Ishayin

Try using LocalSend instead: https://localsend.org/

It makes me feel rather hurt and sad to read this, as it would seem that you have taken from all that I said precisely the opposite meaning of what I had intended. If you would be so kind as to clarify how you came to this conclusion, it may help me to better see where my failings in communication might lie, and I would be happy to discuss it further as you wish 🙏 --- Returning more to the main topic of the thread, here's another article that people might be interested in: https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/the-future-of-ai-toward-truly-intelligent-artificial-intelligences/ I'm inclined to agree with it's stance that there is no evidence of any progress being made towards a general intelligence, and with regard to the prospect of any 'strong' intelligence – I think it would help a lot to put things in perspective if people had a better understanding of biology in general including both: (a) the critical embodied aspects of cognition and agency (the mainstream conception of mind in use today has still yet to be fully shed of its religious origins), and (b) the completely different order of complexity that exists in the biological realm – the human brain in particular as being by far the most ridiculously complex entity we know of, even by the standards of biology. But at the same time, I don't agree that we can therefore simply dismiss the risk based on a very low likelihood for the foreseeable future, given how high the potential impact is (typically both of these factors are considered in tandem in any risk analysis). The sooner we can have open rational discussions about future risks, the better really, and as I touched on before, the questions raised are broadly relevant to all technology development. Let me put it this way – imagine you see some kids playing with toy guns. What would you say the risk is of them growing up to become mass murderers? It seems so small as to be a silly question to even ask. The risk is not zero, but we still wouldn't consider it reasonable to lock up the kids out of fear for the future. At the same time, it is quite reasonable to have an open discussion about the subject, and consider what factors might potentially contribute towards people becoming violent or developing murderous tendencies. Here today we are still very much at the toy gun stage of 'AI' developments. The toys are just starting to become increasingly impressive. Yet despite this prenatal context, I think it is still valid to question to what ends these tools are being put to, how they are already modifying humanity, and where we may or may not wish to end up in the future. For anyone interested in these final points, or just looking for an entertaining video, I would recommend the following as a good starting point 😊

Yeah, same here. Good old 5.666 still serves me faithfully every day. Though I did recently install 5.92 under Wine in Linux and it seems to all work just fine on first impressions beyond some missing Japanese font support which I can probably fix. I've been thinking of upgrading my main machine to it some day mainly to get the native Opus support which I'm currently using the BogProg plugin for. The only other thing I can ever see potentially replacing Winamp in the longer term for me is gmusicbrowser, as I think it's weighted filtering functionality should be at least as good as, and might even be more powerful than Winamp Smart Views.

See here 😉 https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/Framework-Laptop-13/tree/main/Mainboard/Printable Case

