@zrb@astrodon.social
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

zrb

@zrb@astrodon.social

Software engineer in astronomy. Interested in high-energy astrophysics, leftist theory, and permaculture gardening.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

seachanger, to random
@seachanger@alaskan.social avatar

my biggest complaint about AI is we didn’t ask for it. zero popular movements took to the streets to demand AI. no one sat around kitchen tables lamenting how hard life is without AI.

what people want is health care, housing, climate change solutions, etc We sit around kitchen tables wondering how to pay for college, get loved ones the psych and addiction support they need, or help the people on our streets who need homes

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@cairobraga @mike805 @seachanger for U.S. taxes, the IRS offers "Free Fillable Forms", an interactive web version of Form 1040 (and supplemental forms) that includes links to explanations and instructions. You can submit these forms to the IRS directly through their provided web site. This is free for all income levels and covers all tax situations.

Many U.S. states also offer similar free-filing services online for their state taxes as well.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@cairobraga @mike805 @seachanger However, U.S. tax law is so intentionally esoteric (specifically so that rich people don't have to pay taxes) that many people don't feel confident enough to fill out and submit Form 1040 themselves.

It also doesn't help that tax-preparation services, such as #TurboTax and #HRBlock, spend significant amounts of money to openly #bribe politicians and civil servants in order to keep the tax code complicated.

zrb, to random
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar
axbom, to random
@axbom@axbom.me avatar

The electricity and water use required by data centres is becoming cause for concern. Iowa and Ireland are calling for moratoriums on new development projects. Microsoft’s global water consumption grew 34% from 2021 to 2022. And estimates say that around 80% of content in data centres could be stuff we never use again, stored by default to consume energy in perpetuity for no purpose at all.

Generative video: Hold my beer.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@strypey @axbom return to plaintext and basic HTML websites, they're so much better in EVERY WAY

Remittancegirl, to random
@Remittancegirl@mstdn.social avatar

RIP Alexey Navaly

No one can be surprised by this, but he gave his life, knowingly, heroically for the country he loved beyond his own life.

He could have kept himself safe, but he chose a level of mad courage beyond most people’s imagination.

zrb, (edited )
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@Remittancegirl perhaps this endorsement is a bit problematic

https://twitter.com/zei_squirrel/status/1758456197722599537

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/25/navalny-has-the-kremlin-foe-moved-on-from-his-nationalist-past

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@Remittancegirl you can't deny that the guy was brave and believed in his country; it's just important to indicate also that he was a self-proclaimed ethno-nationalist

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@Remittancegirl I obviously don't agree with the state killing anyone, let alone political opposition. I just also think it's a bit problematic to praise an ethno-nationalist as "heroic".

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@Remittancegirl

... what?

His right-wing nationalism, anti-immigrant beliefs, and Islamophobia, Sinophobia, and general xenophobia are well-documented. I apologize, but whether you agree with the premise or not is irrelevant.

https://jacobin.com/2021/01/alexei-navalny-russia-protests-putin/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/16/alexei-navalny-obituary

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/obituary-alexei-navalny-russian-opposition-politician-putin-nemesis-reported-2024-02-16/

(and again, here) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/25/navalny-has-the-kremlin-foe-moved-on-from-his-nationalist-past

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@Remittancegirl my friend, if I were to praise someone in a post and they were actually a right-wing nationalist, I personally would want someone to let me know so I could edit my post to indicate that I don't support those beliefs.

inquiline, to random
@inquiline@union.place avatar

lol at some of you stealing other people's posts and hoping for virality, this is Mastodon

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@inquiline I'll show you, imma steal THIS post!

zrb, to ai
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

large generative models are the future of technology and it's not at all misleading or hyperbole to refer to them as ""

Also, invest in the

jonny, to random
@jonny@neuromatch.social avatar

They did WHAT
https://retractionwatch.com/2024/02/05/no-data-no-problem-undisclosed-tinkering-in-excel-behind-economics-paper/

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@jonny fuck all my homies hate

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@jonny
"Interpolator? I hardly know 'er!"

