I was RRice on That Other Place
@drfoxcroft.bsky.social
Failed at physics, now work in software. But my interests are philosophy of consciousness, cogsci, and epistemology. Also QM, General Relativity, and some Theology.
My philosophical evolution in 6 steps:
Sartre
Spinoza
Hume
Kant
Hofstadter
Dennett
Keith Frankish
Sartre
Spinoza
Hume
Kant
Hofstadter
Dennett
Keith Frankish
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
My philosophical evolution in 6 steps:
Sartre
Spinoza
Hume
Kant
Hofstadter
Dennett
Keith Frankish
Sartre
Spinoza
Hume
Kant
Hofstadter
Dennett
Keith Frankish
Meanwhile, my employer is now basing some of my yearly bonus on how much I incorporate AI into my daily work.
ChatGPT gave a significant portion of my students the wrong answer to an easy quiz question that everyone used to always get right
I had two groups of students turn in annotated bibliographies that were ChatGPT generated - not a single citation actually existed
I had two groups of students turn in annotated bibliographies that were ChatGPT generated - not a single citation actually existed
October 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Meanwhile, my employer is now basing some of my yearly bonus on how much I incorporate AI into my daily work.
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
How many trillions of dollars have been invested into this technology so far?
October 7, 2025 at 2:12 PM
How many trillions of dollars have been invested into this technology so far?
I actually found this thread reassuring.
My adult children and many of my friends speak in such apocalyptic terms these days.
Sometimes we all need to step back and have some perspective.
My adult children and many of my friends speak in such apocalyptic terms these days.
Sometimes we all need to step back and have some perspective.
Okay. Let me try this another way, and see if that works.
I was a boy with relatives in Greece during the time of the Colonels, a pretty scary military junta. Some would say it was fascist: Militarism, anti-communism, nostalgia, etc.
But no.
/1
I was a boy with relatives in Greece during the time of the Colonels, a pretty scary military junta. Some would say it was fascist: Militarism, anti-communism, nostalgia, etc.
But no.
/1
September 27, 2025 at 1:06 AM
I actually found this thread reassuring.
My adult children and many of my friends speak in such apocalyptic terms these days.
Sometimes we all need to step back and have some perspective.
My adult children and many of my friends speak in such apocalyptic terms these days.
Sometimes we all need to step back and have some perspective.
Good article on the history of autism by a cultural anthropologist.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Opinion | Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Good article on the history of autism by a cultural anthropologist.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
This would be so helpful!
imagine if a family of beavers randomly showed up right now and finished whatever thing you've been putting off
September 23, 2025 at 10:59 PM
This would be so helpful!
As one of the commenters put it, it's Searle's Chinese Room But Worse!
A human brain can hallucinate. An LLM cannot, because it doesn't have a brain. It presents a simulacrum of what a good answer looks like. As Rachel points out, it doesn't "know". The worst mistake we've made is to allow anthropomorphizing language to become the default for talking about "AI."
Hallucinations don’t come from the sources you train AI on.
The problem is it is an LLM- a language learning model. It is trying to sound like human language but it doesn’t actually “know” what those words mean so occasionally it strings them together in a way that makes no sense or is inaccurate.
The problem is it is an LLM- a language learning model. It is trying to sound like human language but it doesn’t actually “know” what those words mean so occasionally it strings them together in a way that makes no sense or is inaccurate.
September 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
As one of the commenters put it, it's Searle's Chinese Room But Worse!
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
Intelligence depends on more than cognitive horsepower. It requires cognitive flexibility.
The faster the world evolves, the greater the cost of rigidity. Stubbornness is a path to getting trapped in the past.
The future belongs to those with the courage to change their minds.
The faster the world evolves, the greater the cost of rigidity. Stubbornness is a path to getting trapped in the past.
The future belongs to those with the courage to change their minds.
August 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Intelligence depends on more than cognitive horsepower. It requires cognitive flexibility.
The faster the world evolves, the greater the cost of rigidity. Stubbornness is a path to getting trapped in the past.
The future belongs to those with the courage to change their minds.
The faster the world evolves, the greater the cost of rigidity. Stubbornness is a path to getting trapped in the past.
The future belongs to those with the courage to change their minds.
It's National Dog Day.
Time to share the saddest scene in the history of television.
youtu.be/0WBbKSFhw9A
Time to share the saddest scene in the history of television.
youtu.be/0WBbKSFhw9A
"I Will Wait For You" Connie Francis (The sad ending to Seymour, Fry's dog) HQ
YouTube video by Nirvines94
youtu.be
August 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
It's National Dog Day.
Time to share the saddest scene in the history of television.
youtu.be/0WBbKSFhw9A
Time to share the saddest scene in the history of television.
youtu.be/0WBbKSFhw9A
Had the pleasure yesterday of meeting @johndelancie.bsky.social, actor and noted champion of secular humanism. One of the nicest celebrities I’ve met!
August 13, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Had the pleasure yesterday of meeting @johndelancie.bsky.social, actor and noted champion of secular humanism. One of the nicest celebrities I’ve met!
