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theropost

371 karma · joined March 1, 2021

https://robos.rnsu.net
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theropost··on Scammers Steal $1T a Year – Mostly from Americans
It kinda just depends on the agenda, one source says it’s nothing, another says it’s a trillion, and that huge gap usually means someone’s trying to push something, like tougher laws or justify some policy shift. Half the time it feels like the facts don’t even matter, just the story they wanna sell.
theropost··on I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
It's hard to tell I can imagine some motivated individuals could utilize all sorts of packaging systems and embed them in third-party applications and so on, and extract pertinent information using this type of surveillance, and then sell this data to data brokers which would sell it to the large ad networks. I mean there's lots of ways to transcribe even most of the whisper models can run all the way down to 150 megabyte file not to mention the quantization versions of these models. I have something that I run on my computer for my server not throughout my house that does real Time transcription and whatnot but I use it for my own purposes, so you know someone who makes money off advertising or even selling insights about people, would certainly find ways to do this. I mean it's simply not regulated is it?

https://huggingface.co/spaces/jilangdi/whisper-web

theropost··on How I run LLMs locally
this.
theropost··on ChatGPT Saved Chats: Save and organize your important conversations in ChatGPT
I regularly use the request data button on ChatGPT, then parse the JSON and output HTML for each conversation, and a DB to search for the file(s) when needed.
theropost··on Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct
I've been running this and a quantized version of the QwQ model and comparing the responses - so far, QwQ is working better, though that could change as I use them more and compare the outputs
theropost··on Egoless Engineering
I completely agree. I’ve had the privilege of working with a very small team of engineers—a team with diverse life experiences and unique areas of expertise but a shared work ethic: the willingness to try. We always said that most of our time was spent failing, and that’s what made the moments of success so rewarding. When we finally succeeded, it wasn’t just about the victory; it was the culmination of relentless effort that allowed us to push forward, improve our product, and refine our ideas.

Our approach was unique. We engaged directly with the people who did the work, learning from their insights and challenges, and built tools specifically for them. It wasn’t an Agile team or a Waterfall approach, or any other rigid corporate framework. It was an ad hoc team that came together organically to solve problems—and solved them faster than large corporations, consultants, or armies of workers ever could.

With just four people, we scaled applications, built automation systems, and tackled complex problems that delivered multi-million-dollar savings across the board. The process was simple: no micromanagement, no unnecessary oversight. Everyone contributed based on what made sense, and we all collaborated freely to solve problems as they arose, moving seamlessly from one challenge to the next. It was innovation through cohesion—a kind of synergy that can’t be forced or replicated through standard processes. It’s the magic of the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Over the years, the tools we developed have grown into critical applications used by professional organizations, with over 3,000 users relying on them daily to make their work hundreds of percent faster. Yet, when these tools are handed over to large organizations for "modernization" or "corporatization," they often end up spending exorbitant amounts of money, adding no meaningful features, and making the tools less effective. Teams of 30 people fail to replicate what our small team accomplished. It’s a strange and frustrating reality.

I’ve tried to find ways to replicate this success, but I think it comes down to that intangible element—a “ragtag team” dynamic where the right people come together with a shared drive and passion. It’s rare, and perhaps it doesn’t exist as it once did. Maybe it’s out there, but we need to find ways to enable and foster it.

theropost··on Core copyright violation moves ahead in The Intercept's lawsuit against OpenAI
Copyright laws, in many ways, feel outdated and unnecessarily rigid. They often appear to disproportionately favor large corporations without providing equivalent value to society. For example, brands like Disney have leveraged long-running copyrights to generate billions, or even tens of billions, of dollars through enforcement over extended periods. This approach feels excessive and unsustainable.

The reliance on media saturation and marketing creates a perception that certain works are inherently more valuable than others, despite new creative works constantly being developed. While I agree that companies should have the right to profit from their investments, such as a $500 million movie, there should be reasonable limits. Once they recoup their costs, including a reasonable profit multiplier, the copyright could be considered fulfilled and should expire.

