Nick @internic@social.cleverlibre.org

@BartoszMilewski wrote:

"There is, for instance, a lot of literature about classical charged particle interacting with its own electromagnetic field and the ensuing infinities."

And for anyone wanting a quick introduction to *that* confusing subject, try this article of mine:

https://johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2016/09/12/struggles-with-the-continuum-part-3/

@esap

Funny thing is this naturally leads onto mosh pit physics (seriously: https://physicsworld.com/a/mosh-pit-physics-could-save-lives/ ) and from there crowd dynamics, which is important in practical terms for safety modelling.
Never let the idea that something is fun but frivolous get in the way of life-saving outcomes. Giggle, change the world.

Wouldn't be a true Black Friday at Abandoned America without an abandoned mall - here's my all-time favorite, Randall Park Mall in North Randall, Ohio.

More at https://www.abandonedamerica.us/randall-park-mall

As a quick reminder: AI doomerism is also #AIhype. The idea that synthetic text extruding machines are harbingers of AGI that is on the verge of combusting into consciousness and then turning on humanity is unscientific nonsense. 2/

At the same time, it serves to suggest that the software is powerful, even magically so: if the "AI" could take over the world, it must be something amazing. 3/

Dear Microsoft. Here is a list of things I want the Start Menu to do:

* Show my installed programs
* Search my local files
* Provide access to system settings

Here is a list of things I do *not* want the Start Menu to do:

* Show the weather for a randomly-selected town near my network's public IP infrastructure
* Show tabloid headlines
* Show programs I *don't* have installed
* Search the web via Bing
* Show adverts(!)
* Attempt to engage me in conversation with a hallucinating LLM

Thanks.

Out of the Software Crisis and The Intelligence Illusion are my two main ebooks. I probably don't talk about them enough but they got pretty solid reviews and sales, so right out of the gate I think $49 bucks for those two is a solid deal.

But the full price of the Uncluttered course/web-book is $59 USD, so even if you've already got the two ebooks, you're still getting a discount off the course.

And Yellow is a bit of an experiment on my part

https://www.baldurbjarnason.com/bundle/2023/

@internic @LinuxAndYarn If you buy the ebook at my shop (craphound.com/shop), I get ~200% of what I get if you buy it elsewhere. For hardcovers, there's no difference.

For Black Friday instead of fighting over a new TV why not support independent, investigative technology journalism. 404 Media is offering 25% off today only:
- extra podcast content
- behind scenes articles
- FOIA live stream
- directly support our work
https://404mediaco.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/3202bdea0da18a08179

COOL! The spicy article I wrote about satellite pollution is FINALLY published! "Bright satellites are disrupting astronomy research worldwide" in Nature News & Views.

This article required weeks of back-and-forth with the editor, the editor-in-chief, and Nature's lawyers, so I hope that means it's a good one.

During this process, I learned that satellite companies are so powerful and litigious that even giant publishers like Nature are terrified of getting sued. Which is...rather worrying.

For data brokers dealing with our personal information, our data can either be useful for their profit-making or truly anonymous, but not both. Our privacy rights online must not be sacrificed so corporations can fill their pockets. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/11/debunking-myth-anonymous-data

A handful of billionaires now have unprecedented control over banking, the food we eat, the health care we can access and, now, the information we receive.

This is what oligarchy looks like.

Achievement unlocked: visited the ALMA high site at 5000 m above sea level, atop Chajnantor Plateau in #Chile. Mandatory #selfie with the supplemental oxygen equipment.

#astrodon #astronomy #travel

The next killer internet product is going to be a search engine that doesn't index LLM generated noise.

In the mid-70s, Doug Lenat (who sadly passed away this summer) wrote two #AI programs that were widely celebrated for their ability to discover new mathematical concepts.

In 1983, he wrote a critical reflection "Why AM and Eurisko Appear to Work", which I regard as one of the most important papers in AI ever. Short version: they were just re-discovering structures built into their programming language.

Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221605660_Why_AM_and_Eurisko_Appear_to_Work

Today in class we’ll be studying static electricity.

#physics

This just went live: The John Scalzi Humble Bundle! Get a whole bunch of my books really cheap - and support the literacy charity First Book, which provides books and literary resources to kids in need. A perfect way to stock up on my eBooks. Please feel free to share around!

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/john-scalzis-interdependency-old-mans-war-and-more-tor-books

The thing about Security is it’s doing procedures in a safe way, not preventing them. This is the benefit of practitioners in Security roles, alongside traditional policy folks.
Otherwise you just say no and people do it anyway. Which means you have lost control, not gained it. You have abdicated responsibility instead of directing action.

Ignite Minds, Not Books

#Toronto #TorontoPublicLibrary #MetroRef #BannedBooks #MomsForLiberty