Posts by baldur@toot.cafe
(DIR) Post #B1z20e67Tm2CfcD7jc by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-05T11:51:30Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I've completely lost interest in debating generative models or how big tech has almost completely transitioned into an authoritarian political project. These days what I try to do is just mentally flip the bozo bit on anybody still defending this shit and then do my best to move on.(Bozo bit, in case you didn't know https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bozo_bit)
(DIR) Post #B2J53JZZ6xr5xUSjaq by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-14T11:28:00Z
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> I have heard the phrase “I’m legally allowed to do so, so I will” from AI proponents a million times. The utter lack of respect, the contempt towards anyone not in their camp is insurmountable. Not even an opt out, just straight up ignoring the wishes of their sources.https://chronicles.mad-scientist.club/tales/on-floss-and-training-llms/Again, this is not limited to code. That same contempt, that same lack of respect, that same looting of the commons is happening with media and writing as well.
(DIR) Post #B2K5J05XW1IvJvrEbA by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-15T11:37:49Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
Google: "We found that this gambling ad doesn't violate our policies against gambling ads, but you can personalise your ad experience to block the kinds of ads you don't want."Me: "So, can I block gambling ads?"Google: "No, we don't allow gambling ads so a toggle to block gambling ads doesn't make sense. What are you talking about?"
(DIR) Post #B2KEG3lwGHp1SrMVuK by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-15T21:48:40Z
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I genuinely think the Icelandic government should reject this proposed ambassador outright. It's impractical to have an ambassador who jokes about invading the host country. Generally not considered to be good diplomatic practice."Anger in Iceland over incoming US ambassador’s ‘52nd state’ joke"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/anger-iceland-incoming-us-ambassador-52nd-state-joke
(DIR) Post #B2PSYC8WGxuFlbGVmq by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:42:38Z
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I stopped trying to debate software devs on LLMs a while back. Even if they could be budged on empirical grounds, they are explicitly fine with using tools that are themselves deeply unethicalDebating people who look past "chatbot psychosis", the dismantling of the education system, the gendered abuse, the generated CSAM images, the overt attacks on the media industries, or the ultra-right's glee about "AI", by showing them a well-constructed academic study is never going to work 1/n
(DIR) Post #B2PSYDdkgKU2Qksy6i by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:43:04Z
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Anybody looking past "ICE is using LLMs as accountability sinks for waving extremists through their recruitment processes" won't be persuaded by a meaningful study. They're attempting to maintain their benefit by negotiating the level of "acceptable" abuse. Preventing abuse is not on their agenda
(DIR) Post #B2PSYEvVtmHkQ8CfQm by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:43:33Z
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Most of them are up to their eyebrows in Cialdini-style cognitive traps and have completely lost sight of the fact that subjective experiences don't tell you anything about the effects on a system, organisation, industry, or community. Anything sensible will likely fall on deaf ears3/n
(DIR) Post #B2PSYFwG8UTZYjYmES by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:43:48Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Nor do they seem to care, except in a performative way, that “AI” is designed to be an outright attack on labour and education, non-consensually using the works of those being attacked as the tools for dismantling their own communities and industries, all in overt collaboration with the ultra right4/n
(DIR) Post #B2PSikC0VVI8HnvX1M by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:44:08Z
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Even if you disregard context—the political climate, hostility toward labour, attacks on education and media, the alienation increasing the risk of psychological episodes—these "systems thinkers" no longer seem to understand that software is a system built on the labour of thousands.5/n
(DIR) Post #B2PSilw81VmJh8VsY4 by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:44:26Z
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Even if it were true that the effect for them personally is positive, that is objectively and manifestly not scaling up to system level. We can all see it. Software as an ecosystem has rapidly become less stable, less secure, worse designed and outright less productive for the end user.6/n
(DIR) Post #B2PSinDtExa1gVpZs8 by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:44:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Shit is getting bad out in the actual software economy. Cash registers that have to be rebooted twice a day. Inventory systems that randomly drop orders. Claims forms filled with clearly “AI”-sourced half-finished localisation strings. I see more and more in the lives of people around me every day.7/n
(DIR) Post #B2PcK7vM8VcoBq2T0y by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:45:29Z
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We all know why. The gigantic, impossible to review, pull requests. Commits that are all over the place. Tests that don't test anything. Dependencies that import literal malware. Undergraduate-level security issues. Incredibly verbose documentation completely disconnected from realitySenior engineers who have regressed to an undergraduate-level understanding of basic issues and don't spot beginner errors in their code, despite having "thoroughly reviewed" it. 8/n
(DIR) Post #B2PcK9FxBPhAK0gQl6 by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:45:48Z
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Everybody being forced to use the tools to increase output even when they themselves don't think it's safe or rightThe software made by the software industry is getting substantially worse every month. The products are getting worse. The platforms are getting worse. The ecosystems are less safe. And the job environment is horrible. And it's happening faster and faster.9/n
(DIR) Post #B2PcKAEZY2BVM12qFE by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T12:46:13Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Going all “but it works great for me” even as the industry burns around you and the “it” is a right-wing political project built on disregarding consent, being applied to dismantle public infrastructure and institutions, is fundamentally a dick move.And debating dicks is pointless./fin
(DIR) Post #B2Prnmxk8LnbB9l0lc by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T17:20:22Z
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Thinking most of software industry management and influencers are suffering from some form of chatbot psychosis. Instead of "inventing" a new maths, they think they've invented a new form of coding, and because dev is so full of bullshit already people aren't noticing that it's outright unhinged.For example> “It will be like kubernetes, but for agents,” I said.Possibly the most cursed sentence I've read all day, and I've been reading up on the Greenland crisisFrom https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04
(DIR) Post #B2PrnrVDFqwrG7RnUW by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-18T17:21:53Z
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This is "what if we combined the torment nexus with an agonizer, won't that be awesome!?" kind of unhinged.
(DIR) Post #B2XrHGrbDcFHMLbjk0 by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-22T11:28:05Z
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RE: https://toot.cafe/@baldur/115935077191230670So, the replies to this as well as the larger discussion I've seen about Manu's post leads me to believe that they don't teach people about Karl Popper or the paradox of tolerance any more?Like, the reason why you scorn and exclude people who overtly or covertly signal support for Naziism is paradox of intolerance 101.
(DIR) Post #B2XrHHwxBC7ejF7Wj2 by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-22T13:50:49Z
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Arguing that you shouldn't judge people for liking Mein Kampf or something similar is not the same as arguing you shouldn't judge people for liking Fight ClubI'm sceptical that so many people, who mostly seem to be in or adjacent to tech, don't seem to see the fundamental difference between tolerating Mein Kampf and a controversial creative workIf you are defending Nazi propaganda specifically, when so many other examples were available, I have to assume you chose to do so deliberately
(DIR) Post #B2YWfh1Bix2xXzrAno by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-21T21:57:54Z
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@Starfia @craignicol Mein Kampf! It’s literally a political manifesto! It’s not Die Hard! The fuck!?
(DIR) Post #B2a48ZcTnm1qe1de8O by baldur@toot.cafe
2026-01-23T13:32:40Z
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How is the web version of Apple Music so bad? It just straight up stops working on random songs.