QuadratureSurfer

QuadratureSurfer , 1 day ago

A fun Easter egg on Chromium browsers is that, when you get to 100 tabs, the number just turns into a smiley face.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 day ago

Grayjay has been useful for that. I still follow people on YouTube, but if they setup a channel anywhere else I can switch my feed to draw from those sources instead.

QuadratureSurfer , 21 hours ago

The source code for GrayJay is available if you’re concerned or want to work on a non-mobile app/service yourself, but otherwise I don’t know of anything that combines the services like that.

gitlab.futo.org/videostreaming/grayjay

QuadratureSurfer , 1 day ago

Requiring solar is good for certain regions, but it might be better to make this more generic for any renewables especially because there are areas that don’t get a lot of sun.

For instance, California requires all newly constructed homes to have solar installed, but that wouldn’t work too well for places that are mostly cloudy throughout the year, or for places like Alaska.

QuadratureSurfer , 3 days ago

In case anyone else is curious:

Why is Chrome taking action?

Certification Authorities (CAs) serve a privileged and trusted role on the Internet that underpin encrypted connections between browsers and websites. With this tremendous responsibility comes an expectation of adhering to reasonable and consensus-driven security and compliance expectations, including those defined by the CA/Browser TLS Baseline Requirements.

Over the past six years, we have observed a pattern of compliance failures, unmet improvement commitments, and the absence of tangible, measurable progress in response to publicly disclosed incident reports. When these factors are considered in aggregate and considered against the inherent risk each publicly-trusted CA poses to the Internet ecosystem, it is our opinion that Chrome’s continued trust in Entrust is no longer justified.

QuadratureSurfer , 9 days ago

I thought the same for a second, but it does link to this: gvid.tv/v/UR5kgL1P.mp4

My Lemmy app (Voyager) just doesn’t support linking to a video like this apparently.

QuadratureSurfer , 8 days ago

There’s more to “AI” than just ChatGPT…

I think you’re mixing up what AI actually means here, you would probably like this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGIpdiQrFDU

But in brief, what about DLSS? The ML models for that get improved with every driver update.

STT models like whisper that are great at transcribing/translating.

Object recognition models for drones to keep the camera centered on you and for object avoidance.

ML models for finding new cures.

Models in astronomy for finding planets… Etc.

You’re trying to tell me that everything “AI” is trash and not getting better?

QuadratureSurfer , 8 days ago

I would much rather users on here not manipulate titles to make it sound worse than what the actual article is claiming. It’s intentionally misleading.

QuadratureSurfer , 8 days ago

Source video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeE_gLl3j94

QuadratureSurfer , 15 days ago

If it’s hard to post images on Lemmy… Maybe use a better app?

Voyager works really well for this. I’m most others should work as well.

QuadratureSurfer , 8 days ago

If you live in El Salvador you can pay your taxes in bitcoin… that makes it a “real currency” according to your test.

QuadratureSurfer , 20 days ago

What about DLSS? What about machine learning for identifying new planets? ML Models for discovering new medicines? Object avoidance for drones? Transcribing and translating different languages?

AI is way bigger than just some Large Language Models.

QuadratureSurfer , 19 days ago

Ah, then I’ll refer you to Poe’s Law:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

QuadratureSurfer , 25 days ago

I thought for sure it was going to be this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2VDLYWi5ck&t=50s

QuadratureSurfer , 25 days ago (edited 25 days ago)

He goes into the details of the most upvoted Google Gemini fails and then branches out to how text/image/audio generative AI is being used on Facebook, Instagram to inflate traffic, as well as how you can actually earn some income by farming reactions on twitter now (with the blue checkmark).

There’s a section on how adobe is selling AI generated images with their stock photos, but you can tell this video might be a little rushed because he comes to the conclusion that people are paying $80 for one of these images, when in reality the $80 adobe plan gives you 40 images (so about $2 per stock image). That or he knows this statement is misleading, but makes it anyway because it will drive his own reactions up (oh the irony). web.archive.org/web/20240701131247/…/plans

Link to timestamp in video:
youtu.be/UShsgCOzER4&t=894s

With adobe he touches on their updated ToS that state how any images uploaded to Adobe can be used to train their own generative image model.