Holding onto copyrights indefinitely or for excessively long periods serves primarily to sustain a system that benefits lawyers and enforcement agencies, rather than providing meaningful value to society. For instance, enforcing a copyright from the 1940s for a multinational corporation that already generates billions makes little sense.

There should be a balanced framework. If I invest significant time and effort—say 100 hours—into creating a work, I should be entitled to earn a reasonable return, perhaps 10 times the effort I put in. However, after that point, the copyright should no longer apply. Current laws have spiraled out of control, failing to strike a balance between protecting creators and fostering innovation. Reform is long overdue.

theropost··on Recovering from a kidney donation
Same here, except it turned out a bit the opposite. My grandmother died in her thirties during the mid-1960s from kidney failure since a transplant wasn't really an option in our small town. She left 7 kids at the time.

It is still an incredible challenge to find a donor though, and even if one is found, there is a high risk of rejection - we still have a long way to go in this area of medicine.

theropost··on We've entered the AI grift era
I'm not so sure if it's entirely correct. I mean, there's always technology in every opportunity, but I think it's even worse. I believe we're heading into an era where all ideas are being stolen, even the greatest coding methods and principles. Even if people come up with insanely innovative ideas, all of this information is being stolen, categorized, detected, identified, bucketed, stored, and added back into a bigger machine. The companies with the most GPUs and the most capital to build infinite amounts of data centers will simply absorb all this information, while the rest of us are left with scraps and leftovers.

I guess that's kind of how it's always been, but it's also not the same. We've almost learned, in a way, that we can now mass-consume all the thoughts, information, and data from everything. But the only people who can truly parse through it and figure out things from it are those with infinite money, all the resources, and those at the top. I guess that's always been the way.

theropost··on Why the U.S. can't build icebreaking ships
Yeah, it's a tough pill to swallow but honestly, the workforce as a whole is kinda coddled at this point. Most people don’t even realize they're being paid more than what they're actually worth. Like, we’re not really creating enough value or building enough stuff that justifies what we think we should be getting. The only reason our value holds up right now is probably cuz of the defense industry flexing its muscle to keep things stable.

But let’s be real, as other countries rise up and we start losing our grip as the top dog, we're gonna feel the pain. It could be a slow burn or maybe a faster crash, but either way, it's gonna suck. We’re gonna have to go through some serious hardship to get back to where we think we should be. Not based on what we think we deserve, but what we actually do.

And it’s kinda mixed messaging too, right? We somehow believe our labor is more valuable than others, but at the end of the day, it’s gonna come down to working harder. Longer hours, more back-breaking labor, real work, not just sitting in an office chair all day. We’re not entitled to cushy jobs forever, and things are gonna get a lot harder before they get better.

theropost··on Omega-3 intake counteracts symptoms of anxiety and depression in mice
I used to have this problem too. Tried prescriptions, systane, hydration eye drops etc etc, but in the end but actually worked was baby shampoo rinsing my eyes twice a day and washing them it took some time but now it's completely gone. But for me I believe it was some sort of blepharitis that was blocking the glands that produced the lubrication my eyes needed, and now that I have a good routine, it appears to have solve the problem.
theropost··on Omega-3 intake counteracts symptoms of anxiety and depression in mice
Blepharitis perhaps?
theropost··on Why Copilot Is Making Programmers Worse at Programming
I personally never use a Word Processor, or any other electronic typing appliance, for the simple reason that I enjoy typing on my mechanical device.

Even if I were unfamiliar with a new keyboard, I'll still never use it. Instead, I'll consult the technical guides and follow examples.

