Links for 2024-09-05

AI:

1. Google presents AlphaProteo: an AI system for designing novel proteins that bind more successfully to target molecules. 🧬https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/alphaproteo-generates-novel-proteins-for-biology-and-health-research/

2. Open-source AlphaFold3 implementation https://github.com/Ligo-Biosciences/AlphaFold3

3. Imitating Language via Scalable Inverse Reinforcement Learning https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.01369

4. There's a new SOTA model on the swe-agent leaderboard. Honeycomb just beat out Amazon Q with 22.06%. Devin's score was just 13.86%. https://honeycomb.sh/blog/swe-bench-technical-report

5. “Introducing Replit Agent - An automated software developer that places you in creative control.” https://x.com/paulg/status/1831746753172762925

6. OpenAI’s Strawberry, LM self-talk, inference scaling laws, and spending more on inference https://www.interconnects.ai/p/openai-strawberry-and-inference-scaling-laws

7. Mind over model: Allen School’s Rajesh Rao proposes brain-inspired AI architecture to make complex problems simpler to solve https://news.cs.washington.edu/2024/08/19/mind-over-model-allen-schools-rajesh-rao-proposes-brain-inspired-ai-architecture-to-make-complex-problems-simpler-to-solve/

8. LongCite: Enabling LLMs to Generate Fine-grained Citations in Long-context QA https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.02897

9. Altman Infrastructure Plan Aims to Spend Tens of Billions in US https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-03/altman-infrastructure-plan-aims-to-spend-tens-of-billions-in-us [no paywall: https://archive.is/OoQoL]

10. Video Game Generation: A Practical Study using Mario https://virtual-protocol.github.io/mario-videogamegen/

Miscellaneous:

1. “The workshop updated me tremendously towards shorter WBE timelines - it might work! - and the diversity of approaches cheered me. Whether WBE could beat AGI remains to be seen. But it seems to be a really worthwhile aim for a long list of reasons.” — Anders Sandberg https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH78wfbGI1x3CQ3wZ4maKYgf68qPpmNLl

2. History of Math, Princeton University, Prof. Kontorovich, 09/03/2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSk63kC9o6U

3. Nanostructures enable on-chip lightwave-electronic frequency mixer https://news.mit.edu/2024/nanostructures-enable-chip-lightwave-electronic-frequency-mixer-0904

Politics:

1. Ezra Karger on what superforecasters and experts think about existential risks https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/ezra-karger-forecasting-existential-risks/

2. “Why poverty is not a major cause of violent crime: within-individual studies” https://inquisitivebird.xyz/p/does-poverty-cause-violent-crime

3. Norwegian cognitive inequality and its social consequences https://www.emilkirkegaard.com/p/norwegian-cognitive-inequality-and

4. “China's nuclear build up is visible from space. Meanwhile, America's nuclear arsenal is aging quickly. China’s intercontinental-range missile launchers, in total, already outnumber America’s 400 silos loaded with 54-year-old Minuteman III missiles.” https://time.com/7016509/us-losing-nuclear-edge-china/

5. Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships? https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-cant-the-us-build-ships

6. The Perils of Isolationism: The World Still Needs America—and America Still Needs the World https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/perils-isolationism-condoleezza-rice [no paywall: https://archive.is/rHK6A]

Russian hybrid warfare:

1. Russian money was funneled to right-wing creators through a pro-Trump media outlet: prosecutors https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/russian-money-was-funneled-right-wing-creators-trump-media-outlet-pros-rcna169611

2. “On Aug. 6th, RFK Jr. got lunch with Scott Ritter. 24 hours later, Ritter's home was raided for FARA violations on behalf of Russia. On Aug. 9, RFK Jr. thanked Tim Pool profusely for his support. Less than a month later, Tim was implicated in a Russian influence operation.” https://x.com/KareemRifai/status/1831524267969679567

3. “In covert action, this is called a Measure of Effectiveness. And this one was a home run. There was champagne poppin in Russian intel HQs, nothing better than Trump on-with their guy! Parroting their actual content! I mean, damn. Russians still eat our lunch at hybrid warfare.” https://x.com/Mpolymer/status/1831500298684359159

4. “[Trump] Junior is asked how to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He says to cut off all aid to Ukraine, which his dad would’ve done a long time ago. He then says Zelensky and other leaders are becoming billionaires stealing aid and don’t care about their soldiers or their country.” https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1745763960635175087

5. The U.S. government charges former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Dimitri Simes with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds. https://apnews.com/article/trump-simes-russia-election-fbi-f0b0fe681c821f735c4e951736f041c8

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How incredibly effective Russian propaganda is can also be seen in the fact that people believe that Russian interference in the 2016 US election campaign was a fabrication. The Republican-led investigation comes to a different conclusion. You can read all about it here: https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/report_volume5.pdf

The Committee found that the Russian government engaged in an aggressive, multifaceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

[...]

The Committee found that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian effort to hack computer networks and accounts affiliated with the Democratic Party and leak information damaging to Hillary Clinton and her campaign for president. Moscow's intent was to harm the Clinton Campaign, tarnish an expected Clinton presidential administration, help the Trump Campaign after Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, and undermine the U.S. democratic process.

