Oh… someone asked why I haven't posted anything about the new release of the flagship open source OS.
Honestly… corporate scheming has me neck-deep in a proprietary codebase, powered by sprawling socio-technical machinations.
I haven't written a single line of the nefarious source myself, but I've become implicated in the routine deployment of closed-format executables.
So forgive the silence this time.
Cautious commentators say AI might amplify existing societal biases. Yes, that might be true. But what about history-washing, or any other kind of "-washing" you care to name?
I'm interested in business history and have read a few Wikipedia articles. So I thought I would ask a commercial LLM for a quick overview of the history of a US company called IBM.
The app promptly gave me a neat, decade-by-decade summary. To my surprise, it looked odd; the "history" was entirely devoid of Edwin Black's findings on the strategic alliance of IBM's European subsidiaries with genocidal regimes in the 1930s.
All of this is well known and even IBM's Wikipedia article cites Black (2001) extensively. So why was none of this mentioned, and why did I get a selective highlight of IBM's involvement in the US government and military?
Beyond the technical challenges (or the enormous water and energy consumption), should the training and filtering mechanisms of LLMs not be open to scrutiny?
Good start to the week.
Team sent me v important technical analysis… probably the most exemplary case study in distributed systems for ages to come.
How did they frame it? “[…] interested in the finer margins on a specialist niche topic… ”
Understatement of the century or what? 😆
Yesterday my barber convinced me to go for a "hard part with low fade".
Now I'm wondering if I come across as too insincere to be taken seriously.
Coffeeshop attendant insists I try the "chilling sunrise".
What? Ice coffee with yuzu juice? I'm clearly not on top of my game.
I knew #cats could have their blood pressure taken, but it only just occurred me today to look up photos of it, and they are even better than I imagined.
Not only do they have tiny blood pressure cuffs, they can take their pressure either on their legs or on their TAILS‽
Andy HΞ3 reshared this.
Khurram Wadee likes this.
Can't believe I got roped into organising the annual roadshow again. Chief Corporate Fun Officer insisted we showcase the new media products in town.
Now I'm supposed to give the performers a real choice… between somersaults or backflips on their day off.
Guess we'll be flying by the seat of our pants to afford all of this.
The acting workshop I'd organised was intense, with exercises focused on the mismatch between displayed emotions and those actually felt... and the potential dangers of that disconnect.
After the workshop, one aspiring superstar sent me a message with technical questions. Normally, I'd reply straight away, but for some reason, I didn't respond at all.
The next day, I saw her and apologised. She turned towards me, straightened, and opened her arm slightly, palms visible, smiling. In one fluid motion, her body preceded her calm, hushed words: "I'm so angry with you..." she said, her smile lingering as she tilted her head just so.
I was stumped for a moment, then replied, "I gather you've found the answer to your excellent question."
Later, reflecting on the incident, I realised how I'd dismissed her question, only to be proven wrong about her talent. There's real value in the benefit of doubt.
When post-irony meets meta-reflection, meaning bends.
One unravels, the other reassembles.
Not conventionally productive, but true to the medium: chaotic, self aware and playfully subversive.
Good morning, fine day.
When corporate lingo mangles your files and your presentation becomes a slide deck... under the pretence of casino-based maritime fun. All in the face of systemic depravity.
I'm glad we do a little better #fediverse
Careful now. Fun as an instrument of control, rather than true freedom.
I'm quitting my role in the culture industry.
Joke of the Day
Economist: Reading anthropological fieldnotes must be truly dreary.
Ethnographer 1: Clearly you haven't worked with attendance notes yet.
Ethnographer 2: Dockets are bliss! Wait until you see patient records.
Good morning everyone! (sunshine emoji)
Enjoy the holiday if you're on leave today. Please cover up or apply sunscreen when outdoors.
Sound engineer told me three simple steps:
I'll try that!
Andy HΞ3
in reply to Andy HΞ3 • •Andy HΞ3 reshared this.