Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - It's the end of the world as we know it

[Denny Crane]

The Gaza strip is extremely densely populated and is less than half the size of louth with a population of nearly 2mill.
Where exactly are the battlegrounds? And what exactly is the alternative?

What was should the response have been to the Oct attack?

(I can definitely agree that it's gone ott, but you'd hardly say, there should have been none?) We're hardly going to say it's fine to pop over, have a terrorist attacks, leave with hostages, and live with impunity because they've embedded themselves with civilians?

[6starpool]

I guess Hamas didn't consider the civilian casualties when they launched the Oct attack.

Hamas couldn't give 2 fucks about the civilian population.

[Denny Crane]

Hamas couldn't give 2 fucks about the civilian population.

That's kinda one of my points. Hitch cares more than the people who drove the deaths in the first place.

[Opr]

I find it crazy that we have somehow ended up with someone in the market with almost unlimited resources willing to spend so much money to train these models and opensource them.

Posting this made me wonder what are the costs involved. The numbers are mindboggling. Just the equipment buys alone this year.

Zuckerberg said. “By the end of this year, we’re going to have around 350,000 Nvidia H100s."

The 350,000 number is staggering, and it’ll also cost Meta a small fortune to acquire. Each H100 can cost around $30,000, meaning Zuckerberg’s company needs to pay an estimated $10.5 billion just to buy the computing power, not to mention paying all the electricity costs

I guess that pales into insignificance to the $200bn he got wiped off the share price when he explained these plans on his investors call yesterday.

Fuck them Mark, it is just money, you are on one of the greatest redemption arc's in history.

[6starpool]

That's kinda one of my points. Hitch cares more than the people who drove the deaths in the first place.

Hamas are 'the terror organisation' and no better would be expected from them (and they are deplorable scum in their tactics), but Israel are supposedly the responsible state who are indiscriminately killing tens of thousands. It's a bit more than 'ott' as you say.

I don't think there is or will be any likely resolution as both sides aims (from what I know of it, which isn't a huge amount) are not mutually compatible. There is no way that Israel will give over any of the land they have settled, and there is no split of land that can be achieved that both would accept (even if it were that simple, which it very much is not). Without a long term settlement (which seem impossible) these events will keep happening.

[eamonhonda]

That's kinda one of my points. Hitch cares more than the people who drove the deaths in the first place.

I think his point was we need to stop killing civilians and kids and do what needs to happen to minimise or stop that.
.

There's ways to go about a war vs Hamas different than the way Israel are going about it mass killing civilians. It might be longer and more difficult, but these are actual people, they are worth saving.

Some shocking takes in here

[Opr]

[Raoul Duke III]

The spa in our Milanese hotel features, amongst all the usual crap, 'emotional showers'.

I'm intrigued.

[6starpool]

The spa in our Milanese hotel features, amongst all the usual crap, 'emotional showers'.

I'm intrigued.

A group of italians will cry and funnel their tears down onto you. Better than a golden shower I guess.

[Theresa]

Those justifying Israels actions, what is the end game here for Israel in your mind? Where does it go?

They've clearly shown they have absolutely no regard for Palestinian life, and I really don't think that can't be argued.

So lets say they are justified in doing what they are doing, and the end justifies the means and they do root Hamas out... what next?

[zuutroy]

In an effort to spend less time at screens, Ive gotten into vintage watch repair. Its really fun! I have successfully stripped down and put back together the movement below (which is a Chinese clone of a Swiss movement) without wrecking it. For reference of the scale its about 4 cm in diameter. Im currently combing eBay to find something fairly basic that isn't working to see if I can bring it back to life. One annoying thing is how incrdibly easy it is to lose parts. You pick up a spring with a tweezers and then all of a sudden its not there anymore and you're on hands and knees with a magnet! The floor has never been cleaner.

ne4bymmgaera1.jpg

[Hectorjelly]

Those justifying Israels actions, what is the end game here for Israel in your mind? Where does it go?

