plenipotentprotogod

I'm reminded of a quote from an old Tom Scott video. He's visiting a modern reconstruction of a Neolithic long barrow. Tom points out that the sun lines up with the entrance on the summer solstice, then it cuts to the owner who says

I think a lot of people would assume that getting the alignments of a monument like this... would involve complex calculations, a sharp pencil, and computing power. But in fact, you can do it just as easily by getting up at the right time with some sticks.

I feel the same way about AI as I felt about the older generation of smartphone voice assistants. The error rate remains high enough that i would never trust it to do anything important without double checking its work. For most tasks, the effort that goes into checking and correcting the output is comparable to the effort I would have spent to just do it myself, so I just do it myself.

Remember kids: the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.

Actual quote from Adam Savage on an episode of Mythbusters.

I'm surprised the article didn't mention the possible market for sodium-ion in grid energy storage systems. Low energy density, the main disadvantage of this chemistry, isn't really a concern when you're just stacking a bunch of cells on a concrete pad in the middle of nowhere. But 20% lower cost and no risk of a massive self-oxidizing fire breaking out is a huge benefit. Even if sodium-ion never makes it to EVs, it could still be crucial to the green energy transition.

Not a specific recommendation so much as a tip to get the most out of whatever you end up choosing:

No battery will last forever, but one important thing you can do to extend the shelf life of rarely used rechargeable electronics is to make sure they aren't always plugged in. Lithium batteries in particular degrade much faster if they're left continually charging for weeks or months at a time. I've got my battery powered emergency lights plugged in to a smart outlet which my home automation system turns on for one hour every 14 days. That's enough to keep the charge between 99% and 100%, and I'm hopeful that it will help maximize the useful life of the device. If you want a standalone solution you could try one of these, although I've never personally used one so I can't vouch for quality.

I like the way they solved this for the global reference time standard. In English it's called Cordinated Universal Time (CUT) but in French it's called Temps Universel Coordonné (TUC).

Apparently, both sides wanted to use their preferred acronym globally and wouldn't budge. The problem was only solved by eventual agreement to use UTC, which doesn't make sense in either language, but I guess at least it's fair that way.

🎵

This is not the funniest cartoon in the world, no

This is just a tribute

🎵

For me, probably Big Fat Liar. "Starring" Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, but the real highlight is Paul Giamatti as the villain chewing the absolute shit out of the scenery for an hour and a half as the kids subject his character to a series of increasingly elaborate pranks.

Case in point: I replaced my coffee machine with a chemex. So much easier to maintain.

Sorry in advance for what will probably be a long reply, but I was actually thinking about this recently and I'm taking the excuse to type out my thoughts.

The fact is that Lower Decks does have certain similarities to Rick and Morty, but they're mostly superficial and the show is different where it counts. Aside from the obvious similarities in animation style and the characters' penchant for wacky hijinks, Lower Decks also features frequent bleeped out swearing and occasional jokes based on sexual innuendo or censored nudity. Some people really don't like that stuff in their entertainment. If you're one of those people then it isn't a show for you.

But there's one big way in which Lower Decks is the exact opposite of Rick and Morty. The difference is the thesis of the series. Rick and Morty is at its core very cynical. Morty said it best himself: "Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV" I don't know if it was by accident or on purpose, but I think that line is really the whole show in a nutshell.

Lower decks is not a cynical show. Lower decks is a joyous show. Sure, the characters fight, but they always end the episode as friends. They make mistakes, but they learn from them. They have problems, but, over time, they mature.

I remember seeing an interview with the show creator in which he said that he conceived of it as a story about a group of young adults maturing and figuring out who they really are. I think that's his thesis, and he delivers on it.

So yeah. I guess bottom line is, if adult oriented animation in general turns you off then Lower Decks probably isn't going to change your mind. It inherits a lot of its sensibilities (and a few bad habits) from its predecessors. But if you're mainly concerned that it'll be a Trek skinned Rick and Morty then I would encourage you to look past the superficial similarities and give it a try.

Ya know what? Sure. This website has plenty of posts complaining about AI already. This is now a Casablanca appreciation thread.

I also think it's a great movie which holds up spectacularly well. Despite my efforts, I struggle to appreciate many "classic" films (Vertigo is overrated, and I will die on that hill). However, Casablanca is just perfect. It's a compelling concept, turned into a tight script, and performed by skilled actors. It really is an all-time classic, and I recommend it to everyone.

This one seems like a spiritual successor to my all-time favorite SMBC.

I think that the vast majority of philosophical hair-splitting comes down to the fact that we live in "a universe where all meaningful divisions are arbitrary."

It lends a healthy perspective to a lot of arguments.