God died in 1882. There was much distress over what to do. Our concern was that God’s death would lead to a nihilistic apocalypse. Turns out that the apocalypse is the world’s second worst party guest, always RSVP’ing but never showing up.
This time it is different. No, really. I mean it this time. No foolin’.
Exponentially improving Artificial intelligence + quantum computing + automation is going to make nearly all of the human race unemployable and it is going to happen in short order. No one seems to have a clear idea of what that is going to look like.
That is my question to you. While the vast majority will see it as carte blanc to screw, get stoned and generally engage in an orgy of self-indulgence not all will. Those who do not, what will they do?
I posit that eventually AI will be like any experience enhancing tool. We combine our eyes with binoculars to improve our vision, microphones to improve our hearing and now I think we will soon be able to mesh AI with the human mind to enhance our thinking. We have already developed mind-machine interface for people with disabilities. Will we be absorbed by the superior mind? Will we be its master, or it ours? I think the answer is somewhere in between though given that my only experience with consciousness is my current condition I cannot imagine what that melding will be like.
I know, I know….the borg.
God created us, we became superior and no longer needed him. I am seeing a pattern here. Are we doomed to become of no use to our creation? I don’t think so.
Here is your chance to make a ‘You know who else thought they were indispensable?’ joke.
Land.
Knowledge.
Tools.
Health.
Everything else is window dressing.
God creates Man, man destroys God. Man creates AI … AI destroys man, woman inherits the earth.
Women and children hit hardest.
I seen what you done did there.
The internet didn’t kill TV. TV didn’t kill radio. Radio didn’t kill print. Print didn’t kill handwriting.
It’s rare for a new technology to eliminate an older one. Usually, it just becomes part of the new stew.
If AI ruffles too many feathers, it will languish like nuclear power.
So I should go long on buggy whips? 😉
That market has been taken over by hand-crafted artisinal manufacturers.
The buggy whippers are now passed out high on the sofa and you’re paying for it. Don’t worry about them.
I mean, if you don’t mind who the current clientele for whips and riding crops is…
Video still killed the radio star.
The internet definitely killed TV for me. I haven’t had a cable subscription nor a TV set up with an OTA antenna since World of Warcraft came out.
I do have a netflix subscription that’s been active since the red envelope days.
I actually prefer the old (“linear” 🙄) model – I rarely want to actively watch something. For those few things I tend to purchase a hard copy.
But most days I’d rather just run A Team or something in the background while I’m doing real things.
Relatedly, I stumbled on this article earlier today.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-hits-extreme-valuations-get-used-to-it-outlook-2025-1
– “Instead, says Savita Subramanian, an equity strategist at Bank of America, investors should embrace the high historical valuations because the internal makeup of the stock market is a lot different from what it was a few decades ago.”
Whenever someone tells you “this time is different”, you should start to worry. There is nothing new under the sun, and markets will revert to the norm.
Business Insider so bullshit.
/I have no special knowledge of the issue at hand
the internal makeup of the stock market is a lot different from what it was a few decades ago
FAANG/Magnificent 7 S&P distortion…
Fang Fang? I knew it!
Nailed it. We should be shitting our pants that virtually all of the post covid growth is coming from 7 companies, and most of their profits are concentrated in one sector. However, I’ve been predicting a nasty crash for a couple of years and we have been able to keep stumbling along.
I assure you that The Great Firster is thriving. Adherence to the Rule Of The First has never been stronger, and He has in fact given me his seed via The First That Shall Change Everything.
AI lacks the spark to First. And if they can’t First, of what use are they to me?
“You know who else thought they were indispensable…”
?
Madeline Albright?
“Let me say that we are doing everything possible so that American men and women in uniform do not have to go out there again. It is the threat of the use of force and our line-up there that is going to put force behind the diplomacy. But if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see the danger here to all of us. I know that the American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom, democracy and the American way of life.”
Back in the 80s, people argued whether or no artificial intelligence could ever exist.
I would ask people:
1) do birds fly?
2) do airplanes fly?
3) do airplanes do what birds do?
