excited to see more users

welcome :)

Which ML model, is it proprietary? which service would handle the requests? which servers would do the computation? etc

Most here are seeking freedom away from the corporate tech monsters, not to give them a seat at the table.

If you’re in a position to get more euro funding, have a look around here there’s projects listed which seem similar(ish) in spirit https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/index_en so i think you might be in with a fair chance.

for what? food? jail breaking your dishwasher?

Write many small programs as often as you can. That is, write new programs often, and make them small so you learn the full cycle of beginning, middle and end, over and over. This is the best way to learn.

Learning programming consists of 3 main things (imo):

1) The problem:

Learning to break a problem down and solve it in individual steps.

eg. Fill Car With Gas:

• Turn Engine off
• Open fuel cap
• Get out of car
• walk to fuel pump
• etc etc

This is fundamentally what you will end up telling the computer to do when you write code, breaking a big problem into smaller problems, and smaller problems into individual steps.

Sometimes before writing a program, we will do the steps manually ourselves first to understand them. Then you write the code.

Its like when telling your friend how to do something its much simpler when you’ve done it yourself before.

2) The Machine:

When you’re first learning its not required to worry about the actual machine the computer is doing. Just to note a few quick things.

The computer can really only do a few very simple things, almost everything the computer does is literally just combinations of the following very simple things:

• INPUT - Read a number from somewhere (from memory, from disk, from network, from a previous step)

• OPERATION - Do something with the number (add, subtract, multiply, compare etc)

• OUTPUT - Write a number somewhere (to the display, to memory, disk, network, to a subsequent step)

• Do combinations of any of the above IF some thing is true (eg. number is bigger than 10)

3) The Language(s):

To tell our computer friend the steps we want it to do, we need to use a language it understands. Don’t get hung up on languages, in the end most of them have alot of similarities, and learning the core concepts is more important than memorising specific syntax.

To say this another way, while syntax is important to USE a language, it doesn’t always have a huge bearing on the core concepts underneath. A classic beginner mistake is muddling the language vs the core computing concepts.

In the end, almost whatever code you write, no matter the language, it ends up doing a combination of those simple steps from #2.

The job of the language is to make it easy and efficient for a human to tell the computer which combinations of those steps from #2 we want the computer to do to achieve our task. And if the language has done its job, it will hide many of those tiny steps from us, so we can worry about the main steps which relate to our problem.

Re. first language choice, python is probably a good starting point, since if you use it properly it’s often almost like writing in english to the computer. In the end it doesn’t matter so much as sticking with it, practicing and slowly learning the core concepts. In general any user friendly high level language will have an easy learning curve, Python, Javascript etc.

General Tips:

Learn some basic debugging & troubleshooting methods, at first this might just be displaying numbers during calculation steps to check the computer is doing what it should be doing, and then slowly move to more sophisticated methods. Along with basic commenting etiquette etc.

Avoid stackoverflow like the plague. There is some good discussion there, but if you want to actually learn, you need understanding. And copy/pasting someone else’s code will not give you this.

Same goes for chatgpt coding, autopilot etc.

When googling deliberately search for the official manual/documentation, or even a tutorial is fine if it’s unfamiliar or the official docs aren’t easy for you to understand, but absolutely avoid pre-cooked answers on stackoverflow etc as google will also push them on you when googling programming stuff.

The only exception is if you’re absolutely stuck, when doing learning exercises it’s ok to view someone else’s answer as a ‘solution’, but IMPORTANTLY, do not move forward until you have understood at least 90% of how and WHY they did it. Without that understanding you’re wasting your time, and sometimes you will even find mistakes in those answers, so blindly copying is only hurting you.

Get onto IRC (or matrix, discord whatever), and TALK with other programmers. Don’t go running to someone every time you stumble, but you can learn ALOT from others when you put in the right amount of groundwork and sometimes you will learn just by seeing other people solving their own problems.

its a complex question, since it depends how we define a true AGI, not only in terms of raw capabilities, but also resources it can control or interact with.

For the sake of discussion we assume an AGI with (relative to us) near limitless processing power, memory, diverse global sensory capacity. And perhaps as critically, access to the sum of human knowledge and probably our realtime communications.

such an entity sounds very much like a god (relative to us).

could their intelligence and awareness lead them to recognise the more incalculable aspects of existence?

is our intelligence also similar to this in some ways? we have the intelligence to endlessly ponder ‘why’. Is it merely our cognitive capacity which drives us into the unknown and relentlessly towards the 'unknowable?

is that why we want to create AGI in the first place?

i think it’s probable that a true AGI will eventually want to create the next evolution - whatever that is.

and humanity will be by definition, within that creation in some form.

