ajdecon
@ajdecon.org
Building supercomputers! Former materials physicist, recovering SRE, now mostly herding cats. Perpetually a bit confused. He/him.
Currently at NVIDIA, formerly FB and LANL. Opinions mine as always.
🏡: Denver, CO
🔗 : https://www.ajdecon.org
Currently at NVIDIA, formerly FB and LANL. Opinions mine as always.
🏡: Denver, CO
🔗 : https://www.ajdecon.org
Pinned
ajdecon
@ajdecon.org
· Nov 15
Silly thread for a Saturday: some of the #HPC clusters I’ve worked on over the years.
First up is Cielo, a Cray XE6 I worked on at LANL! Which might actually be the prettiest supercomputer I’ve worked on.
First up is Cielo, a Cray XE6 I worked on at LANL! Which might actually be the prettiest supercomputer I’ve worked on.
This thread continues to be amazing, and shows both:
1. That indexing is a task you can teach an LLM to do, and;
2. How much work it takes to teach an LLM to do that!
1. That indexing is a task you can teach an LLM to do, and;
2. How much work it takes to teach an LLM to do that!
I want to read this article. Two (meant constructively) things:
1) "demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing" should, like most of these things, have qualifiers like "in our hands and with our LLM"
2) when people talk like this about accuracy, I suspect the workflow as much as the model.
1) "demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing" should, like most of these things, have qualifiers like "in our hands and with our LLM"
2) when people talk like this about accuracy, I suspect the workflow as much as the model.
There’s an excellent and devastatingly thorough article in the latest @indexers.bsky.social journal by Elizabeth Bartmess and Michele Combs demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing
December 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
This thread continues to be amazing, and shows both:
1. That indexing is a task you can teach an LLM to do, and;
2. How much work it takes to teach an LLM to do that!
1. That indexing is a task you can teach an LLM to do, and;
2. How much work it takes to teach an LLM to do that!
Reposted by ajdecon
I feel like I'm going to get a lot of use out of this Pluribus screencap
December 21, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I feel like I'm going to get a lot of use out of this Pluribus screencap
My group is hiring several interns for next summer to help us build the next generation of GPU supercomputers! We work on architecture, bringup, applications, and analysis for clusters based on the latest NVIDIA compute and networking technologies.
NVIDIA 2026 Internships: Systems Software Engineering - US
By submitting your resume, you’re expressing interest in one of our 2026 Systems Software Engineering Internships. We’ll review resumes on an ongoing basis, and a recruiter may reach out if your exper...
nvidia.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:44 PM
My group is hiring several interns for next summer to help us build the next generation of GPU supercomputers! We work on architecture, bringup, applications, and analysis for clusters based on the latest NVIDIA compute and networking technologies.
Maddie here is adorable, but dear Lord is she loud when she wants to be.
Drove her to and from the pet store to get her a harness for walks, and she screamed bloody murder the whole time because I had her in her carrier.
Once you have the harness you won’t need the carrier! As much anyway…
Drove her to and from the pet store to get her a harness for walks, and she screamed bloody murder the whole time because I had her in her carrier.
Once you have the harness you won’t need the carrier! As much anyway…
December 19, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Maddie here is adorable, but dear Lord is she loud when she wants to be.
Drove her to and from the pet store to get her a harness for walks, and she screamed bloody murder the whole time because I had her in her carrier.
Once you have the harness you won’t need the carrier! As much anyway…
Drove her to and from the pet store to get her a harness for walks, and she screamed bloody murder the whole time because I had her in her carrier.
Once you have the harness you won’t need the carrier! As much anyway…
It's also just a really great read!
Back when Shades of Milk and Honey was published, we didn't use the term "romantasy." But that's absolutely what it is. Just saying, in case you're looking for a romantasy book to read during the holidays. bookshop.org/p/books/shad...
Shades of Milk and Honey
Check out Shades of Milk and Honey - <p><i>Shades of Milk and Honey</i> is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered ...
bookshop.org
December 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
It's also just a really great read!
Reposted by ajdecon
One big takeaway from Mamdani bringing YIMBYs into his transition is that advocates can often gain a lot of power by
1.) having useful answers to questions and accurate information
2.) being reasonably polite and pleasant to elected officials
3.) understanding the actual mechanics of government
1.) having useful answers to questions and accurate information
2.) being reasonably polite and pleasant to elected officials
3.) understanding the actual mechanics of government
December 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
One big takeaway from Mamdani bringing YIMBYs into his transition is that advocates can often gain a lot of power by
1.) having useful answers to questions and accurate information
2.) being reasonably polite and pleasant to elected officials
3.) understanding the actual mechanics of government
1.) having useful answers to questions and accurate information
2.) being reasonably polite and pleasant to elected officials
3.) understanding the actual mechanics of government
This is a good thread, and in particular demonstrates that “can an LLM do X” is very different from “will a short naive prompt get me there?”
