alasdair
@alasdairc.bsky.social
Portland, OR. Physicist. City Liker.
Pinned
reading the ryan lizza article
November 18, 2025 at 4:22 AM
reading the ryan lizza article
Reposted by alasdair
In Japan, tourism to Portland, Oregon, is promoted by a grinning blue monster named Odnarodude. He’s at a Portland artisan event in Jiyugaoka De Aone this weekend.
November 8, 2025 at 2:34 AM
In Japan, tourism to Portland, Oregon, is promoted by a grinning blue monster named Odnarodude. He’s at a Portland artisan event in Jiyugaoka De Aone this weekend.
Reposted by alasdair
there's a message here that works well in the short form video era: eg: a clip of detectives on CSI or some shit "running the gun's serial number" then record-scratch: "this doesn't exist. republicans made this illegal. those records have to be kept on paper"
November 3, 2025 at 7:34 PM
there's a message here that works well in the short form video era: eg: a clip of detectives on CSI or some shit "running the gun's serial number" then record-scratch: "this doesn't exist. republicans made this illegal. those records have to be kept on paper"
happy Halloween everybody
November 1, 2025 at 8:05 AM
happy Halloween everybody
Reposted by alasdair
really odd the timing of this fixation on portland. sending the guard, sending the 82nd airborne, all these right wing influencers coming to stir up trouble, pam fucking bondi wading in and calling PPB antifa, all within like a week. 0-60. really feels like they just got bored with charlie kirk
October 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
really odd the timing of this fixation on portland. sending the guard, sending the 82nd airborne, all these right wing influencers coming to stir up trouble, pam fucking bondi wading in and calling PPB antifa, all within like a week. 0-60. really feels like they just got bored with charlie kirk
I wish Tina and Keith were doing less "we don't need troops here it's chill here" and more "Jesus christ it's insane to randomly declare war on us on a whim, you can't do that" tbh
Portland leaders’ press conference is live streaming here:
#pdx #portland
m.youtube.com/watch?v=TAOt...
#pdx #portland
m.youtube.com/watch?v=TAOt...
Oregon governor, Portland mayor and other officials address Trump's deployment of troops
YouTube video by KATU News
m.youtube.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I wish Tina and Keith were doing less "we don't need troops here it's chill here" and more "Jesus christ it's insane to randomly declare war on us on a whim, you can't do that" tbh
I deserve an award for resisting the urge to spam this in all the replies today
September 27, 2025 at 8:50 PM
I deserve an award for resisting the urge to spam this in all the replies today
Reposted by alasdair
Reposted by alasdair
Reposted by alasdair
it's called onedrive because you'll take One look at the it and Drive away
September 24, 2025 at 1:05 AM
it's called onedrive because you'll take One look at the it and Drive away
nauseating
Omg it’s real. I didn’t believe it last night because it’s so absurd.
apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsr...
apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsr...
September 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM
nauseating
hope everybody's having a lovely sat night
August 24, 2025 at 5:31 AM
hope everybody's having a lovely sat night
to be perfectly honest its not particularly reassuring knowing that bad drivers think they're in an action film
Just say ‘I like driving over the speed limit’ why debase yourself like this
August 10, 2025 at 11:35 PM
to be perfectly honest its not particularly reassuring knowing that bad drivers think they're in an action film
Reposted by alasdair
I am going to be a massive humorless asshole about woo-woo shit, no matter how seemingly harmless, for the rest of my life due to this. astrology, homeopathic medicine, etc etc it's all bullshit and it's not fucking harmless. there are people who will die due to this who would have otherwise lived.
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities...."
cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy
cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy
August 6, 2025 at 12:42 AM
I am going to be a massive humorless asshole about woo-woo shit, no matter how seemingly harmless, for the rest of my life due to this. astrology, homeopathic medicine, etc etc it's all bullshit and it's not fucking harmless. there are people who will die due to this who would have otherwise lived.
Reposted by alasdair
please read my insanely embarrassing piece in the NYT "It's Bad—Why I Revised My Thoughts Regarding Poo Poo" that I was paid $90000 to write
July 28, 2025 at 12:33 AM
please read my insanely embarrassing piece in the NYT "It's Bad—Why I Revised My Thoughts Regarding Poo Poo" that I was paid $90000 to write
obviously LLMs just know what words appear most frequently next to each other and so can't magically deduce new chemistry etc, but what really illuminated this for me was trying to play chess with an LLM. try it yourself!
comically failing at a significantly simpler, better defined task.
comically failing at a significantly simpler, better defined task.
more evidence for “a bunch of AI cultists dismantled large parts of the federal government because they believed that their LLMs were intelligent and could do the work better” thesis
Reporter: The FDA has a new AI tool that's intended to speed up drug approvals. But several FDA employees say the new AI helper is making up studies that do not exist. One FDA employee telling us, 'Anything that you don't have time to double check is unreliable. It hallucinates confidently'
July 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
obviously LLMs just know what words appear most frequently next to each other and so can't magically deduce new chemistry etc, but what really illuminated this for me was trying to play chess with an LLM. try it yourself!
comically failing at a significantly simpler, better defined task.
comically failing at a significantly simpler, better defined task.
getting to chant "fuck your birthday" today was weirdly satisfying
June 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
getting to chant "fuck your birthday" today was weirdly satisfying
Reposted by alasdair
We're not stuck with three and a half more years of him
He's stuck with three and a half more years of us
He's stuck with three and a half more years of us
June 14, 2025 at 11:32 PM
We're not stuck with three and a half more years of him
He's stuck with three and a half more years of us
He's stuck with three and a half more years of us
Reposted by alasdair
slapping a "i bought this before icarus fell" sticker on my pair of wax wings
April 6, 2025 at 4:29 AM
slapping a "i bought this before icarus fell" sticker on my pair of wax wings
they're deciding whether to ban someone at the larp campout, so im watching a man dressed as a king do an extended reading of mean Facebook exchanges word for word
March 30, 2025 at 2:02 AM
they're deciding whether to ban someone at the larp campout, so im watching a man dressed as a king do an extended reading of mean Facebook exchanges word for word
really not the easiest medium to work in
March 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
really not the easiest medium to work in
might have done something wrong for my first kings hand attempt
March 28, 2025 at 5:46 AM
might have done something wrong for my first kings hand attempt