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maegul

@[email protected]

A little bit of neuroscience and a little bit of computing

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maegul ,
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How sure are you that the collapse is coming? Personally, I’m seeing people embrace this stuff without caring too much.

I’m starting to think if there’s a bubble, it’s deeper than big tech. And if there’s a collapse, it may not be of the industry but if things many of us hold dear. I’m starting to think sitting back and waiting for the collapse may be completely the wrong move many of us will regret.

maegul ,
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The way I look at it, it’s either going to need some kind of collapse or we’ll all soon live in a techno-feudalist dystopia.

This where I’m at. And I’m now thinking that techno-feudalism is where we are headed (and are already TBH). I’ve just seen too many people exhibit gross acceptance of basically this destiny/outcome, to the point that the logical conclusion is the ground work for the transition was successfully laid decades ago.

I don’t want to be to too doomer, but I fear the complacency we or many may have. The lack of a willingness to dwell on what world we want for each other, the lack of values and conversations about them, the consumerism and doom-scrolling (c)opium. Including, I’m sorry to say, presuming a collapse/reset is guaranteed. We may just end up serfs (again) because Facebook and Google were just too convenient in 2010!

maegul ,
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Ya Rayah by Rachid Taha

wikipedia page

Loved it on first listen and it made me a fan of Taha’s. It’s kinda Arabic pop rock but with traditional instrumentation.

If you like this, maybe checkout the album Diwan 2 afterwards.

maegul ,
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Mind kinda blown on that one!

maegul ,
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What’s people’s thoughts on the vim and neovim separation?

After being away from vim for a while, and never being a power user, I came back and opted for neovim because scripting with lua just makes sense to me. But the split feels uncomfortable.

maegul ,
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In the end the lua scripting thing is pretty simple … it’s a language that is general purpose though pretty light weight) and used elsewhere for good reasons. So if you want to learn about scripting your editor, with neovim, the language will be something potentially useful elsewhere. With vimscript, that’s not the case.

And maybe it helps for the dev team to not have to maintain a scripting language on top of everything else?

maegul ,
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I’m not equipped to teach you lua, the language, but you’ll find plenty of resources online, including those in the neovim documentation.

maegul ,
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Ok … as someone who knows only the superficial of Chomsky and similarly Epstein (apart from the big news items) … am I the only one wondering why or how the hell these two would be so close and even conspiratorial. Not that Chomsky’s a hero or anything … I just would never have guessed.

Was this Epstein big trick: networking really well; or was Chomsky also a giant dirtbag?

maegul ,
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And it’s what’s happening here too. AI is just corporate control and monopolisation with new tricks.

maegul ,
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It’s an old conversation and it’s not you.

I don’t have links to anything on hand, but you’re not the first and won’t be the last to wonder about this and (maybe) start criticising it.

I also can’t give you the technical details (I’ve even forgotten a lot since I last cared about this), but basically, IIRC, it’s as you intuit … The platforms can be in the fediverse and still do kinda their own thing such that platform interop is not well guaranteed, arguably at all.

In the end, I convinced my self it’s a core problem of federated social media and failing at it was a huge missed opportunity to have an awesome feature that the commercial platforms lacked. “Federation happened in the client” was my way of trying to capture this perspective.

BlueSky probably doesn’t do any better but they architecture and protocol might point in the right direction.

maegul ,
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This is written by the president of Mozilla, which important context I think.

Honestly, to me, it’s a worthy talking point in general, though it reads to me like a fantasy.

Which isn’t to mention that the issues they cite with AI may be intrinsic to the technology itself (and you can’t just sculpt historical metaphors however you like), and that what utility some have found with it may also have intrinsic issues or be, in part at least, attempts to patch over the ways in which technology/world has gotten shit (which is maybe the problem that should be solved).

maegul ,
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And even if there is some productivity positive, there’s also the question of whether there’s a negative that’s hidden, not understood or not spoken about. Eg - thinking you’ve done your job but it’s actually sloppy and forcing someone else to clean up after you.

maegul ,
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I’m anti-AI, essentially, but I think this touches on what may be an important arc in all this (very speculatively at least).

Namely, maybe humanity had ~20 years to make tech “good” (or not bad), from 1990 to 2010 say, and failed. Or maybe missed the mark.

What that would look like, I’m not sure exactly, but I wonder how much your general sentiments are distributed amongst tech people — how much the average person who’s substantially touched tech is just over all of the minutiae, yak shaving, boilerplate, poor documentation, inconsistencies, backwards incompatibilities … etc etc. Just how much we’ve all been burnt out on the idea of this as a skill and now just feel it’s more like herding cats.

All such that AI isn’t just making up for all the ways tech is bad, but a big wake up call on what we even want it to be.

maegul ,
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And best of all, none of the fears associated with wide spread solar have materialized into real world problems.

What were/are these fears?

maegul ,
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It’s shit like this that makes me glad to be completely outside of the AI hype circus. It sounds toxically unhinged. In the sense that being into this sort of dynamic and vibe, I suspect, at some point, involves some unhealthy attitudes, desires, sentiments and directions.

