Poverty expert Jason Hickel says the living standards of the poorest of the poor are rising while the living standards of people who are slightly wealthier are falling. In the past, the right wanted to maintain civilized standards of behavior (which was always a lie). The left wanted to radically restructure society to create universalContinue reading “Contemporary fascism is an outgrowth of capitalism”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Manim tutorial
Manim is a Python library that draws math and science animations. You write Python code that says “put a circle here,” “now move it there,” “now turn it into a triangle,” and Manim renders that into an actual video file. How to read this: each section is a concept, a tiny working example, a plain-EnglishContinue reading “Manim tutorial”
The 21st Century Ideology
There’s an assumed metaphysics behind mainstream 21st century thinking on both the left and the right: 1. every individual belongs to a cultural collective, 2. culture determines values and that 3. the values of each culture Platonically emanate out of its religion. On the left, these people argue for multiculturalism. On the right, these peopleContinue reading “The 21st Century Ideology”
Laulai or Neo-Arcadian, language of the breakaway civilization
Draft 8: 6 more typos. Draft 7: Yet more typos and copy-paste errors I introduced while trying to fix the text. Added the /z/ law L10a. Draft 6: More typos. Said anθtka for humankind instead of anθka in the lexicon. Added the -st coda. Draft 5: Added two sentences at the end of the accusativeContinue reading “Laulai or Neo-Arcadian, language of the breakaway civilization”
Translation: আজি বিজন ঘরে
A moving song by Tagore. আজি বিজন ঘরে নিশীথরাতেNow if, to this lonely house, in the dead of night, আসবে যদি শূন্য হাতে–You should come in with empty hands– আমি তাইতে কি ভয় মানি!Will I take fright? জানি জানি, বন্ধু, জানি–I know, friend, I know– তোমার আছে তো হাতখানি ॥You still have your hand forContinue reading “Translation: আজি বিজন ঘরে”
Translation: মোমের পুতুল মমীর দেশের মেয়ে নেচে যায়
মোমের পুতুল মমীর দেশের মেয়ে নেচে যায়।A wax-doll girl in a land of mummies goes dancing by বিহবল–চঞ্চল–পায়।।On swooning, restless feet. খর্জুর–বীথির ধারেBy a date palm avenue, সাহারা মরুর পারেPast Sahara’s dunes, বাজায় ঘুমুর ঝুমুর ঝুমুর মধুর ঝঙ্কারে।Her ankle bells go – jhumur jhumur – sweetly chiming by. উড়িয়ে ওড়না ‘লু’ হাওয়ায়Scarf fluttering in theContinue reading “Translation: মোমের পুতুল মমীর দেশের মেয়ে নেচে যায়”
Translation: নতুনের গান
Nazrul’s marching song. চল্ চল্ চল্March, march, march! ঊর্দ্ধ গগনে বাজে মাদলIn high heaven the war drum sounds নিম্নে উতলা ধরণী-তলBelow, mother earth roils অরুণ প্রাতের তরুণ দলYouth brigade of crimson morn: চল্ রে চল্ রে চল্March on, march on, march on! চল্ চল্ চল্।March, march, march! ঊষার দুয়ারে হানি আঘাতStorming the gates of golden dawn আমরাContinue reading “Translation: নতুনের গান”
Character Simulation Part 1: Prediction
The Python library soma.narrative can be used to describe a fictional person in terms of feelings, beliefs, and relationships, run them forward in time, and then ask the kinds of questions a novelist asks: when would this person break? what is she really feeling under the composure? what single thing, changed, would have saved thisContinue reading “Character Simulation Part 1: Prediction”
My hope from LLMs
The number one benefit I’m hoping for from LLMs is that they will get humans to de-LLM-ize themselves. Humans have always behaved the way LLMs do, saying long strings of words while not knowing what they are talking about. LLMs are better at this than humans (and that’s all they can do). I hope thisContinue reading “My hope from LLMs”
Mind-Body Loop as Computation
This tutorial teaches you to read, run, and write mind-body loop simulations. Each mind-body loop is simulated as a self-rewriting program that computes by editing itself. The source starts as a problem. Each run rewrites it closer to the answer. When the answer is reached there is nothing left to rewrite. The tutorial goes fromContinue reading “Mind-Body Loop as Computation”