The Netflix section talks about the “What Jennifer Did” documentary which used AI generated images and passed them off as real (or at least didn’t mention that the images were fake).

Spotify: How audio generative AI is being used to create music and is being published on there now as well as their failed

Edit: as well as their failed “projects/features” (car accessory, exclusive podcasts, etc.)

Multiple times throughout the video he pushes the theory that most of these companies are also using AI generated content to drive engagement on their own site (or to earn income without needing to pay any artists).

He definitely focuses only on the worst ways that generative AI can be used without touching on any realistic takes from the other side (just the extreme takes from the other side with statements like “AI music will replace the soulless crappy music that’s being released now… and it will be better and have more soul!”).

Still worth a watch, he brings up a ton of valid points about the market being oversaturated with AI generated products.

QuadratureSurfer , 24 days ago

I would counter that there are many good use cases that go beyond the scope of what was mentioned in the video (his concerns are absolutely legitimate).

For example:
Nvidia’s DLSS for gamers. This provides a decent boost to FPS while maintaining a good quality picture. They use multiple models such as motion prediction, interpreting between the frames what the image should look like, and upscaling. These models are (most likely) trained on the video games themselves which is why you want to get the latest driver updates because they include updates to those models. And, yes, the upscaling and interpolation models here are generative models as they are filling in frames with new pictures with details that aren’t there from the source, and then enlarging the picture and filling in details in a way that traditional means of upscaling cannot.

Brainstorming/writer’s block:
For generative text models, I think these have to be used carefully, and treated as if they’re interns that have a knowledge in a very broad range of subjects. They’re great for brainstorming ideas and for writer’s block, but their output needs to be verified for accuracy and the output shouldn’t be trusted or used directly in most cases.

Entertainment:
They’re also excellent for entertainment purposes, for example, check out this GLaDOS project:
old.reddit.com/…/local_glados_now_running_on_wind…
Which is combining a generative text (LLM) model with a generative audio (text to speech) model as well as a few other models.

Green screen tools:
We could use the sodium vapor process to create training material for a model that can quickly and accurately handle processing green screens for video production:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQuIVsNzqDk

Creating avatars for user accounts on websites.

Creating interesting QR codes that actually work:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/bd204ef2-37a1-4f3a-953d-0fcc3d07dfa7.jpeg

civitai.com/models/111006/qr-code-monster

So, in the end, I think that there are some incredible uses for generative AI that go beyond just “creating garbage fast”, that don’t cause problems in the way that this video is describing (and those problems he describes are definitely valid).

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Price: $24.99

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

That GitHub “archive here” link leads to a page where it hasn’t been archived… (or was the archive removed??).

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

I would avoid used Bolts, especially because of all the issues those have had with going up in flames.

Hopefully they’ve fixed those issues in the newest models…

cnbc.com/…/gm-warns-some-bolt-ev-owners-dont-park…

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

They expanded the initial recall. It affects models from 2017 to 2022. If you read the linked article I previously provided, then you missed the key point that vehicles were still bursting into flames even after the recall.

Expanded recall: gmauthority.com/…/gm-asking-chevy-bolt-ev-owners-…

GM stopped replacing the batteries of the newer models and instead offered a software solution that would monitor the batteries for any issues and allow the vehicle to charge beyond the 80% limit that they had set because of these issues. electrek.co/…/bolt-battery-recall-diagnostics/

But it’s worth noting that this software update has failed to prevent some fires, so the problem isn’t really “fixed” even with this: electrek.co/…/chevy-bolt-ev-catches-on-fire-after…

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Great video, he breaks everything down really well…

I might have to start linking to this video rather than trying explain what AI is vs what AI isn’t to those who like to make general statements like “AI is a scam!”.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Found it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CvTHmt_dI

This is why I prefer it when people specify what kind of “AI” they’re talking about rather than just saying “AI” as a buzzword. I definitely agree with Derbauer here… this is painful.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Some Lemmy applications don’t display it well (like Boost).

