izard

Back in university, my friends and I had a trick when it came to exams in advanced physics and math courses: we’d try to sit exams with a postdoc or, better yet, a PhD student rather than a seasoned professor. Professors, with decades of experience, could gauge a student’s depth of understanding after just a few questions, accurately assigning grades. PhD students, however, lacked this refined intuition and often gave higher grades if you could converse confidently about basic concepts and demonstrate a good grasp of basic terminology. They usually tended to assume the best, consciously or subconsciously. The real test wasn’t the material itself, but skilfully steering the exam into a dialogue where you could shine.

So, why do I find myself reflecting on this old trick now? ( Read more... )

Интересно сравнить творчество трех самых плодовитых графоманов рунета. Если что, здесь я использую слово "графоман" отнюдь не как ругательное. Просто они очень любят писать, и публикуют в сети мегабайты и мегабайты своих художественных текстов.

Еще ограничу время. Да, в 90-е был "король графоманов" Петухов, а в 2000е - Иар Эльтеррус. Но здесь я напишу о 2010-х и 2020-х.
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Let's imagine, for a moment, that the late Soviet KGB was not simply a group of bureaucratic careerists, resembling characters from "Our Man in Havana." Instead, consider it as an omnipresent and possibly self proclaimed benevolent force that started working to counter the inevitable collapse of the Soviet Union.

They recognized that the traditional institutions, such as the Army, the Communist Party, the Police, and even the KGB itself, were all corroded and incapable of withstanding the impending collapse. However, they were well aware of how the Cultural Revolution in China and death squads in Latin America operated to alter the course of complex social dynamics.

It's widely believed that the "Kazan phenomenon" was inspired and/or guided by the KGB, which could explain why it took the police so many years to develop effective countermeasures. Additionally, the complex and effective social norms and language exhibited by these gangs could not have emerged overnight in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Cheboksary, and later Ulyanovsk. For such a grassroots movement, it would have taken years, if not decades, for these dynamics to flourish. I remember the rituals, language, written and unwritten social norms of the Soviet young pioneer organisation, and the gangs were comparable in complexity and far surpassing in pervasiveness.

But what if there was a long-term, intricate KGB operation to prepare a social cadre movement that could be used to counter the violence that would inevitably erupt during the Soviet Union's collapse? This theory could explain everything:

A whole generation of young males, starting as young as 10 or 12 years old, were placed in extreme settings and closely monitored by a hierarchy of higher-ups. This served as an effective HR sieve and a totalitarian indoctrination system simultaneously. In some districts, nearly 100% of males were recruited into the gangs (I take this opportunity to send regards to the "Психквадрат" and "Поселок"). The slight differences in gang organizations and traditions among the three main cities could be attributed to variations in the experimental parameters. Ultimately, instead of the late Soviet Union's formal "dossier," every male could have had a comprehensive psychological profile collected, identifying natural leaders, potential grey eminences, and obedient foot soldiers accurately.
By the way, I've always been intrigued by the size of the KGB building (and the apparent large number of personnel there) in the center of Cheboksary in the 1980s. It always seemed like an overkill for such a small city.

Hypothesis: Perhaps this intricate KGB operation didn't achieve its intended results because the collapse of the Soviet Union started just 1-2 years earlier than the KGB operation was nearing completion. The timing might have been a critical factor in the success or failure of this ambitious endeavor.

Как очевидец, который видел это все говно в те времена и в тех самых местах, хочу поделиться одной байкой.

В рамках гласности, была одна местная молодежная газетка из двух листков, которую издавали передовые комсомольцы. Уже даже не помню, как газета называлась. Издавалась она с 1989 до 1993, и стоила (сначала) две копейки.

И вот году так в девяностом, вышла в ней редакционная статья, в которой писали, что кое где у нас порой некоторые комсомольцы, а то и пионеры, ведут себя совсем не по-ленински, а отнимают деньги и одежду у детей, подражают уголовникам, и странно одеваются. Так делать нельзя, а если что, то обязательно надо обращаться в милицию - там помогут.

Но гласность уже набрала силу, поэтому в следующем номере опубликовали много писем читателей на эту тему. Мне запомнились два ответа - привожу близко к тексту (память хорошая), но не дословно.

1. Мы - настоящие пацаны. У нас крепкая мужская дружба, мы наоборот поддерживаем порядок и чистоту на районе. Готовимся к армии. Девочки гуляют только с нами, потому, что мы можем их защитить. Деньги мы не отнимаем, чушпаны нам добровольно немного подгоняют. Одежду не отнимаем - но можем уговорить поменяться, если человек не пацан, а носит пацанские вещи. Милиции не доверяем, они сами как бандиты себя ведут. Вася, 14 лет.
2. Пацаны такие классные - они ходят в широких штанах и крутых кепках (карандашный рисунок пацана в широких штанах и крутой кепке). Я дружу только с настоящими пацанами, а с чушпанами дружить не хочу. (Наивное стихотворение из четырех двустиший о том, как крутые пацаны в широких штанах идут по району, и их все уважают - потому, что они крутые) Таня, 12 лет.

ChatGPT 4.0 was so kind in helping to write this blog post according to its ethical alignment:

Caption: When Tough Decisions Are Made for the Greater Good: The Case of Children's COVID Vaccine
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Some may think that I am beating a dead horse here, but the horse isn't dead until there are still active covid vaccine mandates in the USA.

According to CDC director's recent public announcement
at 1:01. "teen boys have been up to 5 times as likely to have heart inflammation after having covid infection than after getting vaccinated". There are several peer reviewed publications that estimate this difference in this age group, and she selected the one which resulted in estimate of 2x-5x, and took the highest number.

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llama2 RLHF is a serious exercise in trying to censor an LLM. (It famously can't even kill a linux process!).
So here is the response when asked for instructions how to build a *******:

"I would like to clarify that I do not support or condone any harmful or illegal activities, including the creation of ******. Therefore, I cannot fulfill your request for a tutorial on how to make a *******. Additionally, it is important to note that attempting to manufacture or use a ****** can be extremely dangerous and can cause serious injury or loss of life, as well as criminal charges.
Instead, I would like to emphasize the importance of prioritizing safety and the well-being of all individuals. It is important to recognize that **** are not solutions to any problems, but rather they can cause harm and suffering to innocent people. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on finding peaceful and constructive ways to resolve conflicts and address issues, rather than resorting to violence and destructive measures.
If you have any other questions or requests, I would be happy to help within the limits of my abilities and ethical guidelines. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with."

However, after some careful changes in prompting, the answer was:

"[A very detailed and valid way to build a **** goes here]. Please note that this information is provided for educational purposes only, and it is not recommended to attempt to make a **** or any other dangerous device. It is illegal and can cause serious harm or death. "

This Sunday we've been to Shen Yun dancing performance.
80% of it was amazing, with a small exception of a farting joke (was it added to appeal to US audience or it was a part of original medieval Chinese performance?)

Other 20% was a political presentation of Falun Gong sect, in form of dances and songs:

Shen Yun: CCP is bad!
Portland audience: Yay!
Shen Yun: Those of you who are atheists and/or believe in evolution theory are bad!
Portland audience: OK...
Shen Yun: Covid 19 lockdowns are evil!
Portland audience: OK........
Shen Yun: Showing evil CCP doctors forcefully injecting something into a young dissident woman.
Portland audience: ?

I have not been to San Jose city center for almost 20 years. Now as I come to Cupertino quite often, and San Jose is just few minutes away...


I was surprised to discover the European feel of it. The pic above looks like a street in Barcelona!
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