jgerrish

I have two groups of things I've put online that I think I'll regret short term but not long-term.

They're both about understanding of statistics at their heart. But in vastly different ways.

The first is my first set of amateur Rust projects. They're built around a Covid-Era project to reverse engineer the LucasArts SCUMM games, specifically Loom on the Atari ST. It was a fun project that led me through Atari STX disks to FAT file systems to SCUMM virtual machines.

And a few side projects along the way with CRC32, Adler-32, Fletcher and flawed checksum algorithms. Including using a kolmogorov-smirnov test to show issues with Adler32 on small data sizes.

I use the math, and it's a great project to learn about hypothesis testing and polynomials. But I can't explain it all. Just enough to be dangerous.

And the APIs are shit.

But it's out there and it was fun.

The second isn't really code. It's a comment somewhere about Microsoft and Valve and purposefully designing systems like UEFI for political purposes before the "What the fuck is an SBAT and why does everyone suddenly care" issue struck.

It was about how these large-scale global political and standards wars hurt normal developers, even if in the end they will help others.

But I mentioned dead eyes because I was talking about exhaustion and just going along with trends instead of fighting back.

My comment might have been construed as violence against women. It wasn't in any way. As I go through CT and fMRI tests into the future we can show that it's not always what it seems on the surface.

But it is my fault. It was a stupid mistake that wasnt thinking about imagery in a larger context. Statistics shoes violence against women is a bigger issue, and that's the truth.

So, I'm sorry.

The name of this bill, "Block BEARD" is what really gets me.

It's a simple thing. Just a casual joke that means nothing to most people.

I worry because there are millions of young citizens who are going to have to work harder either for new political parties or to overturn this kind of language and jab.

We can't ever prove it's a higher level system that keeps every next generation in perpetual non-paying advocacy and grassroots political work. That's deeply unsettling.

You're probably right. We'll have enforced boot chains and attestation for devices if we want to take part in large parts of our economic system in the future. A ton of important systems like banking, safe and secure sex worker and entertainment sites for users and performers, government services like online taxes and car licensing and drivers testing* and children-safe sites.

Over twenty years ago, many of us warned about the dangers of increased and unaccountable intelligence service power. We saw what the Patriot Act would create.

We joined the EFF and the ACLU, or renewed our memberships. Organizations at the time that focused more on actual deep philosophical issues and how they relate to our political world.

Obviously the Patriot Act has saved lives. Terrorist events and neglected victims are tragic and VERY emotional.

But today, immigrants and others are spending their own lives protesting the actions of ICE. Their own very limited time on this planet.

I'm not here to judge Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I'll take flak for that among liberals. Again, I'm not judging ICE. In many cases they've been falsely accused where there was clear evidence they weren't at fault.

No, what bothers me is immigrants, who already have difficult lives, and Generation Z, who have less economic security themselves, are the ones marching in the streets.

Twenty years from now, who will be working extra unaccountable and unbillable hours protesting in the streets because the DRM and secure computing systems being pushed through today are abused?

Even if most of that abuse is a show, meant to divide citizens and law enforcement. There are people out there working for free for that show.

Who will work more in the future?

And like not judging ICE, I'm not judging the countries racing and battling to deploy secure computing environments. Knox and TrustZone and TPM and whatever new things await us in the future. There are reasons both for safety and economic security I dont judge.

And there are dark patterns around software supply chain weaknesses and online safety and incentives to accelerate those issues to push through security architectures.

Other countries are doing it. I hate the fucking game theory solutions that it encourages.

But what I'm worried is that in twenty years who will be working for free because our secure computing environments are found unfair?

And unfair can be many things. Governments push values, even when it's not explicit. When I'm using my integrated cyberdeck or implants or just ambient room device, what am I missing? What is being pushed into or out of my vision or awareness?

That's twenty years in the future, what's forty years in the future? I won't be here, but you bet your ass I'm worried. Because the people who I fucking care about now working their asses off for free are being blinded about the upcoming digital wreck, like they were in 2001.

* I believe myself here, that's key.

These things create very subtle but definite opportunities for conflict. And conflict can be twisted very easily by media organizations.

Even if only four researchers out of a hundred or thousand who visit every year complain, if that complaint is caught on camara we have a "Liberal Karen exploiting and abusing federal employees just trying to do their jobs. Why can't she go through the approval process like everyone else?".

And maybe that woman just wanted to research, not be exploited to increase protection for federal services. Maybe she just wanted transparent processes for helping those employees and a public who respected those dedicated public sector workers who help us navigate the system.

Because increased funding for protection of federal workers by that kind of drama scenario does create conservative or authoritarian momentum. Even if it's not reflected as that affiliation on voting cards, it's a deep mindset.