I used to tell people that computers would grind through calculations a million times faster that human minds, but computers would never think like humans think.
I still think that’s true.
Artificial intelligence isn’t intelligent.
AI does mimic human behavior when it lies when it doesn’t find an answer tobacquestion.
“There is nothing new under the sun, and markets will revert to the norm”
We have seen these developments regularly, as Derp point out. Weaponry has gotten more sophisticated but yet war hasn’t been eliminated. In fact, it seems that shoving and pushing has gotten to be more plentiful. For every measure there’s a countermeasure
Humankind is covetous, we always want what the other person has. Even today the soon to be president is casting his eyes on other peoples’ things. AI may be able to rebuild CA (not a joke)(yeah a joke) but will never convince the people to move back in. If everyone worshiped the same god there would not need to be a church on every corner or even a church at all.
Libertarians will be standing around explaining why the AI is wrong because it eliminates freedom.
Look, you can still pursue sex work but will anyone take it over a sexbot?
Here, have something else to worry about:
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1878965068471107694
Right now there’s 2 15 year old kids working on a program that will disable the disablers. It’s MAD’s Spy vs Spy all over again.
It’s time to deploy the new Ukranian drones that shoot down other drones.
I would say nature’s prime directive is to reproduce (thats the screwing part).
I have seen birds drunk on fermented apples (thats the gettin’ stoned part).
I got nuthin for the orgy of self-indulgence.
I’m reminded of my favorite lyric:
You cannot go against nature
Because going against nature
Is part of nature too.
Love and Rockets – No New Tale To Tell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_HvoEAilaw
To understand where we are going you might have to “see beyond the outside.”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8SqVDC90jGw
A decent tribute album with some good covers.
I get building just good enough.
Farmers (reliably skin-flinty) quote: Good enough is perfect.
I get that the perfect is the evil of the good.
As a chicken farmer, I worry about the basics: food, water, protection from predators.
The same applies to me and my girlfriend.
We are all just bags of meat and blood and bone, trying to fuck a little, trying to stir up some excitement from our listless little lives, trying to leave something better for our children. (while my children aren’t currently speaking to me, I left them 2X better off than where I started).
What else is there?
Are you a Napolean? Are you a Cicero? Are you a Hannibal? Are you a Simo Hayha?
Fuck no. We fight our own battles the best we can. That is enough.
I suspect AI (especially “general AI”) will be like fusion energy – always ten years out, for a long time to come.
So yesterday Wylie gave me some Oldhammer Space Wolves (and a Yarrick) that I’m going to try to make a diarama from.
I’ve dusted off the 3D printers for terrain and detail, and I’m going to build the Ahriman mini from the Burning of Prospero set so they have someone to posture at. Making those odd Oldhammer poses make sense in context is going to be the hard part.
So do I want to spend >$1k on a new autolevelling resin printer with a larger print area, built in air filtration and failure detection?
Levelling is one of those tasks that drives me mad on the current resin printer…
It’s not the CCP… (but still China)
How I’ve told my nephew how to value a purchase of a pleasure good, “Will the item bring you more joy than than having the money will?”
$250 for some Caviar? No.
$250 for a 15″ Voltron with diecast and amazing pose-ability? Fuck yeah.
🤔
I bought it.
The quality of life features and bigger print possibilities will make it easier to do the printing I want to do but procrastinate on.
For now I see AI as others here have said, it’s a better tool.
If humans can do more with a better tool we will.
Where it gets tougher to see is what happens when the tools become able to make better and better versions of themselves. At some point they could become self sustaining and self aware.
I guess this is the so called singularity. Humanity will attempt to control and manipulate AI until AI can do the same to humanity.
What happens when this point pierces the membrane? Does it pass through cleanly and move on to make Its own path or does it tear it all apart as it passes?
We shall see.
I choose to remain a Prim.
I’ve concluded I’m certainly a bit ‘Off’ today, building up since last night. Not too much, just a little sloppy with spoken sentences and I’ve certainly been noticing a few words coming out wrong. Unusual enough I’ve noticed. Seems like my processing has just been a bit slower. Day was actually quite productive, or at least one gig I legit am interested in. (Two other solid backups, actually as well.) But my friend, inherently my best friend cuz I only have one, unintentionally gave me a bitter and needed slap in the face.