They've clearly shown they have absolutely no regard for Palestinian life, and I really don't think that can't be argued.

So lets say they are justified in doing what they are doing, and the end justifies the means and they do root Hamas out... what next?

The big issue which Denny and Raoul are either ignoring or haven't realised is that they won't root out Hamas, its an impossible task. The more people they kill, the more sympathy for Hamas they beget, both inside Palestine and outside. No single event will create more terrorists than what is happening now; in the long run, it's hugely detrimental to Israel's safety.

There's a good anecdote from the SIS in Afghanistan, they estimated there were 4k Taliban in a certain area, they launched a massive military campaign to root them out, 50,000 deaths later it was estimated there were 15,000 Taliban there.

[eamonhonda]

The big issue which Denny and Raoul are either ignoring or haven't realised is that they won't root out Hamas, its an impossible task. The more people they kill, the more sympathy for Hamas they beget, both inside Palestine and outside. No single event will create more terrorists than what is happening now; in the long run, it's hugely detrimental to Israel's safety.

There's a good anecdote from the SIS in Afghanistan, they estimated there were 4k Taliban in a certain area, they launched a massive military campaign to root them out, 50,000 deaths later it was estimated there were 15,000 Taliban there.

[Theresa]

The big issue which Denny and Raoul are either ignoring or haven't realised is that they won't root out Hamas, its an impossible task. The more people they kill, the more sympathy for Hamas they beget, both inside Palestine and outside. No single event will create more terrorists than what is happening now; in the long run, it's hugely detrimental to Israel's safety.

There's a good anecdote from the SIS in Afghanistan, they estimated there were 4k Taliban in a certain area, they launched a massive military campaign to root them out, 50,000 deaths later it was estimated there were 15,000 Taliban there.

Exactly, and this is what I was alluding to... the end game... if this continues, is genocide.

"rooting them out" - ok, kill them all.
And then kill those that come behind?
And then those that come behind?
When does that stop?

At a certain point...it is no more Palestinians. That is the only "safe" outcome for Israel if this strategy is to continue, and anyone saying otherwise is ignorant to this or naive.

[Theresa]

I mean maybe Israels strategy is to oppress the populace so much that they themselves find Hamas unsupportable.
But this is a bet against revenge, stubbornness and self righteousness. Seems like a bad bet from my own experience with humans for 36 years.

[Opr]

Some crazy videos floating around on twitter from Wicklow last night. Obviously we don't see the context in the lead up to them rushing the crowd but it seems OTT.

[Lazare]

Some crazy videos floating around on twitter from Wicklow last night. Obviously we don't see the context in the lead up to them rushing the crowd but it seems OTT.

Flamethrowers wouldn't be OTT.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Is there only one party in the conflict?

who is dropping bombs on the playgrounds? let's start with that question. that we can get into more esoteric questions. if you are instantly skipping past the group that are dropping bombs and blaming the group that are being bombed, then you aren't really choosing to think about the people as real people, but as some abstract geopolitical game.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Some crazy videos floating around on twitter from Wicklow last night. Obviously we don't see the context in the lead up to them rushing the crowd but it seems OTT.

That is genuinely beautiful to see. Like I've got a non-tear-gas tear in my eye with joy seeing those racist fucks being pummeled to the ground without an ounce of mercy.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

In an effort to spend less time at screens, Ive gotten into vintage watch repair. Its really fun! I have successfully stripped down and put back together the movement below (which is a Chinese clone of a Swiss movement) without wrecking it. For reference of the scale its about 4 cm in diameter. Im currently combing eBay to find something fairly basic that isn't working to see if I can bring it back to life. One annoying thing is how incrdibly easy it is to lose parts. You pick up a spring with a tweezers and then all of a sudden its not there anymore and you're on hands and knees with a magnet! The floor has never been cleaner.

ne4bymmgaera1.jpg

That is deeply brilliant! love it.