  • the paper's authors, probably
AkaSci, (edited ) to random
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org avatar

is trending on twitter.
Let's do it on the Fediverse too!

Let's bring out our creativity topped with a dollop of truth to counter the baseless barrage of negative narratives about Biden from the MSM.

In a few sentences, why should people ?

@GottaLaff @skykiss @lolgop
1/n

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@mihor @AkaSci Unfortunately, until the election is over I'm pretty sure we're gonna see a lot more of these sycophantic and revisionist posts blindly regurgitating praise for Biden. I normally follow @AkaSci, but I'm definitely muting them (at least) for now.

gwynnion, to random
@gwynnion@mastodon.social avatar

What a shitty day.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@gwynnion wow that sucks, I'm sorry to hear that happened.

zrb, to GNOME
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

6-month update in ; I've been using quite happily and have absolutely no regrets. The display scaling, touchpad gestures, and clean animations make the UX a joy to use.

The only issues I have are with software that doesn't jive with (mainly Steam, Electron apps, and the Nvidia driver). For those use cases, I can switch to a desktop on

If you're on the fence, give it a try.

https://astrodon.social/@zrb/110613175016631566

Radical_EgoCom, to random
@Radical_EgoCom@mastodon.social avatar

Capitalism functions seamlessly in exploiting individuals. The deliberate imposition of financial insecurity leaves people weary and preoccupied with the fear of poverty. This state of perpetual exhaustion and concern over income loss creates a vulnerable populace, making it convenient for those in power to exploit and underpay them. Relentless struggle for needs and fear of homelessness distracts the working class from challenging a system thriving on worker exhaustion.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@DEDGirl @Radical_EgoCom nothing but a dumb collection of many independent actors whose only common incentive is self-enrichment and greed.

Capitalism is an inherently unsustainable system of economics; without constant maintenance it leads to its own downfall and replacement by fomenting neofeudalism, fascism, or revolutionary upheaval.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@DEDGirl @Radical_EgoCom I don't think many people sit down in a room and plot out how best to perpetuate the accumulation of capital and worsening of inequality (except for , who can ALL ). These traits just arise from the organic actions of the system as its components each work to enrich themselves.

AnarchoNinaWrites, to random
@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar

TIL that Paul Manafort and Roger Stone were heavily involved in lobbying activities on behalf of diamond smugglers and the fascist faction in the Angolan civil war.

Amazing this shit our media conveniently "forgets" even when they're actively reporting on SOME corruption and fascist ideological ties in a hated administration.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@AnarchoNinaWrites line go up until we all die

ailurux, to random
@ailurux@chaos.social avatar

got float-32 wav decoding working on yesterday! gunna try tackle aac next.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@ailurux did you ever tackle AAC?

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@ailurux oof, foiled by Apple once again

zrb, to random
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

just a reminder, large language models are not AI. They're predictive text engines, nothing more. You could maybe call them "pre-AI", but that's a stretch.

Anyone who refers to LLMs as AI is either unaware of or doesn't care about the technical details underpinning the technology. Or, they're trying to market to you with exaggerated phrases.

One day we might have AI, but not today.

mayaisloading, to random
@mayaisloading@beige.party avatar

I know I don't need a secret room behind a bookshelf door but I would be happier having one.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@mayaisloading “but what would you put in it?”

“SECRET THINGS”

tony_surgeon, to random
@tony_surgeon@ravenation.club avatar

It’s that time of year.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@tony_surgeon Man After Man? More like Meme After Meme amirite

GaymerGeek, to 13thFloor
@GaymerGeek@mstdn.games avatar

Mistletoe is associated with Christmas. It also has a lot of protective qualities and represents love and peace; and we all know the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. It was used to kill the god Balder in Norse mythology.

zrb,
@zrb@astrodon.social avatar

@GaymerGeek also, parasitic.

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