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smallpatatas

@ smallpatatas @lemm.ee

Posts
16
Comments
77
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • AI is Dehumanization Technology: a plea to Canada's public sector to reject AI

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  • By the way, if anyone has suggestions for how to get this in front of public sector union rank & file and/or leadership I'm all ears; IMO this stuff represents a near-existential threat to unions over the mid to long term.

  • NDP Faces Harassment Allegations and an Internal Collapse

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  • SmartVoting isn't simply data, however. They have a "proprietary algorithm" that they refuse to share.

    Not only that, but if the true goal of the site is strategic voting to keep Conservatives out of office, then you'd think that in a tied race between an NDP and Liberal candidate, with the Cons a distant third, there wouldn't be a strategic vote recommendation at all.

    And yet, in a riding in that exact situation, with a NDP incumbent tied with a Liberal candidate yet to be named, it was recommending people vote for the Liberal up until a day or two ago (Hamilton Centre, Matthew Green's riding).

    Then you start digging a little deeper and realize that the SmartVoting site is mostly (but not entirely - they have their secret algorithm!) based on the projections from 338. Which are reasonably accurate overall. However, in the recent Ontario election they under-projected the NDP's seat count significantly, projecting 16 seats, whereas they actually ended up winning 27.

    I'm not a statistician, but that seems like a remarkable jump. If I had to guess, it's that 338's model is not capturing something about the NDP or their voter base, whether that's the party's ground game, incumbency, or some other hard-to-quantify aspect.

    So I mean, if it were just data then sure, don't shoot the messenger! But the problem is more that the modeling and recommendations seem like they have real flaws, probably unintentional, but flaws nonetheless. And projections and recommendations can and will influence voter behaviour.

  • Once again the conservatives were proven wrong. Let's not make the same mistake Canada, vote liberal.

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  • Hey just FYI when you type in alternating lowercase & capitals it makes it impossible for blind or sight-impaired people using screenreaders to understand you

  • Carney won’t win hearts with another elitist climate plan

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  • This is an interesting comment, because on the one hand, you're saying that Carney's plan is not likely to be very effective, but on the other hand you're saying he sounds smart and that's reassuring.

    To me that sounds like the definition of an emotional response ... no?

  • Luddite @lemmy.ml
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Poison as Praxis: teaching AI a lesson (blog post)

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/poison-as-praxis.html
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  • Without knowing how serious your relationship is, it's hard to say.

    I would advise not doing this if the main reason is to save money, especially with one person being the sole owner. The power dynamic is too unbalanced.

    But if you're both pretty sure this is a long-term, perhaps lifelong, relationship, then no one here can give you the correct answer. Set aside some time, sit down with your partner, discuss things from both a practical and emotional perspective, do this again in another week or two, and find an arrangement you both feel good about.

  • Pierre Poilievre Signals Plan to Extend Government Subsidies to Right-Wing Media Websites

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  • “Independent media should be allowed on the precinct, there’s no reason why it should be a small cabal of government approved mouthpieces,” Poilievre said.

    Hmm ok yeah that's a fair point I guess

    “I would love to see a scenario where every different kind of journalist from all backgrounds, of all opinions, is given a chance to report on what happens on the hill.”

    Interesting, sure, go on

    Poilievre’s spokesperson, Sebastian Skamski, did not respond to multiple requests from PressProgress seeking clarification ...

    Ahhhhhh there it is

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  • Oh wow - did not know that!

    Bit of a weird choice, given that routers usually allow limiting connections to specific MAC addresses as a security feature. Everything's a trade-off, I guess...

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  • Dunno, I found it pretty easy to set up different rules for different devices.

  • Palantir CEO Sures Seems Pleased His Tech Is Capable Of Getting People Killed

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  • "Some people are going to get their heads cut off. "

    Funny he should say that

  • Canada @lemmy.ca
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Bread Price Fixing? Pfft. The Real Innovation is AI-enabled 'Tacit Collusion'

    blundervalley.ca /blog/tacit-collusion-groceries/

  • What is AI good for? (derogatory)

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  • Yeah out of many changes that distorted or outright altered meaning, one of the worst bits was that the second version eliminated the crucial first few words - which acknowledged the original post and therefore set a particular tone.

    Communication is way more complex than statistical relationships between words, and I sincerely doubt that any of these systems will ever be able to fully mimic that complexity

  • Technology @lemmy.ml
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    What is AI good for? (derogatory)

    blundervalley.ca /blog/what-is-ai-good-for/
  • Technology @beehaw.org
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    What is AI good for? (derogatory)

    blundervalley.ca /blog/what-is-ai-good-for/

  • Zuckerberg 'Loves' AI Slop Image From Spam Account That Posts Amputated Children

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  • "Zuckerberg’s interaction with the page was first noticed by Gazpacho Machine, a man who posts reviews of food he eats while taking showers."

    the internet was a mistake

  • Danielle Smith, Donald Trump and Kevin O'Leary photo-op at Mar-A-Lago on January 11th 2025.