[Lazare]

That is deeply brilliant! love it.

Yeah, it sounds like a wonderful hobby.

More Lester Freamon than Nick Sobotka though.

[Denny Crane]

who is dropping bombs on the playgrounds? let's start with that question. that we can get into more esoteric questions. if you are instantly skipping past the group that are dropping bombs and blaming the group that are being bombed, then you aren't really choosing to think about the people as real people, but as some abstract geopolitical game.

I'm just confused why you skip over the group that precipitated the latest violence. It's like there's only a single group involved in all of this. I haven't seen you express this level of concern about the children that were murdered or taken hostage in October. I think anyone that has blind blame or support for one side in any of this is myopic. It's a perpetual war that no one wins.

[Denny Crane]

This is a cool insight into automatic watches

https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I'm just confused why you skip over the group that precipitated the latest violence. It's like there's only a single group involved in all of this. I haven't seen you express this level of concern about the children that were murdered or taken hostage in October. I think anyone that has blind blame or support for one side in any of this is myopic. It's a perpetual war that no one wins.

Like, literally nobody here is taking the 'hamas side' - its about the slaughtering of tens of thousands of kids and women (and indeed men, but they normally don't get a look in on these things and tend to be presumed worthy kills until proven otherwise).

But this has also been explained enough times by enough people today, that its almost seeming like bad faith to claim its about 'support for one side'.

As in, I suspect you fully know that people are making a humanitarian point here and are instead choosing to claim it is something else.

[Denny Crane]

its almost seeming like bad faith to claim its about 'support for one side'.

Apologies if I misinterpreted your posts.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Apologies if I misinterpreted your posts.

Wtf?

We've got another few days, at least, of willfully ignoring each other's points. Those pricks in the middle east deserve at a minimum this.

[zuutroy]

This is a cool insight into automatic watches

https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/

Yea I had read that. Incredibly helpful and detailed. The diagrams are brilliant.

[Raoul Duke III]

@sp, walked in to this place this morning and they had a rake of Marco's produce. The dude said he knew Marco but didn't know his wife was Irish. Very genial conversation but no discount forthcoming.

[Raoul Duke III]

That is genuinely beautiful to see. Like I've got a non-tear-gas tear in my eye with joy seeing those racist fucks being pummeled to the ground without an ounce of mercy.

Would say the beating was justified on the grounds of your man's haircut alone.

If you ever wondered 'where does all the money in Italy end up?', the answer is 'Milan'. Incredibly affluent (or at least in the parts we've been hanging out in).

[Opr]

That is genuinely beautiful to see. Like I've got a non-tear-gas tear in my eye with joy seeing those racist fucks being pummeled to the ground without an ounce of mercy.

I don't think it is that black and white. Sure this mob has a component of complete scum but from what I understand many of the protests had been peaceful up to a point. Sorry about the source twitter that I am posting the interview from but it has nothing to do with the interview itself, here. It seems a far more complex situation than you are distilling it down into from knowing next to no context. I am not even saying the guy in the interview should be trusted because he clearly has his own agenda but I think for someone who preaches about violence breeding violence to look at this clip gleefully seems odds. Are we at the stage where the guards now have carte blanche to use whatever force the want when dealing with protests?

[Denny Crane]

@sp, walked in to this place this morning and they had a rake of Marco's produce. The dude said he knew Marco but didn't know his wife was Irish. Very genial conversation but no discount forthcoming.

Is it worth trying to ship it home or is the delivery prohibitively expensive?

[Strewelpeter]

@sp, walked in to this place this morning and they had a rake of Marco's produce. The dude said he knew Marco but didn't know his wife was Irish. Very genial conversation but no discount forthcoming.

