM and TB matching (memory and termbase files, often gb in size).

That is a bit of a paradox, as humans need QA checks (missing punctuation, double spacing, unused termbase term) far more than LLMs yet we are still transitioning and require full human oversight just like in any other field. For quality work, of course. LLMs still need correcting many times anyway, even if we feed a load of context like previous translations, terms, style guides. We try to squash the LLM-ese, much like translation-ese has been a problem historically. But thankfully when the output is tightly defined by the source text, we don't have many LLM-isms creeping in compared to free form responses or prose. Retaining voice and meaning would be the main thing. Assuming the source has one! All good translations need a good source -- you'd be surprised what some think is a good source text.

I've been working with a few test clients and have proven workflows for humans alongside the machines to handle files with millions of words, intelligently propagating similar segments, using tokens where required only, compatible with all major tools... I didn't expect to get so far in a year if I'm honest.

What I consider to be best practice AI dev has of course been the major driver. Particularly since last November. Including the ability to work in terminal on my phone from anywhere, often late into night or first thing in morning where a laptop would typically not be feasible for me.

Best practice in my case would be using a secure, batteries-included framework (you can guess which) reading, documenting, planning everything, keeping a context tree updated fwiw, running frequent performance and security audits, real life testing with a high volume, high scale translation shop working for FAANG and Fortune.

I've held out on putting a team together while testing, but I have one ready and might well be able to bring in capital if I can figure out the gap to bridge legacy agencies and new clients in terms of distribution. Or we continue to bootstrap and see how much leverage I can get from automation, pSEO, distribution channels and ads.

Please take a look at: https://languageops.com

luxpir··on Ask HN: HN frontpage feels boring now?
Worth discussing.
luxpir··on AUR packages compromised with Infostealer and Rootkit
You're reading it wrong. He's giving an alternative reason why it's not used in enterprise.
luxpir··on ChatGPT Images 2.0
Nice, enjoyed the image as someone who has been to the events. But also easy raccoon placement :)
luxpir··on Willingness to look stupid
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13187316

(posted many times, this has biggest comment section)

luxpir··on How important was the Battle of Hastings?
Read again closely.
luxpir··on Ask HN: How many of you hold an amateur radio license in your country?
Yep, did a speed run of foundation, intermediate and full in the UK back in 2016 (within the year). Full means I can build radios up to 400W, which is nice. Not sure I actually could though now, without a LOT of revision. At least if "the collapse" comes in my lifetime I might know which components to gather.

Sold Yaesu portable unit at the height of COVID after some fun with it. Still mess with the HTs sometimes but looking for an opportunity (time wise) to get back into it.

I'm part of a code club at the local school, and would love to show them radio too, spark that curiosity and imagination. I think it'll be out of scope for this year though.

luxpir··on I verified my LinkedIn identity. Here's what I handed over
That's concerning.

Kids in Oz were getting around social media age restrictions by holding up celeb photos. I doubt that'll work in this case, but I'd be tempted to start thinking of ways to circumvent.

At the risk of losing the account, it's a very bad situation they are forcing people into.

luxpir··on Keep Android Open
I concur, and find it abhorrent. And wish more people would kick up a stink about this. We need a publication or channel that talks about rights like this. I don't know of any that do a decent job. I donate to my local best option.
luxpir··on I verified my LinkedIn identity. Here's what I handed over
I really appreciate this write-up.

Was forced to verify to get access to a new account. Like, an interstitial page that forced verification before even basic access.

Brief context for that: was being granted a salesnav licence, but to my work address with no account attached to it. Plus I had an existing salesnav trial underway on main account and didn't want to give access to that work.

So I reluctantly verified with my passport (!) and got access. Then looked at all the privacy settings to try to access what I'd given, but the full export was only sign up date and one other row in a csv. I switched off all the dark pattern ad settings that were default on, then tried to recall the name of the company. Lack of time meant I haven't been able to follow up. I was deeply uncomfortable with the whole process.

So now I've requested my info and deletion via the details in the post, from the work address.

One other concern is if my verified is ever forced to be my main, I'll be screwed for contacts and years of connections. So I'll try to shut it down soon when I'm sure we're done at work. But tbh I don't think the issues will end there either.