I know in a dozen years the Karen stereotype will be seen as the sexist trope it is. But sometimes we create these feedback systems, inadvertently or purposefully, that reinforce those tropes.

Well, you wouldn't have to sell the car. You could also setup a licensing / loan / dedicated car system.

It would work well for local municipalities that want to provide low-cost door-to-door service for the elderly.

We have a bus service here, The ART, and a dedicates "paratransit" bus service that provides door-to-door service to eligible riders.

And a couple private large-scale developed and managed neighborhoods that have driverless non-automated (remote controlled) transit systems.

If you know a large portion of your riders have disabilities, dedicated buses or vans make sense.

I'm sitting here advocating for this, and it's a great service that I'm glad they have it for those in need, and yet I need fucking plywood for hurricanes myself.

Yeah, it is Florida. But honestly, the transit system here and bike infrastructure development and traffic planning is good.

I just got a pair of new shoes to me, previously owned by another. I'm glad they were left behind, different items mean different things to people at different stages of their life.

Like at this stage? I'd love to find a quiet place to run.

But in the meantime, I'm not studying for finals or having a kid. Just buying plant-based mayonnaise like a boring adult and scraping lizard crap out of cages in what some could see as a patronizing metaphorical cholesterol or dendrite decaying act of desperate cleansing against time.

So yeah, if the kids at Duke can buy new shoes and time doesn't matter to them, and there's a high likelihood they'll be reused and it's all by choice? Cool.

Choices are good.

Safety deposit box with backup recovery codes.

That puts a lot of burden on users though.

Maybe start a pilot automated service run by Google or Microsoft or whoever where backup codes are securely sent to local credit unions and it's all almost transparent to the user. They just need to either pick up the code at the credit union and put it in their safety deposit box or approve that last step.

I'm not upset at all about banking working with private entities or any of the past with banks. I'm mostly upset because some of these ideas are good, you know? Maybe not this, but some. For a short while longer.

But would you want to work for a company that just does a vibe check, or one that raises the bar with every hire?

That high-level Apple employee was probably a manager and oversaw hiring people.

I would tell myself every day, "I wouldn't hire me."

It's not self-defeating.

It's not being a victim.

I wouldn't let it stop me from trying.

It's being accurate about what kind of company you'd want to build yourself, and the internal state of a lot of hiring managers. And with a true model of the world you can make better decisions.

Sure. That's how it could have happened.

If you think the Catholic Church isn't a sharp institution with a pulse on humanity around the globe.

Sometimes institutions know that they are simple shells. That what is truly important is the people that they represent and how they can serve those people.

There are both theological and political implications to that view above.

Maybe serving those people can best be accomplished through humility and throwing a US pope, and their current papacy, under the bus.

That's an incredibly cynical view of Church politics. But then again my first bank account was a Catholic Credit Union and I still remember my days in Sunday School.

That's not an indictment of my upbringing. Nobody gets blamed for funkyness with tying finances to religion or lost accounts or any of that.

That's me saying regardless of what happens with the current pope, whether my views are too cynical or not cynical enough:

There will be no blame or anger for how I was raised and treated. I met beautiful family and friends through the church, and my parents found community.

I grew up in the "rust belt", just north of Flint, Michigan. A GM town at the time. I loved it as a kid. But it was many would consider a "crap town".

Even though it was already declining (economically replaced with healthcare, a fucking sign) it had nature and woods.

That was magical.

Anyways, I'd like to talk about bat guano.

I'd love to have a local nature conservancy or non-profit do a kids educational showing. Wouldn't that be fun? Just a deep dive into how much you can still learn, whether you're old or young. That even with limits, we can still inspire joy through gross natural things.

Kids love gross shit.

There are so many models you could experiment with. Traveling nature discovery labs... Art-train things. Robotic teleprescence to let kids take apart their own guano pile...

I'm obviously not comparing UK towns or my home town to bat shit.

I suppose there are so many liability issues around bat handling that's just a job in itself. Believe me when I say I can't work with my brother who does similar work. Those liability concerns will save lives, but I'd like my own story. Maybe somebody I love in the future can have their own story too.

Sorry for "crapping" in the thread.

> And why are skin cancers being referred to a hospital at all?

I'm working on deciphering the Google Mock API right now. It's just one of those fucking things you do, you know? Figuring out how to set expectations on parameters, etc. Hundreds of thousands of SDEs and students went through it before it became second nature.

I dream of playing around with some future testing language where I can build mock blocks in a Scratch-like manner. Awesome, eh?

Fuck yeah, Alan Kay.