Thank you for such a well considered and thoughtful post! I will do my best to respond to all the points as concisely as I can: The social praise, acceptability, and even worship of negative traits such as egoism, covetousness, exploitation, profit, control, competition, domination, vanity, self-absorption etc. First and foremost by seeking to free yourself from them. More widely speaking – the question of motivations and cultural context is key. Carrot and stick approaches have long been demonstrated to be psychologically ineffective. You cannot coerce people into doing what is right; they must truly desire it. Happily (and unsurprisingly from an evolutionary perspective), most people naturally do. So it is largely a question of stripping away those modern influences which work to convince us otherwise. There is no such thing as an "end state" in this context (or certainly not a desirable one). There is this unhelpful "myth of progress" way of thinking which only gets us lost in abstract anxieties. We are alive, here, now, today. Feel the wonder of that deep within. We do our best within the narrow limits of time and space afforded to us. That's not to exclude learning from the past, or planning for the future; the point is simply that positive outcomes become more likely when we are living harmoniously with our surroundings. It is the means that determines the end, or more accurately, the means is the end. For it is the reality we live. You cannot directly, and I'm not sure why anyone would wish to attempt such a thing. However we could reasonably expect some inverse correlation with levels of destructive activities. It is less about solving the problems, and more about not being fooled into thinking we wish to create these problems in the first place. Anyone who has faced up to and overcome themselves does not require the distraction of shallow spectacle, nor the false worth provided by material gains. We stop nurturing the current destructive social systems and negative feedback loops, which can then decay to a point of being more easily dismantled (consider Facebook for example, and how very little at heart their entire business is built upon). Impossible to say. But I would lean towards necessary myself as being the more accurate and useful way of framing it. I struggle to see how we can avoid continually creating any such issues if we do not first have a sane psychological and societal basis. In my view such a state of affairs could only possibly be achieved for a short period of time, and only by means of the most horrifically dystopian global despotism imaginable. You cannot stop people working on it in practice. It is akin to trying to stop a river, or censor the internet – at most you only divert the flow. There is a wider topic touched on here about our attitudes towards, and relationship with technology in general, but I will try to refrain from going down that rabbit hole for now This is one of the most key and pressing issues in my view. Exactly. This is about taking the 'piecemeal' approach to change, and I very much agree with Popper's position that this is always the preferable approach in principle. The impacts of any sudden / revolutionary / drastic changes can never be anticipated in advance, and will inevitably lead to great suffering for many before a new equilibrium can be found. Though there is also a question of scale to be considered here. A useful degree of piecemeal change on the societal level may still require some more drastic sacrifice on the individual level. I agree. I have two highest priorities for myself as to how I can best contribute in my own small way. One is more personal and one is more collaborative. I hope to be able to make more progress with them in time as my health continues to improve slowly and still somewhat fitfully. The difficulty here is that nearly all modern commentators are drawing upon the same set of narrow myths that form the bedrock of modern thought. It is story-telling more than science. Yet myths and narratives are important, for they form the basis of beliefs, which in turn limit what is possible. You cannot change yourself or your reality without first recognising that the possibility exists, and then believing that it is truly possible. As the two Davids, Graeber (RIP ♥) and Wengrow succinctly put it: Most people who write history on a grand scale seem to have decided that, as a species, we are well and truly stuck and there is really no escape from the institutional cages we’ve made for ourselves. Harari, once again echoing Rousseau, seems to have captured the prevailing mood. While Nicholas Maxwell is a little more blunt about it: ...all philosophies of life are inherently irrational, intellectual rubbish, mere ideology, propaganda, mythical, religious, or political dogma and twaddle. It is the 'deeply-seated' part here that is most problematic. If anything it seems to me that it is more ignorance of what our current "AI" really is, that most fuels the fear of it. In any case, it is the fear itself that is the real enemy, and prevents us thinking and discussing clearly with one another. Only because they live in fear, and thus see control as something desirable. If an ant nest found itself in the position of being able to save humanity from extinction, would you advise the ants to do so? If humans did not exist, would you advise ants to cease any genetic tinkering research that might lead to the creation of a human being? I am being rhetorical here, and don't mean to argue for the unrestrained pursuit of AGI, only that the ethical questions involved require a great deal of care and subtlety given how they transcend our usual notions of what ethics is about. I think you might enjoy Gerd Gigerenzer's Risk Savvy if you haven't read it already :) For ourselves yes. We do this by: 0. Disconnecting from modern distractions and cultivating a sense of quietude, space, joy, and gratitude. and also: 1. Letting go of our more dualistic ways of speaking and thinking (i.e. seeing ourselves as some kind of magical 'spirit' or 'mind' that only happens to inhabit the body). It never had a scientific leg to stand on, and even in the Western philosophical tradition has been considered outmoded now for half a century. Unfortunately, even if you feel comfortable that you have de-constructed this myth within yourself on an intellectual level, it is still very difficult to truly free oneself from it given how foundational it is to our very language (and suffocatingly all-pervasive throughout our culture). So it has to be countered in practice rather than by thought alone, by really engaging with one's whole self and getting all the different parts working together in the same direction. Every activity you do in flow, with all of your being invested into and enjoying the experience of it. When we come to engage with and more directly experience the full complexity, depth, and wonder of reality, we are less inclined to be close minded to possibilities, or distracted by frivolities. And learning just how much you really can change things within yourself, is rather a boon to wider conceptions of what is possible. 2. Fully embracing our mortality with all other mental discomforts fading by comparison into insignificance. We cannot be open minded while hiding from parts of ourselves. 3. The above point then extends to a loss of fear of suffering, an acceptance for it as a normal part of life, and eventually a joyful embracement of all those little knocks and stings we take along the way which serve as a reminder to pause, and reflect, and appreciate. I suspect that experiencing a certain degree of suffering might be required, or at least highly beneficial to this overall process. We cannot be open minded when we constrain our range of experiences within little boxes of apparent comfort. 4. We learn to enjoy living. In outsourcing the living of our lives, we have abstracted ourselves out of having any real existence, and the satisfaction and contentment that comes along with it. Anyone who has ever touched upon what it is like to live as a ghost understands how this is the worst torture imaginable. To exist, but not truly to be. To bring it back down to earth – the modern Western human has been trained up to see the actual living of their life as some kind of undesirable chore to be avoided at all costs. So instead of say embracing the enjoyment that comes from gathering food, or washing up, we instead sit and stare morosely at the machines having all the fun of it in a horrifically inefficient and unsustainable manner. We cannot be open minded when we so easily relinquish our humanity to live like automata. First you must make it more socially acceptable, and 'normal'. Anyone who is too shy to go practice their standing exercises in the local park is only contributing to that very same social atmosphere that they are retiring in fear of. So instead we: 1. Break the chain by being prepared to be 'different'. It demands a lot to reject, not only the values of ones parents, but also the entire cultural edifice they are born from. However, anyone who does do their best to live as ethically, rationally, and compassionately as they can, serves as proof and role model to the next generation that it is possible to live differently. 2. Having changed our own way of thinking, we hold firm in not getting pulled back down again by others. We never react automatically, nor mindlessly agree in conversations that suppress a wider viewpoint (as most often do). We do not seek to argue, for if you find yourself taking a confrontational position you have already lost (as with war on a bigger scale). Instead we take a moment to pause and re-immerse ourselves in patience and love, and then bring this forth to give to the other. Often we keep thoughts to ourselves that we are unsure will be readily accepted by others, or argue for positions we may not actually be totally certain about, just as a way of conversing or seeing how others might respond. Instead, by letting go of any fear of exposing our own human imperfections, we nurture a climate within which others find it easier to do the same. 3. Be positive and promote the benefits of alternative ways of doing things. Share your joy with others in a way that encourages them out of their shells. Avoid spreading FUD, or other content that is likely to spark negative emotions which cause people to close in on themselves. Seek to be inspired, and be inspiring in turn. That is rather enough talk – time to go outside and play 😊🐬