It works fine through a browser or Voyager.

Edit:typo

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Hi! Yeah, probably a timing thing. I used a spoiler tag yesterday and a user mentioned that it didn’t work for them. Turns out it’s a known issue for Boost users, so that was fresh on my mind.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Hiding “/s” in a spoiler tag is a bit more satire friendly.

In some cases seeing it upfront gives away the fact that you’re not serious a little too quickly and doesn’t have the same “got ya” effect that some people want.

It’s not necessary by any means, but it can be fun to add that extra layer sometimes.

As far as what happens specifically on Lemmy, it looks something like this:

Spoiler hidden:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/88881ab0-e94d-48c4-9591-af3aae29e186.jpeg

Spoiler shown:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/1cff83bf-20c6-48c1-96ab-80c5a68ca934.jpeg

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

My one concern is, what do I do if the phone freezes up?
With physical buttons there is a hardware bypass so I can force the phone to reset.
With a “trackpad” I’m not as confident it will register those touches correctly when the OS has seized up.
I’m assuming they’ll have something figured out at the hardware level, but I’m curious what that will be.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

I think I was thrown off by the “trackpad” example that was given above. That would have been a bit more complex than just a simple button press (which is still doable in low level firmware) but I was curious how they would pull it off.

I looked up what “solid state buttons” are and it makes a lot more sense now. This isn’t like some trackpad you can swipe along the endge, they’re still buttons in separate locations, just not in the mechanical clicking sense that we’re used to.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

despite the fact that hosting images is orders of magnitude less bandwith and storage requiring than videos.

In general, yes, when comparing images/video of the same resolution. But if I compare an 8k image to a low quality video with low FPS, I can easily get a few minutes worth of video compared to that one picture.

As you said, it definitely costs money to keep these services running. What’s also important is how well they are able to compress the video/images into a smaller size without losing out on too much quality.

Additionally, with the way ML models have made their way into frame generation (such as DLSS) I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing a new compressed format that removes frames from a video (if they haven’t started doing it already).

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

You could also use something like GrayJay, I’ve been using it for a while now and haven’t had any issues with it.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago)

Hmmm it was even able to pull in private DMs.

Maybe private DMs on Mastadon aren’t as private as everyone thinks… that, or the open nature of Activity Pub is leaking them somehow?

Edit - From the article:

Even more shocking is the revelation that somehow, even private DMs from Mastodon were mirrored on their public site and searchable. How this is even possible is beyond me, as DM’s are ostensibly only between two parties, and the message itself was sent from two hackers.town users.

From what @delirious_owl mentioned below, it sounds like this shouldn’t be very shocking at all.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

They’re called DMs not PMs

? Did you mean that the other way around? And if you did… forgive me, I don’t really use Mastodon. I was never much of a twitter fan. I don’t really like how all of my likes are public (although I guess I have had to get used to that with Lemmy).

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Ah, I see. So it’s the same mistake that Lemmy users make when thinking that Upvotes/Downvotes aren’t public.

It sounds like DMs on Mastodon are public, but are commonly mistaken to be private then?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

What @delirious_owl seemed to be implying is that direct messages on Mastodon should be considered “public” rather than “private”.

I’m assuming that’s along the same lines of how Lemmy users generally think that their upvotes/downvotes are private when in reality, if you know how to look for them, you can see them.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

It’s not just tap water, it’s also the non-stick coating on a large number of pans (including Hex Clad which is one of the more expensive sets).

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

$25 for this Humble Bundle:

• High on Life
• Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration:
  100 games over different platforms spanning the 70s to 2000s as well as 6 new reimagined games.
• Revival: Recolonization
• Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Soulslinger: Envoy of Death
• Bread & Fred
• Grindstone

The article lists out the Steam Deck rating as well as the ProtonDB rating (if any). Direct link to humble bundle (referral link from article is still there): www.humblebundle.com/games/ign-live-at-home?partn…

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

New island, new pals, new subspecies, new buildings & level cap, new raid, an oil rig stronghold, an arena, and a new faction & boss.