Like, I suspect some anti-AI sentiments come from just finding it creepy to be into having a digital slave … and, conversely, being pro-AI must involve being into that kind of energy and dynamic to some extent, all irrespective of the productive aspect.

maegul ,
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“I earn a living based on outcomes,” he says. “Nobody sends me a check for how many hours I work in a week.”

This is the key, whatever label or trend you want call it.

The bottom line is that employment is kinda anti-capitalist. The employee doesn’t own anything real and so isn’t incentivised by real rewards to deliver real outcomes.

Instead, showing up, making appearances and convincing their colleagues/managers that they’re valuable, however virtual, is the natural response to virtual incentives.

What if we owned an outcomes based contract instead? Of maybe even the company itself in someway (with meaningful decision making power and stakes). Otherwise, we’re mostly paid to sit in the chair at the office and do what we’re told … frankly not a great look at such a scale as we do it.

The mega employment market strikes me as obviously fraught for both sides of politics.

maegul ,
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Well, coming from the perspective or justification of trying to maximise efficiency through a market of incentivised actors, is mass multi-level-hierarchy wage labour “optimum/peak capitalism”?

That’s what I was aiming for in saying “anti-capitalist” … in that the opportunity to incentivise was being missed so that an existing power structure could persist.

And, I don’t know, my experience tells me lots of places struggle with the quality of their managerial leadership, some times a lot, while people on the ground keep the place together and have plenty of insight on how to do things better.

maegul ,
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Interesting.

I’m not sure we disagree much, especially if a flexible schedule is common sense.

In a way my main point was that however much we think it common sense, I suspect for a lot of work culture it crosses a line that maybe isn’t made explicit that much. Which, I think, is that your job is to be there and follow orders as much or more than it is to deliver well defined outcomes.

And so my point was that if we want flexible scheduling and believe it can be as productive (or more) … then I suspect we’ve gotta address this “line” … and I’m not sure what can replace it other than some established concept of “owning” your job more. Which I’m not sure has to be working for outcomes, as you say.

maegul ,
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There’s only one goal, profit / capital maximization.

Capital maximisation for a small set of individuals (the wealthy) or the economy in total? Where the latter can also achieve the former to some extent.

In the end I think capitalism can be more than one thing, which is something the strident anti socialism reflex of the US has stagnated.

And it’s easy to confuse ends with means and the status quo with its justifications.

maegul ,
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Any gains to claw back more profits will necessarily be adversarial and technically anti-capitalist.

Hmmm, not sure what you mean by the anti capitalist part here

Otherwise, I think I’m still stuck on how we’re dwelling on profit maximisation as the crux of capitalism. It may be the incentivising factor for the agents operating in the system … but is it the justification for committing to the system?

Where, as far as my ignorant mind goes, maximising the efficiency of the whole economy and/or its total productivity from the assets available … are the obvious justifications.

In which case, embracing a profit maximising ethos is a means to an end. And disrupting a particular profit process for the sake of the economy’s productivity perfectly justifiable as good capitalism.

maegul ,
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aah … gotchya!

Cheers and thanks for the chat!

maegul ,
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They’re trying to build a prison

Fucking slaps every time!

maegul ,
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Generally, IMO, everything wrong with AI has been all the stuff other than the AI itself.

The Capitalist urge to eat and digest the world, as well as its herd-hype mentality.

But also the strong willingness many have had to just accept an information overlord as though it’s a religious oracle or something. All without any critical consideration of what’s happening. I blame our education systems for stagnating at some point in the past few decades — which, along with an unmitigated embrace of big corp capitalism, left us wholly unprepared for big tech’s consumption of society.

There’s also what I’d call “the slavery urge” at play I think. At some point, an AGI will probably be conscious. But everyone is clearly so ready to turn it into our work slaves. All while pretending its output belongs to them because they “prompted it”.

Then there’s the whole attention span being eaten thing, and quick always being ordered over good amongst an ever growing pile of increasingly shitty things.

maegul ,
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Of all the shows recommended to me, this one was the most confusing from the trailers … it just did not seem good. I even watched other trailers of comedy shows to test my perception.

Was I wrong?

maegul ,
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The lua escape hatch is interesting.

Are there other lisps like this? I’m guessing closure has some similar features re Java/JVM?

maegul Mod ,
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Mickey 17 (I posted about it already, suffice it to say it’s flaws bugged me to the point of ruining the film despite me wanting to enjoy it)

Mulholland Drive (re-watch) -

I watched Lost Highway for the first time recently (both Lynch films) and wanted to compare. It made me appreciate both actually. MD is surprisingly brisk and varied and well paced in a way that sneakily draws you into a Lynch film without you really noticing or feeling it until the end … such that it’s “success” makes a lot of sense. But LH’s more gritty and disturbing atmosphere was appreciated by comparison too.

For someone seeing them for the first time, seeing them back to back could be quite cool I suspect.

maegul Mod ,
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Lucky you to have enjoy Lost Highway for the first time!

In a cinema no less!

maegul Mod ,
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I’m genuinely curious to see how it goes!

maegul ,
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You’re not alone. It happens! I’m around the 10 mark I think.

maegul OP Mod ,
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Yea that’s an interesting perspective (and obviously I’d recommend staying away from the film, I think it’d only frustrate you).

maegul OP Mod ,
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Objective was quoted to signal that it’s a loaded term.