The Keyword is Agnese (Ag - Nay - Cee) She's the matriarch and the one all the customers know, She's No1Son's MIL

Marco D' is named for the local artist who was Leonardo's No 1 student and collaborator and a master in his own right

[elbows]

Just back from a few wonderful days in Scotland. Muirfield was as I remembered it from 25 years ago. Not spectacular but possibly the best laid out golf course I’ve played. Greens were so pure. Full on HHE lunch in jacket and tie after. Drinking Pomerol and Montrachet for £50 a bottle. North Berwick was spectacular and some truly bizarre holes. Slight gripe that the greens weren’t great but the setting more than made up for it. Would highly recommend both but you need deep pockets and plan about 2 years in advance.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I don't think it is that black and white. Sure this mob has a component of complete scum but from what I understand many of the protests had been peaceful up to a point. Sorry about the source twitter that I am posting the interview from but it has nothing to do with the interview itself, here. It seems a far more complex situation than you are distilling it down into from knowing next to no context. I am not even saying the guy in the interview should be trusted because he clearly has his own agenda but I think for someone who preaches about violence breeding violence to look at this clip gleefully seems odds. Are we at the stage where the guards now have carte blanche to use whatever force the want when dealing with protests?

ah now:

- they turned up to be racist (you can even hear someone in the crowd in the video shouting 'they're rapists and murderers, the standard racist trope)

- they were being violent and starting fires, which could easily escalate if not controlled

- they were ordered to disperse and didn't disperse, so from that point were breaking the law

- the remainder of the twitter stream of the guy who posted the video itself is beyond shocking - and people like that have a strong strong strong legacy of posting doctored videos: the fact it wasn't a live stream, when it could have been, suggests something has been edited out

- the gardai have been the picture of restraint to date, despite multiple serious injuries to gardai, so I'd be willing to trust them that they felt they had good cause

[Raoul Duke III]

The Keyword is Agnese (Ag - Nay - Cee) She's the matriarch and the one all the customers know, She's No1Son's MIL

Marco D' is named for the local artist who was Leonardo's No 1 student and collaborator and a master in his own right

LOL, that might explain why yer man looked at me funny when I claimed the Irish connection.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

LOL, that might explain why yer man looked at me funny when I claimed the Irish connection.

This is your first trip abroad with the kids at home? All going grand?

[Raoul Duke III]

This is your first trip abroad with the kids at home? All going grand?

No, we went to London before. No reports of explosions anyway.

[Opr]

ah now:

- they turned up to be racist (you can even hear someone in the crowd in the video shouting 'they're rapists and murderers, the standard racist trope)

- they were being violent and starting fires, which could easily escalate if not controlled

- they were ordered to disperse and didn't disperse, so from that point were breaking the law

- the remainder of the twitter stream of the guy who posted the video itself is beyond shocking - and people like that have a strong strong strong legacy of posting doctored videos: the fact it wasn't a live stream, when it could have been, suggests something has been edited out

- the gardai have been the picture of restraint to date, despite multiple serious injuries to gardai, so I'd be willing to trust them that they felt they had good cause

Why are you putting a conversational reply in bullet points, its weird.

I already said the crowd had some really bad elements. Many of them are imported professional protestors. I mean if you want to take an extreme example, you don't go bombing civilian populations just because they are close to the terrorists.

The escalation in tensions which led to that night seem to have been on the back of repeated attempts to actually engage with the government on the issue. Peaceful protest have been ongoing for weeks mainly from widespread local opposition. These are not based on racism but locals wanting to know where are the facilities to cope with setting up this encampment in an area already struggling with resources. I think these are reasonable questions. The government seemed to have forced the issue by showing up with riot police and deciding they are bussing them in regardless of opposition.

They may well be in the right around that decision but without transparency the trust placed in governments decisions are something I find head scratching, this is the same government that bused them from the City centre up the side of a mountain and handed them tents to setup.

Tangentially, these are mental comments from Sunak.

Rishi Sunak says migrants going to Ireland shows Rwanda scheme is working as a deterrent | Politics News | Sky News

[BennyHiFi]

Given the talk of watchmaking I thought this might be of interest to those who haven't seen it yet.