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
I honestly can’t believe there are still any AI skeptics out there. This tech is obviously revolutionary
August 8, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I honestly can’t believe there are still any AI skeptics out there. This tech is obviously revolutionary
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
This is the single best piece I've read on "replacing coders with AI," it fully dispells the myth from the perspective of a software engineer and does so in a calm, reasonable way.
colton.dev/blog/curing-...
colton.dev/blog/curing-...
No, AI is not Making Engineers 10x as Productive
Curing Your AI 10x Engineer Imposter Syndrome
colton.dev
August 6, 2025 at 10:22 PM
This is the single best piece I've read on "replacing coders with AI," it fully dispells the myth from the perspective of a software engineer and does so in a calm, reasonable way.
colton.dev/blog/curing-...
colton.dev/blog/curing-...
Some morning it is not easy to get out of bed
August 4, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Some morning it is not easy to get out of bed
Excellent thread on historical analogies
I have a lot of thoughts about this stuff! Would a thread on it be useful?
On the left is a post today from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On the right is literal Nazi propaganda from the 1930s.
July 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Excellent thread on historical analogies
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
We live in an America governed by Trump. But we do not have to accept that we live in Trump’s America.
My latest for @theatlantic.com Daily:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
My latest for @theatlantic.com Daily:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Trump Insults America—Again
The president of the United States seems to have no interest in appealing to a national sense of pride or honor.
www.theatlantic.com
July 1, 2025 at 12:37 AM
We live in an America governed by Trump. But we do not have to accept that we live in Trump’s America.
My latest for @theatlantic.com Daily:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
My latest for @theatlantic.com Daily:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
Palanquin carried by pangolins.
June 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Palanquin carried by pangolins.
I enjoyed watching their lute videos, reading their posts on philosophy and religion.
When they shared their diagnosis, I encouraged them to stay positive. I told of my late wife who, after being given < 2 yrs with cancer, survived for 10. Wanted them to keep hope.
Sincerest condolences to you.
When they shared their diagnosis, I encouraged them to stay positive. I told of my late wife who, after being given < 2 yrs with cancer, survived for 10. Wanted them to keep hope.
Sincerest condolences to you.
Dear all,
Helen passed away at 13:21 local time. Helen would not have wanted us to be sad for a long time. All they wanted was to be remembered. They looked forward to being rid of pain and to being at rest. Helen took great comfort in you, their friends and readers.
pt. 1/2
Helen passed away at 13:21 local time. Helen would not have wanted us to be sad for a long time. All they wanted was to be remembered. They looked forward to being rid of pain and to being at rest. Helen took great comfort in you, their friends and readers.
pt. 1/2
June 21, 2025 at 3:23 AM
I enjoyed watching their lute videos, reading their posts on philosophy and religion.
When they shared their diagnosis, I encouraged them to stay positive. I told of my late wife who, after being given < 2 yrs with cancer, survived for 10. Wanted them to keep hope.
Sincerest condolences to you.
When they shared their diagnosis, I encouraged them to stay positive. I told of my late wife who, after being given < 2 yrs with cancer, survived for 10. Wanted them to keep hope.
Sincerest condolences to you.
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
If a Large Language Model (LLM) - a workhorse of AI - sees something repeated a lot, it considers it truth.
It cannot tell the difference between a novel and a work of non-fiction.
The politicians are out of their minds swallowing the hype of the tech companies and letting this technology run riot
It cannot tell the difference between a novel and a work of non-fiction.
The politicians are out of their minds swallowing the hype of the tech companies and letting this technology run riot
June 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
If a Large Language Model (LLM) - a workhorse of AI - sees something repeated a lot, it considers it truth.
It cannot tell the difference between a novel and a work of non-fiction.
The politicians are out of their minds swallowing the hype of the tech companies and letting this technology run riot
It cannot tell the difference between a novel and a work of non-fiction.
The politicians are out of their minds swallowing the hype of the tech companies and letting this technology run riot
"...[LLMs] are unconcerned with truth because they have no concept of it..."
Excellent essay of the state of Generative AI and its dangers
Excellent essay of the state of Generative AI and its dangers
Generative AI models are skilled in the art of bullshit
Large language models are unconcerned with truth because they have no concept of it — and therein lies the danger
www.ft.com
May 26, 2025 at 1:52 AM
"...[LLMs] are unconcerned with truth because they have no concept of it..."
Excellent essay of the state of Generative AI and its dangers
Excellent essay of the state of Generative AI and its dangers
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
Your frequent reminder a human brain is superior to AI and can be powered by a cheeseburger.
May 21, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Your frequent reminder a human brain is superior to AI and can be powered by a cheeseburger.
Yes, he is usually right. Disturbingly prescient lately, too.
@radiofreetom.bsky.social is exactly, frighteningly, right
'Bigger problem': Conservative highlights 'worse explanation' for lack of Trump pushback https://twp.ai/4inReE
May 11, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Yes, he is usually right. Disturbingly prescient lately, too.
Reposted by I was RRice on That Other Place
