Mel Andrews

in my america, all citizens will be drivel-resensitized in re-education camps

ah, yes, the drivel-desensitization.

I was put on this earth to be the progenitor of senseless drivel. Look what you have done, you bastards! Now I am forced to rail against the senseless drivel, as entire civilizations throw themselves against the rocks of senseless drivel machines.

...if only there were a way to integrate a scholar’s top productivity software with the choking to death on the linguistic vomit of the internet software... hang on! I’ve got just the thing!

If you, as a scientist, cannot be bothered to engage in the intellectual work of science, please quit your job and leave it to someone with skill and integrity.

this sabo-tabby loves labor organization

me + cat for visibility:

as ever, collectively withholding labor and capital is the greatest source of power we have.

January 30th is a national strike. no work. no school. no spending.

it’s time to mask-up, arm-up, show up and get organized. have a whistle. document everything. have first aid on hand.

If you happen to live in America at this historical juncture, the bad news is that you are in danger. The good news is that there are people in your city, in your neighborhood, on your block getting organized to protect each other against that danger. Find them.

The "ban whistles" stuff is how you know whistles are working incredibly well

My "I don't! believe in Phrenology" tee shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by my tee shirt.

...and yet old ladies of facebook are acting like this is a real photograph of a real cat...?

I confess that I still struggle to believe that there are people out there who cannot tell the difference between genuine photographs and AI-generated images.

Good for them, I guess, but what is da tat centers? @theguardian.com

sure. but who is to say that vibe word salad isn’t how the HUMAN BRAIN works? huh?

all of these people deserve each other and the catastrophic market collapse they’re about to witness

I’m always puzzled that silicon valley types are willing to attribute intelligence to chatbots until I remember that most silicon valley types can’t be trusted to tie their own shoelaces.

mine are increasingly chatgpt-flavoured

“This physics-defying vedic karma reincarnation web app is not only a revolution for science—it’s a revolution for the human spirit. The real payoff? It can fit in your pocket.”

​Chatbots have been an incredible loss for scientists and an incredible win for the people who send scientists 5,000 word emails about anti-gravity engines and CIA microchips.

as if everything I post isn’t @beenwrekt.bsky.social bait

Absolutely in agreement. I do worry that multiple “extra-epistemic” dynamics in play surrounding the application of concepts like these to systems like these threaten to doom the epistemic effort. Though this is worth a read: osf.io/preprints/ps...

I am, in particular, interested in updated appraisals of the *in principle* limitations of the technology.

Excellent.

I often hear, in my line of work, that large language models have surpassed the capabilities of “mere stochastic parrots.” Yet few are willing to attribute to them anything like “understanding.” What, in your view, is the best recent appraisal of the limitations of LLMs?

attn fellow faculty: when students hand in AI-generated papers, any of you try eating them?

“LLMs can’t adequately do 90% of the things they are claimed to do”

All of the above: