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variant

295 karma · joined August 22, 2015

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variant··on Why are Texas interchanges so tall?
We prefer cars. It's fine.
variant··on Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
I can't access it via my Gopher client.
variant··on FCC votes to limit prison telecom charges
Doubtful, but if it isn't authorized by statute, a law should be passed not regulation.
variant··on Poor work life balance: Indian IT sector employees forced to work 50 hrs a week
50? The horror.
variant··on Salesforce will match comp of any OpenAI researcher who resigns
Salesforce Einstein is built on top of OpenAI. Given that they're a big competitor of Microsoft's, not sure how easy it will be for them to pivot to Azure OpenAI should OpenAI vaporize.
variant··on Sam Altman is still trying to return as OpenAI CEO
Musk is simply pointing out that many Western Jews keep strange bedfellows - a fair number of whom support the outright destruction of their homeland.

It's only being labeled antisemitic because Musk has been on the "outs" due to his recent politics (supporting free speech / transparency, being against lockdowns/mandates, advocacy for election integrity, etc.).

variant··on Sam Altman is still trying to return as OpenAI CEO
Absolutely. What customer wants to stick around if all that is left is the board?
variant··on Reddit Goes Nuclear, Removes Moderators of Subreddits That Continued to Protest
Good for Reddit.

These mods think Reddit exists for them. Replace 'em all.

variant··on Banning Emotion Recognition?
My sense is these rules are focused on biometric based tools, specifically those in "high risk" systems as classified by the law.

I think this has less intersection with sentiment detection tools that generate telemetry to help with support escalation use cases, etc.

Other opinions?

variant··on Reddit is removing moderators that protest by taking their communities private
No issue with this. Subreddits exists for the users, not the moderators - all of which can be replaced.
variant··on Hundreds of subreddits plan to go dark indefinitely after Reddit CEO's memo
There will be plenty. Guaranteed.
variant··on Hundreds of subreddits plan to go dark indefinitely after Reddit CEO's memo
I've found replacement subs for those that went dark, which I expect will be back eventually.
variant··on Could seaweed be the 'fastest and least expensive' tool to fight climate change?
What does success look like in the climate change fight? Is there a point where victory can ever be declared? Is that a "correct" temperature (what is it) or a CO2 PPM number (what's ideal)? When industry and scientists stop lobbying for money to fight it?
variant··on OpenAI boss ‘heartened’ by talks with world leaders over will to contain AI risk
Are you aware of any sane takes like this you have links to? Even some of the skeptical articles like the one in The Atlantic are more calling out hypocrisy than attempting to take a serious look at the reality of threats from "AI" (which, as you point out is, not really AI).
variant··on AI Doomerism Is a Decoy
Climate change won't either.
variant··on Controlled burns can prevent wildfires; regulations make them nearly impossible
Far bigger contributor to wildfires than "climate change."
variant··on Sam Altman goes before US Congress to propose licenses for building AI
> OpenAI != FTX, just meaning to say calling for regulation isn't an indication of good intentions, despite sounding like it.

I'd argue that any business advocating for regulation is largely motivated by its own pursuit of regulatory capture.

variant··on Twitter's Recommendation Algorithm
You like your government trying to tell a private company what's true and untrue?
variant··on Twitter's Recommendation Algorithm
It's just different order of operations on coalition building. Other systems divide into a majority and opposition at some point. In the US it just happens earlier, but there is the same diversity of opinions within those groups.
variant··on Scientists finally figure out why the water bear is nearly indestructible (2017)
No one ever claimed it did.
variant··on FTC Seeks Comment on Business Practices of Cloud Computing Providers
Usually has to do w/ money. FTC eyeing new regulations I'm guessing. Doubt the "big three" will mind that much.
variant··on WhatsApp would not remove end-to-end encryption for UK law, says chief
This is why big companies love regulation, and why regulation - even when well-intentioned - can be such a disruptive force to market signals.
variant··on Banning words won’t make the world more just
Can we just all start operating from the perspective that we're not trying to offend each other?

Do away with all these rules that serve no purpose other than to slot each other into buckets of enlightened and evil.

It's a sign that we have things way too good.

variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
As with any event, multiple factors were involved. I have no doubt tech and process could be at the center, but our self-imposed response to COVID undoubtedly had major impacts.
variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
The market can more than solve this, if it's an issue. We don't need to impose yet another regulatory burden on an industry already nearly completely insulated from competitive forces that drive innovation.
variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
Except the pickle ball court was a conversion of existing recreational facilities (basketball courts?) long requested by employees.

The unnecessary, axe-to-grind editorializing undermines some of the credibility here, imo. There's no way this event hinged on a simple, binary "invest in tech" or "don't invest in tech," and that execs thumbed their nose at the latter.

variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
I don't really care if Southwest tried to negotiate for it, chose not to for some well thought out reason or just dropped the ball. The fact that they have to negotiate for it is broken. The "system" is not set up to allow for agility and innovation. Instead, it acts on protectionist incentives on all sides, none of which directly consider the consumer first.
variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
The fact that a provision was required tells me there was already a provision, negotiated by the AMFA, requiring bag handling to be done a certain way to protect jobs by indirectly limiting innovation and automation.

These sorts of things rarely benefit customers.

variant··on How Southwest Airlines melted down
Deluded? Or could it be that customers value economy over predictability?
variant··on Massive Southwest Airlines disruption leaves customers stranded
Not quite.

The emergency procedures were likely put in place due to crew resourcing issues that were fallout from the storms. These procedures require more stringent review of sick requests to ensure all hands are on deck and are probably allowed by negotiated union contracts.

I'm skeptical of this walkout rumor.

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