The world's most complicated watch. Just revealed a couple of weeks ago. A commission, so one of a kind Probably from a Chinese collector I'd imagine given the prominence of the Chinese calendar.

Anyway, pretty spectacular stuff. Near 3,000 components. 11 years in the making including one master matchmaker a whole year to assemble.

I'm always intrigued about watch photography. Almost as much as watch making

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

The escalation in tensions which led to that night seem to have been on the back of repeated attempts to actually engage with the government on the issue. Peaceful protest have been ongoing for weeks mainly from widespread local opposition. These are not based on racism but locals wanting to know where are the facilities to cope with setting up this encampment in an area already struggling with resources. I think these are reasonable questions. The government seemed to have forced the issue by showing up with riot police and deciding they are bussing them in regardless of opposition.

Whats with the bullet point thing? was just to show they were separate points

There is no local opinion other than 'not here' (and seemingly shouting that the people are rapists and murderers). How do you engage with that?

The reality is its not about resources. Its about being racist. Unless you could maybe point to a specific realistic demand that was made whereby if resources are provided then its all good. I suspect you don't turn up screaming that people you don't know are rapists and murderers if what you are really concerned with is GP access.

Nevermind the fallacy of keeping somewhere small because of lack of resources. Resources flow to places that have people, not to places that don't have people. The problem is that these places aren't currently big enough to justify more resources and need to find a way to grow bigger.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Watched ET today with the kids and its still a supersolid watch. Proper belter of a movie.

[Emmet]

Is there only one party in the conflict?

Are there only 2?

Do you equate Hamas and Palestinian?

Because I think the key point is that those that do are finding vindication of the actions of the Israeli state easy, whilst those that can see the distinction find it a little less easy to make peace with the indiscriminate response.

[Opr]

Whats with the bullet point thing? was just to show they were separate points

There is no local opinion other than 'not here' (and seemingly shouting that the people are rapists and murderers). How do you engage with that?

The reality is its not about resources. Its about being racist. Unless you could maybe point to a specific realistic demand that was made whereby if resources are provided then its all good. I suspect you don't turn up screaming that people you don't know are rapists and murderers if what you are really concerned with is GP access.

Nevermind the fallacy of keeping somewhere small because of lack of resources. Resources flow to places that have people, not to places that don't have people. The problem is that these places aren't currently big enough to justify more resources and need to find a way to grow bigger.

The locals in that area have been asking for more resources long before any of this started. It has been the fastest growing village in Ireland from Census data since 2016.

I am steel manning this because I am absolutely sick of listening to these completely one sided views. There is a grey area here where I can say my heart goes out to the people seeking a safe place in Ireland while recognising that we are failing spectacularly by sicking them near a tiny village in the bog hole of nowhere. The idea that the resources will come are laughable within how the country is coping currently.

In retrospect, whatever far right agitators where in that crowd got exactly what they wanted with that garda reaction the other night. The protest are now even larger, you have given them fuel to spread and created huge ill will within the community.

[Strewelpeter]

The locals in that area have been asking for more resources long before any of this started.

So has every other community in Ireland, there are many places very much more deprived , NMK gets it gets its fair share.

[MysteryGuest]

Any sensible person would rather go to Rwanda then be shipped to Ballyhaunis tbf

[Strewelpeter]

Just up the road from me we have a 800 plus people coming soon to a purpose built temporary accommodation facility a couple of miles outside Naas and another one has opened out in Punchestown.
Absolute crowd of absolute scummers that congregating littering the place and harassing local people and workers going about their business.

