Geek Stuff category archive
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.
Meta: Site Maintenance 0
I’ve moved the HTTPS notice to a page, as its beard was getting on the long site.
It can be accessed from the “Pages” item on the sidebar over there (———>) on the right.
Artificial Intelligence? 0
ChatGTP is getting a lot of play lately. It even made an appearance in my local rag’s comics page.
Before mucking about with it, I suggest that you listen to Harry Shearer’s interview with Gary Marcus on the January 1, 2023, edition of Le Show; the relevant portion starts at about the 20 minute mark. Also read this from Bruce Schneier’s website.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Anthony Silard provides additional evidence that “social” media isn’t. He notes, among other things, that “social” media promotes envy and can erode users’ perception of their own quality of life. Here’s a couple of the points he makes:
- We’re not admiring others (a positive emotion) but envying them (a negative one).
- The envy people experience on social media decreases their life satisfaction.
Geeking Out 0
Updating a VirtualBox virtual machine of Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment using the apt command in Magiea v. 8 under the Fluxbox window manager.
Aside:
If you are one of my two or three regular readers, you’ve probably figured out by now that I really like Fluxbox. It’s my preferred interface on all of my machines.
It’s light-weight, flexible, and highly configurable. And, out-of-the box, it doesn’t do desktop icons. (It can be made to do so if you really insist, but, really, menus exist for a reason.)
I like my pretty wallpaper pictures and don’t like having little pimples icons marring them.
But that’s just me.
It’s All about the Algorithm , , , 0
, , , and the algorithm is designed, above all else, to be addictive.
Influencers on the Inner Tubes 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Psychotherapist Nicholas Balaisis explores some of the ways in which “social” media isn’t.
Cuban Revolt 0
Mark Cuban has had it with the arrogance of Silicon Valley’s “tech bros.”
I can’t say that I’m a big fan of either Mark Cuban or Bill Maher, but I rather think Cuban has a point.
Exhibit A, natch, would be Elon Musk.
The Crypto Con, Reprise 0
Bradley Murray, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks at why so many persons who should have known better–indeed, likely would have known better have they stopped to think for a moment–fell for the scam. I commend his piece to your attention.
Aside:
Some years ago, I listened to a Linux podcast–now podfaded. One of the hosts was all into bitcoin. I saw right-off that it was the most fiat of all fiat currencies, based on and backed by nothing other than believers’ faith, but he actually believed it was real.
(Broken link fixed.)
Farcical Recognition 0
Madison Square Garden Entertainment uses facial recognition to ban a mother from seeing the Rockettes with her daughter because of her day job.
Via C&L, which has commentary.
Click Bait 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Nancy Darling discusses why we click what we do. A snippet:
Think about these three headlines:
1. Dogs need daily exercise.
2. Feeding dogs too many treats can lead to vomiting.
3. Throwing balls to dogs causes obsessive behavior.
Which would you click on?
Headline 1 is something you probably know—it doesn’t make you curious and it isn’t worrying, so you’re unlikely to seek more information.
Headline 2 is worrying, but not really surprising. I might click to see what they mean by “too many.” (I was surprised to read that my dog’s favorite liver treats are only supposed to be given a few at a time, several times a day. Oops.). A post on common human foods poisonous to dogs—chocolate, grapes—is more likely to get clicks.
But 3? I would definitely click. Why?
Folloq rhw link for her answer.
And, remember, “social” media isn’t.
Stray Thought 0
I near as I can tell, the most significant (and harmful) effect of “social” media has been to turn us into a society of exhibitionists, all jumping up and down screaming, “Look at me!“
Twits Own Twitter, Ad Hack Dept. 0
To borrow a term from Bob Cesca, more muskery. From Techdirt, via Above the Law:
It appears that Musk’s solution to this is to force people to cough up their private info.