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  • Glad this says 'photo-op' and not that they 'met with' Trump, because it really looks like they just got a handshake and this weak thumbs-up picture

  • CanadaPolitics @lemmy.ca
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Your pension, up in smoke? From Ottawa to Edmonton, politicians and bankers agree on one thing: funneling your retirement savings into risky AI gambles.

    blundervalley.ca /blog/pension-funds/

  • Bluesky at a crossroads as users petition to ban Jesse Singal over anti-trans views, harassment | TechCrunch

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  • I have no idea what the views of the person in the article are, but the Idea of a supposedly federated platform like blusky banning people is a bit ridiculous

    This take is ridiculous, more like.

    The whole point of federation is that each provider is responsible for moderation on their own service. Bluesky is indeed running a service, not just writing the AT Protocol specification. It shouldn't be controversial to boot people who have explicitly said they're there to promote bigotry.

    And, because federation, then those bigots can make their own instance, right? Sure, and the Bluesky instance and everyone else should then defederate that instance due to harassment.

    That's how federation works.

  • What is your linux backup strategy?

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  • After having recently restored some stuff from an aging external hdd, i'm seriously considering getting a few dvdr discs and burning the important things every now and then.

    I know they don't last forever either, but - just as a random example that has definitely never happened to me hahaha - you can drop them from a height of 3 feet and still get files off them!

  • Beyond enshittification, why does tech oftentimes suck?

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  • I mostly agree - however there are physical/mechanical reasons behind the use of some of those. For example, Phillips head screws will 'cam out' (driver will slip out of the screw head) rather than get over-torqued, which is useful in various situations - although TIL this was not actually an intentional design feature!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_out

    Hex keys are better than a Robertson (square head) in tight spaces with something like an Allan key, and, in my experience anyway, Robertson can take a fair bit of torque, so they're great for sinking into softwood - and also for getting out again, even when they've been painted over.

    Flathead screws, on the other hand, should launched into the sun

  • Controversial law designed to free up hospital beds to be tested in Ontario court

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  • This is horrible.

    It would be reasonable to assume that the lack of LTC supply is at least partly because it's not profitable to have extra spaces you're not using.

    That lack of supply makes it more likely that seniors would have to look at places further away.

    Plus, the people profiting off LTC are folks like former Conservative Premier Mike Harris, who not only used to be chair of the board of Chartwell Retirement Residences, but has also owned millions of dollars in company shares (as of 2022, Harris no longer controls >10% of the company, so he doesn't have to file public disclosures of his holdings).

    https://burlingtongazette.ca/its-time-that-we-take-the-words-private-and-profit-out-of-how-we-care-for-our-seniors/

    While premier, Harris also pushed hard to privatize the industry that he would later benefit from.

    This looks like another case of Ford making sure his buddies rake in as much money as possible, even if it causes human misery.

  • As the open social web grows, a new nonprofit looks to expand the 'fediverse'

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  • Unfortunately, Meta is listed as one of their partners

  • Evan Prodromou Launches The Social Web Foundation

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  • Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator

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  • Not to mention that their napkin math is wrong by a factor of 12

  • Bitwig Studio @lemmy.studio
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    What's your favourite bitwig trick?

  • Canada @lemmy.ca
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Indigenous leaders burn PRGT pipeline agreement, blockade B.C. road | The Narwhal

    thenarwhal.ca /gitanyow-hereditary-chiefs-burn-prgt-agreement/
  • Technology @beehaw.org
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Designing Friction (philosophical essay about technology)

    designingfriction.com
  • Technology @lemmy.world
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Bitcoin is Stupid and Does Not Deserve an Emoji (blog post)

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/bitcoin-is-stupid.html
  • Buttcoin @awful.systems
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    Petition: Bitcoin is Stupid and Does Not Deserve an Emoji

  • Buttcoin @awful.systems
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    From the White House to Caesar's Palace: Trump at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference (blog post)

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/from-the-white-house-to-caesars-palace-trump-at-bitcoin-2024.html
  • Technology @lemmy.world
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    From the White House to Caesar's Palace: Trump at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference (blog post)

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/from-the-white-house-to-caesars-palace-trump-at-bitcoin-2024.html
  • politics @lemmy.world
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    From the White House to Caesar's Palace: Trump at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference (blog post)

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/from-the-white-house-to-caesars-palace-trump-at-bitcoin-2024.html
  • Fediverse @lemmy.world
    smallpatatas @lemm.ee

    The Slow Fedi Movement: Toward a Green, Independent, and Equitable Fediverse

    thedabbler.patatas.ca /pages/slow-fedi.html