Links for 2023-09-25
“Why AGI is closer than you think” https://www.secondbest.ca/p/why-agi-is-closer-than-you-think
These are the kinds of headlines you would expect to see in the years leading up to the singularity: “Microsoft Cloud hiring to "implement global small modular reactor and microreactor" strategy to power data centers” https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-cloud-hiring-to-implement-global-small-modular-reactor-and-microreactor-strategy-to-power-data-centers/
Multimodal Foundation Models: From Specialists to General-Purpose Assistants https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.10020
“After my own test drive of Auto-GPT, I could understand Crivello’s conviction about the future. If the errors can be ironed out—a fairly big if—I can imagine a future where AI agents help with a lot of chores that currently involve typing into a web browser or moving and clicking a mouse. As with ChatGPT, when Auto-GPT works, it can feel like magic.” https://www.wired.com/story/fast-forward-chatgpt-my-new-chatbot-friend-get-things-done/ [https://archive.ph/QdnMe]
Memory bandwidth constraints imply economies of scale in AI inference https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cB2Rtnp7DBTpDy3ii/memory-bandwidth-constraints-imply-economies-of-scale-in-ai
No Brain, No Problem: Jellyfish shown to learn from past experience for the first time https://phys.org/news/2023-09-jellyfish-shown.html
Pea-sized brain stimulator demonstrated in humans. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.13.23295460v1
Chemistry that regulates whether we stay with what we're doing or try something new https://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2023/09/chemistry-that-regulates-whether-we.html?m=1
Is the Observable Universe a thousand times denser than a black hole of equal size? https://twitter.com/ToughSf/status/1706037958321590656
China’s Manufactured Fukushima Panic https://quillette.com/2023/09/19/chinas-manufactured-fukushima-panic/ [https://archive.ph/wip/WO4Oj]
They Got the Lead Out of Turmeric! https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2023/09/they-got-the-lead-out-turmeric.html
Ukraine links:
“Russian sources report that Ukrainian forces entered Verbove on September 22 & continued attacking the settlement with armored vehicles as of September 24.” https://twitter.com/georgewbarros/status/1706137607300649304
“Can we still see a breakthrough during this year? I find it unlikely, if the Russians keep using their troops in a sensible manner and focus on repelling the Ukrainian attacks. However, incompetence is a big factor which can have significant effects, at least locally.” https://twitter.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1705987788108145095
Finnish national broadcaster got a hold of an old VHS tape from the early 1990s, when Putin and his political mentor, St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak, made a business trip to Finland. https://yle.fi/a/74-20051022
“FPV drones of the joint tactical group "Adam" deliver gifts to the occupiers directly to their dugouts.” https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1706047352061223259