This is availability bias. Those who are at peace within themselves do not feel so inclined to make a show of themselves or interfere in other's affairs. I agree. But the question remains of how we are to avoid it. To me it seems unlikely we will ever make much progress in countering this, or climate change or any of the other outward symptoms of derangement, unless we are first prepared to face the deeper issues head-on – i.e. the derangement itself. Most likely we cannot entirely avoid any of these risks, and will sooner or later meet a disastrous end of a scale as usually goes hand in hand with the scale of the civilisation in question. Still, any small percentage of mitigation of a large scale disaster can still add up to a very significant amount of good in absolute terms. I strongly agree with a call for awareness. What we are particularly lacking in current times is flexibility and adaptability, which needs to be founded on a better appreciation for the full scope of human possibilities as was commonly explored by different societies in times past. The standard popular mindset these days is a curiously recent invention founded upon an extremely narrow and biased reading both of history and even our own times (consider how completely invisible the more sensible societies and social movements are in the mainstream media). Narratives and imagination are critical tools for expanding the horizons of popular discourse.

I agree that getting our priorities right is important. I would therefore urge that we seek to face all these challenges at their most fundamental level – how we think. I.e. how we think about ourselves, each other, and our environment. How we respond and how we feel. We must learn to master that one thing we actually do have some control over – ourselves – before we can expect to engage in any useful way with anything else. Yes, though as with any multi-author essay collection there is some variability in quality. Mostly good to excellent, though a couple of weaker ones too. It is not so much about some hypothetical future AGI ethics (and I agree with you that it's not clear what that would even mean), but rather more about the very real here and now societal ethics surrounding how we develop ML and associated technologies, how we are deploying them in practice and apply them to people and the environment, and what the outcomes are already, or are soon likely to be. Here's a quick few example quotes which will hopefully give you some small taste for it ☺️ https://rentry.co/xdydcq

A few days ago I made a quick screen capture demo of my customised XFCE desktop styling with window button highlights that sync with the system theme (most apps also sync with the system theme): https://files.trom.tf/s/9S9Wi7soTkw5Eyt I also had a quick go at doing the same for the docklike plugin, since many people seem to prefer a dock style taskbar these days. So you can see that added to the right side of the taskbar in parallel after the first minute. And after another minute, there's also quick a demo of switching between a single and dual row panel, and finally showing/hiding desktop icons (both with shortcut keys – I've also got one setup to enable intelligent hiding of the panel with fullscreen apps, but not shown here). Apologies that its not optimised for the web, so you will have to wait for the whole file to buffer first if streaming it. If it's giving you trouble, you can either just download it, or alternatively see an earlier take I did that is web optimised, but has no cursor shown and is jerky due low frame rate: (webm-av1 / mp4-h264).

Yeah, mine seems to have stopped on the 6th July with definition version 1.391.3726.0 I don't really care about that too much. The real issue is that other software is gradually starting to stop support like Opera is no longer updated, and Signal Desktop is saying it won't work from the 20th August. Anyway, I've been having fun learning Linux over recent months and very happy with my VM setup at least now. Everything works (including the Windows software I want) much better than I expected. So looking to move more fully to Linux later this year. Whether that be fully, or dual boot (on separate drives), and/or still making some use of VMs I'm not sure yet.

