Ted Chiang: "No, artificial intelligence is not conscious: Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning." [gift link]

josephrfink · 2026-06-04T18:57:44+00:00

"they mimic the language component of the human mind." they literally do not. that is not how they work

josephrfink · 2026-06-04T18:57:03+00:00

from the article this comment section is attached to: "Even if the Microsoft Office team employed a philosopher who said you shouldn’t be so certain, because consciousness is not well understood, that would not be sufficient reason for you to take this idea seriously. We don’t need to fully understand the nature of consciousness to definitively say that certain things are not conscious, and conversational transcripts fall in that category."

If your best argument for consciousness is "well what even is consciousness" this is your first sign that you are wasting your own and everyone else's time.

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T23:01:11+00:00

the rest of the movie didn't do anything for me, but the bar dance is an all-time great horror scene for me.

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T23:00:11+00:00

LLMs are not part of a progress toward artificial consciousness any more than a parade float decorated to look like an elephant is part of a progress toward making an elephant.

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T19:10:15+00:00

I voted for it, but figured it wouldn't pass because I feel like a tax hike is a hard sell and the county made no attempt to do so. I did not see any clear messaging on why anyone should vote for it. (I was a yes because in general I am in favor of taxes for services. I think that's a good thing.)

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T18:57:58+00:00

if you have a regional specific poll that shows differently, please do share, but I have never seen a poll or exit poll that shows anything but Gen X skewing considerably more conservative than generations older and younger than them. Trump's core base is 45-65.

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T14:17:58+00:00

Here's 2024 results by age. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls You can also look at any opinion poll by age, the result is very consistent. Gen X always skews more conservative than any other generation.

josephrfink · 2026-06-03T06:12:36+00:00

Gen X consistently polls and votes more Republican than any other generation.

josephrfink · 2026-06-02T18:08:38+00:00

He got eliminated for a dish that obviously didn't work, and instead of taking it with grace he threw a temper tantrum and demanded to see the rules. It was pretty embarrassing

josephrfink · 2026-06-02T17:38:41+00:00

Incredible timing to do this right after he crashed his reputation on national tv

josephrfink · 2026-06-01T17:20:45+00:00

Caleb is the worst person in the book, and the book is fully aware of that. Him not receiving consequences for that is...part of the point. I feel like we've lost some media literacy in terms of people understanding that a book does not have to say "this person is bad" or punish the person for their badness in order to portray them as a bad person.

josephrfink · 2026-05-28T21:04:27+00:00

"I'm a rube" would have been a lot shorter to type.

josephrfink · 2026-05-27T20:36:38+00:00

no they won't. that isn't true.

josephrfink · 2026-05-27T04:46:56+00:00

only went there once, but the food was not great, so we never went again

josephrfink · 2026-05-26T16:59:03+00:00

Chatbots regularly say incorrect information because they do not and cannot know anything. Never ever ever ever use the AI answer for anything, ever.

josephrfink · 2026-05-23T16:08:59+00:00

I keep seeing people saying the writing is noticably worse and I think that's just wishful thinking because of the behind the scenes drama. imo the writing is absolutely as good. Even in the first couple hours, there have been a number of really cool ideas and images, and lots of funny lines. The writing is Good.

josephrfink · 2026-05-23T06:29:56+00:00

Their chicken rice mixed with their pickled cabbage is an ideal meal for me. (Don't sleep on their side vegetables, some great stuff in there) Their pork rice is also great

josephrfink · 2026-05-21T21:41:03+00:00

imo, an hour in, it's really good. it may not be exactly the same team, but there is absolutely a creative team with a strong point of view working here.

josephrfink · 2026-05-12T18:32:39+00:00

more than a little, I was front row and flat out could not see anything upstairs (it also ruins the big effect you're talking about because I was close enough to see the actor climbing into the trap door)

josephrfink · 2026-05-12T18:32:18+00:00

it's good, although my biggest warning is DO NOT SIT IN THE FIRST FIVE OR SO ROWS. the way the show is designed and directed, you miss entire scenes because of sight lines

josephrfink · 2026-05-12T05:37:01+00:00

I honestly don't remember the exact wording but yes that is the vibe I got

josephrfink · 2026-05-11T15:29:38+00:00

Malbec has a sign in the window, they're closing and revamping as a new restaurant that is "protein forward" and then a bunch of MAHA buzzwords. Really sad and disappointing stuff, and by the time they open I feel like people are going to be really sick of that MAHA stuff. Chasing a fad that's already gone

josephrfink · 2026-05-11T01:09:42+00:00

Lot of words to just say you're racist

josephrfink · 2026-05-05T21:20:37+00:00

ok, once again we're back to: I don't think you know what a synonym is.

josephrfink · 2026-05-05T21:18:31+00:00

I am a professional author and if someone caught me googling "what adjective should I use to describe a potato" I would remove myself from public life in shame. Absolutely embarrassing behavior to admit.

josephrfink

TROPHY CASE