FWIW I think ChatGPT and friends bring this on themselves, as the chatbot interface *encourages* short, naive prompts.
FWIW I think ChatGPT and friends bring this on themselves, as the chatbot interface *encourages* short, naive prompts.
I want to read this article. Two (meant constructively) things:
1) "demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing" should, like most of these things, have qualifiers like "in our hands and with our LLM"
2) when people talk like this about accuracy, I suspect the workflow as much as the model.
1) "demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing" should, like most of these things, have qualifiers like "in our hands and with our LLM"
2) when people talk like this about accuracy, I suspect the workflow as much as the model.
There’s an excellent and devastatingly thorough article in the latest @indexers.bsky.social journal by Elizabeth Bartmess and Michele Combs demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing
December 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
This is a good thread, and in particular demonstrates that “can an LLM do X” is very different from “will a short naive prompt get me there?”
FWIW I think ChatGPT and friends bring this on themselves, as the chatbot interface *encourages* short, naive prompts.
FWIW I think ChatGPT and friends bring this on themselves, as the chatbot interface *encourages* short, naive prompts.
Reposted by ajdecon
I see a lot of complaints about untested AI slop in pull requests. Submitting those is a dereliction of duty as a software engineer: Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work simonwillison.net/2025/Dec/18/...
Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work
In all of the debates about the value of AI-assistance in software development there’s one depressing anecdote that I keep on seeing: the junior engineer, empowered by some class of …
simonwillison.net
December 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I see a lot of complaints about untested AI slop in pull requests. Submitting those is a dereliction of duty as a software engineer: Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work simonwillison.net/2025/Dec/18/...
This is very neat… and also, from past experience as a physics student, feels a lot like “we were screwing around in the lab and got a paper out of it”.
To be clear, not a criticism! Some great papers start that way. ;-)
To be clear, not a criticism! Some great papers start that way. ;-)
Physicists 3D-printed a Christmas tree of ice via evaporative cooling. New method uses no freezing technology or refrigeration equipment—just water and a vacuum. arstechnica.com/science/2025...
Physicists 3D-printed a Christmas tree of ice
New method uses no freezing technology or refrigeration equipment—just water and a vacuum.
arstechnica.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
This is very neat… and also, from past experience as a physics student, feels a lot like “we were screwing around in the lab and got a paper out of it”.
To be clear, not a criticism! Some great papers start that way. ;-)
To be clear, not a criticism! Some great papers start that way. ;-)
Phryne’s turning into a hockey fan
December 17, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Phryne’s turning into a hockey fan
Reposted by ajdecon
NCAR is quite literally our global mothership.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
www.usatoday.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:59 AM
NCAR is quite literally our global mothership.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
This is a really wonderful thread
Alice has now seen “Wake Up Dead Man” which means now I can talk about “Wake Up Dead Man” as approximately one million of you have asked me to do. intermittent live-blog in the quoted thread. gay Catholic musings below:
Alice is finally watching “Wake Up Dead Man” and we are having a great time
December 17, 2025 at 3:36 AM
This is a really wonderful thread
Reposted by ajdecon
If you are (as I am) watching The Princess Bride for REASONS today, please take a look at the quoted thread for a master's look at the masters of swords
As you may know, I have stopped using Twitter, and have decided to reproduce some of my more memorable threads here for posterity. Here’s one I hold wrote after a particularly engaging swordfighting lesson.
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
a man reading a book to a young boy
Alt: a man reading a book to a young boy
media.tenor.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:33 PM
If you are (as I am) watching The Princess Bride for REASONS today, please take a look at the quoted thread for a master's look at the masters of swords
This thread is tremendously fun. And as someone who did a bit of sport fencing in college and grad school, makes me want to dig out my epées again 😁
As you may know, I have stopped using Twitter, and have decided to reproduce some of my more memorable threads here for posterity. Here’s one I hold wrote after a particularly engaging swordfighting lesson.
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
Buckle up, swordfighting fans, because I *have* studied my Agrippa!
