durdenhobbes
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User ID: 1307
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
Huh? The prominence of the AI boom is largely a post Covid phenomenon.
Ok, well then my point is that I can't think of any other technology in history that has achieved 50 percent market penetration in 3-4 years. I just checked Google Trends for both "A.I" and "LLM", and they both start to take off in early 2023, which was about how I remembered when I first started hearing about them.
So, when I say "A.I", I mean specifically utilizing Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini/etc. HALF of Americans are doing this weekly? My circle must just be in the stone age, then, because I still know multiple people who don't own computers.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
Really?? Again, maybe I'm not thinking broadly enough about what "AI" is defined as. I suppose it would include things like Alexa/Google Home/Siri? We called those "voice assistants" in my day.
I wasn't even hearing the term "A.I." as anything other than the movie (or Allen Iverson) in any remotely mainstream sense, unless post-Covid.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
My vintage Land Cruiser doesn't have software, nor does my record player, my guitar, my film camera, or my porch swing.
And you know what? I'm a helluva lot happier when I'm using any of those things that I am using just about anything with software.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
In my day we called them R/C helicopters server farms
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
I found this study absolutely impossible to believe; I'm a Millennial who's on the internet way too much and have been since the early 90s, and I've never used AI.
But then I remembered that Google force-feeds you an AI answer when you use the search bar the same way you've been doing for 30 years. So, touché. I'll still defend the fact that it's not something that most people go out of their way to intentionally engage with.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
I was having similar thoughts last night when evaluating this race. Let's just say that I could've written your post verbatim.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
What is the right time, if not now? Waiting until after trillions of dollars have already been consumed?
Cost-benefit in business and life generally has to be fairly forward-looking. And there are plenty of conversations to be had, beyond the actual capabilities of the software itself. For example, is there any infrastructure plan in place for actually powering all these things without frying the grid and/or driving energy costs to Neptune?
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
Yeah, but I'm not even sure that the entire history of personal computing has consumed 474 gigawatts of power in a single state. The massive demand for resources and accommodations should rightly be scrutinized through cost-benefit analyses and public discussion.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
There are 1.84 million software developers in the U.S., so roughly half a percent of the population. I suspect most of these are heavily concentrated on the coasts, rather than scattered throughout the areas of the country most of these data centers are going.
Joe Six-Pack probably knows umpteen different welders, heavy equipment operators, machinists, and he certainly knows plenty of people who drive cars. He's probably never met a software developer, nor does he see any reason to. In his mind (and many others), AI might as well be fictitious.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
Because everyone gets an equal vote, and I'll bet less than 5% of people have ever used AI in any form, and even fewer have found it repetitiously valuable.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
Seconded. When it's part of your daily carry, it doesn't always register that it won't be allowed quite everywhere you go.
I did manage to convince an NHL stadium to let me coat check my knife at the customer service desk, once I gave them my business card and explained that I made these for a living.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
As a knifemaker who finds them incredibly handy to have, I think you're painting with far too broad a brush.
durdenhobbes
3mo ago
One of the lesser-talked about aspects of the World Cup is the forced stadium rebrandings due to FIFA's unwillingness to allow reference to any corporate names that aren't official FIFA sponsors. In many cases, this just involved covering up signage around the stadium, although some cases were more extreme.
For anyone who works in or around this industry, is this commonly-accepted practice for anyone outside of FIFA? I can't imagine spending millions of dollars on a stadium sponsorship, and being too pleased with having all my branding covered. While I'm sure there was some sort of contractual fine print that allowed for this, I'd still be pissed.
It also led me to wonder: could this be extended to other sectors of the economy? Say, Google Maps decides not to reference any corporate sponsorships that don't do enough AdWords business, or channel 5 news blurs out corporate logos unless they pony up. Seems like you could quickly fracture the entire landscape of corporate sponsorships.
durdenhobbes
4mo ago
YMMV depending on your pet issue(s), but given the current 15 percent Congressional approval rating (which is actually up 5 points from the 10 percent in April!), I'd wager that there isn't a single age demographic that feels they are being well-served.
durdenhobbes
4mo ago
Given the complete unwillingness of U.S. politicians to place American citizens' interests first (even when they campaign on virtually that exact slogan), I am forced to conclude that it does not matter who is in office; the country is not run by or for the American people.
durdenhobbes
4mo ago
The bladesmith/blacksmith community is incredibly cooperative and supportive.
durdenhobbes
4mo ago
The point was that their little skirts would flip up and give a nice view of what was underneath.
That was not my primary focal point while viewing, but YMMV
durdenhobbes
5mo ago
Chuck roast used to be around $4/lb. pre-Covid, and now I'm lucky if I can find it for $10/lb. on sale
durdenhobbes
5mo ago
Seconded. If you break everything down to its molecular structure, then yeah life is pretty goddamned stupid and no one should try for anything. "The only philosophical question is suicide" and all that.
Sometimes you just have to let fun, stupid things be fun and stupid. I do this all the time with sports, Christmas, raising kids, etc.
durdenhobbes
6mo ago
Is your friend's name Dennis, by any chance?
durdenhobbes
6mo ago
I prefer to keep my head as far away from the spindle as possible when I'm operating a lathe, personally.
durdenhobbes
6mo ago
It's funny, because I remember studying that same case in PolySci and thinking to myself, verbatim: "wow, so our legal system is literally just whatever some powerful dickhead wants it to be".
durdenhobbes
6mo ago
My question becomes: how would a random teacher in California know that this specific event would have unusually-lax security?
durdenhobbes
6mo ago
I assumed he meant with Iran.
You seem to be, perhaps, missing my point. It's not a matter of whether a given field of expertise is more or less important; it's a matter of "can I see the value of this in my day-to-day life".
Obviously (I think), the average person in 2026 can identify the value of a machining factory moreso than he can a data center.
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