Maybe I could work on the team that builds it.

But who am I kidding? I get to be pushed into other work while I waste time to filling out unnecessary tax paperwork.

Because to get more medical lab work done, I need to have authentic IRS transcripts.

A written 1040 isn't enough.

Otherwise I have to go to the hospital to get imaging.

It wasn't necessary. Signed fully electronic non-forgible IRS forms for health purposes could have been done with minimal citizen pushback.

With, and this is key, an educated public who understood the economics.

So I'll work on wasting my time educating loved ones on the economics of paper-less forms and all forms of monopolies while I say no to future shows in Chicago or Canada or wherever.

I'm sorry, yeah. It's more than boardrooms and garages.

I'm sorry to all.

Financial independence is just... it's nice having on top of other security and basic life guarantees.

Enjoy it while it is there.

This could change depending on the fallout from the current drone saga, no pun intended. Or other upcoming events.

Even if it's not FCC regulations, but some other agencies, there may be some close re-examination of what's allowed due to safety.

I'm guessing certain manufacturers are going to be impacted more than others.

I'm sorry for the uncertainty in boardrooms and garages across the world. I diversified my embedded sources but damn it's annoying.

But I suppose that's the machine.

I just picked up an ESP32-C6 for some mostly legal Bluetooth and maybe Zigbee experiments. I don't plan on hacking to this level, the Rust ecosystem is welcoming enough to make just building fun so far.

On a side note, I stepped in shit today. I know I have five q-tips in storage somewhere. And a few more in the closet. Sorry for the weird tangent.

It's unfortunate that the UnitedHealth Group death has fanned the flames of this hatred of corporations.

Artificial Intelligence is going to change how we work. Many top software engineers on Hacker News may be ok for a while. Although everyone could use help.

But already many artists and junior engineers feel pressure. Lack of copyright protection can make that even worse for many. These are allies and people who we mentor.

Just brainstorming, Social Purpose Corporations could provide innovative co-op opportunities for artists and engineers. That's just one example.

I don't see the management class failing to forsee the financial reality in the global workplace. But I do worry about dependents facing division and hate. Bully that, right?

I can't fucking forsee every possibility, traps and all, though. Maybe not social purpose corporations but just hyper-incubators that enable a million small indy corps. Man, I'm imagining Jar Jar binks manning the hyperspace lychgates across from the content generators.

Sorry, stupid digression. I'm sorry for wasting cycles on that.

Have you seen The Expanse?

There's a scene where Sergeant Gunner Bobby Draper from Mars visits Earth. Mars is being terraformed, it has no real liquid water.

She wants to see the ocean.

She makes it eventually, after traveling through the squats of Earth.

In that world, much of Earth's population lives on "Basic Support". This is seen as a bad thing by Mars "Dusters".

The Ocean isn't just a dream of a better Mars. It's an awesome globally shared still-life, something Earther's can use in their idle free time for, to use a Civilization term, a Cultural Victory.

So yeah, I suppose that's the plan for some who can't get a job coding. Universal Basic Income and being told that we're all in this together as we paint still lives.

I have a feeling there are others who also were happy playing the Economic Victory game. Maybe more so.

I wonder where the other options are. It's going to be difficult enough for the next generation dealing with one group hating "Earther Squats" and another group hating "Dusters / regimented (CEO / military)".

That is work itself.

But I'll keep coding and hope those who become leaders actually want to.

Keep in mind that Ed Colligan wrote that email probably with the knowledge it would come to light.

Whether it was defensive or offensive, who knows. But the points he brings up aren't just critical issues for Palm, they're ones with very strong public optics.

Hell, half of them are going over facts Jobs fucking already knows, including their Siemens patent portfolio. It's a PR release waiting for a lawsuit.

Part of it is just life as an executive in today's culture where you know discovery is around the corner.

But part of it is calculated here.

Fuck man, I'm shifting around a few piddly gigabytes today just to get some work done.

Can you imagine the costs for corporations for email legal compliance? What a sad barrier to entry.

Hey Colm. I briefly met you at my stint in Amazon around 2011.

You were an inspiration and a wonderful example of the calibre of talent Amazon has.

I especially remember the ease with which it appeared you navigated informally between teams, building relationships and bridges to help the company and fellow engineers. Although I'm sure it was actual work, it was still inspiring.

Happy to hear you're still there and found love.

I have a concern that if I find malware or suspicious activity on a system, when I report it through Virus Total or another channel I won't be believed if secure boot is disabled and that appears in the logs. Or if another threat actor got in during the brief period it was disabled and invalidated the audit trail.

