Geek Stuff category archive
The Crypto Conundrum 0
If it’s not real in the first place, can you be penalized for stealing it?
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry charges you with being addicted to your phone.
Yes, you (but certainly not me–well at least to the extent that I avoid “social” media like the anti-social plague that it has become). They further argue that this is no accident:
Follow the link for some recommendations on how you can get your life back.
Digital Security Theatre 0
Bruce Schneir thinks that the efforts to ban TikTok, which seems to be the new “in” thing in the West, miss the point. A snippet:
The entire article is worth a read.
Artificial, Yes. Intelligent, No. 0
Rebecca Watson cautions us not to believe the hype about “artificial intelligence.” An excerpt:
. . . it’s unfortunate that “AI” caught on years ago to describe these chatbots because at this point we just have to use it so people know what we’re talking about, but this kind of “AI” has absolutely nothing to do with anything that could be called “intelligence.”
Or you can read the transcript.
Digital Quicksand 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Phil Reed discusses several recent studies that indicate that “social” media isn’t. He makes three main points.
- Several recent studies have shown that high levels of social media use can negatively impact physical health.
- Evidence suggests that social media can damage psychological welfare and physical functioning if its use is taken too far.
- In one study, the group asked to reduce their social media use had an average 15 percent improvement in immune function.
Follow the link for a detailed discussion of each.
Facebook Frolics 0
Pay to play Cash-grab frolics.
Aside:
I wonder just how many persons will be willing to pay the Zuckerborg for the privilege of being assimilated?
“The Algorithm Made Me Do It” 0
The ChatGPT Bot claims that it is above–or, perhaps, beyond–the law.
For some reason, I find this disquieting.
Facebook Frolics 0
The Ghost of Cambridge Analytica comes back to haunt cost the Zuckerborg a relative pittance.
Remember, “social” media isn’t.
Faking It Is Not Making It 0
Professor of English Dennis M. Clausen is not sanguine about ChatGPT and similar so-called “artificially intelligent” chatbots, at least to the extent that students might try to use them as shortcuts do completing assignments. He writes, in part,
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Little More than Computer-Assisted Hockeypuck 0
St. Louis University Professor Matt Grawitch calls BS on ChatGPT. A nugget:
. . . although it may provide a coherent response, coherence is not synonymous with accuracy.
Follow the link for context.
Geeking Out 0
Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager. XClock is in the upper right, GKrellM with the “Glass” theme in the lower right. The wallpaper is from my collection.
The Crypto Con 0
Hal Crowther tries to make sense of the crypto-con. He focuses on Sam Bankman-Fried, whose FTX crypto exchanged failed suddenly and spectacularly, but his serves to cast light on the entire–you can’t call it an industry, can you?–endeavor.
His article is well worth a read. Here’s the opening (emphasis added):
The Crypto Con 0
How it works, spelled out in pictures.
Plus ca Change 0
Boston University professor Joshua Pederson suggests the concern that students will use ChatGPT, the “artificial intelligence chat bot,” to cheat on assignments is somewhat overblown. A snippet (emphasis added):
When “Smart” Is Stupid 0
There’s a reason why, when we needed a couple of new appliances to replace ones who had given up the ghost after many years of long and faithful service, I said to the sales rep, “I don’t want anything ‘smart.'”
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
One more time, “social” media isn’t. Rather, however it begins, it ends up being all about the Benjamins.
Via PoliticalProf.