This looks like an awesome feature packed update… I’ll have to hop back in soon.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

What do you mean by this?:

Cara, bans us from removing malicious source code

Is there obviously malicious source code? Is there a policy that specifically says we can’t remove any source code? Is this even open source?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

What ban?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

What does copyright law have to do with a ban on removing malicious code?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

You realize that copyright law still applies… whether you add some additional license to your software or not… right?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Well, now’s a great time to let them know about Pixelfed, although explosive growth like this will be a strain on any website.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

I think when you say “Hates AI” you mean “Hates ChatGPT”

“AI” itself has a lot of awesome uses, ML models with DLSS, robots that can maneuver over different terrain, image generation, audio transcription, etc.

Even with LLMs, I’m fine with them as long as I was the one that was able to pick and choose the model as well as the software to use to run it.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Yeah, it looks like Nexon was trying to crush their competition (there was a lead developer that left Nexon and went to work on Dark and Darker).

The police didn’t find anything obvious when they investigated Nexon’s allegations. And they had already had an audit conducted by an external group:

Our code was built from scratch. Most of our assets are purchased from the Unreal marketplace. All other assets and all game designs docs were created inhouse. This has already been audited by an outside agency. As far as we know you cannot copyright a game genre.

vg247.com/dark-and-darker-devs-raided-by-police-f…

The lawsuit that Nexon filed in the U.S. was eventually dismissed, but Steam pulled the game from their store, so that damage was already done:
gamerant.com/dark-and-darker-nexon-lawsuit-dismis…

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

It was on Steam, up until Nexon sued them because they suspected stolen assets were used.

So far it doesn’t look like that was true, and the case that was filed in the U.S. was eventually dismissed (since it should be handled by the courts in South Korea).

So hopefully we’ll see it back in the steam store, eventually.

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago

Joke’s on us for trusting them to do what?

QuadratureSurfer , 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago)

Thanks! It helps to have a lot more background and i haven’t looked too deeply into this.

I was trying to keep my reply simple and directly to the point that they didn’t create their own launcher just because they wanted to.

I didn’t know the first point, now I’m wondering if both sides wanted it dismissed in the U.S. at least. From the article I read it sounded like this was being pushed from Ironmace’s side.

I had mentioned the founder’s involvement before, but only in a different reply on this same post.

On the second point, at least as far as U.S. law is concerned, I’m not so sure that this is such a straightforward case. We’ve already seen in previous cases with video games that it’s okay for games to have the same game rules, mechanics, ideas, and principles. That’s why anyone can create a game like Tetris, Monopoly, or Pokemon (such as Palworld). As long as they don’t copy over assets directly, (sprites/models/verbatim text for the game rules, etc.) it’s ok to create a very similar game or even to be inspired by other games. Mostly this is what I understood after listening to some YouTube attorneys that were discussing this matter for Palworld (Hoeg Law and Attorney Tom).

The difference here is that one of the founders did work for Nexon so it seems that a lot of the work was likely plagiarized (which is not illegal in the U.S. but it is unethical). It would have been interesting to see how this would play out in U.S. courts.

Do you have any idea how the courts in South Korea view cases like this?

On the third point, I had heard how they had recruited other employees, but I hadn’t heard about the founder agreeing to destroy the company info and failing to do so. Do you have a link/source for that?

Thanks for the reply!

Edit: asking for source, not because I’m doubting you, I just want to read up more on it.

QuadratureSurfer , 19 days ago

I don’t think you realize just how widely used some of those other models are… For instance, in gaming, DLSS is supported with every Nvidia GPU starting with the 20 series and up.

DLSS uses multiple machine learning models for things like predicting object/pixel movement, generating new frames between what you would normally be able to achieve, and then upscaling that image. Which is also why you want to download the latest drivers since those models are better trained for the more recently released games.

I wouldn’t call that a “small fraction” by any means.

But, maybe your referring to the amount of focus that the news has on LLMs like ChatGPT?