But it's not nearly as bad as the situation in the German-speaking world. In America, politicians still openly deny being pro-Russian. Whereas in countries like Germany and Austria, they are openly pro-Russian.

For example, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl literally bowed to Putin and has since moved to Russia. Her ponies flew to Russia on a Russian military transport plane.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was famously rewarded for his pro-Russian policies with highly paid positions in Russian state-owned companies.

German Social Democrat politician Manuela Schwesig worked with a former East German secret police agent to circumvent Western sanctions in favor of Russia.

At a recent convention of Germany's right-wing AfD party, a speaker said he was a Putin fan, and the whole crowd started cheering. The same person, the head of a pro-AfD magazine, also said the following: “Every kilometer that the Russian troops advance brings the day of German freedom closer. We are an occupied country. The Americans are the occupying power. And anything that weakens the Americans is good for Germany.”

To quote a German nationalist and former politician of the right-wing AfD: “If there really is another war against Russia, then yes, we will fight. But our target will not be Moscow. Our target is Berlin.”

I could go on. But you get the idea. When it comes to hybrid warfare, Russia is a true superpower. There is no point in denying it, they are impressively successful at grooming useful idiots.

Ukraine:

1. “Russian strike on Lviv this morning killed everyone in this family but the father, he is now left alone.” https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1831258636057710667

2. "After captivity, I had gallstones, brain injuries, damaged neck vertebrae, rotting fingers, and a dislocated pelvis. I weighed 120 kg before captivity and only 60 after." https://x.com/VolodyaTretyak/status/1830695062457426211

3. A Russian "Lancet" kamikaze drone taken out by an FPV interceptor https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1831594537325564009

4. “Probably Ukrainian USVs entered the area of Novorossiysk, Russia, where the rest of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is stationed. Gun fire can be seen and heard from the port area.” https://x.com/Tendar/status/1831564621347496354

5. Column of four destroyed/damaged Russian Tigr infantry mobility vehicles on the Vuhledar front. By the 72nd Brigade of Ukraine. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v&v=500518839351200

6. Accumulation of destroyed Russian AFVs, including a turtle tank https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1831620701096173610

7. RUAF are advancing near Vuhledar. Lots of photos of destroyed Russian equipment in this thread. https://x.com/OSINTua/status/1831696217216065601

8. Russian assaults near Vuhledar. Lots of infantry simply running toward Ukrainian positions under heavy mortar and artillery fire. Meat waves. https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1831741410820653264

9. “You may wonder why Prechystivka fell so easily, maybe it surprises you. It shouldn't, though. Russia spend months preparing for this attack, systematically destroying Ukrainian defensive positions in the town using precision guided missiles and bombs.” https://x.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1831752215867883655

10. “A Russian strike on several vehicles and persons near Verkhnya Syrovatka. The aftermath shows many casualties near a military truck.” https://x.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1831472297514848280

11. “Several Special Operations Forces units in the Kursk region are delivering coordinated strikes on Russian logistics.” https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1831720570397859860

12. “I'm receiving reports from Pokrovsk that the Russians have significantly intensified their bombing campaign on the city. Numerous strikes have targeted civilian infrastructure and buildings using KABs (aerial-guided bombs). It seems they are planning to demolish the city” https://x.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1831710071140610234

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Categories of Ukraine Supporters:

The Eastern European: From a country that suffered decades under Russian occupation. Doesn't want to give them another chance.

The Finn: Knows that the only thing Russia understands is strength. Has no intention of giving up territory for peace again.

The Defender of International Law: Advocates for a world order where justice prevails over might. Opposes any system based on brute force rather than legal principles.

The Neocon: Believes that Pax Americana has been a great boon to the world. Believes that America should not have stopped at Berlin and Tokyo, but should have taken the opportunity to occupy Moscow and Chongqing. Views the war in Ukraine as a strategic and cost-effective way to weaken a significant adversary.

The Game Theorist: Argues that wars of conquest are less likely when the costs to the aggressor are high. Believes that allowing an adversary to dictate alliances through force encourages further violations of national interests. Warns that yielding to nuclear blackmail sets a dangerous precedent, increasing the likelihood of future nuclear threats and motivating others to pursue nuclear capabilities.

The Pragmatist: Sees the conflict as an opportunity to weaken Russia by keeping its resources tied up in Ukraine, thereby limiting its ability to support hostile regimes like Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea.

The NPC: Supports Ukraine because it's fashionable to do so. Would immediately switch to supporting Russia if that were the new trend.

Categories of Putin fans in my comments across various social networks:

Western far-right or literal Nazis: Supposedly worried about too many Slavs dying in a proxy war. In reality, they are just completely cucked and want to be ruled by the old fucker in the Kremlin who kisses the Koran and thinks diversity is Russia's strength.

Non-Western shitholer: Believes in a multi-polar world order, but is too stupid to understand that it just means becoming China's bitch. Mostly driven by envy because their own place sucks ass.

Guy from St. Petersburg who lives in the West: Got depressed watching The Americans because his job isn't nearly as exciting as Americans think it is.

The neutral Westerner who just wants "peace": Thinks his country is occupied by America. Wants Russia to occupy Ukraine. Completely consumed by hatred of his own civilization. Can't wait to become a CCP minion.