"We did it, Patrick! We made a technological breakthrough!"
A place for all those who loathe AI to discuss things, post articles, and ridicule the AI hype. Proud supporter of working people. And proud booer of SXSW 2024.
AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
(TikTok screencap)
I think actual digital data centers can have value for humanity. You need to store things like Wikipedia and Archive.org and other worthwhile sites and services somewhere.
What is shit is the explosion in "data" centers that are really more like gigawatt space heaters that spit out fake images and wrong statements on the side.
Wikipedia and whole of archive.org probably fit on 1 rack full of drives. 99,999% of what’s on datacenters are literal garbage photos, videos and what not that people don’t delete, and their copies in many other locations for high availability.
Kiwix library is a site where you can download wikipedia, project gutenberg, devdocs, and other stuff like that as .zim files, which you can open with the kiwix software and basically browse the sites offline/locally
Yeah, I know the perversion of words is a regular thing (for various malicious or random reasons), but the the current use of "AI" and "data certes" really keeps fucking me mid communication (evey time I hear "AI" I think "oh, non-AI-AI").
The last time this happened as much (iirc) was the word "literally" (as in 'it literally keeps fucking me mid communication').
So yes, data centres (libraries) are important, including managing risks of such centres (eg de/centralisation, concentration, etc).
I would say intelligence is important too but ... I lack the evidence.
Literally has meant figuratively longer than literally only meant objectively.
Touche.
Alas, I did not touch you!
Funny how words grow and change with use 😁
No, that was an invitation, do touch.
Have you ever seen a Cybertruck in the parking lot of the public library? Thought so.
The replies on this thread are absolutely fascinating. How can people be against physical books is a riddle to me.
Right?!
I saw someone post recently that if libraries were invented today they’d never be allowed to exist and I fear that’s correct.
I threw my back out this weekend moving boxes and boxes of my family's books. Other than weight and shelf space, I have no complaints about paper books.
I used to shelve books for a living. I just love being in libraries. I like how quite they are... I love that people there have a purpose and it is noble. I love how it is the number one weapon against fascism. I love libraries. It is no wonder why they are defunding them in the USA. We are a disgusting people. I live in the arm pit of the world.
Bro. IDK about other countries, but In India, Library Owners have changed the definition of Libraries. Now it is basically a room with desks and computers where people come to study with their own study material instead of having their own collection of books, study material (neither physical nor digital). It is a nice place to study but it ain't a library, it is just a study room for fuck's sake.
Where in India? I've never seen this in the South.
Pune, Mumbai, NCR, Jaipur. These are the places where I have searched for a library and found study rooms instead. Normal Libraries still exist but they are not doing well in Tier 1 cities.
Sheesh. You can always find books in a library in Chennai. In fact there are lending libraries where they only lend.
I visited Chennai Book Fair 2 years ago. Man they have a big reading culture. I loved it. We middies and northies are still stuck with cow politics lol.
disagreed if it weren't for digital media I wouldn't have learned what I know today
Libraries are a lot more than books though.
Library of things gang.
I borrowed a Theramin, garden weasel, and a circular saw all in the same week doing a backyard garden project (the theramin was for fun)
I'd be down with publicly funded digital libraries.
Libby is amazing for anyone who hasn't discovered it yet. It's likely your library supports it.
Libby + State library card = access to everything it seems
Many states have them in the US. If you’re here check and see if your state does. It’s free and beyond useful
...that looks more like a half-price books than a library...
Yeah, there are no call numbers. Seems to be a used bookstore.
edit: used book store? Wikipedia seems to agree with "Used bookstore", but it's not the bookstore that's used, it's the books...
Furry pr0n digital data centres (non-AI) are culturally important too - and it's just not possible to print out everything, there is way too much stuff.
Won't you think of the poor furries?
Who do you think keeps all the internet infrastructure up & running??
I'm half-expecting to see a full-torso apparition in that photo. Maybe some symmetrical book stacking, like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947.
You're right, no human being would stack books that way.
“Get her!” 👻