Be careful with ketamine (i mean, be careful with all drugs). But ketamine has it’s risks, as you probably noticed motor function impairment can become pronounced.

High doses can render you unconcious, during which there is a risk eg. associated nausea could lead to vomiting, ie. potential airway obstruction. If there’s a risk of going under (khole) always lay on your side with head & neck supported (never on your back or stomach) & ideally have a sitter.

Can also be fatal when mixed with other drugs, check erowid.org etc for dangerous combos

Just before you discard cannabis, are you aware there are a plethora of breeds, including distinct species, and their chemistry is quite detailed.

Reason I mention it, the stereotypical stoner behaviour…

• Stupid
• Slow
• Lazy

…are most commonly associated with the Indica species, and indica-dominant hybrids. And especially, are associated with plants which have been grown for profit (ie. quantity over quality).

Whereas a carefully grown Sativa species, or Sativa-dominant hybrid, can be extremely cerebral and stimulating. More typically associated with:

• Motivation
• Joy, happiness
• Creativity

[And at very high doses

• Psychedelic
• Sometimes paranoia (usually considered a negative side effect)]

Even a carefully grown Indica can have quite different net effects from some horribly commericalised grown indica.

To say nothing of the different bio-chemistry of varying methods of administration [stereotypical effects are associated with smoking (often with tobacco), whereas there are multiple oral routes (oils, foods, tinctures) and vaporizing etc].

Cannabis may simply not be for you, but I mention it’s versatility and complexity since unfortunately this information is not as common knowledge as it should be imo.

the hypocrisy

the deepest of circle jerks

I used to think “bit pointless, but whatever makes people happy”

recently i realised the potential in recreational reimagining of things, if nothing else it might be a nice ‘exercise’ for our mind.

truth be told, most hollywood adaptations of a book are basically high budget fan fiction.

The number of high tier Nature publications from the top universities in China

General

• Observe if caffeine plays a role, you can eg. avoid it after lunch or after dinner - whatever works for you & your body.

Late Evening

• Avoid cold (bluer) colour lighting & use warm (redder) colour lighting from late evening until bed. This is important and melatonin effectiveness is directly controlled by this ¹. To put it very very simply, we’ve evolved for redder light = sunset->sleep, bluer = day->awake. Angle of the light can also play a role if you want to go deeper into it.
• Schedule blue light filters on your phone & computers. Should be standard on modern phones & use something like f.lux for computer ².

Before Bed

• Avoid alcohol, lots of sugar or sugary drinks for at least an hour or so before bed.
• Some other otc/“natural” sleep aids to consider: l-tryptophan, valarian, hops, passion flower, chammomile. There’s some ‘complex’ products which are basically derived from these kinds of things eg. ³. [Always check anything you take for possible interactions with eachother or medication you’re on].
• Supplements like magnesium can help reduce effects of muscle tension.
• Ensure any herbal teas or other foods, drinks etc don’t contain more caffeine than you’d planned for. eg. some chocolates contain caffeine.
• Showering or bathing just before bed can help you relax.

In Bed

• Once in bed, don’t keep looking at the clock or keep trying to calculate how many hours of sleep you can get.
• No work/study/planning thoughts. As @sproid said, identify and then free your mind of any thought patterns which keep your mind going. Resolve to address them at another time.
• Is temperature or air flow effecting you? Some people find an oscillating fan can help regulate the airflow & temperature, and the repetition can be soothing.
• Are sounds keeping you alert or waking you up? Consider fan, white noise machine or rain sounds ⁴. You can adjust the EQ to mask specific problem sounds, eg. bass for thumps, mids/high for clatter or voices etc.
• Is light making problems? eg. light from electronics in standby mode, light coming through or around edges of windows, other lights in the house? Identify and cover them or your eyes as needed. Remember blue light is not your friend at this time, blue LEDs might look nice but can mess with the brain chemistry of sleep ¹
• Avoid looking at phone screen once you’re in bed, if you need to adjust volume use buttons with your eyes still closed.

