Part of the problem with this approach is that prediction engines are predicted on the idea that there’s more of a thing to predict.

So unless they really, really go out of their way with modeling the records to account for this, they’ll have a system very strongly biased towards predicting more criminal behavior for everyone fed into it.

“If you can’t beat 'em, join 'em.”

So far. But the thing with viruses is they are susceptible to mutations.

We’re already seeing it jump across several mammalian lines. Probably only a matter of time.

The thing about disease is that it spreads.

There are people today dealing with serious complications of COVID even years later who were infected by stupid people doing stupid selfish things.

Everyone suffers if morons become willing petri dishes.

“This is not fine.”

I am wiser than this man; for neither of us really knows anything fine and good, but this man thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas I, as I do not know anything, do not think I do either. I seem, then, in just this little thing to be wiser than this man at any rate, that what I do not know I do not think I know either.

• Socrates at the trial where he was sentenced to death, in Plato’s Apology

This has been a fixed problem for about a year now.

You’re awfully talkative for the dead, btw.

With the advances in AI this is no longer as reliable an option, and will quickly become less so.

But absolutely letting someone know where you are going and as many identifying details about who you are meeting is wise. As is having them check in on you by a certain time after.

It’s beginning to look like Anthropic’s recent interpretability research didn’t just uncover a “golden gate feature” in their production model, but some kind of “sensations related to the golden gate” feature.

I’m excited to see what more generative exploration of the model variation with that feature vector maximized ends up showing.

I have a suspicion that it’s the kind of thing that’s going to blow minds as it becomes clearer.

Not at all. I have never believed in the supernatural, so that’s not related to my interest or lack thereof in the material.

I am actually toying with the idea of writing out some of the Thomas research in more depth soon, actually.

Still not under a real name like with a book or anything, but some longer posts vs just comments.

Don’t talk about the Emperor that way. The Senate forced his hand.

I support religion as long as it gives people a sense of community, hope, and strength.

I used to feel this way. Then 2020 happened and I realized just how damaging any degree of magical thinking and faith based reasoning was for a society.

I no longer think there’s an innocuous amount of irrationality. Just varying degrees of social harm that come with any of it.

I’d be the President’s dog. And then I’d just need to get their attention at that point, so I’ll keep biting his secret service agents until finally they start to wonder what’s up. It shouldn’t take more than 3 or 4 bites for people to realize I’m trying to send a message, right?

Empathize with bullies.

Ask if everything is ok at home, and let them know if they ever need to talk about things you’re there.

“You seem really angry at things. Are things ok?”

“I’m sorry life isn’t going the best for you right now, but things will get better.”

This is the ultimate mind fuck.

At first it won’t seem like it’s working as they need to save face, but within around two to three encounters they’ll drop you from their target list because while they won’t try to show it, reflecting the truth of what’s really going on cuts deep.

I remember years after HS ending up friends with one of my old bullies who was much more torn up about the whole thing than I ever was, and meeting his absolute psychopath of an older brother and thinking “well this makes sense.” His dad was dying of cancer around the time, he was being held back a grade, and his older brother was for sure torturing him at home.

I know that had I had the awareness I do now back then the poor kid would have folded like a house of cards at the slightest indication I actually saw through his charade.

The problem was I was a fairly clueless emotional moron at the time and assumed he really did have a beef with me and not that what was going on was that he had a massive issue with himself that was being displaced. This was the same period of time I had a girl who was driving me home park at the area kids went to do drugs and hook up, and I proceeded to cluelessly chat for 30 minutes before she was like “whelp, I guess I’ll drive you home.” Years later when that one clicked too.

Right-wing media has really done a number on critical thinking.

Correlation is not cause and effect.

It’s more likely that the lack of critical thinking was there in the first place and served as the soil for right wing media to sink its roots into.

Can’t believe this shit-hole country was an actual threat ever.

We have representatives of the US political party leading for President right now echoing Kremlin propaganda on the floor of Congress and their candidate is cheered on and welcomed for saying he’ll be a dictator who will undermine Western diplomatic relationships opposing Russia and would even encourage Putin to invade those countries, all while state level party representatives are literally saying that ‘democracy’ is a bad word that they oppose.

How the fuck is Russia not an “actual threat?”

There’s more to modern warfare than nukes, missiles, and tanks. And by the end of November Putin stands a very good chance of having won the kind of megalomaniacal victory that Stalin or Hitler couldn’t have possibly dreamed of.

Looking for something to do?

You can throw the first stone for only $9.99.

No, you end up drinking the Kool aid at gunpoint after turning your life over to a narcissistic cult leader.

Until it isn’t.

Ask Gaddafi how ‘fear’ worked out as a tactic in the end.

Do you even know the timeline of the Watergate story?

It goes on for a very long time and started out nowhere as big a deal as it ended up.

I have a hard time seeing material differences funding would have made to the situation Woodward and Bernstein found themselves in or how it would have added a plausible sudden threat to their life following up on the initial story (that they didn’t write).