“Language models don’t apply to us because this is not a language problem,” Nesterenko explained. “If you ask it to actually create a blueprint, it has no training data for that. It has no context for that…” Instead, Quilter built what Nesterenko describes as a “game” where the AI agent makes sequential decisions — place this component here, route this trace there — and receives feedback based on whether the resulting design satisfies electromagnetic, thermal, and manufacturing constraints… The approach mirrors DeepMind’s progression with its Go-playing systems.

This is kind of interesting and cool, and it’s not a hallucinating LLM. I’ve designed a couple of simple circuit boards, and running traces can be sort of zen, but it is tedious and would be maddening as a job, so I can only imagine what the process must be like on complex projects from scratch. Definitely some hype levels coming from the company that give me pause, but it seems like an actual useful task for a machine learning algorithm.

I don’t think it’s particularly controversial to posit that Punt is in or near the horn of Africa, and while DNA analysis is rock solid for recent genealogy and can be carefully used to provide limited but valuable historical insights, this blog feels weird, like it’s pushing an agenda way beyond what the research supports. It seems desperate to tie things together specifically and neatly, and I just get the sense information is being cherry picked, science is probably being misunderstood, and its constant rolling out of photos of modern people (including Rocco Siffredi, LOL) to confirm physiognomy with ancient art makes me think it’s got some crackpot neo-phrenology creepiness going on. The fact that the authors refuse to identify themselves and talk about “private research” in their 54-question FAQ is not confidence-inspiring.

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HTC had quite a run there. I still miss my HTC One X, back when it was actually interesting to get a new phone. These days I routinely forget which iPhone it is that I have.

Kiddo is having a KPop Demon Hunters theme for her birthday party this year, and the official HUNTR/X Light Sticks don’t come out until it’ll be too late, so 3D printing to the rescue. There are quite a few floating around the 3D print sites and Etsy, but I didn’t want something too finicky or delicate, so I used the existing as a reference and tweaked the design to be an open cage that slips over the generic under-$10 concert light sticks and leverages their electronics and the little specular diffuser (that sounds totally wrong, but it’s just a sheet of something inside the tube that makes it sparkly). There are a couple of designs on Etsy that use the same light sticks but completely replace the tube, and I wanted something a bit simpler. As usual, an iphone camera makes LED lighting look way more dramatic than IRL.

Yup. I also liked this, but I’m trying hard not to just quote the whole thing back, because it’s all good.

Their wealth insulates them from friction so effectively there’s no incentive or pressure for them to develop an imagination, or diversify their knowledge to the point where an imagination might emerge on its own. I can’t think of a better argument for a humanities requirement than a billionaire being asked “how do we know what is real?” and responding with “cryptographic signatures.”

So unlike apparently everyone else on these threads, I actually have a Model M. Okay, technically I have three Model Ms, but still…

What kind of PS/2 cable is it? permanent or modular?

Is it still working, even if it looks rough?

Are you comfortable soldering?

If not, are you at least comfortable following a simple wiring diagram?

https://archive.ph/y2Ynz

Also, an interesting idea, that provocateurs intentionally started rumors and pushed them hardest to areas where destroying a land register would cause the most issues for the local nobility.

It certainly doesn’t help that they shared a name with the Amiga digital camera/scanner perhipheral. I found a listing in the July 2000 issue of Computer Shopper where “Bay Micro Computers” out of Torrance California was selling the aforementioned “beige box” AMD PCs with Digiview keyboards. One of the keyboards was on eBay, and it seems like a bog standard rebadged OEM membrane keyboard of the era.

LLMs shall prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, and shall acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory.

This may not go how they think it will. As an aside, for the moment at least, this is only for AI used/procured by the federal government.

My N810 was my single favorite piece of industrial design in a mobile device. Not perfect, and use cases moved on (to say nothing of the internals), but it was so unique and thoughtful and intricate without feeling overly fragile.

I preferred Mepis. 😊

Great, but I don’t think that graph is showing any particular spike, just a nice and gentle upward trend in share. The article also overlooks that there is a certain element of Windows and MacOS computers being replaced by tablets and phones, while Linux is already an enthusiast choice on the desktop, meaning it will be insulated somewhat and gain market share through attrition.

On the plus side, Steam and Proton and maturing DEs/distros and enshittification of Windows certainly make Linux a much more viable “normie” option than it’s ever been. We’re a far cry from the CD-ROM of Red Hat that came with my “Intro to Linux” book in 1999 but couldn’t use my Winmodem or printer and really preferred to run XWindows in grayscale.

We have a president who issues fascistic edicts from the toilet and then phrases them like a Karen in her first term on her HOA or Condo board.

Not immune, but let’s say resistant. Due to federation, they couldn’t lock down existing federated content; due to open source they couldn’t lock down the user experience; and due to those two, nobody’s going to offer them a check for a couple million dollars.

There is test-taking software that locks out all other functions during the essay-writing period. Obviously, damn near anything is hackable, but it’s non-trivial, unlike asking ChatGPT to write your essay for you in the style of a B+ high student. There is some concern about students who learn differently or compose less efficiently, but as father to such a student, I’m still getting to the point where I’m not sure what’s left to do other than sandbox “exploitable” graded work in a controlled environment.

I do sometimes think there is a bit of hand-wringing that happens where people glom onto the most visible sign of changing times and blame it for things that probably aren’t as different as the adults think, but by the same token most schools in richer countries have screens everywhere with school-related interconnectivity and even tools that are not unlike social media.

I see very little downside here, even if it may not result in some magic rebirth of older forms of social interaction. It seems like the major benefit from the French pilot programs was “improved atmosphere,” in which case it’s still better than nothing. Having a period when kids are learning to deal with small-group dynamics is not a bad thing, and neither is taking “dealing with phone bullshit” off the teachers’ plates.

I mean… fine? France always does things kind of top-down and there’s certainly no reason you have to have your phone readily available, and plenty of evidence it’s good to be away from it.

It’s not like they need to get to their phones to tell their parents there’s an active shooter on campus. 😐

Agreed. Can we have this article taken off the internet? I don’t want it accessible from any of my connections.