Catching up on the weird world of LLMs

This is a really comprehensive history and overview of LLMs. Simon has been bringing the goods, and this talk is no exception.  #AI [Link]

Engineering principles

Code is cumulative overhead. The more you write, the more you have to maintain over time. Self-hosted infrastructure is cumulative overhead. The more you configure and run, the more you have to maintain over time. Always watch your overhead and keep it as light as possible. The only code you

Brain fog

I’ve been absolutely laid out with a cold all this week. It feels pretty awful, not unlike how I felt when I had covid, but a million negative tests have let me know it’s not that. Getting sick happens so rarely now (maybe once a year) that it

'Horribly Unethical': Startup Experimented on Suicidal Teens on Social Media With Chatbot

Taking lean startup research techniques that were developed for basic social networks or, say, 3D avatars and transposing them to real-world domains with real consequences seems to be an ongoing trend. It's a misunderstanding of the startup playbook that causes real harm. This is obviously unethical; it is

The open source licensing war is over

I broadly agree with this piece, which is a kind of rallying cry against dogmatism in open source. I think dogmatism is harmful in all parts of tech; divisive and often a kind of gatekeeping. Let authors build and release according to their needs.  #Technology [Link]

We're now finding out the damaging results of the mandated return to the office–and it's worse than we thought

Return to Office mandates are counterproductive and destroy morale. They also make your team less productive. They’re worker-hostile and work-hostile. So why do them?  #Labor [Link]

A beautiful, broken America: what I learned on a 2,800-mile bus ride from Detroit to LA

I've traveled across America four times: three by car and one by train. I've never done it by Greyhound, and I probably never will. This country's infrastructure is falling apart and being eaten by wolves.  #Society [Link]

How to Search for a Better Deal on Broadband

The broadband situation in America is surprisingly bad - so I love that there's a new version of the National Broadband Map. The Markup has done a public service by taking us through it.  #Technology [Link]

Henrietta Lacks family to get compensation for use of her cell taken decades ago without consent

Late as it is, it's good to see this to some kind of resolution. I hope the posthumous recognition Lacks receives includes the story of how it happened in the first place. #Equality [Link]

The notable list: August 2023

This is my monthly roundup of the links, books, and media I found interesting. Do you have suggestions? Let me know! Books Fiction Ripe, by Sarah Rose Etter. Fuck yes. A heartstoppingly relentless, bold, knife attack of a book that cuts to the heart of the emptiness of living in

Phoenix’s record streak of temperatures above 110F ends after 31 days

31 straight days of 110°F / 43°C heat. And then only a short reprieve before more of it. Ocean surface temperatures at over 90°F / 32°C. And still there are people who deny we’re in a crisis. Spoiler alert: it gets worse from here.  #Climate [Link]

The BBC on Mastodon: experimenting with distributed and decentralised social media

The fediverse is how every major new social network will be built for the next decade, and every media company will need to have a presence. Welcome to the BBC.  #Technology [Link]