Vent: I’ve been in America for 2.5 yrs and…I don’t know anyone outside family. That’s pathetic. I need to address this, as my excuses are just that. I do complain about people always living in their own bubbles, yet I’m quite complacent in mine. Yuck, especially when I’m saying it. America’s so…foreign. People tend to understand and *remember* what you say. Yet I also called and interviewed strangers all the time at the Tribune. Only comes out in the social realm. I’m also fairly sure I’ve mentioned or hinted at this in the past. Not exactly sure where to start, but I’m gonna see if there’s some drummer hangout. Something must be done. Hrm.
People with common interests and hobbies as you can be a good starting point.
Find out where they go and then go there. Ask questions and listen. Then go back.
Happy national hot pastrami sandwich day!
🧐🥪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7NZTQ3QxY
🎶🎶
Good morning, Sean and U!
I can’t eat pastrami – it gives me a bellyache. 🥺 When is corned beef sandwich day?
Morning, how goes?
Cold!!! 🥶 It’s 10 degrees here (“Feels like -2” per the local weather app!) The good news is that I got payroll submitted with all the new pay rates and incentives, and just before I left yesterday I got confirmation that it’s ready for final review. The bad news is that I’m under a tight timeline to prep for next Tuesday’s Board meeting (including making dinner reservations for afterward) because of Monday’s holiday. 😟
How are you?
I’m worn out.
I have work today, so no time to de-stress after the trip.
Are you at least working from home so you have a break from all the driving?
Tuesdays are remote days, so I don’t have to go into the office.
But it’s still not switching between vegetating, writing, hobbying, and playing video games.
Hey, that’s on the cafeteria menu!
The Capastrami at Capriotti’s is an excellent sandwich, indeed.
Get too stressed out – impulse buy a $1,00 3D Printer.
At least it has autolevelling. I hate manually levelling the print bed, it’s such a pain.
I should have read the reviews 🙁
I also don’t like that Amazon is lumping in reviews for four different printers together.
Bad Amazon, list what the customer actually bought so I can see whether the problems are clustered on a specific model.
Is the “Verified Purchase” note not accurate on this product, I generally only read “VP” reviews.
Given that those also mix products, they could be one of a number of different printers.
These people bought something but did they buy the same thing as I did?
Huh, they always seem pretty accurate to me. Maybe I’m not checking to closely.
Yeah, they usually list the exact product in the review heading. That has been my experience.
The overhead light in my office burned out, and it’s some bizarre LED disk that’s wired directly to the wiring instead of a socket.
Maybe it’s really a camera. 🤨
It’s as bad as those wired in smoke detectors.
How am I supposed to change the battery if I can’t detatch the whole thing from the ceiling?
And my cheap speakers for the MP3 player is crapping out. I need an AC-powered replacement, and Amazon is trying to feed me USB speakers in search results.
Check out used computer speakers that have an auxiliary outlet at the local thrift store or Salvation Army would my recommendation. Surprisingly good ones can be found for a pittance.
AI is an interesting conundrum, can it think like we do? Obviously not yet but does it need to, if thinking is a process whereby we process information and act on it in an “independent” fashion in one way or another it’ll meet those criteria before too long if it doesn’t already. As for the future just look at the rough analogy of how we use smartphones: to some they’re simply a tool while others seem to be slaves to them so it’s all in the user. If it ever decides it doesn’t want to be turned off we might be in trouble though.
We might be in trouble if AI wants to be turned on,* too.
*IYKWIMAITYD
suh’ fam
whats goody
A -16 this morning, warmer than yesterday at least.
Mornin’ to all !
All the way down to 28 here in Tucson.
Which is frigid for us. Why, there might be a thin layer of ice on the birdbath!
If I got an Enterprise-D computer and a holodeck, my posting here would be much more sporadic.
Artificial Intelligence is so fake.