I like typing, and I neither need nor want a word processor to do it

Certain things may seem strange, or that they take away from the experience, but sometimes it is simply progress... good or bad.

theropost··on AMD records its highest server market share in decades
This is true, though an AMD 5700U mini PC might go for $300, or less if you can find a bargain. However, it will hands down dominate a N100. 2.5 to 3x faster, not to mention the APU (vega 7) for video/gaming capabilities. I was always Intel, but AMD has really stepped up in the last few years. Their APU line up is top notch, and pretty incredible for the mini PC market (and laptops). The newer gen are great too, but for the best bargains, then Zen 3 lineup is the way to go
theropost··on Chatbot Arena Leaderboard: Gemini 1.5 Flash, Pro and Advanced Results
Maybe that's a problem for me every time I've tried it completely denies such basic requests, I don't have to worry about how I word things I just want to get my answer based on my inquiry without having to subscribe to a proper way of speaking.
theropost··on AI firms mustn’t govern themselves, say ex-members of OpenAI’s board
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_road_to_hell_is_paved_wi...
theropost··on Introducing Copilot+ PCs
What are TOPs exactly? Are we using INT? Float? Just trying to grasp the comparison to a TFLOP for instance
theropost··on In Praise of Idleness (1932)
Same, I don't think we can lump all different personas and natures into one bucket. Some people thrive, and enjoy doing, building, learning, and not staying in one place. Others enjoy sitting, relaxing, doing little, introspection, etc. It really depends on the individual, each has their own areas that give them meaning and joy.
theropost··on Our Company Is Doing So Well That You're All Fired
I think it's this is more of a real point. Honestly if someone who works in a large bureaucratic organization, the amount of people who do next to nothing is astounding. Is that a bad thing? Yes to some degree, however we do need to have jobs for people to do no matter what and if this gives them something to do everyday and they feel like they're contributing something then maybe that's all they need to do.
theropost··on Meta warns it may shut Facebook in EU, EU leaders say life 'good' without (2022)
Haha. Wow that sounds like paradise, I haven't been on Facebook for years but people around me are and I always look at them and think to myself... what the strange world you live in.
theropost··on AMD funded a drop-in CUDA implementation built on ROCm: It's now open-source
Perhaps AMD realizes that if they released something like this in a formal capacity, they might face a barrage of lawsuits, and IP claims from Nvidia. If this is completed through an Open Source project however, in which AMD is not directly funding, Nvidia would not have many legal avenues to attack. Just an opinion.
theropost··on 28-ton, 1.2-megawatt tidal kite is now exporting power to the grid
Where I'm from they have some of the highest tides in the entire world and there's an area not far from here that has always been sort of a local talking candidate for such a huge project.

https://earthsciencesociety.com/2014/05/01/a-tidal-power-lag...

theropost··on How Inuit Parents Teach Kids To Control Their Anger (2019)
Yes, lets celebrate their economic, cultural, and life expectencies. They have it all figured out.
theropost··on Starlink's laser system is beaming 42 petabytes of data per day
42 million gigabytes per day, or if we are working with 30GB for 10min of 4k movies - 233,000 hours of ultra HD movies per day
theropost··on Helium is essential but nonrenewable and difficult to recycle
Didn't the USA recently auction off its helium reserve properties?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Helium_Reserve

It failed to finalize a sale*

theropost··on Google is tracking you even in incognito mode, new disclaimer is up
A definition of the word "Incognito" is to: avoiding being recognized, by changing your name or appearance. So, the name of the mode itself implies you are not being tracked. Yes, those who understand technology recognize this, however those who are not in the know would likely assume it means something different than what it actually is. This is at minimum disingenuous, and at maximum fraudulent.
theropost··on Show HN: Rem: Remember Everything (open source)
Ah yes, that would be it. Thanks! I threwa quick C++ program together to do something similar using FFMPEG.
theropost··on Show HN: Rem: Remember Everything (open source)
Thanks, I am giving it a try - any dependency required for Windows 10? Compiles fine, but get an error about AVIFileInit - maybe to do with <vfw.h>?
theropost··on Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 could send 240M PCs to landfills
Windows releases should have some regulatory review to determine if it is actually a valuable upgrade, that results in productivity gains, etc. It seems Windows it just forcing upgrades through monopolization of their desktop product at this point.
theropost··on Meta will enforce ban on AI-powered political ads in every nation, no exceptions
True, from what I can tell, Meta is more interested in moderating different political views, than it is moderating child pornography.
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