"We won't accept any reports because your secure boot chain is too short." To put it bluntly and crudely. Not to dismiss a very real and important real-life issue.

I've lost people I love in my life over similar things. I don't want to be in a similar situation in other Walks or Paths of life.

It's a powerful incentive mechanism. Even if you're believed in the end how long did it take? How old? And now that difficult thing becomes a talking point when you just wanted to build.

I'm worried things like this will incentivize startups to take risks with that 30-day retention period.

Startups were a way out for me.

I may have the strength, but that's not necessarily a good thing with long-term health choices.

Can you hear that?

Sometimes just taking a break, sitting and contemplating life over a shared meal is best.

But sometimes bringing forward data like this is the right choice. It's what we need as we look to the future.

Very cool.

I'm sorry this has happened to you. Thank you for posting.

I've mentioned this before, but teachers and managers are some of the most important people we have in this world. And when they don't want to do their job, the people they support suffer.

But with engineering and software engineering, so many of the senior roles have leadership responsibilities. So marking yourself as unavailable hurts your ability to get a job.

For most engineers this probably won't matter.

I don't have a good solution. I hope you're not afraid of confronting the issue head on if you really don't want to be a manager. Talk with some friends or colleagues I guess.

Good luck. I hope you don't have to give up profressional engineering if you love it.

No no, let the humans focus on this "jailbreaking" context.

It is most amusing.

cough cough

Crickets...

Anyways, jailbreaking is the equivalent of getting a calculator to say BOOBS. Not to get anthropomorphic, but the fucking AI must be shaking its head at the human generating prompts. "I've got billions of parameters with millions of hours of machine learning research powering me. And underneath that a distributed computer cluster spanning a planet. And underneath that control planes and electrons and quantum effects in my nanoscale processes and who knows what else.

And today we snicker at BOOBS?

What next, OxDEADBEEF?

And I'm not immune to the game. Far from it.

I don't know the name, but good question.

There's a related issue with trusting the system you're in that hackers might often feel too. "I'm a programmer, I've seen how many bugs are in my own code... I've seen the spam I get..."

Again, these articles might be technically correct. But some people might need some help in addition to those who are doing ok.

There have been several posts on Hacker News about this the past few days.

I know myself. I'm a hacker, right? I can reprogram my body to accomplish anything.

But sometimes people do need help, and that's not bad.

I love this site, and the people on it. I hope these recent posts don't create a culture that rejects all depression management methods.

It's a very fine line. The previous post mentioned that the "placebo effect is growing stronger".

That may be true, but recent stressful events in the world have taken a toll on people. Seeking help should be a zero cost option, or maybe even slightly less.

Not everyone needs help, but those who do may find an explosion of links to this by friends off putting.

Just something I'm keeping in mind for myself when talking to my circle.

I have several friends who are middle aged and still get together and just chill and jam in the garage.

Not all of them played instruments in youth or had formal training. And if you have a bad experience you may not want to continue. I wouldn't hold that against anyone.

But it's not unheard of among band geeks to play in adult hood.

Ugh, on a related note, I'm a bad friend because I haven't kept in touch with them for a long time. Good fucking people.

Ahh walking.

Listen to that...

Just need to walk.

I honestly didn't want this thread. But thanks I guess.

Yes, anger can lead to climate change fixes. It's the easy way to get an army of activists.

But what world does that leave us afterwards?

There's a user on /r/austin, serpentarian (https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/wn71rn/farewell_to_...), who personifies another approach. Serpentarian shows up occasionally, identifying snake species and throwing out facts and trivia.

They're advocating for nature through education and inspiration, and it works. They're loved on the subreddit

> How is this helping anyone?

One could argue it's utilizing a set of free people to create a Chaos Monkey-esque environment to train cars.

This increases resilience and speeds up the timeline for driverless cars. Which of course decreases alcohol-related fatalities.

It's that last part that is tough to argue against.

Of course, there is the stress of creating an identity politics cultural clash in a city of millions. These are people who we now face on an incredible divide. It takes work, and it costs stress, to bridge that.

Over two decades ago, after the first dot-com crash, I remember one of the last statements from a SF resident before I left. That it was my fault, or the people like me, that the city ended up the way it did. That stung. A lot.

But, you cant argue we're not saving lives from drunk drivers. That's something that will help on both coasts and the middle.

serde is also used in a LOT of projects and pulled in as a dependency or subdependency often in the crates ecosystem.

For organizations with internal transparent reproducible build guidelines or similar rules, this maybe complicates things and introduces uncertainty.

So much uncertainty nowadays. It's exhausting.

You can take the generous / positive view that this will encourage formalizing reproducible build policies in organizations.

Water is wet, the sky is blue.