I'm guessing from what you say that it doesn't have a Fn hotkey to disable/enable the touchpad? 😕

We already have Ubuntu Touch, Volla OS, /e/OS, LineageOS, DivestOS, PostmarketOS, CalyxOS, GrapheneOS, etc. Probably it would be more useful to go help out with one of them unless you have a very good reason for starting from scratch.

On the topic of AI ethics I would highly recommend reading the attached (freely distributed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence)AI for Everyone__ Critical Pers - Pieter Verdegem.epub

The first new phone that has looked interesting to me in years, and due to start shipping next month: https://volla.online/en/index.html https://volla.online/en/volla-phone-x23/ The additional button for launching apps (e.g. while you're wearing gloves), and easily replaceable battery are key features for me. Though I haven't seen any reviews yet. Would be very interested to see what its camera is like. I'm not planning to buy a new phone any time soon as have a stock of my current favourite (S7 Active), but if you all go out and buy this, then maybe there will be some going second hand that I can grab next decade

I really should have done more research before creating this thread. By way of apology, here's a bunch of resources for similar options in this category: But yeah, I very much agree with the above comments, that you might be better off configuring it yourself, and you really need to do your own research and decide if you trust the people behind these projects. The amount of third party hacks and tool that are required to make Windows sane these days is pretty ridiculous. I thought I would likely end up having to use Windows 10 some day, but that's looking less and less likely now. Since I was trying out a lot of Linux distributions anyway, I also installed a Window 8.1 virtual machine since I have some use for a separated Windows system, and happened to have that ISO to hand. I couldn't help noticing that it only took 8.5 GB to install – noticeably lighter even than most mainstream Linux systems 😂

Hi all, I haven't been around here much of late, mainly due to my health, but also because a lot of the computer time I have been able to manage over the past 6 months has been dedicated to trying out and getting to better grips with Linux. I plan to post more on this here once I have a system I am happy with fully configured (at least on the software side), but a few quick points I can make now as a quick preview: 1. Be cautious of developing any pre-conceptions based on the conventional wisdom of the internet – you really need to test out a wide range of systems for yourself and come to your own conclusions. From my previous tests around a decade ago, and from reading and watching videos, I had certain ideas in mind about what I was likely to like or not like before I started. All these ideas turned out to be quite wrong in the end. 2. There is so much potential in the Linux ecosystem, that even those developing distributions seem to have little grasp of the full breadth of it. As a result, there is no perfect distribution which has managed to put together all of the pieces at once, and many of the most popular ones have major drawbacks that I find to be quite fundamental (even more so than the all too common quirks mentioned by Aaron above – since there are distributions that have clearly long solved these issues, I find it strange how slow everyone else is to copy over these fixes into their own systems). Anyway, after trying ~ 25 different distributions, I have finally found one that IMO is a clear step forwards from the rest of the pack in sense, and the first that I can really see using as my main system in the future. I will reveal all in time 😉 3. For choice of desktop environment I would highly recommend XFCE over the others. In my testing it clearly beats the other popular choices in terms of performance, robustness/stability, power/flexibility and ease of configuration and use. You can easily setup any kind layout with any configuration of elements you like, and can easily save and switch between completely different layout configurations. And beyond all the GUI options which are fairly sensibly laid out, and already include for example all the different transparency effects and options you could ever wish for, you can style it even further with your own custom CSS code. A few days ago, and without any prior experience with CSS, I was able to setup my own custom radii and gradients on my task bar buttons, with a nice highlight and 'click' effect on activation, and all using a colour scheme that stays in sync with the system theme 😎 I think many people get the mistaken impression that it is only chosen for performance reasons, or think it looks ugly and dated due to the very outdated screenshots in their documentation and elsewhere on the internet, or from some of the more popular distributions that have XFCE releases not showing it at its best (I found that nearly all non-flagship releases tend to be noticeably lacklustre and rough around the edges compared to the flagship release). Of the more popular options, the two that do the best job with it I think are MX Linux, followed by Manjaro XFCE. But the more you play with it, and configure it to your liking, the better it gets. Whereas I found with other DEs, the more I played with them, the uglier and more unstable they became 😕 I know a few different people here have recommended MATE, and I certainly agree that it is a solid choice if you can configure it to your liking. I also feel like there is more potential with it than is on display in any current release. But getting my own setup running on it just seemed to be pushing the limit of its abilities a little too much for comfort (e.g. with the panel failing to load with my configuration on boot).