Maciej Kierkla
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mkierkla.bsky.social
Maciej Kierkla
@mkierkla.bsky.social
43 followers 70 following 1 posts
PhD student at the University of Warsaw, theoretical physics. Studying bubbles in the early Universe.

He/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Maciej Kierkla
sarahkendrew.bsky.social
Great (and rare!) @wired.com story on the transformative story of Arxiv, and its creator Paul Ginsparg www.wired.com/story/inside...
Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative Platform in All of Science
Modern science wouldn’t exist without the online research repository known as arXiv. Three decades in, its creator still can’t let it go.
www.wired.com
March 27, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Maciej Kierkla
clairelamman.bsky.social
DESI's DR2 BAO results are out!!
TL;DR... 1/n
@desisurvey.bsky.social
A blocky lambda symbol crumbles as it is pulled apart by creatures representing Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, the Cosmic Microwave Background, and supernovae. Caption reads "something has to give..." Credit: Claire Lamman
March 20, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Maciej Kierkla
sonemic.com
On this date in 1995, @pjharveyofficial.bsky.social - 'To Bring You My Love' was released.

📈 #16 for 1995, #617 overall

rateyourmusic.com/release/albu...
February 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Maciej Kierkla
jksteinberger.bsky.social
As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄
NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation First, clarity on distinguishing AIs: Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use). Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work Generative: ChatGPT & Co. You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content. Why is this delegation of work problematic? 3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement. (Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.) 1) AI and ethics Mass theft of all and everything «learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators. Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …): «correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted). In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes. 2) AI and (un)sustainability Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI. Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs. Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry. Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development. 3) AI and intellectual engagement First, what learning is (or should be) about: The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge, But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain. The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI. Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all. They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS. If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.
February 23, 2025 at 1:45 PM
mkierkla.bsky.social
Gotta put him in the acknowledgments for the next paper
December 1, 2024 at 7:38 PM