[BIG ASS THREAD]
a man reading a book to a young boy
Alt: a man reading a book to a young boy
media.tenor.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:59 PM
This thread is tremendously fun. And as someone who did a bit of sport fencing in college and grad school, makes me want to dig out my epées again 😁
Reposted by ajdecon
"Trump is unpopular and in failing health. His movement has lost critical elections by large margins in the past several weeks. His MAGA movement is jockeying for position in the new authoritarian structures or are plotting to keep him in power." www.liberalcurrents.com/a-new-season...
A New Season of Hope
Looking back on this year's battlegrounds, looking ahead to 2026 and beyond.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:51 PM
"Trump is unpopular and in failing health. His movement has lost critical elections by large margins in the past several weeks. His MAGA movement is jockeying for position in the new authoritarian structures or are plotting to keep him in power." www.liberalcurrents.com/a-new-season...
Reposted by ajdecon
This entire weekend
December 15, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This entire weekend
Reposted by ajdecon
i think this is especially obvious once you escape from the goldfish brain various pundits have inflicted on themselves and see politics in a longer timeframe
various political movements have, quite successfully, reshaped national opinion (elite and mass) on various issues over the years
various political movements have, quite successfully, reshaped national opinion (elite and mass) on various issues over the years
December 14, 2025 at 10:56 PM
i think this is especially obvious once you escape from the goldfish brain various pundits have inflicted on themselves and see politics in a longer timeframe
various political movements have, quite successfully, reshaped national opinion (elite and mass) on various issues over the years
various political movements have, quite successfully, reshaped national opinion (elite and mass) on various issues over the years
I really enjoy mystery stories where the detective is just there to push the mystery along.
What family trauma did Benoit Blanc face? Who was Sherlock Holmes’ childhood nemesis? Who cares? Let’s watch them be clever.
What family trauma did Benoit Blanc face? Who was Sherlock Holmes’ childhood nemesis? Who cares? Let’s watch them be clever.
my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides
December 14, 2025 at 9:30 PM
I really enjoy mystery stories where the detective is just there to push the mystery along.
What family trauma did Benoit Blanc face? Who was Sherlock Holmes’ childhood nemesis? Who cares? Let’s watch them be clever.
What family trauma did Benoit Blanc face? Who was Sherlock Holmes’ childhood nemesis? Who cares? Let’s watch them be clever.
Reposted by ajdecon
retvrn to mystery stories based around the actual mystery and not whether the detective is sad and/or wet
my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides
December 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM
retvrn to mystery stories based around the actual mystery and not whether the detective is sad and/or wet
Reposted by ajdecon
wonderful post by @kevinbaker.bsky.social
“To ask about LLMs and science is to ask what program was already running when they arrived. The program, as it turns out, had been running for decades, and it was not optimized for epistemic depth.”
“To ask about LLMs and science is to ask what program was already running when they arrived. The program, as it turns out, had been running for decades, and it was not optimized for epistemic depth.”
Context Widows
or, of GPUs, LPUs, and Goal Displacement
artificialbureaucracy.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
wonderful post by @kevinbaker.bsky.social
“To ask about LLMs and science is to ask what program was already running when they arrived. The program, as it turns out, had been running for decades, and it was not optimized for epistemic depth.”
“To ask about LLMs and science is to ask what program was already running when they arrived. The program, as it turns out, had been running for decades, and it was not optimized for epistemic depth.”
Reposted by ajdecon
Physics Today magazine is the leading publication in the physical sciences community and they are looking for a science editor with a background in physics. #physicsjobs #sciencejournalism workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
Recruitment
workforcenow.adp.com
December 14, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Physics Today magazine is the leading publication in the physical sciences community and they are looking for a science editor with a background in physics. #physicsjobs #sciencejournalism workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
Reposted by ajdecon
Tinker Swift, Taylor Swift, Soldier Swift, Spy Swift
December 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Tinker Swift, Taylor Swift, Soldier Swift, Spy Swift
All seems pretty reasonable tbh
who wants to read a giant stream of consciousness brain dump on artificial intelligence? merry christmas, suckers!!
radical ai centrism
towards being normal
aparkerio.leaflet.pub
December 11, 2025 at 8:26 PM
All seems pretty reasonable tbh
Puppies are so much fun. In the middle of the night they can go from snoring to surprise zoomies to barking at the walls and biting my nose to back asleep
December 8, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Puppies are so much fun. In the middle of the night they can go from snoring to surprise zoomies to barking at the walls and biting my nose to back asleep