Posts by benjohn@todon.nl
(DIR) Post #AbOQC0Da2ILYc4akj2 by benjohn@todon.nl
2023-11-02T10:16:50Z
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@tante Yeah :-) That's the impression I get.When CGI started to be used in films it was often hyped (by misdirection) that all the Fx was CGI, even when the vast majority was still practical and CGI was being used scarcely for a few shots. Now that CGI is so regularly and consistently used, the opposite happens: any use of practical Fx is highlighted and CGI use downplayed.… I think a similar process will happen with AI 🙂 "Oh, no no no, we're not using AI! Just signal processing."
(DIR) Post #Abh5X0v6DOD1pyMcCG by benjohn@todon.nl
2023-11-11T10:24:55Z
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@tante I don’t think I necessarily agree entirely. But I don’t disagree entirely either. I’m pretty bothered by the corporate ownership of all this stuff. … I don’t think making elements of skill more accessible is bad. It can have limited bad outcomes, but I think people wil quickly reject those. I also think for many people an initial easy path will be a starting point to work from. For at least some it lowers the entry barrier. I think that’s good. …
(DIR) Post #AcEPux9HYP3s1ip5eq by benjohn@todon.nl
2023-11-27T11:08:49Z
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@cstross @patcharcana @gsuberland 10 half lives, I think, is 1000 fold (well, 1,024, but this isn’t disk storage!). A million needs 20 half lives, I think?
(DIR) Post #AjLqERgD7OGu9sFDOq by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-06-27T11:19:42Z
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@foone I guess there is a case that unsupported legacy software is _easier_ to hack around, because it’s a dead sitting duck, instead of constantly moving chameleon.
(DIR) Post #AkCV0Xk6yjTvsTipW4 by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-07-22T21:03:18Z
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@netblocks it bothers me that we the public have little protection against this, when in principle, we could have. I don’t know if I’m seeing technical solutions when I should look for something else though. Turning off the internet is a popular authoritarian tactic I’m sure we’ll see more of. I wonder if anyone is studying how effective it is?
(DIR) Post #AlFuzwcoCytCqG4oUK by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-08-23T10:30:43Z
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@futurebird that’s delightful!
(DIR) Post #Am3XQoYrc75qehVWHg by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-09-16T08:59:18Z
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Mood: We are pretty much at the local maxima for the usefulness of computational technology under the guidance of capitalism and App centricity. Further leaps of benefit exist but are improbable under present constraints.
(DIR) Post #Am4FxKQ75vcKiJjEUy by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-05-30T15:33:59Z
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Thing I have noticed in late in the 48th year of my life of screwing about with music…The "tonic" [1] of the major scale is the note one above the final sharp of the key signature.G is 1 sharp (F#) D is 2 sharps (F# & C#)A is 3 sharps (F#, C# & G#)etc.(Even works for F# 6 sharps, where the last sharp is E# because the F was already sharpened by the first sharp!)How did no one ever mention this? Or at least never say "Ben, this is really simple and very useful. Listen when I say this and you will always know the key you're in. Look at the last sharp of the key. Found it? Now … go up one note."Why!!!! I'd have bloody remembered that![1] As it, what you _call_ the scale, and where you start and stop playing it.
(DIR) Post #Am4FxM4Yx1ZDq3f3BY by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-05-30T15:38:17Z
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I am literally gob smacked to find this out. I'm pissed off I didn't notice it before, but not that surprised, because I kind of thought I'd never get this.As much as it's nice to know this now, I think I'm hugely more annoyed I've not been taught this extremely simple rule in the years of playing violin, being in a church choir and studying GCSE music. Like – what the fuck were you teaching me?! JESUS!
(DIR) Post #ApXE7djWVsS2I0HQzQ by benjohn@todon.nl
2024-12-29T09:53:52Z
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@natalie That's so cool. It's interesting that even in stable periods it doesn't look like a very "pure" tone? Maybe a Fourier transform would show something interesting?
(DIR) Post #Ar7VL7xOgMcpgK8vZY by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-02-14T20:18:12Z
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@interfluidity I’ll boost, because I don’t know. I find it unlikely as it would need to ultimately become training data in future to adjust its weights and biases. It could become part of a training corpus though?Or it might do some kind of online learning - I doubt that. Or it might tuck it away in to some persistent context?
(DIR) Post #ArB7Qp9Hu3I4opjC9Q by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-02-16T14:09:10Z
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@interfluidity it’s done, I’d say. Hope Europe will realise that extremely quickly. It’s considerably unfortunate that the planet’s three nuclear powers now all seem much closer to each other than the rest of the nations.
(DIR) Post #ArBGhnof0hnpCDFaoy by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-02-16T15:53:02Z
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@futurebird are artists impressions of these tree sized mushroom available? Wow.
(DIR) Post #AtuejmZTIZeePuUPg0 by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-05-09T08:42:20Z
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@johncarlosbaez I was curious if the impression image was from fairly rigorous simulation / other very accurate modelling? Makes me want to find / build a gravity simulator for huge numbers or particles!
(DIR) Post #AuoqfJAFNG5z5jj7YW by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-06-05T11:45:57Z
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@futurebird I think there’s at least a 50% chance Israel will “accidentally” kill them. There might be some outrage about that, and it might make a difference or be forgotten.Greta Thunburg and associates are taking a genuine and considerable risk, for a good reason, and that’s amazing.
(DIR) Post #Avr1JneeNv8Xr3ERoO by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-07-06T10:46:57Z
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@interfluidity I feel like it’s mostly turned gold (literal and metaphorical) in to bullshit, so far.
(DIR) Post #B0mL2mWqA9H3CegwwS by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-11-30T17:54:54Z
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@Xeniax I'm glad you found a helpful treatment.I'm not an expert, but I understand (might be wrong) that part of patent law is that patent holders are required to license a patent if they do not wish to exploit it directly. You can't "block" use of a patent because you hold it.So, perhaps the patent holder could be persuaded to license it?I hope you find a solution!
(DIR) Post #B0mOXBMog8P0muBtZ2 by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-11-30T18:34:01Z
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@Xeniax Apparently this is the case in the UK (and perhaps other places) – https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1977/37/section/48 … but it may not be in the US (and perhaps other places) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_licenseI con't know how this would be resolved internationally!
(DIR) Post #B1BP8F28rnTLpGBpsO by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-12-12T17:42:14Z
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TIL car tyre sizes (eg, 225/55R17) manage to combine metric (225mm width), a percentage for an aspect ratio (55%), and imperial (17 inch diameter). I think that’s just marvellous. Well done everyone.
(DIR) Post #B1IrrPZegJKaN3ubSK by benjohn@todon.nl
2025-12-16T10:33:22Z
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@tomjennings @codinghorror I think there is an interesting debate to have that I’d like to hear. I do tend to think seeds of the current web’s downfall existed from very early on, particularly in accepting the need for expertise to publish. I also reckon there’s a useful web might be able to exist next to the corporate run ruin; although I wonder how palatable that is, and if it might ultimately be pushed out … wider adoption of age verification might make coexistence almost impossible, as just one example. Capitalism will continue concentrating power until an equal force prevents it, and I bloody well hope, takes a lot of power back. I don’t know how tenable it is to live next to that, share the same roads and low in the same fields.