Why do these services have to suck so much. Why does money confer such power instead of goodwill, integrity and trust/trustless systems. Things have to change. Or, just stay off the grid. But that shouldn't have to be the choice. Where are the decentralised services. I'm increasingly serious about this.

luxpir··on Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk
Thanks for the reply. So then how is following distance determined? It would have to be further than braking distance to be at least as safe?
luxpir··on Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk
Wait, what do they teach in North America? Never heard the term "following distance" before now. Sounds misleading.

In Britain at least we call it "braking distance" and you're supposed to leave 2 seconds at least between you and the person in front. Count it off a lamp post/sign etc.

In certain at-risk areas they use chevrons on the road and signs telling you to keep at least 2 chevrons between you and the car in front.

People definitely always get into my braking distance in slower moving traffic, so that happens here too of course. But when things are moving well I likely push the limit and am generally moving faster than most others: going by GPS speed vs speedo, pushing a little into the discretionary and unofficial +10% guidance etc. And weirdly enough I do this for safety and fuel economy.

I generally prefer to avoid other vehicles as much as possible in all situations. But I was a motorbike rider in my youth. Once a defensive driver...

From that perspective, following distance sounds way more like a gap I want to close up than braking distance does.

luxpir··on Show HN: I could build the translation tool I've wanted for 10 years
I guess I should talk about some benefits to users, and who users should be.

For: localisation departments, dev teams who want AI translation with human polish (which persists into future projects), language service providers, translation agencies and solo translators or small teams who want access to LLM work at scale.

Does: traditional CAT tool jobs - fast TM matching across millions of segments, but also full QA (think Xbench, 35+ checks), full LQA (check every segment for linguistic issues), dubbing and subbing uploaded videos or YT links, voice cloning and full timing adjustments.

Innovations: use language assets from any language to improve LLM outcomes, use condensed versions of famous style guides, custom rules per client, connectors with previews and screenshot integration, content creation studio for multilingual inspiration.

I've tried to make the tool appeal to linguists, with speed and features they'll like, as well as the corporate side with detailed analysis, scoring, and maximal use of existing use (penalties, priorities, cross language).

Ask questions to find out more, I'll be around.

luxpir··on Scientists identify brain waves that define the limits of 'you'
I read it last year, enjoyed the book, no existential crisis.

I already subscribed to the idea of the self and identity being independent and constructs. A lot of reflection around that and physics in younger years maybe helped.

luxpir··on UK Lawmakers Propose Mandatory On-Device Surveillance and VPN Age Verification
Not to stand up for bad laws, but what is wrong with everyone in the comments? On what planet would they not have considered all angles? The peanut gallery has gotten ridiculously loud of late.
luxpir··on Pro-democracy HK tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted in national security trial
The discussion has devolved to such a point that people from outside the UK keep parroting this (likely Kremlin originated) line that the UK is now a Muslim stronghold with no free speech when in reality it just continues to uphold the values it has influenced the world with, one of the few positives from its dark past, of protecting those unable to protect themselves. Hate speech and punching down. As if inciting violence is completely harmless and no bad ever comes of it.

Many freedom-focused people without direct experience of disability, bullying or discrimination have no way to relate to that concept, and the echo chamber amplifies the intellectually dishonest takes until they take hold. Which is exactly what the angry, seething, downtrodden richest people in the world seem to want right now. I wonder why. What a sorry, hopeless state we've allowed to happen. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, sure, but the ones who've worked hardest to develop theirs should be weighted the most. Now a Russian bot has the same value on a platform as a nuclear scientist or, dare I say it, a real journalist. Because it's entertaining and tickles some dangling dopamine receptors. I'm sure people will wind their necks in when the ultimate result has finally played out and we'll cycle back to cooler heads prevailing, but I fear we'll have to go there first before we get back.