Can't find the pic now, but a a while ago I saw a screenshot of a thread from the facebook group of the vermin that were organising protests at Punchestown, the theme of which was claiming that da gubbernment were lying about it being used to shelter Ukrainians and that it was going to be all Muslims and Nigerians etc. etc.
In the days before it opened some moron then posts in the thread a picture of some signage from the facility that was printed in Ukrainian and English "This makes my blood boil" he says "Look at how they have gone to the cost of having these signs printed in Ukrainian to try and fool people into thinking this place will be used for Ukrainians "



The facility has been housing exclusively Ukrainian families since it opened.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

They stuck a few hundred in beside us here and the only way I heard about it was from a lad I work with from the same area who was gleeful about the recruitment gain for his local football team.

meh, theres all manner of ways to say one situation is different to the other, but I suspect its mainly that certain groups of locals are more susceptible to racist views, or more precisely let a minority of racists snowball their support.

There's vastly more communities around the country who have accepted their share without a peep, nor a news story, because fundamentally most of us see the humanity in the situation.

every single housing scheme in the country is also objected to by locals on the grounds of lack of resources. its a standard trope, used mainly because its ill-defined. i'd highly suspect that if people had a specific set of achievable resource requests then that would be fulfilled (extra locum nurses, extra bus frequencies). but its not actually about that ... you don't try to burn down accommodation for homeless people because you're worried that you might have to wait an extra day to be told by your GP that your cold is, in fact, a cold.

must say though I am glad they are finally cracking down on the immigration routes and hopefully they go much further and much faster, but thats a separate thing to whether everyone needs to play their part and not scream 'murderers and rapists' at people they have no idea of.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

lets not forget also that this all started with protesting against Ukrainians. literally mothers and children. wasn't it in Birr that mothers and children were being brought into an accommodation centre with local scumbags literally screaming at little kids. almost certainly little kids who a year or two ago were happily at home with their mum and their dad and their steady happy lives, and now their dads are fighting in an existential war and they're being shipped into an empty warehouse in the dark of night to live on makeshift campbeds. Thats who the locals were screaming at ...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

although, and my last post on the matter, theres also no denying that these views are uncomfortably widely felt. so we'll have to find a way of fixing them in some sort of compromising way, as history tells us that people don't just randomly decide to give up views like this. which has all manner of implications for elections and power dynamics. far too many european countries ripped apart by extreme right wing parties holding the balance of power and we've the genesis of that here. i suspect we need politicians who are a bit more forgiving that we are, and willing to talk about some sort of middle ground! thats why they're paid the big bucks

[Opr]

Fun little quiz, meh 28. The people in the comments are liars! Although the fact that Robbie Jaw Lew is the top comment saying she got 35/36 is funny. She is he woman from the J4 cheating scandal with Garret.

[Lazare]

Concerned citizens, genuine concerns, lack of resources yada yada yada. GTFO.

It's pure and simple ignorance. Racist ignorance and xenophobia.

There is an element of them that are confused and misguided and are otherwise decent people but the ring leaders are absolute dirty scum.

[oleras]

The only solace one can take from it all is that its not unique to Ireland, this is the same the world over for some reason...A conspiracy nut would call it the great replacement, some would say its because we burn turf, who knows but one thing is for sure, like the tide, it cant be stopped. May you live in interesting times.

Now, i must restock the shelter supplies...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Have three two day work trips coming up in London and got the bright idea to book lowbrow plays for the evening between the two days. Guys and Dolls booked for the first trip, Back to the Future - The Musical booked for the second trip, and pondering Hamilton for the third trip. The price for a single ticket is normally cheap as chips, but Hamilton is really quite expensive even on a Monday. Is it worth the big bucks? Is there another low level musical type thing thats worth considering?

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Sam says fuck you, this ride only goes up from here.

Was that the 20VC podcast? Just listening to that while dropping kids to parties today and, yeah, it seems nailed on that the coming models are substantially better than what we have. Like they've zero doubt we've great things coming, and soon.

Link here for anyone interested: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wzpTQTfUUgCakTiLY5s1C

[Opr]

Was that the 20VC podcast? Just listening to that while dropping kids to parties today and, yeah, it seems nailed on that the coming models are substantially better than what we have. Like they've zero doubt we've great things coming, and soon.

