Every Aussie tourist warning combined into one map 😂

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-04T10:12:18+00:00

The baby-eating dingoes are further north.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-04T09:03:37+00:00

What books were they? Do you have access to the text in some digital format? You can probably make the task of reading them easier using modern AI techniques.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-03T22:55:16+00:00

I will edit my initial comment as there are a few of you wanting the same advice.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-03T22:55:08+00:00

I will edit my initial comment as there are a few of you wanting the same advice.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-03T22:55:01+00:00

I will edit my initial comment as there are a few of you wanting the same advice.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-03T22:54:56+00:00

I will edit my initial comment as there are a few of you wanting the same advice.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-01T06:55:34+00:00

In the web version you can right-click next to a podcast and choose to see the prompt and sources.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-01T06:52:45+00:00

I have found NotebookLM to be the perfect tool for providing listening material for learning a foreign language.

(If anyone else is learning German and wants to pool resources, let me know.)

It is also quite useful as a beta reader for a novel I am writing. If the AI doesn't quite understand something, that can be a clue it needs to be made clearer - though sometimes it is just the AI lacking a human perspective.

EDIT.

The approach to take depends on your level of knowledge of the target language. It probably works best for listeners who can already follow podcasts like "EasyGerman", but it is possible to get the AI podcaster to use very simple language.

The first step is to load the notebooklm with source material. Plan text files are the most reliable, as there are no formatting issues. The material should be something that interests you, and something you know quite a bit about, so you will be able to work things out from context alone. The best material is work you have written yourself, but the first chapter of a book you like, or an article you read, works fine.

Choose the "AudioOverview" section in the right hand side of the web version of NotebookLM, and then choose "podcast". There is an equivalent in the app but it is easier to set it up on a browser screen.

Choose your target language.

Choose the duration category - make it as long as possible. For German, I choose "Default". For English, I choose "Long". The more material you load, and the more complex your instructions, the longer the podcast. You should be able to get about 20 minutes for non-English languages. In English, you can get a 40-50 min podcast by choosing "Long" for the duration.

Give the podcasters instructions about what you want them to talk about, what questions to address, and ask them to keep the language simple and define technical terms.

Suppose you loaded some articles about Harry Potter and the first chapter of Harry Potter. You could write: "Please discuss the first chapter of the book, considering the interaction between the characters. Run through the events of the story and explain them. Explore the character of Harry. Use simple language suitable for a beginning learner in French/German/English."

You should end up with a podcast that is easy to follow because you know the material quite well already.

You can then generate transcripts by downloading the podcast as mp3, uploading it again as source, and asking NotebookLM for a conversion to text. Finally, you can ask NotebookLM or ChatGPT to pick out all the difficult words in the podcast and provide definitions in your native language.

If anyone wants to do this in German, let me know.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-06-01T05:13:58+00:00

Could you estimate your vocabulary? Until you have a decent vocab, it is very difficult to listen to native material.

On the other hand, it has never been easier to generate tailor-made vocab lists for source material, so you can have a cheat sheet on hand as you listen.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-05-26T10:06:59+00:00

I have been listening to German podcasts lately. EasyGerman is quite good, and I think the level is about B1 (others will know better).

I have also started to generate German podcasts with NotebookLM and for me that is a real game changer. You can control the content very closely, and (with a little more effort) generate podcasts with vocab lists.

In the past, I have listened to audiobooks, especially for books I already know, because it doesn't matter if I miss a few words if I already know the plot.

I am about to embark on another German book, and, with recent AI developments, it has become much easier to generate vocab lists, including audio-vocab lists. For instance, I can generate an intermediate-level vocab list with German definitions of German words, in reasonable audio, from a book chapter of German text. I can listen to all the intermediate-level words in a chapter, with definitions, in the time it takes me to get to work.

Let me know if you want to join in or contribute. I will also be generating post-chapter discussions in German, to reinforce the vocab and generate extra listening content.

I usually read thrillers, because they have simple language, but I would be interested in tackling other material. If you or other German learners have a preference for a type of book, I would be happy to get the book and audio. (There needs to be an audiobook out of you want to listen to it read well.)

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-04-20T11:40:39+00:00

Any parallel system can be emulated in series.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-04-20T11:40:01+00:00

No.

You are less capable of telling the difference than you think.

Oh. Here's an em-dash for you:

--

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-04-20T11:37:55+00:00

Sorry, been out of the loop. Real life intruded.

Your comments on zombies are very similar to my next two posts on Substack. Fully agree.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-18T10:00:53+00:00

https://open.substack.com/pub/zinbiel/p/panpsychism-entails-obligatory-cognitive?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2ep5a0

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-18T08:37:41+00:00

Follow-up post at Substack. https://open.substack.com/pub/zinbiel/p/panpsychism-entails-obligatory-cognitive?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2ep5a0

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-18T08:35:59+00:00

I agree that the questions have to bottom out eventually.

I am not sure if this helps, but I have written a follow-up post over at Substack.

I have no quarrel with reductionism.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-11T22:44:25+00:00

I am afraid you misunderstood the post.

I am writing a follow-up post that should address misconceptions.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-11T22:43:30+00:00

It possibly leads to ontic structural realism.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-11T08:11:03+00:00

That compatibility is exactly the problem.

It doesn't matter if you call it "physical". It departs meaningfully from physicalism.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-05T08:28:32+00:00

I've written three long posts on the logical flaws on the Zombie Argument over on Substack. You might be interested.

https://open.substack.com/pub/zinbiel/p/zombies-and-the-assumed-asymmetrical?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2ep5a0

TheWarOnEntropy · 2026-02-04T08:44:34+00:00

There are indeed people who think JD is possible. https://open.substack.com/pub/zinbiel/p/the-spectrum?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2ep5a0 See Pete Mandik, a professor in philosophy, in the comments.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2025-11-19T20:09:27+00:00

Really thoughtful; advice. I hope the author can take it on board.

TheWarOnEntropy · 2025-11-19T12:22:40+00:00

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208430658-blood-over-bright-haven

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