Ian Clancy @nuadatt@qoto.org

Pet peeve of the day: all the people talking about how ChatGPT is not “conscious” and how it does not “understand” what it is saying, but just putting likely-sounding words together into likely-sounding sentences.

Extra bonus points for using an example of a math problem as a way to show how these AI chat-bots talk about things they don’t really understand.

The irony. The lack of self-awareness. It burns.

Exams shouldn't be scrapped, but shouldn't just be memory tests...

https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2023/03/05/examinations-and-memory/

Ambition

I'm delighted that our recent paper on turbulent dynamics in Carina's Western Wall has been chosen as an ALMA Science Highlight: https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/alma/news/arc-newsletter/2023jan.html
In this work we were able to show that just looking at the surface of an irradiated molecular cloud tells you important and fascinating information about what structures exist deep within the cloud.

We also showed that there's a characteristic (i.e. important) length-scale of 0.02 - 0.03 pc in the Western Wall. 1/

So you know how if you wash a duvet without buttoning it up then most of the other things in the wash end up inside the duvet? This feels like it violates some entropy condition, though I guess it's coz once something enters the duvet it's "hard" to get back out.

Seems like a nice exercise for students. Anyone know if this has been dealt with from a thermodynamic perspective? #thermodynamics #physics

Folks are treating the recent tech layoffs as something spontaneous. They were not. The current layoffs were orchestrated by a hedge fund (TCI Fund).

This hedge fund demanded that the big tech companies lay people off because they were being paid too much. Let that one sink in: a hedge fund manager saying that you're being paid too much.

Note that TCI is demanding that Google lay off more people.

‘We were afraid’: Ireland’s far-right is mobilising, and they are coming to a town near you

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2023/01/14/we-were-afraid-the-far-right-is-mobilising-and-they-are-coming-to-a-town-near-you/

Look. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If Harry has a problem with his family then he needs to persuade the French to fund him, raise an army, invade and seize the crown.

What else was Brexit for, if not to restore traditional British approaches and values?

Ringing in a new platform with my very first "content" -- a video response to an awesome conversation @hankgreen started with @vihart that overlapped with conceptual labor a whole lot. https://youtu.be/x_B38n8mIes

Full blog post about it here: https://www.conceptuallabor.com/blog/viral-math

There were three men came out of the West
Three kings both great and high
And they have sworn a solemn oath
John Mastodon must die.

They took a tank and ran him down
With bullets in his head
And they have sworn a solemn oath
John Mastodon was dead

But when the Spring came kindly on
And showers began to fall
John Mastodon got up again
And did surprise them all...

logic gate

Hello Mastodon!

I found this paradox in an old mathematics book...

https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2022/11/29/a-paradox-in-probability/

@davidallengreen This is the best introduction I have seen. It covers the terminology, the technology, the philosophy and the culture, as well as how to actually get started!

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-started-use-mastodon/

Today's blog post...

https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2022/11/07/neutrinos-from-ngc1068/