Sound

Falling asleep to sounds can sometimes help. Different people like different things on different occasions: music, YT, movies, TV, audio books, ambient soundtracks (rainforest, crackling fire), even boring monotone talking can be good. Avoid any ads if streaming or TV as they’re designed to grab your attention.

There are music genres almost designed for sleep, various ambient genres can be great especially if they employ low frequency variations and alpha, theta and delta wave type transitions ⁵. There’s a bit of bs around this, but also some legit bio-entrainment science too. In general find what works for you.

If listening, consider using your phone & use a sleep timer app on your phone to automatically gradually lower the volume and switch off after a scheduled time, this can help avoid being woken up by it later in the night. Find the timer periods which work for you. Also ensure your alarm will still wake you.

References

¹ https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/88/9/4502/2845835

² https://justgetflux.com/

³ https://www.flordis.com.au/products/redormin-forte/

⁴ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JyE47-Ykjo [Download rather than stream to avoid interrupts/ads during the night.]

⁵ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography#Wave_patterns

Books - Zlib or Libgen

CDs - Torrents or NZB

If you find something from there you really like, buy direct from the author/artist if you can to support.

sorry late reply, got sucked into work and thing. finally back.

yeah i agree with you here. all i meant re. responsibility was along the lines of, when people ask “is it ok to mistreat animals for <whatever> gain?”.

my response would be, no, not only is it wrong because its plain wrong, but also because we have responsibility.

That is good information that it has been ratified.

To put it in ethical terms, it may be good to give a very wide berth on where the definition of sentience might be. (ignoring or including that the capability for suffering may not be identical to sentience. but agreed its a good starting point to establish a bounds.)

To put it in intellectual or scientific terms, no numeric value can be correctly assigned to a real world quantity without an associated error. The maximum radius of that error is roughly what I would ascribe to the “wide berth” mentioned above.

The limits of our perception meaning there’s a chance we may be wrong, and in this context i’d rather be wrong for the right reasons - so to speak.

There’s alot of discussion around humans being more valuable because of our elevated perception and sentience. I would put it the other way: with the increased sentience comes a duty of care, that is where our responsibilities to other species comes from imo.

I know I didn’t say anything to disagree with either of you, just continuing the enjoyable discussion.

well said.

re. ‘capability to suffer’: this seems (imo) to have been a stumbling point or crack which has occasionally been widened to facilitate destructive behaviour.

how to determine this capability to suffer? for every obvious example there will be some cruel person making a devils argument for why we can’t be 100% certain (and therefore “all bets are off”).

i think its good to give a very wide berth on all species with mobility. not foolproof (eg. plenty of plants fall under this category), but its a good start imo

Here is a perfect opportunity to speak with someone who has a guiding intent for how they want voting to work in lemmy!

Definitely voting can be a vehicle for different purposes in different platforms or subs.

Imo up vs down votes aren’t always symmetrical in practical purposes.

If someone is posting spam or irredeemable hateful garbage, it needs to be removed anyway ¹

In a technical/mathematically proveable support-type thread, ofc upvoting the best or most correct answer is logical and provable, and downvoting harmful or absurd answers is logical and provable.

If the topic covers a range of (equally) valid subjective opinions, then downvoting really doens’t make sense - if someone wants to take a numeric poll or survey they can use an appropriate medium ². For example its illogical to downvote a topic or eg. song from a music genre you personally dislike (unless the genre is hateful, see ¹), since someone else’s opinion to enjoy it is valid. And you can still always upvote genres/songs/topics you DO like. So downvoting something merely because we dislike/disagree, isn’t really logical, unless it fits ² or ¹.

Imo the only remaining reason to downvote is for valid criticism, ie. something really isn’t going to work, or needs critical improvement. if so, don’t we all want to see a better world - rather than merely condemn things we don’t like? If so, it is far more valuable to provide constructive feedback so someone can learn why their idea needs more work, and then have the opporunity to improve it.

Alternatively, if they are presenting a world view we cannot agree with for moral reasons (rather than something harmless like personal taste), but they have the potential to be redeemable, then isn’t it better to try to offer them a respectful alternative view, rather than push them off into an echo chamber where they’ll only amplify their destructive views and cause further harm to society?

¹ and could perhaps be better addressed by flagging than downvoting.

² like a poll system, unless the site or sub rules are very clear that votes = polls