Link here for anyone interested: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wzpTQTfUUgCakTiLY5s1C

The clip I posted is from a talk he gave at Stanford recently. I have heard clips from that podcast you posted. Its the one where he says they are going to steamroll most existing AI businesses with leaps in intelligence. He justifies this by saying companies should be planning with the leap of intelligence in mind and not building products around what AI can do now. That all sounds great but won't GPT6 stream roll them? Isn't the end game AI does it all.

I see they have setup some kind of AI security board in anticipation of the new GPT release. The makers of the technology will be the ones directly policy. Sounds like a great plan

Notably, no open source representation on the board.

[dinekes]

Nice long hike in the mountains. - surprisingly few people up there today...a few chats along the way...everyone in good form ....roll on Summer!

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

The clip I posted is from a talk he gave at Stanford recently. I have heard clips from that podcast you posted. Its the one where he says they are going to steamroll most existing AI businesses with leaps in intelligence. He justifies this by saying companies should be planning with the leap of intelligence in mind and not building products around what AI can do now. That all sounds great but won't GPT6 stream roll them? Isn't the end game AI does it all.

That was the one. He was on with his colleague. I'm conscious of something you said before that he never really says anything, but I'm fully in awe of him and the space he has created for himself in history. He seems to have a rather fantastic way about himself - quite a bit self deprecating and yet clearly nailed on confident about the stuff he knows well. Seems quite different to the way a standard CEO speaks.

I guess theres a decent endgame for startups being really good targeted wrappers for general AI services aimed at specific sectors and solving the unique problems of that sector (fingers crossed )

[Opr]

That was the one. He was on with his colleague. I'm conscious of something you said before that he never really says anything, but I'm fully in awe of him and the space he has created for himself in history. He seems to have a rather fantastic way about himself - quite a bit self deprecating and yet clearly nailed on confident about the stuff he knows well. Seems quite different to the way a standard CEO speaks.

I guess theres a decent endgame for startups being really good targeted wrappers for general AI services aimed at specific sectors and solving the unique problems of that sector (fingers crossed )

When I said I think he never really says anything, I wasn't implying he is some dumb CEO manager type without much technical knowledge. I think he is so savvy that everything he says is a collection of well chosen thoughts curated in advance so in that sense, I come away feeling I never really learn anything new. I think that has been a fairly recent development since that whole saga around him getting ousted from the company and then getting reinstated. He is definitely a sharp and pretty much everyone says he is one of the shrewdest operators currently in tech.

I am reading Kara Swisher's new book, Burn Book, it is really interesting read which gives her no holds barred perspective on the different tech leaders through the last few decades.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

When I said I think he never really says anything, I wasn't implying he is some dumb CEO manager type without much technical knowledge. I think he is so savvy that everything he says is a collection of well chosen thoughts curated in advance so in that sense, I come away feeling I never really learn anything new. I think that has been a fairly recent development since that whole saga around him getting ousted from the company and then getting reinstated. He is definitely a sharp and pretty much everyone says he is one of the shrewdest operators currently in tech.

I am reading Kara Swisher's new book, Burn Book, it is really interesting read which gives her no holds barred perspective on the different tech leaders through the last few decades.

oh no i didn't think that based on what you said, just more that he never gives anything away.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

What has stuck in my head after that podcast earlier is the certainty they feel around how reliable power laws of scaling will hold up for future iterations of models. Like, they seemed to be feeling there is certainty for not only GPT 5, but also near certainty for GPT 6 and beyond. My vague non-technical understanding is that the likes of Yann LeCunn doesn't think that scaling laws will keep up (and in general thats a big belief divider in the industry), while Sam and co seem to think that scaling can bring us all the way to AGI.

Actually got an eery sense from that podcast that its not that the models have slowed down in terms of capabilities at all, but rather that they want us to first get used to low level GPT models, like 4, just to habituate us before the big whack of the 'proper models'.