ABrockwell @aebrockwell@social.cleverlibre.org
Expert in probability, statistics, and data science, with some programming skills as well.
Former academic and current quant trader.
Joined Nov 2022
ABrockwell
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Astrud Gilberto has died. One of the musical styles that defined my generation was bossa nova. The most famous song in that style is The Girl from Ipanema. The song was written by Joao Gilberto, who is considered the father of bossa nova. Astrud was his wife.
The Girl from Ipanema is sung by Astrud, a girl who is not a professional singer. How did this happen? On the day the song was recorded, the intended singer didn't show up and Joao asked Astrud to have a go at it. The result is epic because the song benefits enormously from her innocent, ordinary, non-flashy singing.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/brazilian-astrud-gilberto-sang-girl-ipanema-dead-83-rcna87910
ABrockwell
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Enough with the pussy-footing around in Ukraine. Russia blew up an enormous dam, flooding dozens of towns and fields, and potentially compromising the cooling system for a nuclear power plant. The West needs to give Ukraine more effective air power, additional air defense, and whatever else will end this absurd war by Russia. The civilian cost of Putin’s Soviet fever dream needs to come to an end. Bombing hospitals was bad enough.
@bitsgalore @davidgerard I like the authors' point about "hallucination" in there. Saying that #LLMs "can hallucinate" false things suggests that they have another "non-hallucinating" mode. But they don't. Describing the failures this way is yet another anthropomorphism that boosts the #AI hype.
ABrockwell
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After effectively debunking all sorts of crypto and blockchain related nonsense, Amy Castor and @davidgerard have now turned their attention to the current #AI hype.
Lots of good stuff, including some much needed background to the alarmist warnings on AI risk by various AI luminaries.
Their characterization of #ChatGPT as "a stupendously scaled-up autocomplete" is spot-on as well.
https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2023/06/03/crypto-collapse-get-in-loser-were-pivoting-to-ai/
@Free_Press Sounds to me like he's focused on marketing sound-bites and his own self-image, rather than an actual plan to regain trust. #cnn
ABrockwell
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Here’s some perspective.
Americans:
•Cancel student debt!
•Cancel medical debt!
•Make insulin free!
Most of Developed World:
•What is student debt?
•What is medical debt?
•Insulin is already free!
What GOP calls “socialism”—even conservative parties in most developed nations call a “human right.”
ABrockwell
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ABrockwell
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Indigo Bunting. I can now stop photographing birds because I'll never do better than this.
ABrockwell
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Scientists have discovered a black hole that has a gravitational field so strong that no treats or dropped food scraps can escape.
ABrockwell
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I feel like one of the big links between AI and NFTs is people who are incapable of enjoying the basic pleasures of creativity unless they can justify it as a Very Disruptive High-Tech Hustle https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/1/23745673/ai-art-boosters-mona-lisa-abbey-road
@thedextriarchy Among other things, this article shows how AI makes bad art by extending existing art. I'm not an artist, but looking at the images, even I can see that the results are blandly predictable and detract significantly from the original artwork.
But more generally, I think I'm seeing a common theme emerging. AI also writes bad essays, writes bad short stories, writes bad legal documents, creates bad programming solutions to problems, gives bad medical advice, just to mention a few areas of application. And I am sure it will be applied in many other ingenious ways to create new bad quality products.
@ct_bergstrom This may be a slighly cynical take, but I think the following interpretation is entirely plausible. Let's suppose that these academic and corporate big-shots are getting distressed as people (slowly) realize that their so-called "AI" is more hype than reality. Then their warning could simply be a means of providing narcissistic supply. By puffing up the importance of their LLM machines, they effectively provide an argument to delude themselves that they are the founders of a great new age of humanity.
ABrockwell
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The next time you feel imposter syndrome and are convinced that everyone is better than you, just remember that someone got paid for this hospital design.
ABrockwell
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A few of my many thoughts on this hot mess of a GPT story, relayed by @kendraserra:
1. These events really give the lie to the putative imminent replacement of professionals by AI. I’m quite certain some VC out there has money sunk into “LLMs will replace lawyers!” I know they’re trying with coders, therapists, tech support…and…just look at this frigging mess.
https://dair-community.social/@kendraserra/110441293874212557
ABrockwell
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Every publisher needs to make their policy clear on this, so that they’re setting the terms, rather than having the terms set for them. This is Clarkesworld’s statement on #AI text.
ABrockwell
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Sometimes journalists, newspapers, “influencers,” scientists, politicians & the rest of us get things wrong. But instead of acknowledging our mistakes, too often, pride or social norms get in the way of saying so.
But it’s good to change our minds when we have new evidence or a new perspective or experience that shapes our perceptions.
That’s how we learn. How we grow. And talking about it should be normalized. The expectation rather than the exception.
ABrockwell
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Acknowledging that today (26 May) is the 26th Sorry Day. And I am thinking of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people stolen by government and church, and the many who never came home 💗 
#SorryDay is a day of remembrance for the many 1000s of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families and communities. And a day of reflecting on the the pain their families felt, and the intergenerational impact.
The word sorry in Sorry Day does not refer to apology or regret. It comes from the Indigenous practices and protocols of grief and loss, known as Sorry Business.
Sorry Day centres First Nations people who suffered loss due to these race-based government policies, not on settlers who feel remorse/white guilt.
This annual day of remembrance is one of the very few actioned recommendations of the 1997 Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families (Bringing Them Home Report), which was the result of a royal commission >https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/bringing-them-home-report-1997
The Healing Foundation has more information about the Stolen Generations, including an excellent portal of resources > https://healingfoundation.org.au/
In the next post (ie linked) I'll do a quick explainer on Sorry Day and the Stolen Generations >
#Indigenous #FirstNations #AboriginalAndTorresStraitIsldners #StolenGeneration #SorryDay
ABrockwell
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If a store pulls inclusive merchandise after threats from a violent conservative group, you stop shopping at that store. They’re cowards who value the business of the few more than the business of the many. Sure, they’ll say it was to protect staff, but we have people we all pay with taxes to do that. If Target is too cowardly to call the cops and get these folks tossed from the store, they don’t deserve our business.
ABrockwell
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Republicans: we demand that all homeless veterans be converted into food for productive workers
Biden: hold on there, jack, that's shady billiards
Republicans: we will murder a truck full of puppies every day our demand is unmet
Media: Biden and Republicans meet to solve the puppy crisis
ABrockwell
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I work in IT, that's why I don't use voice assistants or have any house automation
Expert in probability, statistics, and data science, with some programming skills as well.
Former academic and current quant trader.
Joined Nov 2022