Yes I took the bait, but no regrets, I'll die on this hill. Hate bullies and liars with a passion.

luxpir··on Being poor vs. being broke
I agree. I also don't know how that could realistically be achieved, with everything nowadays being lowest common denominator, aid budgets being slashed and drawbridges being raised. It would take an extraordinary initiative by an extraordinary person or group.
luxpir··on Free software hasn't won
I should have said why I'm against "Libre" as a term. I'm into FOSS, so I get it, and speak other languages, so I get Libre has a wider adoption elsewhere. But not in the English-speaking world. And I'd guess that was the target "primary market" over, say, France. Free is typically cost-free, as in beer as they say, and freedom can only be "liberties and rights", not cost. So imo Freedom is a solid choice. There is likely a better choice, but if we're keeping things simple, that'd be one approach.
luxpir··on Free software hasn't won
Freedom Software?

Beats Open Software because open is still ambiguous to non-technical people.

"Freedom Apps" if you truly want to talk to the masses.

luxpir··on Things you can do with a Software Defined Radio (2024)
This guy hams. 73.
luxpir··on The Universe Within 12.5 Light Years
Agree. I've mentioned to a few friends how that feeling of emptiness and scale is quite awe inspiring and was a first for me. Theory can't replicate how small and isolated you physically feel when you are between systems. At least not for me.
luxpir··on AWS CEO says using AI to replace junior staff is 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard'
I'm a Brit who speaks Swedish, and recently watched the Swedish TV company SVT's documentary "Sweden in the war" (sverige i kriget). I can maybe add some info here just out of personal curiosity on the same subject.

There were basically right wing elements in every European country. Sympathisers. This included Sweden. So that's what OP was getting at in part. Germany was somewhat revered at the time, as an impressive economic and cultural force. There was a lot of cultural overlap, and conversely the Germans respected the heritage and culture of Scandinavia and also of England, which it saw as a Germanic cousin.

The documentary did a good job of balancing the fact that Sweden let the German army and economy use its railways and iron ore for far longer than it should have, right up until it became finally too intolerable to support them in any way (discovery of the reality of the camps). Neutrality therefore is somewhat subjective in that respect.

They had precedent for neutrality, from previous conflicts where no side was favoured, so imo they weren't implicitly supporting the nazi movement, despite plenty of home support. It's a solid strategy from a game theory perspective. No mass bombings, few casualties, wait it out, be the adult in the room. Except they didn't know how bad it would get.

In their favour they allowed thousands of Norwegian resistance fighters to organise safely in Sweden. They offered safe harbour to thousands of Jewish refugees from all neighbouring occupied countries. They protected and supplied Finns too. British operatives somehow managed to work without hindrance on missions to take out German supplies moving through Sweden. It became a neutral safe space for diplomats, refugees and resistance fighters. And this was before they found out the worst of what was going on.

Later they took a stand, blocked German access and were among the first to move in and liberate the camps/offer red cross style support.

Imo it's a very nuanced situation and I'm probably more likely to give the benefit of the doubt at this point. But many Danes and Norwegians were displeased with the neutral stance as they battled to avoid occupation and deportations.

As for Japan, I'd just add that I read recently on the BBC that some 40% or more of the victims of the bombings were Koreans. As second class citizens they had to clean up the bodies and stayed among the radioactive materials far longer than native residents, who could move out to the country with their families. They live on now with intergenerational medical and social issues with barely a nod of recognition.

To think it takes the best part of 100 years for all of this to be public knowledge is testament to how much every participant wants to save face. But at what cost? The legacy of war lives on for centuries, it would seem.

luxpir··on Study: Social media probably can't be fixed
Guess what...

I left FB around the time of Snowden leaks. And watched the others all go the same way. I only use them judiciously now for specific information. Even YouTube i have history off so I don't see a recommendations page and I just check my subs semi regularly.

So yeah. The web is better and less stressful that way. New generation perhaps doesn't even know it.

luxpir··on My AI-driven identity crisis
Sell a course.
luxpir··on Study: Social media probably can't be fixed
I think it really is that simple. Have a discovery channel, recommendations side bar, just stop trying to add "shareholder value" through flawed machine learning attempts. Maintain a useful piece of software, is it too much to ask an earnings-driven corp? Probably.
luxpir··on Measuring the impact of AI on experienced open-source developer productivity
Just to thank you for that point. I think it's likely more true than most of us realise. That and maybe the ability to mentally scaffold or outline a system or solution ahead of time.
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