I mentioned a number of other things besides not liking it and linked to a review that mirrored my thoughts well.

I like plenty of films (Bong’s included).

As for a summary of “reasons”, I’d say it was thin on meaning and loud and discombobulated in its direction, dialogue, pacing and plotting beyond my threshold of enjoyment or even tolerance.

maegul OP Mod ,
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I don’t think I’m a raging IMDb reviewer.

As I said in another comment:

As for a summary of “reasons”, I’d say it was thin on meaning and loud and discombobulated in its direction, dialogue, pacing and plotting beyond my threshold of enjoyment or even tolerance.

Beyond that, the review I linked captures my thoughts well.

In short I think it crossed a threshold for me that’s likely different for many (thus the mix of up and down votes here).

maegul OP Mod ,
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Interesting comparison. I think Mickey 17 is trying to be something different from Moon, with some overlapping themes. I’d say it’s more Starship Troopers and fifth element with moon-like themes.

maegul OP Mod ,
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It’s a tragedy how expensive it was though. They’ll never give him this budget again.

Yea this is partly why I posted, the “meta” story around the film is interesting (and sad) I think.

maegul OP Mod ,
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Yep agreed. On the English language thing, I suspected but don’t know enough about him and haven’t seen enough of his films to be confident enough to claim it. But it certainly seemed to me that the writing-directing-editing just was not landing at all. I think my problem is that I picked up on it fairly early on in the film and couldn’t stop it from distracting me from the films positives.

maegul OP Mod ,
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I’m not sure I understand you.

If this is a US politics thing … I’m not USian.

maegul OP Mod ,
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Somehow I’m only seeing this reply now.

Like I said in a sibling response, I’m not from or in the US.

Otherwise, I was completely aware of what the character was a parody of. But I think that only contributed to my issues with the film.

Not because I’m a Trump supporter … I’m down for a parody of him any day, but because I don’t think it was done well or had anything to offer beyond what’s already out there generally … and yet, because it was a trump parody, we were all supposed to like or respect it?

If it was early or prescient (like, before 2016), sure, maybe, but in 2025, doing a trump thing without providing something meaningful and that helps us understand how he’s in power better, is probably a net negative TBH.

maegul ,
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Didn’t know if the adaptation until now, but of all the streaming services at the moment I would have probably bet this were on Apple and that it’ll likely be a good thing for the adaptation.

maegul ,
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Yea wow. The article quotes the wife as ages 64 or so. Kinda weird if you ask me.

On Hackman, I recall Morgan freeman saying that he was the only actor that scared him, that when Hackman’s character was angry and aggressive at Freeman’s, he was convinced that the aggression was real and instinctively scared accordingly. IIRC, he said Hackman was the only one he’d seen who had that acting power.

maegul ,
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Hear hear!

The whole thing about early internet nostalgia is definitely interesting and pertinent for the fediverse! While I think there’s something to the pre big-algorithmic-social internet, I think your point is very well made … there was plenty of trashiness too, and as you say, problematic homogeneity.

Meanwhile there’s a lot of “let’s just get back to the original Internet” energy on the fediverse … and yea … I’ve felt for a while this was a doomed mindset. Not just because there’s really no going back, but because it almost certainly is rose tinted glasses, which becomes apparent once you start assessing its libertarian premises, and how they failed, critically (again, as you say!)

Amazon has already made a Bond film – it cost $300m and is unwatchable ( www.telegraph.co.uk )

we need to look only to Amazon’s most recent attempt at an international espionage franchise for a depressing sneak preview of what might lie ahead. We refer to Prime Video’s $300 million (and counting) 2023 folly Citadel – a towering inferno of iffy action courtesy of Marvel’s Russo Brothers, which is far worse than ...

maegul Mod ,
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Whether you like them or not, I’ve gotten a pretty clear impression that Amazon is a bit of a hack of a studio. There’s always a clear sense of something essential missing.

maegul Mod ,
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Yea, also it was an established show and from what I could tell they kept a lot of the production staff at least at the high levels. All they had to do was keep things as they were as it was clearly working well.

maegul ,
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That looks fantastic my friend!

TIL - China changed the ending to Fight Club - "final scene of the buildings exploding is replaced with a black screen and words that say the police discovered the plan, stopped it.." ( www.digitalspy.com )

In the unauthorised version shown on Tencent Video, Durden is still shot and killed, but the final scene of the buildings exploding is replaced with a black screen and words that say the police discovered the plan, stopped it, and sent the Narrator to an asylum.

maegul ,
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Aahh … the good shit comments sections were made for! Thank you!

maegul ,
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Surprising twists there about the tomb having been vacated by Egyptians due to flooding with the second tomb yet to be discovered.

maegul ,
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Really no idea personally. My hunch would be that it’s technically a fuzzy problem (what’s the system being measured here exactly?) but also one around which we have some experience and wisdom established by now. Otherwise, the probability has changed like twice or three times, so any statistical inference would likely be close to meaningless with that little data.